"Nyonika's right for a change," I say. "You should go home." Manik's head whips in my direction at the speed of light. Stumbling over his own feet, the Devil somehow manages to stand up.
"A-Angel?" He stutters, as if he can't quite believe his eyes that I'm standing in front of him. "What're you doing out here?" He marches towards me like a man on a mission. "You should be inside. Go back now." His hand wraps around my forearm. At once I shrug it off, even though every fiber in my body is telling me to glue his hand to my skin. I have been maintaining a safe distance from Manik for this very reason; the second he's near me I forget all else, my heart overpowering me. I fear that if I stay in his presence for a minute too long then I will succumb to his efforts. However, that will be wrong. What Manik did isn't okay, and by giving in, I do not wish for him to think it is.
"I'll go in when I wish to." Manik's hand hovers in the air beside me. Pursing his lips, he returns it to his side. "Go home, Malhotra." Manik's face falls in a split second.
"What'd you just call me?" He asks, cocking his head to the side, as if this will help him hear me better.
"You heard me." Quite frankly, calling Manik, 'Malhotra,' feels odd - even to my lips. However, I need to maintain a certain distance from him, and through these little ways I'll be able to achieve the goal I desire. "What's the point of waiting out here?" I ask, glancing around. There's a chill in tonight's air, and as it is, no one would want to spend a night on the roadside. "Go home," I repeat.
"You're my home, Angel," Manik replies simply. "What's the point in me going back to a house that isn't ours to share?" Sighing, I hold the blanket out towards Manik.
"As usual, your stubborn nature prevails," I comment. "Here," I nod my chin towards the blanket. "I don't want you getting sick and shifting into the room beside mine." Smirking, Manik takes the blanket from my arms, bundling it up in his.
"How'd you know I was out here?" He asks, his eyes making it seem like he's in on a secret that I'm unaware of.
"Wild guess," I lie, diverting my gaze away from Manik.
"Liar," he calls me out on my bluff. "Angel, you forget that lying to me isn't an easy task for you. I repeat, how'd you know I was out here?"
"I'm not answerable to you," I snap, bringing this discussion to an end. How do I tell Manik I allowed my curiosity to get the best of me, and that I sent the nurse outside to check whether or not he was out here. A gut feeling strongly told me he would be. Only Aiyappa understands the fascination Manik has with sidewalks.
"Okay." He raises his palms upwards, a sign of surrender. "So I guess I'll be here all night."
"Doing what?" I ask in exasperation. "The only thing you'll achieve from being out here is becoming a platter for bird poop."
"That's my problem." Manik leans towards me, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Though I do wonder, why are my camping plans bothering you?" I lean backwards, folding my arms across my chest. The state of my injured leg completely slips my mind, until I begin to go off balance, my healthy leg unable to bear the weight of my entire body.
"Fuck, Angel." Manik hisses, snaking his arm around my waist. At once he stabilizes me, his breath fanning my face. "You're welcome," he whispers, grinning.
"I didn't ask for your help." I say through gritted teeth, pushing him away with the help of my palms.
"And you would've broken ten more bones without it." Manik retorts, moving me upright.
"This was a horrid encounter, as always." I comment, hopping on my healthy leg to turn myself around. "Goodnight." Mentally bracing myself for the tasking job I will once again perform, I begin to limp back towards the entrance. The doctor has strictly told me not to leave my room, and so I couldn't even ask for crutches, or for a nurse's aid. Aiyappa, I should've thought this through.
"Do you, maybe, need some help, Angel?" Manik calls from behind me. I shake my head. "Are you sure? Because once you're inside, and you decide to fall flat on your ass, no Hero Manik will come to your rescue." Stopping, I glance over my shoulder and offer Manik the strongest death glare I can muster. Instead of backing off, he just ends up grinning like a fool.
"I'm just offering," he shrugs innocently. Once again, I face the doors and begin my journey towards my room. I can feel Manik following close behind my heels. However, I choose to ignore him and continue without interrupting myself again. The Devil behind me is a distraction, that's all.
As I near the sliding glass doors, the toe of my cast catches at the sill of the door. Squeezing my eyes shut, I prepare myself for a horrid fall.
"I've got you." Manik says from behind me, his lips brushing against the top of my ear. His arm wraps around my waist, holding me firmly against his front. "You won't fall with me around, Angel."
