Whispers of Heart (Part 1 of the Hallway Love Series)

Chapter 3

*TW: There is a little discussion about death and the ceremonies after just in case! *

Nandani came straight to her room and changed her clothes after playing the One direction playlist. After changing her clothes she took her diary and started the entry for the day,

Nandani (in her diary)

Dear Diary,

Well, the day was not how expected it to be. It was much worse than I thought. And to be honest it was the kind of day I never expected I will see. First with everything that happened with Navya yesterday and then because of that my argument with Manik. Well, I won't really call it an argument more like the dominance he showed. Whatever now I am in a fix. Is it really liking? Like, do I really like a man who has literally no respect for girls, (well I saw how much he has) and is also so arrogant and short-tempered? I mean he basically shouted at me because tried to keep my point and gave justification for Navya? I mean isn't that plain rude? Except for mom no one really shouted at me. I don't know what am I even talking about. You know what bye-bye Mr. Manik Malhotra.

She wrote the entry in anger still not over with the incident. After writing her diary she took some of the money from her piggy bank and went to the shop just diagonal to her house. She bought two chocolates and then while watching YouTube and listening to some songs she ate both of them. After some time her mother came back home and she left for her tuition. The entire day then went like any other day.

From that day onwards Nandani started ignoring Manik and like this, a year passed. Nandani oath never to talk to Manik but she still use to get lost whenever she use to see him. While taking out her anger on Manik, she also started ignoring Alya and Cabir and the talks were limited to 'hi' and 'hellos'. Though it was sudden and mostly unnecessary, they were never so thick friends to come up to each other and ask if everything was good, or the reason behind the behaviour. With time even they stopped noticing. 

Nandani was now in her 7th class. And other than Navya and MAYA she had made many other friends in her class. And even though the entire year she ignored Manik, She always use to end up finding him standing somewhere in the line while assembly or in the same corner while lunch.

It was the month of June when she was standing with her family in the garden. She had no school neither she has any tuition because of the summer break. Her entire family came back home after a 5-day trip to Uttarakhand yesterday and it was her Mother's birthday in two days. She was roaming around the garden when she lifted her head to see the lights of Manik's house were off.

Must have gone for a trip.

She said it to herself. Days passed and every day she use to look up and find the house empty. She even went in front of his house a couple of times to check if it was locked or not. But there was nothing.

After 2 weeks of desperation, the school finally opened. And as expected Alya, Cabir, Manik, and his elder sister Mukti also came to school. She wanted to know desperately where they were from the last two weeks, or I don't know more than that. And thankfully at the time of dispersal, Alya saw her going to her bus like any other day. Manik, Dhruv, and Abhimanyu were coming behind them talking and laughing about something. While talking Nandani asked,

Nandani: And how was your summer vacation? Went for a trip or what?

Alya: What trip dude? In the starting, all of us were busy completing our holiday homework. Then almost 2 and a 1\2 weeks ago we shifted to another house so after that we all were busy cleaning and setting up the entire home.

Nandani eyes widened when she heard the word shifted, so she asked her: Shifted?

Alya: Ya we shifted to the other society just behind the one in which you are living.

Nandani somehow nodded with a heavy heart and smiled at Alya. Her bus came and she bided Bye to her and went inside after glancing at Manik. She sat at one of the seats and was looking outside with a sad smile.

After going back home she took her diary and started writing,

Dear Diary,

It's been a very long time since I mentioned a specific name to you.

Manik.

If I say that I was thinking about him every day and not telling you then that would be wrong. I was not thinking about him except for sometimes in the past, almost, a year. But today I mentioned him because I have got to know something. My childhood crush. Who was living in the same society as me, Who was living in front of my house, Who is studying in the same school as mine, Has shifted. Yes... Now I guess this will make things a little easier... Don't you think?

(TW: STARTS! )

Nandani has never been so confusing as she was now. Till now she was just a girl who has seen death in her family for the first time in less than a year ago. She is scared of them. Every night she sleeps she gets the visual of that day when her maternal grandfather was been taken in arthi towards the ambulance. Her mother and maternal grandmother are crying. Her uncle has tears in his eyes but is still moving toward the gate of the house with a heavy heart. Her father is standing in a corner surrounded by her paternal aunts and uncles and grandparents. And she is standing there, where a while ago her dear Grandpa was lying. With a white cloth covering his entire body except for his face, and cotton buds in his nose and ears.

.

.

.

.

Annddddddd......

.

THUD!!

(TW: ENDS)

And she wakes up with a gasp. She looks up to see her mother standing in front of her with a confused look. She then looks at the time to see she was late for tuition. Without any further delay, she went and changed into casuals while cursing herself for sleeping after coming back and then went to her tuition after saying bye to her mother.

Days pass by but the same question was itching her for so long. Is she over that person or not?

Soon the annual day preparation started and even she was participating in a dance. It was a musical show for two days in the play Romeo and Juliet.

She and almost all her friends and classmates including Navya, Zoya, Maya, and Cabir, and along with them many of her seniors were a part of this musical some of which she knew also included Abhimanyu.

She saw Navya talking to him many times between the practices and other times like during dispersals or when he was on the same floor for his lab period. She also saw Manik many times roaming here and there. She still had some budding love for the boy but was really mad about all the things that he said to her because of Navya and that was one of the things stopping her from actually accepting it. 

Come on, you can't really blame the girl for helping and supporting her friends?

It was one day when during the practice of the skit everyone around her decision to play a game including some of the seniors there. Truth and dare!! No one held back while playing with a new set of people and some nasty dares were given to all the students when Nandani's chance came she quickly opted for TRUTH...

Little did she know she was trapped and is going to regret this choice for a very long time! 

Friend 1: So Nandani! Truth right?

Nandani nodded.

Friend 2: wait I will ask her!

Cabir: no I will ask her!!

Everyone got quiet listening to him while Nandani grew a little conscious about the entire thing but still kept a strong face. This caught Abhimanyu and Dhruv's attention who were also sitting there behind Cabir. They were confused at Cabir's move at first but then considering it a game they shrugged off the topic but still listened to them attentively. 

Cabir: so Nandani you said earlier to me that you have a crush!

Nandani nodded looking at him and remembers the time when Cabir overheard her talking to Maya about "her crush" and she had to unwillingly agree with the fact.

Cabir: so tell us his name!

NUMB....