MaNan: Breaking Free

A Peek Into The Future (2)

"They mean well." Ratna smiles at me and bumps my shoulder.

"No, they don't. They write anything." I still remember how just last year, there had been so many stories about our breakup. It had only been a tiff because we weren't getting much time together and Manik had been on the edge about his company's expansion. We had resolved it quickly, but the media had created quite a shitstorm about the whole thing. Our fans had made it very clear that they were unhappy about our breakup. And then there were Manik's fangirls, who were celebrating as if he was planning to get on the first flight to marry them all, now that he had dumped me. The whole situation was unpleasant to say the least, and took a long time to blow over. But it did reaffirm my belief in staying as far away from social media as possible. My social media accounts are managed by my PR team and strictly used just for promotional posts.

"Chuck that and listen to me." Ratna turns me around so that I'm looking straight at her. "Have you talked to Manik about this?" When I shake my head, she gives me an exasperated look. "Nandini, you need to talk to him. Tell him whatever you are feeling. Don't keep it bottled up. Tell him you want more time with him."

"That's not all." I mutter in a small voice.

"What else?" She quizzes.

"He had a girlfriend before me. He was with her for a long time." I take a deep breath and try to control my rising panic. "But then he went to London for studies and they sort of grew apart. He told me they used to talk a lot at first. But eventually the conversations stopped entirely."

"And you think the same thing is happening with you two?"

"I think it might be. Manik doesn't do the long distance thing well. Soha, his ex, is proof of that. And we've mostly been apart, you know, since he started his firm. What if- he's falling out of love with me?"

There. It's out, my biggest fear.

Even though we haven't been able to spend much time together and I feel something is wrong, I'm still madly in love with Manik and I don't know what I'd do without him. I don't know if he still feels the same way.

"That's nonsense, Nandini. I've seen the way he looks at you and I can tell you that he's as in love with you as anyone can be in with another person."

Her words are reassuring and ease some of my nerves. "I don't know." I tell her uncertainty. "He's known Soha all his life and he still stopped loving her. Me, on the other hand? Our case is different."

"You've got this all wrong, girl." Ratna gawks at me. "You can know a person all your life and still feel nothing for them. While there are others, who you hardly know, but they still manage to turn you upside down. This shit happens in weird ways. I thought you knew this."

Just then, her phone beeps and she jumps out of her chair, groaning loudly. "I've got to go. But you'll talk to Manik, okay?" She looks at me sternly and when I nod, she gives me a thumbs up and rushes out of the studio.

She's right. I've got to talk to Manik and ask him how he feels. A part of me knows that he loves me too much and what we share is the real deal. But I still need to tell him what I've been thinking. It was going great until he started his company. But since then, we've been really pressed for time and it's taken a toll on me. There have been times when I've just wanted to go home after a long day and be with him, but he hadn't been there. We've managed so far, but now, I often find myself wondering if he still loves me the same way.

Grabbing my phone, I quickly call him and wait for him to pick up. I am prepared for the call going unanswered, but he picks up at the last ring.

"Hey, I was about to call you." His voice rings through the phone, its usual calming potential still intact.