The Message- Short Story

She willed herself to not check her phone to see if he had replied. It had been about three days now. She hated that she was constantly checking his 'last seen at' status and yes, he had logged in just five minutes ago. Yet she couldn't stop herself. This sinking feeling to find absolutely no communication from him was becoming unbearable, almost torturous. 

And then, just as she sat down in her chair, her phone vibrated. With her heart thudding in her ear, she unlocked her phone and stared at the screen. Finally! It was his message. 

But when she opened it and read it, she nearly stopped breathing. She didn't know if he was joking or not. What was this? 

Her heartbeat grew wild, she felt her legs leaving her at the mercy of gravity, and her eyes were glued to the phone screen as she was not able to fathom how and why her world had come crashing down by just a text message.
Tears escaped her eyes as she was engulfed by the enormity of the situation. All she could do was think about how she had felt so good three nights before without having a hint of what was to happen.  
She tried to remember about how glowing her face had been and how it kept on decreasing while waiting for his call or message after he had given her many reasons to proclaim him the best man she had ever been with and the one she would want to be with forever. Just a couple of meetings and a dinner date had convinced her that he was the one for her. But as she stared at the blank spaces and the walls around her she realized something she had always dreaded.

God, not me, please don’t let it be true.  She cried aloud as her eyes swelled up and she wailed so loud that a few hostel mates lurking outside in the corridor made their way inside with panic stricken faces.

Are you ok babe? Priya asked with a concerned voice being Sneha’s only friend at the hostel.

Why are you crying Sneha? The others joined the chorus as Sneha continued to wail and scream holding her face in her hands. The phone which was the reason for all the grief around lay besides her on the bed while her friends came close to comfort her.

That bastard, she said with a tone of an injured warrior.

He has fucked my whole life up. I don’t know what to do. I am numb, someone please help me. The tears never stopped as she was finding it too hard to compose her and speak out anything properly.

Girls, can you please leave us here? I would like to talk to her alone. Priya had a firm look on her that shooed the others away.

Calm down honey. Just tell me what is bothering you.  Everything will be fine.

No, nothing will be fine. My life is finished.

Trust me, like always. I am here for you Anshu.

Just look at me, focus on the present and tell me the details. Priya had a maturity and confidence that went beyond Sneha’s understanding. She wiped her tears off and tried to compose herself. After gulping down an entire bottle of water she started confiding in her.

I don’t know where to start. I met this guy at a friend’s birthday and the next I know is I am here crying over what happened over the course of the last one week.

Just take a deep breath and spill it out. Trust me you shall feel better.

I did hang out with him twice after that party, he was so charming, so soft spoken, chivalrous and so respectful that I lost my guard. He asked me out for a dinner some days back and I accepted having been swooned by his personality and traits. I was willing to take this chance, i thought I might finally be able to get a hold of my life by being with a guy I considered was the best for me.

So you then slept with him? Priya was trying to be calm amidst all the tension.

Slept? I probably had the best night of my life with him. Sneha’s eyes swelled up once again.

So then why are you troubled? Priya asked not being able to comprehend the look on Sneha’s face and the anger in her eyes. She looked so enchanted by that guy and yet so fucked up.

Sneha, not being able to stop herself any longer picked the phone up, unlocked it and in one swift motion having opened the text she had received some minutes back showed it to Priya. The flow of tears got faster as Priya took the phone in her hands and stared at it for a few moments that felt like eternity.

In a moment of impulse, Priya moved from her position threw the phone down on the floor and slapped Sneha hard enough to bring her out of the miserable trance.

Tell me this is a joke or a lie. Tell me dammit. She shook up Sneha with her strong hands and began to cry.

I don’t remember anything Priya, save me please. I beg you. Sneha screamed and embraced Priya as they both began to sob uncontrollably.

The girls standing outside the door listening to what was transpiring between Priya and Sneha were about to knock on the door and come in to check on them when suddenly the lights went off.  Inside the room full of anger, disappointment, grief, frightfulness and which was now engulfed in darkness with the sounds of wails echoing around, the text on Sneha’s phone did shine bright. The text that had overwhelmed two minds and had the most infernal words a human can ever read, welcome to the family of HIV.

#shortstories