Manan SS -Silence Speaks

Part 10

"And since when do you like me?" He was slowly breaking out of his shell. It was Nandini who had begun the game, but as time went by, the tables slowly turned around.

"Since forever, I don't think I should even answer that because people will call me pervert."

"There are no people here Nandini, it's just you and me."

"Ok, in that case it started with hate. You the monster used to pull my braids and call me chubby cheeks. Not one day would go by when you wouldn't tease me but then once, I slipped on stage and while everyone was laughing, only you came forward to give me a hand. That was when I started liking you, silently. " 

"That was in 3rd standard Nandini, tum tabhi se?"

"Mujhe pata tha, the moment I confess you will tease me." Annoyed, she puffed her nose.

"Acha bab nahi bolunga, continue."

"It doesn't start with love, I mean in my case it didn't. At that age you don't even know what love is. I just liked you, because even though you were always angry, whenever I was in real trouble, you were the only one to help. And with time that liking only kept on increasing and then one fine day I realized, it was more than liking because I used to have these conversations with an imaginary you, I used to write page after page in my diary as if I was writing to you." She looked at him with sad eyes. "But by then you had drifted away. You hardly attended classes. You were all the time busy with music and your friends, practicing, jamming, performing. But the more our paths diverged, the deeper my feelings for you grew. Pata hi nahi chala kab hum bare ho gaye and you became this six feet ka coconut tree.... O..nono.. Rockstar. You became this heartthrob and stepped into your own league and poor me had no entry there."

Manik broke into peels of laughter. "But for some reason, you stayed 'Chubby Cheeks' for me, and your nose... that's even cuter than before." So many memories were coming alive today....his entire childhood, his restless adolescence, the happier parts of it.. he could see them play out right in front of his eyes. Should he tell her just how much he loved those chubby cheeks of her. That's why he used to pull her braids, just to be around her. And even when they grew up, he never stopped noticing her.

"Do you remember our annual days from previous years, Manik, when you used to perform with Fab 5 and I used to be part of the coordinating team?"

"Hmm" he nodded.

"My sole reason of participating was you."

He looked at her surprised.

"Because that was the only time I could stay around you. You and your friends hardly attended class, you were always bunking, jamming and practicing for performances. So I used to eagerly wait for that one month before the annual function, it used to be the best month of the year for me. I used to watch you practice with your friends, I used to see you smile and share jokes and I used to feel jealous of them because I too wanted to be a part of it. But then, there were times when I saw you sad and alone and I used to pray to God to make it alright. I don't know how many diaries I have finished writing about you, your songs, your smiles, your smirks and our little fights. "

"Thtas not fair Nandu, you were always nose deep in your books, even in the green room. I always felt like talking to you but didn't want to disturb you."

"That was just acting Manik. I couldn't have sat there ogling at you. Neither did I have friends to socialize with. I had to pretend to do something right. If only you had just called me once. And you know, every year, the day after the annual function, I used to cry buckets at home. It was like someone had snatched away a part of me. Mom and dad used to wonder why, but how could I tell them that I was missing you."