Together Hamesha (MaNan Version)

Chapter 18

Mukti : Hello Manik. 

Nandini's steps came to a halt when she heard the word, 'Manik.' Mukti saw Nandini stop abruptly and took that as a cue to continue further. 

Mukti : Manik, kaha hai tu?

*Silence*

Mukti : Lekin Manik.. Hello? Hello Manik? Hello? 

Nandini turned around and looked at Mukti expectantly. Dhruv asked Nandini's question.

Dhruv : Kya bola Manik ne? Aur woh thik hai na?

Mukti : Usne kaha ki usse akele rehna hai aur phone cut kar dia. Woh thik hi sound kar raha tha. 

A lone tear trickled down Nandini's eye in relief. A small smile spread across her face. It felt like she could finally breathe. Mukti moved towards Nandini and held her by her shoulders. 

Mukti : Dekha. Maine kaha tha na Manik thik hoga. He's fine, Nandini. Tum unnecessarily tension le rahi thi. 

Nandini nodded her head and hugged Mukti. Cabir speculated foul play but kept mum. Nandini had abandoned her plan of going out in search of Manik and that was a huge relief for them, for the time being. Once they broke apart,

Mukti : Ab chalo, khana kha lo. Fir medicines lekar, go to sleep. You need to rest. It's been a tiring day for all of us. Come on.

They went back to the room. 

Somewhere in the middle of a deserted road

With great difficulty, the person managed to bring an unconscious Manik outside the car and made him sit with his back resting against a tree. Manik didn't have a lot of overt injuries due to the airbags that had been installed in his car. There was a cut on his forehead with blood oozing out. A few scratches on the part of his hands below the elbow were visible due to his rolled up sleeves. Any internal injuries could only be detected once Manik gained consciousness. The person removed a handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around Manik's forehead. He also removed a bottle of water from the backpack he was carrying and sprinkled some water on Manik's face. As the water droplets came in touch with Manik's face, his eyelids moved a little. He tried to open his eyes only to shut them back due to the throbbing pain in his head from the injury. He held his head in both his hands and tried to shake off the pain. When the pain subsided a little, he tried to open his eyes again. He looked here and there to take in his surroundings. He saw his damaged car to the left. But his eyes popped out of their sockets when he saw the person kneeling in front of him.  

Person : Tum thik ho? Here, have some water. 

The person forwarded the water bottle towards Manik. Manik stared at the person, aghast. He was too shocked to react. He couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. The person furrowed his eyebrows at Manik's actions. When Manik opened his eyes, the person was still kneeling in front of him with his hand held out, offering water to Manik. Manik realized that he wasn't being delusional.

Manik : Tum? How did you..? I mean.. how?

Manik couldn't form a coherent question. He was too stunned to speak. And the pain in his head was making it all worse. 

Person : Manik, I'll answer all your questions. But please pehle pani pi lo. You'll feel better. 

Manik took the bottle of water and gulped down half of its contents. He put the bottle on the side. The person sat on the ground with his legs folded. 

Person : Feel better? 

Manik just bobbed his head. 

In Nandini's room