MaNan : Aching Smiles|| COMPLETED

19. Emotions at its best.

Hey. So, I am quite early this time. And this is because, I was supposed to post this chapter a few hours after I posted the last one. It is this chapter that will clear your vision about the last one. But so much happened after I posted chp 18, that I could not complete it. And hence it got delayed.
To be honest, I am not angry with what happened, maybe just hurt. But then, life goes on. And so will this story.
I will be waiting for the review this time, specially.
Happy reading!

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~ It is not always about what is seen earlier, sometimes it's about what comes later~

It was quite late already by the time Shiwali left and everyone retired to their rooms. But nothing was silent inside, as the night outside. Nandini couldn't sleep, her mind was repeating the only sentence that had twisted so many knives in her gut.

"I won't go back in time to loose someone like you Shiwali, and I want you to know that"

She turned sides, and rolled over too, but sleep didn't come her way, just mighty tears did, like every other day, until her phone pinged. She picked it up from the side table, and was surprised to see a message from Manik.

" I won't go back in time to loose her, but I won't let go of the time where I have you, with me either. You are and will always be my most precious posssssion Nandini, always!"

To say she was surprised would be an understatement. She was so shocked at the message that she sat upright that very second, and read the message thrice to be sure of what she was reading.

Her phone pinged with another one.

"I can't see Shiwali cry Nandini, but I can't tolearte you hurt either. I don't know why is it feeling like choosing either of you but you are both important to me, Nandini. I don't want to lose out on you, now, that I got you back after so many years, and I can't loose her because she is the one who kept me sane, all these years.. I don't know what to do, but just don't cry?"

Tears rolled down again, but this time they were of happiness. How stupid she had been to think she didn't matter to him anymore? It was Manik she was talking about, the only person who could read her in a blink. He had never needed anyone to tell him what she felt or what affected her, he just knew. And with the realization, came another one.

It was really becoming a situation where it looked like he had to choose between her and Shiwali's friendship. Their friendship was getting unnecessarily complicated, the love part could be dealt later. She had noticed Shiwali too, the hurt and pain in her eyes mirrored her own. She was equally distressed, and Nandini knew that. Why couldn't he keep both his friends with him, Nandini wondered. It was true that she had been his childhood best friend, but she was missing from his life for ten years. And it was human to make another good friend in those years. Why did he have to leave one, to accept the other?

A smile carved on her lips, as she drew some conclusions out of her thought process. She decided to talk to Shiwali and end this cold war between them. And more importantly, she decided to free Manik of this choice. He could simply keep both, for now, as friends. Future could be dealt in future.

Standing up, she wore her night slippers and ran over the stairs to Manik's room, stoping just outside his gate. Her breathing was fast, and she had to take deep breaths for her lungs to function, but the silly stupid smile didn't leave her face.

On the other side of the door, Manik was standing just in front of the door knob, contemplating if he should go check on Nandini, once. He would almost open the door, and then chid himself stating it was quite late. Confused with his own desires, he was about to retreat when he heard a very soft knock, the kind he would have missed if he wasn't standing that close to his door.