I watch him through the corner of my eye. I need to stop relying on Manik for being my support system because he's not a part of my life anymore - my present or my future. Although I've known the Devil for a short period of time, somewhere along the way I have grown heavily dependent on him, and this is a bad habit that I need to nip before it gets out of hand.
Clearing his throat, Manik removes his hold from around me, but he stays rooted to his spot beside me.
"If you're as wise as I think you are, then you'll allow me to assist you till the room." Manik says, his outstretched arm hovering in the air behind my back. "I'll leave the second you're on the bed." Contemplating, I stare down the hallway. I can already foresee great difficulty in the days to come because of my broken bone, and I have no intention whatsoever to amplify my discomfort by fracturing another one.
"Okay," I concede. "Remember your words though," I warn. "Once I'm on the bed, you leave." Manik nods vigorously, grinning as if he's won a million dollar lottery. His arm molds into the shape of my lower back, firmly pressing me against his side. Taking tiny steps, we begin to make our way towards the elevator.
"You know, Angel, this would be a hell of a lot easier if I just carried you," Manik suggests.
"Don't push it," I mumble.
"Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying."
"And where in the world will trying lead to?" I snap, drawing a few passersby attention towards us. "It's a dead end! The sooner you come to terms with this truth, the better."
"Okay, one last thing." Manik says after a few seconds, making me huff. "What happened to you?"
"I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast." I explain, hoping this will make Manik shut up for good. "And so I felt faintish on the escalator in the mall, due to which I went tumbling down it."
"For fuck's sake, Angel!" Manik exclaims. "My absence doesn't mean you completely ignore yourself. Be a bit more responsible."
"Says the man who has been acting like a teenage lover for the entirety of today." I retort, scoffing.
"No, you're wrong there," Manik shakes his head. "A teenage lover would've given up long back. Trust me when I say this, it isn't an easy task sitting on the pavement, while ants are crawling on your arms and legs, and the sun is beating down on you as if you have struck up a lifelong enmity with it." For a second, guilt clamps down on my heart. No! Guilt for what? I'm not the one who's asking Manik to wait outside Rebecca's house all day, or sleep near the hospital entrance. Neither am I promising him a future for us if he continues to act like a useless Romeo.
"But I won't give up," Manik continues. "Because my love isn't a passing phase. It's here to last until I perish to dust."
"Can we just walk without speaking?" I ask, a throbbing sensation spreading through the interior of my heart. For once in his life, Manik obliges to my words. Little does he know that although no words are being exchanged between us, I am silently praying for the walk till my room to last a lifetime. I've been putting every ounce of effort in my body to hate the man beside me. However, it would be far easier for me to stop breathing than to harbor such an emotion towards him.
Manik and I complete the remainder of the distance in utter silence. Once I'm safely lying on the bed, he turns around, ready to leave as promised.
"Malhotra?" I call out, mentally cringing at the new name with which I address Manik. He pivots on his heels, expectantly looking at me. "W-Where are you going now?" I ask, already well aware of the answer.
"Outside," he replies. "I've got a blanket and a cold pavement awaiting me."
"You're really planning on camping out there all night?" Truthfully, Manik nods his head.
"I would sleep in the waiting lounge, but for that I need to give a patient's name and if someone comes up to ask you about me, you'll just - "
"You can stay here," I blurt out, interrupting him. Manik's eyes widen momentarily.
"I'm sorry?" He takes a step closer to my bed.
"You heard what I said," I murmur. "And this isn't because anything has changed between us," I clarify. "I just...Let's just say this is thank you for assisting me."
"Whatever it is, I agree." Manik announces excitedly, hurriedly making his way towards the couch, as if I will change my decision in the next instant. Without further delay, he flops himself onto it, grinning. "So how do you plan to spend tonight with me? I'm in no mood whatsoever to sleep, so if you're also planning on staying up, I have a few ideas to spend the hours. Some games, perhaps? We could also watch a movie. I saw a real great - "
"How about we play a game in which we try our level best to not talk to each other for the entire night?" I ask with feigned chirpiness. "I mean, I know it'll be quite hard for you, considering how your energy is skyrocketing right now, but I'm sure the difficulty level will make it worth playing." Pouting, Manik places his index finger against his lips.
I turn over, my back facing Manik. Unable to keep it in any longer, I allow a smile to break out across my lips. Albeit my anger towards the Devil, I cannot control myself from responding to his antics.