The Enchantress |COMPLETE| MaNan Fiction

6. In Pensiveness

A/N : So an average of 100 people read this book regularly & about a quarter likes it enough to vote? What about the rest, you guys dislike it? :(

Come on silent readers, please help a writer here - looking forward to some more votes and comments here :)

For the readers who read, vote, comment & appreciate this story, folks you have my entire heart! I will keep publishing for you guys!

Loads of love & happy reading!

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Nandini:

"Suddenly she realized what she was regretting was not the lost past, but the lost future, not what had not been, but what would never be." ~ Voice of the Ocean, Nandini.

I have often found my first novel more relatable with life than all the others that were bestsellers. "Voice of Ocean" , my first novel, had tanked. Unlike my other books, no movie was ever made on it, not many people even read it either. Not many people like looking into a mirror that reflects truth.

I was getting Armaan ready for home from Navya's next morning, when there was a knock on the door. I turned around and froze; he was standing at the door, looking me directly in the eye. The Manik I have known earlier, always had a grin on him, the smouldering eyes with choler in them belonged to the man I had made love to – and ever since I have come to Mumbai, I am only meeting this man.

Last evening when we came face to face for the first time, I was chasing Armaan as he ran up the Malhotra Mansion to meet Nyonica aunty, but suddenly he came in between. I had seen him freeze for a moment, before he gently caressed my arm with the tip of his finger and spoke almost in reverence – Nandini..

For a brief few moments I felt like I was in a time warp, back in the comfort of my bedroom in Delhi on a rainy afternoon with Manik holding me. I shuddered at his mere touch. I could feel my skin melt in heat at the places where his fingertips touched. I had never craved for a man this much in my life. In my years of marriage I have often let my husband Aryamann warm my bed and body without warming my soul, but what was it about this man that could shake my core with a mere touch? Standing there, in a daze I felt for the first time that maybe coming to attend Aal's wedding wasn't a good idea. Maybe I could never see Aal claiming another of my loved ones. As I stood there looking into his eyes, as my morals crumpled fast, I heard Navya greet Adi in 'Nyonica auntie's room and I snapped back to my mundane reality that had no place for hope or peace.

He seemed to come out of a trance himself as he quickly let go of my arms and said, "Actually..I was...err..going down" and nodded at me awkwardly.

"Yes Manik, I was just trying to stop Armaan from..."I stammered as I couldn't help but shamelessly stare at his rather dry lips. Cigarettes..I thought wishfully, that's what his lips tasted like.

"So..umm..you arrived today? Di was saying you'd be coming later"

"No Armaan was really looking forward to the wedding..so.." again I was out of words, but at the same time I felt more indignant in proving myself casual than ever and a certain part of me wanted to instil this in him, that things between us would exactly be, how we had planned it to be. So I suddenly found myself saying, "Aryamann would come soon too".

It burned my heart to see that his polite smile stiffened a little at my husbands' mention. Why did the slight discomfort in him hearing about my husband please me thus? I realized I was treading dangerous water now; hence I quickly nodded at him and escaped from there.

Yesterday was easy, I had an escape, but now? As I looked at him, I gulped. It felt like familiar times, only we were in Mumbai and we were at his home where my half-sister would soon join him as wife. As he slowly advanced towards me, I cautiously took a few steps back, and he stopped.