Hola, as promised, here you go with the update...
This update is a little short compared to others because it required a lot of research on internet, you'll get to know once you read it and srishti_chakraborty thank you Darling for all the help..!!
Happy Rakshabandhan to all
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{This is what loves looks like}
Kartikeya was seated in the hall when he heard Myra calling, sorry, shouting his name from their room. He walked up to her and calmly asked,
"What's up with you? Why are you shouting this early in the morning?"
"We need to take a second opinion on Manik's case, his doctor is bluffing us..!!"
"Bluffing us..?"
"Yes", she replied, "He said Manik needs shock treatment but look I searched on net, nowhere Shock treatment is a therapy to cure PTSD, rather it is used to provide relief from mental disorders"
"That is because PTSD is not the only ailment he is suffering from, honestly speaking it is the secondary cause, the primary cause is epilepsy or seizure that are the after effects of the traumatic head injury he suffered from"
"But they said it was PTSD and even the doctor told me that"
"That is because I asked him not to tell you about epilepsy, because I wanted you to care for Manik for he is your brother and not sympathize with him"
"You mean.."
"Yes I knew about your conversations with the doctor, I didn't confront you but that nowhere meant that I was unaware.. You are not as smart and as secretive as you think you are Myra..!!"
"I can't believe you hid it from me Kartikeya...How dare you..!! He is my brother...!! I have the right to know"
"Oh your brother Myra, Are you serious..!! The same brother whom you asked to leave the house just because you thought he was snatching me away from you"
"It was a mistake...I have already apologized for it...I wasn't thinking straight at that time"
Kartikeya sighed and sat down next to Myra. Holding her hands he spoke,
"And you are already forgiven... You know that..!! All I am trying to say is that things were not better then and hence I didn't share the details of Manik's illness with you..!! Today you have come to terms with co-existing with him because you care for him and not for any other reason..!! Imagine a scenario when you would have known everything about his illness and tell me honestly won't his sickness become the major reason for your actions..!! I will be honest, I secretly wished for you and Manik to come closer, but only because you are his sister and he is your brother, not because he is sick or you are lonely...!! A pure relationship without any baggage is what you both need and nothing else."
"I want to know everything about his illness...every God Damn detail.."
"Okay..so to begin with Manik and Nandini came here solely for the treatment for PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, that happened after accident where he suffered severe head injuries and Kabir lost his life. Manik was in the hospital for about three months in Pune and then when he returned back, he took a lot of stress in terms of getting adjusted to the changes, coming to terms with Kabir's death and Fab5 not existing as a bad, all this aggravated his illness and his brain couldn't take the stress and pressures. When we went to doctor for the first time after they came here, he prescribed some test before beginning the treatment and that was when it was identified that traumatic head injury had caused damage to his frontal lobe causing seizures. These seizures generally last for thirty seconds or less and happen mostly when he is sleeping. After a few more diagnostics, it was concluded that the primary illness that Manik is suffering from is Seizures in the frontal lobe of his brain with associated PTSD."
Myra was in tears by the time Kartikeya finished
"I am such a selfish person, I was so busy in holding grudges to my heart that I simply ignored his pain"
"No Di, you aren't"
Before Kartikeya could speak, he heard a Manik's voice who was standing there with Nandini
"No Di, you aren't...You are neither selfish nor ignorant...whatever happened had to happen, it was sort written in our fates...we can't change the past but we can always look forward towards the future...Right..!! As far as the treatment is concerned, earlier I had just one reason to come out of it and that was Nandini but now I have three people in my life for whom I want to be fit and fine and they are Nandini, Kartikeya and You...!! You three are my strength and I can't see you going weak...I'll be fine I promise"
"No..Say Nandini Promise..", Myra demanded
Manik chuckled and replied, "Nandini Promise and now will you please wipe away those tears.."
Myra nodded and wiped away the tears and then spoke, "Nandu why are you so skeptical about the shock treatment?"
Nandini looked at her shocked and so did Manik and Kartikeya for what Myra spoke was unknown to them as well.
