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It was around 01:00 at night, and Neel was talking to his girlfriend. He had his entire body under the blanket while on the call.
They were sharing how their day had gone and exchanging laughter. Neel was 19 years old at that time.
He was trying to stifle his laughter because his parents were in the next room, which was very close to his. Any sound would be audible to Neel’s parents, and they were somewhat strict about these things.
Neel would always whisper when talking on the phone with his girlfriend, Rhea. Sometimes, due to his low voice, Rhea had to ask repeatedly to understand what Neel was saying.
In the night, under the blanket, he was talking to Rhea. In the middle of the conversation, Rhea remembered something she wanted to ask.
Rhea asked him, “Have you done the editing of the picture for your work?” There was a silence.
Rhea thought it might have been a connection issue, so she repeated the question, but Neel remained silent. She thought that Neel’s mother or father might be nearby, causing him not to speak.
So she decided to stay quiet. Often, Rhea’s voice would be so loud that not only Neel but also people around him could hear her voice through the phone. So she kept quiet.
She assumed that Neel’s parents hadn’t noticed him otherwise his parents would say something, and she would be able to hear them.
After two minutes had passed, Rhea began to wonder what had happened. She didn’t want to take any risks, but when Neel remained silent, she decided to ask what was going on.
She was about to inquire when she heard Neel’s deep, muffled breaths as if he were struggling to breathe.
Rhea became worried and asked, ‘Neel? What’s happening? Are you okay?’ It seemed like he couldn’t respond, as he was struggling to speak.
For three to four minutes, he made no sound and simply tried to breathe more deeply.
Then everything went quiet. Rhea was crying and kept asking, unsure of what to do. Finally, Neel spoke and said, ‘Shh.’
Rhea said, ‘Oh God, Neel, what happened? Are you okay?’ Neel remained silent. Rhea refrained from speaking as well because Neel had asked her to be quiet. They stayed quiet for 30 minutes or more.
When Rhea eventually asked him, he still didn’t say anything. Eventually, Rhea heard him fall asleep. So she decided to do the same.
The next morning, her first question was, ‘What happened last night? Why were you not saying anything?’
So what happened with Neel?
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