SS: You Are My Genie, You Are My Shining Star, Chap Update Pg 26 - Page 10

"You don't love me anymore!"

"But baby look around! Everything is just the way you wanted it to be. The walls, cushion covers, curtains, crockery, tea set and heck even my ear phones! See they are all pink?"

"I told you! I told you a zillion times I want M&M embroidered in Mexican Pink over Cherry Blossom backdrop. But this is Hot Pink! Is it so hard to remember such a small thing?" she whined as he looked about helplessly wondering how to placate his annoyingly demanding girlfriend and he tried to remember what on earth was M&M. He knew he had fulfilled every dumb whim of hers but well he could not recollect every one of them in great detail now, could he?

"Errr... baby? What is M&M exactly?" he asked her tentatively thinking whether he was expected to remember it and by the looks of it, he had probably committed a national crime by even voicing out his thoughts aloud as her eyes widened in shock glaring accusingly at him before breaking down in hysterical sobs.

"I knew... I knew it," she wailed taking out a pink custom made lace handkerchief blowing her nose on it.

"How insensitive of you Manik! You really don't love me anymore!"

"Shhh... Myra baby I am so sorry!" he pleaded her hoping she would lower her voice by a couple of decibels but Myra was in no mood to relent and his eardrums were beginning to hurt.

"You forgot? How could you Manik? It was our initials. M for Manik, M for Myra but no! You don't even remember this?" she yelled at him brandishing her pink clutch at him like it was a sword while he flinched.

"Baby I will make it up to you, no matter what!"

"You know I had planned a surprise for you but you ruined it Manik!" she sniffed ruefully.

On hearing the word surprise' he gulped down nervously since any surprise she had in store for him was not good news.

"Er... surprise? Really?"

Just then a large furry object the size of a boulder came bouncing and rammed straight into him knocking off his breath.

"What the..."

When he glanced down to see what had struck him he realised with horror that the furry ball was his labrador who had been -

"You got him dyed pink?" he yelled at her outraged while his dog bounced about happily unaware of the monstrosity it had been subjected to but she pointedly ignored him pretending to be miffed about their earlier disagreement.

"Are you f**king crazy Myra? What have you done to him? And who gets a colouring done on a dog?"

"He needed a makeover and besides don't you think he looks gorgeous?"

At the last remark all he could do was just stare at her incredulously and only think how on earth had he gotten himself into this situation.

"And what's with your face?" she asked him frowning.

"Wha...? My face?" he asked her puzzled feeling his face for anything unusual but only his crazy girlfriend knew what exactly it was.

"You look white as a sheet! Your face is drained of all colour baby," she exclaimed and pulled out a brush and a blush on and he watched in mute terror as she marched towards him purposely dabbing her brush with some colour.

"No ways Myra... No... Stay away from me... NOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Myra paid no heed to his words and brought the brush closer to his face.

He could feel a soft brush against his face.

"NOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He tried hard to push away the brush and when he felt his cheeks it was wet. Panting he jumped up with a start but he could see his surroundings had changed.

Manik Malhotra was not in his penthouse in Mumbai but the familiar walls of the bedroom of his villa in Goteborg greeted him and the tingling sensation on his cheek was not that of a blush-on brush but it was his dog that greeted him every morning by licking his face who had not been dyed in pink. He breathed a sigh of relief at that and ruffled the mutt's fur hugging him.

"Whiskey, my babu! It was just a nightmare. She is out of our lives! Out for good and I won't let anyone dye you in pink! Like EVER!" he cuddled his dog and just then the door to his bedroom creaked open and his friend Cabir peeped in with a grumpy look on his face. Whiskey ran to greet his master's friend who scratched his ears carelessly before scurrying out.

"Yaar why are you shouting so early in the morning?" he asked Manik yawning and rubbed his head. "You know it doesn't help if you are dealing with hangovers."

"You think you have it worse? You get drunk and I deal with the aftermath. That was one hell of a nightmare I don't ever wanna think of bro," Manik replied getting off the bed.

"Myra?" he teased him walking in and sat himself down on the bed.

