Nandini Murty looked out from the window of the staff room, down at the snow-covered courtyard of the Atlanta Medical Centre. A hot mug of coffee steamed in her hand, as she pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the windowpane. This day had been never ending, and she still had a couple of hours before her shift ended at the hospital. The emergency shifts were always taxing for her. Sighing, she took a sip of the black coffee, missing the filter coffee from home that she still preferred, and watched an ambulance driving towards ER entrance, sirens screeching.
The television in the staff room buzzed softly, warning of an impending snowstorm but Nandini’s thoughts were far away. There was a feeling of unease that had been creeping through her for the past hour now – an uneasiness she could not explain. She had called Rishabh, only to be told that he was with friends in his study group, and did not want to be disturbed. She stood at the window trying to figure out this unsettled feeling, when the beep of her pager alerted her to a message. She was needed downstairs in the ER.
Making a face, as she swallowed the left over tepid coffee, Nandini threw the paper cup in the bin in the corner and walked out of the staff room towards the elevators that would take her down to the Emergency Room.
Standing just inside the doors of the ambulance bay, from where she could view the ambulance, she listened to the staff nurse explaining the details of the new arrival. There had been a pile up on the highway and the shattered windscreen had also completely chilled the insides of the car. There were two males removed from the wreckage, one more badly hurt than the other, presumably the one driving the rental car.
It must have been freezing out there, Nandini thought to herself, hoping that the victims had not been exposed too long to the cold. Being exposed to freezing temperatures, and already injured from the accident, was not good news. Her senior colleague, also on duty with her walked past her while throwing instructions at the rest of the staff for a warming unit, IV etc. “What else do we know?” Dr. Williams questioned the ambulance staff as they ran in to open the doors for the incoming patients. “Do we have an ID?”
It’s going to be another long night, Nandini thought wearily, fearing the state of the patients herself. The feeling of anxiety was not leaving her, only increasing making her uneasy.
“Are you ok, Dr. Murty?” Steve Williams rough voice broke through her thoughts. “You look pale yourself, we need you to assist here not fall apart yourself.” He ended sarcastically.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, Nandini gave him a silent nod and watched the paramedics roll out the stretcher while covering the first patient with a thermal blanket completely, protecting him against the freezing 100-yard stretch into the building.
As soon as the stretcher reached her Nandini automatically took over the cardiac massage while the rest took over strapping his long lean body as they rushed towards the ER, with skilled practiced motions.
The stretcher jostled along the corridor and Nandini lost her stride and halted suddenly, as a very male hand dropped out from under the blanket.
A hand adorned with brown leather bracelets and a thick metallic bangle.
She faltered only for a few seconds, before continuing with her task of pumping his chest under her hand, when all she now wanted to do was rip the blanket off his face to see if it was him after all. Except that inside she already knew, with a feeling of cold dread, who it was.
She finally got her confirmation when the blanket covering him was whipped off inside the ER and everyone moved like clockwork plugging in the various machines surrounding the bed.
But then she had already known it was him.
Manik Malhotra!
Eight years. Eight long and painful years! She had wondered everyday about how he would have changed. She had followed his career rise to the rock star that he was today; every single article or photograph had been obsessively read and saved on her laptop back home. She had wondered what she would say to him if he ever came face to face with her. What it would feel like to touch him, to be touched by him. To hold him close to her again.
“Do we have an ID?” She heard Dr. Williams repeat, while she just stood and massaged his chest, as grey as a sheet herself. Steve was flashing lights into Manik’s eyes, checking the tubes, calling for drugs, while she just stood mute rubbing and staring at the cold blood stained body before her.
‘Dr. Mutry?” he questioned again looking her with a frown. He had never seen her like this during any of the emergencies that they had previously handled. Yes, she looked frail and small, but he knew from years of working with her, that she was tough inside and as grounded and practical as probably he himself was. Today there were beads of sweat on Nandini’s brow and a manic expression in her eyes, and it suddenly hit Steve that she knew this patient!
“Manik,” Nandini spoke in a hoarse whisper, identifying the patient.
Someone answered the doctor from behind Nandini. “Driving license in his pocket says Manik Malhotra, Indian, 28 years old...”
“How did the accident happen?” Nandini’s hoarse shaken voice broke through his dialogue.
There was a sudden silence in the room, as Nandini realized the silly question she had just asked. It was irrelevant to them how the accident happened. They were here to save the patient from going into hypothermia first and then deal with his injuries, not wonder about how the accident occurred in the first place. Steve frowned again looking towards her, clipboard in hand.
‘I’m not sure,’ the paramedic answered. ‘We just got a call twenty-five minutes ago...’
Dr. Williams turned towards one of the nurses in the room, instructing them to take over from Dr. Murty. Nandini stood on one side and watched all the activity around Manik’s prone body; the beeping and gushing sounds of various monitors and equipment being started or plugged to his lean body. His blood soaked jacket and shirt had already been removed, his bronzed chest wiped clean of the blood, bruises cleaned and now they were cutting his wet jeans with a scissor. She shut her eyes for a minute as if to block out the horrible scene that was unfolding before her. Maybe it was one of her numerous dreams bout him and she would wake up soon. As the nurses rushed out removing the soiled and torn jeans off his toned legs, she was tempted to tell them that he would be very angry at the way he was being treated by them. He would definitely do his volcano eruption at the nurses cleaning and strapping him up to the machines.
She stood there mute and wished that there was some way that she could protect him now. Some way she could make him wake up and give her one of his charming naughty smiles.
But she was the one who had run away eight years ago. Left him and run away. She had not been there to protect him as promised – To shine for him always.
“Are you about to pass out, Nandini,” Steve switched to a gentler tone, when he noticed she had not moved a muscle. “Take her to the staff room,” he quickly instructed one of the nurses, fearing that she would probably collapse if she watched this patient any more.
‘NO. NO… I’m staying…’ Nandini tried to sound stronger, feeling utterly useless in the ER when she was supposed to be accustomed to emergencies and bleeding patients. She was standing there as if paralyzed, wanting to vomit at the sight before her – chest plugged with pipes, body bruised and cut, and now jeans removed to reveal, an obvious broken bone.
Ignoring her protests, Dr. Williams nodded at the nurse, who just took Nandini’s arm and led her out of the buzzing room. Once in the staff room, she sat Nandini down on one of the couches, and turned to get her a glass of water from the pantry counter.
Nandini recognized the nurse as one of the younger ones, known to her … “Christy?” she whispered pleadingly … “you will call me if … if …” She shut her eyes. No, she could not say it.
‘I’ll come and get you.’ Christy promised, frowning at the state of her usually cheerful friend.
‘Before they decide to stop … if they do … if he …,’ Nandini faltered with the words … softly.
‘Of course.’
And she left Nandini alone with her thoughts in the staff room, thoughts that she had controlled and kept hidden all these years. Moments she had spent with him at college – their fights, their adventures, their making up …
NO. She could not sit here while he lay there in that condition. She had to be with him. She had to do something. He always called her his lucky charm. Well then … she had to work to make him live!
The walk down to the ER was possibly the longest of Nandini’s life. She was trying desperately not to think of the worst while constantly looking up and praying to her lord to help Manik battle it out tonight.
Just outside the ER she bumped into Steve, who was instructing the nursing staff about something.
“Steve…” she cleared her throat and began.
Dr. Steve Williams looked at his young colleague intently as she grappled with the words to question him … about the patient inside, he knew.
He had known her for the past three years, and even on one occasion asked her out, only to be politely refused, saying that she was already committed to someone back home. He knew she had come from India with her younger brother, who had suffered some radioactive attack because of which he had stopped speaking completely. She had confided in him at one of the office get together, where he had had the opportunity to dance with her.
She had completed her medical while simultaneously starting her thesis project at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention here at the Atlanta Medical Centre trying to research a cure for her brother’s problem. In fact he had put her on to some senior doctors who had also researched the subject and together they had managed to get her brother to start speaking slowly, while working on his ‘attacks’ too.
Steve put his arm around her frail shoulders, while he felt her shudder. “Are you alright, Nandini?” he looked down at her distraught face and asked gently. They had worked together on many such emergencies over the years, but this was the first time he had seen her completely shaken up like this. “Why have you come down here again? Go and rest in the staff room.” He looked around to find someone he could request to escort her back.
“Manik…” Nandini looked at him pleadingly and then at the shut door of the ER.
“We’ve done the best we could … he is unstable … too many injuries and internal bleeding … and of course the hypothermia…”
“Steve…” Nandini again tried to say something.
“They are preparing to shift him into the ICU,” he placated her, “you can go see him there in a little while.”
Nandini nodded mutely, still leaning against Steve outside the ER.
“Are you ok?” he asked her again, not wanting to leave her in this state, but aware that he was needed to do the rounds of the ICU in a few minutes.
She again nodded mutely, and then suddenly looking up at him again asked, “there were two people, in the wreckage… were they not? The other …” her voice trailed off.
“He’s not too badly hurt actually … just the exposure to cold and a few bruises … he has already been patched up and moved into ICU … he was … er …” Steve fumbled with recalling the name of the other patient who was wheeled in with Manik. “Yes … someone called Dhruv.”
Nandini shut her eyes. This could not be happening. NO. After all this while, she had to see them like this … in these circumstances!
“Nandini, I’ve gotta go now,” Steve was speaking to her softly, “are you sure you are okay? You know these two?” He questioned gently.
“I’m ok,” Nandini withdrew from his embrace nodding at him her thanks. He had been a good friend and colleague, helping her with Rishabh’s case all those years ago. And now Rishabh was so much better. Interacting with his friends, finishing his studies at the Emory University. She had managed to get him to start speaking with the help of the staff and doctors here. He had now moved out of their shared apartment and was now living at the university, only visiting her on holidays.
“Sure?” he questioned, shaking her out of her flashback.
“Yes, I am” Nandini assured him in a stronger voice, “you carry on.”
Steve looked at her for a short while and nodding his goodbye walked away.
Standing outside the ER Nandini wondered if she should again venture inside while Manik was being prepared for the ICU.
Deciding against it, she turned and walked towards the ICU, choosing instead to look into Dhruv and wait for Manik to be wheeled in.
Swiping her ID card to open the door of the ICU, Nandini walked in towards the nursing station where she inquired about Dhruv. Even though Nandini was not on duty at the ICU today, the head nurse, a matronly lady called Alice, recognized her immediately and walked her towards the bed that was allotted to Dhruv.
“He is not too badly hurt … just the hypothermia which they have managed to contain at the ER … he is not yet conscious though,” she warned, as they stood beside the bed on which Dhruv lay.
“Thanks, Alice,” Nandini whispered, moving towards the bed and looking down upon her friend, sadly. “I’ll be with him for a while.”
“I’ll be at the station, if you require anything Doc. They are bringing in the other one shortly who is in a critical condition.” Alice nodded at Nandini, and walked away leaving them alone.
The hum and sporadic beeps were the only noise in the darkened room. Nandini looked down at Dhruv, recalling the unruly mop of hair that always covered is forehead, the boyish charm and innocence that had drawn her towards him in college. His hair, she now noticed, was combed back neatly from his forehead into a stylish cut. His face seemed more angular and hardened. He too would be about 28; she thought to herself … she was looking at a man lying in front of her … not her young quiet friend in SPACE. He had a few cuts on his face that had been cleaned up and she was sure that under the thermal blanket cover, there would be bandages covering the various injures that he had sustained during the crash.
Why were they here? Where were they going? Where were the rest of the Fab5? She had followed Manik’s career and it was him singularly who had risen to the iconic status of a rock star that he currently had. There had been nothing about the rest of his friends or band members that she had ever read. And she had been so caught up in her education and Rishab herself that she was mostly grateful that she never had the time to think about the past she had left behind in Bombay.
But today, she had come face to face with it. With Manik battling for his life in ER and Dhruv unconscious here in front of her, memories that she had kept closed in some remote part of her heart were threatening to come crashing out. Eight years ago, she had made the harshest choice of her life … she had succumbed to be being emotionally blackmailed, and that too by Manik’s own mother.
Even today, the events replayed crystal clear in her mind. The Fab5 were so excited about cutting the album with the biggest music company those days. It was a break that was so important to them, as each of them had been going through their own personal hell. She and Manik had only just begun to discover each other amid all of this. Their clandestine meetings and secret rendezvous were stuff that dreams were made of. Never had she been happier than in her newly discovered fledgling love.
Even though Manik had been the proverbial ‘bad boy’ at college, for Nandini he was her coconut – sweet and soft inside. For her he opened up his heart, with her he shared his fears his sorrows … his feelings. They had made promises to always be there for each other, to protect each other …
And then, Nyonika happened.
Just when Nandini had battled the owner of the music company and his obsessive daughter, Manik’s mother had stepped in.
She had invited Nandini for a coffee to her office and made her realize that by holding on to Manik she was denying him the opportunity to achieve what he had always wanted in life. His music.
Nandini had sat there, coffee untouched; listening to what greatness Manik was made for in the music industry.
“You have to stop thinking of yourself, and start thinking of him if he is so important to you,” Nyonika informed her coldly. “If he going to be running after you all the time, then he is never going to take his music seriously … leaving practices, not taking this album offer seriously, only to be with you.”
Nandini could not say a word. Nyonika was making it all sound true … this was exactly what had ben going on. She sat there silently, holding back her tears and listening to Nyonika’s cool calculating voice.
“I know that you have an ill brother …”
He’s not ill, Nandini wanted to shout at her, but remained quiet lest she burst out into tears
“I can make it worthwhile for you … you leave Manik alone and here is a blank cheque that you can fill out for yourself … you can take your brother to the finest doctors and have him cured.”
Nandini clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she controlled her outburst, and stared at the cheque that Nyonika had thrown towards her on the tabletop.
They remained silent for a few minutes, Nandini’s mind in turmoil with what all she had just heard. Manik had always told about Nyonika’s ‘give and take’ policy … but this … this was something even she had not imagined.
“OK, fine,” Nyonika said in an irritated dismissive tone “I will not extract anything anymore from your Manik again … he will never have to do anything in return for me … ever.”
Nandini’s head shot up and she tried to focus on Nyonika who was now tapping her fingers impatiently on the table. Nyonika would give Manik his freedom … all Nandini had to do was walk away from her love.
“Well? … I don’t have all day …” Nyonika looked her straight in the eye, not a styled hair out of place.
Nandini started at Nyonika her love and pain clearly visible in her eyes. Only to see Manik’s mother look pointedly at the cheque lying between them, and then at her wristwatch.
And that was the last day that Nandini had spent at SPACE. She had come home distraught … locked herself in her room for a while … then locking up her emptions somewhere in her heart, had gone down to speak with chacha and chachi.
She had blurted out the whole truth to them, amid chachi gushing about what a nice boy Manik was and what Nandini was doing was wrong. There must have been some other way. She was sure Manik loved Nandini too then why was Nandu taking this decision on her own.
Finally after convincing them that it was futile and her mind was made up she managed to get all four of them into the next flight to Mangalore. Only once they were in the warmth of Ams ancestral home, did Nandini allow herself to cry her heart out. Even then she realized that she had to go before Manik reached her somehow.
Within days her family helped her to get student loans against their property and after doing some research on the net, Nandini selected Atlanta, Georgia to go finish her studies at. Ams had an old dance student living there, who would help Nandi and Rishabh till they settled.
And so they reached the US where she resumed her studies, worked part time at the university to provide for herself and Rishabh to finally today … a qualified doctor and still a part time student researching radio activity, its effects and cure. Never had she let her resolve falter, never had she weakened after she had vowed to herself on the flight out of India.
Eight years, she had learned to live with out him. Learned to live with the small memories that she had … of the times spent with him. Chachi had initially tried to speak to Nandini about Manik, but had also told her that he had never come to their house to ask about her whereabouts or why she had disappeared. But on getting no response from her niece ever, she too had given up mentioning him.
Looking towards Dhruv, Nandi let the tears flow down her cheeks. She had always prayed for one chance to see Manik, to talk to him, to say she was sorry. And now her wish seemed to be granted. Aaiyappa had brought him to her, but in what condition. She should be grateful.
But instead her heart was sinking at the thought that he might die, or be brain damaged.
A sudden bustling at the door, alerted her of his arrival in the ICU. She moved quietly out of the way of the staff towards the window at the corner of the room.
She watched them wheel him to one of the empty bays and plug the pipes and tubes into the various machines. The ICU staff were taking over now, being briefed about the procedure that had been carried out in the ER. Nandini sucked in a sudden breath when she heard that they had had to use the defibrillator to revive him for sudden cardiac arrest.
Alice glanced at her once or twice and seeing the anxiety on her face walked across to where Nandini stood near the window, her arms clasped about her herself as if bracing herself against the cold. Even though the room was temperature controlled, Nandini was shivering lightly.
“Dr. Williams told me that you know this patient.” Alice asked her softly, trying to distract her from looking at the victims bruised and battered body. “Is there any history you are aware of that we should know about … allergies, past procedures … anything?”
Nandini hesitated, before shaking her head in denial. She wanted to laugh hysterically at the fact that she had absolutely no idea if he suffered from any allergies or reacted to any medicines. And she loved him. Yes, even today she loved him as much as she had loved him then … if not more. He was the reason she had refused so many dates and offers in the past eight years.
The ICU staff had settled him and were moving out. Manik looked as if he was fast asleep, in spite of the tubes everywhere. A chair had been placed next to his bed, and Nandini walked across slowly and sat on it, while Alice checked the equipment and filled out the charts clipped near the bed.
“He would have hated this, if he knew what was going on.” Nandini spoke softly, as if to herself. Alice was checking his pulse standing at the other side of the bed.
“Why don’t you hold his hand and tell him that you’re here? It might be reassuring for him to hear a familiar voice.” She looked towards Nandini keenly as if reading her mind.
Nandini started at the bony hand lying in front of her. His beautiful long musicians tapered fingers lying lifeless… fingers that had made her skin tingle when he had touched her, cupped her face with … She reached out and put the cold hand in her own soft one, bringing it to her face. She felt his skin against her lips, and felt the tears begin streaming down her face again.
She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and turned to see Alice standing beside her. “He will be ok, doc … looks like a fighter … talk to him …” she told Nandini reassuringly.
Nandini smiled gratefully at Alice, all the while thinking that she was so much like Ams … why had I never told her that she reminded me of Ams. Suddenly the urge to be back home hit her … she needed her family … she had been managing without them for too many years now.
Nandini felt a reassuring pat on her shoulder, before she was left alone besides Manik in the ICU.
She didn’t know for how long she sat there holding his hand, reaching out and caressing his forehead, all the time praying for him to be alright.
He was still his lean muscular self that she remembered from college. It seemed as if he had lost some weight, his face seemed more gaunt and angular. A faint stubble heightened the strong jawline that looked more set and manly now, from what she remembered. And his unruly hair, short and neatly cut just as she remembered it. He lay there as if sleeping peacefully and Nandini resisted the urge to curl up next to him on the bed and never let him go.
It was Alice who finally came across and reminded Nandini that her shift was over ages ago and that she needed to get some sleep. But since the snowstorm was now brewing outside, it was advisable to not go out of the hospital. Everyone had been alerted to remain inside and not venture out. Even though she was loath to leave Manik alone, Nandini knew that she had to get rest, as she would be needed back on duty with the next few hours.
After making Alice promise to keep her informed about Manik’s progress, Nandini finally fell into a disturbed slumber in the comfortable recliners provided in one corner of the staff room, coming awake whenever she heard a phone or pager beep. But not before checking up on Rishabh, that he was indoors at the university dorm, and letting him know that she would be at the hospital only tonight.
As was her habit, Nandini was up early before the crack of dawn. If she had been at her own apartment, she would have practiced her music for half an hour before getting dressed for her lectures at the Centre and then shift at the hospital. Aams had made her promise before she had left India, not to give up her riyaaz. So she diligently practiced her classical music each morning before she began her day.
Today, instead she freshened up and got into a new set of clothes that she kept for emergencies here in her hospital locker, using the well equipped staff room bathroom as she had done many times before. Helping herself to a quick cup of coffee and a granola bar from the pantry she rushed out towards the ICU praying that there had been some improvement in his condition. Alice had not woken her up last night, so she could hope that all was well.
The first thing she noticed when she walked into the ICU was the murmur of voices and a surprised ‘NANDINI?’ spoken before she even walked two steps into the room. Dhruv! Nandini turned towards his bed, with a warm smile on her face.
“Dhruv,” she walked up to his bed smiling as she saw that he was alert and awake and chatting softly with the staff nurse on duty, who was busy checking the pipes attached to his body still.
“Is that really you, Nandini?” Dhruv shut his eyes and shook his head couple of times to verify that he was actually seeing her.
She laughed softly at his antics, nodding and reaching out to hold his hand in her own.
“My God! ... Just look at you.” He opened his eyes and looked at her as if seeing an apparition. “You are a doctor? Here?” he suddenly asked in disbelief, taking in her blue lab coat and hospital ID clipped to the pocket. “But … when … how … music …” he stammered trying to figure out what was going on. And then suddenly a shadow crossed his smiling face, “Manik?” he questioned her, “where is Manik?”
Nandini controlled her emotions, lest Dhruv read her fear in her eyes, and silently nodded towards the other end of the room, where an area was cordoned off by a curtain.
“He’s here too … he is ok,” she tried to reassure him softly, while squeezing his hand. “You both were brought in last night … accident …” her voice trailed off not wanting to recall the horrific hours she had spent waiting to know if he had lived or died.
“Yes … the snowstorm … we could not see anything on the highway and then …” Dhruv frowned as he tried to remember what had happened last night.
“Don’t.” Nandini reached out and patted his shoulder. “Its ok, you both are ok now.”
“But Manik…” Dhruv looked towards when she had pointed Manik was.
“He was just more hurt than you, Dhruv.” Nandi whispered painfully. “They had to revive him by giving shocks … and … and I think he has also broken his leg...”
“Will he be ok?” Dhruv cut through her mumbling, looking for some sort of activity behind the inert curtain.
“Yes.” Then more strongly, “yes. He will be ok.” She felt she was convincing herself more than she was convincing Dhruv.
“Why don’t you relax now, while I go and check on Manik for you.” She told him tenderly. “I will come back and let you know, OK?”
Dhruv nodded, and shutting his eyes, as if it had been a strain to even get so many sentences out, fell into a slumber within minutes. The medicines were drugging him, Nandini knew as she glanced over towards the monitors that were mapping his heartbeats etc. She then walked softly towards the other bed with her breath caught in her throat.
Manik still lay unconscious … the machines beeping steadily round him. Unclipping the chart near his bed she read the latest entries done by the ICU staff and found him stable with no outward damage since last night. Breathing a sigh of relief, she quietly put the chart back and sat with him for a few minutes whispering to him that she was there with him.
“Nandini…” his hoarse whisper had her sit up straight suddenly and look intently into his face. His unfocussed gaze met hers and then his eyes shut again slowly. The doctor in Nandini realized that he was disorientated and confused and drugged above everything else. But the young woman inside her felt her heart race a bit faster on hearing her name on his lips. A small grateful smile lit up her face as he stood and reached down to place a soft kiss on his forehead.
Before leaving the ICU, she again requested the staff nurse on duty to inform her in case of any change in his condition and also that of Dhruv. And then went to the laboratories where she was completing her thesis.
The next time she returned to the ICU was late in the afternoon and was informed that Dhruv had been moved out from the ICU into the medical ward. He was stable and even now walking about bit.
Manik on the other hand was still unconscious though he would open his eyes once or twice only to mumble incoherently before falling back into slumber.
When she reached the ward where Dhruv had been shifted she felt happy when she saw him sitting up in bed watching the television that was humming softly on one wall.
She had some time before she had to report for her shift at the ER, so Nandini pulled up a chair next to his bed, and sat down to spend some time with him. Dhruv and his gentle ways always warmed her heart and she was genuinely happy to see him well again.
“Manik?” he questioned her as soon as she had sat down.
“He will be ok?” Nandini reassured him. “He is being monitored constantly, and I have also been checking up on him.”
“Tell me about yourself … why did you just disappear … leave like that … and why here, so far from home … and your brother … what was his name … er… “
“Rishabh,” Nandini softly provided his name to Dhruv. “It’s a long story, Dhruv … when you are well, we will talk about it … but tell me, how you have been … and Fab 5?”
“Everyone is well …” Dhruv smiled at her indulgently. His young bubble friend from college had certainly grown up into a fine young woman. She was small and had lost a lot of weight, which made her look frail. And there was am air of confidence surrounding her, a maturity beyond her … what would she be … 24 – 25 years old?
“You wont believe it, but we are here in US to meet up with Cabir.” He continued instead. “He’s getting married you know … you remember Raghav Sir?”
Nandini nodded, a warmth enveloping her at the mention of Cabir and Raghav Sir.
“Well, they are getting married. And we had a gig scheduled in New York around about then, and Manik wanted to take a short vacation too … you know, na? that he is a singer now…” Dhruv looked at her questioningly.
Nandini nodded mutely, just enjoying the sound of Dhruv’s voice after so long.
“Well, anyways,” he continued, “so we have a gig here and Cabir’s marriage … he teaches music at the Manhattan School of Music and Raghav Sir had already moved there … you remember the fiasco at college and then Raghav left … well, they are together now.”
“I’m so thrilled for them Dhruv,” Nandini gushed happily. “Cabir deserved so much happiness and Raghav sir …” her voice trailed off remembering the conversations she and Cabir had shred over their respective ‘loves’.
