|| ENDLESS LOVE || -- A MaNan FF

|| Chapter Five ||

Manik was standing outside Nandini's apartment. He couldn't digest the fact that Nandini could think about him this way. He didn't know where she was all these days, but, she did. She could have found him, talked to him. But no, instead, she chose to self-immolate herself. All these days, he thought that something must have happened to her, someone might have done something to her. But, what he learned is something else altogether. She had left him and he didn't even know that she did.

Navya was sitting in Nandini's house, in the living room and was throwing him angry stares. He walked up to her and asked "What's your problem? What do you have against me?"

She stood up with her hands crossed. "I don't buy a single word of what you said out there."

Manik gave her a dirty look. "You don't have to." He said.

"Listen, I don't have anything against you, I mean I do, but I don't care about you. I want you to know that Nandini is not like before anymore. Even, if she chooses to come with you because of your threats, she will go in a downward spiral. She has become so weak and passive. Even if she is not comfortable with something, I mean if you do or say something that is bothering her, she will not be able to share it with you. I am her only friend. She will not be able to do all this on her own. She will collapse." Navya tried explaining him her point of view.

"She doesn't have to do anything on her own, I will be there with her. And will you please stop calling her weak? Tum weak ho, tum passive ho, tum akele kar nahi paogi, yehi bol bol kar tum ne usko aaise banaya hai. Uska dimaag phir gaya kya." Manik retorted angrily.

"You are blaming me? Damn! I did nothing but to encourage her and motivate her to come out of all this." fumed Navya.

"Right. If all your motivation made her like this, please do not motivate anyone ever again. Woh koi abla nari nahi hai, tum ne banaya hai use aaise. So cut this 'you destroyed her' crap. The fact is that whatever has happened had destroyed both of us." Manik argued back.

"Ohh shutup..." Navya and Manik started arguing fiercely.

Manik suddenly stopped, he couldn't hear a word Navya was shouting in his ears. Time stopped still looking like a picture in front of him. Nandini entered looking at Manik. Nikki was holding her right hand and Tara was holding her left. His family. She walked towards Manik and stopped in front of him. "Give me a few more minutes." She said and moved along into the kid's room and made the kids sit inside.

~~~~~~~

She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.

A part of her wanted to believe him but her mind kept ordering her not to. Whatever outburst they had a few minutes ago, one thing really pricked Nandini. It pricked her to see him so hurt and pained that he couldn't be a part of his children's lives. She felt very guilty for that and wanted to correct that part if not anything else. Even though she didn't fully believe his and Arya's take on the events that happened that night, she felt bad for Manik. She didn't expect him to care this much. She had become so wrapped up in her misery that she didn't realize that she was separating her kids from their father.

"Mumma, look what I made" Tara flourished a drawing proudly.

"Wow, that looks so amazing bunny." Nandini kissed her and made her sit on her lap. She took a deep breath, she had to be strong with this. She shouldn't let her kids see any doubts or uncertainties in her. Kids are very sensitive to these emotions, even when not spelled out as such.