Episode 2: The First Fight
It was late in the evening when Hemant, sprawled on his couch, opened Instagram and saw another post from Tanishka. The post was a funny meme, one that made him laugh out loud. He quickly tapped on the comment section, typing: "Is that supposed to be funny? You've got no taste!"
The reply came almost instantly. "Says the guy who watches cartoons for fun."
Hemant chuckled and responded, "At least I have a sense of humor. You probably don't even understand memes."
It wasn't their first interaction on Instagram, but it definitely felt like one of those moments that would spark a long and interesting conversation. Their playful banter was becoming a habit, and despite how much they teased each other, there was something strangely comforting about it.
Tanishka's next message popped up before Hemant could type another response. "Well, I understand your terrible taste in memes, so I guess that counts as a win for me."
This time, Hemant couldn't resist. "Terrible taste? You really want to go there? You're the one who spends hours scrolling through cat videos."
The message came through just as Hemant set his phone down to grab a snack. He chuckled before replying: "And I don't know if I want to engage with someone who still thinks those videos are funny."
Tanishka's next comment made him pause. "You know, you really love to talk, but you can't take a joke. Sounds like a classic case of someone who can dish it out but can't handle it."
His fingers hovered over the keyboard. There was something about Tanishka's words that made Hemant want to come up with something witty. After a few seconds of contemplation, he typed: "At least I don't waste my time defending my sense of humor. Maybe you should try to take a joke for once."
As the seconds passed, Hemant felt that familiar feeling of impatience. He didn't want to lose the banter, but was she going to respond? Was this the end of their playful exchange? Just as he was about to put his phone away, a notification popped up.
"Oh, I take jokes just fine. But clearly, you're still stuck on your cartoon obsession. I think it's cute, in a sad way."
Hemant burst into laughter. This was fun. He quickly typed, "Sad? I'll have you know, cartoons are a masterpiece of storytelling. Way better than whatever you watch."
Tanishka replied in less than a minute: "We'll see about that. Let's make a deal: next time, you pick a meme, and I'll pick a cartoon. We'll see who gets more likes."
That was the challenge. It was official. Hemant couldn't back down now. This playful back-and-forth had turned into something more—something that felt like the beginning of an unlikely friendship.
But as the night went on, with every message that popped up on his phone, Hemant realized he was enjoying this a little too much. This teasing, this banter—it was different. He didn't know where it would lead, but he couldn't deny it was beginning to feel like the start of something meaningful.
The more they fought, the more it felt like they were building something more than just a friendship.
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