"I'm sorry Ashok, I don't feel the same about you", she said and walked away.

Ashok stood there, alone, hoping now he could wake up from this nightmare. But things were too real for it to be a dream. He could barely see or feel anything. His hands were cold and his feet were numb. He didn't know whether he was still standing, or was lying down unconscious. His existence didn't mean anything at that moment.

He walked back home, not noticing anything around him. But he was not alone. Beside him, was his twin who also walked home with him. They looked the same, but had two different faces. One was completely normal, aware of his surroundings and raised no suspicion. The other could barely see anything around, walking aimlessly, following his twin.

As they crossed a road, Ashok barely noticed the incoming traffic. Some vehicles stopped abruptly before him and drivers yelled at him. "Are you fucking blind?" Someone said, "Hey asshole, watch where you are going", another yelled. But Ashok was deaf by then. He could barely hear anything. His twin apologized to the drivers and pulled him away from the road. They walked together again.

"Oh, hey Ashok, what's up?" A friend crossing his path stopped and said.
Ashok could only hear one sentence repeatedly in his head. "I don't feel the same… I don't feel the same…"
Tears started rolling down his cheeks. His twin spoke for him, "Oh, hi Vikram, I'm heading home, in a hurry. Let's meet some day? Next weekend maybe?"
"Sure, no worries. See you!" His friend said and walked away.
Ashok's twin smiled at the friend while Ashok stood there with tears rolling further down.

He knocked on the door of his house, and his mother opened the door. By now Ashok was screaming with pain. Pain that felt physical. Pain that wanted him to kill himself. But his twin spoke to their mother with a smile.

"How was the fest?" Asked his mother.

"It was pretty good! But the food wasn't great. Anyways, I'm tired, I'll probably sleep for a while", his twin said with a completely normal face. But Ashok wanted to go away. Far from this world. He wanted to be alone. Alone forever.

Ashok walked upstairs along with his twin, to their room and looked at the mirror. At first, all he could see in the mirror was his twin. With a smiling face, the twin said, "Now you're alone. My job is done"
Slowly, the happy twin disappeared and Ashok could see his own face now. The face that he now hated.
He fell on his bed like a lifeless body. The pillow started to get wet. Sad music came from his neighbor's house that rhythmically played along with his heartbeat. He didn't sleep that afternoon. He didn't sleep that night.

Next morning, as he left for school, his twin appeared again. The two walked to their school. One with a sleepless, dull, and depressed face. The other with a perfectly normal appearance with a hint of a smile. Ashok existed in the world, but all everyone could see was his twin. Until he was alone again.

© arpan