What's a soulmate? ~ MaNan

Chapter 13

"Yeah, not for long." I monotonously agreed, masking my hurt by indifference. "The divorce papers are ready. I dropped them at your place last night. You would've known if.."

If you were there, I wanted to say. I didn't.

Nandini remained silent for a bit, a little too long for my liking.

"He's just a friend." She whispered.

"A friend you're dating?"

I had to look at her to see she was shaking her head negatively. "I think he just pities me."

I chortled with sarcasm. "You? The prettiest, strongest and most amazing mother and woman I know? He pities you?"

She looked back at me, and I didn't realise how close we were until we were both staring at each other and it was the first time in years that she was there. Right there. Her face just below mine, out sides touching and if I leaned a little towards her... just a little...

"You really think I'm all that?" She asked, her voice nothing more than a mumble.

"No," I reply, well aware my breath was fanning her face, "I think you're more than that."

"Manik," She just breathed. I could see the light tears swell in her eyes. I could see her breath hitch. I could hear the unsaid words.

"It hurts, Nandini. The thought that you slept in another man's house, hurts." I wanted to be honest with her, so brutally honest.

"I didn't want to. It was raining so much so we decided to eat dinner and wiat it out in a cafe and when it never stopped raining till after midnight, he offered me the extra room in his house since he lived just across the street. I had to take it because there were no cabs and my car is at service and Chacha Chachi don't know how to drive."

I breathed, "Why didn't you call me? Or Cabir?"

"I called Cabir. Before I could ask him for his help, he mentioned he was having a date night with Navya at her place. I didn't.. I didn't want to bother them then." 

"And me?"

She just stared at me, her lips in a thin smile that forced upon her herself, softly raising her shoulders. "It didn't feel right anymore."

"No. No. No." I tell her, voice suddenly firm. "It's right, baby. It's always right. There is no world where you and I aren't right. There is no world where you'd call me and I wouldn't burn the entire city to make sure that the flames kept you warm. It's always right to call me, okay?"

"Mh-hm." She buzzed in a quiet nod, finally tearing her eyes away from me and looking up to drink away her tears. Once composed, she looked back at me. "You've never asked such questions before." A quiet observation. Nothing gets past her.

"The thought always lurked in the back of my head since we separated, as a what-if. Every time I went to a bar with a few friends and saw some random girl making eyes at me or offering me a drink or trying to flirt her way into my head, all I would sit back and think was the hundred ways in which I would break every bone of the man who tries to do the same to you."

I could see surprise flicker in her eyes, and then a certain hurt. "Women used to hit on you?" She asked, and then scoffed. "Of course they used to. You're... you."

One corner of my lips slightly raised. "I'd almost be flattered by that if I wasn't so offended by the assumption you're making here."

She looked away, the way she often did when she was about to lie. "I'm not making any assumption!" Her voice was a little hasty and squeaky, as if we were teenagers again. I almost saw a glimpse of an old Nandini, the one who belonged to me.