My Perfect Storm💞

Chapter 18

Manali, a place I look forward to going every time, no matter the time of the year. I know a lot of people go to manali in the summer time because it's cool but it's the most beautiful place int he winner time, mountains are covered with a sheath of ice and it's perfect.

"Manik can you help me with mine?' Alia asks me as I was putting my bags in the luggage department of the bus

"Sure" I mumble grabbing her bags

I wouldn't say it isn't awkward anymore with alia because it is but it had gotten better in the past 3 days, even druv has been better.

"Are you sitting with cabir?" She asks

"No, he is sitting with navya" I reply

"Mind if you and I sit together?"

I do hesitate but nod anyways, I am not trying to start an argument at 5 in the morning, I have had enough already so I'd rather not. Another reason I said yes was because if I sit alone, I won't be able to control myself and I would end up sitting with nandini so it's better I don't

Alia takes the window seat while I sit beside her, navya and cabir sit together, mukti sits with a friend of hers, abhimanyu, and druv sits alone in the back. I couldn't help but look for Nandini and not finding her in the bus already makes me frown.

My phone beeps so I pull it out of my pocket to find a message from cabir.

'Looking for someone?' He texts making me look up at him

'Fuck off' I reply

'She might not come'

A sense of nausea hits me hearing that.

'Who?'

'The one who instantly brought that expression out' he replies

'Cabir shut up man'

"Nandini" he says out loud making me looking up quicker than I should have

She had the cutest grin on her face, a bag of chips in her hands, her little baby pink sling purse on her left shoulder. She was wearing blue ripped jeans and a white flowy top with pink flowers on it.  

"Cabuuuu" she giggles

"You found them?" He asks

"Yup and I got us tons of flavours, even grape" she says making me face

"Ohh let me see" he is a child too

Her eyes move from cabir to me but she doesn't smile, instead she just looks at me for a few seconds before she looks away again. She sits beside cabir right across from me showing him something and all of me wanted to intrude their conversation.

I want to hear her but not just her voice, but her talking to me. I want her to sit by me and tell me what she did the past three days but I have to keep reminding myself that she and I can never be together.

"Have you given a thought to our next album?" Alia asks

For a second I don't even realize she was talking to me because I was so lost in the conversation I was having with myself

"Huh?"

"Our album, have you thought of it?" She asks again

"Not really, I mean we just had an amazing opening 6 months ago and college was so stressful so I haven't given it much thought"

"Do you have any lyrics or a tune?" She asks

"A few but nothing that is rigid" I tell her

she nods looking at me and continues to stare