Reality Ever After

Part 27. A Tangled Mess

Manik and Nandini were on their way to college and Manik filled her in about whatever had happened at Cabir's house the previous day. He told her about his plan of trying to create an image of FAB5 in the eyes of its audience and how they could capitalize as a band on it. He even told her about the video edit incident and how he'd felt a little bad about it but let it go.
Nandini - Tum humesha aisa kyu karte ho? If you feel bad about something, you should tell your friends. It's not only your job to understand.
Manik - Forget it na. It's not important. Besides, yesterday was a bad day for them. They didn't get any offers. So it's justified that they act the way they did.
Nandini - No Manik. It's not. And I'm asking you to tell them when they're wrong. Yeh sab tumhare ander build hote rahega and one day, you will blast. Aur Tumhe jab gussa aata hai toh tum bhi jaante ho kya hota hai. It'll be worse than telling them off right now.
Manik - Aisa kuch nahi hoga. It's not a big deal. And  FAB5 are a little delicate at this point in time. Let them be.
Nandini - Hmmm. Okay. But Tumhe lagta hai tumhari yeh strategy kaam karegi? Will making these videos be enough?
Manik - I'm just trying to get the audience to get to know us. Jahaan pe people start identifying with the band members.
Nandini - Usse kya hoga?
Manik - Okay. Tum yeh batao. What do you like about FAB5?
Nandini - You!
Manik smiled at her cute direct answer.
Manik - Very flattered Miss Murthy. But I need an honest unbiased answer. Meri hotness se distract mat ho jao.
Nandini rolled her eyes at his 'hotness' comment. Overconfident AF!
Nandini - Okay, honestly.. I like how all of you are there for each other all the time. If any one of you is in trouble, all the others drop everything to go to that person. I love how all of you are always a united front in front of others and there's no space for anyone to come in between all of you. Kaafi baar Navya and aur mujhe bohot awkward feel hota hai. But now we have learnt when we should or shouldn't say something.
Manik - Really?
Nandini - Haan. But coming back to FAB5, I love how you all understand each other and your bond is very deep. It's based on having no-so happy-childhood memories. And that's why all of you are also very protective of each other. You all fill the void of a family for each other. Maybe because none of you consider your own families as a family. And that's why you all have made each other your family. Also, you all are enough for each other. It's almost like all of you don't need anybody else in your life if you all have each other. And as far as music is considered, all of you started playing music because it was like an escape for you. Music ke sound se all of you were trying to shut the negative voices in your head. And that's why all of you love music and that translates in all your songs and all your performances. That's what makes all of you so good.

Manik smiled at her more than apt description. She always amazes him on how well she understands him and his friends, in extention.
Manik - Thats exactly what I'm trying to get the world to know. About what's the story of FAB5 and why music is so special to us. Just not any details about childhood. And if we land up hitting that emotional quotient with the audience, the audience will love the band together as a whole and not just one person.
Nandini - Looks like a good plan. But do you think those companies will change their policies for you?
Manik - Everyone changes everything for more money. I'm just making them see there's more money with all 5 of us together than just hiring me.
Nandini - Hmmm Goodluck with the plan. Accha suno, Harvard Business School has an information workshop happening tomorrow. They will just give out information about people doing an MBA and why do people do an MBA etc. They will also have a few very famous businessmen, mostly Harvard Alumni, to come and speak about their journey, etc. and also information about admission procedures and all. So just in case you want to attend it, you can go. Tumhe thodi si clarity mil jayegi.
Manik - Sounds so boring.
Nandini - Manik. Stop being so lazy. I'll text you the details. Tumhe jaana hai toh chale jaana.
Manik - Okay.
Nandini - Anyway, hum college pohoch gaye hai and I should attend the third lecture at least. Subah ke dono lectures maine miss kar diye. Principal sir ne mujhe pehle hi bola tha that if I wanted to change my stream from music to science, I'll have to be more responsible and make up for the lost first year. And look at me, bunking lectures left, right and centre.
Manik - Relax. I don't understand tum Principal se kyu darti ho? He's so stupid. Khud hi dara hua hota hai humesha.
