I'M YOU

𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑜

Her next action baffled me, she started coughing hysterically. Pointing toward the house. My mind was in a wreck but I proceeded to take her in since I don't seem to know what was going on with her. I led her inside, glancing over her as she continued to cough and gasp. Clenching tightly the small of her night top that covered her chest. She hurriedly jostled to her room immediately after we are inside the house, and I trailed behind her. Wondering what's up with her. Is she suffering from some disease?

She darted towards her room, thrusting the door open with force. I planted myself at her door and watch her crawl towards her desk, she reached out for her bag. Her hands were quivering when she zipped it up and fetched out an inhaler. She pressed it into her mouth and a few minutes her gasping quieted down, she shut her eyes and all I could see is her chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm.

She's asthmatic. That's what the whole ruckus was about, she gulped three times before flinging her open. She swung them to me and immediately stood to her feet. She sauntered near me and shuts the door behind her. She leaned her weight against the door and lowered her gaze to the floor, engrossed in whatever might have caught her attention down there.

"Are you okay?" I tried to break off the awkward silence between us.

She kept mute for a moment and raised her eyes to me. Yes, "I'm fine." She gave me a weak smile. "And thank you."

I arched a brow upwards, unsure as to why she was thanking me for. "What for?"

"I mean you came out at the right time when I needed an escape…."

"Whoa, hold on." I halted her in her tracks. "I don't know what you are talking about, what do you mean I came out when you needed an escape?"

She gave me a puzzled look. "You came out with that lighter in your grip." She narrowed to the lighter in my hands. I lowered my gaze, wondering how that got into my hand. What am I doing with it? The last time I remember I was inside the house. Inside my room.

"Don't you remember?" She pulled her eyebrows together, giving me a critical look. "You walked out of that door and asked why the lighter isn't working."

I stared at her for a brief moment before walking off to my room. I walked inside and shut the door behind me. I lay on my bed, asking myself what the hell happened out there. I whacked my brain, trying to remember if something happened between the four days she's been living with me. She acted as though we are close or something. I flew my eyes open when I heard a sound like someone is rummaging through things.

My eyes were glued to the figure going through my closet, he was the same height as me. The same wavy hair of mine except for the colour of his hair was blond. He wore the exact clothes I was putting on except that the colours were bright. Colours I will never go for. "Who are you? And why are you going through my stuff?" I slowly climbed out of the bed. "How did you get in here?"

The figure whirls and I almost lost my balance at the striking resemblance he has with me, the same thick eyebrows as mine, the same shape of nose, eyes and mouth. I almost shrieked but he sprints towards me in hurried steps and clasped his hand over my mouth.

"She's still out there, probably eavesdropping on our convo," he prompts and smiles at me. I stared closely at his face, he's just me. The same appearance, I almost passed out at the scene before me, did I have a twin I'm not aware of and how come he's here- in my room without her seeing him.

Did he teleport or something? I never believed in fantasy stuffs. Like someone teleporting from the future to the past or from the past to the future. I believed that are some made-up stories to deceive people. But the figure before looks damn real. I must be hallucinating, I smacked my cheeks to wake up but all I felt was the pain of my slaps. "If I were you, I will stop doing that," he restricted me from slapping myself.

"What am I saying?" He let out a deep laugh and released his hold on me. "I'm you, you are me. And yes you aren't hallucinating, I'm real." He gestured to himself.

"How did you get in here?" I maintained my stance. He went over to my closet and resumed rummaging it which was pissing me off. "How come she didn't see you walk in?"

He paused and looks at me. "She saw us walk in."

"Us?" I move to him, failing to understand what was going on. What is he yapping about? "What do you mean? I was the only one who walked through that door."

"Nah ah," he shook his blatantly. Watching him throw my clothes on the floor, wondering what he was looking for. "We walked in through that door together and man, don't you have food like snacks in your closet. I'm super hungry."

I raked a hand through my hair, messing up my wavy hair in frustration and confusion. I was trying to get the picture of what was happening, am I going insane or what? Where did he appear from? I watched him pull my closet drawers, throwing off papers and other stuff in there. I looked away and slumps on my bed. I have never experienced a thing like this before. A being who looks just like me, this isn't some magical universe we are. I must be dreaming. I rubbed my eyes intensively and turns to look at that figure hoping he was just a nightmare.

But he's still there, messing up my clothes. Suddenly he stands and darted his eyes around the room before landing them on my work desk where I earlier dropped the lighter. I saw a smile spread across his face as he walks near the table. "Found it, I was holding this out there."

"What do you mean?" I sat up and questioned him with my eyes.

He made his way to the door when I jumped out of the bed. I haven't figured out who he is yet and if he walks out of that door, I wonder what her reaction will be if she bumps into him. He pulls the door open when I surged towards him to close the door resulting in both of us struggling with the door. I saw the look in her eyes when she saw me struggling with my door.

"Hi," she looked at me like one who had gone insane when the other guy greeted me. I brought his hand down still struggling to close the door. "Damn, she's pretty." I immediately clasp my other hand against his mouth but I paid a price when his teeth came in contact with my palm.

"What's that for?" I yelled at him. I looked at him but already saw him staring at her, the look of admiration lingered in his eyes. I returned my gaze to her but she retained that look she gave me. She tilt her head to the side, perplexed at the scenery before her. I was utterly humiliated by this other guy besides me, he raised his hand again and waved at her. Broadening the smile on his face.

I managed to push him aside and shut the door, panting heavily like one who ran a thousand-meter race. I slide down to the cold floor still clutching the door handle. Watching the other guy who was doing a weird dance before me. This must be a terrible nightmare, I'm probably still sleeping. I jerked when a bang reverberated on my door.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." I got up and march to my bed. I plopped down with a loud thud. Ignoring this strange being playing with the lighter. All I need is to wake up from this nightmare. I mumbled and draped the blanket over me, facing my back at him.

I tightened my eyes shut in hopes this goes away including him. I squint my eyes open at the sound of breath near me. I saw him, lying beside me, his breath falling on my nose. He leaned the weight of his head in his hand as he glued his eyes on me. I almost jumped out of the bed on how close his face was and the smile he gave me. A joker's smile.

"Why don't we try wooing her? She's pretty and seems nice." He instilled. "Expect she looks miserable to me….."

"There's no we," I shut my eyes again, rejecting the thought he was there. "I don't know you."

"I understand if you forgot totally about me," he sighed. "But we're the same. We share a bond, you are me and I'm you."

"Go away," I waved my hand dismissively. "Go back to where you are coming from." I slowly started drifting off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

𝑁𝑖𝑛𝑜

I thought he switched to his mean mood when he told me he never interrupted me and Marcus to complain about the gas lighter. Or was he pretending not to have done it at all? Like I said earlier this man harbouring my house is like a book I'm forbidden to open talk more of reading? Who is he? What's his true identity?

He always kept a rigid demeanour, always commanding and intimidating but tonight…..not only did he deny he came out or complain about the lighter but he smiled and waved at me like this was the first time he was laying his eyes on me. I was puzzled as to why he was acting and struggling with his door, he acted like there was someone there with him. And if I wasn't mistaken I hear him mumble the line '𝐷𝑎𝑚𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑦.' I shake off those thoughts, must've been my imagination. He won't possible say that.

But another thought lingered in my head, I heard him muttering in his room. As far as I remembered, there was no one here except the two of us. I ignored the questions in my head. Walked into my room and found my phone ringing.

I saw on the upper icon of my phone 6 missed calls. All from Joana, and she was the one calling now. I picked up the call but was taken aback by a child's cry.