CHAPTER 5: PRATEEK KUHAD

I woke up a bit tired. I think I slept like around 11 yesterday, but again woke up early as I always do. My eyes always wander to the Bojack horseman poster but today my other self was seated on the chair and his face covered the poster by almost half. His phone was ringing with a song. It was melodic. I listened quietly. At first it was hard to point to but then I had it.

Cold/Mess

“Prateek Kuhad?”

He turned to me as if he was shocked but his face showed no expressions. “Yes, what about it?”

I looked closely at him. “When did you sleep last night?”

I was concerned. I mean. The guy’s face was like he was beaten up by three people at the same time with the same punch. His eyes were grouched and carried around them the blackest of bags. They almost looked like a leather purse. Eww. Don’t imagine that.

“I didn’t sleep”

“So, what have you been doing”

He showed me his phone. As if I had to instinctively know what he had been doing. I, umm, I do know what he was doing but just saying shit would actually be more comfortable wouldn’t it?

“You called her all night?”

“Yeah, for a brief moment I think my phone rang… I think”

“You think?”

“I don’t know I was too sleepy”

I scuffed as I tended my blankets and threw aside the mosquito net. I reached to put aside the pillow when I touched something so hot. I swear to god it might have been Megan fox from 2010. I pushed aside the pillow and there it was my phone. Hot as a pan left outside in Nepalgunj heat. For non-Nepalese folks that’s like Texas heat or whatever hot places you have there in the US.

The cover was off and the heat was burning. I turned it around and unlocked it. The phone was dying. 1% charge. Hanging by a single thread I’d say.

“Did you use my phone?”

“Umm yeah”

“Well at least you could’ve charged it once it was down”

“Told you I was too sleepy”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the reasonable version of me?”

“Yeah. I am a reasonable version”

 “So…?”

“Of YOU!”

I looked at the guy dead straight even though those leathery black bags kinda wanted to make me puke. I looked at this mother fucker, who was me. So, I probably shouldn’t have called him a mother fucker just now, but anyways, I looked at this guy with anger. My eyebrows all squinted like an eagle. Prateek Kuhad singing melodically in the background. I swung my right arm at him. Straight to the eye as he fell to the floor. Suddenly there was ring in my head, my eyes hurt so bad that I couldn’t stand still. I fell to the floor as well.

“You idiot” He shouted. He didn’t groan but I did. Man, I hit hard.

“But my heart is a mess.” The music echoed behind. My eyes are a mess now.

I got up. Hand to my eye. “Fuck”

“Yeah? Fuck? well what did you expect from punching yourself idiot!”

“You tried to humiliate me!”

“No! you tried to humiliate yourself”

“I wish I could leave you my love but my…………….” The music kept ringing. Even the best songs can get fucking irritating when you hear them at some moments.

“Will you make that guy shut up!” I groaned.

4^th wall

I’m really getting confused and I’m guessing Yall are too with the whole second me thing not having a name. So, I guess I’m gonna call this guy Jeffry. Alright.

Jeffery reached the phone on the table without getting up. He too, had one hand on the eye, in pain, I’d imagine, because I hit like a truck. Went to gym like 5 months ago for 3 weeks or something. I got bored. Point is, I hit the bastard. Hard. One hand on his eye, he grabbed the phone with the other and paused the song.

“We need to start dialing the number again!” said Jeffry. He was adamant.

 “I wish we could” I got up. I don’t know why but I felt a bit sad. I hadn’t felt this way in a long long time. I brushed the feeling aside and put my arms around Jeffry who had already started dialing. With my other hand I pulled open the window curtains and let the sun light enter the room. The song from earlier still buzzed in my head.

“I wish we could” I spoke again.

“Wish we could but I don’t think it’s going to work Jeffry”

“You don’t understand it has to work, otherwise the others. Wait did you just call me Jeffry? I’m you... My name’s A…”

I ignored his questions like he did mine earlier. Also, I’m pretty sure he said others like 5 seconds ago but I know he’s going to ignore it so I won’t ask. The sunlight hit our faces as I sat beside sleep deprived Jeffry while he redialed the phone over and over again.

It truly was a Mess.