Manik asked mukti to follow him and soon they were sitting in the terrace gazing at the beautiful night sky with a comfortable silence between them.
Mukti: ohhh......toh tujhe yeh kehna tha.....right! I got your point
Manik*confused*: huh?
Manik was utterly confused with mukti's behaviour. Mukti chuckled at his confused face and spoke further to clear out his confusion.
Mukti: manik agar tu mujhe baat karne bulaega aur khud hi chup baitha rahega toh fir mujhe hi kuch bolna padega na.....you know to break the ice.
Mukti joked but manik knew better. He knew that mukti was trying her best to hide her inner turmoil and act normal in front of him but manik could read her and he knew that she needed someone to vent out her feelings and he was definitely that someone for her right now.
Manik: you know mukti life never goes like we plan, it always goes like it has to with its ups and downs. These ups and downs na are a part of our life....infact an integral part. After every downhill there is an uphill....because something bad happened in your life you can't lose hope na....you have to fight....fight for your right. Now that's what we call life....isn't it?
Manik asked. Mukti gaped at him with wide eyes. She was confused, shocked and surprised all at the same time as she had never thought that she could have such emotional conversations with manik.
Manik: share it muku...pour your heart out...I am here to listen to you
'Muku' that's what manik called her whenever she needed her brother beside her. Manik was never a person who addressed people using nicknames, they were reserved for only some people and mukti was among those.
Mukti* avoiding eye contact*: no manik.....its...its nothing like that....I really have nothing to share
Mukti was still ascertain about opening up and sharing her dilemma so she chose to stay quiet but manik was adamant.
Manik: muku tu mujhe apna Bhai manti hai na toh share it na baba....I swear I'll try my best and sort it out but please share and yeah....I know its about Abhi
This came as another shocker for her but now she could no longer play strong and hence she decided to put forward all her dilemmas and open up to manik, maybe he could actually help her out. Mukti took a deep breath and started speaking.
Mukti: bhai I think I'm....I'm not over harshad yet
Manik was shocked with this confession of hers but composed himself and prepared himself to listen further.
At the beach
After nandini asked Abhi about what was bothering him about mukti Abhi was silent. He didn't know what to say or more precisely how to say. He was himself confused then how could he explain nandini? His chain of thoughts were broken by nandini who was observing him since quite some time but now decided to speak.
Nandini: Bhai you can share
That was it. Taking this as a cue Abhi started speaking.
Abhi: nandu....I don't think mukti loves me....I mean ya she has accepted me as her boyfriend but not completely.....not from her heart and that's what is disturbing me that maybe she has accepted me forcibly and not by her own will and that really scares me nandu. I love her and I can't live without her....what if she leaves me....what will I do then? I will die nandu....I can't live without her
Nandini: shush Bhai....calm down...nothing of this sort will happen ok. Mukti is a sensible and very independent girl who never takes decision under some pressure so ya she is in this relationship by her own will and rahi baat apko accept karne ki toh Bhai she has had a broken relationship which she thought was love....she was depressed and was living on antidepressant pills Bhai so you can imagine how much affected she was. I think she's not sure about what she feels for you....maybe she is confused thinking what she has with you and what she had with harshad. She can't remove harshad so easily from her life na Bhai...its....its not easy to move on from a person with whom you have spent so much of your time thinking that you were in love.
Abhi: but nandu what if she loves harshad and decides to leave me?
Nandini: Bhai have faith in your love....everything will be fine. You trust mukti and your love na?
Abhi nodded in positive.
Nandini: toh bas give it some time...sab theek ho jaega
Abhi: hmm....hope so
Manik's place
Terrace
Mukti: Bhai its not like I don't like Abhi....I really like him alot...he is the sweetest person I have ever come across but Bhai then harshad...argh he...he just can't let me be in peace. I don't even know if harshad ever loved me or was I in love with him. I'm confused about what I had with harshad was true or what I share and have with Abhi is true...which side should I chose. Gawd! I'm so messed up.
She said pulling her hair out in frustration.
Manik: muku muku relax...it happens. You know love is something when you stop living for yourself and only live for the person whom you love and I am sure you never felt this with harshad. You guys were happy...I agree but it was only because you had it all sorted with no complications at all. You guys were always a happy go lucky couple who used to spend lots of time together. He was alia's brother and used to be around you always maybe that's why you got infatuated towards him and thought of it as love
Mukti: maybe Bhai but then why was I always happy? Why every happiness of harshad felt like my own? And why his every sadness saddened me?
