"A mild, soothing, achingly familiar call slips into my sleep.Manik... Manik... I smile even before consciousness fully claims me. I love the way she says my name...soft, possessive in its own quiet way. A sheepish curve touches my lips. Let's tease her a little, my wicked mind suggests. Without opening my eyes, my arms move instinctively, finding her with practiced ease, pulling her in. Perfectly caged. Her small frame melts or rather crashes against my solid chest. The warmth of her, the softness, the closeness... it all feels right. She squirms, protesting weakly, trying to wriggle free, but I tighten my hold. No. Not today. The past few days have robbed us of stolen moments, of lazy mornings like this. I deserve this. We deserve this. But then...Maniiik... it's serious. We have to go to the hospital.The nervous edge in Nandini's voice slices through my haze."
For a heartbeat, Manik doesn't react. He's still holding her, still half-lost in sleep and warmth. Then she jerks away sharply and sits up beside him, breath uneven. The sudden absence of her weight startles him awake. He opens his eyes, frowning, trying to grasp her words.
"Hospital? Why?"
His voice is rough, heavy with sleep.
"Aliya is hospitalised,"
Nandini blurts out.
"SP Bhosle called. He sounded really tense. I have to go."
The fog clears instantly. Manik sits up, alert now, his jaw tightening.
"Dhruv,"
He asks sharply.
"Where is Dhruv?"
Nandini shakes her head, uncertainty clouding her face.
"I don't know. Bhosle asked me to come. I thought you should know first."
That's all it takes. Manik swings his legs off the bed, grabs his robe, and strides toward the bathroom, irritation simmering under his calm exterior. Just before stepping in, he turns back, eyes dark, voice clipped.
"I think it's time I teach Bhosle some basic do's and don'ts. He should know one thing clearly...there is no way to Nandini Malhotra that doesn't go through Manik Malhotra. How dare he call you without informing me?"
"But..."
Nandini tries to reason, to soften the moment, but Manik raises a finger, silencing her gently yet firmly.
"No 'but'. I'll change. We'll leave together."
Final. Unquestionable. The bathroom door shuts. Nandini exhales slowly, exhaustion weighing down her shoulders. She sinks onto the bed, staring at nothing, her voice barely above a whisper...more to herself than to him.
"How long, Manik? How long will this over-possessiveness last? How long will this fear of losing me rule everything?"
There's defeat in her tone... and love. A love caught between being cherished and being caged.
...............................................
"What are her chances of survival?"
Dhruv asks. The doctor's gaze sweeps across the ring of anxious faces...everyone except Navya has crowded around him.
"It's too early to say,"
He replies gravely.
"She has slipped into a hypoglycemic coma."
He pauses, then adds,
"Given that she's diabetic, the condition is extremely critical."
"But how did this even happen?"
YOU ARE READING
Brute's Paradise
FanfictionThis is the sequel of the book 'Angel's Brute'. It starts from one and a half years after Manik flew away to Manhattan with Nandini and Rishav. However, have their lives changed? Has the brute become sane or his obsession for his angel has increased...
