Cordially, Yours!

-27-

Manik was sapped that Nandini had given up and vanished into thin air. He was blaming himself yet questioning whether she didn't trust him enough to set things right. Was he not significant enough in her life that she left him all alone in a split second or was he not enough for her? The girl who always talked about trust and waiting and understanding each other was the one who left him in a unnerving deceptive, funneling darkness. It baffled him and stabbed his heart. After all his efforts to set everything right for everyone and all his fights against himself and the world, he was left with nothing but solitude. With the recent fights and heat within Fab 5, they felt farther than anything to him. And with Nandini, his hope, gone, his lost the only possible win from the battle. The self doubt and questioning filled into his faster than the rain that wet the ground outside.   

All drained out in the rain, he sat in the car and drove into the dark road that lay ahead of him. He had no choice or any purpose. Through the honking cars, pouring Mumbai rain, brightness of the city-lights, he drove and drove with no destination in sight. His minds raced along the accelerate, both questioning their destination. Overfilled and finding himself unknowingly on the Mumbai-Manglore highway, he stopped the car with a jerk and slammed the door shut as he got off. The area was secluded and, to him, had the aura of Nandini. Did it make him hate it or fall deeper, he didn't know yet. A valley stretched in front of him. The pain exceeded his lung capacity. He couldn't take it anymore so, he let go. A loud shout vibrated in the till now silent highway. A few ruffling wings followed his echo. The birds had decided to let the monster alone, he scoffed in his thoughts. He sat down near the tree trunk gazing at the sky and submersed into deep thoughts. 

- Dehradun-

A stormy night had settled in the mountains. The thunder sent shivers down Nandini's back and with each crackling sound, her heart bet faster and her eyes led her to a dusty phone. She wanted to turn on the dead Samsung and see what mysteries it held. Ever since she had left Space, the phone was silenced along to mark the end of the "Mumbai" chapter. This idea of Abhimanyu's had immensely helped her to let go but, for some reason she wanted to dwell in it again. With the next crackle in the sky, she dug the phone out of her bag and stared at it as if expecting something. 

"Manik, kya kar rahe ho? Where are you taking me?"

"Oh Nandu, bacho ki tarah complain karna band karo! Ruko toh sahi!"

"Complain? You are complaining that I am complaining? Time aane do Manik! I will do the same to you- make you walk blindfolded, I don't know for how many  miles and not tell you a single thing!"

"Tch!"

"Oh and how can I forget! I'll also crash you into random stuff a million times and then lay it off with a simple sorry!"

"Nand..."

"No, don't you Nandini me, Manik! I agree I told you to accept your mistakes and acknowledge them with a "sorry". But, Manik, uska pura lesson toh tum bhul gaye! It was supposed to be that you accept, you mean an apology and try to rectify it or prevent it from happening again. Tum sab kuch itna lightly kyu lete ho! In fact, would you please untie this blindfold so that I can see the light." Nandini blabbered away while walking blindfolded with Manik as her guide. During her chatter she didn't even pause to realize that neither was she walking anymore nor was Manik besides her anymore. Soon enough when she took a breath for fresh air, she did realize something was aloof with her motion and hence, called out to him. 

"Manik", she voiced wearily, "Manik!" "Manik, where are you? Dekho, this is not funny or a great entertainment piece okay! Tum aur Fab 5 aur koi sharat mat karna! I have had enough of you guys." Getting no response back, she started to panic. "Manik! This isn't fair. Please come back. This isn't going to end well. Manik.." 

Again with no voice to receive, she slowly removed her blindfold to be welcomed by a flickering candle-light on a neatly decorated table. She moved towards the light far off from the darkness in which she stood, when suddenly Manik's deep voice filled her in-

"That's what you did to me, Nandini!" She looked at him with a confused gaze and slightly titled her head. Manik smiled at her innocence after all, he didn't rub of her and she still couldn't read between the lines.

"You walked me through darkness towards light and now, remember you will always find me in the light!" 

Nandini smiled and tightly hugged him after which, she snapped out of his romance and continued her complaining session. The night had ended beautifully  that day and so was the day when Manik gave her the phone on the pretext that she could complain to her even more without worrying about anything. 

Nandini bit her lip and her fingers shivered to the turn on the phone. Her heart urged to dial a number, a number she had engraved in her heart but, her mind called her back emphasizing that he would be okay and that place should never be visited. She walked to the window sill and looked outside gazing into the depth of the dark sky. Is that Manik? she questioned herself. Her fingers fuddled and quivered with the power button. One call? She questioned. 

After a long debate with herself, she tore away her gaze from the stars and dropped down to the bed. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Her hands shaky and fiddling with the phone. She curled up into a ball. Suddenly, all the memories of the night came to mock at her again. 

"Manik. We know it, now and then. Wish you the best and you know where to find me."

"Going to Mangalore. Amms is terribly ill- Ramu called to say it was a heart-attack. You stay for college. Will call" 

"What train did Mr. and Mrs. Murthy take?" 

"Manik!" she quivered hugging her knees. 

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Hey, 

Intense much? 

Need not to say much! 

Happy Reading!

Love, 

HF