Rahul stood in the middle of the crowded office. He was holding on to his cellphone tightly. His heart, racing with excitement. He deserves it after all his hard work. Not just an achievement, but a dream come true by winning a rank in the designing competition. If everything went well today, he could get a scholarship or a paid internship.
But first, he had to submit his certificate to the officer in charge.
The office was a mess—long queues, tired-looking people, and irritated clerks who barely looked at anyone. Rahul had already stood in two wrong lines. Each time, he was sent away to another counter without any explanation.
“Where do I even go?” he was muttering to himself out of frustration, when he felt a slight pull in his shirt.
Looking down, he saw a little boy holding up a cellphone.
“Uncle, look! This is the right place,” the boy said, showing him a screen with the correct counter number.
Rahul’s eyes widened at this. “Oh! Thank you, buddy!” he said while patting the boy’s head.
Rahul took a sigh of relief and opened his phone once again to check the certificate. It was there, glowing on the screen. He took a deep breath and walked toward the right counter.
Finally, he stood in front of the officer. His heart pounded. This was it.
“Sir,” he said with a smile, “I have ranked in the competition. Here’s my… “
He stopped.
His hands were empty.
His phone was gone.
A wave of fear rushed through his body. He quickly patted his pockets. Checked his bag. Looked around. Nothing.
His breathing became heavy. Where is it? He had just held it! He turned round and round, searching the floor, the counters, his fellow people.
“Sir, I need to see proof,” the officer insisted impatiently.
“Just… just a second!” Rahul stammered. His mind was blank with panic.
Then for a moment he felt better, for there, just by a counter, filling papers, was a familiar face-Dominic, an old-time college friend.
“Dominic!” Rahul rushed to him. “Please, call my number!“
Dominic looked confused but pulled out his phone. “What happened?“
“I lost my phone!” Rahul’s voice was shaky. “Just call it!“
Dominic dialed. There was no ringing sound nearby.
Rahul’s heart stopped.
He turned around desperately in search of the sound and saw nothing, when someone picked up the call. It was Bony.
Rahul felt like the ground had slipped beneath him.
Bony—the friend who had once been like a brother. The friend who had turned into an enemy. The friend Rahul had trusted, only to be betrayed.
And now, Bony was holding his phone, a small smirk on his face.
For a second, they just stared at each other, as if Bony and Rahul were in front of each other. It was all memories that melted between them- laughter, quarreling, lack of faith.
“Yeah! Searching for this?” he asked with sarcasm in his voice.
And Rahul clenched his fists. “Give it back, Bony.“
Bony tilted his head. “Oh? And why should I? You didn’t even notice when I took it. That’s how careless you are. Maybe you don’t deserve it.“
Rahul’s pulse raced. “Enough of your games. You know how important that phone is to me.“
Bony let out a mock sigh. “You took her away from me, you took my dreams, and I took yours, your dramas won’t work here. Well, not today.“
Rahul took a step forward. “Bony, I don’t have time for your old grudges. Hand it over.“
Bony grinned, then tossed the phone slightly into the air, catching it effortlessly. “You know what? Rahul… let’s see how badly you want it.“
And with that, he ended the call and walked away, he just disappeared.
Rahul stood frozen. His future was slipping through his fingers.
[Blackout? To be continued… ]