"Don't look that surprised, I heard you asking the doctor about alternatives measures everytime we have visited him in past two weeks, I figured that out"
"Nandu what is worrying you ?", asked Kartikeya
"Jijs, I read about shock treatment, Electroconvulsive therapy is practically inducing artificial seizures in the brain, I am not able to understand how can we cure his seizures by inducing artificial seizures, Plus shock treatment kind of affect the memory as well, I am just scared what if it goes wrong,"
"It will not for the ones doing it are trained doctors... Okay if you are so scared, how about we go for the 'gamma knife radiosurgery', it is also a cure and as per the reports it is a less invasive, safer and more efficient technology that enable surgeons to remove epileptogenic focal zones without causing any damage to neighboring cortical areas, I just searched it on net looking for the alternatives to shock treatment..", Myra suggested
"We can discuss it with the doctors", Nandini replied
However what both girls failed to notice was the shocked and stunned expressions of their counterparts. Manik and Kartikeya were looking at them as if they were some aliens talking in a foreign language. Kartikeya was the first one who came out of the shock and spoke,
"Bhai Manik, teri illness kuch aur kare na kare, in dono ko doctor zaroor bana degi...!!"
Giggling at Kartikeya's words, Manik replied, "Ladies if you don't mind can you please stop discussing the illness and most importantly stop using scary terms like Electroconvulsive therapy and what was that, gamma knife radiosurgery... It looks like I am signing up a science fic fight, Tum log dara rahein ho mere ko..!!"
Nandini and Myra smiled and nodded in understanding and four of them move to the dining hall for breakfast.
It had been two weeks since Manik has returned from the hospital, his relationship with Myra had grown to the point where Di became a single syllable word and they were comfortable in talking about each other, with each other. So now the conversations at the dining table were no longer indirect, rather it was four-way communication with all the four participants participating without any hesitation or reluctance. But that nowhere meant that things were back to normal. No. Manik and Myra had let go of the conversational hesitance but physical ambivalence was very evident for their counterparts to notice. For instance, instead of asking Myra to wipe her tears Manik would have done it himself had it been Nandini in her place. Myra too had held Manik only on the occasions when he was unwell else she would always sit opposite to him never next to him. Hugs, messing each other's hairs, tickling one another all these were definitely out of syllabus as of now. But Nandini and Kartikeya were content with the pace for they knew that forcing the Malhotra siblings into doing anything out of their comfort zone is equal to deliberately placing your foot over a sharp axe, a move that would yield nothing but blood oozing out of the cut veins.
On the breakfast table Myra realized something and spoke, "Manik, next time you talk to Mr. Malhotra, tell him to call me...I need to speak with him regarding something important..!!"
"About that, why don't you call him wifey...is it a rule that he should only call you", Kartikeya chipped
"Well guess what it is", Replied a visibly annoyed Myra and spoke looking at Manik, "Manik don't forget, it is important"
Soon the breakfast was over and all except Myra sat in the living room to relax. Manik and Kartikeya were talking about the latest football match, Nandini busied herself with a book to read while Myra decided to try hands on a new recipe she found online. Cooking always acted as stress buster for Myra. She loved it to the core, in Kartikeya words let's just say 'Getting a dish right gives her more joy than cracking a deal'. About twenty minutes later, she came out of the kitchen and asked Manik
"You haven't called him yet, Manik"
"But you said whenever I speak with him", replied Manik
Myra stomped her feet and went back to the kitchen leaving a shocked Manik behind
"Ab maine kya galat kiya", Manik asked a question to no one in particular
Kartikeya chuckled inwardly and placed his hand on Manik's shoulder, "Understanding Myra, Lesson no 543 – When she says 'whenever' in her conversations, she actually expects you to act at that very instant, basically whenever is equal to right now"
"Why is she so complicated?", asked Manik
"Look who's talking..!! Blame it on your Malhotra genes Manik", Nandini remarked
Manik rolled his eyes at Nandini and took out his cell to call up his Dad.
