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Every cloud has a silver lining!

Dark clouds hovered over the sky and it seemed it would pour out its weight at any time of the day. Shrey and Riya completed their work and after having lunch came out of their office to meet Nandini in the hospital. A month had passed and Nandini wasn't yet out of coma. But Riya and Shrey hadn't given up, they would visit her two times a day while Shrey preferred to spend the night at the hospital most of the times.

Today, darkness crept into the middle of the day and it seemed like a never ending darkness. But Shrey saw a tiny streak of light peeping out of the black clouds as if God sent a message that after every dark hour there's always a ray of light to guide people in their life's journey. Shrey smiled at it as he hopped on his bike with Riya at the back seat.

"What are you laughing at?" Riya asked perplexed with his sudden smile.

"Every cloud has a silver lining! Maybe today Nandini will wake up!" He answered with a positive thought.

"I just hope whatever you said comes true! Now ride the bike faster otherwise we would be drenched in the rain." He nodded and started the engine.

Within minutes, they vroomed past their office and other buildings. But by the time they reached the hospital, the rain had started pouring down drenching both of them with it's mighty strength.

"Shit! I need to change!" Riya muttered as she entered Nandini's cabin.

"Yeah otherwise you'll catch cold!"

"Yes sister Anshu!" Riya looked up and gaped at the view in her front.

"Oh My God!" She glanced at Shrey.

Together, they ran towards Nandini's bed and hugged her tightly.

"Guys you both are wet and now I'll catch cold! Spare me some breath!" Nandini whisper yelled as she embraced her two friends.

Yes, Nandini had come out of coma and that voice wasn't of the nurse Anshu but that of Nandini's.

"I just can't believe my eyes! Shrey pinch me please!" Riya blabbered.

"Stop being dramatic Riya!" Nandini smiled as she pulled apart.

"Hold on! When did you come out of the coma?" Riya asked shutting up Shrey who tried to open his mouth everytime to say something but was stopped by Riya.

"In the morning!"

"And don't blame us for not informing. Your friend requested us to give you all a surprise!" Sister Anshu walked in with some flowers in her hand.

"Thank God! You're fine! Do you know how much we were stressed out in these thirty days?" Shrey finally said something shushing Riya.

"I was sleeping for thirty days?" Nandini asked with a horrified expression.

"Yes! You had almost given us a heart attack!" Riya sat by her side and held her one hand in hers.

"But finally when you're awake all our worries just flew out of the window!" Shrey grabbed Nandini's other hand and squeezed it.

"And now she is perfect for discharge. Riya can you come with me for collecting the discharge papers?" Sister Anshu asked.

"Sure I'll be right there!" Riya left winking at Nandini.

There was an awkward silence between the two love birds once Riya left closing the door after her. Nandini and Shrey were at loss of words. Only their lips communicated through their smiles. Despite the silence, their smiles showed how much they missed each other.

"Umm how are you feeling now?" Shrey finally broke the ice of silence.

"I'm fine Shrey! I heard you used to come here everyday and spend most of your nights here." She said fiddling with her fingers, "That was so sweet of you but you didn't have to be so hard on yourself!"

"I know but that's what love makes you do, you know!" He said staring at her beautiful eyes though the lustre in them was gone. He felt bad at it but promised himself that he would bring the shine back in her beautiful eyes.

"I-I don't know what to say!" Nandini blushed as she looked at the window where raindrops dripped from the glass pane.

"It's okay take your time! I don't want you to rush yourself!" He assured making her smile.

"Guys time for discharge!" Riya knocked at the door.

Together, they helped Nandini out and took her to her house in a cab.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

A day passed by in it's usual course. Shrey hadn't asked Nandini about anything. He just wanted her to take ample rest. Riya and Shrey gave the much required space that Nandini needed to have while her stay at home.

A week rolled by and it was on Sunday, Nandini decided to invite her friends for dinner. She was doing well and wanted to join office the next day. Though no one had forced her to join work but she was actually keen to work because staying at home the entire day and watching TV and listening to music was kind of boring for her. And now when she had decided no one could stop her. The door bell rang and Nandini walked down the stairs to welcome her guests.

