The phone buzzed relentlessly, its screen lighting up with Pradeep's name. The vibration echoed off the small wooden table in Lalith’s cluttered room—books, clothes, and forgotten knick-knacks strewn across every surface.

“Come fast, man,” Pradeep’s voice snapped through the phone the moment Lalith picked up. There was no greeting, just a familiar blend of impatience and care. “They’re waiting for us!”

Lalith stretched lazily on his bed, looking up at the ceiling as if he had all the time in the world. “Coming,” he said, his tone almost bored.

“You’ve been saying that for half an hour!” Pradeep shouted, frustration crackling on the other end.

Lalith smirked. Without warning, he hung up the call.

Moments later, a doorbell rang furiously at Pradeep’s house.

Pradeep flung the door open to find Lalith standing there, his grin as wide as ever, like a mischievous child caught mid-prank.

“You dumbass!” Pradeep exploded. “You hung up just to come to my house?!”

Lalith burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking. “Just for fun.”

Pradeep stared at him, exasperated yet helpless in the face of his friend’s antics. “You’re the weirdest person in this world, you know that?”

“Thanks for the appreciation,” Lalith replied with a mock bow. “Shall we start?”

Pradeep rolled his eyes, turning to grab his bike keys. “Fine, but I’m driving.”

“Nope!” Lalith snatched the keys before Pradeep could react. “I’ll drive. Come on!”

Pradeep froze at the door. “I don’t want to go to the burial ground today, okay?”

Lalith shoved him lightly, his grin never fading. “Shut up and sit.”

The engine roared to life as Lalith weaved through narrow lanes, the evening air thick with the smell of street food and exhaust.

“Go slowly!” Pradeep yelled from behind, clutching Lalith’s shoulder.

“Where are they?” Lalith asked, ignoring him completely.

“At the beach!” Pradeep’s voice rose an octave.

“Perfect.” Lalith’s tone turned devious. “Hey, have you played Grand Theft Auto Five?”

Pradeep blinked. “What does that have to do with this?”

“Ever tried VR?”

“No—why are you asking this now?”

“Because you’re about to experience it!” Lalith shouted gleefully and revved the bike harder, cutting through traffic like a madman.

“No way! Lalith, slow down!” Pradeep yelled, his voice a mix of terror and fury.

But Lalith was already laughing, lost in his reckless joy. For him, the streets were just lines on a map to conquer.

At the Beach

By the time they reached, Pradeep stumbled off the bike and dropped to his knees, vomiting into the sand.

Lalith crouched next to him, patting his back with mock sympathy. “How was the experience, dude? VR enough for you?”

Pradeep wiped his mouth and glared up at him. “If you don’t leave me alone, I swear I’ll kill you.”

Their friends, Rashid and Raj, walked over.

“Lalith, what’s up? Why are you guys so late?” Rashid asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lalith grinned, standing up. “Pradeep’s pregnant. Look—he’s been vomiting.”

Rashid’s face turned serious. “Pregnant? Seriously?”

Pradeep shot to his feet. “Lalith, shut your mouth!”

Raj appeared just in time to diffuse the tension, his voice calm as always. “Cool down, guys. Where’s Ankur?”

“Talking to the boat manager,” Raj replied, pointing toward the docks.

Lalith waved them forward. “Let’s go!”

The evening melted into laughter and chaos as Lalith’s jokes continued.

“Pradeep, don’t run too fast, pregnant sir! Your baby might be in trouble!”

Pradeep lunged at him, fists clenched, but Lalith darted away, laughing so hard he could barely stand straight.

“If I catch you, I’ll feed your body to the sharks!” Pradeep shouted, giving chase.

“Catch me if you can!” Lalith taunted, his voice full of life and teasing.

Their friends looked on, shaking their heads, but smiling nonetheless. This was them—this was what they did. Laughter, arguments, and reckless joy. It was the kind of bond that felt eternal, like nothing could ever touch it.

The Next Morning

The first rays of light peeked through Pradeep’s window as his phone buzzed again. Half-asleep, he glanced at the screen—2 missed calls from Lalith’s father.

Confused, he sat up and called back.

“Sorry, Uncle, I didn’t see your calls.”

“Where are you, son?” Lalith’s father’s voice was soft but strained, as though carrying a weight Pradeep couldn’t yet understand.

“In my room, Uncle. Why?”

There was a pause. “Come to Lalith’s house. We’re here to see him.”

“Okay uncle”

Lalith's House

Pradeep stopped his bike in front of Lalith’s house, his heart pounding as he noticed the crowd outside. There was something unsettling about the stillness of it all. People stood in clusters, their voices hushed, their expressions grim.

He frowned. What’s going on? he wondered, swinging his leg off the bike. This house, Lalith’s house had always been a place filled with laughter and chaos, their voices usually echoing through its halls. But today, it was eerily quiet.

