Chapter 64
"OK so I have a
perfect plan for the rest of the day." She declared while happily munching
away the hakka noodles which Manik was feeding her. Slashing her hand had been
an unexpectedly good bargain. In a corner of her heart, she had neatly tucked
away all the hurt. Once Manik would be gone, tomorrow morning, she would bring
them out to mourn over. But these last few hours she still had with him, she
wanted to weave a wish tree around him and hang from it all the memories, she
would either create or gather. It wasn't in her capacity to bring back or erase
the three years they had both spent in hell, but she could try replacing every
sad memory with a happy one & repaint the melancholic past with bright
shades of friendship and love.
"Nandini,
honestly, I am not doing this. You are a trouble maker and its always me who
ends up paying for it. Noway I am tired now!!"
She made a pouty
face and showed him her sore finger. "You to will leave tomorrow, fir I
can't bug you, you will have all the peace in the world. Please na, lets do it
my way. It will be fun, I promise."
"I can't
believe emotional blackmailing kar rahi ho. Like seriously?? Let's just play
XBOX."
"I don't have
an XBOX"
"Yeah,
right...Then lets watch a movie, an out and out action flick, or may be a horror
movie." He saw how the shape of her lips changed from concave to convex.
She handed over her laptop to him and went out to the balcony amidst the
growling clouds.
"Ok stop making
faces and tell me what graaand plans you have come up with this time?" He
emphasized on the word 'grand' as he followed her to the balcony and rested his
arm on her shoulder. Like any other regular guy, he would have ideally loved to
play XBOX and just relax. But then she was right. 15 more hours and he wouldn't
see her again for 5 long days.
"Really?"
Her face lit up instantaneously. "Ok so we will play a game & the game is, I will give you three
tasks, like three things that you have do for me in the next 15 hours...and the
same applies to you."
"Is it like
truth or dare?"
"No its called
the 'Make a Memory' game because you can't give random tasks, each task is like
a memory that you will either find or create." Manik was damn sure no such
game existed and it was purely a figment of her uber fertile imagination. Nevertheless,
it sounded like it was going to be fun.
"Done??"
"Done!!" I
love challenges and I play to WIN."
"Ok, we both
get 5 minutes to come up with our wishes and the time starts now." she
turned on her stop watch.
"Hold on, hold
on... what does the winner get?"
"One blank
wish.. That the other has to fulfil without any doubt or question."
**************************
Five minutes were
over within a blink and now it was time for both of them to reveal their
wishes.
"You go
first" She asked him.
"Ok...
Wish no. 1 is ...Read
out a poem from your own archives.
Wish no. 2 is... Dance
with me in the rain.
Wish no. 3 is...
Because you haven't yet confessed your feelings for me, formally, you will now
have to do it in three languages.
He had given her 3
simple and sweet tasks, but these indeed were his wishes and thanks to this
weird idea of a game, he could have them all fulfilled in one day. He couldn't
wait to hear her list.
"Ok, now my
turn...
Wish no. 1...
Formally record a song.
Wish no. 2... Create
one memory which will never grow old.
Wish no. 3... Bring
me the stars."
Manik could do
nothing but stare at her in surprise for a good few minutes. What the hell was
that? Was it a wishing game or a mind twister? What was Nandini upto?
"This is not
done... you can't have such ridiculous wishes, its out and out cheating."
Manik complained bitterly.
"Maine to nahi
bola tha to pick easy wale tasks for me. Besides, did I just hear someone say
'I love challenges and I play to WIN', prove it now." Nandini rolled her
eyes at him, for a change it was her wearing his trademark smirk. "Ek friendly
advice dun? Don't underestimate the power of a tiny girl, bas height hi thori
si kam hai..."
There was no looking
back now. She had instigated him and he would have to answer. The only problem
was, he had absolutely no clue, how he was going to accomplish these TASKS.
"Ok, done" He said, feigning confidence. "But you will start."
Nandini went to her
bedroom to search for a diary in her drawers. When she found it, she rummaged
through the pages and tore off one from the 200 plus pages thick journal. She
couldn't risk taking the whole thing to him...what if he snatched it from her and
read the contents of her other entries?
They both sat down
in the balcony, she leaning against him with the paper in her arm.
"It's a windy night..." she started reading aloud.
"As the wind gushes past.. the
curtains swing wild...
Throwing down whatever obstructs its
path...