Walking down the stairs did give rise to an unknown fear, the fear that had stripped off her beliefs in humanity. How could a person be that cruel and inhuman that he could harm another person to that extent? She didn't want to see the face of the person who did this to her. It was all because of one person she went into coma and her friends suffered because of her sickness. She was sleeping but she could feel the agony and frustration her friends felt during that period of time. Her back and head injury had healed, and her ankle did pain a little but it was more than healed. What hadn't healed was her already broken heart! The heart that had been broken two years ago was broken once more, that now nothing could heal it ever. But Nandini had decided to not to be hard on herself, now when her friends and her boyfriend Shrey was on her side.

"May I come in!" Shrey asked, his face covered up with the large bouquet of pink and red roses.

"Sure!" She ushered him in.

"What about me Nandu?" Riya crossed her hands over her chest.

"You're always welcome!" Nandini smiled inviting her in.

"Wow chilli chicken and fried rice! That's my favourite!" Shrey gushed as he kept the bouquet on the centre table.

"Ah I didn't know what to make so when I got to know that these are your favourite I tried it. I don't know how will it be." Nandini bit her lip in nervousness.

"It will be yummy Nandu! Don't worry!"

Riya was about to dip her finger in the bowl of chilli chicken when Nandini asked her to wash her hands first.

"Hygienic Nandu!" She air quoted the words and turned towards the washroom.

Once Riya came, Nandini served them dinner and they loved it. In fact, Shrey licked his fingers saying, "I would love to lick the fingers of the woman who made this."

Nandini blushed profusely at his words. She smiled and stared at the bouquet Shrey had brought. Shrey noticed this and once he was done, he plucked a rose and held it before her that she gladly took.

Riya switched on the TV, as the three of them settled on the couch. There was nothing important being discussed. Taking that as a cue Shrey began, "Nandini I wanted to ask this since the time you were admitted to the hospital but the situation didn't allow me to. But now I can't wait any longer."

"What is it Shrey?" Nandini knitted her brows together after pressing the mute button of the remote.

"Umm how did this happen? I mean who did this to you?" Shrey asked cautiously. Riya who was busy checking her phone turned towards Nandini to hear the truth.

Nandini, on the other hand, looked away from them. A debate erupted in her mind whether to spill the beans or just let it go. But letting the thing go would mean to hide the truth from her friends. After all, they needed to know the truth of that bastard. She had always kept the pain inside her and even now if she continued to do that to herself it would be more painful for her to move on from the past. She needed an outlet for her deep buried grief. And what could be more better than her best friend and boyfriend being the outlets?

The whole week after getting discharged from the hospital, she had been in a dilemma and she knew one day she would be asked about it. Now was the time to say everything or it would be never and that very heartache, the weed gripping her heart tight, would consume the very roots of happiness that future holds for her.

"Nandini are you fine?" Shrey waved his hands before her.

"I'm sorry I just zoned out!" She answered sipping some water.

"It's okay if you don't want to say right now, tell us some other day but we need to know everything. We just can't let the culprit roam free." Riya said glancing at Nandini's direction.

"No I'm fine!" Nandini assured.

There was a complete silence for a few minutes and then Nandini, finally ending her inner debate, decided to speak about her past.

"Manik Malhotra did this to me on my birthday!" Nandini declared shocking the hell out of Riya.

"I knew it, I just wanted to hear from you!" Shrey banged his fist on the table surprising Riya more.

"Wow only I didn't know about it!"

"Riya I had a suspicion and today Nandini proved it." Shrey added to pacify her.

"How the hell did he stoop so low?" Riya yelled grasping the chips packet harder.

"Even I don't understand what's his problem with Nandini? She is just an employee of VirginStream but why so much hatred for one innocent girl?" Shrey asked with a bewildered expression.

"The problem is she isn't just an employee but Manik's ex!" Riya dropped the bomb that Nandini didn't want Shrey to know about.

"What?" Shrey turned towards Nandini who nodded shocking him more.

"But you had broken up with him, is that the reason for his revenge?" Riya queried.

"Even I don't know what's his problem because it was he who had broken up with me two years ago. I'm sorry Riya I had lied to you the last time."

"It's fine but this makes the matter more complicated." Riya affirmed.

