In a Dimly Lit Room
A young man in his early twenties, with almond-toned skin, lay on a bed, his bare chest rising and falling with slow breaths. On top of him, a girl of the same age unzipped her front-closure bra, her fingers moving deliberately. The room was heavy with anticipation until a sudden ringtone shattered the moment.
The girl sighed in frustration, pulling back slightly. "Who the hell calls at a time like this? Amit, I told you to turn off your phone before we started."
"Sorry, I forgot," Amit replied, sitting up to grab his phone from the nightstand. He glanced at the screen and saw the caller ID: "BSSB."
"Who's calling?" the girl asked, still irritated.
"It's from BSSB," Amit replied, his tone shifting to one of curiosity.
"What do they want now?" she asked, her voice softening just a bit.
Amit answered the call, his expression serious as he listened to the voice on the other end.
-Good afternoon, sir…
-Yes, this is Amit...
-A superhero team? …
- I think I can do that…
-I'm in my hometown right now, but I'll do my best to get there…
-Thank you, sir."
The call ended, and Amit placed his phone back on the table, his mind racing.
"What did they want?" the girl asked, her annoyance fading into concern.
"It looks like BSSB wants to form a superhero team... and they want me to be part of it," Amit said, still processing the news.
---
Meanwhile,
Tamim and Lila sat in a cozy corner of the Japanese restaurant.
The dim lighting cast a soft glow on their faces as they spoke. Lila looked at Tamim, her eyes full of curiosity and a hint of hesitation.
"How's Tanisa doing? I know you might wonder why I haven't been in touch.
The truth is, I stayed in contact with her for a while, but then one day her social media accounts disappeared, and her number became unreachable…" Lila began, but a waiter approached their table, interrupting her.
"How can I help you, sir? Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked, his notepad at the ready.
"Sorry, we're not here to eat," Lila said politely.
"Two Tantanmen Ramen, please," Tamim interjected, handing the menu back.
"Thank you, sir. Your order will be ready soon," the waiter replied with a slight bow before walking away.
Lila looked at Tamim, puzzled. "Why did you order? I thought we were just talking."
"No problem. " Tamim replied and added "By the way, you mentioned you're looking for a job, right?"
"Yeah," Lila said, her tone dropping. "On December 30th, my workplace was in Dakka 3rd . Luckily, it was my day off, so I was back in my village. Otherwise, I might not be sitting here with you…"
Tamim fell silent, his expression unreadable.
"You haven't changed at all," Lila thought to herself, studying his face.
"Why are you working with your leg like this?" Tamim asked.
"It's because of my dad…. His health has been declining. He's been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease," Lila explained, her voice trembling slightly.
"How did that happen?" Tamim asked, his gaze softening.
"It was an accident. Now I have to earn to support him. I used to work as a cashier, so it wasn't too hard, but now... I need a job as soon as possible, " Lila said, her eyes downcast.
"I see," Tamim murmured as the waiter returned with two steaming bowls of ramen, placing them gently on the table.
"So, you're not studying anymore?" Tamim asked, breaking the silence.
"No, not right now. I was working full-time as a cashier. Part-time wouldn't have been enough. But now, with the shop gone and the owner is also dead.. you know, I need to find something fast," Lila said, staring at her reflection in the broth.
Tamim picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. "You should start eating before it gets cold," he suggested.
"Hmm…" Lila hesitated, then took a bite. Her eyes widened as she tasted the rich flavors. "Wow, this is delicious."
Tamim continued eating in silence, but Lila's thoughts drifted as she watched him.
"I thought after everything that's happened, maybe his attitude towards me would change... but he's still the same. Maybe I was foolish to take the rejection so hard back then. I should have known he always saw me as just a friend."
Tamim's phone buzzed, and he glanced at it, seeing the same unknown number from earlier. He declined the call, thinking, "Numbers without caller ID are never safe. Better not answer."
Lila noticed and asked, "Tamim, I really want to see Tanisa again. Can you give me her number?"
"What's your number? I'll save it," Tamim replied, reaching for his phone.
"Sure," Lila said, pulling out her phone and showing him a QR code. Tamim scanned it, saving her contact.
"Thanks," he said.
"Please, give my number to Tanisa and ask her to call me. Or you could just give me hers," Lila said, her mouth full of ramen.
Tamim hesitated, staring at his bowl with a somber expression. "That's... not possible."
"Why not? What happened?" Lila asked, sensing something was wrong.
"You really don't know, do you?" Tamim said, his voice heavy.
"What do you mean?" Lila asked, her heart pounding.
Tamim took a deep breath before speaking. "Tanisa... she passed away."
Lila's eyes widened in shock. "What? Don't joke about something like that."
"I'm not joking, Lila. It's true," Tamim said, his voice steady but pained.
The air around them grew thick with silence. Lila's eyes filled with tears as the reality sank in. "It can't be... Why didn't anyone tell me?" she cried, her voice breaking.
In her distress, a piece of meat became lodged in her throat, causing her to choke. Tamim immediately sprang into action, grabbing a glass of water and handing it to her, but it didn't help.
Lila's face turned pale as she struggled to breathe. Tamim quickly got up, positioned himself behind her, and performed the Heimlich maneuver. After a few thrusts, the food dislodged from her throat, and she gasped for air.
Lila collapsed back into her chair, her eyes filled with tears. Tamim handed her the glass of water again, and she took a few sips, trying to compose herself.
"Are you okay now?" Tamim asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Yeah... I think so," Lila whispered, wiping her tears. "But why didn't anyone tell me? I have been her best friend since primary school... This just makes everything worse."
"I'm sorry, Lila. We didn't have your contact information, and she died in Japan, so it was difficult to bring her body back to Bangladesh. Not many people knew," Tamim explained, his voice full of regret.
"But… I was her best friend." Lila said, her tears falling freely now.
"Please, don't cry…" Tamim started, but Lila cut him off.
"How did she die?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"It was during my tournament in Japan. We went to an anime convention, but we were running late. That evening was the final match. We were waiting for a train to go back to the hotel when Tanisa saw a woman throw her baby onto the tracks. Without thinking, she jumped in to save the child. She managed to push the baby to safety, but... she didn't make it," Tamim said, his voice cold as he recalled.
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To be continued...