“Yeah well … what you don’t know is that Aliya and I are married, …” he added sheepishly, grinning at her surprised wide-eyed look. “Yeah, it just happened over the years, and we have a five year old, Sameer…”
“Oh god, Dhruv” Nandini stood up suddenly and reached out to hug her friend, genuinely feeling happy for them. “Congratulations … it’s late congrats, I know … but please do give Aliya also lots of my love.”
“So, now since you know how Manik is with his music and schedules etc. I manage his career for him and of course try and make schedules charts to organize him like you used to.” He teased her, watching her blush prettily.
“And what about Mukti?” Nandini tried to change the topic away from herself.
“Haan … Mukti … well she works with children at the cancer hospital in Mumbai only … you remember Abhi?”
“Yes, of course,” Nandini gushed warmly remembering her sudden friendship with Abhimanyu … “He was interested in Mukti, I remember … don’t tell me … they got married too?” she asked Dhruv excitedly.
“Well no … “ Dhruv became silent for a moment, “did you know he was ill, Nandini?” he asked her instead.
“Ill?” Nandini shook her head, “he was ill?”
“Yes ... he had an advanced stage of cancer when we all met him in college.” On seeing Nandini’s face turn ashen, Dhruv reached out and squeezed her hand.
“He’s no more Nandini,” he confirmed regretfully, “but not before he changed Mukti’s outlook towards life ... you wont recognize it’s the same Mukti if you meet her now.
Tears filled Nandini’s eyes as she remembered Abhi and her chats and his helping her to ‘kidnap’ Manik that New Years Eve all those years ago. She chided herself for running out on friends who may have needed her then … she wished she could have been with Abhi, just as he had been for her back then.
“If Mukti were here, she would have told you not to cry … Abhi always wanted everyone to laugh and smile in the face of any adversity” Dhruv cajoled her gently.
It was the beep of her pager that alerted Nandini that she was not sitting in the cafeteria at SPACE and chatting with Dhruv with not a care n the world.
She was required at the ER. Promising Dhruv that she would be back soon, she rushed out of the ward for her shift at the Emergency Room.
Someone was asking him his name. Through the haze that was befuddling his senses, Manik could hear the incessant questioning. Lights were being flashed into his eyes and even though he wanted to tell them to stop it, that he knew what his name was, he could not get the words out. He wanted to tell them to leave him alone, to let him go back to sleep, because it was hurting to be awake. It always hurt him to be awake. When he slept Nandini came to him. He was happy when he was asleep. She had been with him again … he frowned as he realized that she had looked different than in his dreams. Did she look older somehow? What had been different about her … Her hair? Her clothes … he could not place what exactly it was.
“Come on.” Someone was gently prodding his shoulder. “Tell me your name.”
Irritated at being disturbed when all he wanted to do was close his eyes, so that Nandini could come to him again, holding his hand, kissing his forehead, he mumbled a hoarse, “Manik” so that whoever it was would shut up and leave him alone.
“And do you know where you are, Manik?” It was a very good question and one that had been asked a few times already, he hazily recalled, though he could not think of an answer to that just as yet.
“Go away,” he tried to shove the person away from him angrily, answering groggily.
“You had an accident, Manik ... Do you remember anything.”
He didn’t remember anything so instead of answering he tried to go back to sleep. He was just sick of this intrusion. Over and over they were asking the same thing. He wanted to be with Nandini, and she only came when he slept.
“NO.” he answered forcefully, and shutting his eyes went back to sleep.
Dhruv located his duffle bag that had been recovered from the car and handed over to the hospital staff as it had their passports etc. in it, and extracted his cellphone, wanting to call Aliya and then Cabir to inform them about Manik and himself. Since he knew Aliya would worry and ask a million questions, he decided to call Cabir first.
“Supp bro…” Cabir’s warm tones reached across the phone.
Dhruv filled him up about the accident and his and Manik’s condition briefly. “I don’t know much about Manik s state yet, but Nandini said …”
“Nandini” Cabir’s shocked voice cut him mid sentence. “Our Nandini?” he questioned.
“Yes, Cabir,” Dhruv explained patiently, “OUR Nandini … apparently she is a doctor at this hospital … strange, no? That she suddenly disappeared all those years ago, and now I meet her here…”
“Does Manik know?” Cabir’s urgent voice cut him mid sentence again.
“Dude! Are you not listening to me … Manik is still unconscious … she said he had some sort of a fracture or something too … in his leg …”
“Fracture? … Does that mean he can’t move for some time?” Cabir’s mind was spinning and evaluating this new information.
“Cabir?” Dhruv said warningly … annoyed at the cryptic questions that his friend was asking.
“Ok Ok .. I’m listening … poori baat bata theek say,” Cabir went silent for a while listening to Dhruv speak about the accident, about Nandini and about Manik’s condition.
When he finished, there was silence as if Cabir was contemplating something. Dhruv could just visualize his friend chewing his lower lip, lost in thought.
“Cabir? Are you there?” he asked softly after a few seconds, checking to see if the call hadn’t been disconnected.
“Haan … haan ... I’m here. Accha listen Dhruv … I want you to disappear from there.” Cabir’s sudden outburst came across the mobile.
“Huh? … What did you say? … Disappear?” Dhruv repeated, sure that he had heard something wrong.
“Uff ... just listen to me,” Cabir’s excited voice was now coming across slowly, “Aliya and Sameer will be coming straight here to us, right … for the wedding … and you and Manik were still vacationing for a few of weeks before joining us, right?”
“Yes … but what …” Dhruv was still lost as to where this conversation was going.
“So just pack up … make any excuse ... and leave from there.” Cabir finished triumphantly.
“Pack up … leave …” Dhruv mumbled confused about this conversation.
“I want Manik to be left alone with Nandini, Dhruv,” Cabir explained patiently. “They need to figure out their shit once and for all ... this has gone on long enough, don’t you think?”
“What … Manik and Nandini?” Dhruv tried to remember what had happened eight years ago. “You mean there was something going on …” he questioned Cabir, recalling how even he had questioned Manik time and again about him and Nandini.
“Yes. We don’t know what exactly happened. And why she disappeared like she did, but didn’t you notice how Manik changed completely overnight … his music and voice became so much more soulful … “
“Well ... I did … but whenever I questioned him, he would just clam up and not speak, so I eventually dropped it ... and then all the albums and contracts started and we kind of just never spoke about it … but now that you mention it …”
“Vahi toh!” Cabir slapped his palm on his thigh, “We need to do this for them, bro. They are both being stubborn and not admitting it … God! They have never admitted it all these years, but it’s time now that they find their ‘happy ever after’ too, don’t you think?”
“So, what exactly do you want me to do?” Dhruv was warming up to this plan tremendously. His friend, who had always thought of all of them before himself, needed to be given what he needed the most in his life. And by god, they were going to do it this time, whatever it took.
The next two weeks passed in a blur for Nandini. Manik would flit in and out of consciousness, many times opening his eyes and taking her name when she was beside him. She had hardly gone home in these last fifteen days, moving between the staff room, ER, ICU and of course her studies at the Centre. She had managed to touch base with her college friend, Navya when she had felt the need to speak to someone about Manik’s condition. No one knew that she and Navya had remained in touch, her friend being completely aware of what had happened eight years ago. Navya too had been against the step that Nandini had taken, but had been given no choice but to go along. And in the end she had decided to just support Nandini, who had needed all the help to go through the drastic step that she had taken at such a young age.
Navya, in spite of now being one of the most wanted playback singers in Bollywood, was still the same kindly friend that she had been in college. Life had been unfair to her too, but she had come out of her teenage mistakes and winning a television music reality show had catapulted her to fame overnight. But for Nandini, she would always remain Navya, her ‘bestie’ in college; the one who she could call and confide in.
And today, it was on one of her now daily evening visits to the ICU that she bumped into Steve in the corridor. Seeing her outside the door, he walked her in asking about Manik’s condition. It seemed, everyone the hospital was now aware that she knew this accident patient closely, Nandini thought to herself wryly.
Smiling at something Steve was saying, she walked beside him into the ICU, unaware that she was being watched intently from one of the beds.
Manik had lain sort of suspended between dream and reality for the past two weeks, not thinking about why he was here or what was wrong with him. His only joy being that Nandini would be constantly beside him. Today, he had finally gained complete consciousness, when the sister had come in a short while ago and checked on his vitals, asking him again his name and stuff. It was a familiar feminine voice that diverted his attention towards the door.
He had always imagined meeting her sometime, seeing her again, but nothing came close to the sweep of emotion he suddenly felt as she pushed open the door and for the first time in eight years he came face to face again with Nandini Murty.
She was still small and now seemed frailer, seeing the amount of weight she had lost. The plump cheeks that he had teased her about were chiseled and hollow. Her pouty lips that he would have labeled cute in college were now stuff of male dreams … giving even Angelina Jolie a run for her money! He clenched his fingers as he remembered reaching out and touching their soft plumpness. Her almond shaped eyes, heavily lidded and her most expressive feature were looking up affectionately at a young man walking beside her. And she was smiling, he thought with irritation. Her smile, her sweet radiant smiles that never failed to make his heart skip a beat. His frown deepened when he noticed that her long silky hair was piled up on her head in a neat French braid, making her look older.
As she continued to walk into the room, he noticed with a start the blue lab coat similar to that the young man was also wearing, ID’s clipped on to the pockets. The lab coat ended where a charcoal grey pencil slim skirt started revealing toned claves tapering into delicate ankles and ending into black kitten heeled pumps. Manik drew in a shaky breath, thinking ruefully that it was probably the first time that he had actually seen her legs in a skirt.
Eight years of pain came bubbling to the surface as the woman he had cherished, walked towards him once more.
He’d had no idea what he would say, or do. He didn’t know if he was angry, bitter, hurt, or simply no longer cared any more. Very deliberately he had not examined those feelings in years, knowing they only caused him more pain and hurt.
As they neared, he could catch flashes of their conversations. The man was asking bout Rishab, and Nandini went into an animated chatter about her last conversation with him.
Conversation? Manik wondered perplexed. But Rishab could not speak… so …
Nandini came to an abrupt halt a few steps away from Manik’s bed. Steve felt her stiffen and looked up towards the bed to see a handsome young man staring intently at Nandini.
She couldn’t speak, just had no idea what to say as she stood there. She’d thought she’d finished crying, but the second she saw him Nandini felt the tears prickle in her eyes again. She bit back a sob, seeing the bruises on his lean face, his badly bruised chest peeking out from where his hospital jacket had parted.
Suddenly she was conscious of how she would be looking after a full day at work. It wasn’t exactly the look one hoped for when you had to meet ones love after so many years, and Nandini wished she had had the foresight to drag a comb through her hair and put on some lipstick at least. And more than how she was looking, the frantic thought hit her – what would she say to him if he asked why she’d walked out on him all those years ago.
It was Steve who broke the heavy silence that was surrounding them. “Ahhh … so you are awake finally.” Steve walked up to Manik’s bed, leaving Nandini to shuffle behind him. “Do you know what day it is?”
Manik shook his head in exasperation … more questions, ‘Wednesday…” he frowned trying to remember.
“Don’t worry,” Steve patted his shoulder, “it will come back … you have been very ill for the past two weeks …”
“Two weeks!” Manik’s harsh voice cut across.
Nandini felt a shiver … his voice was just as deep, his shoulders just as broad, his eyes just as intense.
‘It’s okay, you’re okay … You’ve been through an awful lot, but you’re coming out of it now.” Steve said assuredly.
“Dhruv!” Manik suddenly said out aloud, ignoring Steve’s commentary.
“Ah yes, Dhruv…” Steve started to speak only to have Nandini walk up beside him and stop him, indicating that she would speak to Manik.
“Yes… well…” Steve mumbled …” I’ll leave you to it, okay?” he asked Nandini gently and on seeing her nod, turned and walked out of the ICU.
“Where’s Dhruv?” Manik questioned her harshly
“He …” clearing her throat she began again in a stronger voice, “he was not as badly hurt as you were … we discharged him a week ago … and then he got call from Aliya bout Sameer…”
“Sameer … what happened to Sameer?”
“I don’t know exactly…” Nandini mumbled. Dhruv had been in such a hurry to leave that she had not even had the time to ask details about his son. There had only been time enough to assure Dhruv that she would look after Manik and call Cabir in case of any further developments. And also a promise that seeing Manik was such celebrity the news of his accident and condition must not be leaked out to the press or his sponsors. They had a gig in New York next month and if this news leaked out there would be hell for them.
“He had to rush back home … and since you were not in any condition to be taken back ... he …
“He’s gone back to India?” Manik questioned incredulously.
“Er …I …” Nandini muttered, not knowing what to say to him. They were seeing each other after eight long years, and they were discussing Dhruv!!!
“You’re a doctor?” Manik’s sudden question shook her out of her trance. “What’s wrong with me?”
Nandini watched agitating with the tubes that were still attached to his chest and hand.
She instinctively reached out and put her hand on his stopping him from pulling anything out, and hurt himself further.
“You lost the right to do that eight years ago,” he said coldly, looking pointedly at where her hand held his.
Controlling the rush of tears that threatened to spill out, Nandini immediately left his hand, and mumbling a quick ‘I have to report for duty’, rushed out of the ICU into the closest bathroom she could find, to cry her heart out.
“Here”, Nandini put a small steel flask on the table at his bedside.
Manik’s eyes flew open, and he turned towards her, standing quietly and pouring what looked like tea into a paper cup.
“You must be missing this…” she mumbled and held out the cup toward him.
It was Sunday, her day off and much as she had told herself not to, she could not help that she had prepared some masala chai for him and come running back here. There were a million chores that needed to be done at home, given that she had practically lived at the hospital the past few weeks. But the thought of not seeing him for a whole day had been killing her. She would not have been able to get any work done, in any case, she reasoned with herself as she walked briskly towards the hospital, flask in hand. She usually cycled or walked to work, the hospital being just about 3 km away from her small terrace apartment in Inman Park. It had been a clear, sunny day today and she decided she needed to walk off her tension before finally facing him again.
After their disastrous meeting on Friday, she had peeped into the ICU once or twice and had only come to his bedside when she had seen him sleeping. All of Saturday she had avoided any interaction.
The nurses on duty had told her that he was doing much better. His mind seemed to be clearing up and he had even been questioning them about the accident. He had requested to be allowed to walk too even though his foot had a plaster, he would be given a stick to assist him any day now. It was a minimum 6-week healing period before the plaster would be removed and his foot healed completely. Nandini knew the routine.
Manik watched Nandi standing at his bedside holding out the cup towards him. He had requested the nurse who came to check on him early this morning, to raise this bed into an upright position. He was sick of lying down and wanted to walk about … they had told him by this evening, after the doctors visit he may be able to hobble along with a stick, if he wanted.
He wanted to ask them about Nandini, but decided against it. She had not come to see him since Friday and much as he regretted blurting out those harsh words to her, he realized he was angry with her. Angry at what she had done. Yes he was aware that Nyonika had tried to buy her out, and had even tried to convince him that Nandini had taken the money and moved on. But he knew Nandini too well for that. His heart knew that she had not taken the money. But she had walked out on him. Taken a decision unilaterally … something that she had given him hell for doing after Dhruv’s confession at Musicana. And yet, she had gone and done the same thing! She had not even given him a chance. Not trusted him enough to confide in him. She had decided and she had left. That’s that!
He quietly took the cup from her hands and leaned back against the propped up pillows taking a sip and watching her over the rim. As the hot liquid went down his throat he felt a surge of warmth for the effort she had made, knowing he would have been missing a simple home made cup of tea. It felt good to see her again.
He watched her fidget and then walk around to unclip the board from near his bed and pretend to read it. He noticed with a start that she was not wearing the blue doctors coat today. Today she was in a pair of blue jeans and a pale pink soft angora polo neck pullover that was hugging her petite frame in the right places. Her feet were in simple low-heeled brown boots and her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She looked all of 17, with her cheeks flushed, and no makeup. The jeans hugged her hips snugly, and the pink of the sweater compliment her flawless skin, Manik watched silently, her put the clipboard back and walk back to his bedside.
“You are healing well now … your bruise…?” Nandini pointed at her own chest inquiring about his bruise that was not visible today with his shirt properly tied up.
“You are a doctor.” Manik’s tone was more of a statement than a question.
Nandini flushed, ‘Yes …”
“You were there when they brought us in that night?” he questioned her intently
“Yes...” Nandini mumbled trying not to remember that horrible night. She looked away from his penetrating gaze. He could always read her thoughts in her eyes.
His sudden ‘ouch’ had her gaze jostle back towards the bed. The hot tea had spilled on to his chest.
Nandini immediately reached out and taking the cup from his hands, placed it on the table. Reaching out towards him she quickly undid the ties of his hospital shirt, parting the sides to see if there was any burn inflicted on his chest.
Manik shut his eyes as her scent reached him. She was standing close, examining his bare chest for injuries. He resisted the urge to reach up and touch her cheeks that were inches away from him. Opening his eyes, he continued to stare at her, rapt in her task, worry written all over her face.
Nandini felt a prickle of awareness and her fingers stalled as they rested on his bruised chest. The seat belt had obviously jerked into him during the accident causing a huge bruise from one shoulder down to his stomach … she blushed as her eyes trailed down towards where the bruise disappeared into his pajama bottoms. She looked up suddenly, to meet his face inches away from hers, her fingers still on his warm bare chest. Resisting every urge inside her, which was telling her to reach out and touch her lips to his, Nandini slowly moved away from him.
“You need to change, …” she mumbled instead, pointing to the wet shirt that still lay parted, and rushed off to the nurse’s station to ask someone to do it.
Alice was on duty in the ICU and had been watching the awkward exchange between the doctor and accident patient. When Nandini reached her and explained that the soiled shirt needed to be changed, she calmly opened a cupboard nearby and handing Nandini the shirt, requested her to do so, as she was the only one here right now and could not leave the station.
“Please doc …” Alice pleaded and turned towards the files that she now seemed engrossed in.
Nandini walked slowly back towards Manik’s bed, cursing the idea that she had had this morning to get him tea!
“Er…” she started seeing that he was lying back on the pillows with his eyes shut, the shirt still agape.
He opened his eyes and looked at her standing hesitatingly with a clean shirt in hand. Raising an eyebrow questioningly at her, he felt a stab of glee seeing she was at loss of words. His presence was till effecting Ms. Nandini Murty; he bit back a mischievous smile. Making his most innocent face he looked at her helplessly, till she straightened her shoulders and putting the shirt down on the chair walked up to him.
Inspite of the constant dull pain in his chest, Manik was suddenly enjoying this immensely. He lay there watching her dither with helping him take off his shirt. And she was refusing to look into his eyes… She looked as if she had been asked to take her MBBS all over again, he smiled inwardly, waiting for her to come to a decision to help or not to help. He had all the time in the world.
Finally, she slowly stretched the open panels down over the shoulders, helping his sit up. His face winced in pain at the movement and she was suddenly apologetic, making her movements even slower and gentler.
Nandini continued to keep her lashes down over her eyes … she refused to look into his face as she helped him take off the wet shirt clumsily, being careful not to hurt him. She felt him draw in an audible breath when she slid the shirt of his shoulders running her hands down his muscular arms slowly. She could feel his eyes on her, not looking away for a minute. With her arms around him, as she helped his arms out of the sleeves, it took all of Nandini’s will power not to hug him and collapse against his chest. To feel his strong arms round her once again … to bury her face into his shoulders and forget everything.
But instead, she had chosen to be away, and he had every right to be angry and by the looks of it had even moved on and forgotten her. Pursing her lips she removed the shirt efficiently and helped him put on the clean one, her fingers shaking when she did up the ties in front.
“There… done.” She managed to say out loud without her voice quivering.
“Yes ... done.” Manik muttered emotionlessly suddenly feeling bereft of her warm presence close to him.
He was suddenly angry, with Nandini. For coming back into his life just when he thought he had it all sorted. For messing with his head again. For making him feel again.
He looked at her busying herself with folding the wet shirt with shaking hands. No, she was not unaffected by him either. Then why the hell had she done what she had done, for god’s sake!!
It was the doctor making his calls who finally broke the heavy silence that was surrounding both of them. Nodding as he recognized Nandini, he continued with Manik’s check up, questioning him about his condition, while Nandini waited silently on one side. “You can try and walk now, if you are up to it”, Dr. Cooper was now telling Manik. “We should be able to discharge you by Wednesday.” He smiled and nodding at Nandini walked out.
“I’ve been thinking of checking into to a hotel for a few days.” Manik spoke out aloud.
“A hotel?” Nandini’s mind was racing. Dhruv had specifically told her that news of this accident must not leak out. Going to a hotel in this state would certainly result in that. And his show bookings… No. A hotel was out of question; she shook her head, speaking to herself.
“Yes, it’s a good idea! Meals sent up, fresh towels, the bed made and then when I’m up to the journey… “
“You’ll stay with me.” Nandini blurted it out before he could complete what he was saying. It was as simple and as complicated as that.
“Huh? Manik looked at her carefully; sure that he had heard her wrong. “I just need to rest and then move on to New York. Cabir …”
“You can do that at my place.” Nandini blurted out, fully aware of the consequences of this decision, but seeing no other recourse to stop him from going to a hotel.
“Look … you just need to rest and recuperate. I’ll be at work most of the time. And I promised Dhruv…”
“Dhruv … “ Manik looked at her annoyed at her mentioning Dhruv.
“So that’s settled, then.’ Nandini said firmly. ‘I’ll take the morning off on Wednesday and take you home and get you settled.”
Manik looked at her keenly, trying to figure what was going on in that head of hers. Instead he lay back on the pillow and gave the small shrug his bruised chest would allow.
“I’ll see you then…” Nandini said softly waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t even open his eyes, ignoring her completely, she quietly turned and walked out of the room.
“Cabir? Are you there?” Nandini asked perplexed as she heard him muttering something at the other end of the phone line. She thought she heard him say ‘Dhruv’.
“Dhruv?” she questioned, “Dhruv is with you?”
She had tried Dhruv’s India number to tell him about Manik’s latest development, but it had come unreachable, and she had tried Cabir in New York next as Dhruv had left Cabir’s number with her, in case of any emergency.
Now, once she had related the entire situation to Cabir, pleading with him to come over to Atlanta and take Manik with him, she waited, as he seemed to be muttering something to someone in hushed tones.
“Yes, yes … I’m here … Dhruv? No why should Dhruv be here?” he said quickly.
“Did you hear what I said Cabir?” Nandini tried to get him back to the topic at hand. In a rush she had blurted out that Manik could come stay with her, but every cell in her body was telling her now that it was a bad, bad idea, and she needed to get out of it immediately for her own self preservation.
“You take him home, Nandini,” Could she hear a smile in Cabir’s voice, Nandini frowned as she tried to reason with him.
“But Cabir …” she tried to make him listen.
“Yes, yes … I will come to pick him up … but I can’t come immediately … on a week day … I have classes and then R and me are busy with the wedding preparations also … I’ll come just as soon as I can, okay.” He promised.
“But Cabir …”
“Okay gotta go Nandini … I’ll call you after I’ve planned my trip ok … take care … and give my love to Manik.”
She was left listening to the beep of the disconnected phone.
Well and truly stuck, Nandini Murty, she muttered to herself looking about her small apartment.
Well, not exactly an apartment, but it was spacious, comfortable and a short walk away from the hospital. And her landlords were a nice Indian couple, who were currently on their annual vacation to India.
They had let out the large and spacious one huge room, which opened out into a terrace, of their bungalow in Inman Park, a clean and family oriented neighborhood. Nandini and Rishabh had been living there for some time now, till Rishabh had moved into the university with his friends. Since they were sharing, and he was a growing boy who also needed his privacy, Nandini had divided a small portion of the large space with a curtain behind which was her small bedroom. The living area had a comfy couch, which could open up into an extra bed that Rishabh had used when he was here. A small bathroom and attached open kitchenette were part of the large living room. Brass lamps and colourful curtains brightened up the sparsely furnished room. But she was comfortable here, it was safe and with all her Indian curious and stuff it was home to her now.
She looked around her, trying to imagine Manik being here in her private space. Shutting her eyes in exasperation she cursed herself for her impulsive gesture, then with a resigned shrug of her shoulders she stood to make the arrangements for her houseguest arriving next week. She could only hope and pray that Cabir managed to get some leave on Monday or Tuesday before Manik was to be discharged on Wednesday.
First things first, Nandini started checking off things to do in her mind. The kitchen needed to be stocked. Till Rishabh was with her they had cooked their meals at home but once she was alone, Nandini usually just heated a soup for herself, eating at the hospital most of the time. Only when Rishabh visited on holidays had she been cooking meals lately. Well Manik being home all day and on medications would require proper food, so she pulled out a note pad and made out a list of stuff she need to go out and buy later.
Putting out a set of fresh towels and toiletries in the bathroom, she cringed at the small space that just had a vanity and a shower area divided by a glass panel. As images of Manik in the shower invaded her mind, Nandini shook her head forcefully blocking them out. She had lots to do in just what was left of today and daydreaming about him was not on her agenda.
The living room was comfortable and clean, she just fluffed up the cushions and straightened the curios and books that were part of the décor. Took out an extra duvet that she kept aside for Rishabh and moved with dread towards her own space, cordoned off by a vivid curtain that she had actually stitched herself out of a south Indian silk sari that her landlords had gotten her on one of their visits home.
