Ding Dong. Alen rang Sam’s doorbell. “Sam! Open” “Sam sir is not at home” the watchman, who saw me banging on the door replied.

“Oh, where did he go?”  

“I don’t know sir, I saw him leaving a few minutes ago.’  He handed me the newspaper and milk packet. 

“Thanks bhaiya.” I replied.

Alen took the keys from the flower pot and opened the door. 

“Where will he go early in the morning?”Alen asked himself as he entered the house. Alen kept the milk on the stove on low flame and sat on the sofa. He took the newspaper and opened the first page but he couldn’t concentrate. He took out his phone and dialed Sam's number but he didn’t pick the call. “If he is going somewhere why would he ask me to come over?” Alen spoke to himself. 

Ding dong. He heard the doorbell. 

“Sam yaar why did you leave without telling me and where...” he stopped mid way. He realized that it wasn’t Sam. It was a girl. A girl with curly hair and blue eyes in her morning joggers. “Hey! Sam is not there?” Alen kept staring at her. She continued “If you don’t mind, can you call Sam. I want the spare key.” 

“Oh! So you are ‘the girl next door’” said Alen.

“What?” she asked.

,Alen continued “...the one who always loses her keys and calls Sam to help her open the door.”

“Yeah, it’s me.” she said and laughed. 

“I think you lost your keys more than three times and Sam got not-so-irritated by you. So he got you two spare keys and one he kept with himself I guess.” 

“Yeah, you are right and unfortunately I lost my key again. I know Sam has one more spare key, so I want to get it from him.” she said.

“Sorry, please come in. Actually Sam is not here, he went out and I don't know when he will come back.” 

“Oh, do you know where he keeps his keys?” Alen thought for a second and said “I think I know” He went to Sam’s room and opened his table drawer. A bunch of keys were there. I don’t know which one is your key. He has a bunch of duplicate keys.

She smiled and said “Even I can’t make out which one is mine. Can we just try on each key? I mean if you have time.” Alen became excited for no reason. “Yeah, let’s go” 

They both stood in front of her door and started trying different keys. Finally, after five tries he opened the door. “Thank you so much...”  “Alen” 

“Alen, would you like to come in?” she asked.

“If you don’t mind” Alen smiled and said.

“No not at all, please come in.” They both went in. He looked around the room. 

“Water? “ 

 “No thanks. Nice room,” Alen said. He then noticed the photos on the wall. He suddenly felt something and turned towards her.

“I think I know you,” he said.

“What, how?” She asked surprisingly.

“I don’t remember where, but I'm sure I have seen you somewhere”

“Oh, I'm a freelancer, maybe you visited my website.”

“Maybe, but…” she cut him off in between and asked him “Should I get you something to drink?”

“Yeah, sure” he said. He sat on the sofa. He noticed that the windows, dining table, bookshelf were covered with dust. Her bedroom door was slightly open and when he peeped in he saw a blanket hanging on the fan. When he was about to go closer she came and closed the door.

“I’m sorry Alen. My room is really messy.” she laughed.

“No it’s fine. I'm sure it's better than my room” he smiled at her.

“Your mango juice” 

“Thanks” he slowly sipped the juice and suddenly he remembered about the milk. He jumped from the sofa and said “I’m sorry I got to go. I completely forgot about the milk. See you around.” Alen ran back to his room. 

The milk was overflowing and the entire kitchen smelled of hot milk. He switched off the stove and started to clean. Sam came in and yelled at Alen “Why can’t you close the door after coming in?” He walked into the kitchen and saw the mess. “You don’t even know how to boil milk?” he said and went inside the kitchen. “I completely forgot about the milk,” said Alen.

“What were you doing so interestingly that you forgot about the milk?” Sam asked. 

“I went to the next door. That girl came here for you, to get her spare key. I didn’t know which among the spare keys was her room’s key so I just helped her to open that door.” said Alen.

“What are you blabbering? Are you drunk?” Sam went near him and smelled him.

“No yaar, why would I drink in the day. I'm serious, I was with her.” 

 “So you are saying you were with the girl who committed suicide last week?” Sam asked.

Alen was shocked to hear that “What? Suicide? Last week?”

“Yeah, I thought I will tell you this after you come here or else I know you won't come”

“Wait, I'm confused. Are you talking about the girl next door?”

“Yes” 

“How is it possible? I was with her 20 minutes ago.”

“That’s what I'm asking, how can you be with a dead girl?”

Alen stood there. Shocked and confused.

“I think you read the news and slept off and you dreamt about this girl.” Sam said, keeping the newspaper on the table in front of him. 

Alen saw the picture in the newspaper and said “This is where I saw her before. That's why I felt her face so familiar.”

Sam couldn't understand any of his words. So he went to put the groceries in the fridge. 

“I know it’s not a dream. I was with her till now. She came to me...spare keys.” Alen rushed to Sam’s room and searched for the spare keys but he couldn't find it. He ran out and stood in front of the next door. The keys were on the floor. Sam came, took the keys and said “You have gone crazy. Now come in”

Alen came in and sat on the sofa. He thought about everything that happened in her room, the dusty place, the blanket hanging on the fan, the mango juice. His tongue still felt the taste of mango juice. He saw the newspaper on the table and he read the headline 

“21 YEAR OLD JOURNALIST COMMITTED SUICIDE” 

“Alen I bought your favorite Mango juice. Take it from the fridge.” Sam said.

Alen sat there shocked.