Stars | completed

50. A Wish Upon The Stars

"How're you keeping up?" He asked.

"Worried about her, but also as fine as you could be... all things considered." I reply, "What about you?"

He only nodded in return, taking a deep breath.

After a moment, he went on. "My Dad called in."

I turn. "What did he want?" I did remember how Manik and his Dad didn't have the best relation in the world, and although we hadn't gotten enough time to talk about how that advanced, from his tone... I knew it wasn't great either.

"He told me... he and Nyonika are having a divorce."

"What?" I gasped. It just left my mouth in shock, my eyes widening. "Oh my, God. There's already so much happening... and then this. Are you okay?"

"Yeah... yeah," he nodded, his eyes distant. "I'm fine. But Zubin, though, I don't think he's going to take the news as well as me."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," I tell him, firmly. "There is a lot left to do already, one step a time, hmm?"

He nods, his voice a little whisper. "One step at a time."

And then, he takes a reluctant step ahead, standing shoulder to shoulder with me, both of our eyes ahead at the setting sun.

"It's getting slightly lighter now," Manik said, his eyes at the sky.

"Aha," I clicked my tongue.

This was a small game we had created since the past few hours, to keep our eyes on the sky and note the change in its colours until sunrise, which didn't seem very far away now. It was the only thing we could do to keep our minds away from the chaos and enjoy these few hours that we had in peace together, like a small break from the world.

I could hear Manik chuckling under his breath. "I can never stop being amused by the sky. It's so crazy to see how it turns from shades of blue black to this husk purple littered with tiny silver stars and now the persian blue fading into slight light as the sun rises from the horizon."

"Mh-hmm," I buzzed, watching the very slight rays of light penetrating through the darkness. "It's twilight."

"It's twilight," he repeats in a lingering whisper. And oh, the dual meaning. The night was giving way to the light, no matter how dark and chaotic it had been.

I look at him for the first time in a long time. "As much as I love to see how the light overcomes darkness, I also hate watching how stars vanish from the night sky."

"Who's gonna day you're the same girl who used to sit with me at our balcony in Mumbai and y'all about she was absolutely not fond of the stars?" He teased.

"Guess you just changed that for me." Biting my lower lip, I look at him with the corner of my eyes. "You made me fall in love with the Stars, Manik."

"I'm glad," A very genuine smile touches his lips. "And listen.. love. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow and how it's going to end, but I want you to know, that if things don't work out in our favour, then you can just look at the night sky and talk to the stars while keeping me in your heart, and I'd always listen."