Manik's POV:
The snow had covered everything I laid my eyes on. It was a lovely gentle yet cold day. I kept walking on the snow wearing my long coat and huge leather boots. Rising or not rising of the sun was of the same equation because the clouds have given one of the best coverages to the entire globe within my sight. There was nobody to be seen, not even in the farthest corner. I kept walking not knowing where my destination was, exhaling every now and then to ease the chill inside my body. I remember, each time I inhaled, the coldness getting inside me pierced me to the core. Meter after meter, there's just the white snow...and me. As I was about to turn, my eyes fell on a girl wearing a long red coat who was walking really fast. That was a heaven to my eyes as in the entire white snowy landscape the girl dressed in red appeared to be like one cherry on a vanilla cake. This was pure divine and bliss to my eyes as she appeared to be one red angel dangling on this manless pale snow-land where the tress have even fallen dead turning leafless. I walked a little faster behind her to stop her and I didn't know why there was this unknown urge of seeing her face, just for once!
"Hey listen!" I called out loudly, but she didn't stop though her speed decreased.
"Hello madam!" She kept walking increasing the quench in my soul.
It was difficult to walk that fast in the snow but still a little later, I managed to reach her and stood before her but to my dismay because of her thick lustrous strands falling on her face I wasn't able to view her face properly. Her eyes were fixed on me and I knew...I have seen those pair of orbs earlier.... I definitely have seen them.
I may have crossed my limit when I stepped a little closer towards her and with my fingers tried to settle her hairs and thankfully she didn't protest me touching her. My fingers glided on her face like satin ribbon, she didn't react rather kept looking at me. As soon as I placed her strands behind her ear, my heart danced joyously on an unknown tune and at the same time became numb as well.
I saw her..
She was so close to me..
Trying for the nth time even, I couldn't shift my gaze away from her as our eyes got locked for reasons unknown and for time uncounted.
I went a little closer, God, I must have gone insane or I may have already lost it. Cupping her both cheeks with my palms, I read her features more closely as if she was my favourite novel. I touched her for the first time and I knew she's the last thing that I would be agreeing to let go of.
Who was she to me?
Her eyes were only on me. Neither was she happy nor was she sad, she was that silent pull which was drawing me to herself. I didn't know but felt there was an unseen bridge that connected me to her. I kept drinking her serenity for some more time until I heard my nametune being rung but...but I wasn't carrying my phone. I searched a little in my pockets, but there was no trace of my phone anywhere. The tune kept playing and I somehow distortedly and cluelessly kept looking at her but she was all composed and kept laying her eyes on me. I kept searching my coat's pockets to shut that damn thingy and when I raised my head, she wasn't there near me rather she was taking backward steps and going away. I tried to stop her, pull her closer but that tune overpowered me and my voice wasn't reaching her. I kept shouting, asking her to stop but I wasn't loud enough.
"Don't go. Wait"
"Hey. Stop. Don't go. At least tell me ur name"
"Madam?! Please stop"
But my voice wasn't reaching her.
"I said stoppp"
I was sure my throat tissues were having a tough time but I wasn't giving up and kept calling her back at my topmost pitch. I didn't know why her going away was making me so vulnerable. I just needed her to stop.
"U can't go like that. U hear me? Stop for God's sake"
"Don't go"
I sat up with a jerk and with a heart racing fast. For few moments, I couldn't make out in which state I had been and it took me a while to realise I was on my bed, my white tee was fully drenched in sweat and me being wracked by my nerves.
Oh shit, what was that?
She was a dream?
A distant dream?
I kept breathing deeply and rested my head on my hands.
Manik, u have lost it man. But what was she doing there in my dream?
Seconds later, I felt the same tune to be playing again and my pulses were again hiking up, up-till I realised that it was my phone that was actually buzzing since a long time. Stupid moron phone! It disturbed my dream as well. The caller pissed me more.
"Yea Cabir" I answered still fighting with my breath.
"Now what's wrong with u, why are u breathing so heavily? Returned from some warfare or what?" He and his stupid remarks!
"Now what was so urgent that u called me so early in the morning?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Early in the morning? Dude, it's 12 and the last date of submission of our assignments idiot! U sleepy head, since when I had been calling u, u dumbass don't even bother to pick that shit up which is lovingly called a mobile phone" he said in a breath.
