"Masi didn't call you?" Manas asked Manik
"No" Manik replied sadly. He did not know that Manas informed her. She would get hyper when he was not well and even after knowing it she didn't try to contact him. It broke his heart.
"Mimi kuch zyada hi kar rahi hai ab" Manas mumbled only to get hit on his head. He rubbed his head and looked at Manik who was glaring at him
"Padhai Hui hai kuch? Schedule bana hai? Exam hai na?" Manik asked her and Manas quickly caved back. He knew his Cha was not someone who will take anything against his Mimi and also not let studies slid away easily
"I am making one. Have th send it to Mi too" Manas said
"Ek kuch bol na. Ya toh masi bol, ya Mimi bol, ya Mi bol" Manik said irritated
"Meri Mimi hai, meri jo marzi hogi main bolunga" Manas said with a cute glare and Manik narrowed his eyes on him.
"Go get your books. I want to see how ready you are. If you don't score first class and above, acche college bhul jao" Manik warned him.
"Okay okay hitler Cha" Manas said putting his hands up in surrender and left.
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"So Manik is sending you these?" her mother sked and Nandini nodded meekly tuking her hairs back nervously.
"So are like you two back together?" her Appa asked
"No!" Nandini defended quickly and in high pitch which every one knew she used when she wanted something but was not going to accept.
"Then why are you accepting it?" her Amma asked
"I mean... They are flowers. And he sends them irrespective of me stopping him so I have to keep them. Not let them die for nothing" Nandini said and her parents looked at each other.
"Kanna..." her mother started hesitantly
"Amma I know aap kya soch rahe ho. I don't know if this will work. If we will get together. Manik knows this too. I am not giving him any hope." Nandini cut her Amma abut then frowned and added "Or may be I am. I don't know."
Her parents looked a bit worried. She went to her parents and sat near their feet.
"I don't know the future but I know one thing. My heart has always loved Manik. It wants to try. It wants to be selfish and choose it's happiness." Nandini told them
"I don't Appa if I love Manik now. I don't know if we can get back together but I know one thing, he makes me happy. The kind of happiness he gives me, no one can. Main selfish ho sakti hu na? Ek baari bas." she had tears in her eyes.
"I don't know if main kabhi kuch bhul paungi. If main Manik ko, Papa ko kabhi maaf kar paungi. Aur mujhe nahi sochna yeh sab. Filal toh nahi. But ek chance main de sakti hu. Ek try mujhe bhi karna hai Appa." She looked at them both.
"I hope you get your happiness kanna" her Appa said and her Amma agreed nodding and creasing her hairs.
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The blue envelope that had reached Manik to give him the most beautiful smile he owned. He kept his laptop and files aside and opened the envelope like an excited kid opening his present.
"I hope you are feeling better. Take care of yourself, you aren't a kid Malhotra. Everyone is worried for you. I know you know that." He read.
"Were you worried?" he thought.
"And yes it got me worried too." a smiled made his face. She cares. This letter was less colder than the last one.
"I just have a confession. And make this clear. To be truthful, I like you sending me these letters. But this is not to give you hope or something. I want to figure things out Manik. And I hope I do figure it out. And I hope I don't hurt you. But if you're not ready, I want you to stop this here. I don't promise anything. You might get hurt. We might get hurt. I hope you choose what's best for you Manik.
Take care,
Nandini." He read and smiled sadly. He understood she was not ready to just forget everything and come back running to him in his arms. She clearly said she was nit promising anything. They might nit have a future, she could just tell him one day that it's over and he might have to just accept it. Was he ready to step into this uncertainty and bait his future?
____________________________________
The next day Nandini woke up around ten. She intentionally put the alarm two hours late to her usual time. She took her own time to freshen up and get ready for the day. With every minute her stomach crunched with possibilities. She got ready and stood infront of the door of her house to walk out.
Her nerves recked. If there is a letter and sunflowers out there then it meant Manik was ready to give time and chance to them. But if it was not then this ended everything between them.
Taking a deep breath she opened the door and stepped out. She walked slowly to the spot where she found the sunflowers and letter usually but there was nothing today. A sharp pain was felt in her heart but she didn't gave in yet. She looked around the place but there was no sign.
No sign of a letter or the sunflowers. He face fell and she let the sadness cloud her. So he didn't wanted to continue. It was painful but then she understood. Why would someone wait for someone for their whole life? It was ridiculous and pointless.
She turned and started to take slow steps back to her house. She planned to directly go to her room, get in her warm blanket and stay there until she doesn't feels good.
But before she could step in she heard a cycle Bell ring and Arjun call loudly "Nandini Akka"
Her heart beat fasten. Arjun was here. To give flowers and letter? No maybe he was just here to say bye. Nandini did not wanted to get happy as of yet but then she slowly turned to see Arjun holding an envelope and flowers. Not sunflowers but different flowers. They were very small, purple flowers. Actually not purple but a shade of purple. Nandini had not seen those flowers till today.
"Sorry Akka I got late. These flowers got late actually." Arjun told her and handed the flowers and the envelope to her
"Thank you" Nandini said as a smile slowly made it's way on her lips. But then she realised something, a lone tears had also slipped her eyes.
"Thank you" she again said with a growing smile. Taking the flowers and envelope she rushed in and then came back with a green envelope. She handed it to Arjun. Arjun smiled and left.
Nandini rushed to her room. As she passed the living room and was climbing up the stairs, her mother who was standing near the kitchen door smiled.
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Nandini entered her room and grabbed her phone she opened Google lense and clicked the flowers photo.
'Heliotrope' it said. According to internet the flower was name Heliotrope. Nandini went to the browser and quickly searched it's meaning. Manik had sent sunflowers till now. Flowers she loved. If he had send these flowers, it definitely meant something.
It symbolized devotion and eternal love. Nandini's heart sored. She felt it will leap out of her rib cage.
She opened the envelope and read
"Hello there Sunshine! I know you have goggled the meaning of the flower I sent and it might have told you devotion, eternal love, respect, vagera, vagera. I do respect you, love you and the amount of devotion I have for you is undiscribeable (but you know the intensity, I have time and time showed it to you😏)" Nandini blushed knowing the meaning and yet laughed seeing his drawing of the emoji. It was funny.
