Hamesha, Yours!

-37-

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.

Nyonika's presence mystified Manik again.

Not his silence, Manik thought to himself, she was the root cause of all of this mess of him. She turned him to be a silent monster. A monster he had dealt with and had apparently closed in a chest on the day he called up Mr. Bakashi to plot up a fake case on her, ruin her in her own business-fandom game. Then, why and how a sudden appearance? he wondered. The irony was that this lady left him to always wonder. Wonder and wander.

"Oh, Manik! You still so innocent, pity you, my boy! How are you?" her voice creeked through the cold air.

"Pleasant!" he gave her a twisted smile, "What are you doing here?"

"Cause I have nothing to loose and nothing to gain!"

"That's my concern now, Nyonika!" Manik stepped forward. "You have nothing to gain or to loose then why has your sorry face come up here."

"To see if how my son is doing in his sorry-self, Manik! Can't you just think straight for one moment, of course I care about you."

"Care!" Manik snickered under his breath, "I am doing very well. Fab 5 has an album lined up, Dad's business is doing great, you have not been a worry and neither is that tattle-tail of yours, Harshad, has been here. I'm everything good. Happy?" he spit out.

He was far from okay. He was far from great. He lied. He lied to Nyonika, but that wasn't new. He lied to himself- that wasn't new either. But knowing this woman, lies were merrier than truths. Keeping her hidden, where ever she was was right.

"Not much to my extent, Manik!" Nyonika paused. Her sluggish smile still wandering on the curves of her lip.

"You know, she was just protecting you.." Nyonika's voice lingered, "may be!"

"What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes. He didn't mention her. Not aloud and this woman only could talk about one other she with him. Her. Nandini.

"She, Manik! The one you morn for- your nineteen year old, college fling!" Nyonika snickered in disgust.

Her voice creeped up to Manik- the filth noxiously suffocating him.

"Not a word, Nyonika!" he screamed over her filth. "Not a word about her! She saves me- yes. Protects me from drowning- yes! She stands between you and me, Nyonika! This time too, she sets us apart, so you better not mess with her or mention her. You are a no one to me, a no one to her." he blew it out.

He blew all of it out.

First Cabir, then her. Everyone was suddenly, after months of sluggishness, talking about her. Mentioning her, calling her filth all over even when she wasn't here. It was Talent Hunt all over but in her absence, in the absence of the pomp and show, before their album release. Why? She plucked herself away from them so that he could handle them, he chucked her out so that she was safe. Silence came in then, why the storm all over? It was chaotic mess, a chaotic tangled mess.

"Aw- so sweet! She saves you then, what about that day, Manik? Talent Hunt? What happened to this love of yours, snicker-bitter?"

"We both know who was at fault!"

"Who?" Nyonika pointed her thin, well-shaped finger at herself in her act of innocence.

"Me?"

Manik caught hold of the sarcasm and he wasn't letting go this time. She was playing her old tricks again, her old game of filling-ears and swaying emotions. But in this, she forgot time. She forgot that time had done wonders to him. She had done wonders to him. This old slash wouldn't work to break Manik's new armor.