It's alright.

"Don't you get it? It's over, Ahmed."
"Just a chance. Is it too much to ask for?", my reply.
"I'm sorry, I've moved on already. I don't want you anymore.", She said, disconnecting the call.

"I don't want you anymore", Amazing phase isn't it?
Like you're allowed to be there till the time they want you to be. And your life? Your feelings?
They are fucked up already.

Hello anyway, it's Ahmed Sheikh here. What you're about to read is the story of my life. All of us have that one thing that changes us, shapes us. Maybe this one's mine.

A month later.

"She's so hot man, chance maar na? ", Supreet said sipping his third leg of vodka.

"You're home, go drunk.", My reply after completing my sixth peg. It's funny to see what alcohol does to your choice of words.

"There's this app called Tinder. You can find someone who'll love you more than that bitch did.", His reply.

"Fine. Now get out my place. I want to finish this bottle by myself.", I said pushing him out.

"Saale Jaa maar", He said with a sarcastic smile on his face.

I closed the door. Walked up to my balcony.
Isn't it strange? Strange that one moment they are so close to you that you'll make promises about never letting anything happen to them or never letting them go and stuff.
But right the next moment , an "It's over" breaks it.

I called her. She disconnected the call saying she's busy. It was 12:30 am.
"She liked having late night conversations", I told myself with a sigh.

Clicked on play store icon and installed Tinder. Set my age limit to only 19 year old and location to Delhi.

And suddenly profiles started pouring in. I did right swipe a few and out of nowhere, I got my first match.


Shikha Dutta. 19 year old. Single.
Profile description- Hope you don't go by looks.





And there was no photograph of her's in her profile neither any more description about where she goes or what she does. Blaming it on the vodka, I texted her "Not judging you but what's with the looks kinda thing in your description."

Her reply was almost instant- "If I had known that a Not judging you guy would ping me up at almost when I'm about sleep, I wouldn't have done it that way."

And that was of sarcasm had started. Clearly she was winning. The next series of conversation was something like-

Me: Sorry to disturb you, Have a nice sleep and happy haunted dreams.

She: Chuck. I'll probably want to be right there next to you and scare the shit out of you.

Me: Yeah? Try.

She: Sure. Someday. Bye.

I smiled. Maybe that was almost after a month of break up. Stood up and started staring at the streets.

There are amazing things about stuff around you. We end up chasing things we probably want not giving a damn about stuff we have.
Maybe it was a casual dating conversation or maybe a bit too much. Who knows.
I sent her a text before dozing off.

"Good night. Hope you open your eyes to see a bright and amazing sun starting right into you."

Creativity-1 , Sadness-0
          



"So, miss Dutta tell me something about yourself and what's with the magic behind not having a dp?", Curiosity made me ask this.

Just to let you all know I had apologized for being nosy bastard last night and we did a bit of casual gossip the whole day.

"Mr. Ahmed, you're definitely not looking for a girl like me. :) ", Her reply.

I kept reading that message a million times maybe.
Couldn't think of a reply. Or maybe couldn't come up with one.

I almost forgot her.

"I prefer Chai over booze. Just incase you're wondering.", Her text almost after 3-4 days.

"Shikha. You asked me not to look for you. So what next?"

"I didn't ask you to not look for me. All I said was probably I won't live up to your expectations."

"Can I ask you out? ", Her next text.

"You're allowed to", my reply, admiring her cheeky replies.

"So Sunday 10am CCD? Cool?"

"I've never seen you. How am I supposed to know you.?"

"Just raise your hand when you reach there. I'll raise mine too. You'll know."

"Why can't you just send me a pic of yours? What's with these traditional stuff?"

"Don't be late. :)", Her final reply.

I didn't sleep that night. You would ask why? Why would a mysterious girl rule over my sleep? Why would I think about the stuff I'll ask her? Thing I'll tell her about me. Everything. Here's a thing about curiosity, it takes over you and makes you overthink about things that could happen maybe.
Somewhere midway love happens.

Maybe you don't actually get into love. You fall for it leaving all your thoughts behind for that one feeling.


Slept somehow. Got up at around 8am, dressed up and reached around 10 am. Why was I actually being punctual for someone who didn't reveal anything about her to me?


"Someone's late.", I texted her. There was no reply.
I sat there ordered coffee, pastry and every other overpriced food in the menu.

An hour later. A girl completely covered in burkha arrived and she raised her hand.

"Shikha, I'm here", I screamed.

She came to me. Why burkha? She's Muslim? But then Dutta? Did she lie me?

She waved back at me. Came to my table and took the seat.
"Hey. Sorry the auto guy's fault.", She exclaimed with an unmatched enthusiasm.
"Hey but you're not supposed to be Muslim na? Burkha Kyun?",my question. Curiosity again.

"Hmm. No I'm not mulim. It's here for some other reason.", Her reply with a sudden drop in enthusiasm.

She carefully kept the purse on the table. Making sure that noone is looking at her. She removed the burkha covering her face.

An acid attack victim revealed the burkha. Her face had unusual cut out marks, bruises and patches.

I almost jumped out of the chair. Everyone inside the cafe were staring at us. Some even pointing fingers at us and started making faces.