"Nandini can you tell me what happened in your past? I know it's very difficult to tell about your past to your current boyfriend but I just want to know everything about you and don't worry I won't judge you." Shrey promised.

"Yes Nandu if you are comfortable then please tell us." Riya requested.

Nandini drank a glass of water before beginning her tragic tale of love.

"It was during Diwali we had first met when Riya and I were decorating the orphanage. It was quite a filmy meeting where the hero saves the drowning girl. Anyways, a week had passed and I was almost over it. One day a crowd had gathered near the well around the empty field." Nandini trailed off...

"What's happening kaka?" Nandini asked an elderly man as she was strolling near the fields.

"Someone wants to snatch our lands beti." He replied gloomily and Nandini,jostling through the crowd, came face to face with the man talking rudely with the elderly men of her village.

She was shocked to see that the one who saved her could be that harsh with senior citizens. A handsome face doesn't always mean a good heart was what she surmised that day. When she couldn't take it anymore, being the brave girl, she slapped Manik right in front of everyone.

"How dare you talk to our elders like that? And who the hell gave you the permission for making a mall on our lands?" She asked furiously shocking Manik to the core.

"Quite a brave one right! Let's see how can you save this land!" He mocked as he shot daggers at her.

"Obviously I'll save our land from you rich filthy people!" Nandini announced in front of everyone.

"Kaka you all don't worry. No one can snatch our land and make a mall over here for business purposes." She turned towards the crowd who praised Nandini for her boldness.

"One who can't save herself from drowning talks about saving her land. Huh!" He spat back and turned on his heels.

"Never underestimate anyone!" Came Nandini's taut reply before he disappeared from her sight.

"So that's how it all started! We all filed a case against his company and luckily one of the renowned lawyers who fights for the poor led our case and we won eventually." Nandini sighed as she remembered her past.

"I see! So it was mostly enmity in the beginning!" Shrey concluded staring at Nandini.

"A typical Indian love story!" Riya quipped earning a glare from Nandini. Shrey stiffened by Nandini's side, obviously who would love to hear details about his present girlfriend's past love life.

"After we won Manik Malhotra again came to our village and apologized for everything he did. He actually said he would want to build an English medium school for the children of our village." Nandini continued. "It was at that moment everyone started loving and adoring him. Villagers are innocent they never suspected him including me. He actually earned a place in my good books when he supervised the construction of a school which was one of my dreams for my birthplace. Gradually, he not only successfully won everyone's heart, he managed to win my heart too. Being the naive with zero experience I fell in love with the rich boy. I wish I hadn't!" Nandini concluded glumly.

"It's not your fault Nandini, love can happen with anyone and we just do the mistake of loving the wrong person sometimes." Shrey comforted Nandini pulling her into a hug.

"I think she should sleep now. We can hear the rest of the story tomorrow, right Shrey?" Riya suggested calmly.

"Thank you guys for being there with me!" Nandini smiled and rose to her feet to leave for her bedroom. "If you don't mind can you both stay for the night please?"

"Sure you don't need to request Nandu!" Riya said with conviction.

Just then the door bell rang, Shrey offered to open the door and asked Nandini to sleep in her bedroom.

"You? What the fuck are you doing here Mr Manik Malhotra?" Shrey boomed violently slamming the door on his face. But Manik put forward his hand and stopped Shrey from doing what he intended to do.

"I heard Nandini got discharged from hospital so just came to see if she is ready to join office or not." Manik answered peeping inside.

"After everything you are so concerned about her. Impressive!" Shrey rolled his eyes, "Listen I don't give a damn to your excuses, Nandini is now sleeping so leave right now." He warned Manik.

"Who's there Shrey?" Nandini asked as she walked towards Shrey.

"Nothing Nandini..." Shrey stopped when he found Nandini staring at Manik. She retreated back and stood behind Shrey.

"What is he doing here? Tell him to leave Shrey!" Nandini ordered with a gloomy sigh.

"Nandini!" Manik uttered.

"Manik please leave! There is nothing to talk!" Nandini snapped all of a sudden before spinning on her heels.

"Leave Malhotra before I break your bones!" Shrey growled and pushed him out of the door.

~•~•~•~•~•~

2662 words

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