“So, you won’t believe what happened today,” Manik exclaimed to his friend Rahul, his eyes bright with excitement. “We were watching that new show, and she laughed at one of my jokes. I’m telling you, Rahul, there’s something magical between us.”
Rahul, ever the realist, raised an eyebrow. “Manik, are you sure it’s not just a friendly laugh?”
But Manik, lost in the romantic saga of his own making, brushed off Rahul’s skepticism. “Trust me, it’s more than that. It’s like we share this incredible connection over the smallest things. When you know, you know.”
In this romantic saga, Manik played the lead.
“Hey, do you think she likes me?” Manik asked his colleague Aisha during a coffee break, his eyes searching for reassurance.
Aisha hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “Manik, I think you should pay attention to her actions more than the TV shows she shared. Sometimes, connections run deeper than what’s on the surface.”
“It’s obviously not just TV shows we discuss. We discussed quite deep stuff like politics, and you know our ambitions and dreams.“
“None of which are actions. People are allowed to discuss things without that meaning they like you.“
Manik continued to pen his love story with an unwarranted fervor.
Beneath the romantic facade, Manik’s emotional landscape was tumultuous. Love, for him, was a connection to escape the storms that brewed within.
In a moment of vulnerability, Manik shared with his friend Neha, “I just feel alive when I’m with her, you know? It’s like she’s my anchor in this chaotic world.”
Neha, concerned, responded, “But Manik, love shouldn’t be an escape. It should complement your life, not consume it.”
Intimacy with his own feelings remained elusive, obscured by the fantastical world he had created. Love was a sanctuary, a haven from the realities that clawed at his heels.
“I believe you called her 3 times and she did not pick up?” asked Neha, when she met Manik again.
“Yes, but she just now called and told me she was busy traveling the entire day and will call tomorrow. One must think positively.”
That phone call never came.
Penned by yours truly and Anjali Lal as a part of a series of Late 20s Rants.