"Hello Dad", Manik greeted his father
"Hello Manik, How are you doing son?", Mr. Malhotra asked
"I am fine Dad, the treatment is going on..!! Things should fall in place soon..!!"
"Good to hear that..!! How is Nandini?"
"She too is fine dad"
"Take care of her Manik, she is too special in your life"
"I know that Dad..I am not letting her go ever", Manik replied looking at Nandini
"Okay and how are Myra and Kartikeya?"
"BIL is doing fine...In fact we were just discussing the match"
"What is this BIL Manik, he is your brother in law, give him some respect"
"That is what I am doing Dad, BIL means Brother in law...Cool Na..!! Acha by the way answering your next question, why don't you ask Di about how she's doing.. Wait I'll give the phone to her", Saying this Manik handed over the phone to Myra who spoke
"Hello Mr. Malhotra"
"Hello Myra...How are you?"
"I am good, there is something I need your help with"
"Yes tell me Myra", Mr.Malhotra asked elated because for the first time his daughter had asked something from him after ages
"I want you to make sure that Neyonika Malhotra is barred from using any money from Malhotra industries. All the love and affection you might have for your estranged wife, I want you to keep it aside and block all her ways to seek financial support from anyone. I don't know how you do but do this for your son and his deceased friend..."
"Okay I will do that but Myra"
"There is not space for any but here Mr. Malhotra, you are not here as usual, I have seen my brother suffering every day because of that woman...I know she might be able to get out of the prison because she got the bomb removed at the last moment and brake fail wasn't her plan but that doesn't mean her sufferings will end...I have promised my brother that Neyonika will rot in hell and living the life of a pauper is just an start of it...!! Are you with us in this?"
"Yes I am...I will make sure of it..!! You take care of yourself and Manik..!!"
"You don't have to ask for it... I know my responsibilities pretty well"
Saying this she disconnected the call and handed it over to Manik who was looked visibly overwhelmed hearing the conversation
"I don't go back on my words Manik...and she deserves it for trying to hurt Nandu and you"
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They grew up like the branches of the tree, one pointing towards north and other towards south but their roots remained the same. One scratch on either and the other would take the world by storm. Probably this is what love looks like
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About a week later, Myra was busy making tea in the kitchen when her mind drifted back to the event that took place about three days ago when she went shopping with Nandini leaving the boys with their football match. She saw Nandini picking up a lamp in the form of a star. Myra clearly remembered Nandini's aversions to stars. She asked her,
"Nandu you hated stars right, then"
"But Manik loves them Di and he made me fall in love with them too...I love them now.. Stars and Fireflies they define us.."
"Really you started loving them because of him"
"Yes Di, after Amma Appa's death, I used to hate stars for I thought they took my parents away from me but Manik gave a different perspective to look at them, stars they spread light in darkness, stars they give hope, hope that even in the darkest hour just a twinkle is enough to aspire for light"
"That's deep...Manik said that.."
"Na..that is my interpretation, he just said stars give him peace and then made me his star...Well I can't hate myself, you see, so I started loving stars"
"Oh so stars are your siblings now"
"No we just fall in the same category for Manik"
They had a good laugh at their own joke and continued with the shopping
Myra's chain of thoughts was broken by Manik who came to kitchen only to find his sister lost and spoke,
"Penny for thoughts"
Startled at the sudden appearance, Myra took a deep breath to compose herself, "Nothing much..!! Would you like some tea ?"
"How about I make it for I don't want you to catch burns while making it and getting lost in your thoughts..!! And how difficult can it get, at the end of the day it's just water, milk, sugar and tea mixed in together"
"That's too much information coming from someone who did not know the basic difference between a rolling pin and a strainer"
"What?",Manik asked confused and then recalled the time when he was sick and Nandini prepared the Kada for him in his kitchen, their first fight as an official couple, "Nandini told you right...Aur kya bataya usne..??"
"Nothing much except how you made her love stars again and some instance like you getting tongue tied infront of Guruma, or getting stuck in your own web with Chachi's special dishes"
"You call her Chachi too"
"Yes and infact every student in the Gurukul probably called her Chachi...she has that motherly vibe around her"
"That is true"
"So do you have anything to share about Nandini", Myra spoke handing over the cup of tea to Manik.
