"Thank you!"

When Anamika received the call at an hour past midnight, a thank you wasn't something she expected hear. It was another one of her sleepless nights when she lost herself in the world of stories. Usually, such late nights were reserved for the romantic stories that would make her dream of that happily ever after. But tonight, she had picked up a suspense thriller. She was at a pivotal point of the story when the buzzing of her phone had startled her.

Panic reached her long before her hands reached the phone. Why was someone calling at this late hour? Her mind involuntarily started cooking up the terrible kind of thoughts. However, the fear soon turned into a surprise as she saw the name flashing on display.

Aarav Malhotra.

And as if that surprise wasn't enough, the first thing Aarav spoke was a thank you. She was dumbfounded for a brief amount of time before her wits came to her aid.

"A thank you for picking up your call?"

"Of course. It rang for so long I almost thought you won't."

The light chuckle gave away his bluff.

"It's already half past one Mr. Aarav Malhotra, definitely not the time to be surprised if someone doesn't pick up your call."

"Ya, I know it's too late. I'm so sorry if I woke you up. I just wanted to say thank you and... Why are you laughing?"

He said everything so quickly that it made Anamika laugh. She couldn't tell him that obviously.

"Hehe, nothing. It's just that I can't accept your thanks."

"What? Why?"

"Because I don't know what I'm being thanked for."

"Oh, um...," he trailed off.

Till now, she thought it was fun with the bit of teasing going around, but that sudden uncertainty in his voice frightened her a bit. In the space of some seconds, the mood over the phone changed drastically.

"Aarav?" she whispered, wary of the prevailing silence. She could hear his breathing, a mixture of slow and heavy breaths, but words still eloped the moment. She didn't force it either. She waited patiently for time to play its role. Soon, comfort seeped into awkwardness and she finally heard his voice. His words almost took her breath away.

"Thank you for saving my life."

The rest of his words just flew through her mind. Word by word he opened up and second by second he grew in confidence. He was the same Aarav she had spoke with in the evening, yet, there was a tinge of surety in this voice. Suddenly, it felt as if he knew what he was doing. After a long long time, he knew what he was doing. A little change from the normal was finally making him normal.

"Thank you once again for being the change in my life," his voice receded with a final thank you, but not before she had thrown another of her witty remarks.

"Glad to play a role in your life, Mr Magician."

The weight of those words followed Anamika to the world of dreams. Knowingly or unknowingly, she had played a role in someone else's life. Today, even she had become a character in this great drama called life. No matter how big or small, every character has its own importance. Every character holds the power to make or break the play. And it's this sniff of power which makes them vulnerable too.

As the dark night made way for a new dawn, Anamika hoped her vulnerability never got exposed.

***

November 2nd 2017

No matter how big or small, always remember the characters in your drama. They may have played a happy role or a sad one, they deserve a place in a tiny corner of your memory.

Let's hope Aarav and Anamika remember each other for long.

Happy reading...