Tales of the Heart

Chapter 2

Manik looked at the time on his watch. It's been around 10 minutes. It's been 10 minutes since he was standing there at the same place. Nandini had come to the library 10 minutes back to return her book and sign a new one. He too followed her to the library. Nandini took a new book from one of the shelves and settled on one corner not caring what was transpiring around her. Manik too settled in front of her a few tables away with a desultory book but he had no concentration on that. He was only eyeing Nandini.

The library of this lane was very old and elite, but in the era of mobile and internet, no one generally came there. There was almost no one but a handful. But Manik and Nandini came here conventionally. Nandini came here regularly to have some alone time and drown in the world of imagination so that she could forget the real world for a while. But Manik came here once a week to get a new book. It was Manik who introduced Nandini to this place and since then she never ceased coming here. 

Manik was getting exasperated seeing Nandini not paying any attention to him. "What's so important about the book that she's not even noticing me? Or she is evading me on purpose? No... No... She hadn't seen me. If she had, then she would have come to me for sure. Well, should I go once to see her?" He was fighting a battle within himself. He failed to decide what he should do. "No, I'll go later. First, let me finish the book, then I'll see her. She seems to be reading something important." Unknowingly he was jealous of the book that got her attention and not him.

He turned his gaze towards the book and endeavored to focus on it. But today he was not able to read a single line only Nandini's thoughts were roaming in his mind. The boy who never looked away from her biology book, the book which is his passion, seemed to be pale today to him only for the girl sitting a few tables away him. She had captured all his thoughts successfully.

The words of last night were roaming in his mind again and again. Not able to resist himself, he raised his face to look at Nandini. His gazes locked on her.

Nandini was reading the book in her hand with utter attention. All her focus was occupied by the frivolous book in her hand, that's what Manik had to say about the book. He couldn't see her face as they were hidden behind the book. Only her two black almond shaped eyes which held the world in them were visible to him. Her long thick hair was left open. The incompliant traces were falling on her forehead as the breeze was passing through her. Sometimes a hand of hers was coming up to push them back abaft her ear. 

Manik didn't even notice when he forgot his biology book and was persistently staring at Nandini not caring to blink. For a moment, he forgot his surroundings completely, only a pair of black eyes were floating in front of his eyes. The long hair traces on her forehead caught his breath. He was lost in his world of imagination.

"Manik... Manik..."

Hearing his name being called, Manik emerged out of his noetic conceptions. He was so lost in his world of imagination that he did not realize when Nandini got up and came near him. She was standing just beside him still he didn't have any idea of that.

Manik gulped down his thoughts and looked at Nandini with his ever-so-charming smile which made Nandini doubt her actions. She could die for the smile on his face and could stare at the smile all her life without getting tired. Only if he knew how his smile affected her.

"Nandini! When did you come? Sorry. I didn't notice you." He pretended to be surprised as if he had no idea of Nandini's presence in this library room afore this. 

"How'll you realize? If your biology book is there in front of you, even if God himself calls you, you won't hear and see what's happening in front of you. And here I'm no good...." Nandini uttered modantly. She didn't want to sound this way but sometimes it became really difficult for her to control her emotion. She couldn't bear his ignorance towards her feelings anymore. She felt exhausted hiding her emotions all the time.