I quickly glanced up at my wall-clock and as I saw that having passed 12, my carefree attitude jumped out of the window. It was the last date of submission and not being able to submit the assignments meant losing one entire year.
Arghh!!
Immediately cutting the call, I ran to freshen up myself in the shortest span of time.
****
I didn't know what the hell was so wrong with me! Why..why I just couldn't get that girl out of my head. Even though I knew she's my best bud's girlfriend, still she was everywhere around me. I was sitting in the classroom fixing my gaze on the empty desk before me. I thought breaking up with Soha would make my life easier, but there I was thinking about a girl whom I haven't even spoken to. I was getting mad at me only.
"What's up tiger?" After having blown a hit on my shoulder, Cabir sat beside me.
"Nothing. I..I was reading" I grabbed a notebook lying before me.
"Oh is it? Achha toh bata what are reading on an empty sheet?" He tittered while I rolled my eyes. Things were never that awkward.
Instead of replying him, I kept massaging my forehead because of that stupid hangover.
"Oh seems like someone got really wasted last night" Cabir taunted which I ignored.
"Manik baba, tell me one thing...earlier whenever u had plans of boozing and all u used to mingle me into the plan, what went wrong last night? Did u find one sautan of mine?" He teased.
"Cabir fyki, I went to u last night and we would have also 'mingled' up into the plan had u not been so busy with someone else" I said while marking the 'mingled' portion with quotations in the air.
"Busy? Me? Nah. Wait let me recall. Nono I wasn't busy. What did I do last night, ummm...after college I ordered pizza, had a hot chocolate...watched Bhabi ji gharpe hain..nah I was everything but busy" it was getting on my nerves then.
Why was he still lying?
"Achha...recollect again. Maybe u have missed some part..some important part u know" I taunted cleverly.
"By the way, u said u came to me last night? When ghajini?" He asked casually.
"When u were...anyway!" I huffed.
"No u were saying something brother, continue." He creased his brows.
"Fine, if that's what u want" I sighed and continued.
"I saw u busy with ur gir..girlfriend and I thought u people won't be liking me intruding into ur privacy then, that's why I backed off" I blurted out.
"Girlfriend?" He raised his brow at me and went to his flashback of the night before to recall the entire chain of events properly.
"Oh shit..oh my my" he bursted into laughter making me sit totally like a clueless idiot.
"Achha Manik baba, tell me..how...how have u become such balidan ka devta (sacrificing deity) suddenly?" He chuckled.
"Listen I don't have time for this. I'm leavi..." I couldn't complete as he further bursted into chortling and I hung my head down.
"Manik yaaaar, what's so wrong with u? What! Don't u know that I'm not into these lovey dovey stuffs and all. She was not my girlfriend ya" As soon as he mentioned that, my mouth opened in a small o out of amazement.
"She was Nandini yaar, my cousin sister. Kuch bhi" and he continued with his giggling.
Nandini....
The name itself brought a blossoming fragrance.
Nandini...maybe I've heard this name somewhere... Maybe somewhere thousands of years before in some poetry, the name sounded so lyrical to my ears.
"Oh hello, why are u smiling like an idiot?" clicking his fingers before me he enquired.
"Ah no nothing" I was back to normalcy.
I didn't know why but Cabir kept looking at me like James Bond for sometime and he twinkled as if some volcanic idea has been cracked in his peanut-sized brain.
"Well Manik, why don't u come to my place this evening for few drinks?" He asked.
"Today... I won't be able to make it ya, I've some prior commitments" I got up to leave by nodding him.
"Nandini's coming even, so thought of introducing u to her, but it's ok if u really can't make it" he made an innocent face.
How could I miss this?
"Umm..okay but only for the sake of the drinks" I shrugged off my shoulders.
"Asshole!" He chuckled.
****
~Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.~
Rumi...
I felt a river of joy moving inside me as I was parking my car outside Cabir's house. With hundreds of colourful balloons floating in my heart, I pressed the doorbell. Cabir welcomed me with his usual animated personality. I passed him a bottle of champagne while he raised his brow.
"Champagnes and all haan!" He smiled.
"I told u, I'm here only for the booze" I smiled back.
