The cars honked, the air tightened. A cold hand touched her somewhere. A soft voice called her , but it was all too far to decipher. It was all so gone. Very much gone. The car. The thunder. The silence. His glassy eyes. The shatter. He was gone.

Nandini twinged inside and even though she heard many voices around, she failed miserably at making any sense of them. Her feet barely got her up and she stumbled her way out. The cool breeze blew by and the open space relieved her. Slowly, her heart paced itself and her breaths caught up to her. She dropped to the ground and looked up to the sky absorbing the cold dew and wind. 

"It's okay", she breathed. 

"It's not", a manly hoarse voice shuddered from behind. She had barely escaped his clutches when his voice jumbled her again. She turned around, his gaze pierced back - red, raw, fierce. 

"Manik, please", she squeaked still boring into him. His eyes softened a bit at her plead but, he wasn't letting this go. 

"Then just answer."

Her faced drooped at his question. She was tired. She wanted to give up. She was done fighting- fighting with him was fighting herself, fighting Fab 5 was like fighting with her family. Didn't he knew that well, it was tough for her too, to deal with his bursts and anger? Did he really want her to succumb to him?

"Say, Nandini Murthy, why? It's one question, one answer- just give it and that would be it." Manik closed in their distance and dropped down on his knees in front of her. They both were exhausted, may be it took away from both of them. Equally, could be debated but the fight had sucked their lives out of them to the extent that  they just withered here and there for answers. 

"It's not easy!"

"It's wasn't for me, but it always came to an end!"

"But, this doesn't seem to! I don't know, honestly, it's not easy."

"It can't be more difficult than what we went through together, Nandini!", Manik exhaustively said and pressed his head against her forehead. 

She closed her eyes gathering her courage and words and whispered, "I can't tell you and neither can I lie to you!" A sob escaped, and her tears rolled down his face. " What are you? Who are you? Why are you? Why are you, here?"

"That is it- you know the why and there's just one answer to it, you know it, love."

"Do I?" a hint of sarcasm came through her sobs. "Do you?" she questioned back at looked into his deep brown orbs. 

"I do. But, you were suppose to be there. Hamesha, was our promise." Manik said reassuringly with a slight flickering confidence in his voice. He had chosen to focus on her why while she turned to his why . The same question but two different perspective, two drastically different answers.  

"Was it?" She questioned back and titled her head innocently.

"Nandini!" He was taken aback. Was she disregarding all those moments they spent? Was she conveniently trashing all their promises for what she had now, for where she stood now? The question stumbled him, his thoughts threw him miles back. "Are you.. Are you bloody dumping me, huh" he rolled his eyes in amazement, "Throwing all we had! Uh, do you imply you bloody took advantage of me and my bruises?" He grabbed her shoulders with a jerk and held her tight. "Do you imply that I am trash for you have found two new ones to stay with?", he stealthily said and clicked tongue in his cheek. 

His false allegations stupefied her. Did he really think that low of her? Would all her love translate to this? Is where she stand right now bigger than her respect? Is where she stand right now blind him of all nights she had spent lulling him to sleep even when Rishabh suffered panic attacks back then?  Did her love really fail to show him the light? 

"They are just friends", she meeked still lost in the blame he had just dumped on her. 

"Doesn't seem to be, Ms. Nyonika!" he hissed with fire in his eyes. 

"No! Stop making fantasy castles! Unlike, what your ludicrousness thoughts- they are just friends! Bloody, good friends!" she shouted loud and clear. His unreasonablity was out of her league and his comparisons were totally not thought through or in his sanity. His words had crossed the line and she couldn't let anyone, not even him, cross that line no matter how injured or bruised she was.

"But, don't you know good friends stab you in the front?"

"Way better, than you!" she spit, got up harshly and walked away without caring what his shouts voiced from behind. She was done.

----------

Nandini had huffily walked off there. She had noted she had been running away too much lately and this had turned into a point a concern. Somewhere, a nasty feeling in her crept in- she felt shady and a coward. She felt she wasn't running away from them anymore but running away from something more. Everything seemed to slip by. No one was willing to understand her side- blames and accusations was all what she got.  She was passing through the gardens far away from him when she bumped into something or specifically, someone. 

"Take it slow, mohtarama!" a brotherly voice called her out and stabled her. 

"Cabir!" Nandini whispered.

"Yes, Nandini. Cabir!"

"Hi!"

"Hi, Ms. small-talk!"Cabir laughed. It was awkward and after a long time, they had met to talk face to face. So much had happened in between they had last chatted. Situations had turned ugly, partly due to his lack of knocking sense in people at that time. Cabir knew he had to take it slow. He understood that like Manik, she also had a set that triggered her. He knew that she had her complaints and what were they, though he didn't know them now, he was soon to touch upon them.

"Tu chalegi mere saath!", he questioned out of the blue. 

