"Tera hone laga hoon Khone Laga hoon, Jab se mila hoon"
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We were snapping pictures of the sky and sunset, lost in the beauty of the moment, when my phone rang—it was Vedika di. The signal here is spotty, but thanks to some apps, Eve had installed on our phones with Di's assistance so I could receive calls.
"Evyaan, where is Samayara? We tried calling her, but she didn't pick up. Is she okay? Why hasn't she installed the app I told Eve about?" Vedika di asked, her voice tinged with worry. Panic gripped me as I realized we'd completely lost track of time and calls. Cursing under my breath, I quickly reassured di that Samayara was with me and that she could video call my phone directly.
"I'm sorry, di, Maa, and Papa. My battery died, so I left my phone in the room and came here to take a breather," Samayara explained as the video call connected. I stood behind the screen, feeling like an intruder in their warm, familiar exchange. They chatted for a while, sounding like the shiny families they show in movies. Well, they do exist in real life too, but only for some certain people though.
As their conversation wound down, I heard an affectionate feminine voice call out to me.
"Evyaan beta, how are you? Are you okay?" Her mother asked, concern lacing her tone.
"I'm more than perfect, aunty, now that you've asked," I replied, trying to conceal my smile, but Samayara caught it and gave me a weird look. Her gaze made me feel a bit exposed, caught between my genuine happiness and the awkwardness of the moment.
"Thank God, beta. Thank you for managing everything so bravely. We are very proud of you," her dad added, his voice filled with warmth.
And for once I felt a swell of appreciation and relief that I rarely experience. It was as if his words lifted a weight off my shoulders, making me feel seen and valued. I struggled to keep my composure, trying not to let the overwhelming emotion show as I ended the call with a lighter heart. Samayara, too, seemed brighter after speaking with her parents, her smile reflecting the comfort and happiness their support had brought her.
"Is it possible that you might like my mother?" Samayara asked cautiously.
"What? No, I... I just appreciated how affectionate she was," I said, half scoffing. I was struggling to understand her conclusion.
"Thank God. I really thought it was strange because you were literally glowing while replying," she stated with worriedly before bursting into Laughter. And she was right; I probably looked like a kid who'd just gotten his favorite candy, but I didn't regret it.
"Yeah, I'm sorry it came out like that," I admitted, as our laughter subsided. The time elapsed, and the sun went down, and the moon came up shining brightly in the dark sky.
We spent 6 hours together just talking about life, completely forgetting or maybe pretending to forget the incident in the morning, but it was still dancing in the back of my head.
