When did this start happening?

It’s Chor’s birthday, so we (me, Chor and Ashu) went out.

Now, I don’t remember the last time we were so quiet.

All three of us were going about our business (of eating, of course) in a mechanical way. Everything was weirdly quiet and mellow (not boring, just sober and sedated).

I asked them a couple of times, ‘What’s the matter? Has something happened?’

Their answer was always a plain, monosyllabic ‘Nothing!’

Now, I’m not used to all this silence.

I’m not used to going out for dinner with them and not fighting over the food (yes, when you eat with them, you have to gobble up everything as fast as you can, or remain hungry).

I’m not used to Ashu not making that irritating sound while chewing on his tandoori-chicken (especially when he’s quarter vodka down, like today).

I’m not used to Chor refusing to eat after having just half butter-chicken, half dal-makhni and 3 butter-rotis.

Everything is different.

On way to our home, we start discussing how pretty soon everything’s gonna change; How everybody will be at a different place, with a different set of friends (read ‘alone’); How we’ll hardly meet each other anymore; How we won’t remain “best friends forever”.

Soon enough, even I’m depressed.

I come home with a tired look on my face.

‘What’s the matter?’ my sister asks.

I reply with a plain, monosyllabic ‘Nothing!’