Nandini - Woh tumse darte hai. And with the way you talk to him, I don't blame him.
Manik - Haan toh he knows na that you're my girlfriend. He won't say anything.
Nandini - I'm not just your girlfriend. I'm me too. So I'm going to attend those lectures and you should go and do your shoot.
Manik - Hmmm.
When Nandini was just about to get out of the car, he held her hand to stop her.
Manik - Will you be okay?
Nandini knew he was concerned because she had cried so much in the morning.
Nandini - Haan. I'll be fine.
Manik - Do you want to do something tonight. We can cheer you up. We can go out for dinner. Waise bhi bohot time ho gaya we haven't gone out for a date.
Nandini - I don't know what Sujata wants to do. We can go if she's busy with Vineet. I'll ask her and let you know.
Manik - Okay.
He then pulled her closer and locked his lips to hers kissing her deep. Nandini was quite surprised at this sudden kiss but gave in almost immediately. When they finally parted for air and Nandini came out of her daze, Nandini realised they had been kissing in the college parking lot.
Nandini - Manik. Hum college ke parking lot mein hai. You can't kiss me like that in between of the whole college.
Manik - Tum meri girlfriend ho. Apni girlfriend ko kiss nahi karu toh kisse karu?
Nandini - Tum se baat karna hi bekaar hai. Anyway, bye. I'll see you later.
Manik - Bye.

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The FAB5 were busy shooting for their 'behind the scenes' video since everybody had arrived in the morning. Alya forced all the boys to be dressed in the outfits she had gotten and also made them do their hair and a little bit of makeup.
Manik - Are you serious? I'm not putting on any makeup.
Alya - Oh come on Manik. We're just covering up the uneven skin tone and the dark circles.
Mukti - Waise bhi tu sota nahi hai theek se. Kar le na yaar. Dekh tere dark circles. It'll only look good.
Manik - What bullshit. I don't have any dark circles
Alya - You won't even realise there is any makeup on you.
Manik - No means no.
Mukti - Chod yaar Alya. Yeh nahi sunne waala.
They continued to shoot for the various shots individually as well as a group. All of them shared their own candid versions of FAB5 and about each other, they even sung the first ever song they performed on together and finally ended the shoot with a group hug which was a signature FAB5 thing.
Cabir had also put up their video he re-edited last night. He didn't bother with everyone getting their  screen space and just made sure the video looked good. And as per what Manik had said, the video was gaining a lot of attention. He had even added all the possible hashtags and the video was spreading like fire.
Once all of them finished shooting, they were sitting exhausted in the music room. They were too tired to even bother to change and were super hungry. They had landed up skipping lunch because of the shoot and hence had ordered pizzas and were gobbling them down. Manik knew Nandini's last lecture was just about to get over and he texted her to come to the jam room once she was done.
Cabir - Manik. Nandini kahaan hai? Do din se nahi dekha usse.
Manik - Lecture attend kar rahi. Thodi der mein aa jayegi.
Mukti - Kitne diligently lecture attend karti hai woh. Mujhe toh yaad nahi hai humne last lecture kab attend kiya tha. And she not only attends these lectures but pays attention too!
Manik - She has to na. What she's studying is not easy at all. The competition to get in where she wants to go is really tough. And she even has to make up for the last one year she spent in music. Usse iss saal mein first year and second year exams dene hai if she wants to graduate at the same time in the science field.
Alya - I don't know why she decided to do this at all. She could have easily done well in music. She's good at music too.
Manik recollected Nandini's breakdown in the morning and after knowing one more facet of her childhood, he was sure that she should pursue what she's doing. That was the only way she'd feel closer to her Pa and that would make her happy, and her happiness was after all the most important thing in the world.
Manik - It's okay ya guys. She wants to do this, so let her.
Just then, Nandini entered the jam room. She saw all of them sitting on the floor in a circle.
Nandini - Hi guys. What's up?
Cabir - Hey Nandini. Hum abhi tumhari hi baat kar rahe the.
She went and sat next to Mukti as Manik was sitting between Cabir and Dhruv and she didn't want to go and squeeze herself in between them.
