Nandini
Opening my eyes, I slowly sit up on the bed, hissing slightly as I feel a dull ache in my head. It's a relief that the throbbing is not intense as it had been last night.
I turn to the side, intending to take the bottle of water from the bedside table to drink, but find the bottle to be empty.
Sighing, I climb down from the bed with the bottle in my hand.
As I am about to walk to the door, I see Manik entering the room with a tray of breakfast in his hand.
"How are you feeling now, Nandini? Do you still feel dizzy?" He asks me, but continues speaking without letting me reply. "I did talk with the doctor just a while back and she told me you should not feel dizzy after waking up. She has also advised to take you to the hospital for the checkup if the dizziness persisted. That is why I am asking you.
"If we need to go to the hospital, it is better you eat something first, then take your medicine that doctor has given for your headache, and then we will go."
Keeping the tray on the table at the side of the room, he steps closer to me and leads me to sit on the couch in front of the table.
"Why are you not saying anything, Nandini?" He frowns at me. "Tell me. Have you been feeling dizzy after waking up."
I only shake my head, feeling my eyes tear up due to his concern for me.
"That's good then. We will not go to the hospital, but I will call the doctor here in the evening. Just to be sure there is nothing to be worried about," he says.
"Here." He forwards the glass of juice toward me. "Drink it first."
"Mom has also prepared this oatmeal for you. Although we know you prefer spicy breakfast, today this bland oatmeal and fruits will have to do. Mom has specifically instructed me to sit with you until you finish your breakfast. Actually, she wanted to bring it by herself, but she and Dad have gone to the temple to pray for your well-being. They will be back after a while."
I take a few sips of the juice, before putting it back on the tray.
As I look at the bowl of oatmeal on the table, I feel a single tear slide down my cheek. "Mom made this for me? And she and Dad have gone to the temple to pray for my well-being?"
Manik puts a finger under my chin, tilting it to make me face him. He searchingly looks into my teary eyes. "Why are you crying?"
Without saying anything, I scoot closer to him and hug him. Then, unable to control myself, I break into sobs in his arms.
"What happened, Nandini? Is something the matter? Why are you crying?" He asks, soothing running his hand up and down my arm.
When I feel slightly burning pain over my arm when Manik touches me there, I wonder for a second about the reason behind it. But the very next moment, when I remember....
Immediately pushing Manik back, I stand up from the couch and run to the bathroom. In my hurry to get beneath the shower, I do not even close the door after entering.
Turning the shower on, I feel the cold water cascade down my body, seeping through the clothes I was wearing and wetting my body.
I begin scratching the side of my jaw, trailing my hand and furiously rubbing my fingers over the skin where that man had touched me.
"Nandini, what happened? What are you doing?"
Hearing Manik's alarmed voice, I still, stopping to scratch my skin for a moment.
"Rishabh touched me, Manik. His repulsing fingers were on my skin," I tell him, resuming to rub my arm, trying to erase even the memory of that repugnant touch.
It is not only last night's touch that I remember. My nails start scratching my whole body as I recall each time Rishabh touched me against my consent.
"Stop it, Nandini," Manik says, and I am startled by how close he suddenly was to me.
Seeing my reaction, he raises his hand up, as if to say he does not intend to do anything against my wish.
"Will you let me help you? Please?" He gently asks.
I gaze at him for a few seconds in complete silence except for the sound of running water.
He takes one more step closer to me, while I only keep looking at him.
"I can feel his lingering touch in my skin, Manik," I tell him.
My whole body was shaking and I could not figure out if it was due to the cold, disgust, or the angst.
Seeing me trembling, Manik reaches behind me to turn off the shower.
"Can you help me erase that touch, Manik?"
I see him take a deep breath before giving me a small nod. "Let's go to the doctor and we will see if ther—"
"Will your touch replace his?" I suddenly ask, interrupting him.
He sucks in a breath, shock marring his face as he processes what I just told him.
"Nandini, I don't thi—"
I again interrupt him. This time by bridging our small distance quickly and tightly hugging him.
"I feel too cold, Manik. And I know it is not from this cold water," I begin to say, running my hand over his back. "I do not know why I feel this way, but I want to feel safe. I want to feel loved. I want to feel.....wanted."
I shiver when Manik tightens the hug, his fingers digging the skin over my waist for a second before he loosens his hold.