The windchyme rings...wildly at
times...
Its gentle hum almost becoming
shrill screams
Its cold...but not chilling...
As clouds give way to a feathery
drizzle...
as I panic to shut down the
windows...
the lights go off...and I freeze
with fear...
the wind tortures me... the drizzle
drenches me...
yet I stand still... feeling almost
dead...
someone tiptoes close to me...
And I feel his reassuring familiar
touch...
Turning back I hug him tight...
the fear in me slowly draining
down...
the frantic pace of my heart slows
down...
Life rushes back in my frozen
veins...
He pulls me back, closer to him...
Letting the curtains swing , letting
the windchyme scream...
Slowly he walks back taking me
along...
To the recognizable warmth of my
bedroom...
As I lie down he stays close...
As if he knws how much I need him
now...
Like a child I bury my face in his
lap...
And even in the darkness I see him
smile...
Caressing my hair, he tells me a
story...
That of a princess and a knight in a
distant country...
I don't recall wat happened to
them...
For I might have fallen asleep some
where down the lane...
As I open my eyes...to the golden
sunrays...
I seek him, searching everywhere...
All around there are signs of the
wind bygone...
Only there are none to show , he had
come...
As reality soaks in... I fall down
teary eyed...
How cud he come? He was long
gone...
Taking his last breath holding my
arm...
Knowing well tht he cant return...
Yet every time, wen I stand
frozen...
Alone and shattered, helpless half
awake...
He tiptoes close...he comes... I
know..
U wont believe...u need not.. if u
don't..
Love calls him... from wherever he
stays...
The love that was and will alwes be
there...
The love that I breathe, that flows
in my vein...
The love that has stayed as his only
remain...
Love will keep calling him...
The love that knows neither life nor
death..."
He was enjoying it
to the core, such a sweet-sensuous poem in her soft voice on a cloudy day like
this, it was sheer bliss. But when she started reading the penultimate stanza
(the one before the last), he stirred up. This poem had a far deeper meaning than
he had initially thought, it wasn't sweet-sensuous but mysterious and
heartbreaking. She wrote well, of course she wrote very well, but he knew
people mostly wrote from experiences and if so, had she really experienced
someone very close to her die? He had to ask her, was this anyway linked to her
pent-up emotions?
"Nandini, is it
inspired from truth?"
She sensed the worry
in his voice and laughed it off. "The first criteria of becoming a writer
is to dissociate yourself from your writing. To answer your question, its
purely fictional."
He sighed, with
relief.
'The biggest penalty
you pay as a writer, is that, you have to become what you write.' She said in
her mind. The girl in the poem was her, and the guy was him. She had written it
at the time when he had disappeared after the accident and the world had considered
him to be dead. It was one of those innumerable nights when she had been
hallucinating about him and had scribbled this poem in a state of delirium.
This is why she had started writing because here she could put down all the
thoughts that she couldn't share with anyone else and this kept her sane.
For him, it would be
a game of making memories, for her, it was about finding them, finding what she
had lost.
He clapped.
"Great going miss Murthy, So the score is 1-0." How would he formally
record a song? This wasn't a studio, he wasn't a professional...he could just
sing and play the guitar...think..think Manik.
He literally dragged
her inside as soon as the idea hit him. He asked her to sit patiently while he
did some kind of a set up. Nandini was hoping he would do something, she
trusted his instincts.
Manik downloaded the
karaoke version of a song on his phone and installed a sound mixer software on
her laptop. He didn't remember ever operating one, but when he opened it, he
felt he could as well do it blindfolded. Strange. Within minutes he set it all
up.
"Ready??"
She nodded. She was
waiting with baited breaths.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KYCkZE27Bk
Her eyes closed
themselves as his voice transported her to another world. His voice...was sheer
magic, not just now, not just today but ALWAYS, even when they were enemies.
For her, it was the closest thing to salvation, something that could soothe any
damn pain, heal any damn wound and she could fall in love with it every single
day of her life. How badly had she missed his voice! How many times had she
played his songs and voice clips till one fine day when she woke up to realize
that all his songs had been taken off the World wide web. That's why she wanted
him to record it today, so that she could hear him anytime, anywhere.
She had no qualms in
accepting that when it came to his singing, she was just a starstruck fan.
She didn't clap,
cheer or hoot. She just sat there in silence, at complete peace with herself.