"Shika, you never told me about it? ", My immediate question.

"It wasn't my fault. All of this happened almost a year ago. There was this drug peddler in our society. I never liked  drugs. They kill you even before death. I reported him. After getting arrested the police didn't find any proof against him. He was released and one day he walks up to me for the sake of apologizing. Right when he's close, he takes out a bottle and splashes the entire acid onto my face.", She narrated.

"I could have been dead. Doctors saved me but they couldn't do anything to my face. I'll have to live with this for my entire life.", She pointed at her face with disgust.

"Asked them to kill me. They didn't. Now I die everyday.", She ended.


And all my curiosity had gone. I stared at her.
She's just asking to be loved. Is it too much?

"Shikha, are you okay?"
"I'm never okay. Trust me I can never be okay again. I wouldn't leave my room just because I couldn't face them. Their words.", She said bursting into tears.

I cried too.

"I'm really sorry. Should I drop you home or you can go by your own."
"I will go. Thank you. Bye", Her disgusted reply.

I walked away from the cafe to the streets. Was I being heartless? Walking away from someone who was helpless?

Suddenly from nowhere an speeding car came to me and I got hit.
Next thing I know was closing my eyes and blood all over my shirt.




Fate. An amazing 4 letter word that stops you from whatever you're doing and makes you sit and realise where you went wrong.

I opened my eyes in a room. Surrounded by the peculiar smell of grumpy medicines and bandages.

I couldn't feel my legs. I couldn't feel anything below my knees. Tried getting up but I couldn't move my legs.


"What the...", I said getting up.
"Ahmed, don't move. Sleep.", a familiar voice said.
"My legs?", Almost in tears.

"Ahmed. It's fine. Rest now.", Shikha said.
She sat next to me and helped my lay down. Got me some water.
"You've been in coma for a month now. What is the last thing you remember?", She said consoling me.

"I remember walking out the cafe leaving you and then an auto hit me.", I stammered.

"Yes. An auto had hit you right at that moment and you've been in a deep unconscious state since then. You've been through 4 different operations.", Her reply.

She smiled.
"I'm really glad you're alive.", She tried cheering me up.

"But my legs? Why can't I feel them?", Me getting disgusted.

"The nerve cells below your waist have gone dead."
"I can't walk anymore?"
"I wish you could."

Those words hit me like a wave from sea.
 Have you ever seen a wave hitting the shore? It's all calm and peaceful and then from nowhere a wave races through the path and hits the sands lying there. And if that wasn't enough the wave decides to separate the sands from their part of love and take them to void beneath the waves. They are alive,just not living.

I kept staring at Shikha and a crying. Imagined what my life would be like.

"Let him rest ma'am, he's just out of coma", A nurse interrupted.

Shikha leaned forward kissed me on my forehead and assured me that she'll come back the next morning. She left.

"Madam is your wife? ", Nurse questioned after Shikha left.
"No we're just close friends", I lied.
" I see. She's done alot for you.", Nurse said being shocked.

"What did she do?", I asked
"She stayed with you throughout the month. Somedays she wouldn't eat. Almost every day we would notice her crying right sitting next to you. You've known her since long maybe."

Next morning, Shikha reached the hospital.
"So you didn't leave me when I did.?", My first question.
"Should I", her reply.
"You could have. Like everyone else.", My reply. Couldn't think of anything else.

"You know you're not the only one who's suffering.
Look around you, Ahmed. There are people who are in a way worst state. Look at me? I'm dead for everyone. People like you who expect alot from a girl leave me when they meet someone like me. That's life. Everyone looks at me like I'm not someone normal. Is it my fault? No.
Life throws a wrecking ball at you. Breaking everything you ever had. But you know it's alright. Because we're alive. There's nothing more amazing than this. When you'll be counting your last breath,the only thing you'll want is little more life. Even  when you can't walk or face anyone. But it's alright.", She smiled.

"I've got you some gajar halwa. You're favourite na? ", She asked.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I've had your room keys. Read your diary." , She said being teary eyed.

"So now you're going to leave me like everyone else? ", Teary eyed too.

"Don't worry you've got your entire life to know me.", She said with a smile.




5 years later.

Hello. Now that you've read the entire story you know what is it like to fall for someone in really strange ways. You don't want to but you actually don't have any safe card left.

We're married, strange much? A guy who could never walk with a girl who doesn't want to. Strange again?

Shikha would always tell me, if someone takes just one step to get you. Learn to take a step towards them. Walk with them. It doesn't matter how much or how far you go unless you know you're walking.
One month's coma, a lost leg and a wheelchair beside the bed made me realise all of this.
Shikha had already taken her step. My turn now


Speaking of her, she's still happy in the most amazing way. She runs a NGO for acid attack victims and trust me there's nothing better than seeing people sharing the same pain together and still laughing it out.


And about happiness, we're going to adopt a 6 month baby next month. The baby happens to be one of the acid attack victim's daughter. Her mom died a few weeks ago and we'll be looking after her.




Maybe someday we'll be loving people who suffer, helping them heal and being with them.
Maybe someday we'll just learn not to walk away from life because it was unfair.
Maybe one day the society will accept me and my love.
Till then It's alright. We have each other.