Just For You To See

Ahaana was a newcomer at St. Stephen’s college in Delhi. She had just shifted to Delhi to pursue a professional course in commerce. Originally from Bareilly, she was a withdrawn, reserved and an introvert girl who didn’t make friends easily. It was her first day at college and predictably, this girl was very anxious. People around her were dashing off, running, fretting and rushing like anything. Everything was so chaotic and fast for this small town fellow. She felt so out of place and secluded. The tension was building up inside her head which needed immediate emancipation.

Time passed somehow, and she entered his lecture hall. She could sense hostility and antagonism in that room where approximately 50 students were seated.

“Would you sit with me?” asked a sweet looking girl.
Ahaana was shocked to hear that. She wasn’t expecting friendliness in this antipathetic room.

“Yeah sure.” replied Ahaana and sat next to the girl.

“Hi, I am Ishana. Ishana Gupta. And you are?” asked the new acquaintance.

“I’m Ahaana Arora.” smiled Ahaana.

“Where are you from? I thought I was the only Hindu here at Stephen’s. Nice to see you.” giggled Ishana.

“Haha. Yeah. Christians have an upper hand here. By the way, I am from Lucknow.” replied Ahaana

Ahaana was surprised to find herself talking so much to a stranger. She felt really comfortable in Ishana’s company. The two continued talking for a while. The lecturer entered the room and the talking stopped. For the whole day, both the girls stuck together chatting, sharing histories and past lives. And in a jiffy, the two became the best of friends, indivisible and difficult to separate.

The very next day, after college, the girls met at a coffee shop.

“So what are your hobbies?” asked Ahaana.
“I am a biker.” replied Ishana.

“What?” yelled Ahaana. “You do bikes? Since when? Why didn’t you tell me? This is awkward.”

“What’s awkward about it?” asked Ishana.

“I mean, it’s funny. You don’t look like a biker.” Giggled Ahaana.

“Hehehe. I know girl. I loved your reaction by the way” winked Ishana.

Ishana was a very different and out of the ordinary kind of a girl. Ahaana was growing fond of her. Both the girls liked each other. Ahaana was not much of a talker. She didn’t open up much to Ishana, but Ishana knew exactly why and she respected her privacy. Ishana liked Ahaana’s quietness, it gave her serenity. The girls were poles apart. Their differences complemented and similarities brought them even closer.

There was this guy in their college named Ishan. He was a handsome looking boy, who was quite famous in the college. Ishana saw in and instantly fell in love without knowing that his name was Ishan. Ahaana came to know about the whole thing and started teasing Ishana. It was all fun and games. The girls laughed about the name co-incidence.

“I think he is your long lost brother, you might have lost in ‘Kumbh ka Mela’ as they say.” giggled Ahaana.

“Shut up, will you please? Or I’ll eat you alive.” said a comically furious Ishana.

Days passed and their friendship grew even stronger. Ishana taught Ahaana how to ride a bike. Ahaana gave her cooking lessons. They used to study together at Ishana’s hostel room. Strangely, Ahaana started getting possessive about Ishana. Ahaana got a little overwhelmed by the fact that Ishana was the only proper friend she has ever had in her life. Whenever Ishana talked to someone else or made friends with them, Ahaana used to get furious about it.

One day while Ishana was talking to a senior, Ahaana created a scene over the place. She didn’t talk to Ishana for three days without even telling her the reason behind her anger. It ticked Ishana off like anything. This was the first time when Ishana found Ahaana repulsive, however she ignored.

The next day, Ahaana realized her mistake, or maybe she didn’t, she just wanted Ishana’s attention. She came to Ishana and apologized for what had happened and everything went back to normal.

It was 28th October, Ishana’s birthday. Right at 11:59 pm Ahaana reached Ishana’s hostel room and surprised her. She had brought Ishana’s favorite Choco-chip cake, Valentino and other drinks. The girls had the time of their lives with all the drinks and chit chats.

“I think someone is missing someone. Let me call Ishan.” winked Ahaana.

Ishana’s cheeks flushed with fresh blood as she blushed and both of them burst into laughter. All the fun, gossips and teasing went on for hours. It was 4 am, and Ishana was up to something crazy. She wanted to race against Ahaana.

