Hello Fam :)
I am so sorry for disappearing. I am stuck up with college work and couldn't find time to come online. :(
If anyone wants to read, @thefirequeen20 has taken an interview, please, go through it. :)
The final character revelation of Nyonika Malhotra. :P
Happy Reading...
It was Friday and Cabir wrote his last exam earlier during the day. After taking a short nap, he went to Manik's room and found him sleeping. He chuckled seeing his twin. Manik could go days without sleeping due to exams or because he has to finish his book but once he was done, he takes a long break and catches up on his missed sleep.
Without making a sound, Cabir slipped out of the room and went ahead with the plan of meeting his school friends.
XXX
It was after midnight when Cabir sneaked back into the house. His mom was out of town and he had a month-long semester break from college. He wanted to take full advantage of it. So, it came as a surprise when he saw her in the living room of their house.
"Mom", he waved awkwardly, "when did you come back?"
"An hour back", said Nyonika. She looked up from her file that she was reading and stretched her hand, asking him to come to her.
Cabir hesitated and raised both his hands. "I am sorry I didn't know you were home. I went to meet some of my friends and we didn't realize we were late."
Nyonika waved her hand. "Cabir, until you can keep yourself safe and out of trouble, it's fine with me. You don't have to explain yourself every time but yeah, make sure this doesn't become a habit. I don't want all your late-night activities to affect your health."
He grinned and pinched his throat in a silent promise, earning a chuckle from his mother. The woman gathered the files on the couch and the coffee table before piling it neatly. She patted the place beside her looking at him.
"Can I talk to you, please?", she asked.
Cabir nodded, still unsure if he was in trouble or not as he took a seat at the far end of the couch, making sure he had enough room to run away. Manik wasn't there which meant he wouldn't save him. "Did I do something again?", he asked to break the silence.
She shook her head. "What's going on in your college, kid?", she asked. "I thought of talking to Manik but the boy was already asleep by the time I reached home. Guess stuffing all his books inside his brain exhausted him."
He laughed. This was his mother speaking to him who would tease her kids and doesn't care if they didn't score full marks in an exam until they aren't wasting their lives. Blinded by his anger, Cabir missed her all these years. "Manik is the head boy of our college now", he confessed.
He explained to her about their previous head boy and the incident with Nandini neither revealing the names nor going into much detail. She was smart and she would understand.
"Mom, the college needed a head student in the middle of the year and it was the perfect opportunity for bhai to come out of his shell. Manik is smart enough to manage his studies along with head duties. After college, he would be in a perfect position to handle the company", he explained.
"That's true", said Nyonika, and Cabir sighed in relief. His mom agreeing, even partly, was good enough for him. "Wasn't he scared now? Wouldn't it be a burden to him, emotionally?"
"Mom", he called, squeezing her hand. "Bhai has to start somewhere. If it's in college, I would be there to check on him. He is handling the company too well in your absence but you guide him all the time. What if you aren't available someday if there is an emergency here and you are busy somewhere else? What then? He has to handle the whole company all by himself and that would be a real panic for him."
"Who's writing your lines nowadays? When did my Jungli son become so thoughtful?", she teased.
Jungli? If he wasn't before, he was now sure that the pair of Nyonika and Nandini would be a disaster for him. "You should be proud of me", said Cabir, glaring at her. He was testing the waters and when she ruffled his hair, he knew he was up for the next level.
"I am, kid", said Nyonika. She sighed and rubbed her hands over her face before looking at Cabir again, tiredly. She just returned home. "I am making the same mistake again, right?"
The boy snorted. "I did the same too and look at Manik now. Guess, we can't protect him forever. We shouldn't."
"He is just so vulnerable and it scares me like hell", she muttered.
Cabir wanted to ask if something had happened in the past that she was afraid of but thought he had exhausted his luck quota for the day. Instead, he grinned. "I never know the Nyonika Malhotra was scared of something."
She pulled up a smirk. "That I am", she told before softening up. "Will you tell me if something happens to him? I don't mean to pry on his life but I want to be available if he ever needs me. Maybe I could rectify some of my mistakes."
Cabir had never seen her this vulnerable. Maybe she wasn't the only one who was not available for them. Maybe they weren't available for her too. Manik had an exception, he wasn't even in Mumbai but Cabir knew the days when he actively avoided Nyonika and kept her always out of the loop about his life.
He shuffled forward and threw his hands around her neck. The hand at the back of his head was instant as she pecked the top of his head and stroked his hair. He broke the hug and kissed the knuckles of her hand. "You wouldn't lose Manik or me ever again", he promised.
She cupped his cheek and looked like she wanted to say something but shook her head. "Why don't you go to sleep? It's already too late."
Cabir nodded, muttered a faint goodnight, and stood up to leave.
"Kid", she called him over his back and when he turned around, he noticed the smirk on her face. "Don't stay up all night talking to your girlfriend."
"I don't have a girlfriend", he muttered once he processed her words. Without turning back, he ran and didn't stop until he reached his room. How the hell did she know about Navya?
XXX
When Cabir woke up the next day, he was still sleepy but food won his priority and he had to go for breakfast. Manik and Nyonika were already waiting for him. He nodded at them when they wished him a good morning and slumped down on a chair beside Manik before piling his plate with whatever his hands could reach. He was damn hungry.
He heard a clearing of his throat and since it came from his opposite side, he confirmed it must be Nyonika.
"Guys, tomorrow is Sunday", she said.
He peeked an eye at her and looked sideways at his brother. The guy had his usual formals on. Cabir narrowed his eyes at Manik. "Bhai, tomorrow is Sunday which means today is Saturday."
