A Sew Through Time [Banbudh And Budbak]

28: Trust your friends!

The dizziness slowly wore off. Badri felt hunger strike his belly, his mouth dried up and he felt clumsy. The conspicuous man returned into the playground, sneering right at him.

But Khushi was out of sight.

Stepping inside the canteen, he noticed Budh tucked away in the last table. A half-eaten burger sat on his styrofoam plate, accompanied with two phones kept beside it.

He made his way through and sat beside him.

The other put on his usual dopey smile. He watched him phub through his phone carelessly, tapping the switches all together and ask,

"What's the point of carrying these when there's no signal here?"

"Arre, one's mine and the other is Khushi's" Budh placed her flip phone near his, "When she fell down, it fell out of her pocket. So I took it"

Grabbing her phone, Badri's eyes fell on its grey cover. It was adorned with shining Mega Robot stickers, the ones he had given her in school as a sign of friendship. Flicking it open, he continued pressing its keys to open the apps. The three bars were blank, with the battery stuck at nine percent. 

 Budh shifted closer to his side and warned, "If she finds out that you're looking through her phone then-"

"She wouldn't mind" he chuckled, "She's our best friend after all"

"I don't know" mumbled Budh.

Badri opened the gallery and began looking through it. Rows of pictures crossed his sight, mainly of a smiling woman with a man and a child, though not Khushi. He continued pressing the button, scanning every picture when his eyebrows wrinkled at one.

"Badri?"

"Hmmm?" He zoomed into the picture of a grassy yellow meadow.

"Do you think that time traveller kidnapped your little sister?" Budh placed his head on the table, "Yuvati said remember?"

"I wish I knew Budhhu" he sighed, closing the gallery and clicking the notes app, "If I only could..."

His voice trailed off.

"Badri?"

His lips parted. Several long paragraphs were typed into the app, ending with the date, time and year. It recorded all her moments with them, her experience at home.

Except for some.

Holding the flip phone with both hands, Badri carefully read the text, mumbling,

"Chiku mall... maths tuition...Ananya... Souvik?"

Budh straightened and peered into the screen.

"Can you do me a favour?"

"Puchna bhi maat, heehee" he smiled, keeping his elbows on the table, "Bata, what can I do?"

"Give me your phone for a sec"

He gave it to him.

"You have Bluetooth, and Khushi's number right?"

"Of course!" He looked at him, "But, what are you trying to do?"

"Copying these notes into your notes app" Badri replied, using the two devices simultaneously, "Aaand.... done!"

"Khushi will kill you"

"Nevermind her" he switched off her flip phone, "I'm keeping your phone with me for some time"

"Okay, but, so suddenly? Why?"

"BUDHDEB!" roared a voice from the door. Everyone present in the canteen turned towards Khushi, putting up a smile for her extraordinary qualities.