MaNan : Aching Smiles|| COMPLETED

25. Chaotic Mess!

~ A simple confession of love is at times enough to create a havoc around~

To say the atmosphere back at Malhotra household was gloomy would be an understatement. It was much more than devastating, because they were two hearts brutally shattered under the Apocalypse of circumstances, and there was this other, weak and aged one, praying desperately for her children's safety and well-being. But sometimes, it's not about prayers, it's about the decisions, and right now, it was all om the frail and confused shoulders of Manik.

The night was in its peak, but Nandini didn't have an ounce of sleep. She was sitting on the floor, her back on the wall beside her bed, and head in the mesh of her hands that lay crossed, on her drawn up knees. She was weeping, inconsolably, her sobs getting deeper every few seconds as her shoulder dropped. It was much harder than she had thought it would be. The pain was gigantic, tearing her apart. How would she bear it if he left her, forever when she couldn't bear it for about an hour or a two? How would she be able to let him go? No! Her heart screamed in agony, while her lips gave out a shattered cry as she slumped down on the floor weeping.

Wo jo tha, khwab sa, kya kahe jane de!
Ye jo hai kam se kam ye rahe ki jaane de!
Kyu na rok kar khud ko, ek mashwara kar le, magar jane de.
Aadatan to sochenge hota yu toh kya hota, magar jane de!
Wo jo tha...

How desperately she wished to have him all to her herself and had not taken that stupid decision to leave then? How she wanted to beg her fate that by some miracle Manik comes and hugs her tight, hold her in his arms and kiss the life out of her. But the expression on his face when he had left, anyway left her with a very little of hope.

" Shiwali?", Manik asked her, confused and frowning.

" Yes, Shiwali. You need to- I mean-, you need to know a few things Manik, which you are unaware of", it took every ounce of the courage and strength she had to speak it out, but Nandini knew she won't fall weak now, she simply couldn't.

" You are scaring me Nandini!", Manik was flabbergasted. How could it happen that there was something this important about his best friend that he had no clue about but Nandini knew?

A deep sigh escaped her lips, as she held his hands and dragged him to sit on the bed.

"Shiwali is not leaving just because of the fellowship", Nandini blurted it and Manik could feel the vein in his temple throbbing. He looked at her in expectation, that she would clarify it to him, but Nandini was lost in her own chain of thoughts, before she finally dared to look up at him.

" She loves you Manik, deeply, and she thinks you don't, and she doesn't want to force her feelings on you!", The burden was lifted off her chest, as Nandini finally spoke it out, but the look of devastation wrapped in layers of surprise on his face, didn't give her a good feeling.

The wind blew hard outside his window, and the photo frames kept so artistically on his bed table fell upside down, breaking his trance. Manik stood up from the balcony and walked in, to his precious frames. One if it was a recent picture, of him with Nandini and Shiwali. He stood in the middle of the girls, and ironically that was how life was treating them too. He couldn't believe what Nandini told him, yet. Manik rubbed his temples in exhaustion, as their talks played in his mind on a loop.

Beeta jo, beete na, haaye kyu, haaye yu, aankhon me,
Humne toh beman bhi socha na, kyu aaye tum baaton me!
Puchte toh jo hum se tum, jaane kya kya hum khte, magar jaane de.
Aadatan to sochenge hota yu toh kya hota magar jane de!
Wo jo tha...

" She loves you Manik, deeply, and she thinks you don't, and she doesn't want to force her feelings on you!", Manik didn't know what to feel as he heard Nandini speak. Shiwali was in love? With him? How in the earth could that be possible? Didn't she know how messed up it was in his head?