A string of OS on Manaan

"Move in with me" his words echoed in her mind as she folded the clothes neatly and put them away. Her fingers traced the intricate embroidery of the top that Ams had gifted her on her last birthday.

"Move in with me," his suggestion echoed in her mind as she kneaded the dough, following the tricks that she had seen her mom follow to make the softest chapathis.

"Move in with me," the intensity of his eyes had defied the casual manner in which he had he had made the suggestion, she remembered as she tossed and turned in the bed, trying to capture that elusive sleep.

His suggestion had come as a surprise ... no that wasn't entirely accurate.. well may be a part of it was.. the living together part but not the intimacy it implied.

Giving up the pretense that lying in bed quietly with her eyes closed would make her sleep, she threw back the blanket and stood up to walk towards the table to switch on her computer.

"Manik!" she sighed as his image filled the screen. her fingers caressed his face, trailing down his cheeks to that mole placed so strategically near his lips.. tempting the fingers and gaze to slip a lit lower to touch those lips. her fingers lingered on those smiling lips.. It was becoming so hard to resist... she sighed as the screensaver was activated which presented the images of them together which she had collected over the years.. the years of being Manik Malhotra's girl friend... and the unofficial member of Fab 5.

'Girl friend', she smiled thinking of the way Manik loved to gesture the friend part in quotes..because she had wanted them to be friends first.. because he considered her to be too innocent even to know her mind... But that was changing .. the teasing caresses had become more ardent.. the gentle kisses more passionate.. the cocktail of love mixed with desire was making the lines blurred. So yes, his invitation to move in with him had profound significance ... was she ready to take the next step in their relationship.. was she ready to be his Lover?

Her thoughts went back in time .. to a time before Manik. She had been watching Silsila with her elder cousin who was madly in love with someone. Geetha di's support of Rekha's character in the movie had shocked her. Di had told that if she had to face a similar situation and separation from the man she loved, she would not let any dictates of the society to cheat her of the chance of belonging to him body and soul. It had not felt right to to her then.. but then what did she know about love. She was just a thirteen... not exposed to the all consuming fire called love or this variation of love that blinded you... no no.. a love that broadened your horizon and opened your mind to embrace the changes it brought along.

Living together.. yes she was not a fool to think 'mangal sutra' and saath phere accompanied this. But the past years away from him was pure torment... the years he had insisted that she should take as an opportunity to 'spread her wings' .. away from the tag of being Manik Malhotra's girl friend. she had fought with him over the issue and had tried every trick to sway his recommendation, but he was adamant. finally she had taken Am's ill health to cave in.. to go back to Mangalore to complete her graduation.

But neither the distance nor their respective life schedule had diminished their love. In fact she felt it was just the reverse.. the years that passed had only strengthened their love because it proved that there could be never anyone else ..

Manik had given her a week to decide... a week when he had to be abroad to handle his father's business.. another responsibility that he handled brilliantly. It showed how versatile her man was... she smiled proudly as she touched her fingers to her lips and transferred the kiss to his image.. Her Manik.. who had deliberately kept their contact minimum while she was in Mangalore so that he was true to his promise given to Ams.. that he would let her have a life beyond him, an identity other than being Manik Malhotra's girl friend.. would give her the right to choose rather than being smothered by the choice she made when she was too young to know her own mind.

She had learned about this from Navya... but it had been too late to avoid the terrible fight with Manik when she had accused him of not just avoiding him but had demanded if wanted to break up with her.

"Just tell me if you want us to end? You don't even seem to care if I live or die!" she had cried before cutting the call, not willing to hear his explanations.

She had refused to accept his calls for the next couple of days..refusing to be pacified fuming and moping around alternately.

Then he had sent the message across through navya to watch Fab 5's interview on NTV

"Do you even miss me a bit?" she had asked and he gave her his answer through the national media. Declaring what she meant to him before the thousands of fans who watched the interview of the leader of fantastic band that was making it's sensational entry into Bollywood.