{This book is going to complete 200k views soon (yeeee) but before that can I get 25K votes overall on the book, pretty please? *puppy face* For that you can vote on this chapter and previous ones if any chapter is left on which you didn't voted.}
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"ek tu na mila,
sari duniya mile bhi toh kya hai.
mera dil na khila,
sari bagiya khile bhi toh kya hai!"
---ω---
"Should I frame this as a memory?" Cabir, Abhi, Mukti and Navya slapped their forehead at their best friend's dreamy look and stupidity. While Manik remained nonchalant and kept staring at the message with a small smile, which wasn't leaving his face since the time his phone has received a message from a contact saved as Sunshine.
"Manik! For God sake, the message is blank. Idiot!" Mukti spoke and Manik royally ignored her making her sigh.
(a/n- Haha, sorry for hyping it up too much)
"Yes Manik. And it can be a mistake too, Right?" This time Navya said, although she didn't wanted to break his heart but why would Nandini sent a blank message to Manik. Manik looked at his friends and sighed before taking a seat on the couch. Currently, Fab Five were gathered in Abhi's home.
"No Navya! Firstly if even if was a message sent by mistake then too I should be hopeful right? Because technically, for sending me message even "by mistake" one should open the contact and that means she was thinking about me." Fab Four were amazed and afraid both at the hopefulness of Manik. Amazed, because the level of hope he is having and afraid, because of the same reason, the level of hope he is having. Because if his hopes would break at the end, they know he will hurt beyond imagination.
Manik looked at his friends who were looking at him with different emotions and somehow he knew what was going in their mind and he chuckled.
"Relax guys! Stop fucking worry about me everytime. I'm into this with all my will. And no, for the nth time, this is not a message sent by mistake. Nandini Murthy doesn't do such mistakes." He smiled at them and his friends smiled back at him. Cabir and Abhi glanced at each other and Abhi nodded at Cabir.
They both have been trying to make sure of what Moksh had told them. They wanted to be fully sure that Nandini is the daughter of Goenka's which Moksh was telling. And in their attempts to gather the information, they had came across a seven years old article of Goenka siblings photograph from an outing. And although the face of the said sister was not clear, but Cabir and Abhi recognised her as Nandini. And they were also in contact with Abhishek Jindal, who somehow got Nandini's information from school only to confirm their doubt that Nandini is not Nandini Murthy, but Nandini Goenka. And they had been waiting for right time to tell this to Manik and somehow they feels that this is the right time.
"Manik. We need to tell you something." Abhi and Cabir took seat on Manik's each side and Manik looked at Abhi and nodded him to continue.
"Manik we found something about Nandini." Manik sat straight hearing Cabir and looked at him with curiosity. Mukti and Navya too sat on the other couches with frowns of confusion.
"What did you found Cabir?" Manik's heart started beating abnormally in fear, and he looked at his friends with questioning gaze. Abhi cleared his throat and took a deep sigh.
"Manik, Nandini is- she is-" Manik's phone rang displaying Maa and he unwantedly picked up the phone with his gaze still fixed on Abhi.
"Ji Maa?"
"Manik come home." Manik frowned at his mother's plain voice .
"Maa, I'll come after some..."
"Now Manik! I want you at home in twenty minutes. Come fast." Manik was now tensed because first his mother never spoke like this to him. Her voice was always laced with love and affection even if she was upset with him. He sighed in frustration and looked at his friends who were also looking at him with frowns.
"I'll meet you later guys. Gotta go." He stood up taking his keys from the coffee table.
"Manik wait! We will also come." He nodded hearing Cabir and dashed out of Abhi's house followed by his friends.
.
.
"Maa. What happen? Are you okay? And why did you called me aise?" Manik asked all the questions that were roaming in his mind throughout his ride to Malhotra Mansion. Coming in the home, he was told by a butler that Nyonika was in his room only waiting for him. So he hurriedly came to his room followed by his friends to saw his mother sitting on the edge of the bed with her hands resting on her either side on the bed. He was getting more tensed seeing the blank look on his face.
"Maa!! Say something. What happen?" This time Manik sat in front of his mother kneeling down on floor and kept his both hands on her knees. Nyonika stared at him for some time before picking up her phone and showed the screen to him. Manik confusingly looked at the screen and his eyes widened when he saw picture of Nandini, the same picture that was saved as his lockscreen wallpaper. He looked at his mother who still was staring at him blankly. Even Fab Four who were behind Manik were shocked to see Nandini's picture and they were imagining all the worst scenarios in their minds.
"Who is She?" Manik looked at his mother in her eyes. Her voice was as emotionless as her face right now. Manik's chest was heaving up and down as he licked his lips.