Sometimes, when we are too overwhelmed with emotions, when we need to shout out
to express the maddening joy, we lose our voice. Perhaps that's why at times silence
becomes louder than words.
Had it not been a
game she would have given him 1-100.
The song he had
chosen today, had been so special but he always did it...speak through his songs.
He had the uncanny sense of choosing just the right song for the right moment.
But she too wanted
to say something to him...through a song. Would he catch her little trick?
"It was so good
that I feel like singing myself. I know that's not part of your wish list,
but..."
He smiled the most
endearing smile ever and bowed down. Music, she knew was the key to his soul.
She knew he was genuinely pleased at her volunteering to sing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FNMc0j1qM0
It wasn't just a
random song, she had sung. Taking a cue from him, she too had carefully chosen
the lines. But would he notice?
*********************************************************
Author note:
Hey guys I have a request here. I know You wouldnt kind of like it but still is it ok if i dont send u pms? I mean it takes a lot of time to update on this portal because it is so user unfriendly. NA dto send pms to 120 ppl everyday is a one hour affair.
As u guys know I update daily and inform in time if i cant, would you be able to manage with no PMs? please let me know. i anyways update my index so u can get the latest chapter links there.
Replies:
@manvilover18: Thanks
@roops14: Thanks :)
@urbabie: Thank you for adding me to your most loved list as well. :) manik was, is and always b a ggem. Yes its sunday morning, few more hours and he will go back to pune. Would you believe it was chapter 42 when he had come on friday morning. Cant believe I wrote 21 ++ chapters on 2 and a half day :) I hope i didnt bore u though.
@rockstarlover: Thank you :)
@payal94: Thanks
@Siyaaali: :):)
@AMAR_LOVE: :) Continuing
@thamannamanan1: I am sorry I am the reason for ur diabetes. khatta meetha to chalta rahega.But in my FF, the ratio of karela to meetha is 1:20, so keep calm and read. I love to put in a reply whenever i can manage. last few days haven been particularly good. But i hope going ahead things will be brighter for me. take care n love u too
@desaiK: :)
@jenny1011: How I love these first time comments from my silent readers. Its so soulful and genuine that I fumble for the appropriate words to reply with. Guess I kind of suck at giving replies. I write 2000 words long chapters but when it comes to replying, I have to struggl eto pull out 20 worthy words.
All I wanna say is, if u can feel your manan here, if u can visualise them, if u can witness their pain and pleasure, if u can feel the warmth of their love, I am successful as a writer. To me its much more than a mere piece of fiction, its giving hope and happiness to so many people across differentplatforms. Just keep your love and blessings comng. I might not always be able to reply, forgive me for that.
@monstermanik : :) Thank you buddy :)
@Manansamkhan: Yes finally its sunday and finally they are friends... They both have grown in the last three years and their relationship is way stronger now.
@shoana: Hi my love :) Thaaat kind of things keep on happening in their lives..U see they keep on having the kiss miss situations in their lives :).
As for you, U mean more to me than just a reader. As u might have guessed by now, my nature is a little emotional. I easily get attached to people though at times I can get detached too with equal ease. I love how u care for me as much as u care for my work. I donno, may be i am not so good at writing my own dialogues, but just know u r special :)
@vaanii078 : I think it was chachi, who first brought up this thing about his name.Before that we had not noticed that he was so true to his name.I am sorry for making you cry dear, In fact I myself cried while writing it dwn, But i guess even pain too is beautiful. If life were all sunshine, we would never have the rainbow. :)
I take breaks when it becomes unmanageable for me to give an update. I have not ben keeping too well for the past few days so my writing pace is half of what it used to be and the length of my chapters have increased. So even though it aparently seems like I am having an off day, in reality I am still working to keep things in a shape.
@neetamandaliya : THank you so much :)
@jesse93: u r so right. It was kinda bad in season 1 with those rules and regulations. I felt t was against Manik's nature. He was the best friend ever and NAndini deserved his friendship. But that angle was never brought up. In season 3, she will rightfully be his friend along with being his gf and soulmate. thats how it should have been. keep ur comments coming love, they are like medicine :)
@styletheworld: There u go, new update on new thread is up :)
@ac2000: ROFL, U r so right :) Y should guys have all the fun?
@keeprak: I am sorry u had to make do by rereading the last chapter... :( But now u have the new chapter in a new thread.. so read and enjoy :)
Edited by 1_drop_of_rain - 7 years ago
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