My Birthday Promise (Editing)

Alisha and I

Mohit

I woke up at around 4 am lying next to my laptop. I had a kink in my neck- maybe because I slept with my head pushed up. I must have fallen asleep at some point later after waiting for Rutt until wee hours in the morning. I was still online on Skype. Rutt had promised to call me on Skype in the morning but there was no call or message from her.

She must be busy.

I sent her an offline message before closing my laptop. It had been 6 days since she went to US and we had talked on phone only twice and video-chatted once. I checked my phone for her good night message. She used to send me Good Night messages every night before sleeping, which to me was very amusing as I used to get it in the morning. Similarly I used to send her Good Morning message after receiving her good night message. It soon became our fun thing.

There was no good night message this morning. She must be really busy. I decided to went back to sleep. May be I'll see her in my dreams.

***

I woke up again or thought I woke up to the doorbell ringing. I jerked my head up to check out the wall clock. 10 am. I grunted in displeasure before reluctantly pushing myself out of the bed. I wasn't too surprised when I found nobody at or near the door. May be I had been woken up by the phantom doorbell again but I would not want to believe that I have dreamt it.

For years now, if I oversleep, I am often awakened by the sound of a doorbell ringing. This has happened over and over when there is no one outside, and no one has been anywhere near the door. It often leaves me with my heart pounding. I'm not sure why it happens, but it does happen to me. Most of the times it does not even sound like my real-life doorbell.

I was drifting back into sleep when I heard the door bell again. It can't be a dream. It's funny how my body instinctively got up instead of waiting for the second ring. Next moment I was at the door. I took a good look outside; nobody was there. I started to think that someone was ding-dong-ditching me. I locked the door and fixed my eye on the door-scope. I waited for the prankster to make a move again.

I am gonna beat your smart ass.

It wasn't long before the doorbell rang again.

Alisha?

I was very surprise to see Alisha's face through the door-scope. I opened the door immediately and shouted, "You are a DEAD MEAT!"

Alisha looked surprised. "Whattttt?" She stepped back, giggling.

She is a great actor! I am impressed!

"I'll tell you what," I said, smiling, and clutched her hand.

She undid my grip and then dodged my attempt to catch her. Very next moment I was chasing her down the corridor in my boxers and messed up hair. She teased me looking over her shoulder before splitting into laughter. I smiled when I saw her sticking out her tongue. Our laughter soon filled the corridor and a few kids peeped out of their apartment doors, giggling. Alisha ran with wriggling movements which made it hard for me to get a hold at her, but I was not going to give up so easily. Finally, after a while, I succeeded in cornering her. She hurriedly looked on her both sides to find an escape route but before she could make a move I lunged in, threw my arms around her waist, and lifted her off the ground in a shift motion. She shook her legs like crazy and even pulled my t-shirt in her desperate struggle to free herself.

She finally gave up when I approached my apartment door. "Okay...I am sorry... just let me go," She begged. 

"Not so easily," I said with a wicked smile. She squeezed her nose in fake anger.