"Kahan?" Nandini looked at him quizzically. Very interestingly, an very much unexpected to herself too, she didn't feel bound or to be vigilant around Cabir, may be because he never did anything but he hadn't even said anything when he should have? What made her comfortable to go with Cabir on a small walk was a mystery to both of them but, ditching that serious thought they continued. 

"So, how have you been?" Cabir questioned. 

"I'm fine. Tum kese.." she trailed off as he gave her an ear-to-ear smile. 

"Bilkul kuch like a rasagulla! Life is the same, except a few things- like you being missing, Manik being lost, and a few fights here and there. Oh and I bet Navya must have updated you on everything till now! "

"Hm. She did!"

"Nandini!", Cabir heaved and braced himself, "Oh god! Why are you guys doing this to yourselves! Why, because of our foolishness, are you suffering? You and him both know it, very well- You need him. He needs you. Please, don't let Fab 5's foolishness drift you both apart! Don't let history repeat itself, Nandu! Don't let there be another Harshad!"

"Huh, it's ironic- a part of us falls for each other, still! But a part of us also believes that we are better apart. It was never about them, Cabir! It was he who backed off!"

"But, he regrets it!"

"Does he, Cabir? You think? We both know him, though I doubt myself. But, Cabir, you think his accusations, his blame, his ego defines his regret? It parted us many times, Cabir. It did and it will. He could be the purest man, strongest to take this or be immune to it, but I can't- his breaking is where I break!" Nandini's hurt eyes pierced with utmost truth and love. She was the strongest for the rest but when her world started at Manik and ended at him, his fires would burn her to ashes. Cabir knew there was no fault of her here. Circumstances may have led to her to come here, but long back had she soiled her seed of love for Manik and now, it was upto him to nurture it. But, he also knew, Manik may need one last guidance. One last time, one last hint that would pull him back it light. 

"Exchange of truth is curative, Nandini! Relations are suppose to be therapeutic! They are suppose to be healing, such that they make both of you better! If not, then I don't know what you both have- a lion pouncing upon a sheep or a cat hanging around a mice's shoulder- I don't know, but that's not therapeutic! I know what you're trying to define- something very specific, Nandini! I know you've tried earlier and I know you're still trying, only if Manik would get through. But, Nandini, out of the both you, one has to be rational and open-minded. I'm not saying it has to be you. I'm saying that, just remember where were you guys decided to go with this, it is up to you this time. Walk to the light, together. I promise, we would be no one, here. Just keep in mind, that relations are suppose to be healing!" Nandini froze at her place at his ways. The truth couldn't be denied. May be, she was wrong. May be, that hamesha  did mean that she was suppose to be his guiding star, always. 

"I won't deny you, Cabir! But, I tried and there's a time he has to take a step, tell him to take it before it gets late." She spoke blankly while staring at the ground. Cabir looked back at her teared eyes and walked towards her. He kept a finger on her chin and made her look up to him.

"You're a brave girl, Nandu. As much as you want to hide, I know. I know you've been through a lot. A lot outside of Manik's world. I may not be able to keep a finger on it, but I know, there has to be a lot for you to leave everything, everybody behind. You're a strong girl, Nandini. I know, you've done a lot for us, telling and without. I know, Dhruv can't get his mind in a mere 24 hours, Nyonika can't just plot such superficially.  I know there was a lot to happen afterwards, but a lot was disguised away. I know we didn't reach heights just out of the blue. There was a lot of that behind it. Please don't flinch now. I can't promise, this going to be the last fight and he needs  the push before the last leap of faith."

"His love is a tangle, Cabir, and I am tangled in it. I can't solve him anymore. He's tangled me. He doesn't go away completely, he doesn't come back either. I wouldn't have cared, I wouldn't still only if he would just not laughed me off without laughing." Tears streamed down her red cheeks. Cabir grasped her into a brotherly hug and let her tears roll down. The strongest of souls had to have the benefit of doubt, so was she entitled to it. It was okay for her to cry and frustrate at his indecisiveness. 

--------

After a tiring talk, Cabir and Nandini had went to have some jalebis and ice-cream. The tow had played a few childish games in the near-by arcade and refreshed themselves. He may not have completely redeemed himself, but he was a step closer and so was she, a step closer to healing. Whatever it was, they were back to where they had left off abruptly. 

They had reached back to the hotel, somewhere around 11PM and were welcomed by a furious Navya. Both of them were caught off-guard by seeing a huffing Navya in front. 

"Kya hua black-and-white Madhubala, how did you become a colored-Madhubala achanak se? That too super red!" Cabir joked and wrapped his arm around Navya's neck. 

"Abhi hume kuch nahi sunna, Cabir! Bas agar tum agaya do toh hum aapni pyari dost, jo sab ka itna khayal rakhti hi, us se bat karna chate hi! Kar sakte hi? " Navya snapped back and shot her heated stare at Nandini. 

---------------

Happy Reading! 

Love, 

HF