Two gunshots echoed in the distance.

I looked around for a place to hide. I helped Raghav up, and we spotted a cave's entrance a few yards away. We ran inside.

"Where are your spectacles?" Raghav asked, panting.

I was confused. Spectacles? Why would I be wearing spectacles?

"What spectacles?" I asked.

"The ones you always wear, the transparent-framed ones?," he said, visibly confused by my query.

That's when I noticed the pendant resting against my chest. As I lifted it, the violet light inside slowly shifted to red.

A puddle nearby caught my eye. Kneeling beside it, I leaned over to see my reflection.

I peered into the water, and the reflection staring back at me wasn't my own.

It was Mily. I was Mily.

******************************************

I woke up from my dream, gasping for breath.

I was on the road with Mily... How did I get here? That reflection—it was undoubtedly Mily.

Does this mean I'm living Mily's life in my dreams? Or has my subconscious created her, just like Raghav? But I saw her. She was real, breathing, alive. I felt her touch.

There has to be something deeper, something hidden in these dreams. Who are Mily and Raghav? Why do I feel more connected to them than anyone else in my life? Who's chasing them? Do they need my help? Why do these dreams keep haunting me, pulling me away from my dumb reality, where I'm a 19-year-old with no memory of who I was?

I thought of my electrifying encounter with Mily this evening. At least I know she's real.

 Mily... there's something about her that makes my heart race. After four months of feeling numb, not even reacting when Sandeep tried to be romantic with flowers... yet with Mily, it was different. Why do I feel this way about her?

And even if I find Mily again, what chance do I have if Raghav is in her life?

I was immersed in these thoughts when I heard noises from the drawing room.

" Sandeep , what the hell were you thinking, letting her get away like that?" my dad barked angrily.

But, Uncle, she... she said she would be back soon," Sandeep stammered, his voice trembling in fear. 

"You should've told us she went out!" Dad's frustration was palpable as he kicked a stool across the room. "Thank God someone brought her back safely when she passed out on the pavement."

"Who brought me back?" I called out, my heart racing.  Mily must have brought me home. "Was it a tall girl with spectacles?"

"What? Aira, molu, are you up?" Dad burst into my room, his expression a mix of concern and anger. "Are you okay dear? "

" Yeah, I am. Just... please answer me"

"Oh, it was Karim Lal, the gardener. He found you right outside the Whitefield Bakery. Why did you go out on your own? Where were you heading to?"

From what I had learned about my neighborhood in the last four months, I knew that the Whitefield Bakery was just a few buildings away. But I am sure that I was wandering in a street much farther.

"Answer me, Aira. You have no idea how worried your mother was. You can't go out of the house on your own at this state!"

"I am an adult! How long will you keep me trapped in this home?" 

"Well, grown women don't behave like you do! Always sulking around in my loose clothes. How long has it been since you brushed your hair? You used to never talk back to me. You never kept your room messy. You used to cook and take care of the garden. You obeyed my words without a question. Now you don't even remember—"

That was it for me. "Exactly! That's what I'm saying! I don't remember anything! I don't remember the person you're talking about! I'm not that person anymore, so stop expecting me to be her! I've tolerated this bullshit for four months—doing everything you asked without question—NOW I'M DONE OBEYING!"

"How dare you—" A sharp slap landed across my face. The sting shocked me. My mother stood there, her hand still raised, her expression cold.

"Me and your dad have worked so hard to give you everything you could ever want. And this is how you repay us?" she asked angrily, her voice shaking with anger.

The air became thick with tension. My cheek throbbed, but the pain was nothing compared to the emotions flooding inside me.

"But you don't know what I want!" I yelled, "You never listen to me! This isn't what I want! You keep telling me you're my parents, but I don't even know you! I don't even know if the name you've given me is real. I don't know if any of this is real!" My voice faltered, but I pressed on. "I'm tired of pretending to be someone I don't even remember. I'm tired of being trapped in a world I don't belong to!"

