About a month from the Nikkah, it was time for our vacation and the most excited one was Ayesha. She had missed her family a lot, which I understood. She was her family's favorite after all and this would give her time to enjoy their attention and live while also enjoying time with Zaid Bhaiyya (brother)
The day of her flight, she came to my house, unexpectedly with 2 cartons of ice cream and a family sized pack of chips to watch a movie. We spent a few hours lying in my bed doing just that, then she had lunch with my family, took whatever my mum sent for her and her family (which included her besy friend, Ayesha's mum), greeted everyone and made me drive her to the airport.
Just like every time, we hugged and laughed and even though I knew I would be lonely for a few weeks I felt happy seeing her as excited as she was. Living thousands of miles away from family wasn't easy that too living alone, I understood how she felt but barely so.
She waved once more and then she was off.
I spent the next few days sleeping, watching T.V shows and movies, sometimes with Ali or with my family and regularly video calling with Ayesha (and our group of 4 or 6, depending on whether they were free or not) to update each other on our days. One such day was the Friday when it was raining in Brooklyn as well as Delhi. I had originally hated rain but Ayesha saw beauty in it. She loved the sound of thunder and always said that people who feared thunder, did so because in their minds, thunder had been associated with fear and bad happenings. She loved it all. The smell of rain, like everyone but also the striking grumbling in the sky that people ran away from.As the sky got darker outside my window, even though it was barely noon, and I got eventually more and more bored, I decided to get Ayesha to entertain me. So I called her. She didn't pick up. Although that was odd, I decided she could have been busy so I messaged her to call me back while I spammed her chats. After 2 hours when I still didn't receive a reply, I started repeatedly calling her. Fear crept in my mind. Ayesha was always prompt in replying to things, from whoever it may be from. Whenever she used to be busy, she would inform the other person and then request to be excused.
I remember, when I used to disappear for a few hours without any information, she would scold me and get upset, so her doing it to me was just too surprising and sort of unsettling.
I kept calling. She never answered. When we had chatted that morning she had been happy and bright, as always so I had no reason to put behind her absence.
I stopped for a second just to think what could have happened, however that was a wrong move on my part. The scary possiblities just unsettled me even more than possible. I was almost tearing up when Waad came in my room to ask me if he could eat the burger left in the fridge. I guess me standing in the middle of the room looking tensed, told him that was something was wrong, his big brother instincts kicked in and he came to me, put a hand on my shoulder and broke my out of my imagination .
"Ads what's wrong? You look terrified"
He asked me all worried.
"Waad, Ayesha isn't answering my messages,she hasn't even received my calls but they are all reaching her. For the past 2hours I have been trying to get a hold of her."
Before Waad could suggest anything , I continued in a shaky tone.
"I even tried calling aunty and Maha Appi.Her brother's phone is also saying that it's dead."
He looked tensed as well. He was aware ofAyesha's habits. It was strange to him as well but with a calm sense of mind he told me, "Don't worry let ME try calling Zaid."
He tried calling him and after a few tries even moved on to Ayesha's father's number. After receiving no reply from either, he looked even more tensed.
Once again with no hopes of being answered, I tried Ayesha's number again,upon Waad's persuation.
Hearing nothing but the beeps for a while, I was going to cut the call when suddenly along with the call my prayers were answered, I let out the breath I had been holding for so long. I started talking and screaming at Ayesha for getting me tensed while having the phone on speaker so Waad could hear her excuse but once I realized I heard no reply I stopped my rant. That was when I heard sniffling sounds from the phone.
"Ayesha what's wrong?"
I asked shocked, since i had never heard Ayesha cry before.
"Adaab..."
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YOU ARE READING
She was a Mirage.
Short StoryThe perfect best friend's story from the main character's point of view..... She had always shown everyone that she was happy and healthy. There was no one who could ever guess that behind the calm green of her eyes, there was so much hidden...