Manik: mukti that's what happens in friendship too right? And if you really loved him then you could have never moved on in life and your being with Abhi is the biggest proof. Aacha tell me one thing.....what do you feel when you are with Abhi? Do you trust him?
Mukti* smiles*: Abhi....with him everything becomes so easy. Every problem and every trouble in life falls short against his love and care for me. He never lets me suffer and always tries to bring a smile on my face even when his own life is a complete mess but harshad never did that....rather he used to remove his frustration on me. Abhi gulps down his worries and tensions just to see me smiling. With him.....I feel like I don't need anything more....I feel satisfied...I feel....complete.
And about trust....then ya I trust Abhi blindly
While mukti said this she had a content smile on her face with a different spark in her eyes which she never had when she was with harshad. This was a perfect sign for manik who was till now keenly listening to her to make her realise that she loves Abhi.
Manik: mukti if you can trust him blindly in such a short span of time, if you feel content when you are with him, if you feel that you can fight any damn problem with Abhi on your side then you obviously love him idiot
Mukti: but Bhai....does love feel like this?
Manik: mukti what you and Abhi share is way too different than that with harshad and FYI people feel complete only when they are in love and that's exactly what you feel for Abhi. You want him by your side always.... even if you have all other important people of your life with you...don't you?
Mukti nodded with a smile of realization about her feelings.
Mukti*beams*: yesss I love Abhi! I'm in love with him....oh my god manik...I love Abhi and I did not even know about it..shit! I'm such an idiot
Manik* chuckles*: well....that you are
Mukti*glares*: manik
Manik: acha ok sorry
Mukti: you better be
And the next moment they burst out laughing and hified each other that's when they realised that they were too long on the terrace and should move downstairs where the others might be waiting for them. They were about to go out when manik called mukti.
Manik: uh mukti?
Mukti simply turned around with a questioning look on her face.
Manik: mukti I hope now you will remove that shithead harshad from your mind forever?
He asked doubtfully.
Mukti*smiles*: ofcourse manik. That douche does not deserve my tears and attention
Manik*smiles satisfactorily*: good!
With that they move out to go downstairs.
Downstairs
Alia: dhruv its been so long na since we spent some quality time together?
Dhruv: yea I know but don't worry baby soon you will have your wish fulfilled
Alia: really?
Dhruv*smiling*: yes
Alia*hugs him*: you are the best!
Dhruv*laughing*: I know
Cabir: ahem ahem main bhi hu yaha toh please apna PDA band karo yaar
Alia: Cabir tum navya ko call kyu nahi karte. You not missing her?
Cabir: ofcourse I am....you know what? I should call her now so see you
Cabir went aside dialing navya's number.
Poolside corner
Convo:
Cab: hello meri madhubala kitna time phone uthane me
Navya: Kya karu busy thi
Cab: oh busy ha?
Navya: yes
Cab: vaise may I know who is keeping my girlfriend so busy?
Navya was about to reply when she felt someone playing with the hem of her dress. She looked down to see aryaman fiddling with her dress. She glared at him to stop him from doing so but that did not affect him at all.
Cab: navya? Hello? Are you there?
Navya: huh? Ya Cabir....I'm....I'm there vo this arya na is irritating me bas...arya! Stop it na
It was like aryaman had pledged to irritate navya and invite his own death while on the other side Cabir was gritting his teeth angrily.
Cab*trying to be calm*: navya let him be na tum batao how was your day? Missed me?
Navya*blushes*: ofcourse I missed you Cabir and my day!....it was just awesome! Mata Rani ki kasam humne Aaj itna maza kiya itna maza kiya ki pucho mat
Cab*chuckles but acts innocent*: acha toh nahi puchunga
Navya: are nahi nahi....pucho pucho
Cab: ha toh batao na
Navya was about to speak when she was again interrupted by aryaman as aryaman started shouting from behind.
Arya: are Cabir iske fun ke chakkar me isne mujhe paka dala yaar...kaise jhelta hai tu is madhubala ko!?
Cabir was getting really angry now as aryaman was interrupting him and his dear girlfriend and Cabir wasn't exactly liking it.
Navya: aryaman khurana.....you are so dead today....Mata Rani ki kasam!
Navya shouted over the phone.
Navya: Cabir hum tumse badme baat karte hai ok? Abhi hume is aryaman ko maza chakhana zaroori hai so bye....love you!
Cab*sad*: bye love you too...
Navya cut the phone hastily and gave one angry look to aryaman and the next moment aryaman was found running for his life, saving himself from our very own navya naveli. On the other side Cabir was feeling very angry with a tinge of jealousy in it.
*****
Huff! Real long update! Hope you guys like it. Do vote and comment.