His friend, who knew Abhi like the back of his hand , rarely saw him this rattled, realized, "Okay, this dude is seriously messed up. Time for a chill-out zone". He guided Abhi to a private room, like a "safe space," telling him, "Hey, just crash here, no one's gonna bother you". Then he left.
Abhi, being Abhi, just ordered another bottle and drank himself into oblivion. He passed out, no cap, and who knows how long he was out for.
Suddenly, Tulasi crashed into his dream again, this time, she was weeping, her innocent face a portrait of sorrow. He shot up, eyes wide, dizzy, but the tears in his own eyes were real. "Why, why this dream again? What is Tulasi doing?" he thought, grabbing his phone. He dialled, but it was "switch off". 'The flight landed ages ago, didn't it?' he wondered, frantically checking for messages. Nothing. Not a single call, not a peep from her. He called the head nurse, hoping to get her friends' numbers. It was 1:30 AM, but his urgency was off the charts. The head nurse didn't pick up. He cursed, then called the hospital directly, demanding numbers.
They, probably terrified, gave him all the numbers, including Shashirekha's home address. He thought about crashing, "It's already like 1:30 AM, she must be asleep, right?". But the thought of not hearing her voice was literally suffocating him. He dialled Dr. Anitha's number. Shashi? Nah, she'd totally ghost him or, worse, block Tulasi from talking. But Anitha? She was practically terrified of him, so she'd spill the beans, no cap.
After five attempt's, Anitha finally picked up, a groggy "Hello?" escaping her lips.
"This is Abhijit," he announced, his voice a low, commanding rumble.
Anitha's sleep vanished instantly. "Hello, sir! Sir, tell me, sir"
"What is Tulasi doing?". She looked around, then remembered they were at Shashirekha's house.
"Sir, Tulasi is sleeping in another room with Shashirekha. I'm with another friend, Bindu, in a different room. "
"Why isn't she answering her phone?".
"Okay, okay," she stammered, scrambling out of bed and heading towards Shashirekha's room. She checked the time – 2 AM. "What now?" she thought, knocking on the door.
Tulasi, with her sleepy, innocent gaze, opened the door. "What is it, Anitha? Is it time to get ready already?" Her gentle tone was like a breath of fresh air for Abhi, a moment of pure relief.
"No, Tulasi, you got a call," Anitha said.
"Me? A call? From whom?" Tulasi's voice held a hint of innocent confusion and fear.
"Dr. Abhijit wants to talk to you!".
"Oh, Abhi?" she said, taking the phone, a sweet anticipation in her voice.
"Abhi? ….hello ..Abhi?....hello…"
Abhi said nothing, just absorbed the sound of her voice, a strange tremor passing through him, making him close his eyes in a moment of pure bliss. she tried to hand the phone back, but Abhi, finally breaking his silence, said, "Hello, Tulasi".
Tulasi, mesmerized by his voice, brought the phone back to her ear. "Hello, Abhi," she whispered.
"Your phone was switched off, what's up with that?" he demanded.
Tulasi looked around, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Oh, I'll switch it on now, Abhi".
"And keep your power bank ready, okay? Whenever I call, you answer immediately!" he commanded, his 'bad boy' tone softened by a subtle hint of concern.
Tulasi just listened, a quiet anger simmering beneath her gentle exterior, though Abhi didn't seem to notice.
"Are you listening?" Abhi asked again, his voice dropping to a low rumble.
"Yes," Tulasi replied, her voice still laced with a hint of resentment.
"What are you doing?" he asked, not wanting to end the call. Tulasi's silence was deafening, a clear sign to Abhi that something was off.
"It's past 1:30 AM, anyone else would be sleeping, except you" Accusatory tone of hers confirmed to Abhi that Shashirekha was totally playing cupid, but in reverse, creating drama between them!. Why can't she just mind her own business? he fumed, and with that, he hung up.
Tulasi stared at the phone for a moment, then handed it back to a half-asleep Anitha, who mumbled, "Call over? Oh, okay," and shuffled back to her room.
Tulasi then switched on her phone and checked WhatsApp. No messages from Abhi, but a 'seen' receipt confirmed he was watching her, no cap. Abhi, on his end, saw that Tulasi had checked her messages. He tossed his phone aside, trying to catch some sleep, but it was a no-go. He checked the time – barely 2 AM. He padded downstairs, seeing his friends already paired off with girls in their rooms. He didn't feel like crashing their vibe, or even being there himself. He retreated to his home, then to the sofa, his hand tracing the fabric.