Chapter 11 Ayyappa! Ayyappa!
"Yaar...tu mujhe ye bataa..pichle do din se tujhe kya ho gaya hai? I noticed...when U were playing the guitar too, U were distracted. Tu thik tho haina?" Kabir asked placing his hand on Manik's shoulder.
"Yes...main thik hoon" Manik replied...a little lost in thought.
"No..tu thik nahi ho sakta...jis Manik ko main jaanta hoon..wo aise question pe aise answer nahi deta! Kaun hai woh?" Kabir asked with a naughty smile.
"Kaun..kaun??" Manik asked "There's nobody"
"Main jaanta hoon Manik...there's somebody, wo body ke baare main tu aur tera buddy jaanta hai aur tu car main bhi distracted tha. Dhruv bataa raha tha ek phone call ke baare main" Kabir replied getting up from his chair and walking to the drums.
"No..Dhruv aise hi kuch bol raha hoga" Manik replied "There's nobody" Manik reacted looking away.
"Hmm...chal iss baar tujhe chod deta hoon..magar agle baar nahi!" Kabir replied as he started tapping a little rhythm on the drum.
Suddenly the phone started ringing. Kabir continued to drum closing his eyes. Manik saw Kabir deep in playing drums. Manik quickly swiped his phone to accept the call. Now this is a call from an unknown number.. "Is it Nandini?" Manik thought as he swiped the phone screen to the accept call option.
"Hiii" Nandini spoke excitedly into the mouthpiece. She noticed her chacha chacha chitchatting with Rishabh as they were munching on the chips in the tin box. "Hello??" Nandini asked again.
Manik recognized the voice of Nandini immediately and why not?? It is the voice that he waited to hear these past two days.
"Hello??" Manik asked changing his voice a bit into a heavier tone.
"Is this Manik??" Nandini whispered softly into the mouthpiece as she noticed her chachi looking her way.
"No...this is Manik's manager speaking" Manik continued to speak with a different voice.
"Is Manik there? May I speak to him?" Nandini asked in a curious voice.
"No U cannot?? Manik sir is not here" Manik continued his voice acting.
"Kahan hai Manik?? I want to talk to him"
"Manik sir Chennai chala gaya hai. Unke wahan pe ek photoshoot hai" Manik continued naughtily as he bit his lips.
"Aiyooo Ayyappaaa" Nandini said a bit loud as she hit lightly on her head "Ye Manik bhi na? Thode se mere call ka intezaar nahi kar sakta tha?"
"Ayyappa who??" Manik asked in his normal voice. "Who is this Ayyappa?? I thought U were coming to Mumbai but you are with some Ayyappa??" Manik asked in a jealous expression.
"Manik???? Its you?" Nandini's face twisted into a fake angry expression.
"Yes yes...but who is this Ayyappa? Why are you sitting with some Ayyappa and talking to me? First U clear this with me" Manik said in a jealous tone.
"Ayyappa...hmmm...😈...Ayyappa is very close to me. He always listens to me and I always talk to him more than with anybody else in this world. I looove Ayyappa" Nandini continued with a naughty smile.
"What???? U have a boyfriend?" Manik asked quickly
"ummm...boyfriend?? Ayyappa is a boy and he is my friend..so does that make him boyfriend??" Nandini asked with a naughty expression.
"You are bringing your Ayyappa when U come to meet me to apologize to me?" Manik asked in an angry expression😡
"Yes...I never goes alone without my Ayyappa..now he came with me and Rishabh to Mumbai too. U know..as much as Nandu loves her Ayyappa...her Ayyappa loves Nandu tooo" Nandini continued with a huge smile.
"Ok..then why are U talking to me?? Go and talk with your Ayyappa" Manik said quickly cutting off the call.
"Hello?? Hello??? Manik??? He cut the call?? Aiyooo Ayyappa?? When I tell him the truth he gets angry! Doesn't he even know that Ayyappa is the name of god too? How will I tell him that U are my friend, but not a human being?? or are you a human being?? Ok must read puranas once again!"😕
Kabir continued to hit the drums his eyes closed as he sang "Ayyappa! Ayyappa! Ayyappa! Ayyappa!" in rhythm with it. 😆
Manik's anger now turned towards Kabir and he gave a long stare and hissed "Kabiiir"
"Yes Manik! Ayyappa! Ayyappa!"
"Stop ittt!" Manik shouted back. Kabir quickly opened up his one eye with a smile as he continued hitting on the drums. 😆
Suddenly the phone started ringing once again. Kabir stopped playing the drums and dropped the sticks on the drums and got up.
"Jaldi se phone utha...Ayyappa ka call hai" Kabir said
"Kabiiir!!" Manik gave a monstrous stare!😆
"Achcha chal..tu Ayyappa se baat kar aur main South India jaake wapas aata hoon" Kabir said as he walked out of the door with a little smile.
Manik looked at the phone for a moment. Nandini was biting her nails as she impatiently waited for Manik to pick up the call "Uthaao Manik..Uthaao" Nandini whispered softly.