Nandini - Mere baare mein? Kya?
Cabir - Yehi ki tum itni padhai kaise kar leti ho?
Nandini - Mujhe padhna accha lagta hai. Isiliye.
Cabir - Exactly. Humein yehi samaj mein nahi aata. Padhai mein mazaa kisse aata hai?
Nandini - Anyway, tum logon ki shooting khatam ho gayi?
Alya - Haan. Finally done.
Nandini -  Can I see? Please?
Cabir passed her on the camera to Nandini and they were explaining each scene to her.
Cabir - Yeh toh sirf raw footage hai. It'll look much better when it's edited.
Nandini - I'm sure. Cabir, tumhe na film making pursue karna chahiye. You're so good at creating content. And Alya, I love the outfits. Especially what you and Mukti are wearing. You should've been a fashion stylist.
Alya - Fashion stylist? Seriously? I think I just like shopping. I doubt I can be a stylist.
Cabir - And film-making and me? Like seriously?
Cabir started laughing at that.
Nandini - All you have so many talents and you all don't even know about it. Manik ko bhi kitna convince karna pada to think about pursuing business. And ab Tum..
Manik - Nandini...
Nandini immediately stopped talking when she heard Manik. Manik was looking at her, warning her about speaking further, which confused her a little bit.
Mukti - Think about business? Seriously? The last thing Manik would pursue is business.
Nandini - Why not? In fact, Manik is even considering it as his backup plan.
Dhruv - Backup plan? Kaunsa backup plan?
Nandini was confused with all the reactions she was getting. Why were FAB5 behaving the way they were? Had Manik not told them about his backup plan of pursuing business? When she next looked at Manik, he was looking at her very angrily. Like she had done something really wrong. But she didn't understand what was really wrong in this conversation.
Mukti - Manik. Tu bata. What backup plan?
Manik - Nothing guys. Dad just wants me to keep business as my backup plan. Just in case FAB5 didn't work out.
Cabir - Aur tu seriously iske baare mein soch raha hai?
Manik was in a fix now. He couldn't believe Nandini blurted this out despite him asking her not to.
Manik - Uhh.. haan. I'm just checking out the options. Nothing big.
Dhruv - Oh. Toh phir tu toh wait kar raha hai for FAB5 to fail to go and pursue business.
Manik - What bullshit Dhruv. It's a plan B. That doesn't mean I don't want FAB5 to succeed. Hum yeh saari mehnat FAB5 ko successful karne ki koshish kar rahe hai.
Cabir - Toh agar yeh strategy nahi chalti hai toh you were going to leave all of us high and dry and take over your Dad's company?
Manik - Of course not Cabir. Like I said, maine iske baare mein theek se socha bhi nahi hai. All Dad and Nandini made me realise is that maybe I have an alternative aptitude for business and I should think about having that as an option. That's it.
Alya - But how are you even considering it? And Manik, business? Seriously? Tum humesha kehte the you would do anything but join your Mom and Dad at Malhotra Industries. What happened so suddenly?
Manik - Nothing has happened Alya. Dad just wants me to consider it in case FAB5 doesn't make it.
Cabir - Toh isiliye tere Dad aaye the uss din. Not to support us for our performance but to judge if we are good enough for his son to bet his career on or not.
Manik - Cabir. Stop it mann. Kya bakwaas kar raha hai? You're twisting the whole thing. He only asked me to think about a Plan B. That's it.
Dhruv - Kahin Uncle ne toh saare music labels ko hume sign karne se mana toh nahi kiya? We all know he has the contacts. Uss party mein woh sabse baat kar rahe the. Kyuki it's weird ki sirf Manik ko acche offers mile aur hum sab ko nahi.
Manik - Stop it Dhruv. Aisa kuch nahi hai. Dad ne aisa kuch nahi kiya hai.
Mukti - Tu kabse tere Dad ki baat maanne laga? What's wrong with you. You know he's manipulating you.
Nandini was shocked to see the way all of them were reacting to the situation. Instead of supporting Manik in his decision, they were all accusing him and his Dad for ulterior motives. And she also realised that Manik had not told FAB5 about this and maybe, he was right. With the way everyone was reacting, it certainly seemed like a bad idea. But she couldn't see Manik facing the brunt of her mistake of blurting it out in the first place.
