Manik didn't stay after dropping her to the room saying he had to see Aashi. Nandini had all the reasons to be anxious then. Her heartbeats were faster than ever as she walked to the small mirror in room, then her eyes had gone all heavy lids when she wanted to look at her own reflection and when she saw, she couldn't look away. She looked...changed when actually nothing had changed. Maybe except for that coy smile which wasn't leaving her side. 

He was a constant sweet storm in her life, she had known it for a while but she didn't know how he was drenching her. The emotion which her heart felt every time he was around, she didn't ever try to decipher that. And now it was lingering on her lips. What was that? She clutched hem of her sweater as something hit so hard. It was breathtaking to even think about what it was. 

Her fingers reached her lips and as soon as she touched them, her eyes were gazing ground. 

"Was it even right?" She murmured. 

No answer. Not a single answer. Except for that gratifying knot in her stomach which had refused to calm down. 

Smile again lingered on her lips as she acknowledged the eager content of her heart. 

Everything got played in her mind and she still hadn't registered that feeling completely. It all felt like a dream. She was fidgety. Her palms were sweaty and she was constantly making knots of loose woolen thread of her sweater. Her nails had left marks on her palm as she had closed her fist so tight trying to cop up with gratifying anxiety. She didn't regret it. She could read the sweet words her body was writing on her heart. 

She returned to her bed and sighed. Her body was aching so bad but mind was refusing to even think about it. His unapologetic gaze, smile, longing, turbulent eyes, broken, numb; everything seemed to play in reverse and smile from her face disappeared. She drowned in some grave thought as if a thorn had made its way to her rosy joy. She took the glass of water from table and then gulped it in one go. 

________________________

Manik had embraced Aashi for minutes then. She was constantly crying. 

"I am fine, Aashi," Manik assured for nth time and she sobbed more.

"I am sorry. I am really sorry," She uttered in between her sobs. 

"Now would you please stop saying that?" Manik said a bit commanding as it was the only sentence she was mumbling since few minutes. 

"It's not your fault," Manik assured and planted a soft kiss on her temple. 

"It is," She said and added, "I should have stopped Aryan. It's all my fault."

Manik stiffened on hearing Aryan's name and let go of Aashi.

"If one more time you blame yourself, I swear I would leave," Manik threatened. 

Aashi shook her head in fear and then wiped her tears. 

"I am sorry," She again mumbled and Manik sighed. 

"I won't repeat it. That I meant," She clarified and Manik smiled a bit. 

She held his hand and then peeped into his eyes to find any sign of turbulence. He looked same, as if whatever happened few minutes back hadn't even touched him. 

"You alright na?" She asked trying to read his eyes.

"More than alright," He said and smiled broad for her.

Snuggling into his chest, she assured her heart that he wasn't lying or hiding his pain. And suddenly she remembered how she had totally left Nandini alone there in such condition. 

"Nandini," She mumbled and then stood up. 

"I am so stupid. I left her there in middle of ground and totally forgot," She said and palmed her forehead. 

"Relax," Manik said patting her back. 

"Nandini is safe and fine," He said and then a smile touched his lips. 

"But she was alone. I didn't even realize that she barely can walk," She said fretting. 

Manik's smile subsided a little and her tired face flashed in front of his eyes when she had reached him. Aashi was right. It was beyond difficult for her to even take two steps by herself and she had to walk forest paths to reach him. A twister of distress struck his mind. 

"You are right," He mumbled. 

"I need to go," He said and walked out in haste. 

_________________________

Storming towards her room, he tried to tame his throbbing heart. It was racing like never before. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down as he entered the corridor. He hadn't felt this nervous before. Not at least when he was going to her. It seemed like everything was changed. He halted in his place as a stray thought clicked his mind. 

"Did he ruin it?"

No. He didn't. 

He shook away the thought and proceeded but then another troubling thought showed up. 

"What would she be thinking?"

He didn't know. Her shy smile flashed in front of his eyes and he smiled.

Taking few more steps towards her room, another whirled thought struck him.

"What was he thinking?" 

His throat got dried as soon as he remembered how he had no control over his urge to reach her lips. What was he thinking? He asked himself and sweat formed on his forehead. 

"What was that?"

He asked and anxiety hit him like never before. He sat on step beside. 

It was something he had no reign on. He had no regrets. He knew that at least. He had not felt this light headed ever in his life. His breaths became heavy as he tried to contain the feeling. It was too much. An urgency struck him to be around her. He had tried to push her as far as he could but he couldn't. 

He got up and paced towards her room. He opened the door a bit and saw her sitting on her bed. Her back was turned on him. He entered quietly collecting all his courage.

She turned her head a bit but didn't turn around. He slowly closed the door and stood there trying to read what she was thinking.

"That..."

"I...."

Both spoke up at same time. Then she turned her face away all embarrassed and he sighed aloud. 

"See..." He was the first one to rush because his own fears were eating him like ghost. 

"I am sorry..." He said and she immediately looked at him. Her eyes had this shock which made him more dysfunctional. 

