Hey fam! Thank you for removing time from your busy schedule to read this story.

Happy Reading! Your inline comments are my happiness ;)

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*unedited*

The Words Untold

M A N I K

I looked into the white room carefully, knocking the door before I entered and the typical smell of hospital beds immediately caught me. There were monitor boards and CV tubes running everywhere, making the huge room look smaller.

But I stood there confused. Why was I called here?

"Manik...," I heard a small voice and pushing my thoughts apart, I walked towards him, slowly sitting on the chair next to his bed. He was such a nice man, jolly and honest, and it was bad to see him dying. I didn't know him much but from what I did, he seemed a loving father and a kind businessman, a very rare golden heart.

"Mr. Murthy," I greeted, giving him a small smile, "I feel very sorry to see you in this condition and wish you nothing but the best, but I fail to understand why you wanted to see me so urgently, early in the morning", I kept the roses on the side table and he nodded.

"Thank you for meeting me on such a short notice, son," he smiled gracefully and the way he said 'Son' threw me back to the memories of my father since that was what my father called me all the time.

"I have called you for an important work, and I'd trust nobody but you for this. I know you'd be confused since we hardly know each other but I'd like you to have a look at the papers lying beside me", he asked weakly and I nodded, taking up the black file, flipping the pages carefully, and with each page I turned, I just ended up being more confused.

"Mr. Murthy, why would you do this? Why would you transfer all your estate to me when it should go to your rightful heir, your daughter—..," I was visibly under shock, overwhelmed by the sudden kindness that this man on his death bed was showing me.

"Manik, son, I have no body here. No relatives, no friends, just a daughter... who just like her late mother, is naïve and innocent. I would gladly leave everything I have for her, but for all I know, she wouldn't be able to handle it all so soon. Because I never taught her. I never thought that there would be a day that I'd leave her and she would be alone to face the world. I always treated her with nothing but the best, and you'd know that the moment you'd see her. She's my princess, Manik, and all of a sudden, I cannot let my princess out as a warrior. I am all she has in this world, and when I go, I would always want her to be capable to handle everything, which she is not. I want you to help me," he slowly kept his shivering hands on my stiff ones and I kept staring at them.

"She has just turned twenty, a week ago. And all my estate would lawfully go to her when she becomes twenty one. But for one year, I'd want you to train her under you. Not as a businessman, but as a person, to make her fine enough to face the world alone. I want her to see that there's not all love and kindness in this world. There's darkness and cruelty too, and I want her to accept that. And you're the only man I could trust with this." He squeezed my hand a little tighter.

"But why me?" That's all I could ask. Why does this man trust me out of all the people in this world when we've barley known each other for a month and he knows I am no kind and good?

"Because you're a son who loved his father a lot, and you'd understand the love of another father like no one else." He said sharply and I went numb under his touch. How'd he know about my father and me?

"Malhotra was an old friend of mine, and I know things that you do too. I know how your mother—... I am sorry. All I mean is, I know my friend and I know how he loved you. I trust the values he has given you. And as I trust him, I trust you," he justified and I looked away.

Trust. It was a dangerous word, especially when it's been years that I trusted someone or someone trusted me.

"What do I have to do?" I asked. I was in an abyss but I knew I would do this for the old man on his death bed. He was no stranger. He was my dead father's dying friend. And I owed him this much.

"Give her difficulties" His voice was cold and I looked up at him.

"Make her understand that the world isn't easy to love, at least not as much as she thinks. Give her problems that would make her feel how terrible her life is, that would keep her occupied from the grief of my death. Give her any mental pain you could to keep her away from the pain of my death. I don't want her to be broken after me and the only way to keep pain away is to inflict more pain. I know I might sound cruel, but I want this. And after a year, today, give her everything mine that I entrust you with." His voice was as cold as ice and with every word he spoke, I could feel how much it troubled him to do this to his own daughter.

"I'd do that", I kept my second hand on his and he patted me affectionately. "I need a promise," he demanded again.

"Anything," I agreed.

"Don't let my daughter know about any of this until you find her capable enough of holding it all. Tell her this when she turns twenty one, and tell her that even if I am not with her, I'd always love her. I don't have the heart to tell her that I know I'm dying, which father would tell that to their daughter after knowing he's leaving her alone in this world? But I want you to do that, on her twenty-first birthday. Hand her this as a birthday gift, please son," he smiled giving me a short box and I took it carefully, placing the precious box in the pocket of my coat.