Her small double bed, occupied most of the area, its white and pink block printed cover and matching duvet making her imagination again do flip flop! Stop it girl! She chided herself again, looking about her small bedroom. A closet, a small writing table with her laptop for when she did her studies late at night and a bedside table where the only other furniture there. It was the life-size poster of Manik in one of his rock performances adorning the wall behind her bed that caused Nandini the maximum stress right now. She had actually gone and bought that one online, she groaned at her own fan-girl behaviour. He had been captured live on stage, electric guitar in hand, he thrown back like a rock star, lost in the beats of the music he must have been creating. How on earth was she going to hide this now, Nandini chewed her lower lip pensively? Finally taking out one of her embroidered single bed covers, she climbed up on the bed and nailed it covering the poster neatly. There … it looked like a tapestry now, she congratulated herself. I’m going to miss you though, she told the poster sadly and grabbing her coat and bag rushed out to walk across to the department store down the street to stock up groceries.
She also managed to speak to Rishabh who he promised to come by on Wednesday with a friend who had a car, so that they could bring Manik home comfortably. Though apart of her kept hoping still that Cabir would make an appearance before that!
Next when she visited Manik she was pleasantly surprised to see him standing at the window overlooking the hospital compound, a walking stick in hand. She drew in a shaky breath … she was looking at him like this after eight long years. His masculine presence filled the entire room. He was tall … very tall and lean … and even in the ridiculous hospital pajamas he still oozed self-confidence with an underlying boyish charm. He seemed lost in thought as she neared, and she wondered if she should disturb him or not. You just can’t stay away form him can you Nandini, she asked herself for the millionth time since he had come back into her life.
As she neared, their eyes met in the reflection of the glass pane, and a lightning shock bolted through her body, and a delicious longing to touch him swept her entire being. And he must have seen that in her face as he turned to look at her a slow knowing smile spreading on his face, expecting her to turn and run back from where she had come. Hell… she knew she should do that too, but she didn’t want to. The urge to run away was as strong as the urge to stay, to reach him and touch him…
“Hi.” She said softly instead as she came to stand beside him near the window. Something in his eyes, made her turn away blushing, and she concentrated on the view outside instead. “How are you feeling today?” she asked the windowpane self-consciously.
“The window says to tell you its fine, thank you.” Manik’s voice filled with laughter reached her a few seconds later.
Nandini blushed and turned towards him a frown in place ... ready to scold him as she always did for making fun of her. But looking up into his cheerful face she lost all chain of thought. She looked into his brown, molten chocolaty eyes and found herself melting inside. There was something in him that was pulling her towards him … something she had no control over … something she thought had died over the years.
Manik watched with dilated pupils Nandini sway towards him as if in a trance. It was as if the years separating them had been erased and they were back in college discovering their feelings for each other. His hand automatically reached up to tuck an errant curl that had escaped from her French knot and cup her cheek gently. But instead of doing that he unthinkingly reached out and did what was irking him ever since he had seen her in the hospital – removed the single pin that held her hair up together and watched with fascination her thick silky hair tumble down her back, nearly till her waist.
“Manik.” her soft whisper of his name felt like a caress on his skin. He had forgotten how his name had sounded on her lips. She looked like the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, her hair now tumbling about her face, her eyes glazed with passion and her soft lips murmuring his name. He held her face gently in his hand and gazed at her, his love shining out of his eyes.
Nandini lost all track of where they were … everything was a blur for her except her need to kiss him, to touch those mischievously smiling lips with her own. Her entire concentration was on the place where his hand was touching her cheek – his thumb was making slow circles slowly over the sensitive skin as he cupped her face in his calloused hands.
“Dr. Murty”, someone was calling her Nandini realized. She heard someone clear his or her throat, and slowly turned towards the voice. Alice stood across Manik’s empty bed, an indulgent smile on her face, enjoying watching this new aspect to the ‘always under control’ Dr. Murty.
“Dr. Williams has been paging. You are required at ER.” She said regretfully, not wanting to separate this young couple that were obviously so much in love.
“ER?” Nandini looked dazed as she looked from Alice to Manik. She felt Manik’s hand fall away from her face feeling deprived of its warmth.
“Nandini!” Steve strode into the room forcefully. “Why are you not responding to the pages?” He asked looking at her standing dazed her hair in a mess. He started seeing her hair open for the first time since he knew her.
Recovering, he continued, “I was on my way down, so stopped by to … are you ok, Nandini?” he asked, suddenly aware of some sort of tension in the room.
“Huh?” Nandini registered Steve standing, looking carefully at her and then at Manik.
“No … I mean … yes,” she mumbled, rushing to his side, cursing herself for forgetting her reporting time at ER. GOD! What would they think of her, she wondered, trying to get a grip on herself as she came to stand beside him. “Lets go.”
Steve put his arm around her flustered figure, looking down at her intently. “Are you ok, Nandini?” he asked again never having seen a hair out of place on his colleague.
A sharp hiss from somewhere near the window was only noticed by Alice, as she watched the eyes that a few minutes ago were looking down at Nandini so lovingly turn hard and angry, watching Dr. Williams escort a shaken Nandini out of the room.
It was long night at the ER for Nandini. A hit and run, a mugging victim and a teenager pregnant and beaten by her boyfriend – there was not a minute for her to take a break. Steve and she worked tirelessly, like well-oiled machinery and she did not even realize that it was dawn already and time for her to wrap up her shift. Deciding to stop by to peep in at Manik before she went and crashed herself, she moved her tired feet towards the elevators, the thought or a hot shower and a few hours of sleep giving her the boost to move.
She was surprised to see him sitting up in his bed, wide-awake and scowling. She looked at her watch and wondered what could be the matter. The Manik she remembered was not an early riser. I hope nothing is wrong, she worried moving quickly towards his bed.
As she neared she felt him look towards her as if sensing her arrival. She increased her pace looking towards the nurse station, in case he needed some medication immediately. Alice was still there, busy at her computer.
“So you are done with the boyfriend, are you,” Manik’s snarl stopped her in her tracks, right next to the bed. She turned startled eyes towards him, wondering what he was talking about. Maybe he was losing consciousness again, she fretted. Were they still giving him those strong painkillers?
“Are you in pain Manik?” she asked with concern. “Let me...” she reached out to touch his hand, only to have him jerk her hand away violently.
“What...” she started to say surprised at the force with which he had shunned her outstretched hand.
“I’m alright.” He growled. “Why have you come back here?”
“I…” she looked at him perplexed. What the hell was he on about now, she thought in exasperation. She had left him perfectly okay some hours ago.
“No… you don’t have to explain anything to me, Nandini,” he spat out her name, harshly, “You never explain or discuss anything with me, do you … no, you take your own decisions when you want to … you are more interested in taking money and disappearing than being with me, right?” he finished cruelly his nostrils flaring in anger.
Manik watched the entire colour drain from Nandini’s face. Her outstretched hand slowly dropped away from the bed. For a moment he could only stare at the emotions that flitted across her face, her eyes registering shock and then pain that his words had caused. He groaned inwardly, seeing her properly for the first time since she had walked in. Her hair was somewhat a mess as tresses had escaped the bun that she usually made. Her face was devoid of all makeup. There was some splatter of blood on her blue coat, which was crushed and dirty. Her eyes looked tired with slight dark circles under them and now thanks to him her shoulders drooped completely and for a second he feared she would pass out.
Hell! What was wrong with him? He cursed himself, as he fumbled for a way to reach out for her … to say something … to retract his words. He had been seething all evening when he had seen her walk out with that doctor, without even a glance back at him. He had refused dinner and had sat fuming all night wondering about her and that doctor. And she had come to check on him after her shift, tired and drained out and what had he done… just wanted to lash out his frustration.
“Nand…” his regretful voice reached her as she quietly turned around and walked steadily towards the door, wishing that she would make it there without falling down or bursting into tears.
She walked automation-like to the staff room, and like a zombie collected her belongings from the locker and grabbing her helmet and cycle keys walked out seemingly composed out of the hospitals.
It was only when she was in the warm haven of her home that she threw herself on the bed and cried herself to sleep.
It was the incessant ringing of her cell that woke her up some hours later. Reaching out groggily for the phone beside her, she suddenly came alert recognizing the hospital number. It was Alice. Manik! Nandini’s first thought was that something had happened to him.
“Manik?” she questioned Alice apprehensively.
“Yes, I’ve called regarding that … he is being most uncooperative doc, refusing to eat anything since last night and now he has even thrown the medicines … I think …”
Nandini let out the breath she had been holding. He was just having one of his temper tantrums, she thought annoyed.
“Its okay Alice,” she comforted Alice tiredly, “Is he on anything other than painkillers… why don’t you get the doctor on duty …”
“You need to come and see him doc.” Alice pleaded and Nandini started at the tone she had never heard matronly Alice use.
Convincing Alice that she had classes to attend shortly and could only get there later in the evening, Nandini fell back into a tired slumber.
Where the hell was she? Manik cursed himself for the zillionth time. It had been 24 hours since she had last come to see him. Damn! Was she not bothered about him? How could she stay away from him? He asked himself repeatedly, a small voice answering him always, ‘like she did for the past 8 years, dude.” He was getting more and more annoyed at that stupid voice now!
“Where is she?” he barked at Alice, as he loomed over the nurse’s station leaning on his stick. “Why has she not come here since yesterday? She is supposed to take me home tomorrow… you think she won’t take me home…” he suddenly asked apprehensively.
“She’ll be here tomorrow to pick you up. I know she has applied for leave and requested all the paper work to be ready,” she calmly told the seething Manik, turning back towards her filing dismissing him like a school teacher.
Manik resisted the impulse to grab the file from her hand and fling it at something, but this ‘battle axe’ would probably inject him with some drug and have him comatose on the bed, so he stared at her for a minute before he hobbled back to his bed, hoping that Nandini would appear soon.
Nandini managed to keep away from him till Wednesday morning, by which time she had put her protective shell back in place. She was not going to let him bully her, she thought firmly. He had always called her stubborn, well she would show him stubborn. Yes, it hurt that he had actually believed her capable of taking the money Nyonika had offered … that he knew her so little of her after all. Yes, she had walked out, and now in hindsight it seemed a wrong thing to do … but she was just seventeen … She pursued her lips resolutely, not wanting to go there any more. Let him believe what he wanted to believe. She had managed very well without him all these years, and she could very well manage him for another few days before Cabir showed up and took him away. She tried to dismiss the pang of sudden hurt she felt at that thought. She didn’t want him to leave at all. Shaking her head firmly, as if to make the thoughts go away she smiled and greeted Rishabh who was waiting for her at the staff entrance.
She gave him an indulgent smile, proud of the way her baby brother had turned out. This was the only reason that leaving Manik made sense to her. Seeing Rishabh, normal and confident … a teenager who was now secure and happy in university was her only solace that made it all worth it.
“You okay, Di?” Rishabh reached out and gave her a quick warm hug, looking about self-consciously. He still needed to work on the ‘girl’ department, Nandini bit back an indulgent smile. “Where is he?” he continued now fully understanding the effect Manik Malhotra had on his sister.
“It will take a while for me to get the paper work organized, why don’t you and your friend have a coffee or something till then,” Nandini suggested. “And Rishabh, no one must know that it Manik … he...”
“I know … he has contracts and all … yeaah…” Rishabh mumbled. “But Di … taking him home…?”
“It’s okay, Rish,” Nandini placated him, “Cabir will be coming soon to pick him up. Its only temp.”
Steeling herself not to react at anything that Manik would say, Nandini went in to escort the man himself into the car and into her home.
The ten-minute drive back home was covered in silence. Manik had greeted Rishabh warmly, asking about his courses etc. and Nandini was grateful that he had not misbehaved after all. The last thing she needed was Rishabh going all protective on her. The youngsters sat in the front while Nandini and Manik took the back seat.
She could feel his eyes on her throughout the journey but kept hers glued out of the window ignoring him and commending herself for remaining cool and composed.
The boys helped him hobble up the stairs, while she carried the small overnight bag that Dhruv had left behind with Manik’s belongings.
She entered behind them, as Rishabh helped Manik get settled on the couch. He looked questioning t Nandini and the towards her bedroom area behind the curtain, silently questioning bout the poster. Nandini gave him a quick reassuring nod, and put Manik’s bag way in a closet in the living room.
She offered the boys some lunch, which they refused saying they had to get back to Univ, and she found herself alone with Manik suddenly. There was an awkward silence, as she watched him take in his surroundings slowly.
“You live here?” he questioned her, cocking his head to one side.
Nandini’s insides were quivering like jelly as he nodded mater-of-factly and walked towards the kitchenette. “I’ll get you some lunch,” she mumbled instead wanting to get away from his piercing gaze.
“I’m not hungry.” His voice followed her retreating back.
“I wasn’t asking you. I’m making lunch and you’ll eat it whether you want it or not.” She told him firmly, refusing to be intimidated by him anymore.
“You have to be nice to me, remember.’ She heard the smile in his voice. “Because I’m sick, Nandu.”
Nandini stopped suddenly. She looked back at him lounging on the couch lazily watching her. She did not like the way he said her name, it was like a caress that made her stomach tighten. She opened her mouth to say something then shut it again. Refusing to be baited, she busied herself, heating up some of the stuff that she had prepared earlier, his warm chuckle reaching her a few minutes later.
When she returned with some plates and cutlery, she saw in dozing on the couch, head thrown back. He was obviously exhausted.
She quietly placed the plates etc. on the coffee table and went back to return with the lunch that she had prepared. It was obviously not what he was used to, she muttered under her breath, but it would have to do for the time being.
“You have a lovely home, Nandini.” His warm sleepy voice jolted her out of her reflection.
“Lunch” she said instead, handing him a plate. “Eat, and then rest. I’ll show you where everything is later.” She informed him briskly. It was better for her own good that she kept this to a doctor patient relationship.
Much as he wanted to Manik did not argue with her schoolteacher tone. He had not slept a wink for the past two days. Suddenly he was looking forward to falling sleep knowing she was near him. And sleep he did for a solid four hours, only waking again because the painkillers had obviously worn off. He opened his eyes, wondering where the hell he was. He smiled inspite of the throbbing pain in his chest, when he realized he was at Nandini’s home.
Suddenly she was standing beside the couch. She must have heard him moan. “What is it?” she asked anxiously, sitting down on the edge of the couch. “Let me check…” She unbuttoned his shirtfront to check on the bruise, which was still as nasty looking as when she last saw it.
Manik lay there in a daze, groggy with sleep and the throbbing pain. Through it all, he could smell her hair. Her thick long hair was held away from her face with a clip, but he could smell the fruity shampoo. Instead he reached out and touched the side of her face, as she looked up at him startled.
He knew he was going to do it. He knew he just couldn’t hold back. She was beautiful, warm, and desirable with passion in her eyes and her soft pouty mouth. He was going to kiss her. She knew it. Sliding his fingers into her hair, he stroked a fingertip along the smoothness of her extended throat. His thumb made caressing movements on her cheek and earlobe, and his touch was making her pulse beat erratically. She watched him stare in fascination at her mouth and then up again at her dazed eyes.
He watched her sway closer, as she brought her mouth closer and closer to his. “Your chest,” she whispered, her body leaning into his.
Manik’s other hand came up to hold the side of her neck. Long fingers slid into her hair, removing the pin as the thick waves fell around her face. She tilted her head towards him, her whole body tense with need.
His hand left her neck to burrow into her soft hair at the back of her head, and slowly pulled her towards him. “I should be angry with you for invading my senses again…” he whispered hoarsely close to her face.
Nandini gasped aloud as he suddenly crushed his lips to hers, his mouth capturing her lower lip. His warm tongue traced her lip and everything inside her completely focused on the sensations that he was causing. The churning inside her tummy that was being caused by the feel of his tongue on her lips, the warmth of his breath on her face, the low moan from deep inside his throat. His hand tightened instinctively around her neck, pushing her gently into his mouth as she kissed him back like a starving woman.
Her arms had already moved up his bare chest around his neck and she was kissing him back so deeply she did not recognise herself. The feel of his strong hard masculine body pressed against her felt so good, the tide of pleasure that went rushing through her made her gasp and groan and quiver as he explored her mouth with a deep hot knowing intimacy which had her lips open wider.
“Nandini,” his growl against her lips and his wandering hands lifting the tee shirt at the small of her back, gave her the warning signal she needed.
Pushing herself off him in one fluid motion, she sat looking away from where he was still lying on the couch. “I …” she began, clearing her throat, “I have to report for duty…” she was mumbling incoherently.
Struggling to compose herself, she stood up immediately, not daring to look towards him.
“Listen ... er … I’m five minutes away, so if you need anything …” she continued to say in a loud false voice, while she moved towards her bedroom area wanting to escape more than anything else. What on earth had gotten into her, she scolded herself.
Manik grinned at her flustered behavior, watching her fumble about and disappear behind the vibrant pink curtain.
“Take your pin killers and get some sleep,” he heard her advice from behind the curtain. “I’ll be back in in the morning, but I won’t wake you.” She went on bordering on hysteria.
“Thank you,” he said enjoying her embarrassment immensely. “And I am sorry,” he added, “for all the trouble.”
She had appeared from back there and was now avoiding his eyes, as he watched her keenly take her coat and belongings and mutter a ‘You’re welcome.’ Before slamming the door shut on his loud laughter that rang out in her apartment.
It was only when she inserted her key into the lock outside her apartment that Nandini realized Manik would be fast asleep inside. Softly removing her comfortable pumps outside the door, she crept in with them in one hand while holding her other stuff clutched to her chest with her other.
It took a minute for her to get accustomed to the darkened room. On any other day she would have switched on the lights and gone about settling down without care. But she was sure he must have taken his painkillers, which would have sedated him. He needed to rest … and most importantly she did not want to discuss what had happened when she had last been with him!
She crept silently past his sleeping form on the couch, barely making out the length of his body under the cover. Once in her alcove she quickly dispensed her soiled jacket, and stashing her things away neatly, padded into the bathroom to have a quick shower and get a couple of hours of much needed sleep. It was not dawn as yet, and Manik would probably also sleep another couple of hours if not more.
Turning on the hot water in the shower she slumped against the tiled wall in fatigue, as the small bathroom steamed over. Thankfully her late ER shift ended today so she could look forward to more relaxed days ahead. Infact Steve, seeing her stressed face, had suggested she cash in on her study leave that was due to her for some time now. Thinking that it was not a bad idea, Nandini decided to do exactly that when she was at the hospital next. She was, as it is feeling terrible about leaving Manik alone in this state. Cabir would be here in the next few days, till then, she could look after Manik and make sure he healed well.
The water had started getting cool, so she turned off the shower and wrapping a fluffy towel sarong-style about herself, stepped out of the shower cubicle to stand in front of the vanity while she reached out and wiped the mirror clean of the layer of steam.
She gasped in shock when she saw in the mirror the door to the bathroom slowly swing open. Turning around suddenly she watched in horror Manik walk in sleepily, eyes still half closed and one hand mussing up his already unruly hair. She took in his track bottom clad long legs and white fitted vest that did nothing to hide his muscular shoulders and well-built chest. She winced seeing the bruises yet again, and stepped back jerkily as she found herself come to a halt against the vanity.
Nandini’s squeaky ‘Manik’ startled him awake and he stopped abruptly looking closely into the misted up bathroom. He rubbed his eyes and tried to rouse himself by shaking his head. Why was he still groggy, he wondered as through the hazy steam that filled the bathroom he saw her cowering against the basin looking at him, her eyes wide with shock.
Her hair was piled up on top of her head in an untidy topknot and there were wet curly tendrils escaping around her face. She looked like a scared rabbit standing there wrapped up in a towel, the slope of her breasts, her creamy pale skin gleaming with moisture painfully visible to him now. Her hands were nervously clutching the edge of the counter behind her back as she watched him slowly become conscious of her and his surroundings.
As if captivated by her appearance, Manik covered the few paces that separated them coming to stand just inches from her. He could smell the sweet fruity scent that was lingering around her. He slowly reached up and holding an errant tress of hair tucked it behind her ear slowly. Nandini shut her eyes as she felt his warm hand touch the side of her face. He was arousing those strange, crazy, complicated feelings in her again that she could not understand. She felt such a deep longing when she was around him it was scary.
Keeping her eyes shut lest he see her willful emotions clearly within them, she pulled in a soft breath as his fingers left her ear to slowly trail down the side of her face, down her neck reaching her shoulders, where he paused for a second, before continuing down towards where the towel was held between her breasts in a knot.
Tilting her head back, Nandini held her breath, as she felt his fingers pause at the top of the towel. It was the sudden stillness of his fingers that made Nandini open her eyes slowly; to look up into is bent head looming above hers. She noticed his dark brows furrowed in confusion and looked down at herself, to see where his attention seemed to be focused.
Looking down, she saw him reach out into her cleavage and pull out the silver chain slowly to reveal the single silver pendant shaped like a musical tie.
Nandini’s breath caught in her throat … she heard him mutter something hoarsely and looked up to see him looking intently at the ‘tie’ resting now in his palm.
“Manik,” she said in a shaky whisper and he looked slowly up from his outstretched hand towards her expectant face.
Shaking his head softly again as if to clear the cobwebs, Manik let go of the pendant. She felt it fall back against her chest and uttered a small cry when he grabbed her about her slender waist, and pulled her towards him. Reaching up to steady herself, her hand flew up to clutch his chest.
“Ouch!” he muttered as her hands came in sudden contact with his bruises. Then before she could react he pulled her closer. Soft fragrant skin pressed against him and with a low groan he took her mouth and kissed her deeply.
Nandini was lost. Impulsively she reached for him. Cupped his cheek with her hand, caressed his morning stubble with her fingers. And kissed him back, pouring in all the love that she had kept inside her all this while. Love she had never expressed. Love that only seemed to grow over the years. Love that wanted fulfilment now.
She felt his surprised chuckle against her lips when she clung to him, pulling him towards her, no longer apprehensive about hurting him. Or that he was holding her weight inspite of himself limping on a leg cast.
With a muffled groan, Manik hands left her waist and crept towards where the towel was tucked in. Slowly she felt his fingers undo the knot and a shiver went through her as the cool morning air hit her bare body, the warmth of her damp garment leaving her to pool softly at their feet.
She had waited far too long for this. Longed for his touch on her. Longed to feel his skin once again. And ignoring the small warnings flashing somewhere at the back of her head, she told herself almost feverishly that she needed this. She needed this to manage the rest of her life without him … to have this one memory to hold and cherish. She knew the feeling of being lost without his touch … the complete emptiness of it … of everything. No. She would not regret this decision ever.
She realised that he would not leave without bringing up the past. It was there hanging heavy between them since they had faced each other at the hospital. And she was ready for the ‘eruption’ when it came. He would most probably blow his fuse … it was simmering there under the surface, his passion for her only momentarily covering it … she knew him so well. He as it is believed her capable of taking the money his mother had offered her to leave Manik. A searing pain shot through her at the thought. Well, what the heck. She might as well go down fighting if he was going to leave her in any case.
Making her decision more resolute, with a small moan of approval, she pressed herself closer to him wanting to feel his skin against hers. She would face the music later, se told herself. Just now she just wanted him and she let her body take over, pure instinct driving her to let him know what she wanted.
She acknowledged, with a knowing smile, his silent surprise at her bold action. Suddenly the urge to touch him completely took over her senses and leaving his face she moved her inquisitive fingers down his rippling back towards the hem of his vest, wanting nothing between them anymore. Reaching the edge of the garment she clutched it in one hand and tugged upwards, indicating that she needed him to help her with this.
Manik was on fire. It was as if his constant dream of the last eight years was being enacted live in front of him. He had a warm and responsive Nandini in his arms. She was willing and very real and making sexy little noises as she tried to strip him of his clothes that were fast becoming a hindrance between them. He felt a surge of emotion sweep him as her hands trailed a tingling path down his back to the hem of his tee … he frowned slightly as the surge turned into a swoon and he felt giddy and light headed once again.
Manik muttered something incoherent against her lips, and Nandini moaned his name in a plea moving her lips away from his to place sweet soft kisses along his jawline. She felt him tremble and enjoyed the feeling of power that engulfed her. Emboldened, she took a firm grip of his vest and was about to lift it off his torso when she suddenly felt his body weight increase against her. And before she could understand what was happening, in a flash of a second, she was pushed back against the bathroom counter behind her and Manik Malhotra with his full body weight passed out on top of her.
It took a minute for her to realize that something had happened to him, as he leaned heavily against her bare, now suddenly feeling cold, form precariously holding both of them upright. And another few seconds for her to start panicking.
“Manik!” she inquired softly, her arms around him, trying to keep them both steady. The cold marble counter behind her back was cutting into her soft bare skin. “Manik,” she said louder, fear gripping her completely now. What had happened to him… had she hurt him somewhere …
Getting no response from him, she took a depth breath and calmed herself down. She was a qualified doctor … she could handle this. She had handled worse; Nandini continued her monologue with herself, wondering how she would mange to get him out of the bathroom all by herself. She could not carry him; no that was out of question … drag him?? No … he was too bruised for that … looking down at their entwined bodies, she bit back a hysterical laugh. Here she was all ripe and ready for the taking and now she was stuck with an unconscious man on top of her naked body and that too in her bathroom. Someone had a sick sense of humour, she looked heavenward in a silent plea for help.
“Nandini…” Manik groaned softly from somewhere near her shoulder.
