It was dark everywhere and I was all alone in that darkness. I couldn't help myself but be scared, because I was afraid of darkness and I still am afraid of it. I couldn't open my eyes nor move my muscles to turn the lights on. I realized that I was paralyzed due to the fright I had. Slowly, I tried to distract myself from the fact that I was laying in the darkness.
All I needed was some bright colourful thought to distract myself from that frightening darkness. Unfortunately, everything I thought about made me more scared and I was freaked out. Then I decided to think about the thing I'd prohibited myself from. It was not a thing. To put it right, it is not a thing but a person, his name is Prakash. He was well defined for his name. A guy who was outgoing and had a bright personality. To my eyes, he was like the Sun in the solar system. He was the heart of everything that was going on around him.
Was he flashy? To some extent, yes, he was flashy. He always had a set of people around him and he seemed to be far away from where I was. So, I dared not to get any closer to him from where I was. But I regret it. I could never be honest with my feelings when he was within my reach.
A loud scream of a lady scared the shit out of me. It was a nightmare. When I opened my eyes I almost shrieked to spot something else. I was holding a person instead of the pillow I always put beside me. And I buried my face onto that person like I usually did with that pillow. I woke up and sat on the bed to get a grip on the situation, which only got weirder. I wasn't in my room nor home. When I took a closer look at the person beside me, that person made a face due to the disturbance in his sleep.
"It is a dream, right?" I asked myself.
"Ahhh!!!!" Prakash yelled in shock. "WhyâŚ.? How are youâŚhereâŚ?" he questioned me.
"I was sleeping and had a nightmare. Then I woke up to see you here." I gave him a vague explanation. "Do you remember me?" I asked. Then I noticed that I was not looking good and my bed hair was the worst.
"Si..ta..?!?" he answered and still had his mouth opened in surprise.
"Why am I here? Can it be that I am dreaming?" I wondered.
"Dream, you say? Then how come I feel this all real?"
"Your dream can sometimes feel too real." I couldn't believe it.
He frowned for a second and said, "Yeah! Maybe you are right. You can't be here."
"Okay! I'm gonna sleep again." I looked around. I took a pillow and extra sheets he had. I started to spread the bedsheet on the floor. He looked perplexed.
"Even if it is only a dream, I can't share the bed with you!" I smirked at him.
"I am not ready to share my bed with you. Get lost!"
"Even if you're ready to do so, I won't"
"I won't share it even if you beg me with crying your eyes out."
Then we snapped at each other and went to bed. I forgot to mention, we don't get along with each other well. When he opens his mouth, all my affection or love or crush or whatever I have for him flies away.
I lay facing up, I could see him from the corner of my eye. It was not intentional. But I noticed him sleeping again like a little child. I was happy to see him in my dream but was a bit disappointed to argue with him even in a reel world. Then, it was the most favourite characteristic I liked about him. He was not sweet neither was he a coldhearted person. He was warm to be around. The most irritating thing to me was being cheesy and sweet to the extent that I get sick of such persons. I prefer people who are less dramatic and more realistic which is an irony to a person like me, who loves to daydream.
I turned to my right to take a proper look at him. He was grown up and never thought that the Balbo beard could decorate his face to make me flustered. His eyes were closed and I wanted to look into those eyes once again.
Usually, when I dreamt myself sleeping, it wasn't a problem for me to sleep again, unlike now. I wasn't even drowsy. "What is this? Am I not dreaming now?" I started thinking. I was confounded by the circumstances.
"Oh no!!" I shouted. That stupid jerk was already sleeping tight without realizing the reality.
I started poking him in his hand, while he woke up frowning at me.
"I believe you're not stupid enough to think that this situation is a dream." I crossed my hands.
He took a few seconds to understand what I told him, then he sat straight on his bed and took a keen look at me from top to bottom. His face reflected how he was witnessing something beyond his belief, in fact beyond everyone's belief. I shrugged my shoulders and sat down on the bed leaving considerable space between us.
"Don't tell me this is real." he raised his right hand to pinch my hand. I shook away and hit him.
"I don't know how I ended up here but I need to get back."
"So, how are you returning?" he made some funny movements in the air and asked, "Like disappearing in the air?"
"Do you think this is funny?"
"Do you have money to go back?"
I looked at myself "I have nothing on me" I was there in his room with nothing but an old black t-shirt and grey pyjamas on with a flamingo bird cartoon on it. My mind voice was like, 'No! This is not how I imagined to show up in front of him.'
He yawned casually and said, "I am too busy to babysit you." Taking a long breath and leaving it as a sigh, he stood up and looked down at my face. He looked around and picked up his phone.
"Call someone who can take care of you." Handing me his phone, he said "Go ahead!"
I couldn't come up with anyone. "I don't know anyone from Hyderabad." I had an aunt from Hyderabad but I couldn't depend on her in that situation.
"Did you intentionally travel from Madurai and barged in my room?" he had a point because I never left a chance to nag him through his mobile phone. I left him a message now and then.
"That is insane." I was not crazy to such an extent yet. "I wouldn't even have known how you look unless I met you in this place." it was a total lie. I screenshot every profile pic of him and was going crazy whenever I went through them, even though I acknowledged that it was creepy.
"Then, are you lying about not having anyone around here?"
"Even if I know someone, how I am going to explain this ridiculous situation?" then I was glad that I was not at home, gratefully I was residing in the dorm for my classes. Had I been in my home, my mom and dad would have reported to cops and my face would have been added to the missing person list. I can't attend the classes and it was the only good thing that happened to me in all this chaos.
"I live with two other guys, Sita. Do you think it is a good idea to stay with three guys?"
"I won't make any noise and will spend my time without disturbing you." I put my index finger on my mouth. "Can you please help me go back?" I requested him "Prakash, please!"
I knew that he wouldn't abandon me. "You are gonna payback for this." he then left the room.