A bonus chapter cause I love you all so much. I may not reply to your comments cause of my school stuff but I do read them and you all never fail to bring a smile on my face. Luff you all xxx
MANIK ~
Blinded by the bright light, I closed my eyes a multiple times. I couldn’t adjust to it well. I rolled around in the very cozy bed. About one thing, I was sure, wherever I was, I wasn’t in my
room. I groaned and tossed and turned, trying to remember what all had happened the night before. That’s when it clicked – I was in Nandini’s house. And this was her room.
Cursing, I sat up straight. I remembered dozing off with her in my arms. But as I woke up, she had disappeared. I wondered whether it was a dream. Suddenly, the door clicked open, revealing Nandini. She looked cute in her spongebob pajamas and an oversized t-shirt.
“Morning!” She chirped, looking for something in her drawers. I tried to smile, but failed miserably as a strong pain shot through my head. “Hangover?” She asked, taking a pile of clothes into the bathroom. I nodded.
“Yeah. You’ve had a rough night.” She said.
“No, not really.” I smiled at the events from the night before. She rolled her eyes and handed me a glass of water along with some tablet.
“Its Ibuprofen. Specially for hangovers. It’ll help with the headache.” She said.
“You’re a doctor now?” I asked, gulping down the medicine with water.
“Duh. Its something that every person who drinks alcohol should know.” She said. I shrugged.
“Well, I’m not touching alcohol again.” I muttered. Her musical laugh echoed in my ears.
“You better not. I’m gonna head down and make breakfast for you. Freshen up and join me.” She said and exited the room.
***
The headache seemed to be fading now. I entered the kitchen, only to see Nandini struggling with the eggs. The whole house was silent. Just the sound of her breaking the eggs filled the room.
“I thought you’re parents were home.” I said, leaning on the counter beside her.
“They were. But one of my cousin’s getting married this weekend. They’re in Mangalore for the wedding. Should be back in a couple of days.” She explained. I nodded and watched her as she was getting irritated with the eggs not breaking.
I admired her. The way she bit her lip when she was concentrating on the eggs. The way she struggled to move her hair out of her face. She was having a real hard time cooking due to those few strands of hair.
“Wait. Let me do that…” I said and tucked those few strands of hair behind her ear. She smiled and continued with the cooking. Something about her was odd that day. She looked different. I gently tilted her face, so that she was facing me.
“What’s up?” She asked. That’s when I noticed the bruise on her cheek. It was clearly visible and looked really bad.
“What happened to your face? It looks pretty bad.” I said, examining the bruise. She flinched at my touch and quickly pulled back.
“Yeah. I had a fall in the bathroom this morning. It was pretty bad and embarrassing.” She chuckled to herself. She couldn’t even lie properly for God’s sake. I knew it wasn’t an accident.
“Really? Can’t you lie better?” I asked. She avoided me completely, like I wasn’t present there in the first place and headed to the refrigerator.
“I’m not lying! Really, I slipped over some shampoo.” She mumbled. To me, this girl was unbelievable. I could clearly make out and was certainly not that dumb to believe that a fall in the bathroom can lead to such a serious bruise.
“Who did this?” I asked, straightaway.
“What?” She froze in her spot, while I tried to think of all the people who could harm Nandini like that. But only one person crossed my mind – Maddy. I vaguely remembered them fighting about something the night before.
“Did Maddy do it?” I asked.
“Do you want some coffee to go with the eggs? Or should I make tea? You like green tea?” She blabbered and completely ignored my question. She looked through the cabinets. I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed her arm and spun her around.
“Don’t you dare avoid me like that. Answer me Nandini. Did he do this?” I asked. I had 99% assurance, that Maddy was behind this. But I wanted Nandini to say it.
“He did,” She said. Before I could react, she continued. “We got into a fight last night. But he didn’t mean this to happen, I know. He was drunk.” She said. That clearly wasn’t a valid explanation. Even I was drunk. But I hadn’t crossed my limits.
“I can’t believe that you’re supporting him even after what he’s done to you.” I gritted. I could feel the anger boiling inside me.
“I’m not supporting him, Manik. It was a mistake from his side. We’ll sort it out.” She argued. Who forgives a mistake like this?
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to forgive him after this shit.” To that, she just shrugged. It was like, the Nandini in front of me was a different person altogether. She was never like this – so submissive. At that point, I knew that there was no point in arguing with this girl. But I was definitely going to beat the shit out of Maddy.
“Why are you so submissive? Since when did you start tolerating this bullshit? Like seriously Nandini, that a*sh*le hit you! Wake up, Nandini, and look what the f**k have you done to yourself!” I yelled. She seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst.
“No, Manik! Please just stay f**king out of my life! I know exactly why you’re doing all this and its only because you want Maddy out of your way! You want to have your chance, right? Well you’re not getting that, so just stop f**king interfering in my life!” She yelled.
Her words hit me hard. I was hurt and more than that, it came as an insult to me. I was only trying to keep her safe, but she had taken the argument to a whole new level. Never even for a second had a thought that there was my advantage in getting Maddy out of the way.
She gasped as those words escaped her mouth. She looked sorry. I sighed and was about to leave. There was no point in convincing her. But she tugged on to my arm.
“No. No no no please, I didn’t mean that…” She cried, holding on to me. I was too angered to even look at her.
“What’s left to say? This is what you think of me.” I said, trying to get out of her grip. But she tugged at my shirt and pulled me close.
“Look at me, please. I didn’t mean that…” She pleaded. Her voice cracked with every word that came out of her mouth. But I refrained to look at her.
“Manik, I really didn’t meant that…” She cried, and cupped my face. I sighed and forcefully met my eyes with her.
“Forget it, Nandini. You’ve changed. I don’t even know who you are anymore.” I said.