Manik did not bother to reply but just rolled his eyes that seemed to reply back to Cabir with What-Else-Did-You-Expect look.

Cabir sniggered.

"Serves you right though! You dated her just because you wanted to piss your mo..." he replied but when Manik gave him a do-not-go-there glare he amended, "Err... Nyonika. I mean seriously who would do that?"

"Hats off to you dude! You get into a relation with the daughter of Nyonika's business associate who has annoyed the crap out of her by doing the interiors for her office turning it into a pink candy factory..."

"But Myra did score brownie points on that one. You should have seen Nyonika's face!" Manik recalled with glee.

"Yeah and also your face when Myra made you tag along like a French poodle everywhere," Cabir replied wiping the smirk off Manik's face.

"I was wondering when she will get a pink leash for you," he added suppressing a laugh as Manik threw a pillow at him giving him a sour look.

"That's so not funny Cabir! Anyways I broke up with her a year ago, so..."

"You mean she broke up with you," Cabir corrected Manik.

"Whatever! I wanted to do that since ages..."

"But you did not want to hear Nyonika say I told you so."

"Well Myra would have thrown a fit anyways and I didn't want any drama. She gets bored easily and I was counting on her to get bored of me, which she did. Well speaking of dating debacles, how is Rose by the way?" Manik asked Cabir touching a raw nerve for getting back at him who threw him a dirty look.

"You seem to be getting a kick out of torturing me about my ex. So let's speak about yours."

"Whoa! You are the one who is hallucinating over your ex dude. Not me. Besides she was hot man," Cabir replied with a moony faraway look in his eyes. Manik shook his head and walked into his washroom.

"By your definition of hot Cabir, were you inspired by horror movies?" Manik asked him sarcastically.

"Chuck it na Manik? Besides Rose must be happily holidaying in Madrid with her lesbian partner," Cabir muttered remorsefully reminiscing the long stolen hours he had spent with his girlfriend who had ditched him to be with her Spanish lesbian partner.

"And you are dousing yourself in alcohol," Manik muttered under his breath turning on the faucet lest his friend hear him. He knew Cabir still had a soft spot for Rose though to this day he could not fathom what was it about her that made his foolhardy friend pine after her, long since she had dumped him. Heck he could not figure out which was worse - Rose's gothic fashion sense or Myra's obsession with pink.

"Why are we even having this discussion? It's midsummer and we should be out there having fun but no, we are stuck here having a heart to heart conversation about our depressing love lives," Cabir replied morosely picking up an empty beer can. After inspecting it for a while he threw it aside disdainfully.

"And all because you had a nightmare," Cabir pointed out accusingly at Manik.

"Hey speak for yourself," Manik replied stepping out of the washroom after having brushed his teeth.

"I have never been better and I feel free. I still don't know how I tolerated her for two years," Manik heaved a sigh of relief and Cabir chuckled at that remark.

"That's a million dollar question," Cabir replied in a mock serious tone.

"And we can have this discussion over a round of tequila shots. What say?"

"Cabir you partied with your band yesterday night," Manik reminded his friend who had got drunk just the previous night and landed at his doorstep.

"Don't be such a dork. Besides Mukti needs to chill and this is her first week here. Don't you think we should show her around? For Mukti?" Cabir asked him pulling an innocent face.

"Nautanki saala," Manik mumbled under his breath.

"You just need an excuse to party hard and booze," Manik added turning away and opened his cupboard to take out some fresh clothes.

"C'mon yaar. It will be fun. You, me and Mukti! Wish Alya was here too. It would just be like old times na?"

Manik's hand froze midway as he sifted through his wardrobe. Old times...When they had been together in the true sense. Old times that would never come back...

He tried hard to shut down the flood of memories that were forcing its way through the depths of his mind. How could anything ever be like old times for him? They could never be the same not without...

He mentally tried to tune out that voice but try as he might he could not shut out the images that were flashing before his eyes, like they had happened yesterday.

"Buddy we're gonna kill it. Warrior High will never forget this night!"

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"Whoa! You gotta be kidding me man! A Harley-Freaking-Davidson?"

