Let's walk! - NOTE!! (Manan FF); pg 40 - Page 12

Nandini, closed her pale pupils, knowing his next move will leave her breathless, blushing a deep red and making her heart beat uncontrollably for the minutes to come. But he did something she wasn't expecting. He brought his palm down to her right cheek and quite delicately started to trace the softness of her lips with his thumb.

"No...thankyou for loving me so much", he whispered to her as he brought her forehead to rest against his.

Manik slowly parted their foreheads and sat up so he was sitting in front of her now. He held onto her face and waited patiently for her to open up her eyes.

As Nandini finally fluttered her eyes open, he smiled a heart-warming smile at her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Promise?", Nandini replied with an elated voice.

"Promise." he replied with a reassuring smile.

Manik quickly went into the bathroom with his folded set of pyjamas and was out and all changed up in no time.

"Wait wait wait...before you sit down, can you go get me the first aid box?" Nandini requested.

"First aid box?!" Manik rushed to her side and started to question her endlessly.

What happened? Show me! See I knew you were hiding something. You never listen to me do you? Now show me where did you get hurt and don't you dare say it's not hurting!"

Nandini wordlessly reached out to grab his left fist and brought his wound to his attention with her eyes.

"This is where I got hurt, and trust me...it's hurting a lot.", Nandini teased him once again.

"You'll never change will you?"

"Mr. Manik Malhotra...the day you'll stop hurting yourself, I'll stop mocking you. Simple."

"I can't believe it! How? Just how did you happen to me? You're impossible!" Manik lightly laughed.

"That's me.", Nandini proudly announced. "Now hurry up and go get it for me, I have so much to talk about but we can't get down to business until I bandage this wound."

"Actually that's a perfect idea! I don't want to talk about whatever you want to talk about anyway, so how about I don't go and get the first aid box and we just go to sleep.", Manik explained in a sarcastic tone.

"Manik...?"

"Okay...okay...I was just kidding baba!" He hopped off the bed and went to the bathroom to grab the first aid box and returned with it within a few seconds.

Nandini brought Manik back to reality as she kissed his bandaged knuckles get well soon.

"It's already feeling better, thank you."

"Manik I'm not a nurse you know that you keep saying thank you to me. That wound had been bothering me more than you, so I bandaged it for my own piece of mind."

He took her warm hands in his own and started playing with her fingers, not looking up to face her.

"Manik?"

"Hmm...?"

"You don't want to talk about it yet do you?"

No response. He was afraid she would read his silence and she had done exactly that. She unlocked her fingers from his grip and cupped his face with both her hands, forcing him to look up.

"I'm not going to force you to talk about anything you don't want to. We both know why you did what you did today. Yes it was careless. Yes you were being stupid. And yes I was hurt. But you don't need to give me any further explanation because I know you're in more pain than me right now."

Manik tried to look away, but she made sure to keep his eyes locked with hers.

"Manik. Who are you hiding from? Me? Seriously Manik? All these sorry's, these thankyou's? This was never us. I miss my old Manik. The Manik who would joke and tease me without any hesitations. The Manik who could laugh openly when I would fall or make a stupid mistake."

"That Manik, may never come back Nandini..."

"Why Manik? Just because I can't walk anymore? Just because I'm paralysed..."

"Nadini just stop it!" Manik clasped her mouth shut with his left hands and stared at her with furious eyes. But she removed his grip.

"No Manik, you stop it!" she exclaimed.

"No nandini. You don't get it. You were never at fault. You trusted me. Hamesha. And I let you down. I had promised I would protect you always. And I...I failed."

Nandini could hear Manik's voice start to shake a little. Tears filling the rims of his eyes once again. The minute a wet pearl rolled down his right cheek, she pulled him into her comforting arms for a hug.

"I think we should sleep. You've had a long day and you must be exhausted from the physiotherapy session too. We can continue talking about this some other time." Manik calmly stated as he broke the hug and caressed her left cheek.

"I think you're right. Plus not like you're going anywhere tonight. You'll be right here, with me and I think I may just be in for the best sleep of my life till yet." Nandini winked at Manik.

