Chapter 1

A SUNDAY MORNING!

Planning a day ahead of them was not something Ian did. They always had something to do differently everyday or else they would never be motivated to go ahead in the day at all. For them it felt like a day spent unproductive. 

So as a break from all week of work , they had decided this morning; that a good read on the building’s roof would be a great idea to start the morning fresh and new. This was however they told themselves everyday so that they could distract themselves from the fact that their life couldn’t get any more interesting due to how it was in reality. But who wants to live in the reality of things, right!? A little delusion here and there is just food for the soul. Ian heads with their favourite book in hand and a cup of tea to keep their empty stomach some company until they contemplate what to eat for breakfast today! 

They entered the rooftop gate and sat on the makeshift bed that was made by their apartment neighbour, Tedd who has been a big fan of DIY. A DJ by profession, and an antique stamp hoarder by hobby.

Their morning and night moments were mostly spent on this rooftop because instead of overlooking the city life, it had a forest view which had a certain air that calmed Ian the most. They had been reading a story of a child named Aisha who was an ardent reader and all she tried to find in the  books she read  was a plan of vengeance against her step- brother. The plot was rather dark but it seemed all too sweet to Ian. They had a soft spot  for such books. 

Today the day  had a different drift to it , they had thought but never realised that it was because they failed to notice a pair of eyes staring at them. When they finally shifted their eyes to the left while lifting the cup kept on the ground, did they finally notice that there had been a boy with hair as black as the midnight observing them with curiosity as if suspicious of their presence up here. “It is a free country, but it’s still rude to stare at someone you are not familiar with.”They spoke. In return the boy started rummaging their pockets as if to find something and took out their phone and started typing speedily. Feeling ignored, Ian had gone back to reading as if they hadn’t thrown a remark at some stranger. A few seconds later, Ian heard an automated voice saying, “ My name is Blake, I recently got an apartment in this building. I am a deaf person and I couldn’t really read your lips from this far, could you please repeat what you said? I am really sorry.” Ian had gotten up from their place and walked towards the stranger. They said to them, “ You don ’t have to be sorry for something you are not responsible for. By the way, I am Ian. I live in this building too, on the first floor.” 

“ Do you come here often to read?” Blake said through his device.

“ Yes , occasionally.” Ian replied back. 

As Blake was typing something on his device, Ian's cell phone also vibrated and as they took it out of their pocket to see what it was, they rushed their goodbyes with the said stranger and started walking back to the stairs. 

Blake was somewhat disappointed over their rushed introductions but got over it because he also knew now that they were floor neighbours , so crossing paths often wouldn’t be rare. Blake had come from a deaf school and taken admission in the college to earn a degree in stock marketing. Being deaf from birth and having hearing parents always made him think of himself as a burden to his family. His mother always taught him that in life, he would have more obstacles than ‘normal’ people do and that’s why he had to become stronger and capable so that he could live a life by himself. This conditioning had taken over his entire childhood and teenage years and had made it somewhat impossible to gain friendships altogether. However, now that he was living by himself, he had decided to take an initiative to make some friends and gain some healthy relations along with working for the same goal he had set his mind on from the very start. He thought making friends with this stranger would be a nice start to their social life. A matter of fact , he thought they might be more interesting than he actually thought. Blake had a tendency of always feeling like and imposter in his own life, he always thought of himself less than other people who were 'normal' and without any disabilities. But disabilities are not always too obvious, are they!?