“Manik … are you ok?” She tried to push him back to stand upright so that she could look into his face. “What are you feeling?” Concern flashed across her face as she noticed him struggle on his good leg to straighten himself, his eyes still with a glazed look.
“Nandini …” he muttered, trying to shake his head as if to focus his eyes on her. “You …” his voiced trailed off and eyes widened slightly as he saw her bare back in the mirror behind her. How had they landed up like this, he wondered. Straightening up, with some effort, and ignoring her warnings to be careful, he reached his long hand across towards the towel rack on the wall and pulling a fresh towel continued to open it and drape it around her now shivering form. The less distractions he had right now, the better he felt he would cope with this woozy feeling that was unsettling him.
“Manik … are you ok? … What are you feeling? Did you take your med …” Nandini started speaking tucking in the towel around herself and reaching out to check the bruises on his chest.
“I…” Manik mumbled, still groggy and sure that he was going to pass out again. Good going, Manik Malhotra, he told himself wryly. The woman of your dreams is here in your arms and you cannot even stand straight … his felt another swoon come over suddenly and gripped her arms for support in reflex.
Holding him steady against her, Nandini slowly helped him hobble out of the bathroom and towards her bedroom, praying that he would not pass out again before she settled him into the bed.
She helped him lie down, taking care not to hurt his already bruised body. Watching him wincing in pain, Nandini settled him against the fluffed up pillows, wondering at his sheer size filling her queen size double bed, that suddenly looked smaller to her.
“Manik,” she asked tentatively, checking his temperature and his pulse automatically with her cool hands. A hoarse grunt was the only response she got, as his eyes remained closed. His pulse and temperature was normal. A perturbed frown on her face, Nandini went into the living room quietly to check on his medicines. Checking the counterfoils lying on the coffee table, it seemed that he had taken the painkillers before he slept … then? … She looked around trying to figure what had happened to him.
Looking towards the open kitchenette she saw the sandwich and glass of juice lying untouched on the counter. Realization dawned. Of course! The crazy man had not eaten anything before taking the strong medicines. She had left his dinner on the counter this evening, but in the rush to get away from him had forgotten to tell him about it. The last he probably ate was the lunch she had given him when they had gotten home. No wonder he was drugged and groggy. Those painkillers could pack quite a punch if taken lightly.
Taking the stale sandwich she regretfully threw it into the garbage and set about making a quick cheese sandwich for him. It would have to suffice for now, as she was herself on the verge or collapsing, she realized. She should have been fast asleep by now. She would make him something more wholesome once she awoke later.
Before going back to the bedroom area with the tray, she looked down at herself still clad in nothing but a towel, and walking instead into the bathroom she pulled on her track pajamas that were hanging behind the door. She stopped short of pulling the matching tee when she decided it would be better if she wore a bra under it with him around her house.
Clutching the tee against her she crept into her bedroom, peeping from behind the curtain to see that he was still lying with his eyes peacefully shut. Silently padding towards her cupboard she quickly pulled on one of her soft tee shirt bras before reaching for the tee to pull over her head as she turned to walk back into the kitchen.
Her heart probably lurched and she gasped audibly when she met his open eyes staring at her from the bed. She felt the blush steal across her face at the thought of him watching her change. “Er…” she mumbled trying to fill the awkward silence. He continued to stare at her wordlessly from the bed, and squaring her shoulders and keeping her head held high, Nandini walked out to the kitchen and returned with his sandwich and juice on a tray.
“You took medicines last night without eating anything.” She rebuked him softly, placing the tray on the bedside table. His eyes followed her without blinking. What the hell was he thinking, Nandini muttered to herself, feeling shy suddenly. “Eat.” She commanded firmly raising her eyebrows towards the tray.
Still looking at her, he lofted himself with one arm and sat up against the headboard. Picking up the sandwich, he slowly bit into it and Nandini stifled a groan, as her imagination started working amok. What is wrong with you! She chided herself again. He is just eating a sandwich, but every cell inside her was raging as if he was biting into her flesh instead.
Clearing her throat, as if telling her thoughts to behave themselves, she gave Manik a stern look. “You had such strong medicines without eating anything. How old are you exactly!” she finished hotly, more angry at her own reactions than at him. “Are you not supposed to be responsible for yourself…” she stopped abruptly when she saw that he continued to stare at her, as if he had not heard a single word of what she had said.
“Stop looking at me like that” she flustered.
“Like what?” he asked in a most innocent voice, suddenly.
“Like you are the big bad wolf about to gobble me up.” She fumed unthinkingly.
She thought she heard him say, “Now there is a good idea,” but when she looked up at him again, he continued to innocently finish his juice and place the glass back on the tray.
“Fine then …” she tried to speak nonchalantly, as if his mere presence in her bed was not wrecking her nervous system completely. “I’ll just go and catch a nap …” she gestured clumsily towards the living area couch, shuffling on her feet.
“Don’t go…” he said quietly still looking at her. Nandini could see his emotions clearly in the depth of his chocolaty eyes. Don’t look at me like that she silently willed him. Don’t make it any more difficult for me to take your rejection when we finally speak about it.
“I …” she started to speak but before she could say anything more, she felt him reach out and grab her hand and pull her towards him on to the bed.
With a soft thud she found herself seated at the edge of the bed. “Manik…” she started only to feel his finger on her soft trembling lips ‘shhhing’ her.
“Its not as if we have not slept on the same bed before, Nandu,” he whispered cheekily seeing her blush adorably. Manik started at her, enraptured at this woman who he remembered as a shy girl. He never realized that women could still blush and look away in embarrassment. For him women had never been much of a challenge. His profession had ensured that he was always surrounded by willing female attention. It was not something that he had even given a thought to or cared about.
Until this petite woman here, who held his heart had reappeared in his life. And now, he was wondering how the hell was he going to leave her and walk away from here. How could he let her go once again? And would she hate him if he decided that he did not to lose her again now that he had found her? Would she fight him and cut him off as always?
“What happened to us, Nandini? Why did you do it?” he asked her quietly instead.
“Please, don’t,” She said, because she couldn’t bear to talk about it right now.
Instead she wanted to turn to him, to curl up in his lap and let him stroke her hair and sleep and not worry about their ending, only she couldn’t do all of that now.
“Please, don’t start about that now. I … I’m sleepy and …” she quietly moved away from the bed, and walking around to the other side quietly lay down, wishing this whole conversation nightmare would just go away.
Manik watched her curl up on the edge of the bed, her back to him. Within minutes he realized her breathing had stabilized and that she was fast asleep.
Falling back on the bed, he reached out and spooned her curved body against his, his arm going about her slim waist. Warmth infused his chest and his entire soul as with a content murmur she settled against him murmuring his name sweetly.
For the first time in years Nandini awoke from a sound sleep surrounded with a feeling of warmth and peace. It felt right to be snuggled up agaist his lithe form, to be held by him in his arms securely. She knew belonged there. Nandini revelled in the feeling for a few minutes enjoying listening to his soft breathing behind her before easing herself out of the bed, careful not to disturb him. She had to cook for him, do some of her household chores and most importantly take up Steve’s suggestion of applying for her study leave. Yes, there was loads to do and she had slept away almost half the day.
Looking down at his sleeping form Nandini tied up her hair in an untidy topknot and throwing him a small air kiss bounced out of the room towards the kitchen. After quick visit to the bathroom, she settled the living room where the covers etc. were still on the couch where Manik had left them this morning before his visit to the bathroom. She blushed at the memory of them and shaking her head shyly went into the kitchen where she went about fixing some lunch for them. Softly humming to herself, she was systematically setting out the ingredients she needed when she heard the ping of her phone from the bedroom. She looked down at her soiled hands and decided to finish what she was doing before going out to check her phone.
The buzzing of a phone woke Manik up from his deep slumber. Reaching out instinctively towards the table where it was lying he opened one eye to peer into the screen, wondering who it was messaging him at this hour. After reading half the message he suddenly came fully awake and sat up with a start. Staring at Nandini’s phone he read and reread the message flashing from Steve.
“Hi sweetie, Hope you gave a thought to what I said last night, and are feeling better. See u in hospi, N … you will always be special ☺”
“What the …” Manik started at the message coldly. His anger slowly rising as he read and reread the message again, stifling an impulse to fling the phone and its offending message against the wall. Why was this doctor calling Nandini ‘sweetie’ … who uses words like ‘sweetie’, Manik grumbled sarcastically, flinging the covers off himself and stomping into the living area phone in hand, forgetting that he had a leg cast on.
He heard her humming happily in the kitchen and strode towards the counter separating the kitchen from the living room. Banging his hand holding the phone on the counter, he was glad when he saw her startled jump, dropping what she was doing. The humming stopped and Nandini turned her alarmed eyes towards where he was leaning ominously against the kitchen counter.
“Your boyfriend…” he growled shoving the phone towards her forcefully.
“Boyfriend?” Nandini repeated, looking from him towards her phone that he still held crushingly in his hand.
“Did he propose last night?” Manik barked angrily at her, a part of him wondering why she was looking so fresh and beautiful this morning without any make up, in her crumpled night clothes with her silky hair escaping the hastily tied topknot. She was positively glowing, and was humming happily … obviously she was thrilled that he had proposed, he thought snidely, wanting to rip this Steve persons body apart piece by good-looking piece.
“Proposed? … Who…” Nandini looked up at his furious expression again, wondering what he was ranting about now.
“Steve…” Manik ground out through clenched teeth. “He wants to know if you have given his proposal a …”
“Steve…” Nandini cut him short. “Steve sent me a text message proposing? … Again?” What was going on? Why was Steve proposing to her again after all these years.. wait a minute … Manik had read her message! What the hell… Nandini fumed. How dare he check her phone!
Manik flinched at the ‘again’ part of her sentence. What did she mean ‘again?’ Did this Steve person propose to her all the time, he wondered as red hot jealousy shot through him once again.
Drawing a calming breath, she asked him frostily, “you were reading my messages?”
“Reading your mess…” Manik spluttered focusing his attention back on her. “Of course I was not reading … it was buzzing…”
“… and you decided to pick it up?” she finished sarcastically.
“Don’t try and change the topic, Nandini…” he thundered, livid at her and Steve for some reason. “He proposed last night …” he accused her instead.
“How dare you!” Nandini threw the knife and vegetables that were in her hand on the counter and marched across the kitchen towards where he was standing. “Just give my phone back…” she tried to snatch it from his hands.
But he was too fast and too tall for her, as usual. Holding the phone aloft in his hand he watched her jump around him trying to reach his hand, anger emanating from every cell in her body. Oh, so she was angry with him, was she, he thought furiously to himself. First she kisses him passionately like that and then goes and …
“You have no right to read my messages …” Nandini was hissing angrily, “Just give it back to me you rude, ill-mannered …”
“Watch it, Nandini…” Manik was now seething as images of her and Steve started flashing in his overactive imagination.
“NO … you watch it Manik…” she was beyond caring now. How dare he read her messages and come shouting at her like that!
Turning away from her jumpy body around him, Manik hobbled back to the bedroom, with her trying hard to reach the phone without hurting him in the bargain.
“I am ill-mannered and rude … and what does this make you …” he yelled as he flung the phone back on the bed and turned towards her only to see her raging towards him. “You kiss me so passionately a few hours ago and leave and go straight into this Steve’s…”
Nandini felt as if she will burst with the anger that was building up inside her. After all, he finally uttered aloud what he really thought of her. First she was a gold digger who made good with his mother's money … and now she was also a …
“What did you just say?” she asked him ominously, her body rigid with the temper that she was finding exceedingly difficult to control.
“You heard me.” he drawled looking her up and down suggestively.
“What the…” he suddenly looked at her in disbelief as she unexpectedly launched herself at him, hair flying across her face, arms reaching out to grab him.
Reaching out instinctively, he grabbed the air around him to get hold of some support before she fell smack bang on his injured chest. And as she came hurtling like a tiny tornado at him, his hand caught the fabric of the bed cover that was hanging on the wall behind her bed and ripped the cloth from the nails that were holding it up. Taking it down along with them, they both tumbled on her bed in one tangled heap.
Manik felt the air leave his lungs as she landed on his chest and continued to try and scratch him and claw him muttering gentle curses at him … “you insufferable man … here I pine for you for years and years … while you roam the world … womanising …. Oh yes, I have been following your…” She noticed his shocked expression looking from her face to the wall behind her. She saw his eyes widen, as he forgot the pain she was inflicting on him. Forgot to ward off her hands that were continuing their assault and just stared into space behind her.
“What?” she stopped hitting him to look at his stunned expression. “What is it?” she muttered trying to lift herself off him to turn around, but slipping and falling back on his chest in a heap.
“Ouch”, he muttered and pursing his lip lifted her easily off himself to place her on his side where they both lay on her bed, side by side staring at the life size poster of the rock star Manik Malhotra.
Neither of them realised for how long they just lay there quietly, next to each other staring at the poster. A thick silence hung between them with only the soft woosh of their steady breathing surrounding them. It was time, Nandini realised. Time to talk. Time to fess up. Time to face the music, and also time to apologize. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to muster up the courage and words.
After, what seemed like ages Manik turned his head to look at Nandini’s quiet rigid form beside him. She had been avoiding this for some reason, but he could not take it any more. He needed to know, what had happened. Why she had taken the decision and walked out. There had been no argument, no harsh words … heck there had been no goodbye either. He did not even know when was the last time he had held her in his arms.
“You just left.”
Her eyes flew open and she turned to look into his face, inches away from hers.
“Why didn’t you talk to me, Nandini?” he asked her softly, looking intently into her alarmed eyes.
“I…” she fumbled for the right thing to say. Now that she looked back at her decision eight years ago, it seemed lame. Why had she done it? Why had she let Nyonika convince her to leave Manik? What was she supposed to answer now?
“I never took the money,” she whispered instead painfully, looking at him pleadingly.
Manik continued to stare at her. Watching her fear and pain reflected clearly in her tear filled eyes. He wanted to reach out and hold her and reassure her …
“Nandini…”
“No. Listen. I knew what music meant to you … what your friends meant to you ... no please let me say it …” she pleaded softly, when she saw him open his mouth to say something, praying that he would understand her. “When your mother offered me the money, I was livid … I wanted to throw it back at her … but she told me she would leave you alone .. no deals for any favours … she would free you … and I …”
“Shhhhhh….” He suddenly reached out and put his finger on her lips. “It does not matter, what happened in the past,” he told her huskily, softly caressing her trembling lips.
“But … I,” Nandini tried to speak again. She wanted to try and at least explain and apologize for causing him and herself such grief for so long.
Before she could say anything further, he sat up at the edge of the bed and gathered her up in his arms, lifting her easily into his lap. He patted her hair softly as she crumbled against his chest, and burst out into sobs mumbling apologies incoherently.
“Shhhhh…” he soothed her hair and putting his fingers below her chin, lifted her face towards his own.
“I love you, Nandini.” She froze in his arms.
A fresh stream of tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head saying, “but you believe I took…” Again his finger on her lips silenced her as she looked at him through her tear filled eyes.
“Are you listening to me, Nandini,” he asked her firmly cupping her face in his hands. “I just said…”
“I heard what you said,” she said angrily through her tears, “Its not a joke to say such things … You said you believed I took the money … and today you even called me a …”
“I always have, and I always will.” Manik quiet firm voice continued as if she had not spoken, silencing her.
There, Manik thought to himself. He had finally said it out aloud. It had taken him long enough, but now that he had said it he felt free… as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He wanted to keep saying it till she believed him. Till she stopped questioning him. Till she said it back to him.
“But...” she looked at him thoroughly confused though a bubble of happiness was all but bursting inside her. He loved her! He believed her …
“Nandini…” he said her name softly, urging her silently to say what he wanted to hear. He never wanted to stop holding her. There was anger and regret about the wasted years but they would overcome it and heal each other. He smiled wickedly into her hair thinking about the making up for lost time that he was going to enjoy.
“What… you don’t know it already!” she fumed at him instead, embarrassed at his intense look. “How could you call me a …”
“Stop sulking, Nandu,” He teased her, realising the shyness she was hiding behind her anger.
“I’m not sulking,” she muttered faintly, suddenly shy of his piercing gaze on her.
“No?” he questioned as if amused, and jerked her face up again to look into his eyes.
Nandini was lost. She looked longingly at his face, the square jawline, the aquiline nose, his chocolaty brown eyes… the face that was imprinted on her heart for ever and ever.
“I loved you so much. I loved you from that first day in the shower in your house. When you looked out for me, proving your ‘bad boy’ image wrong.” She whispered huskily reaching up to touch his cheek lovingly.
Watching his eyes fill with tears, she continued lovingly, “I did not realize it till much later, of course. Or maybe I did not want to realize it and I pushed it away behind tags of being just friends.” She smiled shyly at him.
Tears welled up in Manik’s eyes, tears he did not try to hold back or stop. Gathering her up into his strong arms, he pulled her tightly against himself, burying his face in her sweet smelling hair.
It was somehow nice to cry together. Sad but nice in a way. It was good to hold each other and weep for the years that they had spent without each other. It was good to have taken it all out, to have said it out finally, to know that they loved each other and had both wept inside each day. It did not matter if it was morning, afternoon or night. What mattered was that she was in his arms.
“I wasn’t womanising, you know,” his quiet amused voice reached her from somewhere in her hair.
Nandini sighed and snuggled deeper into his arms, increasing the pressure of their hug. “You did,” she retorted into his chest. “I read every mention of you on the net, and there were always different women,” she accused him.
Manik looked down at her thoughtfully. He still could not believe that she was in his arms. “You know they were not important, right … what can I do if fan girls throw themselves at me?” he questioned innocently. Before she could react, he added, the cheeky smile still on his face, “and I see that you know all about being a fangirl!”
Nandini looked up in exasperation only to find him raising his eyebrows towards her poster on the wall.
Blushing prettily Nandini looked down at his bruised chest, mumbling, “that ... er… that is not mine …. It’s … er … it’s RISHABH’S!” she ended triumphantly.
“Right,” she heard Manik say, sure he was looking at her mortified expression with amusement. “And speaking of which …”
The ping of her phone behind them interrupted him, and he reached out to pick it up and pass it to her. She felt him stiffen as he glanced at the message intimation and looked at the screen to see Steve’s name flashing with an unread message.
“Oh … stop it,” she told Manik exasperated by his possessive behaviour. “He’s just a very good friend,” she muttered distractedly as she opened the message to read. He was asking if she was coming in today or wanted him to put in her application for study leave. Nandini smiled affectionately when she saw he had added a winking smiley to the message, as if he knew that with Manik home, she would not probably come in at all today!
“Is he proposing again?” Manik threatened gruffly, seeing her smile at the message. “What does he want?” “Why are you smiling?”
“Uff.” Nandini put down her phone, her smile turning into a knowing one now. Manik was jealous, she thought gleefully, a part of her wanted to rib him a bit more about it. Deciding against it she instead reached and cupped his face gently with her hands.
“Mr Manik Malhotra,” she chided gently, her eyes twinkling with happiness. “You don’t have to be insecure about Steve.” When Manik opened his mouth to say something, she extended her thumb from his cheek across to his lips to shut him up.
“As I said, he has been a very good friend, and you should be thrilled about this, but he was only suggesting that I apply for my long overdue study leave to spend some time with you.”
Manik gently kissed her thumb still on his lips, and grumbled, “so why did he propose the first time,” and before Nandu could object he finished, “you admitted abhi that he is proposing second time!”
“He did,” she replied patiently, as if speaking to a two year old, “but that was ages ago when I had just joined the hospital. After that he has really helped with Rishabh…”
“And that brings me back to what I have been wanting to ask,” Manik interrupted her. “I noticed that Rishabh spoke fluently now, and was a completely normal adjusted youngster.”
Nandini reached up and gave him a quick kiss, laughing softly at his dazed look. “Lets first get you fed and medicated, Mr Malhotra.” “Then we will talk.”
And getting up in one smooth motion she sashayed off towards the kitchenette instructing him to get brushed etc. and join her while she worked.
She went back to her cooking, taking out the juice from the fridge and putting together some toast and cheese on the counter. She could hear him humming in the bathroom, and felt shiver go down her spine as she realized exactly what had happened. He had told her he loved her. He had held her and cried with her, and he had turned green with jealousy when Steve had messaged, she chuckled, pulling out eggs, in case he wanted some. Even though she was a vegetarian, she had stocked up eggs etc. like she used to do for Rishabh who had started eating once they had moved to the States.
She was still standing at the counter, lost in her thoughts, smiling to herself, when she felt two warm hands span her waist from behind, pulling her up against his body. “I don’t want to eat anything,” he nuzzled her ear, “at least not food,” he whispered hoarsely, his fingers creeping into the hem of her tee, sending an electric current through her. He bit her ear playfully and continued to plant kisses down her neck towards her shoulder. He grabbed the strap of her tee with his teeth and moved it down her arm to expose her shoulder completely for his wandering lips.
“Mmmmm,” Nandini murmured huskily throwing her head back into his shoulder and reaching out to clutch the counter in front of her to steady herself. Her legs suddenly felt wobbly and weak.
Suddenly Manik turned her around and drove his hungry mouth down onto hers. Her arms had wrapped around his neck to fasten tightly and she was kissing him back with as much passion. The feel of his strong hard masculine body pressing against her felt perfect, and a flood of pleasure went rushing through her. She gasped when she felt his hands spread on her backside and hoist her up onto the counter, so that her face was now at level with his.
Manik broke away from her lips to look into her face. Her eyes were closed, her soft full lips parted, and she was quivering at the exploratory caress his hands were making at the small of her back around to her waist. His fingers stroked her ribcage trailing a path of fire, moving back round to unclip her bra.
When her restless fingers touched his nape, and slithered down his burning chest, he muffled a groan as his body responded violently. She shaped the muscles of his wide shoulders lovingly as her slender thighs parted to fit him into herself. She held nothing back, and he felt so completely intoxicated by her.
Running her fingers into his thick black wet hair she drew his mouth back into hers, passion and desire overriding everything.
Until the loud whistle of the tea-kettle broke the silence and registered somewhere through her bewildered senses.
“Manik,” she murmured huskily against his lips.
“Hmmm,” he stopped kissing her to lean his forehead onto hers, all but wanting to carry her to the bed and finish what they had started.
“We don’t want a repeat of this morning, do we?” she chuckled as she remembered their little scene in the bathroom this morning. “You need to eat and take your medicines. I don’t think I can handle you fainting on me twice in day.”
Manik felt her shudder and realized that she was actually laughing sitting there on the counter with a painfully aroused man nestled between her thighs. She was laughing at him fainting this morning!
“It’s not so funny, Nandini,” he looked indulgently at her collapsing with mirth in his arms. His Nandu was as much the innocent that he remembered her to be, he thought fondly, enjoying seeing her smiling face and crinkled eyes.
“You are right,” she tried to sober up, looking into his eyes. “It’s not funny,” she burst out into another bout of giggles, before looking at him again apprehensively, trying to control her laughter, by pursing her lips.
“Ok… Ok ... I need to feed you first,” she tried to move him away from her to jump of the counter but he stood resolute still holding her by the waist.
“I will get you after we are done with this domesticity, you know that don’t you, Nandu.” He threatened her gruffly, remembering how close he was just now to making her his.
He watched her blush innocently at his words but was taken aback when she reached up and whispered throatily into his ear, “I’m counting on it Mr Malhotra.”
Taking advantage of his stunned look, she gently pushed him away from her, and jumped off the counter to switch off the kettle.
Over a brunch interspersed with a lot of tender caresses and kisses, Nandini managed to tell him all about Rishabh’s treatment and her thesis project at the center. He listened intently, asking questions, feeding her, kissing her and pulling her on to himself all throughout. It was as if he needed to keep reminding himself that she was actually with him. And the best way to do that was to touch her!
If they were not seated at the kitchen dining counter, Nandini was sure they would already have been unclothed and under her bed covers by now. They just could not get enough of each other, needing constant reassurance that all this was real. That their being with each other was real.
“I have to go to the hospital, Manik,” she murmured against his lips as he bent his dark head and touched the tip of his tongue to the corner of her trembling mouth licking the milk moustache she had just acquired from gulping down a glassful. She shivered feverishly as he continued his task without even acknowledging her statement.
“Manik”, she said more forcefully, afraid that she could easily give in and not move from here at all … except maybe towards the bed! “We can’t go to bed right now,” she moaned trying to get him to listen to her.
“We don’t have to go to bed at all. The floor will do for me quite nicely,’ Manik countered huskily, reaching up and unknotting her hair to tumble over his fingers. “The wall, the sofa, this kitchen table, even the shower will do.” He prized her mouth open and deepened the kiss.
Before she could react, he stood up and pulled her along with him. Nandini pressed herself to his chest, her arms winding their way up his neck. Somewhere in her mind a voice was telling her that she needed to get to work but instead small moans of pleasure were all that was coming out of her.
Something soft hit the backs of her knees and she collapsed onto a bed. She did not know how they’d even got here! Her arms tightened around his shoulders and she let out a startled shriek at the free fall.
“That’s right,’ he encouraged gruffly, holding himself up on his arms so that not to let his full body weight fall on her. ‘Hold me tight. You’re going to need to when I …”
Her eyes fluttered open. NO. She needed to go to the hospital, and apply for that leave. Much as she wanted to be here with him for the rest of the day … for the rest of her life. She needed to get her work organized. She had responsibilities at work that she just could not ignore.
