The Enigmatic Departure of Niloy

Stranger's heart danced with anticipation, brimming with joy as he hurried to the hospital, eager to witness Nil's expression upon unveiling his favorite meal. The clock ticked towards 5:30 pm, the appointed hour for their reunion. Yet, as Stranger entered Nil's room, an unexpected twist awaited him—a different patient occupied the space. Baffled, he sought answers at the reception, questioning the whereabouts of Nil.The receptionist engrossed in her desktop, delivered the revelation, "He was discharged three hours ago."Stranger's initial shock morphed into confusion. Why hadn't Nil informed him? Determined to unveil the truth, he dialed Dr. Atid. As the call connected, the doctor greeted him with casual camaraderie, "Kao, how're you?""Why did you discharge Nil without notifying me?" Stranger's concern laced his words.Dr. Atid explained, "He mentioned you were aware of it and seemed preoccupied when I tried reaching you."Frustration surged through Stranger, prompting an abrupt end to the call. Alone with his thoughts, he grappled with the unfolding mystery. Attempts to contact Nil proved futile; the phone rang unanswered. Panic set in, prompting Stranger to dial Achara, desperately seeking answers. As she answered, his voice trembled, "Achara, where is Nil?"In the heart of his despair, Stranger convinced that Uncle Tham's cafe held the key to Nil's whereabouts, ventured there with a heavy heart. Anxious, he inquired, "Has Nil been here, Uncle?"Uncle Tham, sensing the urgency, responded, "Yes, about two hours ago. But why this urgency? Is Nil alright?"Stranger, swallowed by the abyss of confusion, could offer no solace, for he grappled with the enigma enveloping him. As he stood there, lost in his thoughts, Techno and Merry emerged, their faces mirroring the shared shock of Nil's sudden disappearance.Driven by desperation, Stranger sprinted towards his car, the engine roaring to life as he sped towards Nil's flat. The entrance revealed an unsettling scene—an ajar door, a silent testimony to a life abruptly abandoned. Stranger's steps faltered; his once-coiffed hair was now disheveled, sweat clinging to his forehead. Crossing the threshold, he cried out, a desperate plea echoing through the space, "Nil, where are you? I've prepared your favorite dish. Nil, cease this cruel jest!" The silence that followed mocked him, intensifying the ache of uncertainty that gripped his heart.The haunting echoes of unanswered questions led Stranger to Than's doorstep. As the door creaked open, revealing a perplexed Than, the air hung heavy with an unspoken foreboding."Kao sir, what happened?" Than's inquiry was genuine, but his eyes betrayed a curiosity tempered with concern.Stranger, his voice laden with profound fear, uttered the words that clung to the edges of his trembling lips, "Where is Nil?"The revelation from Than struck like a thunderbolt. "Around an hour ago, he came here and left with his luggage," Than disclosed, unwittingly setting in motion a cascade of shock within Stranger.Silence enveloped them momentarily, broken only by Than's subsequent words, "I thought he was going to shift in with you..."In that charged moment, a sudden recollection seized Than. An envelope materialized, delivered into Stranger's trembling hands. "He told me to give this envelope to me, still, you thought he went to my house!" Stranger's tone held a blend of accusation and confusion."No, he never instructed me to give this to you. He said to give it to the person who knocked on my door first, and you were that person," Than clarified, the weight of revelation heavy in the air.A deep sigh escaped Stranger as he opened the envelope, the contents of which held the power to reshape his world. The words within were a merciless dagger to his heart."Stranger, I never loved you. What existed between us was a mere dance of physical attraction and greed. Though I feigned happiness, nothing mattered more than my own life. With you, danger lingered incessantly. So, I'm leaving. Do not attempt to find me, for by the time you read this, my flight may have taken off. Farewell, Stranger...Nil."A solitary tear traced its path down Stranger's cheek, landing on the damning words below. Than, sensing the weight of the unspoken grief, queried, "What does it say?"Without uttering a word, Stranger cast the letter aside, leaving Than to bear witness to the shards of a shattered heart. With a heavy soul, Stranger trudged towards the airport. As Than's eyes traced the damning words on the letter, it felt as if the very ground beneath him had crumbled away. The urgency to share this heart-wrenching revelation with Achara propelled him towards his phone, only to find a disconcerting trail of missed calls from her. Dialing her number, he awaited her anxious response."Where is P.Nil?" Achara's voice trembled through the connection."Bangladesh," Than uttered, unleashing a tidal wave of disbelief upon Achara."What...?" Her single word encapsulated the tumultuous storm of emotions swirling within her."Your brother was here. Nil left a letter for him, and now he's headed to the airport," Than revealed, setting in motion a chain of events that would unravel their lives.United by a shared purpose, Than and Achara rushed to the airport, where Stranger, burdened by the weight of impending loss, reached the entrance. As 'The Kao