"And this if for you" He placed a longer box in my hands and I looked up at him in surprise.

"It's your father's. He gave it to me the day before he died, because I wanted to make the same one for myself. But after him, I never did. I kept this close to me whenever I missed him. But now that I'm going, you must have it. He'd always want you to. He loved you more than anyone else," he smiled as I held the previous box with my shivering hands and opened it delicately, revealing a thin gold chain with intricate designs. It was beautiful.

"Thank you", my voice cracked. "And I promise I wouldn't let your princess know anything until she's twenty one. But I just want you to know, you're the only father who'd do that to his own daughter" I smiled lightly and he giggled like an old man, the way my father always did. I could see why they were friends, this man was so much like my father: a happy and jolly man, who loves his child.

"I know. But without being in the darkness, how would someone appreciate the light?" He asked, taking my breath away. No one could know what he spoke better than me. I have seen the light. I have seen the darkness. And I know it's the darkness that makes me appreciate even the lightest happiness.

"I know you understand what I'm saying better than anyone else, son," he affectionately touched my cheeks and before I could comprehend, a lone tear left my eye and I wiped it away quickly. It had been years since I last cried but he reminded me of my father and it was like looking at someone as close as my father die once again.

"I do, sir. I do" I answered truthfully before leaving that day.

Three days later, a midnight call in my bed told me that he passed away. The next morning, I went where the funeral was but what I saw shocked me. There was no funeral. His body lay alone on the sticks and the blazing fire ate it slowly with no one around to mourn his death.

Just in one corner, she— his daughter, sat wearing a white kurti, emotionlessly watching the fire burn the body she once called her father. She didn't cry. She didn't mourn. But inside, I knew she was breaking because this is what I have gone through a million times. From outside, it was as neutral as morning. But from inside, we feel it. We can feel the hollow pain in our chest that has no origin, it just breaks out heart slowly into a thousand pieces which hurts us so much until we feel numb. That's why we call it a heart-break.

Her father told me that she was a princess, but that day, hidden from her eyes, I observed her keenly. I had seen her a lot of times before at her father's office, I had seen her laugh and smile and love the world how her father had told. She considered me her friend and often talked about the most random things, about how her father loved her the most because she had the eyes of her beloved mom. But today, I didn't see her as her usual self- happy and bubbly, I saw her becoming a different person.

I saw her maturing. I saw her breaking. I saw her turning, twisting, aching but never crying. I saw her become a braver version of her own self.

I saw the princess becoming a warrior.

"Manik!" Her loud voice immediately broke my short flashback and I composed my expression. Blinking my eyes rapidly, I gave her a small smile, getting away from her and giving her the space to get up from sleep.

"Good Morning!" She whispered yawning slowly and I softly chuckled.

"It's afternoon, sleeping beauty...," I informed and her smile disappeared as she looked around. She probably realised we weren't at the hut in the forest anymore.

"We are at my house, I carried you back home," I whispered slowly, moving away from the bed and leaning upon the opposite wall. "And oh, this is my room and you're totally sleeping on my bed", I added and she smiled sleepily. Has anyone ever told her how sexy she looks when she gives that sleepy smile?

"Is there anything wrong?" She asked suddenly and I burrowed my eyebrows an an answer. "No! I mean, when I got up—... you were looking at me so keenly but you didn't even sew I woke up. You were just staring at me—... as if I'm something to eat," she sounded worried and I chuckled. She amuses me.

"What's there to not stare at? You're beautiful," I confessed looking into her eyes and her smile immediately picked up, making blood rush into the veins of her face and she blushed into a new shade of crimson, looking as adorable as a kid.

She walked out from my bed lazily and walked towards me, slowly wrapping her tiny hands around my waist and taking a step closer, she kept her head on my chest, making me smile. "Thank you!" She whispered and I put my arms around her, engulfing her, and she snuggled in more.

"Why?" I whispered back. She always did these little things that no one has ever done for me, making my cold heart so much more warmer.

"For saving my life last night, for taking care of me, for protecting me, for staying with me, for not giving up on me, for everything!" She smiled snuggling more and I softly smiled.