"Nooooo...I mean I am sorry," He again repeated the exact dreaded phrase and now few lines of hurt was there on her face. Her lips were a bit opened and her forehead was furrowed. 

"Listen..." He said and then lost the words what he wanted to say. Sighing aloud, he palmed his face and then shook his head as if preparing himself to drop a unwanted summon.

"If any of my actions....has offended you, I am....sorry," He finally said stressing on each word and Nandini let go of hem of her sweater. Tears in her eyes made him look like a water mirage as she tried not to shatter. 

"You regret it," She hardly murmured and tears started to flow. 

"Huh?" He asked meeting her teary eyes. 

"Please don't cry," He said advancing towards her and she took two steps back. 

"Don't," She said acutely. 

"I am sorry, Nandini," He said pleadingly and then put his hands on his waist. 

"Stop insulting whatever it was," She shouted in between her sobs. 

"What?" He asked being totally bewildered. 

"At least don't insult it," She said and then sat on bed with a thud. 

He walked quickly to face her and saw her crying. 

"I...ruined it," He said and then stood there like a statue drowning in his own storm. 

Nandini looked at him and saw him surrounded by his own dear darkness. Her heart pinched. 

"I don't know but it felt the most right thing ever and I didn't think," He said and then gulped hard as freezing to his icy self. 

She looked at him and tried to process what he had just said. 

"What did you say?" She asked and he looked at her. 

"I am sorry," He said and she pursed her lips in anger. His gaze moved to her angry lips and he bit his lower lip. 

"I don't know what I was thinking," He concluded. 

"Manik," She said alarmingly and stood up.

Walking to him angrily, she clutched his collar tight and peeped right into his eyes. 

"Manik, DO YOU REGRET THAT KISS?" She asked sternly trying to contain her rage and tears both.  Manik could feel her tremble through contact of their bodies. 

His eyes widened as he registered her words. 

"NOOOOOO," He shouted and her trembling doubled. 

"Then why are you sorry?" She asked trying not to collapse. 

"I am not," He said and her head spun with some sort of relief. Her grip loosened over his collar and knees bent as she lost the control. Manik held her waist tightly as he felt her sliding down. She was weak and her body was finally demanding the deserved rest. 

"Nandini," He sighed in horror and then tapped her cheek. 

"Open your eyes," He said and she opened her eyes a bit. Gripping her tight, he brought her up. 

"I can never regret that moment," He said and her lips curved a bit. 

"You don't regret that?" She asked innocently as she tried hard to stay awake. Manik traced her face with his gaze and then looked into her eyes. 

Leaning in, he just brushed his lips against her quivering ones. 

"I can never," He assured against her lips and she collapsed in his arms. 

___________________

She opened her eyes to same white ceiling. She looked around and saw a contour standing on edge on bed. She shut her eyes and then opened them again. Manik was sitting there with a lost expression. As soon as her eyes peeped into his stoned ones, he moved. 

He stormed towards her and before she could even register what was happening, he extracted her from soft bed and cradled to his chest. 

"I was not sorry for what you thought," He clarified as he embraced her more as if she could dive more in almost no gap. 

"I was sorry because I thought I ruined everything," He added.

Nandini separated herself from his warm embrace and looked at his turbulent face. She traced his furrowed forehead with her sleek fingers and fine lines disappeared. 

"I don't know what it was. I thought a lot about it. All I know is that...," She said and then waited.

"That?" He asked 

"That it couldn't ruin anything," She completed. 

"I don't know who you are to me. I don't know why It felt so right when you..." She said and then looked down as her upper lip curved a bit and she blushed a bit. 

"All I know is that it mattered. You matter," She said and then looked into his amused eyes. He looked enchanted as if she had just finished telling a lullaby.

"And learn to use words too," She said and then smiled mischievously. 

He chuckled and looked away. 

"I would love to hear your words too," She added and he looked at her with this awed face. 

"I am not very good with them," He confessed sheepishly. 

"That I know," She replied and they both chuckled. Her upper lip was irking her a bit as she tried to control the pulse which was curving it upward. She bit it harshly trying to reign it.

Manik was looking around with a smile he didn't even wear before. The damn smile wasn't leaving his face as he tried to return to his comfort zone, his stern cold self. It was getting awkward. He moved to get up and realized his hands were on her lap, entangled with her hands. They were a tangled mess, inside out. He got up and apparently fidgeted with everything. 

"I would be back," He said and then collided with a flower pot at feet of bed. Holding it in time, he looked at Nandini. She looked away coyly.  He stormed out of room without wasting a single second. 

______________________

Aashi was walking Nandin out next day as Nandini was feeling much better. They were walking in grassy ground of school. Breeze was ice cold and Nandini squeezed under wrap of her arms around her body. She looked at the mountains as they reached the railing. They looked calm under the coat of snow. 

"Winters are here," Aashi murmured.

"View looks so breathtaking," She added as she looked at never ending range of mountains. 

"It must be freezing cold there," Nandini said.

