Reality Ever After

Part 39. My Pillar of Strength

Hey guys,

Thank you for the amazing comments I've received for the previous chapter. I'm sorry but I'll get to responding to you all soon.

Also, I'm sorry for being late for this chapter. But in my defence, I was doing a little research for this chapter by watching 'Avengers' again. But then, unfortunately, I got hooked to it and landed up watching all 4 movies back to back. 😂

And not to mention, I cried like a baby when Tony Stark dies in the end! 😩

Anyway, that's got nothing to do with our Manan's story. So I hope you enjoy this chapter and do let me know your thoughts on this one.
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A week passed by and Manik was still trying to deal with what his friends had done behind his back. He hadn't bothered going to college the next few days either. Cabir and Mukti were desperately trying to call him and reach out to him. But Manik wasn't answering any of their calls. They had even tried going to his house but the butlers had told him he wasn't home. They knew there was a high possibility that he was home but had instructed the butlers to not let them know if they came over. They had even tried getting in touch with Nandini, which would in turn let them know about Manik. But Nandini had been ignoring their calls too. They simply didn't know what to do.

Manik, on the other hand, had withdrawn into his shell. He barely got out of his room. He spent hours binge watching random shows on Netflix to keep his mind off things, slept and woke up at odd hours of the day. He skipped most of his meals or probably just ate random junk food which he either ordered home or asked the butlers to go fetch. The only time he was a little bit himself or when he actually felt normal was when Nandini visited him everyday.

Since he refused to come to college, Nandini made it a point to visit him once at least before she went back home for the day. She let Manik be the first few days as she knew he was disturbed and sad about his friends. She didn't question it either because she knew his friends meant more to him than his life. And to have been betrayed by them was one of the biggest setbacks he could have faced in life. But now, the temporary sadness was beginning to prolong a little longer than expected. He was almost slipping into depression and she could not afford that. But she didn't know what more to do than just be there for him.

She mostly found him sleeping when she came to visit him in the evenings and she woke him up everyday. He didn't bother showering till she forced him to. The butlers told her about his eating habits about how Manik was skipping breakfast daily and barely even had lunch. He usually called for pizzas or other junk food in the middle of the day or night and didn't bother working out at all. The butlers also told her that he barely even stepped out of his room nowadays. He had even been drinking at odd hours and almost every other day. However, the scariest part was that he hadn't bothered touching his guitar in a week.

Although Nandini was thankful that he was not shutting her out at least. But this needed to stop. This was not the Manik she knew. Manik always had everything under control. He was a go-getter and an achiever. And to see him sitting at home and doing nothing nowadays didn't make her happy. In fact, all his behaviour indicated that he was borderline depressed. She now realised that for Manik, his friends weren't just his friends but they were the reason he woke up each morning. He had made his purpose in life to protect them and be there for them all the time. And now that they weren't, he was lost and didn't know what to do. There was this void in his life now which she knew even she couldn't fill.

It was a Friday evening and Nandini had decided that she was going to spend the weekend with Manik. She had told Chachi about Manik's depressed behaviour and had requested her to let stay with him. She was going to spend enough time with him and maybe try to help him sort his thoughts out. Only if he was ready. And also ensure that he's not left alone to deal with the messed up situation. If nothing, she would at least try to make him feel better.