Nandini - Guys, relax. Tum log yeh baat ko kahaan se kahaan leke jaa rahe ho. It's not like Manik is leaving or letting go of FAB5. Of course the band is his first priority. Tum log aise kyu react kar rahe ho?
Manik - Nandini. Let me deal with this.
He had a very angry and stern expression on his face asking her not to interfere in this conversation.
Mukti - Haan Nandini. You stay out of it. I'm sure tumne hi Manik ko iss sab ke baare mein brainwash kiya hoga. Kyuki it's impossible that Manik apne Dad ki koi baat sune.
Manik - Mukti. Don't drag Nandini into this.
Mukti - Kyu nahi Manik. Isi ne tujhe convince kiya hoga to listen to your Dad.
Cabir - Haan. Kyuki tu toh apne Dad ki baat sunne se raha. Aur tu itna selfish kab se ho gaya? Tune yeh nahi socha ki toh hum sab ka kya hoga if you leave FAB5.
Manik - Stop it guys. How many times do I have to tell you it's just a backup plan. If everything goes well for us, I don't think I'll even have to think of pursuing this in the first place.
Alya - Manik, you know how your Dad and Nyonika are. If you even go down this road, Tumhe pata nahi chalega kab tum Malhotra Industries join kar li hogi. How can you be so naive?
Nandini - Guys, stop it. Tumhare parents tumhare enemies nahi hai. There's nothing wrong with Manik's Dad asking him to have a backup plan.
Manik - Nandini. I told you. Let me handle this.
Nandini - I'm sorry Manik but I don't understand why everyone is accusing your Dad with all this. There's nothing wrong with what he asked of you.
Mukti - Please Nandini. Tum Humaare parents ko nahi jaanti ho. Hume pata hai woh kaise hai. Apne matlab ke liye kuch bhi karte hai.
Nandini - Mukti, I understand. But I don't think Manik ke Dad ka isme koi ulterior motive hai. He was just looking out for his son.
Mukti - Oh come on Nandini. You don't know how manipulative parents can get. Hum pata hai humare parents kitne selfish aur vindictive hai. Agar tumhare parents hote toh you would've realised kitna ladna padta hai to do what you really want.
Manik - MUKTI. Not another word.
Nandini got really mad when Mukti said that. She had touched a raw nerve. Especially today when she wasn't able to think straight.  And they were being so immature and childish. At least they had parents to blame or be mad at. She didn't even have any parents in the first place. If she did, she'd do anything they asked of her. And none of these people understood what it was like to not have parents.
Nandini - Oh. You poor little rich kids. Tum log kitne delusional ho. And such hypocrites. Tum log bachpan se apne parents ke comfort mein rahe ho. They've provided you everything from food, shelter, protection, cars, the best education, all the luxury and the best opportunities in life. And not to mention the big fat sum of pocket money you all get whenever you want. Aur phir bhi tum logon ko lagta hai that tumhare parents tumhare enemies hai. Life mein agar kuch bhi galat hota hai, you all want to blame your parents for it. Ask yourselves where you would all have been if it weren't for your parents. It's one thing to be rebellious  and immature and it's another thing to disrespect and disregard everything your parents have done for you. Maybe it's time you all grow up and go out in the real world to see what all your parents have protected you from.