“No. Just listen to me, please just once listen to me…” She cried while I pushed her away and walked straight out of the house. For me, understanding her was getting difficult day by day. I walked out only to be greeted by someone who was unexpected and uninvited – Maddy.
His black BMW stopped abruptly in front of me and he hopped out of it. A huge grin plastered on his face the moment he laid his eyes on me. “Hey, man! Where did disappear last night? Didn’t expect to see you here.” He said. How could he be so normal after last night? Like nothing had happened.
“I wasn’t feeling too well. I just drove home.” I replied. I was blunt, for I just wanted to rip this guy’s head off. He truly disgusted me. I felt ashamed to even call him friend.
“Oh. Well, what are you doing here?” He asked as Nandini walked out of the house. There were tears in her eyes. She wiped them quickly as she spotted Maddy standing with me.
“Maddy…” She trailed off.
“Baby… I’m so sorry for last night. I didn’t intend to do that. It was an accident…” He said, rushing to her side. I controlled the urge to kick his nuts.
“I don’t wanna talk about it. Just leave, okay. Its over.” She said.
“Wait, what? Are you breaking up with me?” He was bewildered. Like breaking up with Maddy was a crime. But I was glad to see Nandini standing up for herself. Maddy took a quick glance at me and then back at Nandini. “Can we talk about this in private? Please babe.” He said.
“No. Please, there’s nothing left to talk. Just leave, Maddy.” She said, backing away from me. That triggered his ego, obviously.
“Are you avoiding me now, Nandini? How dare you?” He spat.
“Oye. Take it easy, tiger.” I stepped in. Nandini did gesture me to back off, but it wasn’t the time for me to stay quiet.
“Manik, please stay out of this.” Maddy warned.
“I would have, if you hadn’t done what you did last night.” I said.
He was taken aback as he looked at Nandini. “You told him?” He asked. I rolled my eyes at how obvious that was. She nodded.
“You’re such a sympathy gainer, Nandini. I should have known it. I should have seen the real you. What are you gonna do now? Woo him with your crocodile tears? I was right last night. This is the reason why girls like you are called sl*ts. All you can do, is jump from one man to the other. blo*dy gold diggers -” And before he could complete his sentence, I had pinned him to his car, showering him with punches.
“How dare you say such things about her? I swear Maddy, if you ever cross her path or touch her against her will, I’ll do something you’ll regret for the rest of your life.” I threatened. I invented the game he was the master of.
At the same time, Nandini pulled me away from him. He, who seemed to take in whatever had just happened, regained his posture and stood in front of us.
“Oh. So this is why you are breaking up with me. He is the reason. f**k, I should have known it.” He growled. “Okay, then! Let’s see how long does this last. Trust me mate, once she finds someone better, you’ll be out of the picture just like me.” He added, provoking me more.
But Nandini placed her hand on my chest, stopping me from attacking him again. “Just leave.” She said. He shook his head, looking at the both of us.
“You’re gonna regret this.” He spat, before hopping into his car and driving away.
Once he was out of sight, Nandini almost fell to the ground when I held her up. Before I could, she gave in and came into my arms. Her cries broke my heart into pieces. I felt like someone had ripped my heart and taken it out of my body. It was terrible. But I had to comfort her and I did.
“Hey, its okay. He’s gone. Its over…” I said. She clung to me like her life depended on it. Finally, she let go, probably feeling exhausted.
“Are you okay?” I asked. She nodded.
“Yes. Let’s get back.” She said. I wiped her tears before leading her inside. She looked so dull and pale. I had to lighten up the mood.
“So! Where were we? Yeah, eggs. I’d like some coffee to go with that too. Oh, and please make it fast. I’m starving.” I said as she walked like a turtle into the kitchen.
“Do you need any help?” I asked. She smiled weakly and shook her head. It was like, she was with me physically. But mentally, she was still outside her house where all of it happened. I took her hand in mine and made her sit on a chair. I crouched down in front of her.
“Why are you sad now?” I asked.
Her face cringed as tears threatened to spill again. “I don’t know. I trusted him, Manik. Yes, he was sometimes rude to me. He made fun of me. But I never thought that he would ever raise his hand on me. How could I be so stupid to have let him take control over me? The truth is, I myself don’t know who I am anymore!” She cried.
I sighed and cupped her face. I wiped her tears first and made her look at me. “You are strong and resilient, Nandini. You can stand up for yourself. You are happy, fun loving and carefree. You are the same Nandini I’ve loved since we were sixteen.” I said.
“You’re wrong. I’ve lost that Nandini. She’s dead.” She said.
“She’s not. She’s still there in your heart. Don’t let your fears and whatever that’s troubling you take over you. I know my Nandini is not so weak. What you did today; standing up for yourself takes a lot of courage. I’m really proud of you for that.” I said.
She sniffed and nodded. “But Maddy -”
“He’s gone. He won’t be coming back. And trust me, as long as I’m there, no one can dare to touch you.” I assured.
“Thank you, Manik. But I never meant it when I told you to stay away from my life.” She said.
I smiled. “I know. Its okay. C’mon now, say goodbye to these tears. I’m starving.” I said. She smiled as I accidentally touched her bruise, causing her to flinch.
“Does it hurt?” I asked.
She smiled and shook her head.
“No.”
***
Next chapter has Cavya and Manan going on a double date. And someone’s going to take a sweet revenge.
Who’s it? Keep reading to find out. Plus, comment about this. Maddy is finally out. . . Maybe. . . Maybe not ?
I also write another ff, The Broken Strings but unfortunately I dont get a good response. Should I continue writing it or should I stop that one? I dont know. I feel sad cause I’ve planned a lot of things for both the ff. ??