"I asked something Manik. Who is she?" Manik took a deep breath looking down and again looked back at his mother.
"Nandini!"
"Who Nandini?"
"The girl, I Love." Nyonika intake a sharp breath and looked at her son unbelievably. A little hope in her heart that maybe, maybe she was mistaken as her son would never love a girl who has a daughter, died. She abruptly stood up followed by Manik. Manik was confused with his mother's reaction. From the photo he knew that she got it from his mobile but what he was not understanding was her reaction.
"Mumma." He was interrupted as Nyonika showed him her palm stopping him to say anything further. The accusing look in her eyes was hurting Manik.
"Do you know that she has a daughter?" Manik and Fab four gasped hearing Nyonika. Now they knew why Nyonika was behaving such a way. But how did Nyonika know this, was the question. Nyonika looked at Manik and his friends and her eyes widened when she realised that they knew. Her shoulders slumped down in disappointment and she looked at them with anger.
"Answer Me Manik Malhotra. Do. You. Know. That. She. Is. A. Mother?" Manik closed his eyes as his mother whispered shouted and he nodded his head before opening his eyes only to see his mother raging like a bull. He wanted to say something, to tell her everything but didn't. Couldn't. He sighed dejectedly as his mother kept glaring at him but hearing her next words his head snapped in her direction and he looked at his mother in diabelief.
"You aren't meeting her. Ever." Fab four were also shocked seeing Nyonika's this avatar. She was saying everything with such plain yet firm voice that they never heard from her. Not for Manik at the least. They looked at Manik who was staring at his mother with a blank face and Nyonika was also looking at him as if challenging him to deny her.
"Aunty. Please at least hear us before making any assumptions." Mukti spoke not being able to see Manik's helplessness.
"Assumptions? Seriously Mukti? I'm making assumptions? I, just now confirmed everything from my own son, and you're telling me that I'm making assumptions. Isn't it true that my son loves a girl who already has a daughter, hm? Tell me, Am I Wrong? Because I want to be wrong." Nyonika's voice was laced with anger and concern both. This was not a hidden fact that if Nyonika loved someone more than anything, than he is Manik. And she would never want him to get hurt.
"Aunty. You are right. But this is not the whole truth. Nandini- she has own past. Please don't jump on conclusions directly." This time Navya tried to make Nyonika understand who looked at her unbelievably.
"I just can't beleive that you four even after knowing everything let Manik jump into this well. And about any past of that girl, I may sound inhumane, but I don't care if her past is going to destroy my son's future." Fab four sighed in defeat and looked at Manik.
All this while Manik was standing silent but his mind wasn't. He never imagined everything to be turned out like this. He looked at his mother and stared at her. Can he blamed his mother for whatever she is speaking? No! She was only being a mother to him. He walked to her and made her sit on her previous place and sat on the floor in front of her and held her hands in his. Nyonika was looking at him who was looking at their hands as he took a deep breath and looked above at her.
"You don't want me to meet her?" Nyonika shook her head in no and Manik gave her a small smile which never reached his eyes.
"Okay! I won't. If that's all what makes you happy. I won't meet her. Ever." Nyonika gave him a smiles amidst her tears. She knows that she is hurting her son, but according to her, this hurt is better than any pain of future that he will have to endure. She cupped her cheeks and kissed his forehead.
But Fab four were shocked. They were looking at Manik with disbelief. This is not the Manik they know, who an hour ago was telling them the opposite.
Manik removed Nyonika's hands from his cheeks and kept them in her lap. His this action caused the small smile on her face to diminish. She looked at her son who looked back at her.
"You can stop me from meeting her Maa. But how will you stop this heart from beating for her? For, it never learned how to unlove her." Nyonika blinked her eyes as she saw her son's eyes welling up. She looked at him with sorrow and felt so helpless as a mother. She kept her forehead on her shoulder dejectedly as her own eyes were filled with tears.
"You cannot love her. You should not," she whisper. "For it is a sin."
Manik only smile at her words knowing that she has not looked into her eyes which holds so many secrets yet has the ability to drown him into them. She has not seen her smiling which can calm his racing heart instantly.
"So be it then," he say. "I will walk into hell gladly knowing I've held heaven in my hands.
Nyonika closed her eyes and let the tear slip away. The mother in her wants nothing but her son's happiness, but she can't let him scarred his future for the temporary happiness, can she?
She wish she could hide her son in her protective embrace so that no harm could touch him.
Manik closed his eyes and the only face that flashed in front of his eyes was of her, Nandini.
.
.
Nandini was walking home under the moonlight. The weather was calm unlike the hurricane inside her. The whole day she couldn't remove the thoughts of him from her mind. His sweet smile, his little little gestures, his warm stares, his everything kept revolving in her mind. And how much ever she tried to closed off the thoughts, she couldn't. He never left her mind.
