Humesha | ✔️

Chapter 12

The world around us is burning into ashes of desires but we still pretend to be so cold;

There's so much hatred around, but how about we try concentrating on the love that goes untold?

N A N D I N I

The mansion that he calls his home stood ahead of me, tall and glorious, shining by the moonlight falling on its dark windows, it's mere existence screaming intimidation. With the little black dress still hugging my body and the monster's leather jacket covering its torn portions, I entered inside in haste, but cautiously. "Aryamman?" I called out slowly and my voice resonated back to me by the walls of the dark mansion.

It was 1 AM and the old servant who opened the door politely smiled at me, not trying to embarrass me. Deep sighing, I turned to leave. He must be sleeping, today was a bad day. Just when I was walking away, I heard a meek voice behind me. "Yes?"

Turning behind, I didn't see the man I was here to see. It was a rather older lady, with a polite smile on her face, scanning my state, suddenly making me conscious of my dried tears and mascara, messed hair, and flabby outfit. I stared back at her with eyes unsure of why I was even here when I should have been at home. "I am Aryamman's mother," she tried to make me comfortable.

"I'm Nandini," I smiled back awkwardly. "His friend, and I need to see him urgently but I guess I'm here at the wrong time! I should leave," I breathed and turned to leave, without waiting for an answer, shutting my eyes tightly. Why is it so important for me to keep getting into trouble?

"No! He's in his study, you can see him!", she stopped me again and when I turned behind this time, she wasn't there. Gazing at her disappearing figure, I looked at the old man in relief and he smiled at me, probably thinking what kind of a confused soul I am as he guided me into Aryamman's study.

Standing outside the closed large and brown wooden doors, I gave a sharp knock. "Come in!," a husky voice shouted from inside. I didn't know why was I here. I didn't know what would I tell him. But all I know is I've had enough. I need answers to the past which is just unknown to me. Everyone except me know everything- Zubin, Aryamman, Manik and Mukti too knew everything.

Why was I the innocent one? They all kept talking about darkness as if it were their home but the fact remains, it was me who was left alone in the darkness while all of them were  in light of the truth, playing mind games with me. But not anymore.

His confused eyes met my anxious ones, scanning me from head to toe and I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. "Umm hi?", I whispered uncomfortably as the cold air of the room touched me and I pulled Manik's overcoat closer to my body. I was sitting in front of Aryamman, but hugging Manik's coat. Ironically weird, isn't it?

"Come sit!," he smiled warmly, trying to make me comfortable. He didn't ask me why was I here, he rather put his efforts in making me feel warm and home, once again displaying what a gentleman he was. Any girl could fall for him so easily, and if a man can just attract girls by being sweet, why to become a monster like Manik and create a mystery that webs girls to his second face?

"Aryamman...," I started but took a deep breath, stopping myself. What was I going to say to him?

"Are you okay Nandini?," he himself asked and I looked down, staring at the fire lit in the corner. "And this....," He squeezed his eyebrows, pointing at the coat, "...belongs to Manik, isn't it?".