"What should I say" , Manik spoke as he sipped the tea,
"Like why she calls you a Monster"
"Because I was one...You know me and my friends we were Bullies but not many people knew that it was our defense mechanism to save our own selves from getting bullied. We believed in scaring and torturing people so that they couldn't scare us. It was stupid and childish, I know but all of us Me, Kabir, Mukti, Alya and Dhruv , all of us had come from broken families or families where parents didn't give a shit to what we were upto...So we cocooned ourselves in a protective shell and who ever tries to cross it had to face our wrath...and we were not even bothered about the consequences because Neyonika took care of it by making me sign cheques for her in return..We were like devils and everyone was scared of us but then came the great Nandini Murthy, we tortured her, sometimes by throwing eggs at her or forcing her to drink a disgusting drink or by throwing her in the pool despite of knowing that she didn't knew how to swim or even manhandling her but she didn't budge..She kept fighting us...And monster, the first time she actually meant it all by her heart was when I broke her Appa's pen"
"Wait you did what..!! have you lost it Manik, that was his last memory, I remember how attached Nandu was with that pen.. One day when I was in gurukul it got misplaced and Nandu kept crying till she was able to spot it..She actually hugged it to sleep for two continuous days...You broke that..How could you..!!"
"I know..trust me I realize how childish and immature it was of me to do that and guess what that probably is one of the very few guilts I have in life, You know Nandini, the tigress she punched so hard that it started bleeding"
"She punched you...What rubbish..!!"
"Oh not once but many times, I don't know why she thinks she is an incarnation of Mary Kom whenever she is with me..."
"But if that brings you back on track, then it's worth it", Myra spoke
"You wish...I was a monster Di...Her Punch just got me angrier and I tortured her even more, I sort of tricked her into being my slave or spot as I called her but somewhere when I look back, I am glad that due to her being my spot I got some time to spend with her, to know her, to fall for her"
"I can't believe it Manik, you can't be that heartless...I know I didn't know you then but I know you now", Myra remarked
"It's all because of her, she turned a monster into a human...Nice tea by the way", Manik spoke as he collected both cups and dumped them in the sink.
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He was a monster, she turned him into a Human. She hated stars but he made her his Shining Star
Probably this is what love looks like
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"Listen to me very carefully Mr. Manik Malhotra...Only a few hours...me and Kari will head out for dinner and you just have a few hours that's all we can give you right now, given your conditions we can't leave you alone for a day, so manage in these few hours you've got", Myra spoke
"And addition to that, no Hanky Panky...", Manik rolled his eyes on Kartikeya's comment, "Listen I am elder to you, and you have to follow my orders, No naughty business and.."
"You can directly say don't have sex...thanks I know that already", Manik remarked cutting him in between
"One Shameless creature your brother is Myra...!! Okay then if that's what you want lets be direct, no sexual intercourse is allowed but just in case your hormones go overboard, use protection and place the donot disturb board in front of your door"
"EEwww...Stop it you two...!! And Kari please be serious for once, Manik Nandini told me you both love gazing at stars at night so me and Kari have made arrangement of your date on the terrace..!!"
"Yes with the telescope, bedding and food arranged in there, have a great date night", replied Kartikeya
"Thank you guys...Nandini and I needed this... Thank you so much...!!"
"That's the least we could do for you love birds.. Now go and get lost in your love land", Myra spoke
"Let me know whenever you need to get lost in you love land...I will be really happy to help", Manik spoke
"Love...what's that", Myra remarked
"Exactly, love is not our cup of tea dude", Kartikeya too supported Myra
"Of course it's not your cup of tea for you both love coffee... how about you let love brew, just as the coffee, the more you brew, the better it tastes", Manik replied
"We'll discuss the brewing process in detail later, right now enjoy yourselves, I would come to see you when we return so just in case you don't want to get caught in an unwanted situation, use the 'Donot Disturb' board very wisely", Myra spoke before getting in the car with Kartikeya and heading out
*********
"Manik why have you closed my eyes, and where are you taking me", asked Nandini
"Nandini yaar have some patience, climb up, carefully", Manik replied
"Manik listen, Di has gone out, I have to cook dinner and then you need to take your medicines, please let's not waste time"
"And we've reached", Manik spoke removing his hand from her eyes
"Manik what are we..", Nandini stopped talking as she looked around.