"I know, kid", said Manik, and the idiot had the audacity to smile at him.
"Where are you off to so early in the morning on a Saturday? Remember, we have vacations from today."
"I need to renew my card at the local library", told Manik.
He knew it. "Why? Aren't all the books in our college library enough for you?" he asked smiling all sweet at his brother but he knew Manik wouldn't miss the sarcasm in his voice.
And he proved him right by shooting daggers at Cabir which he was happy to return.
"Cabir", called Nyonika, interrupting their glaring contest.
"Mom, you don't know the seriousness of the situation. Manik is turning into a bookworm. How can you let this happen in your own house?", complained Cabir without taking his eyes off his brother.
"Cabir, he already is a bookworm. Now, would you kindly listen to me?", she asked sweetly.
"I heard you the first time", told Cabir, finally sparing Manik. "Tomorrow is Sunday. Are we going on some adventurous family trip?", he asked with a grin.
"I am not participating in any of your adventures", protested Nyonika, holding out a spoon.
Manik followed her. "Neither am I."
"Oh, I can feel all the love for me around here", said Cabir. He glared at the two of them until Nyonika chuckled.
"Enough of this. I wanted to ask if both of you are free tomorrow until my darling of a son interrupted me with his evergreen drama", she said.
No way was he letting her have the last laugh. He bowed his head. "I am learning from the best, milady."
"Mom, I am free", told Manik. "Do you need us for something?"
But of course, his brother has to ruin the fun. The boy respected people way too much.
"I am supposed to attend one of our prospective business partners over lunch tomorrow. They insisted on meeting both the heirs of Malhotra Industries", informed Nyonika.
Cabir choked on his food and Manik was quick enough to rub his back. Nyonika passed him a glass of water. Taking a sip, he let his breathing under control. "I am not the heir of Malhotra Industries. It's Manik", he pointed out.
Nyonika sighed and shook her head. "Kid, you are the heir of Malhotra Industries along with Manik even if any of you don't want to take over the company. You can pursue your own interests but you would have your share in the company", she said sternly.
"You never told me about this?", he muttered. Because what the hell was even going on here? He wasn't ever supposed to be associated with the Malhotra Industries. It was the only reason why he never cared about giving a second thought to anyone related to the business world if he didn't want to, inside or outside the office.
Nyonika shrugged her shoulders. "The topic never arose between us."
Right. Very convenient.
"Cabir, you don't have to change your career", his brother assured hurriedly.
Cabir gave him a small smile before turning to his mother. "I understand that but why me?"
"Because I told you I love my sons equally and I still stand by that", said Nyonika. His mother was staring at her plate all through her little confession. It suddenly struck him like lightning that she was as awkward as he was while expressing feelings.
When Cabir escaped it with a joke or tease, Nyonika totally ignored talking about them hiding behind her stoic exterior. It was how things have become awkward between them in the absence of Manik. Because Manik, the boy who always wore his heart on his sleeve, the boy who is always true and genuine and talked about his feelings, had a smooth relationship with their mother, if not a slightly scared one.
On the other hand, Cabir, who believed he needed to maintain his masculine ego except when he was with his Manik, and Nyonika, the most powerful businesswoman who would rather kill people with her high energetic stares than crack a smile, he realized how well these two could go. And they did. Their relationship had strained just because they both were incapable of talking their emotions out and locked them up.
There was a hand squeezing his under the table and Cabir looked at his brother, who gave him a hesitant smile. He was tense, probably about another possible fight between the mother-son duo, and Cabir wanted to hide him in his embrace or the other way round because right now he could use one of his big brother's hugs.
Instead, he shook his head and gulped a glass of water, trying desperately to push the emotions down his throat. "I love you guys", he muttered. His voice was barely there but as Manik's hand tightened around his and the surprised look on Nyonika's face when she lifted her head so suddenly, he knew his message had been passed on.
He rubbed his hands in excitement. One way to avoid being emotional was to be as dramatic as possible. It had always worked for him and today wasn't any different. "My dear majesty, please announce your order to us. We lay our entire lives in front of your feet. It would be an honor to serve you."
Cabir felt more than saw his brother rolling his eyes but he considered it as a win when Nyonika burst out laughing. Who could have thought he would be exhibiting theatrics on a Saturday morning in front of his mother, whom he thought he had hated and might have sworn he would never ever talk to her or look at her after he was done with his college. He might be fifteen at that time or seventeen but right now he couldn't care any less. He had got his family back and he very well promised to keep this forever.
"Wait a minute", stopped Cabir, scrunching his nose in disgust. "Business meeting? Mom, it would be boring as hell."
She raised both her hands. "Not my fault. He wasn't even ready to listen to any excuses of mine."
Cabir raised an eyebrow. "Someone not listening to you? That's a first. Or have you not tried enough and let them have their illusion that they could convince the Nyonika Malhotra."
The smirk on Nyonika's face would have been scary if Cabir hadn't known it wasn't directed at him. "Apart from knowing why he was adamant to meet you two even when I told him you still were studying, there are a few other things I need to figure out about them. So, help me by being a distraction? And yeah, he told he had two little kids of his own so you can play with them instead."
"Kids? I love kids", declared Cabir.
After finishing their breakfast when Manik announced about going to the library, Cabir joined him. He had to buy a few lenses of his own. Seriously, he hadn't thought about a day out with his brother. It was just a huge coincidence.
This is Nyonika Malhotra. She isn't negative. Just a misunderstood character. For the question of why the sudden heart-to-heart with Cabir, I think it's because of his previous burst out. Any more questions, feel free to ask. I will try to answer as many as possible and so so sorry if I am missing some.
Who might be the business partner? Any guesses? :P