A/N: Double update! Happy reading xx
Manik's POV
"What happened? Are you okay?" I ask Angel, as we near Chachi's house. My wife hasn't spoken a word to me since I returned from the race. Even now, after about fifteen minutes of being on the road, Angel is downright ignoring my presence. In addition to this, Cabir also looked pissed off before we departed. Has something happened between the two?
"Nothing happened back there, right?" I question, even though I've received no answer for my former queries. Angel shakes her head, blankly staring out of the window. I told Cabir to take care of her and he better have.
*****
"Cabir, did something happen while I was racing?" I ask, locking myself in the bathroom. This is the only place where I'm free from Angel's curious, eavesdropping ears, since I now also share a room with her. The sick irony of this entire situation is that she and I share a room - heck, even a bed - and yet she looks at me as just a good friend, regardless of the fact that I'm her husband. Truth be told, I thought sharing a room with Angel would be a source of relief. But instead it serves as pure torture because each night my wife lies beside me and yet, we're separated by a wide wall of pillows and a gap in her memories.
"Manik, you should give up on Nandini." Cabir says, completely bypassing my question.
"What?" I exclaim. "Why?"
"She's not getting her memories back," he replies. "And Nandini's feeling Sushant, not you."
"Who says?" Unadulterated rage and pangs of jealousy shoot through my blood.
"Tonight, man, Nandini spoke to Sushant. Goddammit," Cabir hisses. "They've planned to grab a bite tomorrow." I stay mute. After all that ass has done to her, Angel is once again welcoming him back into her life? It feels as if Cabir has taken a wrecking ball and slammed it into my chest. The pain shooting through my heart is excruciating enough to knock me off my feet and onto the lidded pot.
"Cabir, h-how would you know? You're lying to me," I manage to stutter out.
"Manik, I heard it with my own ears. Nandini's over you, man. It's time you move on as well."
"No," I whisper. Clearing my throat, I repeat the word sternly. "Cabir, I get it, you're concerned about me. But you need to understand that my happiness is Angel."
"Marcel's, seven thirty," Cabir says. "Go and see them rekindle their romance with your own eyes." I cut the call, without uttering another word to Cabir. Tomorrow. Seven thirty. Marcel's. I'll get the answers I desire.
By the time I curb my overthinking, and exit the bathroom, Angel has already switched off all the lights in the room. I stay rooted to my spot for a few seconds, as I view her silhouette tucked into bed, sound asleep. Tonight, my wife sleeps without a care in the world. Whereas, I will deem myself fortunate if I manage to sit my ass peacefully in one spot for more than a few minutes.
*****
"Chachi!" I yell, bounding down the stairs. "Chachi!" My heart pounds against my chest as I search the house for her like a mad man. "Chachi!"
"Manik, where's the fire?" Her unbothered voice floats in from the garden.
"Chachi," I say, as I step out. "Where's Angel? Have you allotted her some work? Sent her out for groceries?" Since I didn't wish to disturb Angel's sleep, I spent the entirety of the night, restless, in the lounge. And today morning when I went upstairs to freshen up and check up on my wife, she wasn't there. To top it off, the bed is perfectly made, leaving no trace of her whatsoever.
"You've caused an uproar over such a minor issue?" Chachi says, shaking her head at me in disbelief. "Nandu left early today, before you were up. She said she had some work to tend to." Work? Angel is practically a tourist in this city, so what work could she possibly have? Chachi may not find this odd, but I most certainly do.
"What work?" Rishabh voices my thoughts out loud, as he steps out from behind me. I share a doubtful look with him. The concern that's eating me whole is very obviously mirrored on his face. Chachi shrugs, completely at ease with how the day's turning out. A flurry of thoughts are waging a war in our heads, as Rishabh and I turn around.
"Something's not right," he says. I nod my head in absolute agreement. Rishabh has stolen my thoughts. The only difference between him and I, is that I have a gut feeling regarding Angel's so-called, "Work," and he's completely in the dark.