Crowded Silence

1 | Good to Have You

I was greeted with a screen full of notifications of missed calls. It was Friday and that meant it can only be one person to have called me for so many times.

Cr*p!

What is it going to be that'd save me this time? God, why did it have to happen all the time?

It's not like she's gonna eat me alive over the phone, but I felt weird and guilty to always miss her calls.

I clicked open my contact list and hit the dial button against her name. She picked it up.

She did.

And I waited to be greeted with a really long speech on 'how not to offend the ones who wait to hear from us'.

It never came, as usual. I don't know why I waited to hear that from her every time, even though it has never happened.

I sighed and then started to speak, tentatively. Yeah!

"...umm...I'm...sorry??"

"Oh, pipe it down. You know I'm used to it."

"To me not picking up your calls and calling you after almost an hour?"

"Nonsense, no, I'm used to me, calling you at the wrong time over and over and still not changing my habit. Hahaha!" She laughed, man I loved her d*mn so much.

She was right though, we agreed to call each other, every Friday evenings at 7.30 pm. But she always called me from when the clock ticked 5 pm on Fridays, till 6 pm. And I'd always see those missed calls at 7 pm.

"You know I hate you, right?" I said, while smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, as much as I hate you." With that we both burst out laughing like two people gone crazy after inhaling Nitrous oxide.

"So how's life? Feeling loved every day?" I asked.

We were in our 20's and she was married a few months ago and had to move to another state, so we made it our routine to talk on Friday evenings and fill in each other about our lives.

"Oh yes, each day is like the first day we met. I'm happy." She squealed. She truly was happy and so was I for her, she deserves the world and more.

"I'm happy for you dear. But I'm happier for 'that pillow' you know." I commented grinning, knowing that she'd have punched me if we were having this conversation in person.

"Oh, wait till I tell you the same on your wedding." She shot back.

"Yeah, yeah." I lazily said, making us both laugh.

It was one of the habits which we had in common, that we never fell asleep unless we have a pillow squeezed between our arms and chest. Yep it was us, 'bizarre best friends' with bizarre habits.

"Tell me how've you been?"

"Oh as usual, studies, assignments and seminars, nothing new." I replied.

We finished college an year ago, and got ourselves enrolled for Post Graduate studies and were pursuing it currently. Being a Life Science student is my greatest pride, I'd never get tired of studying it even for my entire life.

"Will you ever give a thought about settling in your life? 'Cause the Hanna I know will never in her early 70's would think about it." She scoffed.

"Anna, now you've truly disappointed me."

"If I know you any better, you'll be holding your chest now." She laughed. That made me smile widely. God, she knew me just so well.

"Haha, true. It's not like I don't wanna settle down. I just don't have time to give that stuff a thought, you know."

"So, you haven't changed in the slightest about finding love?"

"Yeah, as you know, it's not that I don't believe in love, I do, but I don't want to waste my time finding it. And hey, why should I even try to find it if it's true and is truly meant for me? Won't it come to me at the right time? Also, this way I wouldn't have to suffer heartbreaks if I get into wrong relationships, haha."

"You and your philosophy, you haven't changed a bit and I don't want you to either, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I don't want it too, I won't be myself then, isn't it? The person who annoys the hell outta you? Hehe!"

"Oh yes, but someone's there who has surpassed you, just so you'd know." I'm sure she's pouting now.

"My, my, who's that who has snatched my right, now?" I said dramatically.

"Your soon to be___" I cut her off with my gasp of delight, as I realised what she was about to say.

"...are you...pregn___"

"YES!!" This time she cut me off with her scream.

"Whoa! Girl that's really cool. But that won't annoy you forever, that right is always mine."

"Haha, that's right. You are my best annoying-the-hell-out-of-Ann friend."

"Thanks, my best tolerate-Han's-annoyance-to-the-fullest friend."

"Have you written anything new these days? If so send me some, I get bored at house, sitting idle." She sighed.

"Oh, okay, I've a piece written but it still needs editing, I'll send as soon as it's done."

I wrote to keep myself occupied from boredom. That slowly became a habit and she really loved to read my thing. I don't know if she did it not to offend me, or if my writings were really good 'cause I've never really published my works.

"Okay, but make it fast 'cause I really need something to kill my time here, for who knows how many months." She whined.

"Aww, my cute lil' whiner. Don't you have online classes to attend?" I laughed. "Anyway, I'll make it quick for you dear. Until then, would you like to see my sketches? I've some of them done over the last week."

"Are you kidding me? You don't even have to ask to send me your sketches, you know it kills me to not look at them until you're done. Send 'em ASAP!" She ordered.

I made sure no one saw my unfinished work. I have my own ways of doing my work and I didn't like being judged for what I'm doing before the work is done. It's not like she'll judge me, I always made sure to tell her when I started to draw, or write something, but let's say I hid them from her so that I'd enjoy her curious side. Poor her? Yeah I know, hehe.

"Hahahaha, Okay, okay, I'll."

We both talked and laughed for over 2 hours and then I decided to give her an early break from our usual 3 hour talk, now that I know that she needs her sleep and rest more than anything. With that we hung up and I took a shower, put on my pyjamas and made sure to grab my companion to be squeezed between my arms and chest before going to bed.

__________

Author's Note:

The next few parts will be describing about how the two of them met and their past life experiences.

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