She looked up at him helplessly taking in his luxurious black hair, his liquid brown eyes, and firm sensual mouth. The power of his fiercely masculine physique clothed in a body-hugging black T-shirt that she had somehow disheveled out of his dark track bottoms.
“I have to go Manik,” she whispered painfully, watching him trying focus on what she was saying. “Just for a while, but I do have to go.”
“Go?” he questioned, as if he had heard the word for the first time.
“Yes.” She stated more firmly. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. You need to rest till then…”
“I’m coming with you,” his voice came out gruff and strong and very possessive. Nandini revelled in the feeling of belonging to him.
She smiled indulgently at him, and pulled his face closer to hers by applying pressure on his neck. “You have a cast, remember,” she said drily, “and I usually walk or cycle to work, Mr Malhotra.”
He stared at her for a minute, trying to come up with a counter attack to convince her otherwise.
“Why don’t you try and get some sleep and we can do something special this evening, okay?” she promised, giving him her best pleading look.
“You will be back in a few hours?” he questioned. “You will just go and put in your application and be back?”
“Yes, baba…” Nandini laughed at his questions. “Even I don’t want to leave you,” she mumbled shyly realizing that they were still entwined into each other on her bed.
“Ok then … you won’t get away so easily tonight then, Nandu,” he threatened playfully, moving away from on top of her, but not before giving her another of his ‘soul shattering’ kisses.
By the time Nandini wrapped up work in the hospital, it was early evening and beginning to get dark. She had walked to work today, instead of taking the cycle, so on the way back she made a quick call to Cabir to update him on the latest. And we don’t want him barging in on our date, she told herself wryly, looking forward to being with Manik all evening. They had so much catching up to do still, but with the distractions of his wandering hands and his drug induced kisses, they were talking to each other lesser and lesser. Not that you have been complaining, she muttered to herself, as she located Cabir’s number on her mobile.
“Nandini.” Cabir enthused, as soon as he picked her call. “All good?” He sounded suspiciously innocently, Nandini thought frowning slightly at his cheery greeting.
“Er … yes,” she replied wondering what was up with him, “I … er … I just called to tell you that Manik … that he … that we …”
“… that I should not rush across anymore to pick him up anytime soon?” he smug smile was evident in his voice now.
“Er … yes,” she countered sheepishly, wanting to hug him for understanding what she had to say, and saving her the embarrassment.
“I’m assuming safely that you guys have settled your issues?” Cabir continued to ask tongue-in-cheek.
“And why do I get the feeling that we have been had, Cabir? That this has somehow been manipulated by you!” Nandini caught on to his tone finally. Surely he had some part to play in this, but what it was she could not figure out.
“Forget that,” Cabir laughed out loud. “The good news is that you are also going to be coming with him for the wedding now … I mean this is a personal invitation from R and me … you have to be there Nandini. It will make both of us very happy.” He finished warmly.
“Me?” Nandini mumbled, embarrassed. “How can I come … I have work … studies …”
“And I am not taking no for an answer,” Cabir cut across. “I’ll fix up the plan with Manik in a couple of days, I’m sure you guys will be too busy right now … no I mean … he needs to be looked after, no,” he teased her.
Giving her love to Cabir and Raghav sir, Nandini disconnected the phone, a warm smile on her face. It was so nice to speak to Cabir after so long. They may have started out on the wrong foot initially, but their mutual respect for each other had come about quite easily when they were in college.
Looking down at her watch, Nandini realized that she had little time left now to organize all that she had planned for the evening. She rushed into a grocery store on the way home and soon she was trudging along home, her hands full of shopping bags.
She reached home and quietly unlocked the front door, hoping that Manik would still be asleep. The dark silent room greeted her as she opened the door and set the bags down quietly on the floor. She said a silent prayer of thanks and went about her task or organizing her special date for him. She would have preferred to set it up on her small terrace so that they could stargaze together, something she knew he loved. But it was still too cold to be outside and even if they were well clad, Manik was still recovering and did not need to be exposed to the Atlanta cold.
Stealthily she carried the bags into her kitchenette and started unpacking the various things she had purchased for the evening. Starting with arranging a profusion of delicately scented candles on all the available surfaces of her small home, she then unpacked the Italian dinner that she had ordered from one of Rishabh’s favourite takeout. She remembered Manik’s love for Italian cuisine and had ordered beforehand not wanting to waste her time in the kitchen cooking.
She pulled out appropriate crockery and two champagne flutes, a purchase she had made when Rishabh had gotten his friends over for his 18th birthday. She chilled the bottle of champagne, realizing that Manik was on medication and should not be drinking. But she was just going to allow him that one glass to celebrate their love tonight. She herself was a non-drinker, but lately had taken to an occasional glass of the bubbly at office parties, as she felt she had acquired a taste for it finally. And of course it had been tiresome to explain time and again to everyone that she never drank. It had become easier to just get herself a glass and nurse it all evening. No one realized that it was the same glass she used to carry throughout the evening, and no one pestered to have that ‘just one drink’.
Finally she looked about her in satisfaction. The living room glowed with flickering candles, wafting a slight vanilla fragrance. The low coffee table gleamed with her artfully laid out plates and champagne flutes. The food was warming in her oven and the champagne chilling in the refrigerator. Done, she applauded herself and rushed quietly into her bedroom to change into something appropriate. She pulled out a large box from the top shelf of her closet, careful not to wake Manik up. She glanced at his sleeping form lovingly, and rushed out to complete her preparations before she came back to wake him up.
Locking herself in the bathroom, she quickly opened the box and pulled out an elegantly tailored classic little black dress made famous by Audrey Hepburn in a cult yesteryear film. Nandini had fallen in love with it on one of her rare shopping trips and had made the slightly exorbitant purchase convincing herself she would need it for Rishabh’s graduation finally. The classic 1950’s style party dress gave her figure a flattering feminine look, the fine cotton falling perfectly to enhance her curves. The matching belt accentuated her slim waist and the full circle skirt billowed till her knees. The boat neck design brought out her classic collarbones, and the dress was simple yet elegant needing to other accessory, except for the small diamond earrings that she put into her ear lobes.
She brushed her hair out till it glistened, and on an impulse knotted it up into her usual French knot. Not only did it emphasize her slender neck it would also give Manik an opportunity to open them, she blushed thinking of how he had already done it more than once. And of how much she had liked it.
A slight touch of pink gloss and liner and she was ready. Leaving her feet bare, she gave one final glance to herself in the mirror and tiptoed back to the bedroom to wake up her sleeping prince.
Manik was having the most beautiful dream. His Nandini, looking stunning in a black dress was leaning over him, about to wake him up with a kiss. He smiled dreamily, as her fresh floral scent hit his senses. He reached out to hold her in his arms and pull her on top of him to deepen the kiss before she could fade.
An alarmed cry shook him awake. His eyes flew open as Nandini landed on top of him with a thud. “Uff”, he muttered thinking his chest could really not take this any more… featherweight that she was, these landings were packing quite a punch.
“Manik,” she squealed. “You will ruin my dress!” she tried to get off him and straighten herself, managing to stand next to the bed, unaware of his focused gaze on her.
Manik stared spell bound at this small vision that looked at if she had stepped out of a vintage black and white film. Her porcelain creamy skin was offset starkly by the blackness of her dress. She looked delicate and fragile, if not for the muttered curses she was uttering trying to ease out her skirt of her dress. “what have you done … my new dress…” she wailed softly.
He followed the length of the dress, stopping where it ended and her slim toned legs began. Standing bare feet next to his bed she looked so sexy, he was sure even she had no idea what she was doing to him. He warned himself silently not to grab her and rip the dress off her, as that would definitely have her throwing a hissy fit.
“You’re back.” He said instead with a satisfied grin, hoping she would not notice his body’s reaction to her presence.
Nandini shut her eyes to get a control on herself… no, she would not grumble tonight. The dress would have to come off sooner or later, she realized, so why fret over it. She reddened at her uncharacteristic bold thoughts. This need for him was turning her into one brazen woman! She felt as if she was being consumed by his desire.
“Don’t you ruin my efforts, Mr. Manik Malhotra,” she mock threatened him instead, her arms akimbo on her waist looking down at him lying still on the bed.
“What?” she questioned when she noticed his speechless expression.
“You.” He said softly, and continued to look at her with rapt attention.
“Me?” Nandini looked from him down to herself, “what about me?”
Manik threw back his head and laughed at her naivety. Then with a groan he sat up and pulled her back into his lap, crushing her up against him. “Yes, you,” he muttered and claimed the pouting invitation of her lush mouth.
Nandini tried to hang on to her sanity but he robbed her of it as he explored her mouth with the sensuous force ruthlessly. He took her lips with a hot driving hunger that devoured her ability to protest any more. She could only melt against him without even a murmur.
When they surfaced to catch their breath after a few moments, Nandini opened her dazed eyes and looked into his face. “I love you Manik Malhotra,” she told him softly, cupping his face in her hands.
“Keep on loving me, Ms. Murty,” he responded unsteadily. “I am about to risk every wrath of yours to rip that dress off and love you completely and passionately back in return.”
With a panicked squeak, Nandini jumped off his lap. “No, you do not,” she informed him hotly. “Get up.” She held out her hand to him, standing next to the bed.
Taking hold of his hand she helped him hobble into the living room.
Manik halted their progress as soon as they entered the living room and watched in awe the effort she had made. He felt a tightening in his chest at the thought. No one had ever done anything so special for him. All his past relationships were always devoid of any small personal touches, and he had liked it that way. Liked that he had remained unattached, cynical and cold hearted. He never shared it with anyone, but it had been the only way to survive the heartbreak. But Nandini had warmed her way into his heart so easily once again, breaking the barriers, crumbling the stone cold walls around his heart … he could feel the thaw beginning.
This time he was going to make sure it remained that way, whatever it took, he vowed silently. Even it meant handcuffing her to himself … he shivered at the images that thought threw up and instead looked down towards where she stood beside him, still holding his hand waiting for his reaction in anticipation. He resisted an impulse to crush her to his chest once again. But that was another thought that would have to be put on hold for the time being, as she would have his hide if he ruined her evening, he thought amused.
“Well?” Nandini asked him, excitedly.
“You did all this for me?” he questioned tenderly, feeling as if he would burst with the emotions that were overwhelming him.
“No … I did this for us,” she said smugly, happy at his reaction.
Without waiting for a response, she pulled him towards the couch and helped him settle down comfortably. She put away his walking stick and fussed about, while Manik watched her with an indulgent smile, loving every minute of this pampering.
“I’m allowed to drink?” he asked looking pointedly at the champagne flutes.
“Just this once … and only one glass… you are taking medicines remember,” she reminded him mock firmly.
“Yes maam,” he played along, grinning. “Any other do’s and don’ts you may want to tell me now?” he questioned huskily as she made a face at him and turned to walk across to the kitchenette, to fetch the bottle from the refrigerator.
Manik threw his head back on the couch wondering how he had lived these past eight years without her. In just the few weeks that he had now spent with her, he realized how much he had missed this. How much they could have already shared by now. Shaking himself out of where these thoughts he told himself that he needed to let the past be where it belonged – in the past. And not let it ruin his present. His ‘present’ … now walking towards him slowly … barefoot and carefully balancing a bottle and opener in her hand.
She came upon him and handed him the two things. “You do know how to do this, I presume,” she teased him looking from him towards the sealed bottle.
Manik raised his own eyebrows sharply. “And YOU do know how I will enjoy punishing you for flaunting your knowledge … I presume.”
Nandini felt herself redden under his penetrating gaze, that was promising all sorts of forbidden pleasures later tonight.
“Promises … promises, Mr. Malhotra.” She laughed trying to look nonchalant and worldly wise when actually her legs were about to give way under her any moment. “Why don’t you open this while I organize the food. Then you can tell me all about what you have been doing for all these years … no … not the Internet parts, I have all of those,” she rolled her eyes and finished before he could say anything.
“Yeah … the womanizing parts, I suppose.” He grumbled under his breath, taking the bottle and opener from her and moving to obey her orders. He still waited for her to come back to pop the bottle open.
He heard her phone buzz in the kitchenette in one of the bags that she had obviously dumped when she had come in. He watched her smile at the screen and walk out towards him again.
“Yes, Rishabh,” she was saying kindly, “I’m all right … yes, he is ok too.” She listened to something he was saying and came and sat down next to Manik on the couch. “No, don’t worry … yes … I will speak to you tomorrow.” Then when Rishabh was obviously not disconnecting the phone, she added, “stop fussing, Rishu.”
The endearment must have gotten a response, because she giggled and tried to reply seriously, “sorry, yes ... I won’t call you that.”
Saying her goodbye she put her phone on the couch beside her and turned towards him. “Over protective brother mode,” she rolled her eyes, still smiling indulgently.
Manik let her settle before he popped open the bottle and poured out the champagne into the two waiting flutes, handing her one and raising his in a toast.
“To love,” he stared at her with all his love shining in his eyes.
“To us,” Nandini clinked her glass with his and took a small sip, crinkling her nose like she always did when the bubbles on the surface exploded on her lips.
Manik took a sip, watching her over the rim. “… and you drink now…” he murmured surprised that she had not refused the glass like she had always done in the past. Smiling at his accusation, she put her glass down and explained her one drink strategy to him. How it was a ploy she had perfected to get people off her case to drink. “and that’s just what you are getting today … one drink,” she warned him again.
Manik reached across and pulled her towards him with his free hand, the one not holding the glass. Nandini settled snugly against him, resting her head against his chest. She put her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on the front of his tee, signing in contentment, as his arm went around her shoulder holding her in place.
“You have read most of it …” he started wryly filling her in about his work and that of the rest of the fab5. More or less what Dhruv had already told her at the hospital. They had fetched the bowls of food in between and Manik had also finished up the bottle of champagne inspite of her protests.
“Now we are getting together again after years for Cabir’s wedding.”
“I spoke to him today,” Nandini murmured, relaxed in his arms, just listening to him speak.
“To Cabir?” Manik questioned, looking down at her bent head on his chest. She had folded her legs under her and was looking like a little pup curled up against him warmly.
“Hmmm…” Nandini spoke distractedly, “I called to tell him you were ok, and not to hurry to pick you up,” at his questioning silence she added further, “I had insisted he come and get you as soon as possible when they were discharging you.” She added lamely. “He’s invited me for the wedding.” She shared before he started teasing her about that.
“I was going to take you along, regardless,” Manik kissed the top of her head.
“How can I come with you, Manik,” She looked up at him moving away from his chest. “How will it look … I mean you guys are meeting up after so long…”
“I don’t care,” he told her stubbornly, “now that I have got you, I am not going to let out of my sight … In fact right now I’m going to love you senseless before I take you somewhere and marry you.’
Marriage … did he say marriage? Nandini sat up with a start an awed look on her face. Before total joy replaced it.
She laughed in delight, and then, with more boldness than she thought she possessed, she climbed astride him, her dress riding up and bunching around her thighs and pushed him back on to the couch.
‘Show me, then,’ she invited against his lips.
Manik did not need telling twice.
“That was a proposal, in case you missed it,” he mumbled against her lips, smiling at the confidence with which she had climbed on top of him. His Nandu seemed to have grown up in these past years … and gained some experience, he suddenly thought crossly, imagining Steve and how many others touching her. He was being unreasonable, he realized, but that did not stop his thoughts from running riot in his mind.
“And this is your answer, in case you missed it,” Nandini pressed her lips firmly against his trying to cajole him into deepening the kiss.
“Hmmm…” he whispered softly, enjoying her dominance. “That’s a yes?” he murmured innocently, “you don’t want a proper romantic proposal … down on my knees and all?”
“Mmmmm…” Nandini wished he would stop talking and just kiss her. “Yes. That was a yes … yes … yes … yes …” she punctuated each ‘yes’ with a kiss. “And no, I don’t want it any other way, than the way you just did … this was so you … the way I know you … making an occasion out of it would be unlike the Manik I remember.” She teased.
“Nandini,” he groaned unable to take this assault any more. He needed her. This wanting was driving him crazy now. And seeing her so enthusiastic in her response, Manik wished his leg was not in the cast so that he could just carry her off to the bed and continue this there.
“Damn, this cast.” He muttered in frustration instead.
Nandini immediately stopped and looked at him in concern. “What happened?” she started feeling down his leg for anything that may have hurt him suddenly. “Does it pain somewhere?”
Smiling at her concerned face he pulled her back into his chest, holding her head firmly in his hand. “Nothing is wrong … except that I would have liked to do this properly … carried you on to the bed and then taken over from where you started here.” He knew she would have been blushing against his tee-shirt front. He lifted her chin with a finger so that she was now looking into his mischievous eyes. “But, I don’t mind you taking charge, you know,” he whispered provocatively, his eyes now burning with a new intensity.
“Taking charge?” Nandini frowned. “Taking charge of what?” She asked him perplexed as to where this conversation was going. Weren’t they just getting all mushy and physical? What happened to him suddenly?
What the hell! Manik started at her not believing what he was hearing. Did she seriously not understand what he was saying? But the way she had been responding and playing with him all evening …
“I mean that since my leg is in this stupid cast, and you are in one dominating mood, which by the way I am totally loving,” he added seeing her look mortified. “So …. Erm … its okay with me if you want to … erm ...” he looked at her expression and faltered as he spoke. Something was not right here, he realised, as Nandini was now looking really embarrassed and speechless.
“You want me to …” she whispered hoarsely, as realization dawned upon her. Good God! He was expecting her to make love to him, since he was incapacitated!
“Er… Manik …” she cleared her throat and shutting her eyes briefly before speaking again.
“Er … I have to tell you something … er …” She looked thoroughly embarrassed now. How on earth would she tell him that she have never ever in life done this! That he was the first man she had ever kissed or … OH GOD! … climbed upon like this!
Manik looked at her questioningly, raising his eyebrows slightly, encouraging her to speak. His hand softly caressed her back in rhythmic strokes to comfort her, as she was starting to look completely flustered now.
Taking in a deep breath and deciding that it was now or never, she blurted out, “I’ve never done this before. You will be the first man who…”
“WHAT!” Manik looked as if he had been sucker punched in his gut. “You’re a … I’m the first …” He could not believe what he was hearing. How was it even possible …
“What do you mean ‘how is it possible’” Nandini glared at him crossly. He had not even realised that he has spoken out aloud. She found covering her embarrassment with temper the only recourse right now.
“It’s possible because some of us have self control, and are not out womani…” Manik put a finger on her lip to silence her outcry.
“That’s not what I meant,” he calmed her down softly, “Its just that I didn’t think that you would … that you…” How the hell was he to say anything without offending her! He bit back a smile though at the thought that she had not had any boyfriends in all these years, but he was damned if he was going to admit it and face her wrath again. His heart was singing and even though he was ashamed to be thinking like an archaic old-fashioned man, he still loved it completely. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy and wanted.
Nandini continued to look at him sulkily. “Well … I haven’t. So there.”
Manik gathered up her rigid form into his arms and kissed the top of her head tenderly. “Now I understand the ‘overprotective brother’ call,” he murmured to himself.
Instead he said aloud ‘I love you … and you are perfect. And I’m going to enjoy teaching you a couple of things after I organize a wedding for us.”
“Organize a wedding?” Nandini looked up again towards him. “Why would you organize a wedding…”
“I need to get us to … Vegas? Isn’t it … where they marry people overnight?” He was again speaking aloud obviously, ignoring her blustering in his lap.
“No, you do not Manik Malhotra,” Nandini shook him out of his monologue firmly. “I am not marrying you in some quick fix overnight chapel types.” She looked at him indignantly. “I loved the impromptu proposal, but an impromptu wedding … no way…”
“And I’m not going to touch you till I get that wedding ring on your finger Ms. Murty,” Manik countered, “the faster the better.”
“Since when have you become so old-fashioned Mr. Malhotra,” Nandini looked at him startled at what he was saying. “I’m not objecting, so what are you fussing about. We are adults you know.”
“Who talks like this anymore?” she scoffed.
“I do. And yes, I’m feeling very ‘old-fashioned’ right now. And I’m going to do this properly this time, Nandini,” he ended on a serious note.
“Well, I’m not doing the Vegas wedding.” Nandini crossed her arms and looked at him stubbornly, her lips pouting sulkily.
“And I’m not doing …” He raised his eyebrows ready to be equally stubborn with her.
“We will see.” Nandini threatened, already working on a plan to seduce this man, who had stolen her heart when she was just a girl of seventeen. And now still continued to make it skip a beat with just a single look.
She was going to make him change him mind, she vowed smugly.
They stared at each other for a few minutes. Each refusing to bow out. It was Manik who finally found his voice, seeing how they must be looking – him on the couch with an angry, rigid but stunningly beautiful Nandini sitting astride him, her arms crossed over her chest, her dress pooled around her thighs, and still glaring at him. She didn’t even realize the effect she was having on him, he groaned inwardly. She needed to get off, before he broke his resolve and took her right here like this without even taking that dress off. I’ll bet she had no bloody idea about that; he pursued his lips in frustration.
“Right then …” he muttered, biting back a laugh and breaking the silence.
“I’m NOT doing Vegas, Manik” she threatened him again. “Stop being obstinate!”
“OK FINE! … No Vegas” he threw back his head in exasperation. This tiny woman was still too much for him to handle, obviously. She still knew how to twist him around her slender fingers. But this time he was serious about what he had declared. It would kill him, he knew but he was not going to give in that easily to her arguments and ruin something that they both had waited all this while for. Well, at least till he got this cast off in another couple of weeks. That would also give him time to try and figure out the wedding plans. More than anything else, he wanted her with him. He was not letting go, he vowed for the millionth time to himself.
“FINE,” she also muttered and moved off him suddenly, to gather the soiled dishes from the coffee table and stomp off to the kitchenette.
Manik felt bereft without her warm presence on him. She had felt so right sitting astride him in all her glamorous finery. He gave a resigned shake to his head and stood to help her clear up the glasses etc. She ignored him pointedly when he entered the kitchenette to see her rinsing the crockery before putting each piece away systematically. He stood looking at her for a few minutes then deciding against saying anything, walked back and started extinguishing the remaining candles and pick up the medicines, before she could start on his case with that too.
He cleared the living room, and took out the duvet that he had used earlier; ready to settle himself on the couch. He walked back into the kitchen to get water to take the medicines and watched her with amused eyes, as she dumped the dishcloth on the counter and stomped out of the kitchen, completely ignoring him.
Taking his medicines, and rinsing his glass, he walked out, only to come to a stop in the living room. Nandini had put his duvet back into the closet and was standing, arms akimbo near her bedroom curtain, obviously waiting for him.
“You can sleep here.” She said through barely clenched teeth. “Its more comfortable. And don’t worry, I won’t TOUCH you … you are safe.” She added sarcastically and flounced off behind the curtain.
Manik nearly laughed aloud, but stopped himself. This was going to be a tough one … lying on the bed with her but he so wanted to be near her. He was not going to get any sleep either way, he thought ruefully … so might as well be in the bed with her.
He walked behind the curtain and came to a sudden halt startled at the sight he saw. Nandini was standing near her closet, back to him and was peeling of that delectable dress of her shoulders. He could have sworn she was doing the actions more slowly and sultrily than required. He watched in fascination, as she took down one shoulder then the next to revel her very lacy black undergarments.
Muffling a groan, Manik clenched his fists and turned to walk out and wait till she had changed. He was sure she had done that purposely, the little minx, and her small giggle at his retreating back proved him right. She was going to make his life hell, he was sure.
When there was silence behind the curtain, he walked softly back to the bedroom and saw her curled up on her side of the bed, her back towards him. As quietly as possible he sat on the bed and lay down without disturbing her.
Nandini heard him let out his breath in relief as he assumed she was asleep. He was being so ridiculous, she thought to herself. How long was he thinking he would last with this silly display of morality? She shut her eyes, trying to sleep. She was tired of arguing with him now.
She woke up early the next day, as was her habit, curled up warmly against him. Her head was rested on his chest and he was holding her close to him with one hand around her shoulder. So much for not touching me, Manik, she thought to herself, snuggling deeper into him to grab another five minutes of sleep. I swear that I am going to wake up like this every day of the rest of my life, she swore to herself, her heart filling with love she felt for him. His stubborn ways were so endearing and made her fall in love with him a little more each time.
Sneaking out of bed, five minutes later she rushed into the bathroom for a quick shower and then out into the terrace to do her riyaz. She did not want to disturb with her voice, so decided to curl up on one of the cane settees on her small terrace to practice her early morning singing. It was cold outside, but also a bright beautiful sunny day. She had promised Rishabh yesterday that they would visit him at the University today. Rishabh and his friends had organized a small fund raising event for one of the local charities and were performing a live unplugged concert.
It would be nice to get out for Manik as he had been holed up first in the hospital and then at her house for so long now. She knew he would enjoy watching the boys play, as much as she used to. They had come and practiced at her place many times with Rishabh.
Manik awoke to the sound of some beautiful muted singing. He frowned looking about himself and turned to look at her side of the bed when the events of last night came crashing back. Where was she? Was that Nandini singing? Throwing back the covers he stepped out of the bed and followed the voice to the glass doors at the other end of her living room. It was bright and sunny outside, he saw through the glass reaching out to open the door and step outside.
A chilly nip hit him, and he realized that he was clad just in a thin tee shirt, he shut the door quickly trying not to disturb her. He could see Nandini sitting on one the cane sofas lined against the wall, with her legs curled under her, eyes closed and lost in her music. She was already dressed for the day in her jeans and another pastel coloured pullover similar to one she had worn at the hospital that day.
