Let Me Love You ✨|| Completed

44. A few thousand flaws

~yes, she is smiling, merrily, happily! But don't let that fool you. Look into her eyes, deeper than her wall of pretense. You will see how she is breaking inside~
-Srishti

Nandini sat rooted to her seat, eyes lowered and struck towards the ground. Her heart kept screaming that she was indeed wrong. She had no right to let him punish himself for something that wasn't his fault, but her's.

Yes, It was her fault.

Her inability to be the soulmate to him.

Her incapability of opening up.

She tried to speak but the lump in her throat kept her mum. She knew there was a limit to his patience, his love and his calmness. And She had, this time crossed his limit. Wasn't he right? It was supposed to be two ways but she had kept hers blocked. And it was time to overcome the hurdle.

It wasn't like she didn't want to. She did, but some people are just not carved in thay way 'maybe'. Manik was still sitting in front of her, waiting for her to say something. Anything. But all his hopes went down the gutter when he saw her getting up and again returning to the washroom, locking the door. Manik was by then, highly frustrated.

What else was he supposed to do to win her trust?

How else could he make her believe he won't judge her?

He was literally raging with anger this time. He could bear anything but seeing her hurt. And she had been doing exactly that, hurting herself and in the process hurting him too. So when he heard the door click open, he turned to face Nandini who was standing with her head lowered, fumbling with her fingers. Manik approached her in two long strides and held her by her shoulders, this time way too tight.

"What the hell do you want Nandini ?", He asked with gritted teeth and Nandini trembled in fear. She had never ever seen him that angry. But then today, he had every right to be.

His nails digging in her soft skin, pained her. Manik looked into her eyes, glazing with unshed tears and she stared at his, which were reflecting raw pain.

"Why Nandini ? Where did my love ell short for you? What did I not do to win your heart, your trust?", He asked painfully but his tone, ice cold. He pushed her back and she collided with the closed washroom door as he ran his fingers several times through his already messy hairs.

"I loved you for who you were. I didn't expect anything from you. Any damn thing. Tell me Nandini? Did I ever force myself, my wishes on you? I always tried to understand you and your this weird 'incapability of sharing'. I thought one day you will open up. But no, you have to prove me wrong. Isn't it?", He shouted at her, his voice increasing with every sentence.

"You can inflict wound on yourself. You can write these stupid sad poems in your notebooks. You can go and console every one else. But you can not tell me anything. Why? Just tell me why Nandini ?",He shouted again, gripping her shoulders once more and shaking her body.  His eyes were red with fury and she could see his pulsating vein near his forehead. He was trying hard to control his temper, to not scare her but things had gone out of his reach today.

Nandini, on the other hand was not scared of his anger. She knew it was all her fault and she was ready to bear his wrath for the same.

"Speak up dammit. Tell me if I am wrong. Tell me if I said a word that was inappropriate. Why the hell do you want to be Mother Teresa for others if you cannot let a single person peek inside you? Bloody paradox", Manik screamed again and in the heat of the moment, he didn't realize when the cuss word escaped his mouth.

"You are right. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve your love...", A meek voice gained his attention and Manik turned to face Nandini , her face distraught and her eyes filled with tears of remorse.

Her voice seemed half defeated, half hopeful. It was the most honest thing she had said out aloud maybe but it was all that took Manik to calm down his anger, the one which was ready to burst out of his nerves a few minutes ago. Manik took a few steps towards her, held her by her shoulders again, but this time gently. Putting a finger below her chin, he made her look towards him.

"Maybe yes. Maybe you don't deserve me. Maybe you don't deserve the love I have in my heart for you. But Nandini, you have me nonetheless. I love you more than anything in the world...", He confessed his love to her again and Nandini kept looking in his eyes for a long time, searching something and after a few painfully long minutes, she crashed in arms, sobbing.

Manik had seen her crying before, even held her while she was sobbing hard. But this...... was different.

She was crying holding him like her life was dependent on it. Her entire body shook violently under it's effect and she cried hard, emptying all her tears in his loving embrace.

"Nandini?", Manik called her out with all the love he had for her.

"Don't stop me Manik . I have held on to them for too long. I can't anymore...", She sobbed again but the ache and helplessness in her voice, shook him to the core. He somehow managed to drag himself and Nandini who was wrapped around him like second skin to the bed. He settled on the bed, held on to her comfortably and though it hurt him to see her wail, he let her. Nandini cried for a very long time, like she had never before. She cried endlessly and after a few minutes, Manik was afraid she would fall sick if she didn't stop. So he forcefully made her face him and wiped her tears from her swollen red eyes. But the dam that had broken today, had no stop. He kept on wiping, her eyes kept on filling again and again. And finally, Manik had no option but to kiss away her tears. He poured all his love in his kisses as he kissed her right eyes followed by the left one. He then kissed her left cheek followed by the right one. Nandini sat still, surrendering herself to him. He looked at her closed eyes, relived that her tears had stopped. But she looked so fragile and vulnerable to him, so tempting even with the messy hairs, that he couldn't control and leaned in finally pecking her lips. He kissed her petals softly and was about to move away, when Nandini opened her eyes and her lips giving him access and pulling him closer again. Surprised at her, he tried looking at her face but she didn't give him the opportunity and kissed him again. This time Manik too followed, pouring out all his love for her, in that one kiss. The kiss deepened and grew passionate, both letting go only when they needed oxygen badly. Manik leaned in again and trailed a few feather kisses down her neck and collor bone, again going back to her cheeks and finally pecking her lips.

Manik was ecstatic, he could not believe it actually happened. Nandini on the other hand, had blush on her cheeks, the same ones where she had felt his soft lips a few moments ago. Manik looked at her face, flushed and red and before he could say something, Nandini looked up at him.

"I love you Manik Malhotra. I really do. I love you so, so much!", She spoke and Manik sat rooted at his spot, unable to blink!