Manik saw how the situation was going out of hand. In the beginning, he was surprised that Nandini had mentioned about plan B despite him telling her he didn't want to tell anyone. He was so surprised and annoyed that she made that mistake in the first place because she usually never blurted out things like their secrets in front of anyone. But he didn't have time to ponder over that because right after, all his friends pounced on him with questions. He kept getting angry with every question and even more, because he was put into an uncomfortable spot. He didn't even know if he wanted to pursue business himself and he didn't have anything to say other than the fact that he was thinking about it. And although Nandini brought up this topic, he didn't want Nandini to get in between this discussion because he knew his friends could get really mean when they were angry. But of course, this was Nandini. She wouldn't ever listen to anything he said and so, she did intervene and Mukti landed up saying something about her parents. And parents was a touchy topic for Nandini. Especially today. He didn't want her to be more hurt than she already was. But then, she had given it back to Mukti. But what she said pinched him too. Did she think that he was also a hypocrite who lived off his parents' money and also claimed them to be his enemies. How could she think like this after she knew what all Nyonika had put him through. He was so overwhelmed with everything that was going on. He was pissed off with Nandini's blunder, annoyed with his friends' questions and accusations, guilty of not telling his friends about this earlier, confused about the whole business/no business situation, protective of Nandini to ensure no one hurt her, especially today, about her parents, angry with his friends for taunting Nandini about her parents and last but not the least, about Nandini calling him and his friends delusional and hypocrites. He decided to intervene and put an end to this argument as soon as possible.
Manik - THAT'S IT!. Enough is enough. All of you just shut the fuck up!
Manik held Nandini's hand and pulled her out of the jam room and went behind the music wing for some privacy. He didn't want this to be a public debacle. Everything was already beyond control.
Manik - What the hell Nandini. Why the hell did you mention the business thing. I told you I didn't want to tell anyone before I was sure. Tumne phir bhi jaa kar sabko bol diya.
Nandini - Manik. I didn't know tumne unhe nahi bola tha. You only told me that you didn't want to tell your Dad before you were sure.
Manik - No Nandini, maine Tumhe specifically bola that I don't want to tell anyone.
Nandini - Okay fine. I must've missed it. I'm sorry. Maine purposely nahi blurt out kiya tha. But in case maine bol bhi diya, toh isme galat kya tha. Sab log aise kyu behave kar rahe hai. Tumhare dad tumhare dushman nahi hai. I understand all of you are very touchy about your families. But I don't understand itna zyaada hatred kyu hai? They provide for everything you need and support you for all the opportunities you all want. They can't be that bad. After all they're your parents.
Manik - Seriously Nandini. Tum yeh keh rahi ho? You know what all Nyonika has done to me. And you still think I'm a hypocrite who lives off my parents' money and claim to hate them.
Nandini - Manik, I didn't mean you. I was talking generally.
Manik - Really? Why don't I come into the general category? Iska matlab toh yehi hai na ki tum bhi mere baare mein yehi sochti ho.
Nandini - Manik, main sirf tumhe aur tumhare Dad ko support karne ki koshish kar rahi thi. Everyone was blaming your Dad for manipulating and brainwashing you. But tumhe bhi pata hai that he was only looking out for you. And there's nothing wrong if your Dad wants you to pursue a career in something he thinks you're good at and maybe even follow his footsteps. Isme galat hi kya hai?
Manik - Look Nandini, just because you think you can't fulfill your Dad's dreams, don't push me into fulfilling my Dad's dreams. Mujhe koi interest nahi hai to make my Dad proud. So don't think that you can feel good about yourself by making me do something you cannot do.
Nandini was shocked when she heard Manik say that. Her expression changed from serious to stunned to hurt when she registered Manik's words. Manik also realised what he said after he said it and regretted his words immediately. He wanted to make sure no one says hurtful things to her and here he was, who himself landed up saying the most hurtful things to her.
The next moment he saw Nandini walk away from him.
Manik - Nandini. Listen to me. I didn't mean it.
But Nandini didn't turn back and continued to walk away. Manik ran his hand in hair frustrated with what all had just happened. He punched into the iron door out of frustration, anger and guilt hurting himself. How could he say something so rude to Nandini. He knew she was vulnerable today and he had landed up hurting her even more. But at the same time, he was hurt too. Did she really think of him as a hypocrite? Was this the opinion she had of him? Like rich, spoiled kids who lived off their parents' money and still blamed them for everything in their life? He thought Nandini knew him more than anyone did in the whole world but with everything that she said, he was hurt that she thought so low of him.

What the hell was happening nowadays. Everything was a mess. His friends were falling apart and now, Nandini and him were also going away from each other. When did life become so complicated? Here he was, trying to fix all the mess in one part of his life, and the moment he fixed that, something else got messed up more than before. Life was indeed a horrile tangled mess.