HEALING EACH OTHER

Chapter 26 ~ BACK TO MUMBAI!

Soon everyone left the room but Manik stayed there. Nandini was still shivering and sweating. Manik started to walk towards her and sat in front of her. No matter what how much she would resist everyone. No matter how much it hurted him to see her like that. But he was determined enough that he will be there for Nandini and he was there. He slowly crawled closer to Nandini and sat beside her. He tried to hold her hands but she pushed him, but Manik didn't gave up not even for once. He constantly tried to comfort her. And then after a lot of pushing and pulling, Nandini finally stopped wriggling and gave up her struggling and hugged back Manik tightly, she closed her eyes, and as she closed her eyes, tears made their way from her closed eyes and Manik hugged her even more tightly. And soon Manik realised that Nandini was crying as her tears fell on his shoulder. 

Few minutes later Manik broke the hug and gave a tight kiss on her forehead, while Nandini closed her eyes to feel his soothing kiss. And joined their forehead.

"Feeling better now?"
asked Manik cupping Nandini's face.

While she nodded her head in a Yes. And then Manik wiped her tears from her cheeks. And again kissed on her forehead gently. 

"Nandini. Please don't do this yourself. You're not only hurting yourself but also the ones who love you so much. Please don't hurt yourself. This is not you Nandini. You've been a tigress since the time I've met you. You fought with me when I hurted. You would have even killed me. But now just look at yourself. Nandini you've always been a fighter, and today also you have to fight, for yourself, for your self-respect, for your broken trust, for your broken heart, for the ones you have always loved, for the ones who have always loved, most importantly for your Priyu Di. You are her angel, how can you leave her like this. Do you know how hurt she was when she saw you so vulnerable. You are not weak Nandini. You've always been strong."
said Manik lovingly.

"Manik.. I'm tired of being strong.. I'm exhausted.. I'm tired of being strong. For once I want to be weak now. Because being strong doesn't mean that I don't feel anything. I do have a heart, and I feel all emotions too well. Is it wrong to be weak? Is it wrong to be vulnerable at times? Tell me Manik? You are right I was always strong enough to show that I'm strong. But from inside I have died million deaths everytime I've been through something. I have cried everytime. It was just I never expressed. But now I cant keep it to myself. It's too much to handle. I can't be strong Manik I can't..."
said Nandini

And as she uttered these words she again started crying in Manik's embrace. Manik knew Nandini is not wrong. She never was. It was just that the situations and her fate always made her suffer but she never reacted to it. She always took everything, kept it all inside her heart. He knew how many deaths she has died every night and every day but never expressed.

"You are right. It's not wrong if you are vulnerable or weak at times. It's okay to be weak, but one should never hurt themselves, hurting yourself in that vulnerability is wrong. And not expressing yourself is not being strong. You are strong when you express yourself. You know a strong person, he feels everything, he laughs with everyone. Being strong doesn't only mean moving on it also means to be normal. Which you were not, you were not strong Nandini, you were strong when you fought with me when I hurted you. You stood for yourself. You remember how much you shouted on me? That was you Nandini the strong Nandini. But right now you're just creating a shell around yourself, pushing everyone else away from you. I am asking you to be strong if you don't want to be. But don't pretend to be strong if you're not, let yourself be weak, let your heart heal, don't create a shell around yourself and pretend that you're strong. You can lie to everyone else but you can't lie to yourself. Whatever is hurting you let it go Nandini. Nothing else matters more than your happiness. Do what makes you happy, what makes you feel content. You know Nandini we idolize feeling pain, we think that it will make us strong. We think that we deserve pain for our wrongdoings but this is a myth, feeling pain unnecessarily will never makes us strong, it weakens us from inside. When you can be happy by letting it go then why hold that thing and be in pain for no reason. Run from the things which gives you pain, infact run from everything which is not giving you any reason to be happy. Run for your happiness for your peace, heal your own self. You don't need anyone to heal you. Love yourself more than anyone else and then see how happy and content you will be."
said Manik