The terrace was beautifully decorated with star shaped candle holders and fairy lights. There were not just one but many jars of fireflies around covering the terrace boundaries. The bedding was placed next to the wall with the guitar placed over it and the telescope placed on the right side of the bedding. In the center, there was a table with a jar of fireflies with beautiful roses on the top. The jar had silver stars painted all around which glowed along the fireflies. Nandini looked around amazed and wide eyed. Manik back held her by her waist and whispered in her ears, "So Miss Nandini Murthy would you like to go on a date with me?"
"Manik all this"
"For you...for us"
"It was not needed... Manik you are not well and"
"And that is exactly why this was needed, You think you can hide it and be all strong but you and I both know you miss us too... just a normal few hours basked in the glory our love... Times are tough Nandu but that doesn't mean we should stop living while fighting the hard times..Right..!! So today just for a few hours, let us be Nandini Murthy and Manik Malhotra, just two twenty year olds madly, deeply insanely in love with each other, gazing the stars lying next to each other...So shall we..??"
Nandini turned around and hugged Manik with all her might. Soon, tears pooled down but Manik kissed them away one by one before taking her lips into a passionate kiss. Feeling out of breath, they broke the kiss and leading Nandini to the dinner table Manik spoke,
"Let's have dinner first",
Nandini settled down and started serving Manik and herself, they were not seated opposite one another rather they were sitting next to each other, Myra's idea for she felt sitting opposite on a dining table is too formal couples should always be close to each other, that is they should always sit side by side.
"So all of you planned this"
"Yes..it was BIL's idea, we had not celebrated Valentine's too owing to my health issue, and I was anyways looking forward to spending time with you so I grabbed the opportunity with open arms"
"These fireflies.."
"We got them in the morning, I told BIL about your fascination with them and he helped me in collecting them...You liked the food"
"Yes..very much", Nandini spoke in choked voice
"Nandu no crying na please...see it's our happy moment, let's not get sad atleast abhi"
Nandini nodded and started eating. Soon they were finished with the dinner, Manik took his medications and the couple moved to the bedding. Nandini like an excited soul started watching stars through her telescope.
"Manik come I'll show you 'The Big Dipper', it is so clear from here..Come na", Nandini called him
Agreeing to her wish Manik came forward and looked into the telescope
"You see that saucepan like structure, that is 'the Big Dipper'.. it consists of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; four of them form the 'bowl' and three form the 'handle'; and you know the interesting part, If you draw a line upwards from its outer edge, you'll soon hit the big, bright 'Northern Star'....Did you see it..??", Nandini asked excitedly
"Nandu listen right now I am just figuring out the saucepan thing and you want me to locate the northern star. Let me focus on big brother for now"
"Big brother nahi Manik Big dipper"
"Haan wahi.."
It took Manik another half an hour to actually locate the Bid Dipper and then another fifteen minutes to locate the Northern Star. Nandini beamed with joy as if she had accomplished something great. Manik looked at her amused
"You love astronomy"
"Of course Manik, Appa was an astrophysicist and as a kid even I wanted to be an astrophysicist like him but then life doesn't go as per our plans and wishes does it..??"
"True that..acha I wrote a song for you, you wanna hear"
"What are waiting for...some subh muhurat or what...sing na...!!"
"Aray you only told me to find a saucepan in the sky, I was doing that only"
"Haha very funny...!! Come now sing it.."