He watched her sing, and wished he could remain there forever. That he would wake up each day to her early morning singing, go up to her a kiss her good morning and never face the rest of the world again. He realized that even though he had proposed and she had accepted his proposal, they still had a lot to discuss. His work, her work, her ongoing thesis, Rishabh … They had just decided to get married in one passionate moment without thinking the logistics through.
You never think a thing through, Manik Malhotra, he chided himself. It had always been Nandini who thought before reacting. He had always been the impulsive one … but now he was trying to be the non-so-impulsive one and she was hell bent on not allowing it. He grinned at the thought of her trying to seduce him … it would be interesting to see his innocent Nandu and what tricks she would come out with now. The changing scene last night was a low blow though, he recalled as his body hardened recalling the sight of her sexily removing her dress.
What was that she used to always say he, he frowned trying to remember.
Looking skywards he raised his eyebrows and muttered, as he remembered, ‘Aaiyyapa, help me through this!” And giving her one last loving look, he took off to shower himself. Reminding him that he also needed to connect with Dhruv and Cabir. There was much to share.
Breakfast was already on the counter when he joined her in the kitchen sometime later. She smiled at him innocently wishing him good morning and handed him a fresh cup of tea she had just prepared for him.
“Had a good sleep?” she fluttered her eyelashes at him innocently when he pulled up the high stool and sat next to her.
Manik nodded playing along with her act.
“Good.” She sipped her glass of milk ignoring him completely, “Rishabh has invited us to the university today … that is if you’d like to come.” She told him sheepishly.
“Yes, Nandini.” He answered her patiently, “I’d like very much to visit the university with you.”
“Good,” she repeated playing along with this silly formal conversation. She had wanted to run up to him and hug him good morning … maybe he would have lifted her up on to the counter again and … UFF … why was he being so silly, she grumbled.
“So we’ll leave in the afternoon … we could eat lunch out, if you are up to it?” she questioned him, wondering if he had enough clothes to keep him warm outside. She was quite used to the Atlanta cold now, but he would need more than just a sweater. Did he have a thermal … a jacket … maybe she could go out first and pick up something? Wait she would have some spare thermal tee’s that she always kept for Rishabh and his last minute demands.
“Hmm.” He agreed thinking about making his calls after breakfast. “I need to buy you a ring.” He stated suddenly looking towards her.
Nandini nearly choked on the milk she had been about to swallow. Putting her glass down she looked at him. He had picked up a toast and was nibbling it lost in thought.
On not getting any response from her, he looked at her staring at him and raised his eyebrows in question. “What? You agreed to marry me, no? So you need an engagement ring, no?” he explained calmly.
Nandini shook her head at his calm justification. “You want to do it online, instead?” she asked sarcastically, hating this whole impersonal conversation.
“Can we do that?” he asked teasing her, loving seeing her get all flushed and angry, “really?”
“Oh go to hell!” she pushed her chair back and stormed out of the kitchen, his muffled laughter following her.
He found her vacuuming the bedroom, a frown on her forehead and mumbling under her breath.
Manik walked across to where it was plugged into the wall, and smoothly disconnected the machine. He walked to stand next to her and looked down at her speechless rigid figure about to give him another lecture. Taking the machine out of her hand, he took her palm in his and sat her down on the bed, kneeling in front of her.
“You’re touching me,” she looked pointedly at his hand still holding hers, and then at his knees on either side of her thighs.
He looked at her indulgently and yanked her towards him holding her hands till her face came just inches away from his.
“You know what I meant, Nandu,” he whispered as he watched all the fight go out slowly from her eyes. “And I also know what you are up to, my love … that changing trick last night was quite successful.” He watched her look down in embarrassment, her cheeks turning pink.
“I do plan to touch you … touch you a lot, actually,” he continued to whisper as he started coming closer to her face. “I’m just not going to go all the way … so you can cut out the sulks and the seduction act, okay?” He was a millisecond away from her lips now. Nandini shut her eyes in anticipation of the oncoming kiss.
“You can continue with your chores now,” his calm voice had her open her eyes immediately. He had moved away and was leaning back on his haunches looking at her, his delight at her predicament shining in his eyes. “I need to speak with Dhruv, and then we can leave for shopping and lunch as planned. Ok?”
Nandini nodded mutely, as she stared at his handsome face looking so relaxed and happy. She would have just given him a bone-crushing hug right now, if it were not for his wounds … she loved him so much.
By the time she finished some of her weekend chores, and Manik was done with his calls, she had him tucked up warmly in one the fresh thermal tees she had given him under his white Aran polo neck jumper that he wore teamed with a pair of basic blue denims. Luckily the fabric was a stretch one and went over his cast quite easily.
He was quite comfortable with the walking stick and they made the short walk to the tube station to take a train into the city. Nandini held his hand as they walked in companionable silence while she stopped and pointed out some of the known buildings and areas to him. He asked her about some others that he found interesting along the way.
Manik felt completely relaxed and at ease walking comfortably in the warm afternoon sunshine, with no one recognizing him or pestering him for autographs and selfies. It felt great to be just Nandini’s ‘Manik’ … It felt great to look at the city through her eyes. They lunched at a diner in Downtown Atlanta. Manik told her all about his visits to various countries on tours and how he had never managed to really see any of the sights as it was just moving from one party or gig to another. Whatever free time he got would be spent sleeping.
It had been at the tip of her tongue to inquire about his mother, but Nandini decided against it fearing that it may the ruin their lovely afternoon. They could speak later, she thought, loving this side of Manik that she had never seen. They walked some more after lunch; Nandini being careful about his leg and making sure they sat in the park benches to take breaks occasionally. She loved it when they sat on the roadside benches, and he would pull her up against him, putting his arm around her shoulder as they sat silently watching the city buzz around them.
When they came upon a famous designer jewellery outlet, Manik stopped outside and looked at her enquiringly. “Its too expensive, Manik,” Nandini whispered in awe, never dreaming of even looking at the elaborate display on the store window, let alone enter it.
Giving her a look that would not to listen to any argument, Manik pulled her easily into the store and confidently asked for the manager who put them on to a sales person to attend to them. Nandini felt so completely out of place in this glittering showroom and started in awe as tray after tray of diamond rings were placed in front of her.
They were just too big and too ugly Nandini thought to herself, not wanting to make Manik feel bad by saying it out aloud. She actually hated each one of them, and looked helplessly from one tray to another, wondering what to do.
“I don’t think so,” Manik smoothly pushed the trays away from them rejecting them while she herself fumbled with the appropriate words.
“We’d like that one,” she heard him point at one of the lone displays and tried to turn to see what it was. He sounded so sure, and she hoped he had not gone and selected some ugly big rock that she was going to be stuck with for the rest of her life. She said a silent prayer and watched the sales girl smile knowingly and pull of the selected ring.
Nandini gasped as she laid her eyes on the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was three simple bands in three different shades of gold with small diamonds encrusted in them. It was the Trinity Ring the sales girls was telling them proudly as Nandini lifted it off the tray and slid it on for size. It glittered prettily on her slender finger, and she looked up smiling at Manik.
The sales girl was continuing her lecture about the three colours of gold bands intertwined in harmony representing the pink gold for love, the yellow gold for fidelity and the white gold for friendship.
Nandini felt a glistening of tears come into her eyes as Manik turned beaming towards to the sales girl and said, “It’s perfect … we’ll take it.”
Nandini stood awkwardly and waited as Manik gave his credit card to the sales person to swipe. He turned and winked at her while he waited to sign the counterfoil, as if he felt her discomfiture, and tried to ease it. Nandini continued to smile at him nervously as he finished signing and removing the box from its fancy paper bag, stuffed it into his pocket casually. Walking back to where she stood he held her hand and walked out of the store.
Nandini looked up at him suspiciously as they stepped out on to the street. He had just casually pocketed an exorbitant ring into his jeans without a care in the world. Shouldn’t he have made her wear it? Or asked her to keep it safely in her bag?
“The ring…” Nandini started to point out, only to have him pat his pocket and say smugly, “all good, lets go.”
Since they had walked most of the afternoon, they decided to take a cab to the university campus, which was a distance away. Nandini usually took the tube, but seeing that Manik may not be comfortable any more, with his cast, did not argue too much when he suggested taking a cab instead. Today was the first day he had actually put weight on his leg for so many hours, she did not want him to over do it.
She called Rishabh, while Manik paid the cabbie, when they reached. While they waited, she walked around the lush green campus showing Manik all that she herself had seen during her tour when Rishabh had joined two years ago. Soon Rishabh came over with a couple of friends and after greeting Nandini, they took Manik off on a tour of the campus, while Nandini sat and waited patiently under one of the trees on the grounds where they were to perform a short while later.
Nandini smiled when she recalled the awe on Rishabh’s friend’s faces when they were introduced to their rock star idol. They were so excited to show him their dorm rooms and music facilities that they had all but dragged him away from her. She was glad Manik indulged them and was sporting enough to go along with their enthusiasm, asking questions about each ones choice of course taken etc. She watched them walk away chatting excitedly, but at a slow enough pace for him to hobble along.
Before leaving Manik had given her a questioning look, as if asking if she would be ok alone, and she had nodded reassuringly at him. She had spent many hours lazing on the beautiful lawns of the campus waiting for Rishabh. She looked forward to just sitting and watching the young students go about their life. It was a beautiful green, quiet campus and she felt quite at home just lazing in the dusky sunlight.
After the boys had left she pulled out a thin blanket from her sling bag and spread it out on the grass under a tree. She sat leaning against the tree, her head thrown back towards the sky, her eyes closed, lost in thought and that’s how Manik found her when he returned some time later.
Sitting down beside her, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips and watched her eyes flash open. She found him settling down beside her and leaning back on the trunk, looking towards the small open air makeshift stage on to which the boys were now stepping up.
Other students and staff members had also gathered on the grass around them, most of them finished with their classes and relaxed for the evening. The sun had started setting a beautiful orange glow enveloped them as the boys started tuning their guitars and testing the equipment. Nandini heard a sigh escape Manik’s lips and she realized he must have recalled his days at SPACE, performing with the Fab5. Impulsively she reached out and took his hand in hers, pulling it on to her lap. Tucking his hand under the shawl she had place to use later when the evening got cooler, she now leaned across to place her head on his shoulder.
Manik smiled and reached down and kissed the top of her head. He felt a gush of tenderness towards her. This felt so right.
He had never enjoyed himself more than he had done today, doing the simplest of things with Nandini. Just walking down the streets, sitting with her on park benches, riding the tube and now sitting here quietly; he felt a sense of peace surround him. Sitting here, with Nandini in his arms, listening to live music … damn! He could get used to this life quite easily. But there were commitments back home, contracts, schedules … a life other than this.
Nandini was speaking softly to him now, telling him about Rishabh’s involvements with the various voluntary projects at the university. Manik listened to her soft soothing voice, the pride in her brother’s achievements apparent. Removing his hand from her clasped ones, he reached across her shoulder to hug her closer to himself, “You have done good with him, Nandini,” he complimented her softly, proud of the way she had singlehandedly changed Rishabh around. It must have been tough to start out alone in an alien country with no support whatsoever. But his tiny but strong Nandu had done it, and done it exceedingly well. She had every right to take pride in it.
Tilting her blushing face up with his other hand, he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips, “I love you Nandini Murty,” he whispered against her lips.
Nandini felt his hand drop from her chin and after a few seconds of silence he said softly, “and it will be an honour for me to have you as my wife.”
She opened her eyes to look into his and then down at his down at his hand holding the ring aloft between his fingers. Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked back into his face.
“I’m sorry I did not come after you all those years … that I gave up on us and moved on … that I let you leave without a trace, that I was egotistical …” He shook his head at her, when he saw her open her mouth to say something. “I didn’t believe you took the money Nyonika offered you, even though she tried to convince me otherwise.” He gently lowed her lips on to her cheek to kiss away the tears that were flowing freely now.
“And I’m sorry I insinuated all that about Steve too, but I don’t like him touching you...” he growled near her ears and Nandini gave a shaky laugh. She loved it when he got all possessive and angry. It only showed her how much he cared for her.
“I know you have your thesis and Rishabh and your job at the hospital but I want us to be married as soon as possible and …” Before she could utter her thoughts again he continued, “yes, the proper ‘great Indian wedding’, I know, I know … but I want you to know that you don’t have to leave any of this … I can easily move here and work from here too … Dhruv will probably throw a fit but you know me,” he looked back at her and grinned cheekily, “Manik Malhotra always does as he pleases with complete disregard for anything else.”
“That’s not true,” Nandini frowned at him reaching up to put her finger on his lips, “You are the most emotional and sensitive person I know, who hides his weakness behind that coconut exterior.” She reached up and kissed his cheek, “
And it will be MY honour to be your wife and spend the rest of my life with you, Mr. Malhotra.” She whispered shyly. “And you don’t have to do any such thing as move here … I am a qualified doctor remember … I can work anywhere ... and in case you never knew, there is something called the internet through which …” her cheeky banter was shut up by a growl and a sudden hard kiss on her lips.
Nandini pushed him away from her to finish what she was saying. “Accha baba … will you let me finish. I have been wanting to go back to India for some time now … I miss family and home and Rishabh is settled now and just has a couple of more years in any case.”
“You will move back to Mumbai with me?” he questioned her, as if not believing what she was saying.
Nandini looked at him, glowing in the love she was seeing shining in his eyes. This had to be the best moment of their life, cuddled under the tree, tiny flickering lanterns lit all across the lawns by the students, a starlit sky and live music playing in the background. It could not have been a better setting for him to propose formally and it was a moment she would cherish all her life.
Nodding at him instead, as she was sure she would not be able to articulate another word she held out her ring finger towards him. Manik removed his hand from around her shoulder and holding her hand in one of his slid the ring on to her trembling finger.
“We need to celebrate” he muttered gruffly, unable to speak clearly himself too. Nandini reached up and laid her hand on his cheep softly … the ring glittered on her fingers and she felt a thrill go through her at the sight.
“This should be over in half an hour or so ... we could go home and order something in and then ‘celebrate’,’ she suggested huskily throwing hints at him.
Then, since it was getting chilly, she took the folded shawl from her lap and opening it up handed him one end. He took it and draped them both in it and she cuddled into his chest, warm in his embrace.
“OK madam,” he told her firmly, holding her by her shoulders under the shawl. “I’m game to celebrate at home, but not the kind of celebration that you want.” He looked down seriously at her, “I told you I want to do this properly … the cast needs to go first and foremost…”
“Right. I know,” Nandini made a face. “And I did not mean that kind of ‘celebration’. She muttered thoroughly embarrassed at the look he was giving her. She must be coming across as one sex deprived woman to him, she wondered wryly.
“I know what you meant, my love,” he nuzzled her ear biting her earlobe and drawing a moan from her. “And you have no bloody idea how difficult this self control is. All I want to do is lay you down on this grass right here, under the stars and …”
“Manik?” Nandini squeaked, looking about her to check no one had heard him.
“What?” he asked innocently, enjoying her blushes, “what did I say…”
She rolled her eyes at him, and was about to turn to look towards the stage, when she felt him hold her face and turn her towards him. “I did promise you lots of touching though, didn’t I?” he groaned and kissed her lush pink lips deeply with his own, coaxing an immediate response.
He never played by the rules and Manik Malhotra always changed the rules to suit his purpose in any case.
Two glorious weeks later, Nandini found herself walking into the airport to board their two-hour flight to New York. Two weeks of sharing her home, her heart and her life with Manik. Two memorable weeks of kissing, cuddling and sleeping spooned in each other’s arms.And two pleasurable weeks of discovering each other, Nandini blushed as she recalled some of the moments she had experiences with him.
Other than the most romantic side of Manik that she had discovered, he also proved to be as sensitive to her needs. Each morning when she would religiously wake up at daybreak and finish her riyaaz, she would find breakfast ready on the kitchen counter. Much as she would try to get up without disturbing him, she would always find him awake and cheerful in her small kitchenette, hobbling around getting stuff together, without major mishaps, after the first two days of burnt toast, spilled milk and watery coffee!
The weather had also turned less cold and they had spent many hours just walking in the park or sitting on her small terrace chatting. She had even managed to broach the subject of his mother, only to be informed in a resigned tone that he had nothing more to do with her for years now. Ever since he had cut his first album. He had moved out and remained alone, only in touch with his dad off and on. His music and his friends were his world. And now, of course her, he reminded her huskily before shutting any other conversation with his marauding lips.
Rishabh had visited them over the weekend and had been thrilled at their news, urging Manik to take her away to India as soon as possible, so that she would get ‘off his case’. Manik had spent many hours chatting with Rishabh and promised to visit the campus again once before leaving. They had called in for pizzas and had had a fun, relaxed evening together.
And they had made the final visit to the hospital yesterday, for his checkup and the cast removal. After which she had attended the physiotherapy session with him, so that he could carry out the exercises at home. He had even insisted on walking back home from the hospital, enjoying the freedom of not having to use a walking stick finally. Though Nandini had been skeptical about his exerting so soon after the cast had been cut off, Manik, stubborn as ever, had not listened to any of her concerns. The only promise she could manage to draw out of him was that they would take a cab any time he felt the exertion. Needless to say, they had reached home without having to hail a cab after all, with Nandini grumbling and fussing about him all the way.
And then came the call from Cabir, to top off her agitation. Everyone had reached New Jersey and were just waiting for them. The celebrations started in a day and it was time for them to show up in Newark. Which meant flying out the next morning to New York! Cabir could not stress enough that they just needed to be there immediately.
Amid a million phone calls between the Fab5 and her and Rishabh, travel booking and last minute packing etc. there had barely few minutes for them to even speak to each other. Nandini had been in a complete flap at this last minute travel plans. She had grumbled and protested and argued, but to no avail. Manik had ridden roughshod over any of her anxieties, telling her he would buy her whatever she forgot to carry; that she would look beautiful even if she wore her old tracks; that everyone would love her and accept her and that he was there with her. She gave up when she was left with nothing else to put forth in her defense.
And here they were now, all checked in and ready to board. Manik had taken charge of everything, confidently striding into the waiting area with her in tow. It was as if this was not even the person who had spent those few weeks with her. She followed him around quietly, trying to match his long strides wondering what she was getting herself into. From the bits of conversation she had heard between him and his friends, there had been no mention of her or even their getting sort of engaged, she looked down glumly at the ring sparkling on her finger.
“Coffee?” She was roused from her agitating thoughts when Manik suddenly looked down and asked her as they settled on the row of steel chairs overlooking the tarmac outside.
Nandini swallowed a gulp and shook her head. She suddenly felt petrified. She would be meeting his friends after so many years. They had not exactly parted as friends and she was not sure how they would accept her back into Manik’s life. Cabir was the only one who knew about ‘them’, who she had always felt comfortable speaking to. This was all happening too soon!
As if reading her thoughts, Manik reached out and taking her hand in his tucked it into his lap. “It will be ok,” he leaned over and gave her a peck on her cheek, settling back to stare out of the bay windows where their flight was docking and the announcements to board were being made.
She sat silently beside him throughout the flight, thankful that he was not questioning her too much on her silence. Instead he was most attentive, making her comfortable, giving her the window seat, and lifting the armrest between them to cuddle her into his arms. Nandini knew she was being silly and that they were old enough now not to worry about things like these. But she also knew how important his friends were to him.
“So when do want to get married,” his voice broke into her trance, and she whipped her head away from the window to look at him.
“Huh?” she looked at him blankly.
“You wanted a wedding in India...” he prompted raising his eyebrows, “so when?”
Nandini stared at him for a few seconds, before she understood what he was saying.
Looking at him shyly from under her lashes, she quietly asked, “would you mind too much if we got married at Ams ancestral home in Mangalore?” She crinkled her nose and shut her eyes waiting for the reaction to happen.
When she did not get a reaction, she opened her eyes to find him a hair’s breath away from her face, waiting with a teasing glint in his eyes, for her open her eyes.
“I can hijack this flight right now, and take you to Vegas, remember Nandu,” he teased huskily, “So what’s going to Mangalore?”
He laughed at the relief he saw in her eyes as she let out her breath. “Anything you want, sweetheart,” he promised reaching towards her to kiss her. “If Mangalore you want then Mangalore you will get.”
“I love you Manik Malhotra,” Nandini reached her arms around his waist and hugged him tight to herself.
“I know,” he answered smugly enjoying the feel of her warm and soft body in his arms, “but there is only so much I am going to agree to, and I want a wedding as soon as possible.”
“I will need at least three months to get things organised here bore moving,” she looked up ruefully at him.
“Three months!” Manik shook her by the shoulders, exclaiming loudly.
“Shhh...” she put a finger on his lips, looking about her in the First Class cabin. She need not have worried as the next seat was practically miles away from where they were sitting.
“What do you mean three months!” he said harshly.
“Manik,” she used her most patient voice to calm him down, “you have gigs here which will take up most of the month now ... I will need to put in my papers, work a notice, wrap up my home, organize my further studies ... actually three months is also less...” she mused.
“NO. Three months it is,” he grabbed the three month offer before she increased it to six months.
“Of the three, one month I’d like to be in Mangalore helping them organise the wedding,” she placated him shyly. “And Mangalore is not too far away from Mumbai now, is it?” she reminded him cheekily. “So actually it will be just two months...”
“Ok ok, madame...” Manik shook his head in resignation. “You won’t always get your way you know,” he shifted back into his seat sulkily.
“Oh I plan to always get my way, Manik Malhotra,” Nandini moved closer and settled herself into the nook of his arms, resting her head on his chest, and inhaling the manly scent of aftershave from his jacket. “Always...” she promised.
Even though Manik had told Cabir that they could easily take a cab for the 20 odd minute drive from New York to Newark, New Jersey, they both were pleasantly surprised to see Dhruv waiting outside the airport for them. Nandini noticed him holding a little boy aloft in his arms, who was now waving vigorously at them, and trying his best to wriggle out of Dhruv’s arms.
“Chachu!” Dhruv could not control little Sameer any longer and handed him over to Manik as soon as they were next to him.
Nandini watched as Manik lifted the little boy aloft and threw him up in the air, as he giggled uncontrollably. “Champ!” Manik was now tickling him on his tummy as he held him suspended in the air.
“Nandini.” Dhruv had walked up to her, a warm smile on his face, “how are you?”
Nandini shuffled nervously, embarrassed to face Dhruv. “I’m good…” she muttered, ‘Is that Sameer?” she questioned Dhruv instead as they both turned to watch the camaraderie between the boy and Manik.
“Yeah … with his favourite chachu … who can lift him the highest, no doubt.” Dhruv shook his head wryly, smiling warmly at them.
Turning towards Nandini he looked at her mock accusingly, “you guys never told me that you both…”
“Yeah … we … er …” Nandini mumbled wondering what Cabir had already told him.
“No issues,” Dhruv cut through her stammering and helping them with the baggage trolley led them to was the car was parked.
It was when Manik put Sameer on the back seat that the little boy looked enquiringly at Nandini.
“Are you my new Chachi?” he cocked his head to a side, and asked innocently as she sat on the back seat next to him. “Cabir chachu told me you would be coming,” he informed her seriously.
Nandi looked up and met Manik’s laughter filled eyes in the rear view mirror.
“Hi Sameer, I’m Nandini,” she extended her hand towards Sameer and said instead.
Sameer looked at her extended hand and grabbing it climbed on top of a startled Nandini’s lap to stare out of the window.
Nandini felt a surge of warmth as his small body leaned against her chest and she slowly felt his eyes close with the motion of the car.
She rested her head back contentedly against the backrest and closed her eyes too. He really was an affectionate child, she smiled to herself.
She must have also dozed off, as they had already reached by the time she opened her eyes and looked about her.
Manik had already opened the passenger door next to her and was lifting Sameer, still cuddled into her chest.
“Come along champ… that is chachu’s place you are getting comfortable in,” he looked teasingly at Nandini.
“Manik,” she muttered looking pointedly at Dhruv who was opening the boot to pull out the luggage.
“What? Dhruv also has a similar special place …” Manik continued tongue-in-cheek. “Nahi, Dhruv…”
“Yeah buddy … I know all about the special places…” He winked at Nandini who was now blushing furiously.
“What special place, daddy?” Sameer mumbled, now awake and listening intently to his uncle and dad.
“Enough both of you!” Nandini said through clenched teeth, “stop corrupting the little boy.”
Both Dhruv and Manik burst out laughing, and when Manik put Sameer down, the little boy ran out of his arms, and grabbing Nandini’s hand dragged her towards the house saying “come and meet mummy.”
Nandini found herself being tugged towards a large beautiful double story home on the quiet street. Its white and grey symmetrical façade, regularly spaced single windows with colonial white shutters, and tiled sloped roof stood majestically on a beautifully manicured lawns. A verandah ran across the front, with white cane chairs and a swing creaking in the slight wind.
Before she could stand and admire the beautiful home, she had been pulled into the cool interiors by Sameer and dragged across the living rooms, out at the back onto a large wooden deck overlooking a pool that was currently covered with a tarp. Beyond the pool Nandini saw the green woods that the house overlooked.
And on the deck were the rest of the Fab5 relaxing and enjoying a bar-be-cue in the afternoon sunshine. Nandini froze as they all turned to look towards her, standing hesitatingly at the edge, with Sameer jumping about her.
