Chapter-2
WAKE UP – CHAPTER 2
By Md Anish
---
Episode 1
After waking up from his dream, Anish’s life had taken a strange turn.
The days felt normal, but the nights — shadows of his dreams never stopped chasing him.
That day, while he was sitting in a corner of the library reading a book,
his eyes fell on a girl. A girl in a hijab, standing in front of the bookshelf.
Anish’s heartbeat stopped for a moment when he saw her.
“Shara…!” — only one name echoed in his mind.
Anish quietly started observing her.
Between every page he turned, his eyes wandered back to that girl.
With every glance, his heart grew more restless.
There was a new sparkle in Anish’s eyes.
His heart was uneasy. Visiting the library daily had become his habit.
Maybe, somewhere deep in his heart, there was a hope —
that the face he had seen in his dreams, the one he had felt...
Was it really her…?
Every time Shara looked up, Anish quickly pretended to be absorbed in his book,
as if he was only there to study.
But his eyes — the truth was written all over his face.
And then, something unexpected happened.
Shara suddenly looked directly at him.
In panic, Anish couldn’t react, and in his haste, a book slipped from his hands and fell to the floor with a loud thud.
For a moment, silence filled the library.
Anish bent down, picked up the book, and looked at Shara, embarrassed.
There was a faint smile on Shara’s lips.
“Sorry… it slipped by mistake,” Anish said awkwardly with a smile.
Shara simply smiled and went back to reading her book.
Inside, Anish felt a strange kind of happiness.
This… was just the beginning.
In the following days, the library became their silent meeting ground.
Anish visited every day, just to catch a glimpse of her.
He would hover around her, sometimes pretending to pick a book nearby,
sometimes hiding in another column just to get a better look.
Shara sometimes seemed to sense his presence…
and though she pretended not to notice,
there was a unique glow of joy in her eyes too.
One day, in the library...
Shara bent down to pick a book.
Anish was nearby. Her dupatta fell to the ground.
Anish immediately bent down, picked it up, and handed it to her.
“Thank you,” Shara said with a sweet smile.
Anish replied with a soft smile, “You’re welcome.”
That same day… as the library hours were ending,
Shara spoke to Anish for the very first time.
“By the way… what’s your name?”
Anish smiled and replied, “Anish.”
Shara responded, “Okay… mine’s Shayerin.”
With a sparkle in his eyes, Anish simply said “Wow… that’s a beautiful name.”
Episode 2
One day… after college.
The weather was a little chilly.
A light breeze was flowing through the park.
Leaves were falling from the trees, and under the evening light,
the park looked especially beautiful.
Anish and Shayerin were sitting on a bench, chatting.
Sometimes they laughed about their college teachers,
sometimes they discussed their favorite movies.
Shayerin: “By the way, who’s your favorite actor?”
Anish: “I’m a huge fan of Salman Khan. What about you?”
Shayerin: “Hmm… I just like him. That’s it.”
Then Shayerin said, “I heard you write poetry too…?”
Anish smiled and said, **“Yeah… I do.”
Shayerin: “Oh really? Then say something for me too!”
Anish stayed quiet for a moment, then softly said:
“Tu na ho to har guftagu bekaar lagti hai,
Tu muskura de to zindagi gulzar lagti hai...
Tujhse juda har soch adhoori hai,
Shayerin… tu meri sabse khoobsurat shayari hai.”
Shayerin smiled and thanked Anish.
Seeing her smile made Anish smile too.
Then… Shayerin stood up and started walking.
Anish walked with her.
While walking along the edge of the park,
Shayerin suddenly slipped.
Without thinking, Anish quickly held her hand.
“Hey… careful!”
Shayerin was a little startled,
but her hand remained in Anish’s.
Their eyes met.
A moment passed…
as if time itself had paused.
Then, Shayerin said shyly, “Thank you, Anish…”
Anish’s face lit up with joy,
but he simply smiled and replied, “You’re welcome… anytime.”
After that moment,
they both began to feel something new for each other —
some unspoken emotions.
Was Shayerin starting to fall for Anish too…?
Or was it something else?
Episode 3
A few days later… at the bus stand.
Anish was waiting for the bus.
In his hands was a Rubik’s Cube —
his favorite time-pass whenever he was free.
