As I'm making my way across the driveway of Manik's house it feels as if I can't complete the distance quick enough. If only I could drop my crutches right this instant and run towards the front door.
"Glad to have you back, Ma'am." Sateesh says, following close behind my heels. "The house is too quiet without your presence."
"I'm most definitely glad to be back." I say excitedly, unable to control the grin that's tearing at my cheek muscles. "And I don't plan to leave for a long while now."
"Does Manik Sir know of your return?" Sateesh asks. "I'm sure he misses you and your cooking."
"Actually, he doesn't know. I'm surprising him." After what feels like a long hour, I finally reach the front door. Sateesh hurriedly pushes it open, allowing me access to the interior of the house. Aiyappa, have I missed this place or what? Somewhere down the road Manik's house became my home; a safe haven which feels even more welcoming than Chacha and Chachi's house.
With a grin still plastered across my face, I make my way through the lower floor of the house, searching each room for Manik. My eyes land on his sitting figure on the couch, Manik's back turned towards me. As quietly as I can, I move towards him, silencing my giggles with the utmost difficulty.
I rest the crutches against the back of the couch, and wrap my arms around Manik's neck. Shutting my eyes, I take in his familiar scent, burying the side of my face into the crook of his neck.
"I'm back," I say, leaving a peck on his cheek. Manik's eyes fly open, a grin spreading across his lips.
"Angel!" He exclaims, jumping off the couch. In the blink of an eye, Manik comes around and wraps me in a tight embrace. "My skin was crawling with discomfort in this house until this very second." Cupping my face in his palms, he envelopes my lips with his. An involuntary soft moan escapes my lips. Aiyappa, the feel of Manik's lips is the eighth wonder of this world.
"Bless the Lords," he cries out, wounding his arms around my waist. "Everything's finally how it should be again."
"No, Malhotra," I say, shaking my head. "It's not. We still need to have a conversation which is imperative to the health of our relationship." Thankfully, Manik nods understandingly.
"Let's sit down, Angel." He gestures towards the couch, one arm still firmly wrapped around my waist, almost as if he fears that if he lets go I'll disappear. "You're right, we need to talk. Otherwise, we might just find ourselves surrounded by flames once more." Once the two of us are seated, Manik turns his body to face me, his hands covering mine.
"Do you want to begin?" He asks, raising his eyebrows. I nod my head.
"I have no doubts whatsoever that you and I have been made for each other, kind courtesy of Aiyappa, of course." I begin. "However, every healthy relationship has their fair share of hurdles to overcome, and issues to solve, which we also clearly do. Malhotra, I honestly thought I trusted you blindly, and in some way I do, yet our biggest issue is lack of trust - from both ends. And we also don't give each other the chance to explain ourselves."
"Are we similar or what?" Manik teases, smiling.
"This similarity isn't a good thing," I argue. "In the former days of our marriage, you treated me like trash because there wasn't enough trust from your end to give me the tiniest benefit of the doubt. The same thing happened when you found out about the brownie. At once thoughts of the worst started flooding your mind, which led to me being manhandled." I shut my eyes, inhaling a deep breath. "I'm not the kind of woman who will allow you to walk all over me at a given point of time, and then create a bed of roses for me the next. I absolutely, one hundred percent, understand that betrayal and lies are the chinks in your armor, Malhotra. However, at times - unintentionally or intentionally - I may slip-up, but that doesn't mean you go all Hulk on me. I'm a human, and so mistakes are perfectly allowed."
"Angel, what I did that night...it wasn't me." Manik confesses, his grip on my hands tightening. Today I can see pain, ten times of what I felt that night, reflected in his eyes. "The person who lashed out at you in that manner, I-I don't know who that was. An entire lifetime of apologies is insufficient for what I did. And I'm also extremely apologetic for making you feel like trash when we got married, because you don't deserve to feel so low. After all, you're my Angel. You were a friend, who I had unknowingly welcomed into my heart, and to be at the receiving end of such deceit in which you were involved in some way, it just brought back a ton of memories and heartache. Truth be told, Angel, I couldn't stop feeling like the Dhruv incident was being repeated, with an even greater voltage of pain."
"Malhotra, you have to promise me that if ever, in the future, a situation similar to the two we've already experienced arises, you will give me the benefit of the doubt, and a chance to explain." Manik nods vigorously. "Because I would never intentionally wish for my actions, or words, to cause you any harm. In fact, if I ever did anything malicious towards you, I'd be inflicting wounds upon myself as well."
"Of course," Manik agrees hurriedly. "No more jumping to conclusions. But you have to promise me the same." I nod my head in agreement.
"I promise," I say truthfully. "Also, that night was the last night you touched me in that way, Malhotra. Because, and I swear to Aiyappa, the next time your hands touch my skin in that manner, it'll be the last day you see my face." I ensure that Manik can hear the firmness in my tone.
"You don't need to worry about that," he says. "I promise you, Angel, that if ever I touch you wrongly like that again, then I will personally escort you till the door. And extract myself from your life." Manik's words are ringing with nothing, but the truth. A strong, confident voice in my heart is telling me he won't repeat his actions again.
"Malhotra, our relationship is like a baby." I say, cupping his cheek. "If we don't take care of it as well as needed, and don't provide it with the right attention, then it will weaken our bond until it eventually perishes into nothing. Not even a trace of it will remain." I tilt my head to the side, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Let's take care of our baby, Malhotra."
"Let's," he agrees. "So now is everything back to normal? Are we back to the way we should be?"
"A hundred percent." I say excitedly.
"Good because I've made a celebratory cake." My eyes widen, the breath getting knocked out of my lungs.
"I'm sorry, what?" I ask, prayer bells going off in the back of my mind. Aiyappa, today I'm yours to save.
"Yes!" Manik claps his hands, beaming. "I have made a cake to celebrate your return."
"Malhotra, do you even the know the spelling of cake?" I ask, the urge to run away stronger than ever. I glare at my stupid cast. If only this wasn't hindering my movement I'd be out of this house, my speed beating Usain Bolt's record.
"Oh come on, Angel, don't judge my cooking before you've even tried it." Manik raises his index finger, telling me to wait right here. "I'm getting the cake. Stay here." Smiling nervously, I nod my head. If only I knew patching up meant trying Manik's cooking, then I'd never wish to reunite with him.
As I'm waiting for Manik to return, my gaze keeps landing on the staircase. For some reason, I want to momentarily drop by into my room, and Manik's. How hard will it be to climb the stairs with my cast? Well, I guess I'm going to find out shortly. Somehow, after a lot of struggling and awkward movements, I finally reach the upstairs landing. A permanent grin has glued itself to my face as I limp across the floor. First I intend on stopping by Manik's room.
The second my palm wraps around the door-handle, jolts of excitement shoot through my system. This room holds a ton of memories, both good and bad. With much unneeded force, I throw open the door, beaming at its interior. However, the second my eyes land on the bed, I deflate like an open balloon. It feels as if a sledgehammer has crashed into my chest, my heart a splattered mess against its surface. As I stagger backwards, my mind momentarily blacks out.
What's Alya doing in Manik's bed?