"Boy, u look quite dressed up today" he teased while I ignored his not-so-healthy-teasing and adjusted myself on the couch.
My eyes reached every corner in search of her which I'm sure he surmised by then, he cleared his voice while passing me a drink.
"Nandini isn't coming" he straightened his face.
I didn't say anything but just kept looking blankly at him as I felt those colourful balloons bursting inside.
"What! U said na u are here only for drinks!" He tittered and I sighed, finally feeling the heart beating normally again.
We were sitting and chattering about our few daily boyish stuffs when we heard the bell ring. I just felt fantastic thinking the girl with whom I've longed to talk to since an entire week, was just a door away.
As soon as Cabira opened the door, my heart pounced seeing her standing there dressed in a red and white striped dress which reached below her knees paired with a long beige leather coat and with her hairs absolutely open, and unlike the earlier days she looked quite fresh. As soon as her eyes fell on me, I knew she had become uncomfortable for a moment because she might have thought Cabir to be alone but she was being sober enough to have changed her facial expressions into acceptance of my presence.
"Manik, meet this is my little cousin sister Nandini and Nandini this my best buddy Manik...So now since the ice is broken, guys make urselves comfortable with each other and I'll be back in a jiffy getting some yummy pizzas from the kitchen" he uttered as we exchanged smiles.
"Should I help u?" For the first time I heard her voice which was so honeyed.
"No I'm a an all rounder" he smiled wickedly and left leaving the two of us sitting on the opposite couches.
"So... Hi Nandini" I had to initiate realising she never was going to start any conversation apart from looking at the wooden table before us.
"Hi Manik" this was awkward but I was happy since she acknowledged my gesture.
"So enjoying the chill outside?" I asked taking a sip from my glass.
"Its..quite torturous" she smiled lightly rubbing her palms.
"Yea this year it's unusually colder" I said looking only at her while she nodded lightly.
Minutes of awkward silence...
The only thing we did was look at each other, passed a little smile and then looked everywhere around but at each other.
"Okay, so what do u do?" I questioned sophisticatedly.
"Im in college, studying literature." I nodded and she slipped into her silence again. That was weird for me too.
"And u?" Thankfully she asked and proved me to be a living creature sitting in front her.
"I'm doing my business management course. Waise, I heard literature students are quite romantic" I briskly slipped into my 'hunk Manik Malhotra' mode.
I didn't expect her to smile at this, but she did and her smile was so pure. In all the previous days I had seen her only making gloomy faces but today it seemed different and more beautiful.
"Yea but u know what they say, 'Every fool is not a poet' " I smiled at her wittiness.
I was impressed.
"Woh ishq ke raahon mein kya kamal kar baithi, likh ke I love u send to all kar baithi.... Taaliyaaaa" Cabir entered with a tray full of lip smacking pizzas and some fries and his pathetic shayaris.
Nandini suppressed her laughter while I gave Cabir 'u are hopeless' look. Cabir passed us a glass of brandy to each of us while Nandini refused.
"Offo, don't shy away from Manik, he's a supercool guy plus it's pretty cold, so have it" she glanced at me once and then slowly took the glass from Cabir.
We 3 chatted there for few more hours about anything and everything and all thanks to Cabir who made the situation lighter by cracking his stupid punch lines. She was somewhat comfortable with my company then which seemed from not only few smiles that we exchanged but also from few reasonable topics as well. It was when the heater of the room stopped functioning and the night was deepening too that we all agreed to put an end to such evening though my heart wanted the night to never get over because sitting there before her and doing nothing meant everything to me.
"Okay then. I'll take ur leave now, it's quite late" Nandini stood up while gliding on her coat.
"Wait Nandini, it's quite late... Let Manik drop u" My heart just couldn't help rejoicing that as I was struggling to find a reason to make her stay and then my saviour...my brother provided me the opportunity to spend some time with her. Ohkayy!
She was reluctant at the beginning but seeing the weather outside to be worsening she finally had to agree, and I secretly thanked the weather and of course Cabir.
"Thanks for the evening" I hugged Cabir before leaving.
"Take good care of her" He plainly smiled the way he never earlier did. I nodded.
~The joy to be found in winters season is easily found with you~
A/N- Keep voting and commenting..
Love,
Rai.