Not Him

Part 2

I got discharged from the hospital and they took me home. I could walk alright. And my head felt better. Though the doctors said that I needed to be careful with it.

This Rahul's house was an apartment, fairly large. The family led me in through the front door. The dad was carrying the small bag with my-the other Rahuls' things in it. I looked around... the girl, the sister had not come to get me discharged from the hospital. She was at home.

When I stepped in through the front door, she popped a party popper and yelled. "Welcome back home, Rahul." I smiled to be polite. But actually, I wanted to yell out, my world has turned upside down and you wanted to pock a fucking party popper on my head. But I kept quiet.

Mainly I keep quiet. I don't want them to realize that I am not their son and brother. I mean, I don't even know where their son and brother is. If I am in his body, where is he? In my body? But then where is my body?

I brushed away the bits of paper from the party popper off my head and looked around the apartment. I should probably go to the other Rahul's bedroom. But I did not know where that is. So I just stood there. And it was becoming awkward.

"Aunty," The girl suddenly addressed the lady. Aunty? Isn't it mother? "Maybe you should go to your office today. I don't have class today. I can stay home."

So the girl was not the other Rahul's sister?

"Are you sure?" Aunty asked. "I do want to go to the office though. There is so much leftover work. Will you be okay?" The last question was for me.

"Yeah." I nodded. I just wanted some alone time. To figure out what in the world is going on.

"Then I am heading out for work as well," the dad said. "I will leave you to that. I will see you all in the evening."

"Can you drop me off on your way?" The mother asked the father.

"Okay, come on..." he said.

The mother went into a room and took her bag and stuff and came out. She gave me another hug before she left with the father.

And the girl and I were alone in the living room. And I felt pretty stupid standing there in silence. I looked at the girl, Aarohi was her name, I think. I looked at Aarohi.

She looked back at me. She still looked at me with suspicion and worry. The parents were just too happy to get their son back to notice. But the girl was not his family. She was a friend, I guess. Or cousin. She seemed too close with the parents to be just a friend. But anyway, she could notice that I was being strange.

"I should go in," I said, and then regretted it. I did not know which room is the other Rahul's room. One of the parents' room was the one the mother went in to get her stuff. But there seemed to be three other doors from the living room.

"Go on," Aarohi said. "Do you need something to eat or something? Coz I can get you if you..."

"No. I am good." I said. I don't need more interactions with these people.

I decided to try my luck and walked to one of the doors and opened it.

"Why are you going in there?" The girl asked with a weird look. "That's my room."

Oh...

"Sorry...." I said and tried the other door. It was a bathroom.

"Rahul." The girl came to me, with a worried look. "Are you okay?"

I looked up at her. She seemed concerned. And I was feeling really pathetic. I didn't know what to do. I felt sad and confused, and kind of scared even.