"Ok!" Manik replied into the phone. "So is your Ayyappa not next to U?" Manik continued in a disinterested expression.
"Maniiik! How can U cut the call on hearing the name? Ayyappa is my friend and Ayyappa is god!" Nandini blurted out quickly before Manik manages to cut the call again.😆
"What?? Like seriously??" Manik asked "Were U all this time so lovingly talking about god?"
"Manik...Ayyappa ko main daily pray karti hoon and he is therefore my closest friend. Ayyappa mere sabse favourite hai. Jabse mere parents guzar gaye...jab Amms kabhi bhi daant leti..tho main hamesha Ayyappa se baatein karti thi...poochti thi..ke kyon mere parents ko paas bulaa liye. Ayyappa kuch bhi nahi bolta tha..magar mujhe pata hai ke mere parents happy hai Ayyappa ke paas...he takes good care of them wherever they are. Ayyappa se baat karke I feel..like they are close" Nandini said as her eyes welled up with tears.
Manik listened to Nandini's talks closing his eyes. "Her voice..its just like music. I can listen to this voice for hours."
"Manik?? Tum wahan ho na?" Nandini asked quickly
"Haan Nandu...bolo" Manik urged Nandini.
"Kya boloon?" Nandini replied.
"Kuch bhi.." Manik said dreamily.
"Kuch bhi??" Nandini replied with a confused expression.
"Haan...kuch bhi..U know? I was missing your voice" Manik replied with a loving smile.
This is the first time...that a girl other than a member of Fab 5 had shared so much with him. Manik was loving the purity..the innocence in this girl. She is different from the girls he met during parties...those girls who were like him...who didn't know to pray to god or even believed in god...for whom attending parties became more important than spending time in temples...just like Nyonika.
"Manik??? Are you there?" Nandini asked.
"Haan Nandu...I was just thinking how much different you are...do you know? U are very different from the girls I have met" Manik continued softly.
"I know...I am not stylish, glamourous...beautiful like the girls that U are surrounded by" Nandini replied softly.
"Hmm...is it?" Manik asked waking up from his dazed mood.
"Yes..." Nandini's voice faded away as she wondered what Manik is thinking of her.
"Hmm...but I know that you are beautiful" Manik replied with a little smile on his face. "I want to see you, Nandu"
"Manik...I just now reached Mumbai and I have to first join SPACE. I am new to Mumbai..so can we meet after a few days?" Nandini asked softly.
"U really want to avoid meeting me, haina?" Manik asked with a disappointed expression.
"N..No..Manik! It's not like that. It's just...I want to get used to here." Nandini replied quickly.
"Ok..Nandini..its upto U! U take your own time..but don't take longer than what my patience can allow U to take. I really want to see U...and don't take it longer than 1 week, ok?" Manik replied in a pleading way.
"Ok..Manik..I will tell U the date...I will call U back." Nandini replied with a relieved smile.
"Ok..and tell your Ayyappa to quickly arrange for our meeting" Manik said with a little smile.
"Ok..agreed!" Nandini said with a huge smile.
"So good night, Manik" Nandini replied
"Good night, Nanduuu and sweet dreams of me? Can I wish you that?" Manik asked curiously.
"Hmm...no! I don't want another dream of you" Nandini quickly said.
"Another dream??? U already started dreaming of me? " Manik asked his eyes widening in joy.
"No no!! I mean I don't want to dream of you! I will dream of Dhruv only" Nandini quickly said correcting herself.
"Hmm Dhruv??? Ok Dhruv mera buddy hai...so be careful..I'm going to jump in there and hug U!" Manik said with a flirtatious smile.
"Hug??????" Nandini asked her eyes widening "Yes a tight hug! Nanduuu...don't U dare dream of Dhruv! If you dream of Dhruv I will hug U in your dreams! If U dream of me only..I won't!" Manik replied with a little smile. "So sweet dreams of Dhruv?"
"N...No!!!!!" Nandini replied quickly.
"Achcha?? Ok then sweet dreams of me!!" Manik said with a little laugh.
"Ok..." Nandini replied with a confused expression. 😆 "Nooo!!" Before Nandini could even complete her sentence the phone went cut and Nandini noticed herself blushing.
"Nanduuu...kya hua tujhe?? Tera chehra aisa laal kyon hai?? Tu sone nahi jaa rahi?" Chachi asked seeing the beetroot red Nandini.
"Y..Yes chachi...wo...I'm feeling hot! I mean Mumbai is very hot!" Nandini replied.
"Haan wo tho hai Nandu..magar tere kamre main abhi A/c hai. Tu jaake so jaa abhi" Chachi said sweetly.
Nandini sneaked up the stairs into her room as she wiped the beads of sweat that was forming on her forehead.
"This boy na...he definitely will kill me!! Aiyooo Ayyappaaa...what do I do?? Sweet dreams of Dhruv tho..ye ladka mujhe hug karega...sweet dreams of ye ladka...tho aiyooo"😭😆 Nandini thought as she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes.
Edited by priakachan - 9 years ago
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