In those 5 Minute.

"5 Minutes"

Chapter 3

As days passed, my connection with Shreya grew stronger, and before I knew it, three months had flown by. We became close, meeting every day at the café near the library. It became our routine, a sacred part of my day.

We talked about anything and everything—books, random thoughts, even love. Some days, we didn’t say much at all; we’d just sit there, staring into the distance or at each other, comfortable in the silence.

That night, I was lying in bed, my mind wandering aimlessly, when my phone buzzed. The screen flashed Shreya, and I glanced at the time—11:55 PM.

Her voice on the other end was soft but excited. She started talking about something random, and I was half-listening, wondering why she’d call this late. But then she paused, and with a mischievous tone, she said, "Happy birthday, Satyam."

For a second, I was completely thrown off. Birthday? I had forgotten it was even the 31st of July.

She continued, “Main tumhein sabse pehle birthday wish karungi hamesha. Aur kisi ko koi haq nahi hai.”

Her words hit differently, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. A strange warmth spread through me, one that lingered long after the call ended.

Days turned into months, and soon it was January 2020. We had built something special—an unspoken bond, a friendship that was deeper than I had imagined.

But then, out of nowhere, everything changed.

One day, I received no texts from her. I went to the café at our usual time, but she wasn’t there either. I waited for hours, hoping she’d show up, but she never did.

The following night, feeling restless, I took my bike and rode through the cold streets. It was late, and the city felt empty. I stopped at the garden where she used to sit sometimes, hoping I’d find her there.

But all I found was silence.

Tears welled up in my eyes, the kind that you can’t hold back, and my heart felt heavier than it ever had. I didn’t know where she was, or why she had vanished so suddenly.

Weeks passed like this, and then months. Eventually, a year.

Now, it’s July 31, 2023.

Aditya was still on the phone, listening as I spoke, my voice calm but hollow.

“And like this,” I said, “I started hating my birthday.”

I exhaled slowly, staring at the rain pouring from the sky, thunder rumbling in the distance.

“I don’t want to live through the 24 hours of my birthday anymore,” I continued, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just want to live in those five minutes... from 11:55 to 12:00. I just want to hear her voice one last time.”

The rain was relentless, each drop echoing the emptiness inside me.

“I still look at her number sometimes, but... I don’t know where she is. I just hope... I just wish she’s doing fine in life. Maybe in the future, we’ll meet again.”

The words hung in the air, the weight of the moment pressing down on me.

Staring up at the sky, I whispered to myself, “Zindagi ka ek ajeeb sa safar hai… kabhi hum raaste kho dete hain, aur kabhi raaste humein… Bas ek din, ek pal, ek yaad reh jaati hai… aur baaki sab khatam ho jaata hai.”

"Bekarar si thi raatein Be-Hishab Teri Yaadein bikhra jinme  gham ye tha mera, be asar rahi sharabein be sabar ye dil jo mera bewkoof tha tere bina."

© 2024 Inkelation. All rights reserved.
Title: In Those Five Minutes
Author: Inkelation
Publisher: Inkelation
Type: Original literary work