Just then, Shayerin came up from behind.
“Oh… you know how to solve that?”
Shayerin asked curiously.
Anish smiled and said, “Yeah.”
“Will you teach me too?”
Shayerin asked with innocent, childlike eyes.
Anish nodded and handed her the cube.
“First, you have to make a plus sign… then set the corners,” he explained.
Shayerin listened to him carefully.
Sometimes she focused on the cube,
sometimes she looked at Anish.
But even after many tries, she couldn’t solve it.
---
One evening… at Anish’s house.
Suddenly, a call came from Shayerin.
“Hello?”
“Hello Anish… it’s Shayerin.”
At first, Anish was silent in surprise. Then he said,
“Shayerin?”
She replied with a “yes” and asked,
“What are you doing?”
There was a strange sweetness in her voice.
Anish laughed and said,
“Talking to the most beautiful person in the world, maybe.”
Shayerin giggled.
Then Anish said,
“Your voice sounds so childlike on call.”
“Really?” Shayerin said shyly.
They both laughed.
That night, those small, simple conversations
deepened their bond even more.
---
One day… in the college cafeteria.
By mistake, Anish picked up Shayerin’s phone that was lying on the table.
Out of curiosity, he looked at the screen.
In the contact list, he saw his own number saved as…
“Goru???”
Anish said in surprise, “Goru???”
Just then, Shayerin came over.
Anish smiled and handed her the phone.
“What name have you saved my contact as?”
Shayerin laughed and said,
“Well… you’re fair-skinned, so ‘Goru’!”
Anish playfully acted offended,
“Wow… so now I’m Goru?”
“Absolutely… and no arguments!” she replied.
They both laughed again.
Sitting in the corner of the cafeteria,
they drank coffee and talked.
Outside, raindrops touched the earth,
and the sweet smell of wet soil made that moment even more beautiful.
---
That night, Anish stood by the window in his room, gazing at the sky.
The moonlight and twinkling stars lit up the sky,
but there was a different kind of hope in Anish’s eyes.
A spark had ignited in every corner of his heart.
“Tomorrow, I’ll confess my feelings to Shayerin...
Then we’ll never be apart again.
The dream I had two years ago…
is finally about to come true.”
He was so happy,
he stayed up all night writing in his diary —
every moment he had spent with Shayerin
Episode 4
The next day…
Evening was falling.
Anish and Shayerin were sitting on a bench by the lakeside.
The water was completely still, and the sound of the breeze echoed through the air.
Anish’s heartbeat was racing.
He didn’t know how to start.
Shayerin was looking at him —
maybe she too was feeling something.
“Shayerin…”
“Hmm?”
“Today… I want to tell you something I’ve never told anyone before…”
Shayerin looked at him seriously.
“I’ve met you before.”
Her face showed surprise.
“What?”
Anish took a deep breath.
“Yes… you didn’t just enter my life now.
You’ve been a part of it for the last two years —
since the time I had that accident…
when I was in a coma for two years.”
Shayerin’s breathing grew heavier. She went silent.
Anish continued:
“During that coma… I had dreams.
The same dream again and again…
where I met you.
Your face, your smile, everything about you was etched in my mind.
I know this may sound strange…
but you are the girl I saw in those dreams.”
“You were a creation of my dreams…
and when I saw you in real life,
it felt like an incomplete dream had come true.”
Shayerin didn’t respond.
There was a strange mix of shock and fear in her eyes.
Anish looked at her and said:
“I know this is hard to hear.
I just wanted to tell you the truth…
before I gave you another surprise.”
Shayerin gave a faint, fake smile.
“Okay Anish… I’m leaving now.”
Anish, shocked, said:
“Now? What happened?
I didn’t even get to tell you the surprise.”
She didn’t say anything.
Just nodded slightly and quickly walked away.
Anish watched her leave…
He sat alone on the bench,
his words echoing in the air.
“I haven’t even said what’s in my heart yet…”
---
“No matter — I’ll give her the surprise tomorrow at her house directly.”
That evening, Anish went home.
The next morning, he gathered his family.
Everyone sat together in the hall as he told them everything.
“Ammi… I found her.
I want to marry her.”
His family looked at him, confused.
