Hamesha, Yours!

- 36-

- Goa-Mumbai Outskirts: St. Mary's Church-

 The rain drizzled. The water droplets were soft, and caressing. Nandini's fingers slid over her ringing phone and there it was- the most awaited name. 

"Dr. Nikhil!", she charmed amidst her sore, rough voice left after narrating her sad parts. A doctor was ought to be remaining to be phoned after such a story and here he was, 

"The most awaited man of the century!" she greeted. 

His voice fumbled words back at her. Her eyes glistened with fresh tears.

"So, he refused the procedure?" she questioned once again trying to re-assure that the rain held its sad obligations to her. 

An affirmation came through and she retaliated at the obedience,  

"You could have stopped him!"

"We couldn't, it was his wish!" Dr. Nikhil's voice boomed back from the speakers.

"He wanted this quiet."

"Quiet? Always wanting to disappear quietly? Quiet before the storm? Quiet before being gone?" Nandini muttered in her pain laced voice that still held herself and her tears firm.

"How did he land him himself back in the hospital? He just got out of there. He told me he had to be somewhere to catch up on something." She asked as curiosity picked its pace with her. It was often to follow the dreadful news rains brought her. They were arrogant and stubborn enough to be loyal to her, hamesha. 

"He didn't get caught up in anything this time, Nandini. It wasn't a fight with a physical being this time. He caught up with himself.  Time caught up with him. Ignorance is not always a bliss." Dr. Nikhil lowly uttered the bare truth in woven words. 

A silence followed from Nandini's side as she let the words sink in. Dr. Nikhils's patient summary of him was confusing and concealing.

"It's not my part to tell, he said." Nikhil confessed, "Come along, he told he wanted to end this his way."

"Where is he?" she questioned over the phone. 

"Going to the place where he promised to only visit when- the church!" Dr. Nikhil finished. "Come along! His story's reached a fin!"

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-Mumbai: Malhotra Mansion-

It had been a while since Manik had taken a stance against Cabir for Nandini. Cabir's selfish words had drilled in that he was wrong to have to have been selfless about her in front of them. He could tolerate any stranger talking anything about Nandini but then, he had blindly set different levels for closed ones.  He was tugged between the strangers, the jobs and kiths and his feelings for Nandini.

Today, Cabir' s venomous words about her being a trap trampled on his confused guilty mind. Today when he was free from from the barriers and obligations to Fab 5 friendships since they were already at stake, he thought free. He thought free and realized he couldn't digest what Cabir spat on him. He had only one variable to tackle this time and so, he had his priorities straight. Today, he was guilty of hurting old enemies and friends again and he stood where he used to be when there was void, when neither Band of Brothers nor Fab5 existed. He was all by himself- a lost child seeking love. He saw love in the ones far off then and now. As a child, after Band of Brothers was gone- the night he had fought against Harshad for attempting to hurt his mother who carried his could be sister- he searched for love. The then-naive Manik had found that love in his heart broken dad but was ripped apart by his mother.

"I'll stay with you even if I'm not here, I'll be with you Manik. But, mama forgot some thing in Pune, she had a wonderful gift for you in Pune. I'll go and bring it back for you, bacha. Please let me go. I'll promise I'll get her gift and many more for you, my son. Be a strong and brave man till then, Captain! Be a brave warrior, boy!"

That was his fathers promise, Manik remembered as he spaced put of the window. It was the same window he had glued himself top for days that followed after Mr. Malhotra left. Manik then had  stayed silent and found peace in no words. He was to be a brave warrior, a man who would fight back without complaining was his child mind's definitions. Manik received and gathered his dad's silent love and over the years, he fell in love with the silent, brave warriors of the sky and he sought love in silence. He comforted other broken heart's with silent presence and that led him to Fab 5.

Today, after Cabir' s rant, he found love in far off  silence again. He found love in Nandini, a girl that he, ironically, lost to silence and now found because of breaking it. He was in a way following the trajectory of a shooting star, a brave warrior who had been defeated a little too much this time.

As he sat by the smoky window in the warmly lit living room with the moon light, the presence of the moon confused him. It shone. At the end of everything, it shone and only  disappeared for a day. It shone unabashed of what storms it brought to others, how many shooting stars fell from the sky to fight, it continued to shine. 

Just like Nandini, his Nandini. 

Belonging to her, Manik furrowed his eyes in confusion, went astray like a shooting star. He couldn't tell whether silence was on his side or not. 

He gained and lost in its trials.  

It was deceiving and obscure.

Before he could ponder anymore on it and decide how Nandini fit in his sky, a pair of heels clicked in the silent hallway and stopped a few feet before him. The scent of malice coated the room and his shot his eyes up to meet the shrewd eyes.

"Why are you here?" Manik bated, stunned at her presence. 

He had done his way with this woman. A woman he had once called his mother, a woman because of whom his father left.

Though he hadn't concluded on his trails of thoughts on Nandini, her presence was enough to mystify his mind again. Take him away from his dream land and thrash him onto the floor of cruelty and dreadful insecurities. 

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Hey, 

Something's better than nothing.. hang in there for slow updates. I'll try to chug along! 

Thanks for being there everyone! Oh, and a hearty welcome to the new readers who have tuned. Sorry, couldn't personally welcome you, but thanks for the rush of votes here and on Cordially, Yours! 

Stay safe! 

Love, 

HF