Manik & Nandini-Stars & Fireflies Part 56 on Page 145 - Page 9

Manik & Nandini - Stars & Fireflies Part 20..

Manik Malhotra was crying for the first time and too on hearing someone else's pain.. This girl could make him smile and this girl had the power to make him cry too.. Manik was crying he didn't understand why he was crying but he was crying, he was sad; sad for Nandini he wanted to take her pain away make her smile and heal her..Manik was driving aimlessly for hour and when he was tired of driving he went back to Malhotra Mansion and as soon as he entered he found the whole gang waiting for him.. Alya came running and hugged him.. "Manik I am sorry! I really didn't knew what I was doing, I got carried away in anger..Please.." Manik was not listening to a single word she spoke..He pushed her back and walked to his room saying "don't follow me." Alya and Mukti were stunned as Alya broke down.. The reality she has avoided all these years was standing in front of her saying Manik never loved her...

It was 8 pm Starbucks when Cabir ordered frappe for himself and settled cozily on a couch..He closed his eyes put on his head phones and started doing head banging.. Suddenly he felt someone hitting on his head.. He opened his eyes "hey partner and hugged a woman.." It was DJ, yes Manik's DJ.. "What is this partner you are late" Cabir said.. "What to do that Ladoo Malhotra came home now.." DJ replied.. "What ladoo.." Cabir burst into laughing... "Aur nahin toh kya? Hamesha muuhh ladoo ke jaisa face suja rehta hai.." DJ replied.. They both shared a laughed.. DJ and Cabir were partners for Manik's sake.. They knew he lived for him friends and his DJ and never for himself so they teamed up to make sure he don't miss out on his own life...

"So why is this meeting?" DJ asked.. "Nandini.." Cabir said.. "Arre waah even I wanted to talk to you about Nandini.." Dj told Cabir the entire story from that night in Bangalore till today.. "Cabir she Manik's stranger, she is the one for Manik.." Cabir got excited and told her the morning convo with Manik.. "DJ Manik knows that Nandini is the one for him but since all this is very new to him he can't accept.. He never loved Alya we all knew it and maybe Alya in fact even Alya too knows it but never she would never accept it.." "Well now she has too.." Said Dj.. "Huh I never liked that girl..whenever I saw her I felt I'm watching a multibrand mannequin walking.." Dj concluded..

"Come on DJ she's not bad..this is too much.." Cabir said.. "but she made my Nandini fall.." DJ argued like a kid.. "My Nandini abhi se.." Cabir winked "I know what she did was wrong very wrong and this might tear them apart..And I am too impressed with Nandini Murthy I mean never a person could influence Manik so much like her.." "But now we have to make them fall in love anyhow.." Cabir continued.. "They are in love Cabiraa we have to just make them realize.." Dj hi-fived.. They both decided on meeting next day at same place and same time and wen their ways...

Meanwhile in Malhotra Mansion Manik was to disturbed..He was standing under the shower hoping the water would wash away his tears.. But all he could remember is how she hasn't let out her pain of being orphaned, how every morning she got up and showed the world that she can smile and be brave even when she is breaking into millions of pieces..How Nandini would be everything in life a girl friend , a wife in future and maybe even a mother but she will never be someone's daughter again...

Manik came out and went straight to DJ's room as only she could calm the storm that was raging within him.. "Dj..DJ.." Manik was shouting.. "Manik.." She put a hand on his shoulder as she just returned from Starbucks...Manik broke down as soon as he saw her.. He hugged her and cried his heart out...She was surprised, her grandson who always made others cry was crying for whom a girl he has just met and didn't even knows much about her.. DJ was sitting on her armchair and Manik was near her feet with his head on her lap.. He narrated all that he heard from chachi..

Even Dj was crying "Manik she had no choice but to be strong for others..She needs a person who would hold her and tell her its okay to be weak for once, its okay you lost your parents but you have me with you from this day on till the time stars glow in the sky.. She needs an embrace Manik that would let her lose herself and it would be the kind of lost where you would find each other.. She needs love that she deserves but never got..Will you take me to her tomorrow?" DJ continued while caressing his hair "She needs someone who will pick up her broken pieces and put it back in a way that she was never broken..She is a caterpillar Manik and love will make her a beautiful butterfly"...Manik closed his eyes and he remembered her face, that innocent face which could light up hundreds of lights..her voice that could calmed down a storm, her words that can soothe any aching heart but her heart was hurting..

Manik got up kissed his DJ good night and tucked her in the bed and went to his room..He was lying on the bed blankly when he remembered "Love Story" by Erich Segal...He took out the book from the jacket and started reading a love story, a love story that would change Manik's conception about love, life and everything..A girl who was lying on bed few kilometers away with pain was the already the reason Manik Malhotra started smiling and crying..Now her favourite love story would pave way for her love story not to be written in some book or will be made into a fancy movie but it will always be in the stars and the fireflies, in the walls, classes and garden of Space Academy who will silently keep on telling their story long after Manik and Nandini are gone from this world but they will be alive in their love which would shine always and forever...

End of Part 20...