She was scrolling through the news feed on her phone when the screen lit up announcing a call from him. She stared blankly for a few seconds and wondered if she should answer... she really didn't feel like speaking to him but eventually she clicked on the green icon and said Hello.
"I hope you're not turning into a recluse," he said and then added, "Where have you been? You don't call or respond to my texts anymore... I don't even know if you have read my texts. Whenever I have asked to meet, you have always said next week... You have been saying next week for months now... Do you even remember the last time we met?"
"Uhh... no I don't," she replied hesitantly.
"It was the 23rd of July and it had been raining all day. We sat at that cafe with the jukebox and talked... You refused to let me drop you home and even asked me to leave the restaurant before you because you wanted to sit by yourself for a while... Do you know that I did not drive away? I parked around the corner and waited till I saw you come out and..."
"Were you spying on me then?" she interrupted him.
"Well, I just couldn't comprehend your behaviour that day. You had never done that earlier..." he said with his voice lowered.
"So what now? Why have you called?"
"To find out how you are since you don't seem to share information willingly. And also to ask you to come over to my new place on Tuesday... actually why don't you come on Monday night itself?"
"I really don't feel up to it," she said.
"What is really wrong? You know there's so much I want to tell you... Please come..."
"Tell me now... I don't feel like meeting in person."
"But... okay," he sighed and then continued, "I have decided to put the final nail on the coffin and end it with her."
"Why did you do that?" she raised her voice showing some emotion for the first time during the conversation.
"I thought it would finally get us on the path to being together. Don't you want that?" he pleaded.
"Did I ever ask you to do that or even imply that it was what I wanted?" she sounded annoyed at this point.
"No you didn't and I never understood it. Why didn't you ever tell me to leave her and give myself to you completely? Who doesn't want that? I would have never been able to share you anyone else?"
"Share me? And how can you be certain that you haven't been sharing me with anyone else all this time?" she asked him sounding exasperated.
"What do you mean? It's him isn't it? I don't believe this... I thought you had ended it the last time you visited him... Isn't that what you said? Please tell me the truth..." he begged.
"You are being ridiculous! What are these plots you keep cooking up?"
"Are you still with him then? Is that why you don't want me to leave her?"
"Number one, I am not with anyone else. Number two, you are free to do as you wish."
He was silent for a few seconds. Then he said, "Okay, I wish to leave her and spend the rest of my life with you."
"Good luck with that," she said and hung up.
He dialled her number again but she didn't answer.
"What did you mean by good luck with that? I really thought you would be happy with my choice..." he texted immediately.
"Did it ever occur to you that we only worked because of her? She was the catalyst that caused the reaction that led to 'us'. Take her out of the equation and we will be reduced to nothing."
"I don't understand you... I never did... I tried so hard.." he texted back.
"That was the problem Doc, you always 'tried' instead of just being and feeling." she typed.
He smiled... She hadn't called him Doc in a while... People always assumed it was short for doctor and wondered why because he wasn't one. It was actually short for documenter and it was an inside joke... no one else but the two of them knew why.
He slowly typed, "I give up Doll." It was short for dollar - another inside joke.
"I knew you would." she replied.
His status showed "Typing...." for a while but she didn't receive a reply.
She switched to airplane mode, opened her favourite app and continued painting the mandala she had begun the previous day.
"I hope you're not turning into a recluse," he said and then added, "Where have you been? You don't call or respond to my texts anymore... I don't even know if you have read my texts. Whenever I have asked to meet, you have always said next week... You have been saying next week for months now... Do you even remember the last time we met?"
"Uhh... no I don't," she replied hesitantly.
"It was the 23rd of July and it had been raining all day. We sat at that cafe with the jukebox and talked... You refused to let me drop you home and even asked me to leave the restaurant before you because you wanted to sit by yourself for a while... Do you know that I did not drive away? I parked around the corner and waited till I saw you come out and..."
"Were you spying on me then?" she interrupted him.
"Well, I just couldn't comprehend your behaviour that day. You had never done that earlier..." he said with his voice lowered.
"So what now? Why have you called?"
"To find out how you are since you don't seem to share information willingly. And also to ask you to come over to my new place on Tuesday... actually why don't you come on Monday night itself?"
"I really don't feel up to it," she said.
"What is really wrong? You know there's so much I want to tell you... Please come..."
"Tell me now... I don't feel like meeting in person."
"But... okay," he sighed and then continued, "I have decided to put the final nail on the coffin and end it with her."
"Why did you do that?" she raised her voice showing some emotion for the first time during the conversation.
"I thought it would finally get us on the path to being together. Don't you want that?" he pleaded.
"Did I ever ask you to do that or even imply that it was what I wanted?" she sounded annoyed at this point.
"No you didn't and I never understood it. Why didn't you ever tell me to leave her and give myself to you completely? Who doesn't want that? I would have never been able to share you anyone else?"
"Share me? And how can you be certain that you haven't been sharing me with anyone else all this time?" she asked him sounding exasperated.
"What do you mean? It's him isn't it? I don't believe this... I thought you had ended it the last time you visited him... Isn't that what you said? Please tell me the truth..." he begged.
"You are being ridiculous! What are these plots you keep cooking up?"
"Are you still with him then? Is that why you don't want me to leave her?"
"Number one, I am not with anyone else. Number two, you are free to do as you wish."
He was silent for a few seconds. Then he said, "Okay, I wish to leave her and spend the rest of my life with you."
"Good luck with that," she said and hung up.
He dialled her number again but she didn't answer.
"What did you mean by good luck with that? I really thought you would be happy with my choice..." he texted immediately.
"Did it ever occur to you that we only worked because of her? She was the catalyst that caused the reaction that led to 'us'. Take her out of the equation and we will be reduced to nothing."
"I don't understand you... I never did... I tried so hard.." he texted back.
"That was the problem Doc, you always 'tried' instead of just being and feeling." she typed.
He smiled... She hadn't called him Doc in a while... People always assumed it was short for doctor and wondered why because he wasn't one. It was actually short for documenter and it was an inside joke... no one else but the two of them knew why.
He slowly typed, "I give up Doll." It was short for dollar - another inside joke.
"I knew you would." she replied.
His status showed "Typing...." for a while but she didn't receive a reply.
She switched to airplane mode, opened her favourite app and continued painting the mandala she had begun the previous day.
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