Manik-Nandini-Dhruv FF: Finding Our Way Back (Update- Page 2) - Page 2

Manik closed his eyes as he felt the pressure on his ears increase. He hated airplanes. He hated flying. Feeling the ground disappear from beneath him was nothing he was fond of. Manik thought back to the only time he had ever felt comfortable in an airplane. That was a whole five years ago, when the band had signed a gig in Delhi. While not being an official member of the band, Nandini always accompanied them on their shows, often performing duets with Manik, to calm the rowdy crowds. This particular time, Manik had begged Nandini to drive to Delhi with him, however the stubborn one she was, she insisted he overcome his fear of flying. Manik remembered feeling entirely at ease during flights, as Nandini had squeezed his hand and flashed her prize-winning smile that could make Manik forget his entire surroundings.

Opening his eyes now, Manik realized that the plane had well embarked on its descent, and he wished, just like he did on every flight, that Nandini would be there to reassure him that everything would be alright. Forget about flights alone, he wished she were there with him all the time. A wish he knew probably would never come true. Yet he had remained hopeful as he had for the past five years that he spent travelling, spending no longer than six months at a time in one location. His last escapade had taken him to Australia. He had spent a relaxed four months touring Australia, often stopping at pubs to share with others, his musical talent. Manik knew not what to credit his wanderlust to. However he thought it had a great deal to do with the sizeable amount of guilt that he housed within him about how he had quite possibly ruined everything that Nandini knew to be her life.

A series of uncomfortable thuds snapped Manik out of his daydream, as the plane landed on Canadian ground- bringing Manik back to reality, and the new start that he hoped to embark on.

Manik grabbed his medium sized duffle off of the conveyer belt, and threw his guitar over his shoulder as he mapped out where he was expected to go.

Bienvenue au Canada.

The sign in front of him read. Over the years, Manik had been exposed to a wide variety of customs, accents, and languages. Racking his brain, he recalled that the second language in Canada was French. Ah, he thought, yet another language he would love to learn and one day compose music in.

Finally making his way past customs, Manik walked through large glass doors and onto the arrivals runway. Scanning the crowd, he saw faces upon faces of people longing to see their loved ones walk through those doors. Feeling a unexpected sense of loneliness, Manik wished he could find a familiar face in that crowd. It had been so long since he had as so much as interacted with someone who he could call his own, much more for seeing them. As if his eyes felt the need to adhere to his thoughts, Manik suddenly felt a warm sense of belonging. Looking around, his eyes settled on a face that he knew all too well.

Nandini.

Manik blinked in shock...and she was gone.