Tales of the Heart

Chapter 17

"Nandini, please leave me alone. I need sometime for myself. I'm not feeling good. You should go back home now." Manik's voice was rude. He never spoke to her this way. The tone of his voice so as his words hit Nandini badly but she couldn't do anything.

"Mani, you're asking me to leave? You're seriously asking me to go away?" Nandini asked in disbelief with a hope that he would deny.

"Yes. I guess you heard me right." His voice was still the same.

Wiping away the tears, Nandini started going away still she looked back a few times with a hope that maybe Manik would come out and stop her. But there was no sign of him. 

'Mani could tell me like this? But he is right. Who would like to be with a girl like me? It's better for me to leave. He himself said he didn't want to see me. I'll go.' 

Nandini thought in mind and ran out to the hall. She took her bag from the couch and ran out of the house. 

"Di..." Avneet shouted from back but Nandini left in hurry without even hearing her. She looked back at Sid who was equally confused as her. "What happened to di? Why did she leave like that? I mean... She had gone to call Manik bhai. Then?" 

Sid nodded. "I was thinking that only. Manik was looking very angry when he left. Did he say anything to Nandini?" He didn't like the way Nandini went away.

"That can be found out only after we speak to Manik bhai. Let's go and see him." Avneet got up and started walking towards Manik's room.

Siddharth followed her. 

"Manik bhai, open the door." Avneet knocked on the door but he didn't hear anything.

"Manik, open the door. It's urgent. We need to talk to you about something important." Sid too knocked on the door. "Manik, open the door."

When Manik still didn't open the door, Avneet started speaking but loud enough for him to hear from inside too. "Manik bhai, did you say anything to di? Why did she leave like that? At least, tell us what happened. See di was crying when she left. You know she doesn't cry, if the matter didn't hurt her a lot. Please bhai open the door."

This time Manik couldn't stop and open the door. Siddharth and Avneet walked inside seeing him opening the door. "Manik, what's the matter? What did you say to Nandini? You didn't see the way she left. She looked hurt. What did you both talk about?" 

Manik frowned. 'Nandini left? But I didn't say anything to her. We didn't even have any sort of conversation.' He himself was confused as this thought crossed his mind. 

"I can't remember. Actually I didn't open the door for her."

"Bhai, try to remember. You must have said something to her. Anything. I saw tears in her eyes. She didn't even look at us." Avneet looked at Manik eagerly. She knew her sister well. There must be something which hurt her a lot.

Manik tried to remember his conversation with Nandini. He tried to keep his thoughts cold and thought of it, then he remembered the words which he spoken to her in anger. He felt like banging his own head somewhere for this. He was well aware how sensitive Nandini is. Even though she is really calm but she can't take ignorance from the people she loved and here he asked her to leave without even hearing her.

"Avneet, I did a blunder." Manik looked down rubbing his palms over his face.

"What?" Avneet frowned as she saw Manik.