Manik chuckled a genuine laugh as he tucked her in bed before making his way to the other side to slide into the warm quilt himself. He pulled Nandini closer to himself, as he slipped his left arm under her head so she could cuddle against his warmth for the night. Manik felt his inner turmoil cease for the first time that day. A rush of calm running through his body as she wrapped her arm around his waist and placed her head as close to his heart as possible. She was as light as a feather in his arms. So delicately precious.

"Goodnight Manik." she whispered as she tightened her hold on him.

"Goodnight Nandini," Manik murmured as he kissed her forehead for the last time before letting his droopy eyelids close their curtains for the night.

The bright light pouring in through her net curtains woke him up. He stirred a little in the warm bed, but soon he froze. She was still sleeping.

Her head cozily tucked against his warm chest and her breathing so calm, so composed.

Manik reached across her face and started plucking away locks of her hair which were restricting his view. She shifted a little in his arms and his fingers froze straight away. He didn't want her to wake up just yet. She buried herself deeper into his scent and he encircled his left arm around her to keep her warm and safe against him.

His heart stopped beating for a second. Worry flooding the mind. He quickly reached up to check her forehead. Then her left cheek. And then her neck. He should have known better. How could he be so careless?

"Shit!" he muttered under his breath.

"Goodmorning", she chirped in her sweet voice as she stretched a little on the spot and tried to squint through the bright sunlight falling straight on her face.

"Nandini, not now. You have a fever and I need to call the doctor. Why do you have to be so stubborn every single time? I told you that we shouldn't play in the rain and let's head straight inside but no, you didn't listen to me. Actually why am I even blaming you. It's my fault. I give in to you every single time. I can't believe I was so stupid. I should have never listen..."

Before Manik could continue, Nandini placed her finger on Manik's lips and shushed him from saying a single word.

"Manik...I said... goodmorning. You know, it's what you say to someone you love the most in the world when you wake up from the best sleep of your night?"

"Goodmorning..." Manik tried to mumble despite the fact that she still had her finger glued to his lips.

Nandini couldn't help but laugh at his adorable attempt and sat up in bed to finally welcome the beautiful morning knocking on her window.

"Manik...just look how beautiful today's morning seems to be. I feel like singing tod..." Nandini's question was interrupted mid-way by Manik's conversation on the phone.

"Yes doctor. No I think it's just a fever from the rain but I would still like if you could please visit and check her yourself. Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm waiting." , Manik ended the call and saw an annoyed Nandini staring at him.

"What?", he questioned her absent-mindedly.

"What what? I was talking to you and you cut me in between."

"Come on Nandini, it couldn't have been as important as calling the doctor. Do you even realise you're not well?" he explained to her

"Manik calm down. It's just a fever. I'll drink some tea, and take some medicine and it'll be okay. You didn't have to call a doc..."

"Now please don't say I shouldn't have called a doctor. You know I can't take any risks when it comes to you, so don't even try arguing with me. He said he'll be here in five minutes so don't worry you'll be okay."

"And what's so funny now?" he questioned her with a blank expression.

"Do I really look worried to you? It's just a fever Manik. I think you're the one worrying too much here so shouldn't that have been my line?" Nandini continued laughing.

Manik tried to hide his own laugh as he realised his fumble of words. He walked across to her side and sat in front of her, tucking her fringe behind her ear, with his slim fingers.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked whilst smiling.

"The best! I've never slept so soundly for a long time now." she answered with a hint of excitement gleaming in her voice.

"I'm glad." he reached up to kiss her forehead to wish her a proper good morning wish.

"So what was it that you were saying before I cut you off?" he questioned with a curious expression.

"Oh nothing much. I was just saying how amazingly beautiful this morning seems to be that I feel like singing today."

The smile from Manik's face vanished and he turned his face away. He was about to get up when Nandini grabbed his hand and insisted him to stay sitting.

"Manik. How long? For how long will you keep pushing music away from your life? We both know that music is inseparable from you. It runs in your blood. Then why are you being so adamant?"

Just as Nandini finished saying the last of her words, they both heard the doorbell ring. Without looking towards her, Manik freed his hand from her grasp and quietly walked out to go and open the front door.