~•~

The moon split in half
and the stars crumbled
falling like fireworks into the sea.
I watched my world
fall apart,
the day my love decided to leave me.

~•~

Braced myself for the goodbye,
'Cause that's all I've ever known
Then, you took me by surprise
You said, "I'll never leave you alone"
~Mine, Taylor Swift

N A N D I N I

"Are you okay?", Cabir asked as he dropped himself besides me on the floor and I wiped another silent tear as he wrapped his hand around me.

"Do you really expect me to be okay?" I laughed dryly as another tear slipped off my eye.

I couldn't pretend anymore. I was not okay, and I wanted to shout that. I wasn't the strong girl they expected me to be. I was weak emotionally, and this heart just cried for love.

"You need to freshen up, let's go home!" Cabir kissed my temple and I nodded negatively.

"He is the only Home I've ever known....", I sighed as a cold breeze passed by me, sending shivers down my spine and I hugged my knees to my chest tighter.

The lights of the ICU went off and the doors flew open. Cabir got up to welcome the doctor but I just closed my eyes tighter.

"He's no more...", were the words I never wanted to hear.

I just shut my eyes tighter and tighter wondering if that would help me disappear from there.

"He's out of coma...", the doctor smiled and my eyes snapped open as I stood to my feet.

Cabir closed his mouth with his palms as I stood numb.

"He's safe, though we will keep him under observation. Celebrate this children, it's nothing less than a miracle from God. We hope he will gain conscious soon....", the doctor patted Cabot's back. "We have to check him again after he receives consciousness, which might be in a few hours...".

"But.. doctor... we- we thought we had lost him. You said you couldn't get the pulses, yeh sab kaise-.....", Cabir asked smiling showing his thirty two teeth.

"Because until true love and God exists, Miracles also exist. His pulse level dropped very low and just when we thought he was dying, he rised from coma. He seems to be out of danger although nothing can be said about his internal injuries yet....", the doctor smiled. I let out a small cry.

Manik Malhotra will live. My Manik will live.

Yet again, it was proved that hopes do exist, scars do heal, and love does win.

"Nandini.....", Cabir cried as he turned to me and I looked at him with the same expression- shock and happiness.

"Manik will live....", he cried as I flung in his arms and he hid me in his embrace.

"Manik will live.....", I repeated to myself as I cried and smiled at the same time.

Nothing else made me happier than the fact that Manik will live, although his internal injuries are still not under check. Just like doctor said, if he gets paralysed, I'd still love him, I'd still marry him. Because that's the way I love him. And if he forgets me because of the memory loss, I will make him fall in love with him again. Because true love exists, and hope wins.

"He'd live for you...", Cabir smiled as he kissed my forehead and I gripped his jacket tightly.

"He'd live for us.....", I corrected and he hugged me again.

The dark night was over, the sun will shine brightly. Stars will shine upon us, and fireflies will glow. For us.

Because it's MaNan, humesha.

"I'd call the others....", he smiled moving away.

I slowly peeped inside from the ICU hole to see him sleeping peacefully. His body moved up and down with the long breaths he took.

Pushing away the door, I slowly entered inside as I sat besides him, being careful not to hurt him anywhere.

Taking his hand in mine slowly, I smiled and another tear slipped from my eye.

"You survived Manik, you fought it. You fought death for us... Manik!" I smiled and cried at the same time as I kissed his hand tightly.

This seemed like a dream. I was so prepared for the goodbye, that the fact that Manik Malhotra lived, seemed like a dream. I will be able to hear his voice again, I will see his eyes open and close every day, he will sing for me again, we will dance under the rains, kiss under the sky and love under the stars. It will be us, again.

"I love you, Manik. Get up soon monster....", I smiled, crying and sobbing louder.

I'm waiting when he gets up and holds me in his arms again, when he tells me that he'd love me. I'm waiting for the moment when he kisses me, loves me, calls me princess, again.

"And this time, I'm not letting you go, okay?" I smiled in a strict voice.

"Aur agar kabhi mujhe chod ke jaane ki try bhi ki na, toh I will also let you go. I wouldn't keep hope, aur... aur mein kisi aur se shaadi kar lungi.. yes!" I scolded as I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Bas hogaya Manik, you have slept enough. I miss you, jaldhi-jaldhi uth jao abhi....", I kissed his warm forehead setting his hair just the way he likes it.

Smiling to myself and rubbing my sleepy eyes, I got up to leave.

"Kahan jaa rahi ho?" Cabir asked and I sniffed.

"Kuch adhura kaam reh gaya tha....", I smiled in a determined voice.

"He'd want to see you first when he gets up...", Cabir held my shoulders.

"that is if he remembers me....", the words escaped my mouth in a whisper before I could realise as a tear again flowed off.

"Sssshhh...", Cabir wiped it off. "You both have been through enough, god has tested you both enough. It's time for the stars to shine upon you...", he smiled and I smiled back and my guide to positivity.

"Be with him. I have to complete something important....", I smiled and he looked confused.

After all, what work can be more important to me than Manik?

M A N I K

F-U-C-K. Fuuuck.

Darkness surrounded me everywhere as I tried to remember where I was and what I was doing here.

I got in an accident as much as I remember when I was driving somewhere to meet someone.

But the question being, who the fuck was I going to meet?

"Manik, I have chosen you and I will keep choosing you, over and over again"

Her voice played in my mind like a melody. It was sweet as sugar and musical as a note.

"Manik, I will be your star, and I will shine for you, humesha!"

My star. Who was my star?! What the hell was her name?! Why the hell cant I remember anything? And why is it so dark everywhere?

"Manik Malhotra, you are such a monster...."

Her laughs. Her doe eyes. Her long and silky hair. Her teasings. Her hands. Her touch. Her warmth.  She.