I had gone too far. I could see the hurt on their faces, and a wave of guilt crashed over me. I didn't mean to lash out like this, but the weight of it all—the dreams, the memories, the disconnection—had finally broken me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I didn't mean it like that... Please, can I stay in my hostel until I figure this out?"

************************************

TWO MONTHS LATER

I don't even know why I thought then that staying in hostel would be any better than home.  There were students all around who kept eyeing me and whispering. Well rumors spread faster than wildfires and soon enough I heard them whispering, 'amnesia kid is bipolar and has no friends '.I could feel their eyes on me every time I walked past.

  It has been 6 months after the accident now and 2 months since my fight at home. I cleared my supplementary exams and joined my third year classes. The dreams stopped occurring.

I've grown to love the academic part of med school. Neurology—especially the brain and its mysteries—has become my favorite. I learned about post-traumatic amnesia. How the brain wants to forget the most traumatic event in your life and shuts down the memories of that event. In rare cases, it can erase entire episodic memory, leaving skills like language and habits intact. Yeah, and that pretty much sums up my life

I loved clinical postings, too. Listening to the patients' problems and trying to help—it made me feel less useless, even with my chipped-off brain.

One afternoon, while on my lunch break, I found myself visiting patients on the first-floor ward. Leaning against the balcony railing, I gazed down at the porch below, when suddenly, I saw her. Untamed curly hair bounced with each step as she walked, carrying some bags. She wore a dark blue hoodie and black cargo jeans. My heart raced—there was no mistaking it; it was her—it was her.

"Mily!" I called out, I could feel something creeping inside my stomach.

She paused, glanced around for a moment, then turned to walk ahead again.

I didn't waste a second. I raced down the stairs, adrenaline surging through me. "MILYYY!" I shouted, my breath coming in quick bursts. I had so many questions in my head and she was the answer to all of them. I was not gonna miss her this time. 

"MILYYY, wait!" I called again, breathless. But when I reached the bottom, she was nowhere to be seen. Just as I was about to give up, someone tapped me from behind.

"Uff, you scared me!" she was right behind me, her face just inches away from mine, her expression amused. I could feel the air she breath out touch my neck and the sensation was tickling my brain. 

"Hey, doctor, but you scare me more. Why were you calling out my name?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity." I mean how do you even know my name? Who are you?"

I was so taken aback. This was the first time that I remembered someone while they didn't know me. She genuinely seemed to not recognize me. I could feel a crushing weight over my chest. Why doesn't she remember me? How am I supposed to ask her my questions then? 

 "You don't remember me? We've met before," I stammered.. I recounted the happenings of our first rendezvous. 

Mily laughed, incredulous. "Sorry, but you're telling me I hugged you, and you passed out? And then I just left you on a pavement? Is this some kind of prank? Do you have a YouTube channel or something?" She glanced around, almost as if she were looking for hidden cameras.

I understand how weird all this might seem to her if she had no memory of the event. Had I imagined everything? Was our meeting just another one of those maddening dreams?Why am I being tormented with all this wasn't my amnesia enough to ruin my life.

"Okay, anyways, nice meeting you," she added with a playful smirk. "And your name is?"

"I'm... I'm Aira." I barely got the words out.

She still leaves me flustered, I thought, frustrated with myself. Why does this person have no idea that she has been invading my brain for weeks now. Why doesn't she get such dreams of me? May be of me and Sandeep kissing? 

"Okay, bye, Aira. I've got to take my grandma's old clothes for laundry. See you around." Her lips curved into a smile, her eyes softening for a moment before she turned to leave.

I couldn't help but let my eyes trace the ridges of her lips, imagining what it would feel like to run my fingers along them, and then finally kiss that mole below her lips.

"Excuse me? What are you staring at?" Mily's voice snapped me out of my trance.

Startled, I blurted, "I'm sorry—what's your grandmother's name? Which ward is she in?"

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Hey there you I am so privileged that you read this. Hope you have great week ahead.  If you liked this story please vote,  and share. Lots of love . What do you think why didn't Mily recognise Aira ? Lots of love 💕