"If this is how it is, then I should be the one thanking you for all these things because you are the one who didn't give up on me, who didn't push me away looking at my dark sides. A lot of people tried to see within my cold heart, but no one tried enough. And you did. So thank you!" I gently kissed her crown and she wiped a non existent tear of happiness from her eye, breaking away from me.

"You can go fresh up and take a shower, I have called for some necessities and spare clothes, they're kept in the washroom. I'd wait for you downstairs, we can make pancakes together...," I offered kindly and her eyes widened, happiness dancing in them. I remember knowing pan cakes were her favourite when I was her 'friend'.

"I'd love that!" She called after me as I left the room, smiling like a mad man and I'm sure I left her smiling crazily too.

N A N D I N I

Some days are just too beautiful to believe they aren't a dream. And today was one such day.

Imagine waking up in the bed of Manik Malhotra, hugging him closely, he calling you beautiful and kissing your forehead and then taking a shower in his washroom. And most importantly, getting to wear his hoodie. Too beautiful to be true, isn't it?

I could sit for an hour in front of his huge mirror, looking at myself. I didn't find myself beautiful as such, but looking at me wearing his hoodie made me feel extraordinary. The denim shorts belonged to Mukti but the over sized hoodie was his and I couldn't get over the fact. I loved how his smell stuck to the cloth and was so close to me all the time, making me feel on seventh heaven.

I tied my hair in a messy bun and ran downstairs to him. Now that he wasn't being a monster to me, I didn't even want to wash a minute without him. I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could and make as many memories because I know this happy side of his won't last long but I wanted to make the most of it.

I made my way to the kitchen and sat on the slab beside him, pouting that he had already started making pan cakes all by himself but that immediately disappeared looking at him working so carefully with an apron and a chef's hat on that he didn't even notice my presence at first.

"Alright, I'm done!" He smiled looking up and I wanted to pretend I was angry but I didn't. He looking so adorable that my hand was just one feet away from pulling his cheeks and complimenting on how adorable he looked working in the kitchen.

Putting the pancakes into two plates, he gave them both to me and I carried them to the dining while he followed me, removing the apron and his Chef's cap. Sitting opposite to each other, he fiddled with his pancake while I immediately ate mine.

"It was yummy! Perfect! Thank you, chef!" I winked taking my plate back to the kitchen and he followed me.

"You don't have to lie. It was little burnt and tasted bland," he accused and I smiled as I helped him clear the table. I would have wondered where all his servants have got lost but I didn't because I liked it, him and me being alone.

"So what? For me, it was perfect!" I smiled enthusiastically and he nodded in disbelief , smiling behind me.

"Princess! Why do you do this?" He smiled putting both his hands on the slab from either side of my waist, caging me in the middle.

"Do what?" I asked slowly, keeping my hand on his chest.

"Do these little things! To make me happy, I've noticed them, always," he was curious but this little doubt of his made my heart happy.

"Because you deserve to be happy!" I looked into his eyes with utmost sincerity and I saw something twinkle in his eyes, I know he likes me now, I just guess his devils had started liking me too.

"Can I confess something?" He whispered and I nodded.

"Anything" I agreed, hearing my heart beating faster.

"This is my confession. I will never leave my darkness, because the day I try to get red or my demons, I'd lose my angels too. But as dark as I am, and with all my darkness, I'd always find enough light to adore you to pieces, with all of my pieces," His words made my heart flutter and my soul smile deep inside, and I wish there were any words made for me to tell him how he always made me feel, a kind of emotion that isn't even termed. It's like feeling everything altogether.

Right in that moment, when I looked into his eyes and he looked into mine, I knew it was going to be difficult. He's got his heart broken into pieces that I haven't even seen yet, and not all his pieces would accept the mess I am from inside but what I knew was whether I have one whole heart or a million broken pieces, every piece will love him and only him because to have him even for a moment was to have the love of an eternity.

~he was the boy, that girls write novels about;
she was the girl that boys write songs about;
and their love was a love that people write fairytales about~

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So many revealations and revealations. There's so much more to every character and their story then what you see, isn't it?

Hope you liked the update. Vote, comment, and do tell me your feedbacks.

Thank you! x

~StarsAndFireflies_