Everything in my mind about her was as clear as a map but no dot matched each other. The big question everywhere was, who was this 'she'?

Tying to acquire myself with the darkness around me, I felt something heavy on my hand, as if someone was pressing it.

I tried lifting my hand and speaking something but I felt numb. I could hear someone talking to me, but nothing made sense. I could hear her speaking, but I couldn't understand her.

"Bas hogaya Manik, you have slept enough. I miss you, jaldhi-jaldhi uth jao abhi....", she cried kissing my forehead.

"I want to get up....!" I shouted. But the voice never came out.

Who is she? Why was she crying for me? Why can I only remember her doe shaped eyes?

Was she my sister? Maybe my mother? Or what if she is my girlfriend? Or wife?

The fuck, why don't I remember anything?!

"Manik Malhotra, I love you....!" She whispered in my ears.

"I will be your star, hamesha...",
"I love you"
"Your star"
"Hamesha"
"Hamesha"

Nandini.

Yes, she is my Nandini. My girl, my life, my everything. The only love of my life.

Suddenly, I could see rays of light everywhere.

"Nandini....", I shouted. She was my light, she thought me that light was better than the darkness, she taught me how to love, how to smile. She was my star, hamesha.

"Nandini...", I whispered again and I could feel life back into my body.

"Shuru ho gaya monster. Utha hi nahi ke first word Nandini. Hum iske life mein hai kyu abhi tak...?" I could hear someone cry. Cabir.

Cabir was there too. They could sense me, I could talk.

Light entered deep as my eye lids fluttered and a very similar face made its way into my sight.

"Gay....", I whispered and there were laughs around.

What the fuck was he doing here and where was my Nandini?

I opened my eyes completely to see only Aryamman and Cabir. But they looked-.. different.

"Cabir, tune yeh bade chashme kyun pehene hai?" I asked in confusion and he sighed.

"Kya karu bhai. Jabse tu gaya hai, office ka sab kaam only I had to do....", he sadly wiped a fake tear. "Itna kaam that I couldn't give time to my own wife and baby....".

"Baby?!" I shouted.

"Yes buddy, it's been three years. Fab5 broke after you, I got a son. And Nandini......", he sighed.

"Nandini. Kyu hua meri Nandini ko?" I panicked.

"She's got married Manik..." Cabir cried and my head spinned. Why the fuck did I even get up?

I didn't realise as my eyes welled up and my head spinned.

"Manik!" Cabir shouted, freaking out looking at me. "Sorry I was joking buddy, it's been three days not three years !" He cried.

I left my head and smirked. "Dude, mein koi vacation se nahi aaya hu, I have returned from the dead. And sympathy and love dene ke jaga, tu yeh stupid jokes maar raha hai. Seriously?" I asked in disbelief.

Having friends like Cabir Dhawan, you don't need to have enemies.

"You have returned from the dead, seriously Manik?! If someone has returned from the dead, it's us, it's her. We have faced the downs, every news that said that we were losing you. We were prepared to wish you a goodbye Manik! Jeete jee marr rahi thi voh, she had started drinking and hallucinating you. Tu toh gadhe jaise so raha tha. If anyone deserves love and sympathy, it's her; not you jerk....!" Cabir shouted, and my heart pained.

"Kahan hai voh..." I demanded. She had gone through so much because of me.

I always want to keep her happy, want to do good things for her, and I always end up screwing things up.!

Just when I thought that, the hospital room door opened and there she stood, with the others peeping from out with smiles.

She walked in slowly and the two left, probably to give us our own time.

"Nandini...!" I whispered and a lone, silent tear fell from her one eye as she took slow steps towards me. Her face looked devoid of each emotion as she sat down besides me, her eyes focused down.

"Nandini, I'm sorry... please!" I whispered holding her hand. Though getting into that accident wasn't my fault, I was sorry. Because of me, she has to go through so much, always.

"I love you...." I said and a salt and water drop fell off my eye. They weren't tears, it was probably because the light around was too bright, because Manik Malhotra doesn't cry.

"No, it's okay..", she whispered back as she raised her head finally to look at me.

"See, I got engaged...!" She smiled showing her engagement finger.

What the fuck? Had she and Cabir decided to torture a person who had just got up from Coma?

"You didn't...", I whispered as I tucked her hair strand behind her ear.

"I did. Tumne kaha tha na to move on and stay happy, so that's exactly what I'm doing, see...!" She smiled fake.

She was hurt, hurt beyond words could repair. I could see it in her eyes, how much she was breaking from inside.

I held her by her arms and I pulled her towards me. Her head banged with my chest, causing a ceasing pain down my spine but physical pain never mattered to me.

"I'm sorry, princess, I'm sorry...", I whispered keeping my head on hers as I kissed her crown.

"I thought I'd never hear you again, Manik...!" She whispered and a sob left her mouth as she tied to press it in.

"It's okay, baby. You can cry, I'm there. I'm back, and I'm holding you tighter this time.....", I smiled against her forehead and she started crying holding me tighter.

"I saw you going away in front of my own eyes Manik, I saw you nearly dying and I couldn't do anything...!", she held my collar and just like I promised her, I held her as she broke apart.

Nothing could separate us. Not even death.

"Nandini...", I caressed her cheeks with my thumb.

"Hmm..", she replied looking down as I kissed our entwined hands. I took a deep breath.

This accident had taught both of us a lot of things, but most importantly, the fact that life was unpredictable and that we cannot live without each other. Now, we were sure that anything that happens, we can fight it, just if we are together and we stand by each other. She's my love and I know I can't stay without her.

"Will you marry me?"

~true love is two imperfect people refusing to give up on each other~

~•~