❤ You Belong With Me ❤

Part 3

Part 3
Nandini entwined her hand with Manik's. He felt different as she touched his arm. Strangely, he felt complete. He looked at her as a smile of content crept up on his face, "Kya Hua? Why are you smiling?" asked a baffled Nandini. "Kuch nahi. Let's go." he said as they walked out of the place. "Where are we going though?" asked Nandini. "You see that tea stall over there? Let's go there. It looks peaceful" answered Manik, as they walked across the road.
"Bhaiya, ek filter coffee and ek- " said Manik raising an eyebrow at Nandini asking her for her order. "Do filter coffee, bhaiya" said Nandini and smiled at him. Manik smiled back at their same taste.
Both sat down and looked at the sky above, lost in it.
Destiny sometimes can be really cruel. To show us the real meaning of happiness and love, it goes to great extents for destroying us. But in the end when you look back you'll realise, how it has all been worth it. :)
"So, how come you were here at the party and I've never seen you before in SPACE Academy?" started Manik. "Because l studied in the US and just returned today. My bhai forced me to come here with him." she said, nodding at him.
"Ohkay. And you ditched him and were sitting there alone?" said Manik, turning to her. "I just needed to get some fresh air. It's all so suffocating..." staring blankly at the sky, back to her new self.
"What's suffocating?" he asked, softly in a low tone. "Everything! Everything that I look at reminds me of.... Nothing, it was just very loud in there." she said half-heartedly, looking away from him.
"Bhaiya, coffee!"said the stall owner. Manik noddingly smiled at him, took the glasses from him and passed one to Nandini.
"That's okay. I mean I understand you wouldn't want to share stuff with a stranger." he said, putting down his glass. "But if you want to talk, you know where to come!" said Manik, looking straight at her. "What makes you think I have something to share?" she asked politely. "Your eyes. They told me. They told me that you want to talk your heart out, but your mind won't let you." he said, leaving her astounded, gaping at him. She couldn't think of anything appropriate to say, giving way to an awkward silence between them.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" asked a lost Manik, after a while. "What?" she asked, following his gaze towards the sky. "The stars! Soo perfect... so magical!" he spoke in wonder. "Itna pyaar karte ho inse?" she asked looking at him, surprised. "Yes, yeh hain hi aise..! And you know what's the best part about them? They shine. No matter how dark the night is, they shine for us. They give us hope." said Manik turning to face her, with a glint in his eyes.
Nandini kept looking at him. She was strangely drawn towards him. Her eyes were full of care and empathy. She didn't want him to get hurt. She wanted to tell him that his beliefs, his faith in the stars was unreal. She wanted to tell him how fantasies didn't work in their world. She wanted him to come to terms with the fact that these stars were miles away and didn't care about what happened with them here. They didn't shine for them.
But his hopes and beliefs were above all the hatred. As much as she wanted to bring the man next to her back to reality, she also wanted to believe him. She wanted to get done with her grieving process.
Sometimes the people you've just met can give you so much comfort that you don't think twice before letting yourself connect to them. They become your confidants and you agree to give them so much about you that the rest of the world has no idea about. The same was happening with Nandini. She found solace in a stranger who she had just met. But then this guy didn't quite fit into the frame of a stranger... he was a little more than that, something that she couldn't define. Overcoming the intense conflict between her mind and heart, she decided against her mind. She wanted to give his hope a chance.
"Waise agar tumhara world tour ho gaya ho toh you can have your coffee, haan?" said Manik, smiling. "World tour?!" she gave him a puzzled look. "Aur nahi toh kya! You keep slipping away in your own world so I thought.." he said grinning widely. "Hawww! Aisa Kuch nahi hai okay. Woh toh main bas..." said Nandini, trying to make something up.
Manik- Its okay baba. Don't blush so much.
Nandini- What!? I am not blushing!
Manik- Yes you are Miss..
"Itni duniya bhar ki baatein kar li! Apna naam toh batao!!" asked Manik as the sudden realisation struck him that they were unaware of each other's names. So did Nandini, as her lips opened up to form an O.
"Oh Haan! Woh Toh we forgot! Anyway, I am Nan.." said Nandini with a smile, extending her hand for a handshake but was cut off by someone else's voice.
"Here you are! I have been looking for you everywhere! Kaha chali gayi thi tu? And where the hell is your phone! Why is it switched off?" said a worried Abhimanyu, as he hurriedly walked over to the tea stall. "Abhi!! Woh actually I think the battery is dead. That's why it switched off" said Nandini, getting up. "Chal Koi baat nahi" said Abhimanyu, as he turned to Manik. "Hi dude! Tu yahan! Mukti and the others are looking for you inside!"
"Hi Abhi, yes! Actually I came to fetch my phone!" Manik said, looking at Nandini.
"Oh okay! By the way I think we should get going! Maasi has called thrice already. Chal jaldi!!" he said, turning to Nandini. "Haan thike chalo. Bye" said Nandini as she bid her goodbye to Manik, who in turn nodded at her as she left.
He couldn't believe she was Abhi's sister! Abhi was in the Fab5's good books. In fact he was very good friends with all of them, especially Mukti and Manik.
Paying for the coffee, Manik walked over to his car. He was smiling to himself reminiscing the encounter of the past hour, just when Mukti came from behind and tapped on his shoulder. "Were you looking for a shubh muhurat to come back inside?" she asked with a sarcastic smile. "Nahi.. woh.. woh main aa hi raha tha bas. Look kya deri hai ab. Chal andar." said Manik throwing his arm around her shoulder as they walked inside.

So they first met after so many long years as two strangers, unknown of the fact that they were childhood sweethearts. If the destiny can be cruel, it can also reunite two souls long lost. Destiny has its own ways and plays its own games.