"Who was it?" she pondered for the hundredth time, as she sat in front of the jar of fireflies, seeing them light up and then off again.
"Who was the person who saved the jar of fireflies from falling?" she thought again as her mind drove in answerless circles.
But she knew one thing for sure. She had felt an instant connection with whoever he was. There was a spark at the brief moment their hands slightly brushed against each other. But who was it? This was the question that she couldn't answer.
She turned around to go to her brother, when she spotted her pen, the pen which her dad had gifted her. Her mind unconsciously, drifted back to the nasty incident where the Fab5 had almost destroyed it.
"They are so sick! Kitna mean hai voh log. Especially that stupid Manik!" she thought, as she lovingly held the pen in her hand.
As soon as she uttered the word Manik, the fireflies seemed to light up, unnoticed by Nandini. That was when Nandini remembered that it was one of the Fab5 who had saved fireflies, because she distinctly remembered the sign on the back of their t-shirts that day, matched with the stickers they had used while ragging them.
"Fab5! No ways! They can't be so human enough to save my fireflies!" she exclaimed, as she recalled the incident where that unknown person saved her fireflies.
Suddenly, her thoughts fell on Dhruv. Dhruv had always taken her side. He had always helped her out, even though he had to go against his friends.
"Kya voh Dhruv tha?" she asked herself. Though she was quite sure that it was Dhruv, something seemed missing. The feeling which she felt when she thought of Dhruv was happiness. But, it was not just happiness she felt when she thought of that "Mr. Unknown" as she called him. She thought of that incident again, trying to relive the incident, or at least try to recall the incident.
Suddenly, she was gripped with confusion and agony as she thought of the next possibility. Surely, it was not Cabir. He had nothing to do with guitars, as she clearly remembered the guitar which he carried in his back. If it were not Dhruv and not Cabir, it had to be... Manik!!!!
"What? Manik?!!! No ways. Nandini, tu pagal hai. Tu aise soch bhi bhi kaise sakti hai?" she told herself as she frantically tried to push that thought out of her mind.
The more she tried pushing that thought out of her head, the more that thought evaded her mind. It was not because Manik might have saved the fireflies, but it was because of that connection or an unknown feeling she felt that time.
"No Nandini! You don't get that same feeling around Manik." she said, as she tried convincing herself.
She knew that Manik did affect her. Some corner of her heart wanted to see through that tough nut Manik had formed around himself. She wanted to see beyond that arrogant, spoilt-brat Manik because she knew that there was more to him and it was her right to see through it.
Shiv Shakti
Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon
Cricket
