KATHPUTLI

21. Numb

Even if the whole world changes
I'm still the same
I dreamed of this path I walked
As it was then, as it was then
The first time I danced every day
I was left there

•┈••✦ ❤️ ✦••┈•

Aakash looked at Mayank who was driving. He looked dead on his feet, his eyes were so red that it worried aakash" kuch huya hai manu, teri aakhein itni lal kyu hai?"

" Mai raat ke 1 baje soya tha aaki, what do you except?"

"So did I"

"Teri baat alag hai, tujhe aadat hai mujhe nahi.."

Aakash teased him by mimicking" tujhe aadat hai mujhe nahi."

Mayank whacked him on head and focused on road. Aakash huffed and leaned back on the seat. Mayank looked at him and smiled, he badly wished that aakash wouldn't know but it was just not possible.

Aakash entered the hospital while mayank went to park the car.. he looked at the staff and smiled wishing them but they didn't smiled back, neither wished.... Aakash was the charming and young doctor of hospital, everyone either had a crush on him or had a respect for him, it was just so unusual that they didn't greeted him with enthusiasm.

Aakash looked around and gasped, for a moment it felt like deja vu. He had seen this type of looks, he looked around, all he could see was the school corridors filled with students who were giving him looks but this time their eyes were giving more disgusting looks. Like he had did a bigger sin this time. His mind was foggy making him remember those painful memories.

Aakash was slipping more and more. He was going to the phase he hated the most. He wished he had someone who could take him out of the mess, he looked at everyone with blank eyes, he could see them judging him, whispering something to each other.. but in the midst of that he could hear someone's voice asking him to look at him but he just couldn't. He just looked at the people who were judging him.

Ray looked at aakash helplessly, he was calling him for more than 10 minutes. Aakash didn't even looked at him, he knew he was slipping in and he didn't knew how to make him come out of that. After calling for so many times he shook him with full force. Aakash looked at him with blank eyes.

Ray held him" look at me aaki, whatever you're thinking is not true.."

Aakash just looked at him numb. He was not able to focus around him. He didn't even knew what was happening, it felt like a unreliable truth.. whatever he saw was the truth, the looks on their face told him that his truth was revealed.

Ray hugged him tightly making aakash stiff. He came out of his trance and was about to seperate himself but noticed the touch, it was ray. He leaned more and buried his face. He was getting anxious unnecessarily.

Ray seperated himself when he was sure that aakash was calm" tu theek hai."

Aakash nodded and smiled" pata nahi kya ho gaya tha.."

"Tabiyat kharab hai to day off le leta na."

Aakash immediately cut him off" aaj nahi ray, aaj surgeries lined up hai, muskan ki surgery bhi aaj hi hai...." Aakash trailed off and widened his eyes" shit. Meri surgery hai aur mai yaha khada hu."

He gave a quick hug to him and ran to his office, he needed to confront Dr. Oberoi.. ray looked at his retreating back, he badly wished that aakash wouldn't know about that, now that he had seen him in vulnerable state, he knew one thing for sure that aakash was not ready for the truth.