Feeling the cool breeze on her face Nandini sighed. She was feeling calm with wind hitting her face. The wind got cooler as she passed through the Marine drive. Something in her asked her to stay here for a bit and hence she changed her path and started moving towards the beach. She wrapped her hands around her arms shivering a little as she neared the beach. Her steps halted as she noticed a male figure sitting on the rocks near the beach. She was about to retrace her steps but something in her brain triggered her to move forward.
Moreover, she can't keep running away, always. Taking a deep breath she took steps forward as she saw the person sitting there turned a bit, feeling a presence and her heart skipped a beat maybe, as she saw it was Manik. His face was illumination under the moonlight and his black silky hair blowing with the wind.
Manik, who had came here to the beach right after the talk with his mother was surprised seeing her. He took into her appearance as she was fiddling with the strap of her bag. She was looking mesmerizing under the moonlight. And he exhaled as he saw her taking unsure steps towards him, which made his heart beat loudly in his chest. His mother's word rang in his ears and he closed his eyes tightly.
Nandini noticed his eyes closed and a look of defeat on his face as she took a seat on the rock beside the one he was sitting on. She felt safe.
Her fragrance hit Manik's nostrils and he opened his eyes to saw her sitting close yet far form him and was looking at the waves. He too looked at the front as his mind replayed his talk with his mother.
After a few minutes of silence, Nandini looked at him who was looking at front. She herself frowned seeing the look of painful on his face. She knew that something was bothering him and she so wanted to do something about that.
Nandini herself doesn't know that why she was getting affected by his worried face. Maybe because in need of times he has helped her, and it would only be fair if she could help him in any way.
"Manik." Her soft voice fell in his ears and he came out of his trance and looked at her who was looking worried for him. And as much happiness it should have given her, he felt himself getting lost again.
"Manik, are you okay?" Nandini saw him giving her a small smile that never reached his eyes and looked at front again. She was now tensed for him, for her never behaved like this. She knew that it was something huge that was bothering him. She wanted to ask him again but stopped herself and fisted her hand to her kurti and sat straight with frowns.
"Nandini!!" After a few more minutes of silence Nandini heard his soft voice and she looked at him who was still looking straight.
"Hn?"
"It- it should terrify me, but- but isn't!" Nandini looked at him with confusion and she saw him shifting his gaze to her now.
"What Manik?" She saw his lips twitched a little before he looked deep into her eyes.
"I was never supposed to fall so hard for you. But you know what? I did and that's the truth, that's what keeps me holding on because it hurts like hell to let you go. And- and even the thought of anyone taking you away from me, I- I'd this feeling that, I'd rip the world apart with my bare hands. And for some reason, that didn't terrify me." Nandini's breath hitched seeing the honesty and determination in his eyes. Both of them kept staring in each other's eyes before Manik averted his gaze and licked his now dry lips.
The wind was getting more cooler and chilly. He stood up and Nandini looked at him still sitting down. Manik looked at her and forwarded his palm for her to hold.
"Come, I'll drop you home." Nandini kept looking at his hand and Manik noticed this and he too looked at his hand before realising what he did. He smiled mirthlessly and was about to close his first when he felt small fingers hovering over his. His head snapped into her direction and saw her trying to keep her palm on his. Nandini's fingers trembled as she brushed her finger to the inside of his palm yet too scared to fully place her hand in his.
The moment Manik felt Nandini's touch, his hand reacted instantly, jolting upwards and encompassing her soft hand in a tight hold. Interlacing their fingers, Manik smiled, this time genuinely as he heard Nandini's gasp and he helped her to stand up, who was still looking at their adjoined hands.
It felt right.
She followed him as he tugged her along over the rocky path carefully.
Her gaze never left their hands.
Her breaths turned uneven as she realised.
He was comfort, security, and need, all in one. It had a name.
Home.
.
.
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Finally I'm satisfied writing this chapter. This did came out as I wanted it to be.
So????
How was the chapter? (No one or two word answer please)
Manik couldn't know about Nandini's family!!
How was Nyonika? She is not a villain here, she is being just a mother. So don't hate her. Because obviously, you can't except her to accept Nandini.
Btw, through Nyonika I'm aware-ing you about the upcoming chapters iykyk:)
How was Manik throughout?
(Yeah multixfanz ik, you can write a book on him lol;)
And Nandini? Do you think use kuch kuch hone laga hai? Ya phir bahut kuch?
Last part is my personal favourite I mean, the way I blushed writing that hand holding moment hehe. Which part was your favourite in this chapter?
Next update - Not sure have some tests and assignment scheduled 😫
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3000 words!!
~A ♡