It was Cabir, who first reacted and walked towards her with a warm smile. He reached her and pulled her into a hug. “Nandini”, he exclaimed, holding her back by the shoulders and looking her up and down. “Dr. Nandini Murty,” he corrected raising his eyebrows, “and soon to be…” he looked cheekily at her ring finger where Manik’s ring suddenly seemed larger than life to Nandini.
“Cabir,” Nandini mumbled, “How are you? Thanks for having me...”
“Nandini” a considerably older looking Raghav Sir moved away from the bar-be-cue where he had been cooking and walked towards them, looking at her warmly.
“Raghav Sir,” Nandini turned towards him a smile on her face too.
He let out a laugh when he reached her, “I think we can drop the ‘Sir’ now … makes me feel older than I am.” He put his arm around her shoulder looking down at her affectionately, “It’s good to see you after so many years … and a Doctor!” he raised his eyebrows too as if impressed. “Given up music completely?”
“R …” Cabir cut into their conversation. “Let her meet everyone and settle down … we have enough time to chat and catch up later.”
He led her across to where Aliya and Mukti were sitting on deck chairs, both standing up as she approached.
Surprisingly, it was Mukti who bridged the short distance between them, greeting her with a wide grin and then reaching out to give her a hug. “How are you, Nandini … imagine meeting after all these years … and in the States … and you are a doctor …”
Nandini smiled seeing the usually edgy Mukti, so happy and affectionate, and recalled Dhruv telling her about Abhi. Mukti still looked the same, except that her clothes were less grungy and she too wore a pair of denims with a mirror-work jacket over her black tee.
She heard Manik and Dhruv walk on to the deck behind her and loud laughter rang out as Manik met Cabir followed by an awkward mumbled hello between Raghav and him.
“Hi Nandini,” Aliya’s cool voice got her attention back to the two ladies in front of her. Even though she had remained standing where she was, Nandini could make out that she did not from any angle look like a mother of a five-year-old. There was not a hair out of place, or an extra line of makeup. Dressed in a tartan checked pencil skirt that came to her knees, that she had teamed with a grey pullover set, she looked every bit the lady that she did even back in college. Perfectly turned out as if she had stepped out of the glossy pages of a fashion magazine.
“Er … Aliya … hi…” Nandini responded awkwardly, not being able to gauge Aliya’s reaction from behind the designer sunglasses she had donned.
“Come…” Aliya pointed to a vacant lounger between them and invited Nandini to join them, while calling out to Dhruv to get them something cool to drink.
Nandini joined them, some of her anxiety fading away as she turned to look towards where the guys where standing and her eyes met Manik’s. He winked at her encouragingly as if reassuring her that it was all good.
“I have not seen that smile in eight years, you know,” Aliya broke the silence between them as she looked from Manik towards Nandini and back towards where the guys were standing at the bar at one end of the deck, near the bar-be-cue pit. “I didn’t realize that it was you.” She perched her sunglasses on her head and looked directly at Nandini now.
Nandini opened her mouth to say something, but Aliya continued her musing, “Dhruv told me about you guys when he came from Atlanta… and Nandini, even though we have never been friends, I just want you to know that if you are the reason that Manik is smiling again, then we will all just make sure that you never leave again… what say Mukti?” She turned towards Mukti.
“Hmmm…” Mukti murmured, laying back on the lounger and shutting her eyes to soak in the sunshine.
Nandini sat silent for a while taking in this bit of information, not knowing how to respond. Finally drawing in a breath she hesitatingly told them of how worried she had been about meeting with them after all long … that they were hardly friends at college, and she realized how important his friends were to him.
“And I won’t be leaving him,” she smiled sincerely at both of them, “I seem to have been committed now…” She raised her finger up towards her face showing them her ring.
That certainly got a reaction! Nandini laughed to herself, suddenly relieved and beginning to enjoy herself.
“He proposed?” Mukti sat up and both she and Aliya came and sat beside Nandini on her lounger. Holding her hand aloft they both started in awe at the three coloured gold bands gleaming as the sunlight caught them. “And he bought you a ring too? From Cartier, no less!!” Aliya exclaimed as if she was finding it hard to believe. “Wooo…”
“Yes, it was too expensive…” Nandini muttered apologetically only to be cut short by them again. “Nonsense!” Aliya exclaimed. “He is earning enough to afford it … and its high time he started spending it. All he spends on is Sameer … you should see some of the electronics he gets him … I think he forgets that Sammy is just five!” She rolled her eyes in mock anger.
Nandini giggled at Aliya’s statement but it warmed her heart to see the love Manik had for Sameer. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up to see him standing next to her a wine glass in his hand. “It’s a Mimosa… champagne and orange juice,” he told her when she looked questioningly at the glass.
Nandini enjoyed the rest of the afternoon as they chatted and ate and lazed around on the deck. By dusk it had started getting chillier and Nandini did not realize when she was curled up beside Manik on the lounger while Mukti had excused herself to make some phone calls and gone in. Cabir and Raghav were sitting at the bar and chatting while Dhruv and Aliya were trying to convince an excited Sameer to take a short nap before the cocktail party later in the evening. It was a sort of a sangeet celebration, Cabir had jokingly told them.
Nandini nuzzled into Manik’s chest and felt his arm go around her shoulder, pulling her towards him. “Happy?” he whispered and she felt his breath fan her temples.
“Hmmm…” Nandini purred contentedly, “How many of those mimosa’s did you give me by the way?” She punched him gently on his flat stomach.
“Were we supposed to count?” he asked her with a smile.
“No … but you know I am not much of a drinker…” she chided him wishing they could just lie here in each others arms, under the dusky sky which would be turning into a starlit one soon.
“Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr. Malhotra to take advantage of me?” she looked up at him fluttering her eye lashes as best she could.
“And has it worked, Ms Murty?” Manik nuzzled her ear and said huskily.
“Well ... even if it had ... you are the one who has put in all the terms and conditions...” Nandini reminded him throatily. Snuggling against him, she felt the beating of his heart and she nuzzled against his neck, wanting to shower him with tiny kisses, which showed all the love she was bursting to give him.
“Nandini,” he said roughly ... warning her silently of the consequences of what she was doing.
“Ok lovebirds ... time to head inside to get dressed. And I need help setting up the place also, guys ... so let’s save the romancing for later, shall we?”
It was Cabir’s loud voice from across the deck that broke them apart, Nandini blushing guiltily at being caught nearly making out with Manik in front of his friends.
Nandini bolted out of the lounger and stood embarrassed as she tried to settle her hair and her clothes. Thankfully it was only Cabir left on the deck as the rest had already gone in, and had probably not witnessed her wanton behaviour with Manik. She groaned inwardly, frowning as she heard him chuckling and lazily get off the longer himself.
“Fine ... fine,” he shouted back to Cabir’s retreating back, who just raised his hand and waved at them as he disappeared through the bay windows into the house.
“What will your friends think!” Nandini spluttered, getting more annoyed to see Manik enjoying himself at her expense.
“That we love each other and can’t keep our hands off each other ...”
“Manik!” She warned him, her eyes flashing, her cheeks red.
“Let’s go and get ready, my little spitfire,” Manik held her arm and started walking behind Cabir into the house, “before I give them more of a show right here and pick you up and take you in.”
Nandini followed him meekly inside, sure that he do as he said if she protested too much. He led her up the stairs, down a short hall with adjoining doors, all of which were shut.
Opening the last one, he bowed low and with a flourish of his hand pointed her in, “our chamber, my lady.”
Nandini walked in hesitatingly, “OUR?” “What do you mean by ‘OUR’? she asked quietly knowing the answer already.
“Our? Ours means yours and mine... the two of us ... Ours.” he answered smugly walking in behind her and shutting the door to lean against it, crossing his legs.
“I know what ‘OUR’ means.” she informed him angrily, “why are we in the same room... what have you told your friends ... how can we share a room with them in the same house ... what will they ...”
“Nandini,” he pushed himse4lf off the door and walked to where she was agitating and wringing her hands together. “We were sharing a room in Atlanta too, in case you had forgotten.”
“That was different ... here your friends are all her eand OH GOD! Raghav Sir ... what will he think!
“Calm down, Nandini,” Manik held her trembling body by the shoulders. “Cabir requested if we could share as there are only as many bedrooms in this house. And seeing that we have been sharing for the past month, I thought ...”
Nandini stood silently biting her lip and thinking over what he was saying.
“And I have already told you that I will not...” he assured her as she faced him.
“Yes, but they will think ...” she tried to argue.
“What will they think?? Do I look as if I care what anyone thinks ... and in any case, were you not the one who told me we are adults and...”
“Yeah...” Nandini grudgingly agreed, “But I get the bath first to get dressed,” she said in a rush.
Manik laughed softly, his warm breath fanned her ear and spread goose bumps over her skin as he straightened up and took her chin between his fingers, tilting her face up to his so that she had no alternative but to look into his eyes. And he reached down and sealed their ‘bathroom pact’ with a kiss.
Nandini trembled, parting her lips beneath the firm pressure of his, opening her mouth to the gentle probing of his tongue. A whispered, shuddering sigh escaped her as he moved his mouth from hers and began to kiss a path down to her jaw and her earlobe. His hand that had been resting on her hip slid across her midriff, making her quiver and gasp.
“Done, Ms Murty,” he whispered against her lips releasing her after a minute or so. “The bath is all yours, till I go and help Cabir with the arrangements downstairs.”
***
Nandini woke up with a start, spluttering as the water from the tub splashed onto her face. She had fallen asleep while soaking in the bathtub. Dear god! She was to get ready and go and help them organize the party arrangements before the guests started arriving, and here she had dozed off in the warm waters of the tub.
“Must have been those mimosa’s,” she muttered angry with Manik for giving her more than two earlier in the afternoon. Now she was going to be terribly rushed getting dressed, and she hoped that Manik had already come and gotten dressed and was helping them downstairs.
Thank god she had also unpacked and laid out her sari on one of the hangers from the closet, the one she had planned to wear this evening. Getting out of the water in a rush, she hastily dried herself before wearing the underskirt that she had carried in with her. Flattening the skirt over her slim hips, she reached out for the silver lame halter that she had teamed with the plain coral coloured chiffon sari for the evening. Tying the knot hastily at her nape she gathered her towel and stepped out into the room hoping she would have enough time to dry out her hair too.
Manik strode up the stairs two at a time, realizing that it was late and he still needed to get dressed. He waited outside the door and knocked, listening in for a sound from inside. Nandini must have been ready by now, he thought as he looked down at his wristwatch and realized that he had been gone for more than half an hour.
Striding into the room he threw his already discarded pullover on the bed. The house was centrally heated so he had not required it once they were inside and had removed it when he was helping with setting up the caterers etc. with Cabir and Dhruv.
Next he got rid of his shoes and suddenly stopping mid way as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it out of his jeans. Her flimsy sari was still hanging on the closet handle from a hangar. A pair of silver heels placed neatly below it on the floor. How on earth was she going to balance on those, he wondered and suddenly realized that this meant she was not yet ready… and there was no sound from the bath either. A feeling of dread gripped Manik. What if she had slipped in the bath … and rushing across the bed towards the bath he was just about to reach out and open the door of the bathroom when he felt it yanked out of hands.
His hand fell slowly to his side as he watched Nandini step out of the bathroom, panic written all over her flushed face. She abruptly halted seeing him just outside the door and her eyes widened in shock as she took in his disheveled look. His white shirt, buttons undone had flapped open to reveal his toned muscular chest. There were faint blue bruises that had not healed as yet. Nandini licked her lips nervously and felt him pull in a ragged breath, as her eyes travelled down his chest to his flat stomach to the waistband of his jeans riding low on his lean hips. He was standing bare feet in front of her a similar tortured expression on his face.
Standing at the threshold of the door with the bath steamed up behind her, she was practically devouring him with her eyes. Did she even realize what she was doing to him, Manik groaned? She stood framed by the doorway, small and petite and glowing with the moisture that she had hastily tried to wipe off her skin. Her hair had been piled up on her head in a topknot, but it was not coming undone, as wet tendrils were escaping and falling on either side of her cheeks. She was scantily clad in a clingy blouse that he knew was all that she was wearing. Her midriff was creamy and bare and low on her hips was a plain skirt on which she would probably wear the sari he had seen on the closet door. In one hand she had a damp towel that she now grabbed tighter and held against her chest in modesty.
Trembling and breathing as heavily as if she’d just run a marathon, Nandini faced him.
‘You’re exquisite,’ he said simply, his eyes never leaving hers.
Her arms were still holding the towel tightly across her chest and she half expected him to peel them away, but he made no move to do so. Instead he reached out and touched her lips lightly with his fingertips.
And that one soft touch, combined with the intensity of his passionate gaze, broke through her reserve. With his fingers still against her mouth she parted her lips, exhaling a ragged, needy breath and in the next instant she was crushed against him as he kissed her with an urgency that made everything that they had shared before seem trivial.
Slowly he let his fingers stroked a path over her shoulder and along the curve of her neck until they finally they reached the fastening of her top. Unhurriedly they lingered there, caressing a curl of hair that had escaped from its knot.
Nandini’s eyes were still tightly shut, the darkness magnifying every touch, every sensation. Shivers of pleasure were building inside her, as she felt him begin to open the knot of her top. She felt the clasp open and the two ends of her halter fall on either of her shoulders.
He left her lips and she felt his breath, warm on her neck, could feel the heat spreading inside her as she felt them move down the side of her neck to her shoulder where they gently pushed on strap down her arm and then slowly the other down her other shoulder.
Trembling, she sighed when he lifted her easily and carried her to the bed, where he lay her down gently and peeled off the rest of her top with a quiet and urgent hunger.
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could make the words come out his lips had covered hers and stars exploded inside her head, erasing everything but him: the heat and closeness of his body, the scent and taste of him. She was unable to think, to respond sensibly.
A moment later she felt his hand on her waist, while he very gently lifted her arms, trailing his fingers lingeringly along the sensitive skin on its underside. She felt her body coming to life in his hands and sucked in a breath as his big, skilled, steady hands moved over her back, stroking the rigid angles of her shoulder blades, his thumbs finding the hollows above her hips as his fingers slipped beneath her to gently brush her waist.
“I need you.” He groaned, as if losing complete control on himself.
Nandini felt as if she had been locked in some dark, cramped place and he had released her. Just as he had opened the door with one touch of his fingertip, he had now magically unlocked a part of her that wasn’t afraid and didn’t care about anything right now, but being his.
There was no shyness in the way which she kissed him back, her tongue tangling with his, her lips exploring, tasting, teasing and nothing controlled in the way her shaking fingers fumbled with removing his shirt, desperate to touch his warm skin. His hands were in her hair, swiftly opening them until they uncoiled and fell about her shoulders. Pulling back from her he held her at arm’s length for a moment, giving a moan as he raked his fingers through her sleek tumbled hair.
“I think it’s time to take this off,” he said roughly, pushing what was left of her garments sown completely and sliding them over her hips to throw behind him.
She heard him breathe in his whole body tensing as she glanced anxiously up at his face and saw that it was desire he was struggling to control. The sheets were cool beneath her back and she spread herself across them. He bent over her, and she caught the dark gleam of his eyes, the clean musk scent of his skin as he lowered himself over her. Ten thousand volts of bliss shot through her and she cried out, jerking convulsively as his hands held her steady, but he didn’t stop. Inch by quivering inch he covered her body with a thoroughness that felt like she was floating. She wasn’t aware of him taking off the rest of his clothes, but as she felt the hard warmth of his flesh against hers she registered his nakedness.
Her legs twined helplessly around him, her supple body moulding against him as she opened herself up to his kisses. Dimly she was aware that he was holding her waist, and instinctively she raised herself, arching her back, sweeping her hair off her hot damp neck as she tilted her hips, hungry for him.
“I want … all of you… can’t wait” he mumbled fiercely and in one fluid movement he had levered himself up and was holding her against him, taking her face between his hands, kissing her fiercely before he made her completely his.
She had expected it to hurt, had stiffened momentarily in anticipation, but there was nothing but an incredible feeling of love, a love so strong she could have wept with it. But already another sensation was overtaking her, one so powerful and compelling that it made everything else become out of focus, an exquisite sweetness that gripped her body so tightly that it felt almost like pain.
She opened her eyes, and saw the expression in his eyes; the intensity of his desire, before his eyelids closed and she knew that this strong, fearless man was surrendering too. His powerful body tensed, the hard muscles of his back bunching beneath her hands as he took her again that she couldn’t hold on, couldn’t hold herself together any more, and she was falling, shattering, melting. Except he was there, anchoring her and holding her safe, rocking her, and murmuring into her hair as the spasms of bliss gripped her body and then went on shuddering through her like the aftershocks of an earthquake.
As he collapsed over her, their bodies intertwined and sweaty, Nandini realized that nothing would ever come close to this feeling that she had just shared with him – This feeling of becoming one with him. This was more than just passion, this was a connection that she knew very few felt in their lifetime.
***
She did not even realise when the tears had streamed down her face. The overwhelming intensity of what they had shared was still sending tremors through her body. Nandini felt so utterly connected with him at this moment, that she just wanted to lie there in his arms and savour the moment. She wished they did not have to go and join the others and bit back a sigh of regret at the thought.
Manik crash landed back to reality as if he had been dumped under a cold shower. He became aware of the wetness on her cheeks and the regretful sigh she just tried to stop from escaping. He suddenly felt like a heel. HELL! What had he done? How could he have lost control? Been so insensitive? She was crying! He had lost control and broken his promise. DAMN! He cursed himself stiffening against her soft and warm body below him.
What was he going to say to her now? Just this afternoon he had again reiterated his promise to her when they had spoken about sharing the room, and within a few hours he had pounced on her like a starved man and not had a care in the world of his promise let alone making her first time really special. He felt like a complete rat and now there was no time to make it up to her. To show her that he should have been much gentler and to make her tears turn into cries of ecstasy. But they had to be downstairs to attend the party.
He mumbled something incoherent and moved off her to sit at the edge of the bed, not having the courage to look into her eyes. What must she be thinking of him, he groaned, running his hands through his hair in disgust.
Nandini suddenly felt bereft of the warmth of his body against her as he abruptly just jumped off to sit at the edge of the bed. Puzzled she looked shyly towards his bare back as she watched him reach down and pick up his discarded jeans. He was mumbling something under his breath, and that is when she felt the first inkling of something gone wrong. He was obviously not thrilled or feeling any of the emotions that she was feeling.
“Manik?” she whispered hesitatingly reaching out a hand towards him. What was wrong with him all of a sudden? Didn't he feel the connect that had just swamped her entire being? Was she just being clingy ... did guys behave like this after they had made love? A million questions raced through her mind as she waited for some reaction from him.
When she focused on him again, he was already standing with his back to her clad in his jeans and looking around for his shirt among their discarded clothes.
“I’m really sorry, Nandini...” he rasped out, regret coming out plain and clear in his hoarse voice. “I didn't mean to ... this was a mistake...”
He continued to mutter incoherent apologies but Nandini’s hand fell with a thud on the bed.
A mistake! Had he just called what they shared ‘a mistake’?
A coldness crept around her heart and she felt numb with the shock. A mistake? Here she was getting swept away in the emotion of being one with him finally and he could not even look her in the eye when telling her what they just shared was a mistake.
Before she could say anything further to him, he had already picked up his unpacked bag and mumbling that he would change in Cabir’s room, had walked out shutting the door quietly behind him.
Wearily, she pushed herself off the bed, wondering how everything had gone so wrong so suddenly. In one instant she had known such joy and in the next she was feeling her whole life crumbling about her.
She quietly set about getting dressed, the numbness returning. Like a robot, she put on her clothes and jewellery. Put on her light make up and in a sudden impulse of defiance tied up her hair into her classic French knot.
By the time she was dressed and ready, the shock and grief was sinking in and slowly turning into anger.
What the hell did he mean by telling her that they had made a mistake? She would take his ring and throw it on his face ... but now was not the time ... she needed to join them downstairs.
Slipping into her high heels she looked at herself in the full length mirror on the closet to check if she was looking alright and then with a resigned shake of her head crept out quietly to make her way downstairs.
Guests had already arrived, and Nandini halted at the bottom stair for a few seconds taking in the vista before her.
The living room looked warm and cozy with candles and lamps and flower arrangements on most of the tables. The bay windows to one side opened out into the deck which had small tables artfully set for seated dining. Fairylights twinkled on all the trees and bushes bordering the property, giving the feel of twinkling stars against a dark sky. Guests mingled all over the area and she heard laughter and a general joyfulness in the atmosphere. Someone had even started playing the giant piano in one corner and lilting music filled the room.
She looked about hesitatingly at the gathering, trying to locate a familiar face when her eyes came upon Raghav Sir, who possibly seeing her uncertain look, smiled at her and excusing himself from his group, came towards where she stood. Nandini smiled gratefully at him when he neared, her face lighting up seeing him dressed in a traditional white churidar kurta and a steel grey waistcoat.
Across the room Manik’s hand tightened on the glass he was holding as he saw Raghav put an arm around Nandini’s shoulder and bend down to ask her something. She nodded, smiling towards Raghav as if answering his question. Manik pulled in a ragged breath when he saw that even though she was the wearing the sari he had seen hanging in the room, she was practically bare. The silver halter that he had paid scant attention to, his only focus had been to remove it, hugged her lush curves leaving her shoulders and back completely bare! The sari, in some shade of pink, highlighted her creamy skin that was still flushed and glowing as it has been in the bedroom a short while ago. Manik swallowed uncomfortably as he saw glimpses of her bare waist as she walked with Raghav towards where Aliya and Mukti were standing with a group of people. Those atrocious heels he had seen lying in the room were adding height to her slim frame and she elegantly sashayed across, a relieved smile in place towards people she now recognised.
When she reached them, Nandini turned towards Mukti to say hello and the glass nearly fell out of Manik’s hands as he saw the bare expanse of back that was completely bare till where her sari was tucked in low at her waist. And she had tied up her hair exposing the slender column of her neck with just a thin strap where the top was clasped. What the hell! he swallowed uncomfortably as he watched the other young guests that Aliya and Mukti were speaking to greet Nandini by shaking her hand or giving a customary peck on her cheek.
Nandini realised that she had actually forgotten her earlier problems and was having a good time. The gathering consisted of Cabir and Raghav’s friends and some of Cabir’s music students from college. Nandini found herself warming up to their light youthful conversation, comparing notes about music and college life. She had spent enough time with Rishabh and his friends on and off campus to be comfortable with these youngsters.
Someone, even insisted on livening up the party and she found herself being pulled along on to an impromptu dance floor created on the deck outside. Laughing indulgently she allowed herself to be led out by one of the youngsters along with Mukti and Aliya who had also sportingly been roped in. The music had changed from the piano to a pop beat and Nandini found herself swaying to the beats, unconscious of being watched. She chatted with her partner over the sound of the music and exchanged smiles whenever Aliya or Mukti caught her eyes. It was turning out to be not such a bad evening after all, she thought to herself. At least being in the company of these young vibrant people had got her out of her blues and morbid thoughts. She wondered where Manik was as she had not seen him at all all evening. Not that you had a minute to do so, a voice in her head chided her. Well, I don’t need to see him, she suddenly pursued her lips militantly recalling his behaviour earlier in the evening. A ‘mistake’ he had called what they had shared, she fumed inwardly feeling a fresh gush of hurt pierce through her.
She didn’t realise when the music changed to a softer one and she felt her partner's arm go about her waist as he started to waltz her across the floor. No sooner had they taken one step further, she felt a looming presence next to them, stopping them midstep, “May I?” Manik’s gruff voice cut through the strains of the music.
“No, you may…” Nandini started to say firmly when she felt her partner's hand fall from her waist and turn gratefully towards Manik. “Sure dude, I wanted to go get a drink myself…” and thanking her for the dance and promising to catch up later he was gone within seconds.
Nandini looked up furiously towards Manik, ready to give him a piece of her mind when she stiffened as he put his hand around her bare waist and pulled her towards him with a jerk. Then his hand went towards her hair and before she knew it the pin had been removed and her lustrous silky tresses tumbled down her back to nearly reach her waist. “That’s better,” he muttered gruffly as he watched in satisfaction her hair cover most of her bare back.
“Better… what’s better?” Nandini muttered through clenched teeth. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Dancing,” he murmured staring captivated by her now angry expression. He pulled her towards himself increasing the pressure of his hand on the small of her back. She shivered as her bare skin tingled under his warm touch. His other hand had now taken her hand into his intertwining his fingers into hers. Nandini felt herself stumble against his warm chest and instinctively grabbed his shoulder with her other hand to steady herself. Did she just hear a sigh escape his lips, she looked up questioningly at him.
“I know you are dancing … but why are you dancing with me?” she asked him sarcastically itching for a fight now.
“Because if another man lays even a finger on you for the rest of this evening …“ he muttered threateningly to himself, his grip tightening on her body.
“Lays a finger?” she looked at him incredulously
“Who has laid a finger on me … and why may I ask is it making any difference to
you?”
Manik looked down at her mutinous expression, waiting for the onslaught of his earlier behaviour to be spewed out at him. He would have to just apologize profusely he thought to himself … he had hurt her and he would do whatever it took to make it up to her … heck! maybe he could move into the living room and stay there for the rest of their trip!
“Nandini,” he started … “I…”
“You what? … Made a ‘mistake’?” She cut him off furiously.
“Yeah … about that …” He looked away from her piercing state guiltily and swallowing as if to gather some strength began again, “I’m…”
“Don’t you dare…” Nandini froze against him saying hotly. “Don’t say another word…”
“But Nandu…”
“And don’t call me that either.”