"Things are getting settled, Nandini," Aashi said seeing a lost Nandini. 

"Just because it's calm, it doesn't mean its settled," Nandini replied with a smile. Her skin had gone whiter with cold in air. Her lips had turned blood red as she sucked them again to avoid dryness. Her wisps were tickling her own face as wind tried to take them along.

"You are alive. You are safe. What else we need?" Aashi said and side hugged Nandini. 

Nandini clutched Aashi's hand in content as they both looked at vast view in front of their eyes. 

____________

After an hour or so, Nandini was returning to her room when someone ceased to give her a way. She looked up and saw an elderly man standing in front of her. His eyes were cold and he looked non-pleased about something. Nandini kept looking at him gulping all her questions. 

"How are you now?" That man asked. 

"I am better," Nandini replied briefly. 

"Good," That man said and then looked away.

"You?" Nandini asked .

"I am chief of this camp," He answered and then glared her to show his sovereignty.

"Now when you are fine, we need to talk," He said and then tried to leave.

"Thank you," Nandini said and he halted in his place. 

He just stood there turning his back and then left rapidly later. 

________________

"No, they don't need to talk to her," Manik growled as Aashi tried to convince him about meeting which chief had declared to deal with Nandini. 

"Manik, stop being unreasonable. Talking helps and I am glad Nandini can put her case there," Aashi said a bit irritated. 

"She doesn't need to put her case in front of anyone," He declared. 

"They helped us and now we can't behave likes thankless morons," Aashi shouted. 

"I would not let her go in front of that angry crowd," He announced and walked out. 

Aashi pulled her hair in frustration while Nandini sat calmly listening to brother-sister fight about her in which she had no say. 

"This man is impossible," Aashi exclaimed and crashed in chair. 

"I will talk to him," Nandini said assuring and walked out. 

Nandini smiled to herself thinking about warmth of relationships she was getting from them. She clenched her fist more as she tried to find Manik. She was nervous. Since their last encounter, all they did was running from each other. She craved to be around him but then there was so much awkwardness. It was too much to handle for a young heart. 

She saw him standing at end of corridor. He was looking at night sky. She reached him and stood only a few steps away. He was looking at sky. She followed his gaze and saw aurora there. 

"It's beautiful," She murmured looking at lights. 

He turned around and saw her standing all mesmerized. 

"They are," He uttered. She walked and stood right beside him.

"I wish I could be near those lights," Nandini exclaimed being all wonder-struck. 

 Manik looked at her and then couldn't take his eyes off her. She was looking milky white in moonlight. 

"You know I always watched you on annual day but never thought one day you would be standing next to me.. watching stars," He uttered all awestruck as he leaned on railing and watched her. 

"Huh?" Nandini exclaimed as she heard him confessing absentmindedly. 

"You used to think about me then? I thought you hated me," She asked raising her brow. 

He fidgeted a bit and then chuckled.

"You were center of attraction for everyone each annual day, Nandini," He told shrugging his shoulder.

"So you didn't hate me then?" She asked teasing him. 

He chose not to answer and turned around to gaze the aurora. 

"Don't tell, I will ask Aashi," Nandini said and then pretended to leave when he held her hand. 

Pulling her to his chest in one pull, he wrapped his other arm around her petite figure. Looking into her eyes to his content, he smiled a bit. 

"You know I am not good with words," He explained. 

"Words untangle everything," She replied. 

"They do but I don't have much of arrangement with them," He said and tucked her stray wisp behind her ear. Both kept looking at each other without any intention to withdraw. 

" What are we?" She asked after a good one minute silence of unsaid communication. 

"I don't know," He answered and then tightened his grip over her waist causing her to put her entire weight on his torso. 

"I don't wish to know," He added and then embraced her. She heard him sighing in content. 

"You know it feels so right. But I know when you are going to let go, I might not be able to look into your eyes," She confessed and then held his shoulders tightly. 

"You have your own accord with words. You don't stop thinking," He said she could feel how he shook his head. She chuckled. 

"I need to talk to them," She said after a pause. 

"You don't need to," He answered next second. She could feel his heartbeats against her face. 

"I have to," She said. 

"Mother asked me to mend things which have got ruined," She put before he could withdraw. His loosening grip again got firm against her waist. 

"I need to tell them my story," She added. 

"I don't deserve hatred," She said as tear rolled down and disappeared in his shirt. 

"No, you don't," He immediately replied. 

"So I have to talk to them," She said. 

He didn't reply but parted away. She looked at him to find sign of annoyance but there was only confused disagreement. He wasn't much pleased. 

He turned her around so that she faces the gorgeous view of night. Putting his chin on her shoulder, he enclosed her in his arm case. Putting his both hands on railing beside her, he planted a soft kiss on her cheek. 

"Go tell them then," He said and she smiled wide. 

She smiled in content. She wanted to face people, her people. She wanted to tell them herstory. She wanted to mend things and now when she had him beside her, she knew she would fulfill the wish her mother had. 

  __________________

Unedited*