Glassy Dreams

Chapter 4

“I am sorry yaar, things have just been....hectic", Manik apologied after Mukti calmed down, his voice falling off towards the end. More often than not, after everything that had happened since they first met, he was protective of his relationship with Nandini, and he didn't really like sharing the details even if was his friends.

“I am sure it is”, Mukti snickered, catching on the lie, but didn't give a damn - she was done with Manik holing up wherever he was, "And I don't give a shit. I am coming to India very soon to see for myself how hectic it is", she continued sarcastically, before mellowing down, “Manik, you know you can talk to me, right? We are still friends. If you can hold me at my worst so can I”.

Manik inhaled sharply, "Everything is-” but was cut off by Mukti's stern voice.

“Don't dare say everything is okay. I will believe it when I see for myself and then talk to Nandini as soon as she takes my calls or meet me and sort out whatever mess it is, this time", Manik couldn't see her but he could tell she was rolling her eyes.

“It's not Nandini -”, he tried again, but Mukti was having none of it.

“Manik please, there is only one person in the world who affects you so much. You literally went off the radar for six months. I couldn't contact you any which way. And Nandini didn't take my calls either. I am not stupid, and I don't care if you don't want to share. You are my best friend and I am coming there. I was just giving you a heads up, not asking for permission.I will see you soon".

Manik watched the disconnected call for a few seconds before taking a deep breath, keeping it back on the table and rolling onto his side, closing his eyes.

Nandini was coming back to him tomorrow - his entire body was thrumming with equal parts excitement and nervousness. He would deal with Mukti later, right now all he wanted to concentrate on was Nandini's homecoming.

Manik opened his eyes, and his gaze wandered to the ring on his ring finger. If he was to give himself a moment of naked honesty, Manik knew in his heart that he hadn't let go of the resentment he had against Nandini - the buried hurt, the unanswered questions, the pain of being left behind, the sadness of her breaking her promise - their Humesha - none of it was forgotten or forgiven.

But he was willing to work around it, because he had accepted long back that his existence was incomplete without Nandini. All the pain with her was more welcome than the horrible emptiness without her.

And even more than that, he was craving that fire in her eyes that lit up every time he had managed to push her buttons in the last two days. Nandini Murthy was not only synonymous to his hope, or the sunshine to his darkness, she was also a flame of her own. The fire inside her burnt brighter than every roadblock that life threw her way, she fought with a confidence and determination that would put the bravest warriors to shame. Watching that fire douse inside her had been the hardest experience for him, and oh, he had plenty.

Truth be told, Nandini breaking his heart wasn't the only reason he had seeked refuge in the mountains. He refused to seek her out because he wasn't sure he could see her wither away more than he already had, and he didn't know how to help her. Every time he had fallen apart, Nandini knew what to do, how to hold him together. But him? His emotional quotient used to be almost zero before Nandini came, and she taught him how to understand his own emotions and deal with them in a more healthy way than how he used to. He grew up with her by his side, teaching him little nuisances about life and emotions and being ecstatic about his progress with himself. He had loved her in all the loud ways, and she had loved him in all the quiet ways.

He had tried to do it for her this time around, but it had backfired on him, in epic proportions, and it and gutted him. He wanted to do right by her, but he didn't know how anymore. That was majorly why he took a step back, giving her these months despite how much it tore him apart to exist without her close by.