He had manouvered them across the deck to the edge of the lawns where the woods began, and Nandini looked about herself suddenly, and then towards the house where she could see some guests leaving and moving inside seeing the lateness of the hour. They were now standing in the moonlight, amid the twinkling fairy lights that were scattered on the low bushes and trees around them.
Putting her hands on his chest she pushed herself away from him and moved back a couple of steps to put some space between them. She could definitely think clearly without him standing so close to her.
“Nandini…” he reached out as if to stop her. “Please … let me at least say ...”
“You have more to say?” She questioned him indignantly. “You want to tell me more about what a mistake that was…”
“Yes …” he started to say.
“You don’t have to say it again and again … I got it the first time,” she muttered sadly, as smattering of tears come into her eyes.
He immediately closed the gap between them seeing her wet eyes. “Please Nandu …” he whispered against her forehead, holding her close by her shoulders, “I’m so sorry … you have no idea how sorry I am that I lost control like that … please don’t cry…” he reached out and wiped the tears flowing down her cheeks.
“You said it was a mistake …. you shut me out and you behaved as if I was…” Nandini sobbed, saying incoherently.
“Mistake?” He sounded perplexed, “Of course it was not a mistake …. when did I say it was a mistake?” He tried to recall what had exactly happened in the bedroom. “You were crying Nandini … I hurt you … I broke my promise … I…”
“I was crying because it was the most beautiful moment I had ever experienced … I felt so …” she whispered, blushing as she remembered how she had felt.
“You were crying because… and I thought … did I say we made a mistake,” he groaned and threw his head back as he realised what they both had assumed wrongly.
He grabbed her and pulled her to himself, enveloping her into his arms.
“I did not mean it like that, my Nandu,” he teased her as he kissed away the tears on her cheek. “And I am sorry I made you feel like that, I was so distraught with having hurt you and broken my promise …. and then you were crying so I felt that you…”
Nandini reached up and put her hand on his lips, stopping him from saying any more. “Shhhh…” she whispered reaching up on her toes and kissing him softly on the lips.
“It could not have more beautiful than it was … I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t even realise when the tears rolled out …. it was perfect,” she whispered shyly, thankful that the darkness hid her blush.
“If that was perfect, my love, then you have not seen anything yet,” Manik said tantalisingly, nuzzling her ear. “Maybe we need to work on perfecting perfection…”
“We need to get back to the party…” she said reluctant to break away from him and go inside.
“Umm… no ..” he was already moving his hands up towards her back, “the party just got shifted to our room upstairs.”
Pushing her back up against a nearby tree he went on to prove just how perfect it could be between them.
“We really should join the others, Manik,” Nandini moaned as his mouth and his hands wreaked havoc on her body. “Please…” she pleaded suddenly wondering what his friends would think – first they showed up late and now they had been missing for quite some time.
“I’m not letting you go back in dressed like that,” he said huskily at the nape of her neck. “Every bloody man in there was holding you or trying to touch you.”
“Of course, they were not!” Nandini laughed shakily trying to think clearly against his ongoing onslaught.
“Raghav put his arm around your shoulders!” Manik rasped angrily.
Nandini burst out into giggles, pushing him away gently from her to look into his face. “Raghav Sir?” she spluttered, ‘You are jealous of Raghav Sir? But Manik you know, na, he is gay!”
“Whatever! That does not mean he can paw you …” Manik said sulkily trying to gather her back up into his arms.
“He was not pawing me!” Nandini corrected him indignantly, “He was being considerate and nice…”
“Ok. Ok. I get it … he is nice.” Manik mimicked her tome and rolled his eyes. “Now come back here … where were we…”
“Oh no ... “ Nandini settled her sari and hair back in place and grabbing his hand dragged him back into the house to join the rest of his friends who were the only ones left in the living room. They were all relaxed and chatting when Nandini and Manik stepped into the room causing an awkward silence.
As Raghav stood up to make place for Nandini to sit, Manik put a proprietary hand on her shoulder pulling her into himself. Nandini elbowed him gently apologizing for their being out for so long, as the they all exchanged knowing glances with each other.
“Ok guys, I’m crashing,” Dhruv was the first to comment. “I’ll check on Sameer also, he has been alone for a while now in the room.” And he stood up to go.
“Good idea buddy,” Manik turned towards him eagerly, “We should also crash … “ And he ushered Nandini towards the staircase behind Dhruv after saying good night and see you tomorrows to them..
Nandini blushed a deep red as she tried not to look at any of them directly. She was going to have a serious word with Mr Manik Malhotra when they were in their room alone.
“Nandini?” Mukti called out from behind just as she had neared the first step. Manik was already bounding up ahead with Dhruv, wanting to look into Sameer himself.
Nandini turned to see them all grinning and looking towards her, enjoying her embarrassment.
“The boys have volunteered to babysit Sammy and have their bachelors party here only tomorrow night,” Aliya continued instead.
“So, we’ll go out then … just us girls… cool?” Mukti chipped in.
Nandini nodded her assent and turned to join Manik, who she could see exiting Dhruv and Aliya’s room and waiting for her at the door of theirs, a big grin on his face.
Nandini woke up early as per habit, entwined completely into Manik’s arms and legs. She blushed as she remembered the night they had shared and had barely managed to go to sleep in the earlier hours of the morning. She carefully removed herself from the bed, without disturbing him and reached out for the first garment that she could locate in the semi dark room, to wear and make a visit to the bathroom.
In her hand came Manik’s black shirt that he had worn the previous evening. She continued to blush seeing that she had ripped most of the buttons when she had tried to remove it from him last night. Putting her arms into the silky sleeves she pulled the front across her own chest tightly, inhaling his scent that was still attached to it. She slipped out of the bed, and paddled silently towards the bathroom.
When she came out few minutes later, she looked lovingly towards the bed, where Manik lay sprawled on his stomach, his bare back tapering into the covering sheet low at his waist.
“Why don’t you get back here, instead of standing there and ogling!” he mumbled into the pillow without turning around.
Nandini gasped and jumped slightly back, as his voice startled her out of her daydream. Before she could think up of a retort, he had smoothly turned around and was looking at her through his sleep filled eyes. “Now that certainly looks better on you than on me,” he took in the gaping oversized shirt that ended somewhere mid thigh down to her bare toes curling into the carpet.
Reaching out for her, he grabbed her hand and tumbled her on the bed beside him. “You do realise, we just slept, don't you?” he questioned her huskily, his eyes filled with scenes of last night.
“But you promised to take me sightseeing to New York today, Manik,” Mandini pouted slapping his hand that was silkily getting under his own shirt that she was wearing. “And I need to be back in time to go out with Mukti and Aliya in the evening.”
“Accha baba … the great girls night out!” he rolled his eyes, wondering what the three of them would do alone in this city… and Nandini being the non drinker of the three. “Chalo … lets get dresses and organise your trip to New York.” He pulled her atop himself and after kissing her ‘good morning’ properly got reluctantly out of bed.
After a hectic day filled with all the sights of New York, Nandini rested her head on Manik’s shoulder as he manouvered Cabir’s car back into Newark. It had been a perfect day, and they had managed to cover most of the sights before heading back to get some much needed rest before an evening of partying again. “Partying for me.” Manik reminded her. “God knows where you girls are going to go and get bored without us guys.”
As it turned out, Mukti had already roped in some of the youngsters last evening at the sangeet party to go out with the three of them. Nandini was pleasantly surprised to see some of them accompany Mukti, Aliya and herself to one of the local nightclubs that the students frequented.
She was suddenly glad that she had carried one of her dresses with her, along with the other formal wear for the wedding. She had changed into the simple cream shift dress that ended above her knees and since she was only carrying her high heels, she slipped into her low heeled, knee high brown boots. Mukti had hinted at dancing away half the night, so at least she would be in comfortable footwear. A gold bracelet and matching hoops on her ears completed the outfit and Nandini looked forward to the evening out after all. Manik too needed to be with his friends, she felt guilty she had been monopolising him completely since yesterday. And with the wedding tomorrow morning, it would be good for the three of them to bond together.
It turned out to a fantastic evening after all, and Nandini found herself not getting any respite from dancing as they took the floor for every number being played. Aliya ordered bottles of champagne for them to celebrate and Nandini soon lost count of how many glasses she had consumed by the time they were dropped back home singing loudly the choicest of Bollywood songs and now drinking directly from the bottle they each had in their hands.
Manik and DHruv looked at each other when they heard loud off key singing coming from the porch outside the living room they were sitting in. Cabir had already gotten up to open the door for three most dishevelled and tipsy women who tumbled into the living room, bottled in hand and suddenly halting seeing the boys staring at them incredulously. The silence lasted just for a few seconds, before Mukti belted out, ”one morrrrrrre time girlsssss…” and the three of them burst out into their off key song once again, ending up in giggles.
“Time for bed, I think.” Cabir said softly looking towards Dhruv and Manik, both of whom held their cans of beer mid way to their open mouths. “You guys take Aliya and Nandini, he nodded towards both of them. I’ll settle madame here,” he gestured towards Mukti who had now reached out to give Cabir a bear hug.
Nandini shook her head stubbornly, her hair brushing against her cheeks, “I don’t wanna shhleep.” She tried to grab her hand out of Manik’s as he tried to take her up the stairs. He looked up to see Dhruv faring no better with Aliya who was refusing to let go of the champagne bottle in her hand.
With a resigned shake of his head, Manik reached down and picking up Nandini in a firemans lift, dumped her on one shoulder and took two stairs at a time to reach their room.
“All the best buddy,” Dhruv was already trying to push ALiya into their room, and she was ‘shhhhing’ him loudly warning that Sameer would wake up.
“You too, man.” Manik nodded sympathetically at Aliya and walking into his own room shut the door, before putting Nandini down on the floor. He held out a steadying hand as she staggered to stand straight. “Give me that,” he reached for the bottle from her hand before she could raise it to her lips again.
“NO,” Nandini shook her head again. “I was having fun,” she looked at him narrowing her eyes accusingly.
“Nandu…” Manik said patiently, wondering how on earth he had imagined that they would have had a boring evening. They way they had returned amid loud singing and male laughter, it seemed as if they were back from the biggest rave party this side of town. “You need to give me that.” He tried to take the bottle from her hands. He needed to get her to sleep it off. SHe was going to wake up feeling like hell tomorrow in any case.
“Here.” She thrust the bottle at him suddenly. “You can take it … I’m done with it.’
Manik took the bottle and turned to keep it on the chest of drawers against one wall. When he turned he started to see that she had moved to stand close to him. Reaching up she put her hands around his neck, “kiss me,” she asked innocently.
“Nandini” he warned, taking her by the shoulders and moving her towards the bed.
“What?” Nandini pouted at him, “Why don’t we make ‘a mistake’ again?”
Manik decided to ignore her ranting and made her sit at the edge of the bed. Kneeling in front of her he removed her boots. Suddenly she held his chin in her hand and jerked his head up, “I want to make ‘a mistake’ again!”
Manik bit back a smile. Before he could react there was a knock at the door, and Cabir walked in with a bottle of cold water. “You are faring no better I see,” he nodded towards Nandini, who was now swinging her bare legs against the side of the bed.
“Cabir…” she saw him and tried to stand up. “Have you ever made ‘a mistake’? she tilted her head to one side and asked him.
Cabir turned towards Manik with a puzzled look, while Nandini continued, “I want to make ‘ a mistake’ but Mr. Malhotra here says NO.” She scowled at Manik who was now thanking Cabir for the water, and promising to explain tomorrow.
“Drink this,” he handed a glass of cold water to her.
“You know how much I danced?” she flung herself back on the bed, staring at the ceiling dreamily. “I could have danced all night.”
He bent beside the bed and took off her other boot, listening indulgently to her mumbling about dancing and mistakes. Soon she was fast asleep, and Manik slid under the covers beside her, pulling her into his arms.
Nandini opened her eyes to look straight into Manik’s amused ones beside her. How long had been lying there staring at her, she wondered as the pounding in her head hit her suddenly. Her eyes widened in horror as she felt the nausea rising in her throat and throwing aside the covers she stumbled into the bathroom barely making it to the basic to throw up everything she had consumed the previous evening.
She felt his string arm hold her steady while she trembled and emptied her stomach completely, feeling drained out. A glass of water was thrust near her lips and she drank thirstily, enjoying the cool liquid sliding down her parched throat.
“Feeling better?” his amused soft voice sounded like a loud brass band to her ears as she winced against the pain it caused her head.
“Nooooo,” she wailed. “Why are you talking so loudly? My head hurts … my eyes …”
“Come along… back to bed with you,” he firmly led her back to the bed and tucked her in. “Stay here,” he commanded and left the room to get her some pills and a glass of juice.
Dhruv was already in the kitchen pouring out orange juice into a glass. “Here,” he handed the glass to Manik before reaching out to fill another. “The pills are in that box there,” he nodded towards a medicine box already rummaged and lying scattered on the counter.
“They better get ok by this afternoon, or the wedding is going to be ruined for everyone,” Dhruv grumbled. He hadmanaged to send Sameer off with Raghav to the nearby park for a while as Aliya needed to sleep off this hangover.
Manik nodded, picking up the pills and the glass of
juice. “Mukti?” he questioned Dhruv.
“Yeah, Cabir just took the stuff also,” he looked pointedly at Manik’s hands holding the juice and pills.
“Right!” Manik nodded understandingly at Dhruv and left him to go back to Nandini.
Thankfully the juice, pills and a couple of hours of sleep could works wonders and everyone was read and downstairs on time for the quick registry wedding ceremony, after which the they moved out into the back yard where a lavish reception was set out.
White was the predominant colour with splashes of
pastels. At one side of the deck a live band played as guests mingled around
the beautifully decorated tables scattered across the lawns.
Nandini looked towards Manik, Cabir and Dhruv, all in white trousers and different pastel coloured jackets. She herself had carried a champagne coloured crepe sari lightly scattered with gold crystals. Aliya and Mukti were also in pastel coloured saris, and Mukti had picked out three white lilies from one of the table settings and tucked it into each one of their hair. The bright sunshine added to the joyousness of the day, the clear blue skies complementing the event.
Everything looked perfect as Raghav and Cabir, greeted their guests as a couple.
A short distance away Nandini stood with Manik, his warm hand on the small of her back, taking in the festive atmosphere and laughing as she watched Sameer running around with some other little boys. She felt happy and content to be just standing with him beside her, watching his friends mill around with the other guests. She had never imaged that one day she would be spending such fun times with them, specially Mukti and Aliya. After last night, and she grimaced at the thought of what all she had said to Manik and Cabir at night, she was sure that the three of them had forged a bond between them that would last and she looked forward to when she would be moving back to Mumbai and spending more time with them.
A familiar tune wafting across the lawns had her look towards the stage and she watched with a smile Dhruv standing on the stage, guitar in hand. She looked towards Cabir, Mukti and Aliya who were scattered across the lawns, each busy with someone, but now looking towards Dhruv with
rapt attention. Suddenly she knew what was coming, and felt a gush of nostalgia as Mukti lifting her sari slightly stepped purposefully on to the stage next, taking the electric guitar from one of the band members and joining Dhruv with a grin on her face… her hair bouncing up and down as she strummed out the tune.
Soon enough, as expected Aliya joined in at the keyboards, nodding towards her friends and lastly Cabir, after murmuring something in Raghav’s ear jumped up behind the drums. Twirling the sticks in the air he let out the familiar drum beat.
Raghav, now alone, sauntered across to where Nandinii and Manik were standing and watching the four friends taking over the instruments one by one. Manik was the only one missing and Nandini watched as Dhruv nodded towards Manik and then gestured towards the second guitar that was lying next to him, as if beckoning him to join them.
Nandini turned towards Manik and give him a slight nudge with her elbow, towards the stage. “Go on, “ she whispered, “I’ll be ok.” She watched, her heart filling with happiness, Manik bound towards the stage in long strides. His powerful long legs covering the distance in a few strides. He bent to pick up the guitar Dhruv had pointed to and strapping it around his shoulder, strummed tentatively as he walked to the mike at the centre of the stage, all the time grinning at the rest of his friends around him.
As his soulful voice rang out on the speakers, Nandini felt goosebumps break out on her arms and hugged herself, feeling a moment of pride at being associated with him.
“The Fab5, together again,” she heard Raghav Sir murmur in awe beside her, as the rest of the guests turned towards the stage, watching the five friends jam as if they were back in their college auditorium. It was just them and their music. The distances and years had been just bridged in a few minutes.
‘Yes,” Nandini whispered, feeling their bonding come alive and thanking god that she was here to see this herself in person. She swayed to the beats of the music, as did everyone else present there.
“Go on, join them,” Raghav’s quiet command roused her from her thoughts and she looked up to first see Dhruv. He smiled at her and gestured his head towards where Manik stood centre stage, holding out his hand to her.
She looked towards the rest of the Fab5 hesitatingly, not wanting to intrude into their friendship, only to watch their welcoming smiles beckoning her to join Manik in singing. Awed and slightly emotional, she turned towards Raghav SIr, who nodded indulgently and gave her a gentle pushed towards the stage. “You need to be with him,” he said gruffly as if controlling his own emotions, that were threatening to spill out.
Nandini all but ran towards where Manik was waiting still holding out his hand. Gasping slightly by the little sprint she had done, across the lawns, she put her small hand into his large warm one, and felt herself being pulled up next to him. He shifted slightly to make room for her next to him, since they were to share the mike. Turning towards her, mid song, he nodded and raise his eyebrows, encouraging her to join him.
With a lump in her throat and a song in her heart Nandini realized that she was finally his. That he would never ever have to choose between her and his friends. That she had been accepted by them and she had found the love of her life.
EPILOGUE
Three Months Later, Mangalore
Navya on the phone. First Class Lounge, Mangalore Airport
“Nandu was looking soooooooo beautiful, amma… I can’t tell you. She wore a typical South Indian bridal outfit, with all the gold temple jewellery and flowers in her braid and all. Yes, it was red and white also. I’ll show you the photos when we meet. Yes, yes … I took lots on my phone. Yes, the wedding and all the functions were beautiful and we had lots of fun. No amma, I will not look for a ‘boy’ for myself now. I am very happy with my singing career … what do you mean ‘career kya hota hain’ … getting married is not everything amma .. I’m not in Patna anymore … yes yes, okay … I’m sorry for arguing, don’t be upset … All the ceremonies were performed in the traditional South Indian way by Nandu’s ams … yes, yes, Manik was very sporting about it … No amma, I did not ask Aliya about Harshad … can you get over that please. Yes yes … the Fab5 were all together again after many years at the wedding … yes, I sang with them at the sangeet … Cabir? I told you na, he’s married now. No, he came alone … what do you mean ‘thank god’ … I told you its very legal in USA … AMMA! there is nothing wrong with Cabir or Raghav Sir ... Ok, my flight just got announced … I’ll see you at home in a few hours … yes, I got you cotton saris … lots of them, don’t worry. See you, amma.”
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Sameer on Dhruv’s lap. Business Class Lounge, Mangalore Airport
“Papa when will chachu and Nandu chachi come to Mumbai?”
“After some time… they are going for a hon … er … holiday first.”
“Will chachu keep kissing her there too? I saw … he was always holding her and kissing her on her mouth …it looked yuck!”
“Well … you’ll have to grow up before you get an answer to that one, dude.”
“Why do all my questions have to be answered after I growed up!”
“have grown up … not growed up.”
“Why is mamma all the time on the phone?”
“She must be texting Harshad mama or Mukti maasi.”
“Mukti maasi is sooooo cool …. she can play the guitar better than any of you.”
“Yeah, right. Let me read my paper now.”
“When will Manik chachu give me a little sister … he told me he would very soon. He will give me many brothers and sisters he said. Kerzins.”
“OK wise guy, its cousins. And just take it easy with the questions now. You want a milkshake?”
“Yayyyy …. and a brownie also please…”
“Yup … come along, champ.”
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Aliya texting on the lounger next to Dhruv
“Yes bhai, we are on our way back to Mumbai”
“It was a beautiful wedding”
“They looked so in love, yes”
“Yes, Mukti was there too. In fact all five of us were there… yes, Navya too”
“No bhai, I will not give you Mukti’s number, sorry”
“Yes, I understand you want to apologize but please can you wait a bit”
“I know that … but give her some time to heal”
“No, bhai … you’ll just have to wait some more.”
“Yes, Navya is looking good … she is quite a name in Bollywood now”
“Dhruv said we would visit you soon in Dubai”
“Sameer will have vacations soon, then we’ll plan”
“Yes take care”
“I’ll txt you when we get home”
“WIll give your love to Sammy too”
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Mukti writing her diary. Poolside, a resort near Mangalore
Dear Abhi,
I missed you terribly at the wedding. After all that booking and cancelling and planning we all finally managed to get together once again, three months later for another Fab5 wedding. It seems so strange that we never connected like this before and suddenly we are meeting at such small intervals.
I decided to follow your mantra and have taken a few days off after the wedding to just ‘chill’. Nandini recommended this spa resort and it truly is a beautiful and relaxing place. They have such fantastic relaxing treatments that I feel myself getting pampered and getting addictive to all this now.
But yes, the kids … no, ‘our’ kids wait for me at the hospital and being with them makes me feel connected to you. So I am itching to get back to Mumbai soon.
But you know that already don’t you. I keep telling you that all the time :)
Let me tell you about the wedding that was so different yet so similar to Cabir and Raghav’s wedding in US. Manik and Nandini looked as much in love and made for each other as Cabir and Raghav did back then. If you had told me ten years ago that there would be a day that I would see Manik Malhotra so completely smitten by any girl, I would have laughed in your face. But there you are. And there he was, playing along with every little whim and wish of his lady love. Never leaving her side for a minute.
In fact Nandini’s grand mum was really strict about following traditions and forbade them to see each other after Nandini’s mehndi was applied. But you think that would stop my friend. He actually woke us all up in the middle of the night to assist him in climbing up a tree adjoining Nandini’s room, just so he could see her. It took me back to our college days and all the fun things we used to do then. Needless to say, we made so much noise between the five of us, hoisting him up that tree that its a surprise only Nandini woke up and not the entire household. But then I have a niggling suspicion that she was already awake and waiting for him to do such a thing!
You will be surprised to know that ever since we met Nandini at Cabir’s wedding, the three of us have become quite thick. Yes, you heard right … Nandini, Aliya and me. I already told you how much fun we had at that girls night out of ours … and how awful the next day was :P
By the way, we were all woken up at an ungodly hour to attend the wedding on a beautiful seashore temple. Watching the sun rise while the priest chanted the wedding mantras was certainly worth the lack of sleep. That too after the raucous night you can imagine the five of us must have had. Cabir managed to sneak in booze into their house and you should have seen Manik giving us lectures on going against ‘ams’ wishes… thats what Nandini calls her grandmom. He wanted everything done by the book and no booze during the wedding meant no booze during the wedding. Needless to say, he never drank with us that night. I think he was too excited about the wedding next day and did not want to miss it by sleeping in ;)
As if that would have happened … I doubt he hardly slept as he was up the first amongst all of us, banging on our doors and getting everyone up. It really was a sight to see him :)
I have a yoga class in half an hour, so I’ll go back to the room to shower and change.
I love you and miss you … but I am happy :)
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Cabir on his iPad. Somewhere along the Konkan Railway route from Mangalore to Mumbai
R,
There is no signal in this stretch so am afraid we can’t Skype. Am sending this email instead which should go through as soon as we connect somewhere along this route.
I kept telling you to come with me and I am sure you would have loved every minute of this trip. I know you have bad memories of India and that is the reason I did not push you too much into accompanying me, but you would have also been pleasantly surprised to see how much has changed since we left. There is so much more tolerance and open mindedness among people now.
Manik and Nandini are off to their Paris honeymoon, that I had promised them in college once long ago ;). Blissfully happy they are, and about time I say. I feel like their Fairy Godmother sometimes, recalling what all I had to do ever since they met in college! The wedding was a riot with all of us having the time of our lives. You should have seen Manik. He was like a nervous bride stopping us all the time and making us follow the traditions and rituals. We pulled his leg so much. You would not have believed this was the same Manik who would take on anything and everything in college … including you ;)
And Nandini … what do I say about her. I know you are as fond of her as I am and heck as nearly all the men that come in contact with her are… even little Sammy was like a faithful pup following her all over the place. Jitna Manik was stressed and jittery, utna she was calm and composed. I still say that she is the only one who can control that friend of mine and twist him around her little finger. For one so tiny, she packs quite a punch … and I don’t think Manik will ever forget that one … ever!!!
I am attaching a picture of Manik, Dhruv and me taken at the wedding. Poor Manik was made to wear a white and gold cotton lungi for the ceremony. If I didn’t realize that I would be punched in the face by him, for laughing so much, I would have definitely taken a video for you. But the only thing we got roped into was wearing them too with him. So here we are, outside the temple, the rising sun behind us, wearing white ‘mundus’ … just look at Manik’s expression … what all the man is doing for his love!!!! Epic!!! This one I will definitely keep to show his kids ;)
I’m logging off now, as I am missing out on the most beautiful views of the Sahyadri hills crossing us by. I’m so glad I took this decision not to fly out of Mangalore but take this historic train journey. I should be able to connect quite easily when at mum’s place with proper wifi. Will Skype then.
You take care. And next time, we are doing this train journey together. It’s an experience you will never forget.
Love and hugs … missing you
C