“So, you think you ready for a race?” mocked Ishana.

“No dude, it’s so late. Shut up, will you? Am sleepy.” replied Ahaana.

“Are you scared?” ragged Ishana.

“I’m on it.” replied Ahaana.

So they set out for the race. Both of them put their helmets on and started the bikes. The race began. It was fun, both of them very enjoying. Their velocities were under control and so were their motorbikes. Little did they know, things were about to turn ugly for them.

Ahaana’s bike lost control and the brakes failed. She shouted, “The brakes aren’t working”.

Ishana couldn’t hear a thing because of the wind and the noise created by the bikes. Ahaana’s bike went completely out of control and bumped into a tree. Ishana saw it and got so startled that she too lost control over her bike and fell off her vehicle. Both the girls lay there in a pool of blood, badly wounded and unconscious. A few hours later the local people of that area saw the girls and took them to the nearest hospital.

They woke up the next day. Ishana was gravely wounded and injured. Unfortunately, Ahaana lost her eyes. As she woke up, she couldn’t see anything. She started screaming at the staff and everyone else in the room.

“What has happened to me? Why can’t I see?”

“You lost your eyes in the accident. I am sorry” said the doctor.

Ahaana started crying, and so did Ishana. Ishana tried to calm her down.

“Isn’t there anything we can do about Ahaana’s eyes?” asked Ishana.

“Am sorry Miss. There’s nothing we can do.” replied the doctor.

Both the girls hugged each other and cried.

The days after the incident were full of monotony and gloom. Ishana had to take Ahaana everywhere in the college. She had to write notes for her, record them and write tests of behalf of Ahaana. In the process, Ishana started losing herself. She was getting weak in her own studies, her own grades were degrading. To add on to the miseries, everyone started making fun of her because she was friends with a disabled person. It was too much for this girl to take in. There were times when she broke down and cried. Ahaana tried to calm her down, but there really nothing she could do about the situation.

Days passed and Ishana started getting despondent of everything. She got so fed up with everything that was going on that she withdrew from her responsibilities that she had volunteered for. She refused to write notes for Ahaana and asked her to arrange for someone else. Ahaana was heartbroken when she heard that, but she understood. Gradually, Ishana started withdrawing herself from Ahaana completely. She stopped returning her calls, meeting her or hanging out with her. She was no more friends with her. It left Ahaana completely heartbroken and shattered.

A year and a half had passed; Ishana didn’t even bother to contact Ahaana, not even once. Ahaana was already shattered beyond repair. She was too broken to break the silence. Ishana got a message on Gmail. It was from Ayaan Arora, Ahaana’s brother. It said-

“Hi Ishana, I hope you’re doing fine. Ahaana wanted me to send you this note that she wrote for you. Here, have a look”

‘Ishana. Hi. I am sorry about what happened between us. I never meant to shame you or embarrass you. It was never my intention. I had always loved you. You were my bestie, my sister, my everything. I want to thank you for being there when I needed a friend. Right from the first day at Stephen’s, till the last day at college, I had the time of my life with you. Ishana am weak no and I miss you more. I miss you so much. Please talk to me. I don’t even have your number so I asked Ayaan to send you this note. I hope he does it on time. Please talk to me once. There is something I need to tell you. I miss you. I’ll be waiting. Bye’

The note left Ishana in tears. She had no words. She wanted to meet Ahaana so bad. She couldn’t fight back the ecstasy in her bones.

“Where is Ahaana? Make me talk to her. xxxxxx8976, take my number and ask her to call me.”
Mail Sent

“I am sorry to inform you that Ahaana is no more with us. She passed away a few days ago.”
Mail Received

What? Ahaana is not alive anymore? No. Just no.

“Stop messing with me Ayaan. I know I messed up pretty bad. Please make me talk to her.”
Mail Sent

“I am not kidding. Ahaana is no more. She committed suicide.”
Mail Received

Ahaana committed suicide. Of course she did. I left her all by herself. It’s all my fault. I killed my friend. I bloody killed her.

Ishana broke down. She lost her senses. She did not know how to react. She was numb.

“And she donated her eyes to you, the day you guys met with that accident.”
Mail Received

—END—