TRUE LOVE NEVER GIVES UP

Chapter-51: The First Date

Nandini sat quietly in her room, her gaze fixed on the city lights shimmering outside her window. The memories of her first realization of love for Manik played like a movie in her mind. She could almost feel the warmth of that day, the gentle breeze on her face as they confessed their feelings for each other. A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the softness of Manik's voice when he admitted that he had fallen for her too.

Her smile faded as her thoughts drifted back to the present. She sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the current situation pressing down on her. She picks up the frame beside her where she and Vishakha was hugging with eachother laughing.

"Why, Mumma?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible. "Why can't you see where my happiness lies?"

She leaned back, hugging her knees to her chest, and rested her chin on top. The room was silent, except for the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. The silence felt suffocating, amplifying the turmoil in her heart.

"Mumma, you've always been there for me," Nandini continued, her voice trembling. "You've always known what I needed, even before I realized it myself. You've always understood my dreams, my desires... Then why now? Why can't you see that Manik is where my happiness is?"

Her thoughts raced back to the time when her mother would indulge her every whim, whether it was a simple wish or a grand desire. Vishakha had always been her pillar of strength, her guiding light. But now, that light seemed distant, almost unreachable.

Nandini closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. "I know you love me more than anything, Mumma," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I know you're doing what you think is best for me. But... can't you see that this is tearing me apart?"

She paused, the lump in her throat growing as the memories of her mother's care and affection flooded her mind. "You've always wanted the best for me," she continued softly. "But this... keeping me away from Manik... it feels like you're taking away the very thing that makes me whole."

A tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, as if trying to brush off the pain along with it. "I miss him so much, Mumma," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper. "Every day without him feels like a piece of me is missing. And I know he's hurting just as much."

Nandini stood up and walked over to the window, her fingers tracing the cold glass as she looked out at the night sky. "What are you so afraid of, Mumma?" she asked, her voice filled with a mix of confusion and sorrow. "Why can't you trust me to know what's best for my own heart?"

She leaned her forehead against the window, her breath fogging up the glass. "I just want to be with him, Mumma," she said softly. "Is that so wrong? Is it so wrong to want to be with the person who makes me feel alive, who understands me like no one else?"

Nandini's heart ached with the weight of her thoughts. She knew her mother loved her more than anything, but this love was now the very thing that was keeping her from the one person she couldn't live without.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I know you're trying to protect me, Mumma," she murmured. "But sometimes... sometimes love means letting go. Trusting that I can find my own way, even if it's not the path you would choose for me."

The silence of the room seemed to echo her words, making the emptiness around her even more profound. Nandini closed her eyes, letting the quiet envelop her.

"Please, Mumma," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Please, just let me be with him. Let me find my happiness, my own way. I promise, I'll be okay... as long as I have him by my side."