Manan TS: a forever (part 3b-pg 12) - Page 6

part 3 (A)

the next one week was interspersed with calls and texts all the time . many a times loads of doubts arose in both their minds , just squishing them all they tried to make the best of all the possibilities and manage things in their lives far apart from each other .

They both were restless and just a week into this , Nandini had a huge huge fireworks in her house when suddenly her dad came out of nowhere and asked her to meet a guy in a week , so that he could soon get her married off to him as according to him " she was now a perfect age and any further delay would spoil her image !".

Nandini had never spoken to her dad much , owing to the fact that their relation never was that of a daddy's princess one . It was cold , aloof and absolutely dark , the reason why Nandini hardly interacted , she feared meeting more ruthless people , she feared getting hurt from people who were close to her

Since the moment her dad told her this, her mind was playing a loop of one of the most treasured moments of her life.

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That moment when she fell , fell hard

A beautiful night it was , she was at her place alone , writing a sonnet while watching the moon when suddenly someone banged the door really hard . She ran to see and saw the most unexpected person in a state she couldn't even imagine.

It was Manik at her door step.

He was drunk , so drunk that he couldn't even stand properly

After trying to enquire a few times and getting no response, she dragged him upstairs with all the strength required to handle this hulk man who was not in his senses anymore.

After reaching her room and comforting him after a lime water , she sat there not knowing what to do !

When suddenly she felt a weight on her , she turned to see that Manik was hugging her back tightly and crying hard.

Her heart seethed with pain , seeing him cry.

She had never felt soo much pain even with her father

It was a pain, very toxic that she had felt.

She hugged him tightly and rubbed his back ,soothing him.

"you know , maa left , and to dad and bro I never existed ..." Saying this he hugged a little tighter pushing his face into the crook of her neck

She slowly kissed his forehead and wiped his tears

" Manik , I'm there naa , I ll be there with you ..."

"forever ?" he asked in the most innocent voice ,

Looking at her with his eyes shining like oodles of galaxies"

" Forever " she said

When suddenly she felt a warm upsurge in her body

He was cupping her face tenderly and caressing her cheeks with his fingers ever so lightly

In a moment , the best thing of her life happened

He slowly brought his lips near hers and kissed her , soo gently as if a little more pressure could break her.

They kissed for a while , to Nandini it was soo intoxicating that she refused to believe for a few seconds that it was real.

After a few moments , they broke off and Nandini slowly put Manik to sleep on her bed .

He fell asleep soon enough, but not before that he had bundled her up in his arms tightly, cocooning her .

That moment she fell a little harder , just a little harder than a few minutes before

into a seamless love for him .

for she realized that Sometimes , Home indeed has a heartbeat .

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She tried hard , hard to let it go . to make sure that he never knew they had kissed , for that she had fallen for him . She dint want to the lose the most precious thing in her life; their friendship .

For it was him and only him who brought life into her

" You bring out the best in me .

its not the manners , or a sense of maturity or whatever this tireless world expects of me .

I mean you make me want to climb roofs , run wild , pursue my dreams with passion and integrity.

You bring out the best in me for , around you I start living!."

Into a day, with her dad's announcement

She stood in the shower for long and realizations hit her.

She either had to tell him or let him go

And she dint know which was more tough !

She tried letting it go, her feelings , tried washing them away

But alas! Truth being that even if you stand in the shower for hours in the end you'll know, however heartbreaking as it is, somethings especially human beings can't ever be washed away .

Now she hardly talked to him , and Manik had already seen the difference . He wondered why she had suddenly started avoiding his calls and texts .

He lay thinking in his bed , the best memories of theirs :

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The soup

A bright afternoon, he suddenly a nostalgia surged in him , making him want it badly . yes ! his mother's mushroom soup . He surfed the entire net and went into the kitchen for the first time since his mom left a void in his life a year back, during his 2nd year .

Finding all the veggies , he started off experimenting and using his culinary skills for the first time .

Woahh! ...this smells amazing' he thought to himself and called Nandini over

She came and was astonished seeing him looking uber cute in an apron and all the cournflour specks on his cheek .

" ohk , soo miss nandini murthy , today is your lucky day ...presenting to you mushroom soup made by the one and only mr manik Malhotra " he said overdramatically , while Nandini laughed hard sitting on the table

"taste it " manik insisted and slowly put the spoon in her mouth

She for a minute waited , seeing his eager face she gulped it down and broke into a smile .

" its soo awesome , its soo much like aunty's , just a few times more and you'll make just as perfect as she used to "

Manik smiled , happiness filling his ribs to the edge with the complement , comparing him to his mom , who had been his life .

" manik , I ll leave , I have some assignments to do naa " saying that she finished the soup and went .

After a few hours he went to her home , only to find her asleep with high fever

" shitt, !" he felt like killing himself

" she is allergic to mushrooms , how did I forget that ...ofcourse .i was soo happy about it that ...shitt!"

And the next entire day , he sat beside her , while her fever remained

Finally she woke after a slumber, he hugged her hard

" you are crazy , why did you eat it ?" he asked

She smiled to him and said nothing .

He asked her again and she replied , and her one reply ...

.he had lost his heart to her ..Maybe forever !

" after soo long I had seen that enthusiastic Manik today , who had got lost since aunty left ,then how can I spoil that smile ...i ll be fine anyway , but I wanted you to keep smiling like that for I know what that soup meant even if no one else does " she said

He kissed her forehead, although many realizations of what this feeling was hit him much later

And , what a remarkable thing it is , the moment you fall in love .

Till that one minute , you've got everything together ,

the rest of your life ahead ,planned and timed to perfection.

and then a split second later ,

she catches the light from you in her brown eyes soo breathtakingly

and you're changed forever .

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