Manik Malhotra (The Insidious love) Complete✅️

Chapter 6- "The first kiss..."

"Your first love isn't the first person you give your heart to―it's the first one who breaks it."

Present time:

Suddenly, my phone vibrates. I ignore it as I am not in a mood to talk to anyone right now. It gets silent in a second. I again concentrate on Nandini's photograph. I pick it up and dust the ashes.

"Love is like fire. First, it warms us then it burns us."

I whisper in a hoarse voice, looking into her shining eyes. I press the cigarette between my cracked lips and sharply inhale the fume. It almost chokes me instantly. I cough vigorously and swear it. After some second, my breathlessness subsides. I pick the bottle again but somehow the urge to gulp the liquor has gone.

"Damn!"

I utter ruefully and keep the bottle on the side table with a thud sound.

"You won't even let me enjoy...right? You need punishment."

I again keep the photo in front of me and near the burning tip of the cigarette to her smooth collar bone. It slowly starts boring the place. Suddenly the calling bell refrains me to continue this pleasurable sadistic work.

"Go to hell....I am busy..."

I reply in a lispy voice. But the person behind the closed door must be more stubborn than me. This time the bell almost deafens me. Swearing under my breath I get up from the bed. If it is Cabir then I will kill him. I head to the door and unbolt it. The sight slightly simmers down my bitterness.

"Why didn't you pick up my call?"

Diksha mouths annoyedly. I turn with an impassive expression.

"Why are you here?"

I counter-question and return to my place. Diksha is a journalist. Works in a reputed newspaper. She is in crime beat; however, I think she could have shined more on page 3 as she is more into Bollywood scandals. We met in our hospital when she came to cover a piece of accident news. Gradually, our one-time meeting kept on repeating. Now, she considers me her only friend in Delhi and for me, she is a temporary relief from my restless thoughts.

"Don't be so mean, Manik. You only asked me to come. Sometimes I think you are using me as a dustbin to vent out your frustration and aggression."

She sounds exasperated yet hurt. Oh, yes, I asked her to come. Yesterday I was in a super restless mood and I needed her to simmer it down. I again light a cigarette and puff some rings.

"Oh, yeah, I asked but that was yesterday. You are 24 hours late."

I mouth with a snicker. Diksha snatches the cigar from my hand and inhales the smoke sharply.

"Stop your sarcasm, Manik. I am not an idle doll who will dance with your behest."

She hisses out and throws the cigar on the floor and stomps on it. Suddenly the rage clouds my mind. In a blink of an eye, I claw her wrist and twist it behind her back. Simultaneously, I paste her upper torso to my chest.

"You will because you have no other option."

My voice is impassive. Diksha flinches in pain but utters in an intense tone,

"You are exploiting my love, Manik. Don't you feel guilty?"

The word love adds fuel to the fire in my mind. I twiddle her wrist more violently.

"No! Because you don't love me. You are just attracted to my body. All of you fool the boys with this stupid word, love when you all know that love is nothing but an eyewash."

My tone has hatred and mockery. Diksha meets my deadpan eyes and replies,

"It's a lie, Manik. Your heart is more important to me than your body."

My lips curve in a sarcastic smile. I decrease our distance and touch her jawline with my lips. I trail it towards her earlobe and whisper against her ear.

"But for me, body is more important than heart. At least, it doesn't confuse us. Right now, your body is reacting despite you being angry with me. Isn't it?"

I press her earlobe between my teeth and slightly tug it. Her body shivers and I chuckle inwardly.

"Love my foot."

I slowly free her hands and clasp her waist. My desperate fingers dig in her soft flesh. Diksha hides her face in the crook of my neck and kisses the skin softly. Her hands are now snaking my body in an ardent desire. Her kisses are getting more passionate and dominating on my neck, collarbone and throat. Suddenly she fists my hair and plunges her soft warm lips into me. Something gets torn in my mind. I grab her shoulders and shove her violently to free my lips from her possession. Diksha stubbles back and meets my red intoxicated eyes with her flummoxed ones.

"Now, you got your answer? I am not using you, Babe. Instead, you only need this body. Love and all are bullshit."

I mock out. Diksha wipes her lips from the back of her palm and mouths in a hurt tone,

"You are poisoned, Manik. Your mind, body, soul all are poisoned. Hope someday someone will change your hatred to love."

She grabs her bag and exits with a determined gait. I step back and sit on the bed. A scornful grin is lingering on my lips. My eyes fall on Nandini's picture. I mumble,

"But you have already changed my love into hatred. Now, this heart has nothing to cherish only hatred for you, Nandini. I curse the day I first saw you, I curse the day I first touched you and I curse the day when I first kissed you."

Flashback:

It's been a month since Nandini and I became friends. We still haven't been open about our feeling for each other. Neither I proposed to her. Somehow, I am a bit allergic to the cliché romance. I know she loves me and so do I. Then why all these formalities are needed? Right now, we are sitting on the backyard field of our college. All classes are over. Sun is setting behind the college main building. Nandini is looking at the tangerine sky. Some hair strands are frequently covering her seraphic face. Her fingers are knotted and kept on her lap. My eyes fall on her long eyelashes and slowly trail down to her chubby pinkish cheeks to her jawline and then settle on her slender neck. Suddenly I feel an urge to kiss her. Nandini might feel my intense stare at her. The back of her neck has goosebumps. She turns at me. Her eyes have a query. My orbs meet her doe eyes and slip to her plumpy lips. I scoot forward. Her sweet fragrance titillates my desire. Nandini doesn't move from her place. Our distance decreases bit by bit. Now, I can feel her warm and restless breath. She closes her eyes. For the last time, I roam my surprised eyes on her face. I fill the last gap and brush her soft lips with my rough ones. It's truly said that our first kiss soothes our souls. That heavenly touch frees thousands of butterflies in my stomach. She doesn't withdraw and I sink my eager lips more to hers. The hesitation....the longing...the uncertainty...the trust...the nervousness...the eagerness...the souls fussing...the hearts melting...the simplest touch...the start of something new...the first kiss. She responds and we get adrift.

Baatei zaroori hain, tera milan bhi zaroori.. (It's important to meet you and have conversation)

Maine mita deni yeh joh teri meri doori...(I'll erase this distance that exists between us)

Jhooti hai who raahein sari duniya ki ishq Jahan na chale...(All the paths of the world where love doesn't exist are fake)

Tera hona mera hona kya hona agar na dono mile...(Our existence is not worthy if we don't unite)

Tu pehla pehla pyaar hai mera...(You're my first love)

Tu pehla pehla pyaar hai mera...(You're my first love)

Author's note: In the next chapter the flashback will continue.