Chapter 34: Friends
Friend Reunion
20/01/1997
The sun cast a warm, golden hue over the lush lawn of Animesh's house. The gentle rustle of leaves from the massive peepal tree overhead played as a natural background score. Beneath its sprawling branches, six young men sat in a circle of chairs, a sense of easy camaraderie binding them.
In Animesh's house, five people were sitting on the lawn under a huge tree.
A man carrying a tea cup with a tray came in front of them and sat down with them.
They were Animesh, Arnav Arya, Priyanshu Kumar, Badal Kumar, Ashish Kumar, and Priyanshu Shekhar. These were the five friends Animesh had made in high school. To be honest, after going to college, Animesh didn't really make any new friends for some reason. But these five friends were enough for him. Animesh had always been an introvert, but after entering politics, his personality had started to change a little. The merging of the two souls of Animesh had almost completely dissolved his introverted nature.
However, apart from this...
Animesh placed the tea tray on the small wooden table in the center. "Alright, you chai lovers (tea lovers)," he smirked, handing cups to his friends. "I made the tea myself. No complaints, okay?"
"What? Wait!" Badal took the cup cautiously, pretending to sniff it like a wine connoisseur. "Are we sure this isn't poison? You sure you didn't mix something in, Mr. Prime Minister, Animesh?"
Animesh rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha, very funny, Badal. Be grateful I didn't charge you for it. I really wanted to mix a few drops of poison in it. Alas... there was none in my house. Though, I think there's some rat poison lying around somewhere."
Ashish leaned back in his chair. "Animesh, it's still hard to wrap my head around it, man. You, the Prime Minister of India. And here we are, your high school band of misfits. Who'd have thought? We're medical students meeting a prime minister."
Priyanshu Kumar chimed in. "Yeah... and you were the guy who could barely stand up and speak when you first got transferred to our school. What happened to the old Animesh?"
Animesh shrugged, sipping his tea. "I'm still me, guys. It's just... life pushes you. Forces you to change." He looked at the others. "But enough about me. What about you lot? What's going on in your lives?"
---
Arnav leaned forward, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Speaking of change, Animesh, don't think we haven't noticed you dodging all questions about love. What's the deal? Is there someone in your life?"
Animesh nearly choked on his tea. "What?! No, no way. Where would I even find time for that?"
Badal smirked. "Come on, don't give us that. PM or not, you can't be that busy. Surely, there's someone who's caught your eye."
Priyanshu Shekhar laughed. "You know, for someone who can address a crowd of thousands, you still look like you'd rather dig a hole and hide when it comes to talking about love."
Animesh groaned. "Alright, fine! If you must know, there's no one. Happy?"
"Not really," Arnav said, his tone teasing. "But it's okay. We've got time. We'll find out eventually."
---
The conversation took a different turn as Ashish looked up at the tree, his voice suddenly more contemplative. "Do you guys ever think about where we'll be ten years from now? I mean, look at us now—sitting here, talking like kids. But life's already pulling us in so many different directions."
"Ten years?" Priyanshu Kumar chuckled. "Let's see... Animesh will probably have a dozen kids by then."
"Whoa, slow down, tiger!" Badal said, laughing. "One step at a time. Don't scare away any potential matches before they even meet Animesh."
Animesh frowned, black lines forming on his forehead. He had the urge to beat Priyanshu Kumar to death.
"But seriously," Priyanshu Shekhar intercepted. "Life is indeed weird, isn't it? Animesh is running the country, Arnav is working in ISRO, Ashish is still doing a Ph.D. in medicine, and here I am, wondering if I should even bother with an MBA."
Arnav raised his cup in mock solemnity. "To the uncertainties of life, my friends."
"To figuring it out, one step at a time," Ashish added.
---
The laughter died down, replaced by a quiet warmth as the group fell into silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Priyanshu Kumar broke it. "Do you remember that time in school when we all tried to bunk classes to see that cricket match?"
Animesh chuckled. "And we got caught before we even made it to the gate."
"Yeah, because someone," Arnav jabbed a finger at Badal, "thought it'd be a great idea to bribe the peon with two samosas and a Coke."
"It was a solid plan!" Badal protested, grinning. "How was I supposed to know he'd snitch on us?"
Ashish laughed so hard he nearly spilled his tea. "And then Animesh, the eternal introvert, tried to explain to the principal that it was all a misunderstanding. You stammered so much, I think she just let us go out of pity."
"And especially, when remembering... just a few days after Animesh came to our school, there was chaos in the whole school, and the principal got kicked out for his alcoholic nature and wicked personality."
"Lol... haha..." all of them laughed, remembering the old memories.
Animesh groaned. "Thanks for reminding me. That was not one of my finer moments."
"But look at you now. From the kid who couldn't string two sentences together to leading a nation. We're really happy as well as proud of you, Animesh."
---
As they laughed and teased each other, Animesh felt a deep sense of gratitude. No matter how much life had changed, some things—like the bond they shared—remained constant.
In the evening, Animesh, his parents, and his friends had dinner together, and then Animesh arranged rooms for them to sleep.
---
(Apologies for the delay in updates. My health hasn't been great due to sudden weather changes, with temperatures dropping from 11°C to 6°C in my region in just a day. And another reason, I took a late night train, and came home around 1:00 AM in the morning and took cold water wash, causing high fever, next morning. On top of that, my exams are near. Thank you for your patience.)
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