Manav

Chapter 21 - The Transition

"Naina? How come you are here?" Dev said.

"Dev?" she said with astonishment.

A neighbour of Shlok's came out of their flat and Dev felt a need to take Naina inside the house.

"What are you doing here?" Dev asked Naina. Hearing that, Priyanka came in the living room from the balcony. Her eyebrows went up.

"Are you going to answer me?" Dev asked.

"A..a..actually, we have a common friend." Priyanka interrupted.

"What?" Dev said.

"I mean, we both know each other. I called her hear before you did."

"You know Naina? Why didn't you tell me that?" He asked both of them.

"Well, we just got along well, so..." Priyanka was trying to cover up.

"One second, if you called her here before me, then why didn't you tell me you were here? And where were you going?" Dev asked.

Naina was totally trapped. But something made her say,

"I think it's time."

"What are you talking about?" Dev asked.

"No Naina!" Priyanka said instantly.

"It's time you know the truth. I can't be in a relationship where I have to hide things."

"I'm not understanding what are you saying." Dev said.

* * * * * * * *

What do you decide when you are in such a dilemma? Someone called my name, isn't it?'

"Manav."

I opened my eyes and I realized that I was no longer in my house. I was all the way up, far above the ground. And there I heard a voice calling out my name. My ears had gone num. So I didn't recognize whose voice was it.

"Who's it?" I said out loud.

The person who was calling me, climbed up. Soon, I rubbed my eyes, and I realized that,

"What are you doing on the terrace?" Shlok asked. I was on the terrace and it was Shlok's voice. Maybe while talking to myself, I came up on the terrace after having my coffee unknowingly. Just like people sometimes do when they are on the phone talking to somebody, and they are so engrossed in it. By the way, I didn't answer Shlok. Well, I couldn't.

"I messaged you, and then you didn't reply. So I called you three times. Where's your phone?"

I searched for my phone in my pockets, while my hand touched something lying beside me. It was my phone, just beside me. I was on my terrace, and in India, mainly all residential buildings have a water tank, on which people like to spend time. I was sitting on top of it.

"Are you okay? Manav?" Shlok said.

"Um..yeah...I was just doing some thinking."

"Oh, well then, I think I have something to help you with." He said and sat beside me. It was around 3.30pm and the sun didn't leave any chance to heat us up.

"Should we get down and talk over everything in your living room?" Shlok asked. I agreed.

We came down and sat on the sofa in my living room. I almost felt that I was on a talk show.

"So what is it?" Shlok initiated.

"What would you do if you come to know that there's a person, who helped you in your life a lot, he was always there for you, but one day you realize, that he never existed! And that he was your fickle imagination!" I said.