Manik turned the rear view mirror down, to have a better look at himself. He ran his fingers though his damp hair. That tiny smirk sitting on his curved lips...the naughty sparkle in his eyes....his muscular torso...he couldn't help admiring himself. Boy, did he look hot in that open shirt. He blushed... to himself!
'God!!!! this was a first. What's wrong with you Manik Malhotra, what are you upto??' He asked himself aloud.
This was definitely a first.
He no more frowned looking at himself, his eyes didn't betray him anymore. His search for himself no more ended at a dead end, infact, now he had a small window that opened straight to his soul.
He smiled.
He was happy, in fact a little more than happy. The rain had indeed washed away the anger, the pain, the insecurities and some of the questions that had almost imprisoned him for a little less than a day. No..not a day, some of this burden, he had been carrying along for a long long time and little by little he could now see them being washed away.
It felt so good, without that hood of anger he always wore. For the first time in years, he was not afraid of himself.
"Nandini.." her name slipped from his tongue.
He used to think, she was powerful enough to make him forget everything when she was with him. Wrong, she was way more powerful than that. She could actually make him forget everything even in her absence.
The very first time he had set his eyes on her photograph at the Zurich airport, she had stopped him from banging his fist against the counter top.
It was the earnestness to meet her that had made him go out of his way to help two strangers in the hospital, on day of her engagement.
That night in Panchgani, she had held him like a baby in her tiny arms when he was tired of fighting his own demons.
She had given him HOPE and MUSIC.
She was the one who told him to listen to his heart, when he was losing out in the battle between his heart and mind.
And today with one 'No' she had set so many wrongs, right.
If he were to give her a name, what would it be? He liked stars, more than anything else and she was like a pole star, always guiding him whenever he was on the verge of losing his way.
He should quit trying to look serious. This smile on his face was going to stay.
He dialled her number.
"Hey Manik, kahan pounche?"
"Listen I forgot to ask you something."
"Mee too, I forgot to tell you something."
"Girls first.. Shoot."
"Friday evening ko annual meet hai and I, Nandini Murthy am cordially inviting you to be our guest of honour."
"Haaa haaa , Wo tum nahi bhi bulati to main aa hi jata. After all my friend is performing."
Nandini was baffled. "Kaunsa friend? Mere alawa tumhara sanjeevani mein kaun friend hai?"
"Tumhe kya lagta hai Nandini Murthy, ek bas tumhi ho meri FRRRIEND? Itna bhav khana band karo." he chuckled as she frowned. "Woo hai na mera boyfriend wala friend."
It took her a while to understand who Manik was referring to, but when she did, she couldn't help adore this newly formed bond "Oh you mean Chiraag?"
"Acha to uska naam chiraag hai ! "
"Yeh kaisi friendship hai, tum to apne friend ka nam bhi nahi jante."
"Tum nahi samjhogi, jahan dil ka connection hota hai, wahan naam, address, height, weight yeh sab matter nahi karta."
'Right, it didn't matter that he was 6'1" and she a mere 5'3". It didn't matter that he was a millionaire n she an ordinary middle class girl, what did matter was she had always loved him and that he was falling in love with her, AGAIN' she thought.
"Acha bolo tumhe kya puchna tha"
"Actually ek nahi , I got two things to ask. But is baar bhi questions ka quota hai kya?"
She blushed. Manik was beginning to stump The Talking doll at her own game of one liners. 'Not bad!, not bad at all' he gave an imaginary pat on his own shoulder.
"Ok 1st question is how's your feet? I completely forgot to ask. "
"Much much better. Someone sent me the softest pair of shoes in the whole world. Now, what's the second question?" She was impatient to hear what he had to ask next. If he did have so many questions, could he not stay a little longer? Why did he have to run away as if he had a train to catch and then 10 mins down the line he had to call her to ask not one but two questions. Some people never change. But she took secret pride in the fact that out of the two of them, she was and always will be the smarter one.
"How to apologize if you have been rude to someone?"
"Haaaawwan!!! THE Manik Malhotra wants to appologize? Aiyappa, did the sun forget to rise today?"
"Nandini..." He tried to sound angry.
"Ok, Ok... simple, say 'Sorry' with a chocolate"
"Yeh bacchon wala idea hai. Nopes.. Kuch aur bolo"
"Then...say 'Sorry' with a flower."