He eyed his buddy's new bike green with envy for possessing a beauty like that.

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"No ways buddy! I can't take it!"

"What difference does it make? I ride it or you do, it's the same and I know you want to. So take it."

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"Buddy but our performance..."

"We still have a good two hours to go. Besides we can go for a quick ride and we'll be back in ten minutes."

He eyed the keys in his hand with longing and his friend's encouragement was tempting enough for him to break his resolve.

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"Buddy relax. Take it easy," he assured him time and again.

He was excited and nervous at the same time. He had never driven a bike on a busy road before and though he loved the feel of air as it rushed through his ears he had an inkling that something would go dreadfully wrong.

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He never got to see the speeding car that came out of nowhere and everything spiralled out of control. Next thing he knew he had rammed into a water tank hard and everything blacked out.

"Manik are you listening to me? Manik?"

Cabir's voice broke Manik out of his reverie and the familiar mask was back on. The one he had worn for eight years without letting anyone in to see the real face behind it.

"Look you don't want to party, that's absolutely fine. Sticky Fingers can wait."

"Nope! It can't. You're right. We should hang out. Sticky Fingers it is."

************

"Navya I can't do this anymore OK?"

"Nandu honestly can't you just be normal for once?"

"Yeah right! By normal you mean hook up with some guy every now and then?" Nandini replied getting off the tram almost knocking into the person who was getting on at the stop. She mumbled a hasty apology who brushed her off with a smile while her bff continued to rant at the other end.

"Don't blame me now for every-now-and-then part. Each time I try to set you up with some cute guy you chase him away and you better cook up an innovative excuse this time."

"Great! So now that you know I will get rid of your date sooner than you even set it up for me, why do you even bother Navya?"

Nandini's bff Navya was livid at her for spoiling yet another date she had set up for her. And all Nandini had to say was that he was just not her type but Navya could not figure out what exactly would qualify as her friend's TYPE'.

"What about my promise to chachi huh? I had told her I would find the perfect Raj for you!"

"Offo Navya! I am not Simran and neither am I here to search for my true love that probably got extinct in the dinosaur era. Not my fault if my chachi and bff cannot step out of their DDLJ universe and FYI, let me remind you, I am here to do my internship at the hospital and last time I checked, you were pretty much my partner in crime. When did that change?"

"Huh?"

"Look I am done going out on meaningless dates you try to set up for me OK? Next time you do that I swear I will not turn up. And if you are so interested in this match making business then I suggest you join hands with chachi but mind you, find another scapegoat," Nandini told her in an irritated tone as a passer-by stared at her and in response she fixed him with an angry glare like he too was a part of the conspiracy being hitched by her friend and aunt.

"You're impossible!"

"Anyways I am near the apartment. What did you say her name was?"

"Mukti. Mukti Vardhan. But Nandu don't change the topic. We need to..."

"Navya not again," she told her warily checking out the name on the building before entering in.

"You should be enjoying your vacation instead of trying to sort out my non-existent love life. Anyways I gotta go and give loads of love to aunty from me OK? See ya," Nandini cut the call just as the elevator door opened before her.

"Wha..."

Her words got stuck in her mouth as a huge blond labrador made a jump for her startling her and she stumbled backwards losing her balance falling hard on the granite floor.

"Whiskey NO! Get back here!"

She saw the dog streak past her with a tall lanky guy at its heels who was running behind it with a leash but the brute ran right through the open door of the building. The contents of her bag lay strewn around her and wincing she got to her feet to gather her things.

"Damn that thing," she cursed loudly and threw her bag angrily around her shoulder when she realised something. Pulling the bag back she fished inside it wildly but she could not find her cell phone. She looked around but it was not to be found.

"Crap!"

************

Manik was having a tough time restraining Whiskey after he had spotted a husky entering the adjacent elevator with his owner. He reluctantly dragged him to the lift and tried to put the leash on him but the mutt happily pranced around him barking excitedly not letting him get anywhere near his collar and when the elevator door opened he leaped out terrifying a girl who was right outside. He saw with alarm as Whiskey made a beeline for the cell that had tripped from the girl's hand when she fell backwards catching it like a Frisbee and ran away. Manik had no time to apologise to the poor girl or even spare her a glance as he dashed after his pet into the lawn. He clutched his side puffing looking for the dog and there he was lurking behind a bush waiting for Manik to get to him.

