MaNan FF - Heaven DISCONTINUED ON IF - Page 29

- 12 -

Her numb legs carried her around for miles. Along every nook and corner in town. Through unknown communities. Through crowded parking lots. Busy malls and supermarkets. Yet, she never realized it. Nor did she notice how the time had clocked past noon. All what she felt was the unbearable pain and heaviness in her chest. The tears stinging in her throbbing red eyes. The ache in her jaw. The incomprehensible voices whispering in her head. The huge question mark as to what lay ahead of her.

The pain was overwhelming. Relentless. It seemed as though the world had come to an end. The painful memory of her father's angry glare and the vicious, unkind blow he had given kept haunting her. There was simply no relief. She felt alone. Abandoned. And probably, never so lonely as she felt now.

She didn't realize when and how she finally settled down on one of the empty benches in the park she had been to in the morning.

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"Bhaiyya, is Akka with you?"

"She walked out after a fight with Appa and is very upset. Please help! I'm not allowed to look for her."

"The police was here a while ago. I think that something's really wrong. Uncle Das had dropped in this morning and said some stuff to Appa and Aunty. That's when all these problems started."

"Bhaiyya. Any luck?"

Manik continued to shuttle back and forth with Rishabh on WhatsApp. He now had a bigger picture as to what happened. He still hadn't managed to get through to Nandini. The calls were going through but she just wouldn't answer.

Like Nandini, he had walked around for hours looking for her. He searched their favourite spots, hang outs, street food vendors. But no sign of her. In spite of being worried to the bone, he continued to assure Rishabh that everything will be fine and that he will get her back safely. But now, that hope was beginning to seem distant. What if... she did something... wrong...? Very wrong?

"Come on," he groaned desperately as he rang up her cell for the umpteenth time.

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How could she when she had been sobbing her heart out? Even if she did pick up the calls, there was no way she could have managed to utter a single word through all that heart break. She knew that several calls and messages were bombarding its way in, but she just couldn't get herself to answer. Nor could she see past the blur of tears that flooded her eyes.

By the time her phone started to ring once again, the severe clench in her chest had subsided to a dull ache and the tidal wave of tears had receded momentarily. But the name that flashed on the screen made her heart wrench abruptly. Manik.

Her sweaty hands fiddled with the phone, debating on whether to answer the call or no. Is he calling to console me or to yell at me? He must be very angry... after all those things that my step said... his mom would have given him hell. However, she answered the call with a faint, quaky "hello?"

"Hello?" came Manik's panicked reply. "Hello? Hello Nandini?"

"Mmm," she mumbled and clenched her lips. The concern in his voice choked up tears once again. At least there's someone to search for me... Someone...

"Oh! Thank God!" he heaved in utter relief. "Nandini! Where the hell are you goddammit!!? Why weren't you answering my calls?" he spat furiously.

She didn't know what to say. She just gulped down the watery ball in her throat and took a deep wet breath.

"You bloody idiot I've been calling you like forever! There isn't a single place left for me to look for you. Do you know that!!!?" The day's frustration came cascading out of Manik. He could go on ranting at her for hours! Probably even punch her if she was physically present. But he forced himself to get a grip on the situation. Chill Manik, he told himself.

Nandini bit back the sob that was screaming to ram its way out her lungs. Her nostrils flared violently in its struggle.

"Just tell me where you are right now," he said after he had managed to compose himself.

Unable to control herself anymore, she simply cut the call and left Manik dumbstruck. "What the---?" He began to dial her again but a message popped up in response.

"I'm at the park."

Manik wastes no time and hurries to the spot. On his way, he drops a message to Rishabh.

"Going to get her. She messaged me. Everything will be fine. Don't worry. Will keep you posted."

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Nandini heard the shuffle of familiar feet before someone plopped down right beside her. She felt a consoling arm wrap quickly around her shoulder and the touch of warm gentle fingers on her chin.

"Hey buddy," Manik's soft whisper was quick to bring tears to her eyes once again.

Manik felt his heart clench when he spotted a fresh set of reddish bruises on her face, right where she was hit in the morning. Besides that, her face was a complete mess. It was obvious that she had been crying hard all day. Her otherwise bubbly cheeks looked sunken and dehydrated. And her skin was tanned from roaming around in the hot sun. He ran his hand over the burnt skin on her forehead which made her retreat into her shell almost quickly. "Hey..." He said gently and tried to get her to look at him but she looked away, wanting to bury her tear-stricken face into the comfort of her own shoulders.

"Hey. Hey come here. It's okay. It's okay. Shh." He hastily wiped off her tears before gently pulling her into his embrace, allowing her to rest her burdens on his shoulders. To let it flow out and soak his shirt. But this was in no way repulsive. The sobs of his friend was too overwhelming to be bothered about that.

"Buds you almost killed me, do you know that? Why didn't you answer my calls? Why didn't you reply to my messages? Huh? I saw your messages and... I thought you did something stupid. You scared me you idiot. Do you know that? You scared me like hell. Don't do that again. Ever. Do you hear me?" He gently stroked her back whilst he spoke. Nandini broke down completely. The pain which had been eating her away for years came out in strong intense waves. She tightened her hold around him, digging her fingers into his back and shoulders.

Manik so badly wanted her to stop crying. But he made no attempt to hush her. Instead, he continued to stroke her back, encouraging her to let it out. Every bit of it. "I'm here, don't worry. I haven't gone anywhere. Never will. I promise." He continued to assure her quietly.

It took a good half an hour for her to finally subside. She was too busted so she allowed her head to relax at will on his chest until Manik gently straightened up, not wanting to disturb her.

"Erm... I'll be back," he said uncomfortably and hurried away.

Nandini felt empty and light. Nearly. It wasn't so easy to empty out years of pain and scarring in one bout of crying. But she felt better. Lots better. And in a way, she felt relieved that Manik was still around. That he didn't really leave her after all what had happened. That was one thing that had wreaked havoc on her this morning besides her father's slap.

Appa... She still couldn't believe that he did that to her. For the first time in hours, she finally took a good look at her phone. There were zillions of calls and a mile long thread of messages from her brother Rishabh and her buddy Manik. And a couple of calls from her office. But nothing from the one she wanted the most - her father.

Her heart began to wrench in pain again. The very thought was pure agony. The thought that her father willingly wanted to cut her off. Forever.

But then, an incoming call caused her blood to pool and her heart to race in vain. It was from her father.

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