"You are braver than you believe, you are stronger than you seem, you are smarter than you think, you are go through this! " he assured her. "You are leaving them, not for what they did, you are leaving them to see what you can do."
"Hmm." Nandini nodded.
"If you want, we can stay." he proposed affectionately. He didn't feel her to be in the right frame of mind.
"No" she opposed determinedly, "This place, its claustrophobic, I can't. Not here! You are right! I may come back but not now. So much has changed, I have changed." she choked on her words.
They got up from the cliff edge and sat in the car and drove off into the darkness. Their destination- well, where ever this road ended and where ever they found solace. The wind blessed the two and lulled Nandini to her thoughts as it fluttered in through the rolled down window. A comforting silence had settled in and Nandini's thoughts wandered away to Space.
After handing in the letter to the Principal and settling the finance, she took an auto and went to the valley she had discovered a few days ago. The place didn't brought her hope- that word, it never struck her in the last few days- nor did it give her her home back. It just gave her solace, a place where she could sit all day long and stare into the vastness. It did in some sense open a new chapter for her- good or bad, she didn't knew but, in the last few days, she had learnt one lesson of life- no expectations, no regrets. She had thought it out, cried it out, screamed it out- but all of it was in vain. She considered it as a fact of life- things had changed and the best way to deal with it was to have no expectations. She had some previously, and she saw where they landed her. She was done with it and wanted to start afresh- may be that was a cure to her nightmares.
"Do you want to stop somewhere to eat?" he asked.
"May be, if you want to. I am not hungry that much." she quietly answered.
"Well then, let's get my tummy something and don't worry we won't feed you the idlis until you return a smile."he teased.
She didn't retort back, just drew the parallels between this stranger she had met a few days and Cabir. This list was long and treacherous but, it managed to pull a smile on her face. May be, she was accustomed to going hard in life, now.
-------
-Space College-
Everything was hyped, the jams rooms were filled with students playing their instruments while the corridors were filled a synchronous bled of Indian, Electric and Western melodies. But, among these voices, the most loved voice of FAB 5 was missing. They all sat in near there instruments and but, none of them had the courage to play them. They weren't hindered by Nyonika this time, but, they were wrapped in their own cracks of ego and friendship.
"Fab 5!", a peon came in their jam room.They looked up and Manik questioned the peon what brought him here.
"Manik beta, woh ek chithi thi, Dhruv sir ke naam."he replied and handed Dhruv his letter.
A letter had never made it through them- not to the students. But, nobody questioned or nobody said a word afterwards. Confused, Dhruv furrowed his brows and opened the letter.
"Dear Dhruv" The letter read.
"I remember, Dhruv, you were the one who saved me from Fab 5. You were my first friend at Space. You cared for me and you stood beside me strong even when Fab 5 was against me. We loved being besides each other, we loved how truthful we were to each other- it was friendship Dhruv! But, Dhruv, you mistook our love and friendship to be in love. I love you, Dhruv but, I wasn't in love with you. After, I refused, you never came back, we never really sorted it out. You were hurt, I accept it, I turned down your proposal, it was natural to feel that way and not bring it out. I am sorry, I can't remove the scars you have. But, Dhruv, I would have wronged both of us more, if I had faked the relation- it would lead to us to worse terms. I never questioned you, I never approached us directly regarding it, may be that was where I failed and I'm sorry for that. Dhruv, you have to understand I am not the one you are looking and love, I won't call it fleeting, but the matters of heart are vulnerable and I'm sure you'll find your someone soon- someone who loves you truthfully, cherish you, and hold you close to her heart- a someone who would be home to you.
Dhruv, Aliya stands vulnerable with her heart on her palm for you. I have seen it her eyes, she cares for you deeply and hurts when you hurt. She is gone through the same Dhruv, she's over with Manik and likes you. She has confessed it to me, Dhruv, she has lost a lot in life, she's tired of balancing Fab5, Harshad and her aura. She needs a break, she needs solace who would love her beyond what they see- accept her purely for her childishness. She shares the same insecurities as you, Dhruv. She lacks what you have-normalcy. She sees her home in you. Ask your heart Dhruv, let your mind shut-up for a while, and truthfully question yourself, do you still love me? Do you still see me with you years down the lane? Am I the one who you see when you close your eyes? Am I the one who if you loose or gain would hurt or give you happiness? Or is it Aliya?
Dhruv, if you want me and Manik not to be together, if that hurts you, then we won't. But, you are Manik's buddy. I don't know the full-length story of your friendship, but I know it is a very special bond that you share with him. Dhruv, he is your Manik, Fab 5's Manik, Fab5's family first and then, he has any relation with me. He stands for you guys all the time, he daily puts up a fight against Nyonika to protect you guys. He barely meets his dad, who is the only one who loves him so much, so that he can be there for you. He bottles up his feelings so that you guys can freely share your problems with him and don't bottle up. Fab 5 is truly one for all, but where did the "all for one" go? Dhruv, he's there night after night to calm you down but when he spends countless, long nights crying all alone, then, where is Fab 5?
Think about it. Are you being overshadowed or are you loosing out at the cost of what you overheard from others, from people who were may be paid by Nyonika to fill in you?
I don't want to loose you as a friend, Dhruv. More than anyone, you are very special to me- a very truthful, comforting friend. You are a very pure soul, Dhruv- don't let anyone take that from you. And always remember, I am there with you, forever, whenever you need me- just a call away.
Yours affectionately,
Nandini"
The letter ended with sloppy handwriting and was stained with tears. A tear escaped Dhruv's eyes too. Nandini's letter showed him the light, it showed him hope and the realization struck him. It was him who was wrong and not them. He was to be blamed and not them. His conversation with Aliya, their moments, the arguments Fab 5 had all came gushing to him. He regret it, each word he said, everything he did, every word that slipped from his mouth against Nandini. The villain wasn't Nandini, not Nyonika- it was him!
--------------
Hey,
How was it? I am kind of still not satisfied with the letter, but since we have a customary thing about the updates, I put it out there. Let me know, how you feel about it! From my side, definitely this is going to be revisited!
Thank you to all for so much love and support!
(P.S. the first line is special to me and keeps me going since I don't know ages. I remember that I heard it somewhere, but I don't know the source. Anyways, thanks to from where ever I heard it in childhood!)
Love,
HF
YOU ARE READING
Cordially, Yours!
FanfictionLet's start with a fiction of a fiction. Plot Brief: Everyone knows the background and if not, all the better, the mystery awaits you! So let's dive in! As a time perspective, the story starts from the night of the Talent Hunt when Manik stands on t...