"Your wish my command princess", Manik tuned the guitar and started singing while Nandini sat close to him holding him by his arms and resting his head on his shoulders
Tum nazar mein raho
Khabar kisi ko na ho
Aakhein bolein, Ho lab pe khamoshi
Aakhein bolein, Ho lab pe khamoshi
Nandini looked at Manik and raised her face to kiss his cheeks. Manik smiled, acted surprised and continued
Tum chalo jiss dagar
Wo meri rehguzar
Aakhein bolein, Ho lab pe khamoshi
Aakhein bolein, Ho lab pe khamoshi
Nandini got up and stood next to the ceiling. Manik kept the guitar aside, played the pre-recorded music on his phone and stood just behind her. He placed her hairs on one side and kissed her shoulders while Nandini closed her eyes and arched her neck to give him more access. Lost in the wave of pleasure, she turned around and trailed kisses down to the side of his neck. Soon realization struck in and she moved away when Manik held her hand and placed it on his shoulder one by one while his hand held her waist and started swaying to the music
Dooriyan kam kar de
Pyar ka ambar de
Zulfon ka wo aasmaan
Bas aakhon pe meri ho tamaam
Manik picked her in his arms and moved to the bed. Placing her on the bed he caressed her face and kissed her forehead
Subah subah yeh baat ho
Nazar mile zara zara raat ho
Khule mausam
Tum nazar mein raho
Khabar kisi ko na ho
Aakhein bolein, Ho lab pe khamoshi
Aakhein bolein, Ho lab pe khamoshi
Manik captured her lips once again as the song ended. They knew they couldn't get intimate due to Manik's health conditions but who needs physical intimacy when souls are connected. After a couple of pecks and passionate kisses, they laid in each other's embrace gazing the night sky above.
"Manik promise me, no matter how tough things get, we will never stop stealing these moments from life for each other"
"Nandini Promise and I also promise that soon we will jam properly", Manik replied
Nandini lightly slapped his chest and spoke, "Besharam"
"Only for you Sanam",
"That was so gross Manik"
"Acha listen I think we should sleep here only, the bedding in the room is too stiff...Di hasn't changed it yet"
"But if she hasn't, you can always ask right..!!"
"Ya...I'll do that tomorrow or wait I'll hide this one early morning and then we would just use it and she wouldn't know..!!"
"Manik Just ask her okay"
"You are no fun...BIL is better than you...Good Night"
"Good night"
*********
About an hour later, Kartikeya and Myra came back and went to the guest house to check on the love birds only to find them sleeping peacefully in each other's embrace. Myra covered them properly with the blanket while Kartikeya straightened the mosquito repellent net around the bedding. Myra looked at them and spoke
"So this is what love looks"
"Indeed", Kartikeya replied
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I hope this one had enough of Manik and Nandini for you all
That's is it from me for today
Take Care and Stay Blessed
You can now stay in touch with me on instagram and twitter, my user name on both platforms is "akriti_mishti"
Also, someone asked me if I am happy with Parth Samthaan doing Kasauti Zindagi Ki, i would like to tell you that yes I am..I am excited to see him in a full on family drama. People i don't think many of you know but i am a trained actor myself, i taken training from Barry Jones acting studio, those who don't know about it can google it..!! So during my workshops what i loved the most what the different characters i got to play as a part of projects.. So I am very happy that Parth is choosing to do something different, Yes it is an Ekta Kapoor show and the last one lasted for eight years but guys from what i have heard, it is a fresh take, so lets hope for the best...Also i have seen on Social media people complaining about him not doing a movie, trust me if getting a movie was that easy, trust me, every second person in Mumbai would have been an actor...It is not easy people..
But as happy i am to Parth doing the show, i am equally saddened rather disgusted with the trolling Niti is facing these days without being at fault..That is absolutely unacceptable to treat someone in such a manner...She is a Public Figure not a Public Property understand the difference...!!
Both Parth and Niti are very talented INDIVIDUALS....yes they are individuals with a life beyond KYY which includes projects, friends and people...It is high time some douchebags (sorry i cant think of any other term) realize that
And for those who are worried that people would forget Manik and Nandini, guys there is something called CLASSICS and ICONIC, for me KYY stands in that list..So I am not worried at all..!!
Cheers..