Who he used to be

Chapter 8

That night after dinner, Harsh laid on his bed looking out the window at the starry night sky surrounded by serenity and quietness. The sound of crickets and the cool gentle breeze flowing through the window gave a sense of comfort and peace. Harsh was staring at the moon wondering if Shreya would be doing the same then, wherever she was, as she loved looking at the moon. Then Harsh started thinking about how to get Shreyansh to spill the truth about Shreya to him, whatever he knew about her. Maybe then he could figure out why Shreya left him and disappeared back then. Harsh suddenly sat up when he was struck by a crazy idea. What if Shreyansh and Shreya are twins? He had never really thought much of the fact that they both had their birthdays on the same day and look exactly the same except for the hair and eye colour. It also explains why Shreyansh had never let Harsh meet his parents. They’ve been friends for THREE YEARS yet Harsh had never seen his parents not even on Shreyansh’s social media. There cannot be another explanation to all this. “But I had dated Shreya long enough to have known if she had a twin. In no other way it makes any sense though. Leave it my head’s spinning at this point. I should get some sleep.” Harsh murmured. Harsh was almost asleep when his phone rang. It was from Shreyansh. “What do you want?” Harsh said in a soft voice, his eyes still closed. An unfamiliar voice spoke on the other end, “This person has gotten into an accident near RK vihar infront of PBC ATM. I’ve already called an ambulance before this. You were the last one he’d made a call to so I thought of informing you. (ambulance siren sound could be heard just then on the call) We’re taking him to the Care Hospital so please inform his parents.”
Harsh was too stunned to speak and the caller ended the call. The words he just heard shattered his calm state of mind like glass. He just dashed out of the apartment and called Shreyansh’s mom as he entered the lift. After breaking the news to Vamika too, Harsh frantically tried to book a cab, autorickshaw, bike whatever but to no avail, it was 12:24 am. He then spotted an unknown bicycle, luckily unlocked and without thinking twice he hoped and sped off. He raced through the empty city streets, his mind still barred with the numbing shock. Harsh reached the hospital as he covered 3kms in a span of five minutes which he himself thought was humanely impossible. He dialed Shreyansh’s number to ask the person where Shreyansh was and got there. Shreyansh was still in the operation theatre as he joined the kind stranger in the waiting area. They both sat there in an awkward silence for a minute or so until that person’s phone rang. He picked and said, “Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll be there soon.” He then turned to face a distraught looking Harsh and said, “I’ve gotta go. But just so you know, he had an accident while he was riding behind someone on a bike, when suddenly another man in black got close to the bike your friend was on and tried snatching his phone. Your friend lost balance and fell off the bike hitting his head. The thief rode off without the phone and the guy with whom your friend was riding stopped to turn around and look before he too rode off. I just cannot imagine how one person could leave another person to bleed to death on a deserted road like that. Fortunately, I was there and got him here on time, hopefully. I hope you would take actions against them, there are surveillance cameras on that road too. Bye buddy” Harsh just sat there, his mind went blank and it took him a few minutes to process the information and his grief turned into anger. His blood boiled at the thought of the guys who left his friend bleeding on the road to die. All his thoughts left his body as he saw the doctors come out. At the same time, Shreyansh’s parents and Vamika also arrived and prepared themselves for what was to come, but nothing could’ve prepared them for what the doctor said. No, he wasn’t dead. He was in a coma and the doctors were uncertain about how long it would be before he wakes up. It can be hours, days, months or even years. All four of them were devastated. Harsh felt a whirlwind of emotions surge through him – shock, dread, and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. His stomach twisted into a knot and he could barely breathe. He then glanced at Shreyansh’s parents who he had never met before and froze in his spot. It was as if he was struck by a lightening. He stared as Shreyansh’s mom and dad in disbelief. It was them. Shreya’s parents. So, Shreya was indeed Shreyansh’s twin, Harsh thought. But the time and situation was not appropriate, moreover, he was now sure of it. He decided to bring it up some other time. Harsh was too tired and his heart could take no more of the shocks he had had in the single day so he left with Vamika after consoling Shreyansh’s parents. He was upset too but tried to cheer Vamika and said, “Its alright. He’ll wake up soon. Till then we can drop by everyday to update him about everything as the doctor said he probably could hear us.” Vamika put up a smile as fake as Kylie’s butt.
Months pass by. Harsh did file a complaint against the ones responsible for Shreyansh’s accident and made sure they paid for their actions. Harsh and Vamika visited Shreyansh in the hospital everyday without fail. They told him all sorts of things from incidences at the university, their life drama, football updates and many little details of their lives. They also expressed how much it sucked without him. It broke their hearts knowing Shreyansh won’t respond with sarcastic comments to their blabbering.
One day, Harsh visited Shreyansh alone since Vamika said she would be an hour late. He found his parents sitting beside him with the same upset look from the accident day that was 3 months back now. Harsh had been wondering if Shreya really was his twin, why hadn’t she visited Shreyansh in the hospital yet. So, since Vamika was not there, he thought it was the perfect time to ask Shreyansh’s parents about Shreya. Harsh said, “So, where’s Shreya? Shouldn’t she have come to visit Shreyansh since he’s in a coma?” Shreyansh’s parents seemed like they had seen a ghost. After a minute of silence, Shreyansh’s mom spoke, “Wh… who Shreya? I think you’re mistaken kid.” “I’m not mistaken. I’ve dated Shreya long enough back then to know who her parents are.” Harsh said. Shreyansh’s dad pulled his mom outside and all Harsh could hear was some argument but their voice was too faint to make out what they said. When Harsh saw them re-enter the hospital ward, he said, “If I can’t expect the truth then please save it. I’ve had my fair share of lies already.” “We won’t lie kiddo. It’s just that we feared you won’t be able to accept the truth after knowing the fact that you had dated her in the past.” the dad said. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.” Harsh replied confused. “Shreyansh is Shreya.” Shreyansh’s dad said.