Breaking the hug, he leans back to look at me with such tender affection in his eyes that I feel my heart flutter.
"You are safe," he says to me. "And, Nandini, please believe me when I say that you are no longer unwanted in my life."
The look in his eyes tells me that he meant what he said.
Biting back a sob, I again launch myself at him, wanting to bury myself in his arms.
This time, he hugs me back with equal vigor, running his hands up and down my back reassuringly.
"I was so scared last night, Nandini. When I found out about you missing, it stopped my heart for a second. Each moment after that felt like a year to me. And every passing second, until I found you, I prayed fervently for you to be fine. To be whole and well until I reached you."
"I knew you would come for me, Manik. I do not know why, but I had faith that you would not give up on me."
"I will never give up on you, Nandini. I promise. I will never give up on you."
Saying that, he steps back, and turns on the shower, fiddling with the knobs until the water is warm.
"May I?" He asks, and gently touches the side of my neck when I nod at him.
He rubs the area at the side of my neck for a few seconds, before trailing his hand up to my face, carefully washing the area around the jaw and lips that I was scratching earlier.
Then, bringing his hands down, he soothingly runs them up and down my arms.
I slightly hiss when I feel the burn again. This time more intense than earlier as a result of my own scratching.
With my breaths coming in spurts, I close my eyes and lean to Manik, fully trusting him.
He continues rubbing his hands alternately over my arms, my neck, up to my face. His touch so soothing that I feel it replacing the dread I was feeling earlier.
I open my eyes when Manik turns off the shower.
"Wait here," he says, and steps out for a moment, before coming back with a towel in his hand.
He wraps the towel over my still clothed body and brings me out to the room.
"Change your clothes, Nandini. I will be outside the room," he tells me, about to walk out, when I stop him by holding his wrist.
When he looks questioningly at me, I signal him to wait, and walk toward the cupboard.
Taking out a towel from there, I hand it to him. "Dry yourself too. Otherwise, you will catch cold."
Clutching the towel, he steps closer toward me.
I feel a strange emotion engulfing my heart when I see something akin to affection in his orbs as he gazes at me.
Once he is close enough, he leans forward to place a soft kiss on my forehead. My heart thudding furiously when I feel his lips on my skin.
"Call me when you are done," he says after leaning back, and walks out of the room, drying his hair with the towel I gave him.
***********
Manik
"Don't worry, Samrat. We will find Aastha soon," I tell my friend, feeling a pinch in my heart when I see his distraught face.
We are currently seated in the living room of my house. Samrat arrived earlier to check on Nandini and also to ask her if she remembers anything that can help us in finding Aastha.
"It's been more than a day, Manik. And until now, we don't have even one clue about where she might be," he says, rubbing his face with his hands.
Putting my hand over his shoulder, I give it a reassuring squeeze.
I too am worried for Aastha, but I know I need to be a voice of reassurance and optimism here. For Samrat. And for Nandini.
As I look at Nandini sitting on the couch in front of Samrat, I see his anxiety for Aastha reflected on her face too.
But on Nandini's face, there is also a color of guilt admixed with worry for Aastha.
"I am so sorry, Samrat. I know I should have done something for Aastha instead of hiding inside that room as a coward. If I had found a way to stall him, Aastha would hav—"
"No, Nandini," Samrat interrupts her. "It is not your fault. If you had also been taken by Rishabh when you attempted to free Aastha, we would not have gotten any evidence against that man. I am glad that you are safe. Now, we only need to find one clue about where he has taken Aastha. One link to him that can lead us to his location."
"Yes, Nandini. That is why we are gathered here," I tell her. "Can you remember anything that Rishabh might have said last night that can lead us to him? Anything of help that you might have heard or noticed?"
Nandini looks thoughtful for a few minutes while Samrat and I hold our breaths, hoping she would recall something that can be helpful to us in finding Aastha.
But disappointment surges within us when she shakes her head.
"I am sorry. I don't remember anything. I don't—"
She abruptly stops speaking. A look of realization dawning on her face makes me hopeful.
"What is it, Nandini? Did you remember something?" I ask her.
"Take me to my parents, Manik. I need to have a talk with them," she says with such fiery determination ringing in her voice that it makes me feel this confrontation will definitely lead us a step closer to finding Rishabh and Aastha.