Neptune,' the world hesitated to impede his path. At the airport's heart, he sought answers, desperation etched across his face."Is the Bangladeshi flight still here?" he implored at the reception.The answer, a mere confirmation of cruel fate, echoed through the air. "Yes, sir. About 15 minutes until the flight departs."Speechless, Stranger stood as if frozen, his soul vacating its dwelling. The receptionist's voice barely penetrated the numbness that gripped him. Exiting the terminal, a husk of the man he once was, he surrendered to the desolation that engulfed him. The world moved around him, indifferent to the fragments of a shattered heart left in its wake. Seated on the roadside, he embodied the ghost of a person devoid of purpose, heavy with the weight of irreparable loss. Passing vehicles cast shadows over him.Amidst the heartbreak, Achara and Than arrived, gathering the broken pieces of Stranger. Time, relentless in its march, weighed heavily on each soul, each bearing the scars of its unique suffering. In a cruel twist of fate, Thailand had welcomed Nil, a Bangladeshi soul, only to be left with the echoes of a beautiful past, now relegated to the realm of bittersweet memories.Two weeks had passed, and Nil found solace in the confines of his room, a refuge from a world now steeped in shadows. His eyes, once vibrant, were now swollen with the weight of unseen tears, and his parched lips bore testimony to the silent suffering he endured. Staring out of the window, he yearned for a voice, a tender call that would echo his name, 'Mr. Qing,' a wistful dream that he knew would forever remain unfulfilled. Lost in these reflections, he succumbed to the embrace of sleep.In the realm of dreams, a gentle touch caressed Nil's cheeks, and his heavy eyes reluctantly opened to Stranger's loving gaze. With a heart burdened by the weight of absence, Nil murmured, "Where have you been all this time? I missed you..." Yet, Stranger, with a smile etched in tenderness, inquired, "Why are you not taking care of yourself?"Just as Nil moved to embrace the specter of his longing, Stranger dissipated like mist at dawn. Reality washed over him, and Nil awoke, unruffled by the ephemeral nature of his nocturnal reverie. For him, this spectral dance with Stranger was a recurring phenomenon, a haunting presence that transcended the boundaries of the dream world.Returning to the waking realm, Nil's routine unfolded. With a sip of water from the bedside, his mother Lata calls to breakfast, "Son, breakfast is ready." Under his pillow, a clandestine sanctuary, Nil retrieved a photograph of Stranger and tenderly kissed it. The photo, a silent confidant, was hidden once more as he descended to join the familial hum.Within the communal embrace of his family, comprising aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings, Nil observed the rhythmic dance of their lives. Each member is engrossed in their unique pursuits—reading, market visits, conversations, and lunch preparations. Amidst this orchestrated chaos, Nil's gaze lingered, his contemplative eyes witnessing the tapestry of their shared existence.In the simplicity of his Bangladeshi life, Nil's family, though not affluent, found contentment in fulfilling their daily needs. Their abode, a two-story haven with five rooms, echoed with the symphony of their modest lives. As the morning sunlight filtered through the windows, Nil navigated the delicate balance of memories and the present, his heart still haunted by the phantom presence of Stranger.Embracing a desire for simplicity, Nil resolved to immerse himself in the pursuit of knowledge, opting to enroll in the Honors 1st year for further studies. The quaint town of Magura, oblivious to the realm of BL dramas and its transient stardoms, offered Nil the anonymity he sought. In this endeavor, he confided only in his sister Sonali, his sole bastion of trust in a world that had betrayed him.As he ventured to Government Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Magura, clad in unassuming attire, Nil sought a renewal of purpose. Yet, fate, with its unpredictable twists, had a different script in store. A girl, her gaze a persistent fixation, trailed him through the college grounds, prompting Nil to confront the unexpected attention."What's your problem?" he inquired, his tone a mixture of irritation and surprise.The girl, named Mim, met his gaze with astonishment. "Are you Nil, the BL actor?"A surge of shock rippled through Nil as he denied any connection to the spotlight. Attempting to distance himself, he insisted, "No, no, I don't know who you're talking about." But Mim, undeterred, introduced herself as a fan of the BL series, convinced of Nil's identity.In an attempt to bridge the gap between fandom and reality, Mim praised Nil's beauty, a sentiment he met with resistance. Her request to touch his cheeks hung in the air, but Nil, recoiling from the encroachment of his personal space, swiftly departed. Unbeknownst to him, Mim, fueled by curiosity, scrutinized her phone, unraveling the truth that Niloy and Nil were the same.Nil, gripped by fear at the prospect of recognition, sought refuge in the anonymity of everyday life. Opting to wear a mask became his daily shield, a desperate measure to ward off prying eyes and shield his true identity from a world that refused to let him escape the shadows of his past.