Love will Find The way

Chapter 23- Long Night Conversations

''Why would anyone hate a guy like Sid?'' Nandini instantly answered. Manik didn't expect that answer. ''Question to a question, who on earth would love their ex! if you love him why did you break up?'' Manik asked her irritated. ''Why do you care if I still like him or not'' Nandini said simply. ''Right, why should I care?'' Manik thought for a second. ''Tum na bigg boss nahi dekha karo, aise hi doosron ki life mein interfere karna aadat padh jayegi'' she gave him a free advice out of nowhere. ''Ab mujhe please ghar drop karoge! Satya will be waiting for me'' she asked him with all the possible sweetness. Manik drove the car and they reached her place. ''Satya and Aryaman, they both are sleeping, go home and don't disturb them, door locked nahi hai, so go straight to your room and sleep there'' he instructed her. 

''Aryaman kab aaya? Why is he sleeping at my place, didn't you gave your guest house to him'' she asked in a complaining him. ''If I had that guest house I would keep it all to myself and kabhi waha se baahar aane ka mann hi nahi karta, what a beautiful place it is! Calm and peaceful'' she said remembering Manik's guest house where Aryaman stays. ''Do you like that place?'' he asked. ''Yes of course'' she said. ''Go now'' he said. ''Jaane ka mann nahi hai'' she whined like a child. ''Oh God! Please not again'' Manik muttered. ''Oh God nahi Oh Nandini bolo na. Last night I took care of you while you were drunk, tumhara har demand poora kiya maine, can't you do this for me'' she asked. ''So, what do you want me to do'' he asked obediently. ''Mr. Manik Malhotra, the Super Star and heart throb, mere liye kuch bhi karega?'' she asked herself in excitement. ''Pinch me now'' she asked and he pinched her. ''Ouch, you are real'' she said with doe eyes widened in amusement. 

''You are so lucky Manik. Stardom, fans, fame, money and love. Tumhara life mein sab kuch hai'' she said. ''Nandini, no one is perfect, what do you know about me, you will just see what I wanted you to see'' Manik said pulling his driver seat back to relax. Nandini turned her head back from the passenger seat to have a look at him. ''Right, you are talking about your insomnia now! Duniya mein aur bhi bahut saare problems hai, it isn't an incurable disease or something'' she said. ''No, you're again judging me'' he ignored her. ''Don't worry your secret will be safe with me, main kisiko nahi bataungi'' she said. Manik suddenly got up from his comfortable position. ''Because you will forget everything tomorrow morning?'' Manik asked her. ''Ha, I don't want to remember bad days and feelings, that is why I was drunk'' she said.

''I wish life has a pause button and then we can rewind and restart it again'' Manik said. ''What will you do if you restart your life again, which age you want to go to if you find a time machine?'' Nandini asked. ''I would go back to my school days and would never do that mistake on that horrible night'' Manik's voice became intense. His eyes instantly turned blood red. ''But uss accident ke wajhe se hi tumhe Siya ka pyaar mila na'' Nandini asked him. ''Wahi Siya ka pyaar mujhe kamzor karne lagi'' he said and took whiskey bottle as Nandini placed near him. ''See, even you need to drink to forget everything, alcohol is therapeutic'' Nandini said. ''Whenever I look at Siya, I feel guilty and I regret for what I have done to her. I feel she cannot be happy with me'' Manik said. ''You're right, tum usse kabhi kush nahi rakh paoge, look at yourself, Siya can't be happy with a person who is guilt-ridden'' Nandini said. 

''We both are same same but different'' he said. ''Kaise?'' she asked. ''Humara love complicated hai'' he said. ''Our Love?'' Nandini asked him. ''I mean you with Sid and me with Siya'' he explained. They sat in silence. Nandini hummed a song to break the silence.

Kammani Nee premalekhale raasindi hurudayame

''Tum gaa rahi ho?'' Manik asked. ''Ha, I love this song'' she said. ''Ye telugu song hai na'' he asked. 

