Manan FF - Kaisi yeh Yaariyan season 3 - Chapter 123 & note - Page 53

His heart was pounding so hard against his chest that he could almost hear the throbbing in his head. Manik, Ranbir and Navya were sitting in the lobby of an IT major (Information Technology company) in Gurgaon, waiting for miss Ria Sengupta to turn up. It was still early in the morning, 7.42am to be precise and while the rest of Delhi was still getting ready for the day ahead, Ria, as the receptionist had told them, was finishing the last leg of her night shift. Ranbir and Navya, fresh from a nap in the hotel had their eyes fixed on the lift, adjacent to the lobby. Though they had been assured by the same receptionist that she would inform them, the moment she would sight Ria, they were not leaving anything to chance. Navya had no clue how Ria looked, Ranbir however had a vague idea from Ria's Facebook DP (Display picture), which incidentally was the single publicly accessible pic in her entire profile. But then Ranbir was extra cautious, given the level of photo editing women do these days. Who knows, a Sunny Leone in Facebook might turn out to be a Rakhi Sawant in reality.

Manik, sitting next to them, wasn't exactly in a decent shape. Disheveled hair, crumbled shirt, swollen eyes, he was a mess. He hadn't closed his eyes for a second in the last 24 hours, neither in the flight, nor at the hotel. He was just hoping that they would find something worthwhile from this wild goose chase. He needed her to wish him goodluck,for she was his lady luck, but he didn't have the heart to call her. Besides, he had promised he wouldn't, till he could actually prove his love.

"Manik!!!" Ranbir's voice, brought him back to the present. "Ria.."

Manik looked up & saw a rather tall girl with dark kohl lined eyes approaching them.

"Excuse me, I am Ria. She just told you are here to meet me." Pointing at the receptionist, she introduced herself. "I am sorry but I wonder if we have ever met before." She was courteous, but not overtly sweet. Her coarse voice complemented her tough persona.

"I am Ranbir" Ranbir shook his hand and then introduced both Manik and Navya.

Though the girl was a little perplexed to have these three unexpected visitors, and was apprehensive about their motive, Ranbir convinced her into coming along with them to the Caf Coffee day, just outside the lobby.

Once settled in the caf, Manik came straight to the point. "Actually we are here for Nandini. She is.." Ranbir took over as Manik could not finish the sentence. " engaged to Neel." While the other two were engrossed in conversation, Navya was observing her keenly. She noticed how Ria's body language changed at the mention of Neel. But strangely, her face remained expressionless. "Not engaged, say he blackmailed her into it. That guy is a thorough criminal but yeh baat sirf hum jante hain, and to prove this to Nandini's family we need some evidence to tap him." Manik added.

"I see... so you are trying to help your friend, but where do I come into the picture? Main kisi..kya nam tha..Neel Dixit ko nahi janti." She casually replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, while running fingers through her medium length straight hair. "I think you are looking for someone else here."

"Saint Sebastian school Mysore, right, Neel was your senior by two years. Uska bhai Nishant was your batchmate." Ranbir reminded her.

"Maine bola na main kisi Neel ya Nishant Dixit ko nahi janti. Now if you guys please leave me, I just finished a shift and I am tired..I need to go home." Her tone had turned hostile, she was visibly irritated as she stood up to leave.

Navya, who was quiet till now, remarked. "Par humne to sirf Neel kaha tha, agar tum use nahi janti to tumhe kaise pata ki wo Neel Dixit hai? Ria hum apni dost ki madad karne ke liye Mumbai se yahan aye hain. Tumhare ek sach aur jhoot se kisi ki zindagi ban ya bigar sakti hai Ria."

She realized, these people had come equipped with adequate homework. If they knew who she was and which school she went to, if they knew about Neel and Nishant, they would also know her history. She felt exposed. A wound that had taken her years to cover up, suddenly lay open, stinging and stinking. She sat down and let them tell her the brief history of Neel Dixit and the extents and levels of his toxicity.

"OK, so you have come to collect evidence against Neel, to save your friend...and to save one girl's life, you are ready to jeopardize another's. Matlab, Nandini ki life ki value hai, par Ria ki nahi.. Nandini ki beizaati nahi honi chahi par Ria ki to koi izzat hi nahi, hai na?"

They were stumped. They were not expecting a response like this from her.

"Ria, I love her, she is my life...and I would do anything to help her, but that doesn't mean we don't respect you or we are using you." Manik tried to clear the air.

"Really Manik, ok ek second ke liye soch lo ki, meri jagah Nandini hai, aur thik jaise you have come here today, koi larka use approach karta to dig her past. To kaisa feel hota tumhe and nandini ko. Would she have willingly agreed to face the muck, and would you, let her do it? Would you let her go through the humiliation to help someone?

Tum jante ho yeh society kaisi hai, it doesn't bother ki galti kiski thi, ya sacchai kya hai, the moment a girl stands up against abuse or harassment or even rape, they label her as 'wh**e', bina soche samjhe ki usne already kitna struggle kiya hai and you guys want me to go through it because you want to save your friends life. To fir tumme aur Neel mein farak kya hai, tum bhi to kisi ki life, kisi ki reputation, kisi ki peace ke sath khel rahe ho."

