This is how it all began. Just One fine day Ragini was sitting with PranShoe in the balcony of his father's holiday home, much before the dispute and the court case had begun. Back when Pranshul's travel start-up was running smoothly and they both stayed there alone. Pranshu came up with a joke that if ever he became a famous person and someone asked him at some big event to say a couple of words, as the people who hosted events generally did as a way of inviting someone on stage, then he would go up to the stage and after a long pause would lean towards the mic, say "Two words." and leave immediately.

"Then maybe you should write a One-page long book with just 'Two Words' written on it or even better..." R stopped to think for a while as if doing a mental calculation and then resumed "You could write 'Eighteen Characters'. It has Eighteen characters in it. Try counting it."

"Nineteen actually. If you consider the Space as a Character too." an aura of pride surrounded P as he made that point without thinking as long as R did, but then with an expression of sudden realisation, he blurted "Actually I can write 'Nineteen Characters'. Maybe that would be the title of my book. It would have actual Nineteen characters too. Each representing a letter."

"And what about the Space?"

"Well, I'll just put One of the characters in Space. You see, I can do whatever I want with them."

"Wow! So smart you are!" R exclaimed sarcastically but internally impressed at P's sharpness.

"What do you think I would get famous for?"

"I don't know what exactly but it would definitely involve talking."

"Hmm... I always thought I'd get famous for something that involved writing."

"Yeah? What was the last thing you wrote?"

"The last proper thing I wrote was a play during college. Also, when I was working for a non-profit after college, I wrote a Character for them called Changaswami. One of my friends, Arif, helped me illustrate it. It was a mascot for an art competition we organised. Then I wrote a few songs on the side and did some copywriting gigs. Yeah! That's pretty much it. That's what I have written so far."

"Is that what you really want to do? Like is that your ultimate Dream? To write a book?"

"No. My ultimate Dream is to sit on the moon with you by my side and watch the earth burn and feel a bit of warmth on my face. That's my ultimate Dream." P said with a tinge of madness in his unblinking eyes.

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Ragini was scared of that madness.

"Why do you always have to say such silly things?" she said, looking away.

"It's not silly. I'm serious. That is what I Dream about. I don't know how I'll get there but, in the world where we consider what we see as the Reality, that's the closest I can put in words what I want to achieve."

"See, this is why I think we have no Future together. You say such outrageous things. What will I tell my parents about you? That there's a guy I want to marry but he wants to burn the world?"

"You don't have to worry about what to tell them. As you said, I'm good at talking. I'll manage."

"No. It doesn't work like that. Even I have some responsibility towards them and they have some expectations out of me. I wouldn't want to disappoint them."

"Why do you always keep saying such things? Don't you love me?"

"Where did that come from? Of course, I do."

"No, you don't. Not the way I do. There should be madness in love. If you keep thinking about all these trivial things, then you are not really experiencing love to the fullest."

"Sure, in a fantasy where you're lighting the planet on fire, that's what love must be like but I'm just Being practical. And I'd prefer to have something real instead of all whims and fancies."

"Well, if you want me to get into this real world so much then fine, I'll start looking for a stable job. But then starting tomorrow, you start cooking food. That's what I want."

"You can't be serious right now! What kind of a backward mindset you have? I am not cooking."

"Well, then I don't see a point in this One-sided relationship in which only I put in the efforts."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I want is to fuck Bangalore girls. So why don't you just get out of my life, so I can do whatever the fuck I want. And you go do whatever the hell you want."

R stared at P disappointedly and then got up and left. P did try to get in touch with her once or twice but after not getting a response he had expected, he stopped putting in any more effort. He thought if she'd want to come back, she would. And if she truly wanted to come back only then she should. All he could do now was to wait. He stopped meeting his friends over time. He held precious all the memories of her he possessed. That's what he lived with now. He knew he loved her more than anything else in this world and was willing to put himself to the test. He promised himself that no matter how much deprived of love he got in life, he would never settle for a love that was any less than what he had with her. That was the love he felt he deserved and was prepared to fight for it to truly earn it. Even if it meant that he would have to wait till the end of his life, meanwhile, focussing all his energy to fulfil his Dream of ruling the world, making it a better place and putting an end to it. More than ever, he now felt the need of dreaming big. That day always reminded him of how he threw away what anyone else would have killed for, just because he believed in something bigger. And what he believed in was not some fantasy, it was his own self.

All Twenty-Six of them and now, The Twenty Seventh...

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