Chapter 1: The News

It's currently 11:30 PM on a Friday, and I find myself stuck in the office, eagerly waiting for the weekend to begin. However, I've been bombarded with countless text messages from my roommate over the past hour, as they're eagerly waiting to start the party, and all the drinks are in my car. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to respond to any of these messages, as my focus has been solely on my work. Throughout the entire week, my only expectation from my developers has been for them to work diligently on the sprint, so that we wouldn't have to be here on the weekend trying to complete everything.

My phone rang, and I saw that it was my childhood friend, Alia calling. She had already tried to reach me five times that day, but I had been too busy to answer. I quickly sent her a message asking if there was anything urgent. Meanwhile, my director made a snarky comment, noting that I was still stuck on the project. It seems that every story has to have a grumpy boss who tries to bring down the hero's spirits as they strive to live life to the fullest. I responded by confirming that I was indeed still stuck. Just then, my phone buzzed with three new messages.

The first was from my roommate, who was still waiting for the drinks that I had promised. I quickly reassured them that they wouldn't have to wait much longer. The second message was from Netflix, reminding me that my subscription would expire in just three days. I promptly renewed it. The third message was from Alia, who asked me to give her a call when I had some free time. I replied, promising to call her soon and jokingly told her not to announce that she was getting married. 

After finishing work, I headed home and had a wild night with my friends. We drank multiple shots of vodka and smoked pot until the morning hours. The next day, I slept in until 3:30 PM on Saturday, and when I finally woke up, I felt disoriented and unsure if I was still alive or if I had somehow landed in heaven.

As I powered on my phone and scrolled through old messages, I stumbled upon a text from Alia urging me to call her. Upon dialing her number, I could hear the excitement in her high-pitched voice as she revealed the news of her marriage.

I recall a typical day at school when my classmate and I were diligently working on our English notes, anticipating our teacher, Sophia ma'am's arrival. She was likely to inquire about the homework she had assigned two days prior. What I loved about our class was the sense of unity. We waited for everyone to finish their homework before submitting it together as a team. As a 13-year-old under such intense academic pressure, I heard someone whisper my name in a haunting and desperate tone, making it seem like the world would crumble if I didn't attend to it. It was Alia, urgently calling my name. I inquired if it could wait, but as always, Alia's desires had to be met. "Take a look at Karthik," she exclaimed. I glanced over to find him picking his nose and savoring the flavor by licking his fingers. We laughed about it for a whole week. Now that Alia is getting married, I wonder who will call out my name when someone picks their nose? Although I felt happy for Alia upon hearing her news, a part of me was conflicted. On one hand, I was thrilled that my best friend was getting married in just four months, but on the other hand, I couldn't help but feel like my childhood was coming to close.

My friends had been the only ones anchoring me to my childhood, and now that was about to change. Despite my mixed emotions, I expressed my congratulations to her and promised that I wouldn't miss her wedding for anything, and that I would be honored to serve as her Bunny. She was ecstatic, and so was I.

Despite the difficulties, I wanted to share some news with both of my best friends, even though it would be challenging. Unfortunately, my two best friends had a major falling out at the beginning of last year, which turned our trio into a situation where I was the only connection between them. When I asked Alia about sharing the news with Rishabh, she hesitated and said that she was unsure of how he would react, which was understandable given the current state of their relationship.

I tried my best to keep the news to myself, but it became too overwhelming as Rishabh was not only my best friend but also someone, I had known for 20 years. Despite this, I held off telling him for two weeks because of the tense relationship between Rishabh and Alia. When I finally called Alia to ask if she wanted to share the news with Rishabh, she was surprised that I had managed to keep it a secret for so long. She gave me permission to tell him and asked me to let her know how he reacted. I called Rishabh and shared the news with him, but he didn't say much and seemed to be concealing his true feelings. I encouraged him to talk to Alia and offer his congratulations. After that, I ended the call.

I eagerly awaited a call from either of them, hoping for any news - positive or negative - about Alia's situation. My only wish was for her to move on from her past and start afresh. Finally, Rishabh contacted me with good news, sharing his plans to attend the wedding. Hearing this made me the happiest person that day. 

Upon hearing the delightful news, I immediately began devising plans for the present we will purchase and even crafted a tale to accompany it. I meticulously mapped out the series of actions required to arrange the gift, and without delay, I reserved my airline tickets for the wedding month, specifically from the 15th to the 19th, even though it was still four months away. To ensure my commitment, I sent a screenshot of the booking to Alia, notifying her that I had taken this step and even applied for time off. Her response was lighthearted laughter as she pointed out that the bride herself had yet to book her own flight.

Sometimes, joy can be cloaked in a slight tinge of sorrow. Rishabh called me a few days later, revealing that he would not be able to attend Alia's wedding due to feeling uncomfortable about it. He reminded me of his previous fondness for her and how she never disclosed that she was in a relationship while he was developing feelings for her. It was a simple misunderstanding that caused a rift between them. Unfortunately, it was something that Rishabh found difficult to move past. Alia was preoccupied with wedding preparations, and I did not want to burden her with this news, knowing how excited she was for her impending nuptials. So, I kept this to myself and focused on being present for my dear friend during these final days of our youth, ensuring that she never felt like she was missing out on anything. I just needed to be like Bunny - the one who always brought a sense of joy and adventure to every situation.

I realized that the moments I had hoped for weren't necessarily what I truly desired. I've always strived for an amazing life and work hard every day to achieve it. However, sometimes the remarkable moments we want to create don't fall into place as planned because life isn't always that simple. Even if we give our 100%, we might only receive an 80% return on investment. But if we continue to persevere, the ROI will eventually increase. I had hoped that Rishabh would attend the wedding, and that everything would go smoothly between him and Alia. But life doesn't always go according to our plans. The plans we have for ourselves might not align with what life has in store for us. Life may give us 80% of what we have planned, but the remaining 20% is determined by fate. This reminds me of my boss, who requests project ideas from me but only incorporates 20% of his own input. Life is similar to our boss in that it doesn't always follow our plans. Let's appreciate what we have and enjoy life to the fullest, even if we only receive 80%. We can still hope that it will eventually increase.