Parineeta

Their Moments

Manik shifted on the bed making himself comfortable while Nandini eyed from bag to bag figuring out where to start from. She did not want to make it obvious but something in her had gotten excited looking at so many shopping bags, the old Nandini would've been.
"Hmm.. you've all the time in world.. take your time.. I'll get some sleep.." Manik bobbed his head as he looked at an ecstatic Nandini. He could feel the excitement in her eyes but he knew she wasn't going to show it to him. She rolled her eyes at his statement trying to conceal her real feelings in front of him.
"What is this and why did Navya call for so many things?"Nandini muttered and Manik leaned back carelessly as if he hadn't heard but he did, this isn't even half of what you deserve and I will do whatever it takes to let you know that, he wanted to say but he knew he couldn't. Not yet.
"Maybe she wanted you to have the best things she found" he said his eyes still closed as if he was just randomly guessing while in fact it was true only that instead of Navya he wanted her to have the best things he could find. Nandini looked at him, her eyes filled with questions. Manik slightly opened his eyes and saw her lost.
"Or maybe she had had enough of your drama and wanted to shut you up so she sent everything she found so you choose atleast most of them, you know and don't disturb her..."he diverted the topic bringing her back to reality and she rolled her eyes.
"I guess you've forgotten, we're talking about Navya here.. my best friend and not you..." She retorted as she took one of the many bags in her hand and looked inside.
Her words were harsh. They pinched Manik, he was her best friend too a year ago, but he knew he had it coming.
"Aah your best.. friend.." he paused as he looked closely at her as she pulled out a lemon yellow lehenga and traced her hand over it. He knew she loved it. Her eyes were shining brighter than yellow piece of
Cloth in her hand. He didn't want to continue the conversation they were having but he couldn't forget why he was here in the first place. He had to push her to talk to him. Talk to him about whatever she had on her mind. Ask him those questions she'd been holding in her eyes.
"Vahi best friend na..jisse tum chorh ke bhaag gayi thi ek saal pehle.. aur kabhi palat ke pucha nai ki vo kaisi hai?" Her eyes shot up at him and in that moment he hated himself for doing that to her. He slapped himself a million times in that moment. Her eyes held hurt, anger and accusations and he wanted her to scream at him, yell at him, and say whatever was going on within her but all there was was a deafening silence as Nandini held his gaze, unblinking. He felt like he'd hit the right chord and she would burst out but nothing happened. Instead she turned away a minute later and tucked the skirt of the lehenga to her waist and looked herself in the mirror.
"That's why she's my best friend and not you.."she paused as she smiled slightly, maybe sarcastically, eyeing her skirt while Manik looked at her, hurt, as her words rung in his head.
"She knows what I did and did not.. and she also knows why I did what I did.. I would never have to explain myself to her.. she knows me.. and that's the difference" she looked back at him but he couldn't. He couldn't understand whether he'd hit the right chord or she had.
"Keep your camera ready.. I wanna get over with this as soon as possible" she muttered as she took the lehenga with her to the washroom to change. He looked at her retreating figure until she vanished behind the door and then leaned behind replaying her words again and again in his head. He knew what she meant and he knew she was right. Had he not said what he said that day, things would've been so different.. difficult maybe because it would've taken him longer to realise his love for Nandini but she would've been around him, physically, mentally, emotionally. This distance, not the physical one but the mental and emotional one was torturing him and he couldn't bear it.
"I wanna get over with it too.. this distance.. can't take it anymore" he muttered, his eyes closed as he tried to get his nonchalant demeanor again.
The door of the washroom clicked open and Manik looked in her direction. Nandini stepped out in the yellow lehenga looking ethereal.