Forever And A Day || Completed

25. Love, in words!

~ Emotional abuse is worse, because you can heal broken bones, but not broken mind. ~

"Somethings you don't deal with Nandini, you learn to endure them", the words escaped him without a conscious attempt, and it stunned the petite girl holding his face, softly in her hands.

Nandini was taken aback with the way he said it, not because the words seemed heavy but because it was today she was realizing how deeply things can effect us. She had thought this introvert, silent man she had as her husband was like this only, that he liked talking less and that he brought philosophy into their conversations as a hobby, or that he had probably read those lines in some of those fat books he was fond of. But today, in that one moment, it dawned on her what her Appa had been preaching her for years.

Philosophy doesn't come from reading or watching, it comes from deep within, from one's own experiences and flaws, from silent cries and warm smiles, from dry eyes that don't forget how to twinkle, and from words that never find their way out of one's system.

" Stop staring at me like that", Manik chided her playfully, his attention focused on the frown that was sitting between her brows, and his motive only to wipe it away.

" It's my right", she raised her eyebrows to mention, before turning her body and settling in front of him such that her back was tucked to his front, and then she pulled his arms around her waist, holding his hands in hers.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and smirked, before quickly placing a kiss on her nape.

" I like this", he winked, and she saw it in her peripheral vision, smiling and squirming to move her neck, since it tickled her. Manik noticed it, and freeing his hands from her hold, he started to slowly run his fingers over her waist, below her top.

Nandini shivered, and slapped his hand, which only earned her a laugh from him, and eventually she herself started laughing, as they fell back on the bed, wrapped in each other's arms.

"I am still not over the fact that they did all these to you, and you are here trying to change the topic. Crib na Manik. Complain to me about them, tell me you were affected by them?", Nandini had her head over his chest, and as she spoke, she felt him sighing deeply.

" You won't let it go?", He asked her, holding her closer as she vigorously shook her head on his chest.

" I don't know Nandini, of course it affected me. But it has been so many years now, the memories have faded. I remember, though, but it's not like I think about them in my spare time. They have no meaning anymore in my day to day life", he answered her, and she raised her face to look at him, only to see honesty reflecting back.

" You know I was proud that I am not voilent by nature, but today I really wanted to kill them all", Nandini cribbed to him, who started laughing loudly at her tone. Pulling her to himself, he lay down on the bed, and ran his fingers on her forehead to ease out the frowns.

"" Why are you even so caught up with them? Ignore no?", He spoke after sometime when he realized she was not going to forget about the issue.

" What do you mean why? How could they do that to you? YOU of all people? Do they even realize how precious you are?", Nandini cribbed again, and in the flow didn't even realize what she was speaking, but Manik who had arched his eyebrows with a smirk, bit his lips to hide a smile.

Took her a few minutes to understand what he was finding so humorous in the situation, but when she did, She didn't know what came over her, as she raised her face a little more to kiss him. It wasn't a surprise to Manik, the kiss, but what actually surprised him was the gentleness with which she was kissing him, the softness, like he was made of porcelain and she was afraid to break him.