"Whiskey be a good boy. Come back to papa now," he crooned to his Labrador who wagged his tail clutching the phone in his mouth. He tried to corner the dog by gently coaxing him but Whiskey evaded him every time. Finally he could catch hold of him when a boy playing basketball in the garden came to his rescue cornering Whiskey and Manik wrestled the phone out of his wayward dog.

"Freak!" he swore under his breath when he saw the damage his dog had inflicted on it.

"We are about to get into big trouble for this one!" he murmured running his sleek finger over the display or what had once been before his dog had gnashed it with his jaw.

"You're the world's worst dog, you know that?" he admonished the mutt while tying the leash around him.

"Phew! You don't get your act together bud, I swear you'll be tied to this leash for life."

"Hey!"

It was a girl who appeared to have run a marathon and she stood before him huffing, trying to catch her breath. A heart shaped face set in a petite frame with long tresses that fell to her waist, she resembled a delicate porcelain doll noted Manik mentally in his head and added, a porcelain doll with an angry glare. Being a professional photographer he surely had an eye to observe the finer details but right now was not the time to dwell on them and he was fairly certain who it could be.

"Your dog...," she told him gasping and pointed to the phone in his hand. "That's mine..."

"Ummm yeah...," he mumbled apologetically handing her the phone and he saw her expression change from worry to shock and the next instant she looked like a fire breathing dragon.

"About that I can explain..." he began but he never got to finish his sentence.

"What the f**k?" she shrieked.

She ran her fingers over the panel of her cell phone that was adorned by a long gash with the display nearly smashed.

"Errr... I can fix that...," Manik offered but she glowered at that remark throwing daggers his way and eyed Whiskey with distaste while he wagged his tail at her trying to jump on her but was being restrained by his master.

"The only thing that needs fixing," she said pointedly, "is that monster of yours!"

Manik opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish to say something but the girl did not let him utter a single word.

"If you cannot control that beast, why do you let it loose, huh? That thing broke my phone and not to mention nearly ate me! Why bother having pets when you can't teach that brute of yours some manners? But it's perfectly all right if you let it loose like a canon" she yelled keeping her hands on her hips.

At this Manik lost his cool. He knew the girl had the full right to be angry but he felt her accusations had been uncalled for.

"Look, stop overreacting OK? It was just an accident and I know your panel is broken. I even offered to get it fixed for you..."

"Right! So now you're throwing attitude at me when all you should have done is apologise to me!" she exclaimed indignantly while Manik looked at her incredulous.

"Hark who's talking!" he told her throwing his hands up in the air.

"Did you even let me say anything? I am trying to be nice but instead of appreciating the gesture you're giving me a lecture about etiquettes, calling my dog a monster and what not? The poor thing was only having some fun. Cut him some slack OK?" Manik defended Whiskey who had sat down on his haunches staring intently at the scene unfolding before him. He did not seem to mind that he was being called names but his master did not share his views on this matter.

"By fun you mean harass other people in the vicinity?"

Manik rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Are you done? If you are not then that's not really my problem. My offer still stands good. I stay right over there," he pointed to a house with a white picket fence opposite to the street. "If you happen to change your mind, you can drop in your phone there and I will get it fixed for you. But I am not going to waste another minute listening to your ramblings for I have better things to do. Have a pleasant day but I guess given your attitude that's a near impossible feat. So good luck with that!"

With that he walked away blowing a breath he had been holding for long, Whiskey trotting by his side while the girl too headed in the opposite direction hurling abuses at him that only fell on deaf ears.

So I end this chapter here and next update someone is coming back to create havoc in Manik's life 😉 Watch out this space for more...????? (That's for me to know and for you guys to find out 😉😃) Please do leave your comments, good or bad 😳 and don't forget to hit the LIKE button if you enjoyed reading it.