“Who? Who are you talking about?”
Anish replied,
“Shara… the girl I used to see in my dreams.
She’s real — her name is Shayerin.”
At first, the family didn’t understand.
Then Anish explained everything.
“I want to marry her.
We both like each other.
You all please come with me… to take a marriage proposal.”
Everyone smiled and agreed.
They decided to get ready and visit her home that evening.
There was a smile on Anish’s face,
dreams in his eyes.
He wore a new shirt, fixed his hair.
Looking into the mirror, he said to himself:
“Today, we’ll become one.
The dream is finally coming true.”
Every move he made was full of energy.
Evening came… they headed toward Shayerin’s house.
As the car stopped outside, Anish looked at himself in the mirror again.
His hands were trembling slightly… but his heart was full of joy.
“Am I dreaming again?
No… this is real.
Shayerin has become my reality.
Today, I’ll ask for her hand in front of everyone.”
The family walked inside happily.
They greeted each other, offered sweets and fruits.
Both families sat down in the living room.
After some small talk, Anish’s father spoke:
“Our son and your daughter like each other.
We’ve come with a proposal.”
Shayerin’s father smiled.
“That’s wonderful.
But we would like to ask our daughter first.”
Then Shayerin came in.
There was a strange sadness on her face, and tears in her eyes —
but she composed herself and walked forward.
Anish’s eyes filled with love.
He smiled at her.
He held a box of sweets in his hands.
Shayerin’s father asked:
“Dear, do you like Anish?
Shall we fix this match?”
Shayerin lowered her eyes and said softly, avoiding eye contact:
“I… I don’t even know him.
Who is he?”
The room fell silent.
The box of sweets dropped from Anish’s hands.
The color drained from his face.
“Shayerin… what kind of joke is this?
What are you saying?
You used to meet me every day…
We spent so many moments together…”
With teary eyes and a trembling voice, Anish asked:
“Was it all a lie?”
Shayerin hid her tears and simply said:
“I don’t know…
I don’t want to get married.”
And she walked away.
Anish stood frozen like a statue.
His mind was flooded with questions,
but he couldn’t say a word.
All his dreams had shattered.
Eyes filled with tears,
he bit his lips to hold back his sobs,
turned around, and walked out.
His family couldn’t understand anything.
Anish’s father, feeling embarrassed, said:
“Please forgive us…
Our son had an accident.
Maybe he still hasn’t recovered from the trauma.
Perhaps this was all just a misunderstanding.”
And they returned home… heartbroken.
**But the question remained—
Did Shayerin really not recognize Anish…?
Or was she lying?
Or…
was Anish still dreaming??**
Final Episode
That night, Anish locked himself in his room.
There was no sleep in his eyes — only questions.
“Was it all a lie?
Am I dreaming again?
Why did Shayerin deny knowing me?”
One word echoed through his heart:
“Why?”
At 2 AM, even in the silence of the night,
Anish’s mind was screaming just one question…
Why?
He paced from one corner of the room to the other in frustration.
One thought kept repeating in his head:
Am I dreaming again?
Or am I still trapped inside a dream?
If not… then why didn’t Shayerin recognize me?
Does she not love me?
Is she in love with someone else?
Or… did she just pretend to love me?
If she loved someone else,
why didn’t she ever tell me?
What did I do wrong? Why, Shayerin?”
These thoughts wouldn’t leave him.
They were eating him up from the inside.
Just then… his phone lit up.
A message — from Shayerin.
> “I know you’re upset with me, Anish.
Maybe you have the right to be…
But maybe it’s better for both of us if we stay apart.”
Anish’s patience broke.
He instantly replied:
> “Why? Just tell me why?
Did I do something wrong?
Don’t you like me?
Are your parents forcing you?”
His hands trembled as he anxiously typed the message.
A few moments later, another message came:
> “No, Anish…
It’s nothing like that.
You didn’t do anything wrong,
and my parents didn’t force me either.”
Then why, Shayerin…?
She replied:
> “We can’t be together, Anish.
Please understand… I’m not meant for you.”
Anish, heartbroken, asked:
“Do you not love me, Shayerin?”
Shayerin responded:
> “If you really want to know everything,
meet me tomorrow in the park behind the library.
I’ll tell you the full truth.”