Priyatama neevachata kushalama, nenichata kushalame

Oohalanni paatale kanula thotalo, tholi kalala kavithale mata matalo

(https://youtu.be/61T8cxzFmBk?si=LOs13wzAkKg5eZjS)

''What does this mean?'' Manik asked. ''This is a love letter'' Nandini said. ''Interesting, go on'' Manik said. ''Dear love, Is everything okay with you? I'm fine here. I am singing this song as I turned my dreams as lyrics'' she said. '''Wonderful song'' Nandini said. ''Did you sing it for Sid now?'' he asked possessively. ''What do you want to hear Manik?'' she asked looking at him. Manik got out of the car as she said. Nandini also got down and went near Manik. ''No, I sang this for you, to set up your sad mood'' she said. ''Thank you and I'm already in a cheerful mood'' he said standing on an almost deserted road. ''I wish ki iss raat kabhi khatam na ho!'' Manik said. ''Kya karoge ab poori raat" she asked. ''You can sing, we can dance, we can get drunk and most importantly hum kuch bhi khaa sakte hai, we will not get fat, bina diet charts ke'' Manik said. ''How is that possible?'' Nandini asked. ''Because we will not remember what happened this night, no one will remember and this world will forget everything tomorrow morning'' he said happy and cheerful.

Manik asked Nandini for her hand to dance. ''You should sing now'' he said. ''No, its your turn now'' she insisted him. 

Ae Zindagi gala laga le, Ae Zindagi gala laga le

Humne bhi teri har ik gam ko gale se lagaya hai, hai na!

Manik hugged her as he sang the song. They swayed their bodies to the unheard tunes. They have completely forgotten about the outer world as they danced their heart out. They crashed the car as they felt tired. ''Ab ghar chalna chahiye'' she suggested. ''Yes, but pehle tum jao, I will also leave'' he said. ''Ok bye'' she said waving her hand and he got down the car. ''You're drunk Nandini, I will help you to go home'' he said. ''Even you are drunk Manik, first I will help you reach home. Bahut dhoor hai na'' she suggested. ''Arre baba main chale jaunga but first let me come with you'' he took her to the lift and looked around. ''Kya dekh rahe ho?'' she asked. ''I don't want anybody to know that you're drunk. I'm looking for surveillance cameras'' he said. ''Mere building wale bahut lazy hai wo cameras kisi kaam ke nahi hai'' she said leisurely. He took her home and they went inside. She waved bye to him and went to her room. Manik made himself comfortable beside Aryaman.

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Satya was the first to wake up in the morning. He yawned and saw Manik and Aryaman sleeping beside each other on the floor. He woke them up. ''Good morning'' Aryaman wished Satya. ''Manik, tum abhi bhi yaha ho'' Aryaman asked. ''I think I'm still here because you just talked to me and I heard you'' Manik said. ''Kab so gaye pata hi nahi chala'' Satya said. Manik went to wash basin to wash his face. He faintly remembered that he went to police station to fetch Nandini. He could recollect himself drinking along with Nandini. He came back and sat on the couch. Manik tried to hum the same song which Nandini sang last night.

''Priyatama, nenichata kushalame, neevachata kushalama'' he sang. ''Pehle neevachata phir nenichata, music maestro Ilayaraja ke composition hai ye'' Satya said. Nandini woke up and came out from her room. ''Aryaman we must go now'' Manik said. ''Arre tum kab aayi ho?'' Aryaman asked as he saw Nandini. ''Kal raat'' she said casually. ''Does she remember anything from last night'' Manik doubted. ''Thank God tum time pe ghar aagayi'' Satya said. Manik didn't talk anything and constantly nudged Aryaman to get out from there. ''Ok Nandini hum jaa rahe hai, we'll meet on the set'' Aryaman said. 

''Nandini, I realized something last night. You love Sid but can't be with him ever and I don't love Siya and I can't live without her. We're complicated'' Manik thought as he shut the door on her face.