With Mangoes And Chocolates | ✓

34. Unstable strings.

Bhavuk could see the good days coming to an end. Life was about to slow down, once again. He couldn't quite contemplate the notion.

Arbaz had his flight scheduled after two days and Kartik had his after three days. Nitya had to leave for Mumbai too. Today was the last Sunday of everyone being together.

His eyes followed Manasvi wherever she went whilst the game of dumb charades went on. It was her turn and she was truly struggling to make the four girls understand her idea.

He could never understand how easily she moved ahead with her life. She could cry herself to sleep and next day pretend as if she was the happiest human alive. He couldn't. If he were her, he would've sulked for days. It wasn't exactly moving on, though. It was more of pretending. Moving on was way harder for her, he knew.

The idea of hurting her still stung. She'd assured him multiple times that it was fine, that she trusted him, yada yada, but he couldn't shake her sobbing image off of his mind. It wasn't the first time he'd got her all upset. But it was the first time she'd compared him to a man who had always negatively impacted her life.

He had always been extremely confident of her love for her. He could never hurt her, he knew. He liked spreading roses on the path she was about to step on. But what if it wasn't so true? She didn't even need him. He was the one who needed her.

"What's up?" Arbaz shook his shoulder.
"Nothing," he said, not daring to look at him.  "Were the two of you close? You and Manasvi."
"We are close."

"I know," he blurted out instantly, keeping aside the awful feeling that had begun to crawl up his gut. He had never felt jealous over her. He'd always been territorial. He could shove aside those guys who were after her but someone she'd herself chosen? He couldn't say anything. Besides, she wasn't his anymore. She had the right to choose. "But you were closer with her during the last two years of her school."

"That's right. I liked her company. We were close, but not physically, if that makes you feel any better." He heard him say. "It had always been friendship but everyone thought we were a thing or something, so she thought it was better to accept it than explain it to everyone. Did she tell you everything?"

She had told him everything. From her JEE to her university. "Yes."
"Everything?"
"Yes."

"About her trying to jump off seventh floor and harming herself?"
No. She hadn't. "No."

"As expected," he said quietly. "Manasvi is a very. . .complicated girl, Bhavuk. She doesn't look like one because she's smart enough to choose what to show people and what not to. But deep down, she's sensitive. She looks indecisive but she's not. She's very clear about what she wants. But—"

"She thinks it's selfish to trust her judgement," Bhavuk completed. Manasvi's inner self wasn't new to him. They had had enough messy moments in between them for him to analyse her raw self.

"That being said, loving her is hard. You need to be careful. You need to know how to help her. If you're willing to do that, you might as well have the best wife ever."

Wife. He liked the sound of it.

"Bhavuk, your turn," Manasvi held his hand to drag him in the centre.
He resisted. "Let's call it a day already."

"Really?" She tsked, giving him a you-are-no-fun look. "Okay, then. Dismiss, guys."

She followed him until he was standing right in front of the door. "No getting wrecked. Okay?"

Bhavuk was the only one who swayed his head in agreement. The rest four stared at each other.

"Say okay, duffers," she glared.