Neither Manik, nor Ranbir could possibly reply to that. She was right in her own way. This was unfair on Ria, because she was only slated to lose and they couldn't hurt a girl just because they had a point to prove.

They decided to leave it at that & left the table thanking her for her time. Though Ria was feeling guilty inside, she didn't have the guts to agree to help them. Years ago when Neel had manhandled her, she had hoped that her boyfriend Nishant would stand up for her. But all she had ever received was an unending trail of apologies that continued till date. Nishant could never move on, neither could she, both were scarred from that one unfortunate incident and though, even after so many years, Nishant was still guilty, he could and never had confronted his brother. A part of her wanted to help Manik..but a bigger part of her was scared for herself.

Navya, however didn't leave the table. She was still trying to read Ria's eyes, trying to understand the upheaval going on beneath that stiff unperturbed face.

"Ria, jis zillat se tum dar rahi ho, hum use jhel chuke hain. 19 saal ki umar mein, jab meri khud ki padne, khelna ki umar thi, hum apne bacche ko janam de rahe the. Sabne insult kiya, college se, hostel se, yahan tak ki ghar se bhi nikal diya. Jis larke se hum pyaar karte, wo bachha jiska khun tha usne to pal bhar mein hath saaf kar liya. Bas ek Nandini thi, aur yeh dost jinhone mujhe apne dil aur yahan tak ki ghar mein bhi jaga di." Manik and Ranbir who by now were almost at the door, turned around in surprise when they heard Navya revealing her dark past. What was she doing, they thought as they looked at each other flabbergasted. Manik briskly walked up to her and holding Navya's hand, he asked her "Navya lets go. We will figure out something else."

This was getting dirty. He had already hurt Ria, and now he was hurting Navya. He had seen what she had been through, he was right there, not as her friend but indirectly in her support system. He knew how painful it is for an unwed single mother to bear and rear a child. And her bringing it up today, like this, before a stranger.. No no he wouldn't let her do this.

"Navya please chalo" He requested her once more, still holding her wrist.

"Manik Ruko...mujhe baat puri karne do.. And don't worry, hum thik hain."

Manik had no option but to stand there with his head held low. He was feeling terribly guilty for Navya. Ranbir too joined them, standing silently at the back.

"But in doston ne mujhe marne nahi diya, college, society, yahan tak ki meri khud ki maa ke khilaf jakar inhone mujhe sahara diya. Aaj mujhe duniya RJ Navya Naveli ke nam se janti hai, par us din Navya ek beizzat, besaha larki thi. Par main tumse isliye request nahi kar rahi hun kyonki yeh mere itne kareebe dost hain.

Har larki yahi sochti hai ki jisse who pyaar karti hai, wo uska sath nibhayega, kisi bhi halat mein, par sach poocho to duniya mein aise log bohot kam hote hain. Pyaar ke wade to sabhi karte hain, par nibhate kitne log hain. Yeh jo Manik hai na, yeh thora pagal hai. Nandini ke liye shayad ise jaan bhi deni pare to wo bhi dede."

Manik looked up at Navya, unable to believe his ears. No one other than Nandini had ever praised him with so much concern & warmth, no one had ever believed in him as much as he realized, Navya had always done. And to think that he was so pissed off to see her at the airport.

"Aur jab aisa koi kisi larki ke liye madad mange to ek larki hone ke nate, hume madad karni chahiye, chahe usse thori si zillat hi kyun na ho. Agar aaj tumne Manik ki help nahi ki, to kya pata age wo kisi aur larki ki help karne se dare."

This struck her deep, this struck her exactly where it hurt her most. At least someone was standing up for his love and if she discouraged him today, she would do to Nandini what her friends had once done to her. But at the same time, she couldn't put herself into trouble. Her parents, her family had no idea that she had borne the brunt for so long and she couldn't drag them into this one sudden day.

"Ok, I will help you, not the way you want me to, but in a way that will do more good to you."

Navya was brimming with joy, Ranbir was feeling proud of Navya , relieved for Manik and thankful to Ria but Manik didn't know what to feel or how to react. He felt chocked. Sometimes those very people who we don't expect anything from go above and beyond.

Ria knew what she had do to. This was the perfect closure she could ever get. She would go to Dehradun where Nishant Dixit lived, and tell him that if he meant even one 'sorry' from the heaps of apologies he had showered on her over the years, if he was genuinely ashamed of his brother and guilty for not standing up for her, now was the time when he should. He was the one, who could give them all his personal and bank details, he could tell them how many other girls he had molested or how many illegal deals he had done. If Nishant came on board, Neel would be seriously doomed and this time he would have more charges against him that a 7 year old molestation case could even levy upon a man. But the question was, would Nishant comply?

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A/N: Thank you to each and everyone of you for liking , voting and commenting. Special thanks to everyone who voted for me or this story in the watty awards :) U made my day.