"How cheezy...mujhe apni girlfriend ko sorry nahi bolna, Nandini Murthy.. I need a sensible idea"
"Just say 'Sorry'"
"Hmm"
"Waise, Sorry ka koi category nahi hota, Sorry, sorry hota hai. If you have hurt someone and you are feeling bad about it, to dil se sorry bol do...bas"
"As usual, Nandini Murthy is always right. Waise ek baat aur kahun, us function ka cordial invitation already mere ghar pe aa chuka hai."
"Kaise??"
"Dad is an honorary chairperson of the Maharashtra Private Schools Association Board. Wo to abhi tak tumhare school mein koi jaanta nahi that I am his son, warna mujhse milne ke liye tumhe appointment leni parti. Dad to kabhi jate nahi, is baar main chala jaunga."
Manik was so engrossed in talking to Nandini that he didn't notice a car coming from the opposite direction. It wasn't actually his fault. Hilly roads are naturally dangerous and driving on them becomes all the more tricky when it rains. Instinctively, he let out a cry when he narrowly avoided bumping into that car.
"Manik kya hua, are you ok?" Nandini got really scared on the other end.
"Yeah, thank God bach gaya." he replied holding his breath.
"Tum phone rakho aur drive karo. We will talk later." and even before he could say a 'bye', the line went dead.
*******
Location: Delhi
"Tum abbhi naraaz ho humse?" Navya slipped her hand over Mukti's. Mukti was leaning over the railing of the balcony of their hotel room. After that incident in the afternoon with Navya, she hadn't spoken to her even once. To the whole world, Mukti was a tough-ass tom boy and she preferred it that way, but beneath that hard shell, she was a total softie. Very few people ever saw this vulnerable side of hers, and Cabir topped that list, jointly sharing the top spot with her other soul brother Manik. With them she felt safe, and she felt loved, something that she never got from her own family.
Though she had never imagined this, over the last three years, Navya had become a very close friend of hers. But she could never replace Cabir. NO ONE could ever replace Cabir. Navya shouldn't have cracked that joke. With that one joke, Navya had stabbed a dagger in her deepest wound, which had never healed, even after 3 and a half years.
She didn't reply to Navya, she didn't even turn to look at her. She was hurt.
"Hume maaf kardo Mukti. Hume aise nahi bolna chahiye tha, but hum bowkhla gaye the."
"How could you.." Finally, she reacted.
"Hume samajh nahi aa raha tha ki hum kya kahe, pata nahi who drink ka asar tha ya kya tha par humne use dekha tha aur ghabrahat mein.."
"You know what you are saying... 3 and a half years ho gaye hain Cabir and Manik ke us accident ko."
"Hum jante hain Mukti Cabir tumhare liye kya tha. Mera yakeen karo, hum bhi Cabir ko bohot miss karte hain, tabhi to mere bete ka nam maine Abir rakha tha"
This struck Mukti. Navya hadnt done that intentionally, she handnt insulted Cabir intentionally.
"Its ok Navya, forget it... but don't do it again ok?"
"Mata rani ki kasam" Navya hugged Mukti from the side and rested her head on her shoulder, both staring blankly at the starry night.
"Waise ek secret batayen?"
Mukti turned her head towards Navya. "What secret?"
"Agar Cabir who nahi hota... Mera matlab, agar cabir gay nahi hota to....." she stopped midway.
"To......??????"
"To hum na use propose kar hi dete...aur uski maa bhi to humse kitna pyaar karti thi" She covered her face with both her hands.
"WOOO WOOOO where did that come from NAVYA!!!! Like really??? How come I never knew." Navya had dropped a bomb on her, and a pleasant one this time.
"Kisi ko pata nahi hai, Nandini ko bhi nahi." Mukti hugged Navya. She felt special knowing there were things between them that even Nandini, Navya's best friend didn't know.
"Acha listen, aaj ka din to waste gaya. Tomorrow we have to reach on time. That idiot home service, use ek mineral water bhejne ko bola tha 1 ghanta pehle, abhi tak the dumbo couldn't send one. I 'd rather get it myself."
Mukti went downstairs to get some water while Navya switched on the TV, searching for some saans bahu serial.
But Within minutes she heard an earth shattering bang on the door. Scared out of her wits, she opened the door and in came Mukti, almost tumbling... "Navya I am going to die...I saw Cabir's ghost!!!!!!"