Inexplicable Love : A Manan ff (Chapter 1)

MANIK ~

Isn’t two years a very long time? No, its not. But to me, it was. It felt like two decades. Every day, every moment I lived without her, felt incomplete and long enough.

Everyday, I asked myself – What was the use of all the achievements I had, when my mind and my heart were never here? I still lived in the time where I was happy; with her. Where her smile made my day; where her kiss would make me feel like I’m the luckiest person alive.

Then one day, it all ended. She left. Everyday since she left, I tried to move on. To stop my heart from breaking more. But deep down inside, I wasn’t willing to move on.

I walked back to the pavilion after winning the game, as a little boy came running up to me.

“Sir, can I get an autograph?” He asked, raising his book and the pen in the air.

“Of course.” I smiled and signed the book for him, as he ran back into the concert hall.

I joined the rest of my friends, back in the green room, for a celebration. Cabir, Dhruv, Aliya and Mukti, everyone looked satisfied with the performance.

“Congratulations, mate! You were on fire, out there.” Cabir said.

“Thanks, man. It was the fab five effort, though.” I congratulated him and all the other members on this win.

The best part about this win, was that, we had won it against One Direction – one of the most famous and competitive bands in the whole universe. The second best part, was that, we had won it in Delhi – my city.

As I was about to head in to take a shower, Cabir called me.

“Hey, Monkey, are you attending Maddy’s party tonight?” He asked. Maddy aka Madhyam, was one of my best mates. Probably the only one, who didn’t play music.

He had been living in London since two years. We lost touch, when we left. But he was back in the town now, and was throwing a homecoming party for himself. Yes, weird enough, but that’s how Maddy was.

“I don’t know, bhai. I’m knackered, honestly. You guys can carry on, though. I’ll make it up to him.” I said.

“I know, dude. Even I’m too tired to go. But he has just returned from London, and he wants to meet all of us. Besides, he’s been calling me a lot since morning. I think, we should go.” He said.

“Uh, well, yeah, okay then. I’ll be out in sometime. We can take my car.” I sighed, and stepped into the shower.

***

“Take a left.” Dhruv guided, giving the directions to Maddy’s house.

“No, its to the right.” Aliya interrupted.

“I think we go straight.” Mukti piped in, giving her opinion. But I was the driver, who was misguided because of the lads in my car.

“How can we forget where Maddy lives?” I asked, earning blank looks from my friends.

“That’s because we haven’t been there in the past couple of years.” Said Cabir.

“Whatever. Just call him now, and ask.” I muttered and turned off the engine. The car halted in the middle of nowhere, as Dhruv pulled out his phone and dialed Maddy. He gave us the proper directions, which told us, that he lived just two blocks straight away.

As we reached, I spotted a tall, lean figure standing at the gate. I couldn’t quite recognize him from the distance, but soon, I did. It was Madhyam Sighania.

“Oh dude! Look at you, man! You’re all muscles!” I exclaimed, pulling the guy into a hug. He chuckled. “You know, steroids aren’t good.” I added.

“Ah, they’re original! Been kind of a fitness freak, lately. Anyway, come on in!” He exclaimed, leading us all inside.

There was a crowd. Loud music. Drinks; and games. Exactly a party, which Maddy could throw.

“Hey, Manik. Listen, I want you to meet someone.” Maddy said, over the loud music blasting through the speakers.

“Who’s she?” I had to shout over the music. I remembered him telling me about this Special Girl; he was even planning to propose to her soon. That made me happy for my best mate. But sometimes, I just felt alone.

Everyone, had someone special in their lives. Someone, who made them happy and loved them for who they were. It was not for their money or fame; and then, there was me, still reliving my past.

I followed Maddy to the balcony, where he said, she was waiting. Well, from whatever he had described, she seemed pretty nice.

We entered the balcony, only to be greeted by no one else, but a girl. I guess, it was her. She stood under the moonlight, with her back facing us. Her long black curls, vaguely familiar to me, hung from her shoulders and reached her waist. She wore a little black dress.

Somehow, I felt like I knew her. You know, sometimes, some people you think you’ve met for the first time, tend to give you those familiar vibes. Like you’ve met them before.

“She’s the one,” Maddy said.

“Nandini!” Maddy called out, snapping me out of my trance.

Nandini. It was the same, familiar name. The name, I was running from since the past two years. My heart started racing after hearing that name; and I silently prayed, that it was someone else. Not the girl, that I was still in love with.

But fate always has different plans for us. Much to my dismay, she turned around. It was her. Nandini; my Nandini. The beautiful smile on her face faded, the moment she spotted me. I stood frozen, trying to comprehend the situation.

She was here; she was back. But she was with him. . .