Forever And A Day || Completed

13. He is Precious!

~ The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved inspite of ourselves~

The night was still young, the clock striked a quarter to nine, when Manik finally closed the door of his home, after staring at it for quite a minute. Nandini, who was standing behind him, her gaze unfaltering, waited for him to turn, and address her, at the least, but all her hopes went down the gutter when he turned, but didn't meet her eyes, and quickly rushed to the bedroom!

She continued to stand at her earlier spot, for a few more minutes, exhaling. For the first time, she felt a surge of something new for him, and that lucky emotion being, sympathy. No one in the world deserved people like 'them' as friends. Her heart constricted thinking if they could talk like that now, in front of her, how had they might have treated him before? It worried her, because she clearly saw he didn't retort to them, didn't take a stand for himself, as if he silently agreed.

Was this why he was so low on self esteem, this was why he didn't have confidence in himself? Was this why he thought she would never be happy with him, because these freaks made him believe he won't be able to make anyone happy? Was this why he thought she won't love him ever?

As the layer of fog started to clear, Nandini could only somehow manage to sit down, her heart beating fast and shallow. This was downright emotional bullying, making someone believe they are not enough.

Agitated and simultaneously afraid, she ran to their bedroom, to talk to him, to tell him he mattered to her, that he was enough, that he was all she had ever wanted.

But the picture she met, surprised her. He was lying in the bed, on his stomach, head buried in the pillow, as he held another pillow over his head pressing it hard.

" Manik?", Nandini rushed to his side, and tried to snatch that pillow but he resisted, shaking his head, as a loud moan escaped him.

" Manik you will suffocate like this! What's wrong?", Nandini asked all panicked, her voice starting to break down.

Listening to her strained voice, he looked at her, and forced himself to sit down, but his face was still contorted in pain.

She immediately cupped his face, and ran a hand through his hairs. Her eyes were filled with tears, and it made her look so vulnerable.

" What happened?", She asked again. She could not watch him like that. She just wanted to do something, anything to relieve him.

" Migraine attack. I can't find my pills-", Manik was hit by a wave of nausea again, as he rushed towards the washroom again, and watching him like that panicked her more.

The wave of nausea subsided, and he fell down on his knees, by the sink, breathing heavily, the right side of his head throbbing like anything. A shrill cry escaped his lips when Nandini opened the door to the washroom, and direct lights fell on his face.

" Manik?", She could not hold the tears back anymore, and settled down beside him, holding his shoulders.

" Lights!", He crossed his arms in front of his eyes, trying to escape it, and it only made Nandini more helpless. The only thing she understood was he was not liking the lights, so she ran to switch them all of, and somehow it managed to calm him down.

She brought him back to bed, and help him lie down, he was still breathing heavy, his right hand pressing his temple on that side. The pain was starting to knock him down.

She leaned down to kiss his forehead, her tears now damping her cheeks and somehow one kiss seemed insufficient to her, so she took the step and kissed him all over his face, his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, his chin.