Pradeep stepped through the front gate, each footfall echoing like a drumbeat in his chest. He caught glimpses of familiar faces, neighbors, uncles, aunts each of them looking down, avoiding his gaze as if his presence reminded them of something unbearable.

His unease deepened. “Uncle?” he called softly, pushing the front door open.

Inside, the air was heavy like the house itself was holding its breath. The living room was filled with people sitting or standing in a daze. Heads turned when they saw him, but no one spoke.

And then he saw Lalith’s mother.

She sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, a soft cry escaping her trembling lips. Beside her, Lalith’s father sat still, his hands over his face, his shoulders hunched as if the weight of the world had crushed him.

Pradeep froze in his tracks. “Aunty…?” he managed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lalith’s father looked up at him, his eyes red and swollen. He opened his mouth to speak, but for a moment, no sound came. Then, with a voice that cracked under the weight of the words, he said:

“Lalith left us, Pradeep…”

The room spun. The walls seemed to close in on him.

“What?” Pradeep whispered, his voice strangled. He took a step forward, shaking his head. No. This can’t be happening.

“This morning…” Lalith’s father choked out, his voice trembling as tears streaked down his face. “At 8, I spoke to him then we. He was fine but a few seconds later… we found him slumped in his chair. The doctors said it was a hemorrhagic stroke. He… he didn’t even get a chance, son.”

Pradeep stumbled. His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor with a thud. He didn’t hear anything else—didn’t hear the soft cries in the room, didn’t hear Lalith’s mother wail. He could only see his friend.

Lying still.

Unmoving.

Covered by a white sheet that didn’t belong to someone as alive, as full of life as Lalith had been.

“No… no, no, no…” Pradeep’s voice cracked as tears poured down his face. “This isn’t real… Lalith, get up, man! Stop this!” He crawled forward, his hands trembling as they hovered over the white sheet. “You were just with me yesterday. You idiot… you can’t leave like this!”

“Pradeep…” Lalith’s father whispered, his own sobs mixing with his words. “Say something, son… Lalith wouldn’t want this silence…”

Pradeep looked up, his face soaked in tears, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe. His voice shook as he spoke, each word breaking him further.

“I’m here, Uncle,” he whispered. “Don’t… don’t cry. Lalith wouldn’t want to see us like this. He… he wouldn’t…”

But the words felt hollow because even as he said them, the silence around him swallowed everything.

Pradeep sat in the corner of the room, his phone clutched tightly in his hand. He stared blankly at the screen as he began dialing numbers.

“Rashid,” his voice cracked as the call connected. “Come to Lalith’s house… just come.”

“Why? What happened?” Rashid’s voice was worried, but Pradeep couldn’t answer. He simply ended the call.

The next calls were no easier. Raj. Ankur. Their voices blurred together, their questions sharp like daggers.

“Pradeep, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Just come…” he whispered each time. “Please.”

When Rashid, Raj, and Ankur walked in, they froze. The house they had all visited so many times felt foreign—empty of all the joy it once held.

“What… what happened?” Rashid stammered, his voice barely audible.

Pradeep looked at them, his face pale, his eyes hollow. He opened his mouth to explain, but the words didn’t come. Instead, he gestured toward the center of the room.

And then they saw Lalith.

Raj took a step back, his hand covering his mouth. Rashid sat down abruptly, his legs giving out. Ankur clenched his fists, his face twisting in disbelief.

“No…” Ankur muttered, shaking his head violently. “No! We were just talking yesterday. He can’t… he can’t be gone!”

Rashid buried his face in his hands, sobbing softly. “Why didn’t anyone tell us he wasn’t okay? How can someone just go like that?”

Unable to hold it in, Ankur stormed out of the house, his emotions boiling over. He grabbed the small idol of God near the doorway and hurled it to the ground with a crash.

“How can you do this?” he screamed at the heavens, tears streaming down his face. “He was good. He gave his blood to save others. He gave his money to the ones who needed it. Why did you take him? Why?”

The others ran outside, grabbing him, holding him back as his sobs overtook him. Raj’s voice broke as he whispered, “Ankur… stop. Please.”

Ankur collapsed to his knees, his cries echoing into the evening sky. “He didn’t deserve this… he didn’t…”

As night fell, Lalith’s friends gathered around him for one last time. They sat together, silent and shattered, each lost in their own memories.

Pradeep stared at his friend’s face, his voice barely a whisper. “When someone leaves suddenly, it’s like they get stuck in time. Lalith… you’ll never grow old. You’ll always be that idiot who drove like a maniac, who teased me endlessly…” He wiped his face, but the tears kept coming. “You’ll always be with us. I promise.”

And as they stood together—broken yet united—they realized that Lalith’s laughter, his voice, and his memories would stay alive in their hearts forever.