That night was the most difficult one of Anish’s life.
There was no sleep in his eyes,
no dreams either — just endless thoughts.
Somehow, he passed the night.
---
The next morning…
He gathered some courage and went to meet her.
All day, Anish stared at the clock.
Every second felt like a year.
“The dream I was living in until yesterday…
feels like it might end today.”
---
Evening... the park behind the library.
Anish arrived early.
Cold gusts of wind were blowing hard.
Dark clouds were forming above in the sky.
His heart was racing —
a strange mix of hope and heartbreak.
Then, Shayerin arrived.
Her face looked troubled, eyes slightly sad.
Anish watched her for a moment,
then asked restlessly:
“What’s going on, Shayerin?
Why did you say we shouldn’t be together?
Why did you deny knowing me in front of everyone?
Was I wrong for you?”
Shayerin took a deep breath.
She looked down for a while, stayed silent…
then slowly spoke:
---
“Anish… when we first met,
it wasn’t just you who used to secretly look at me…
I used to look at you too.
I came to the library every day just to see you… just to meet you.
I still remember every moment you held my hand,
the times we came close…
I felt your love, because I loved you too.”
“When I first saw you… I was shocked.
You looked exactly like the guy I saw in my dreams.”
“Yes… two years ago, the same accident that put you in a coma…
I was also part of that accident.
I was injured too, and unconscious for several months.”
“During that time, I had dreams too…
dreams of an unknown boy — like you.
We spent time together in those dreams, talked,
fell in love…”
“When I recovered, I was confused.
Everything felt so real… I couldn’t tell what was true and what wasn’t.
That’s when my psychiatrist explained everything to me.”
“Then months later, when I saw you in the library,
I was shocked — you… in real life?”
---
“I told my psychiatrist about you.
They said that maybe, during the accident,
somehow… our subconscious minds got connected.
That’s why we had the same dreams — about each other.”
“The doctor said,
’So far, it’s okay, Shayerin… but there’s a problem.
If that boy also saw the same dream —
and if you two start meeting in real life, fall in love, live together, marry…
then your minds might re-enter that shared state.
Your subconscious might re-sync…
and you’ll fall into permanent sleep mode.
You’ll get stuck in a dream forever… and maybe never return.’”
“And the scariest part is…
that permanent sleep might even become death.”
---
Anish’s face turned pale.
Tears began to fall from his eyes.
Waves began rising in the nearby river.
Everything around turned silent.
Darkness clouded his vision.
“So that’s why…
that’s why you denied knowing me…
that’s why you left me?”
Shayerin, crying, said:
“I didn’t want to lose you, Anish.
That’s why I left.
I didn’t want to lose you while you were still alive.
I couldn’t stay trapped in a dream again.”
Anish, crying, held her hand tightly.
Shayerin said:
“Forget me, Anish.
Marry a nice girl and build a life.”
Thunder cracked in the sky.
In seconds, the weather changed —
but the rain falling on them didn’t matter anymore.
Anish stood in the rain,
his tears mixing with the drops.
His face showed the pain in his heart.
He couldn’t understand anything anymore.
As Shayerin was about to leave,
Anish pulled her into a tight hug and cried:
“I’ve already lost you once, Shayerin…
I don’t want to lose you again.
Dream or reality…
I want to live my life with you.”
Shayerin also hugged him and cried.
After a moment, she wiped her tears,
looked at Anish with loving eyes,
and gently placed her hand on his head…
…then walked away without saying a word.
It felt like…
This was their last meeting.
---
A few years later…
A soft, faded white light appears.
A beautiful, large, luxurious house comes into view.
It’s glowing from all sides.
On a table in the corner of the house…
a fully solved Rubik’s Cube is placed.
Then suddenly, from near the door, Anish’s voice is heard shouting:
“Ansha…!”
A moment later, the sound of little footsteps is heard running from a room —
a little girl rushes in, shouting “Papa! Papa!”
and jumps into Anish’s arms.
---
> “Who knows at what turn this story was left behind,
Every path became a glimpse of a new story.
What we saw — was that the world of reality?
Or did you also become… just a part of the dream?”
---
– THE END –
🌸 WAKE UP: CHAPTER 2
[Written by Md Anish]
