Hey people! Did y'all miss me?

Alright, just wanted to give y'all some good news. I wouldn't be gaayab for long this time. HUMESHA will be updated every Friday from today!

I have formed an update schedule that does:

Monday- His Wife (on Inkitt)
Wednesday- Stars
Friday- Humesha

And today is a Friday, so here is your update! ;) Happy Reading! Enjoy.

~•~

N A N D I N I

"Uff Manik!" I tripped for the third time and he chuckled but then covered up with a cough as I glared it him and held his forarm to walk ahead.

I couldn't understand why had he brought us in the forest where I would trip and fall a hundred times and he would laugh at me and then hold me and then he'd create a fuss about how clumsy I am. He was some Drama Queen, huh!

"Okay stop, we're here!" He smiled softly and my confused brows turned light as I saw the grave ahead of me, with the epitome that shined with his father's name crafted upon it. We were at the graveyard, His father's grave.

"Manik, this—...." my words faded as he shushed me, guiding me to his father's tomb, keeping his favourite white tulips upon it and dusting the fallen autumn leaves from where his father rested for eternity.

"Hey dad, I had promised you I'd get her to meet you, look she's here. Nandini, my princess!" He smiled as if talking to his father and I sat beside him, crossing my legs.

"Hi uncle, it's nice to meet you," I whispered too and he turned his face to me, smiling.

"Dad. Call him dad," He informed and my heart skipped a beat with the crimson colour all over my face. "He liked it when my friends called him Dad," he pressed his eyes and I smiled.

"You had friends?" I asked and then realised how dumb I sound. Who doesn't has friends? But if he did, where are they now? Where were they when he needed them the most?

"As crazy as that might sound to you, I do" he smiled slowly. "Zubin and Cabir were my only friends, well except Mukti and that jerk of course," it took me a second to realise that the jerk was Aryamman.

"And then things got fucked up. But I still have Cabir and his fiancée Navya though," he said and I nodded. I spent a lot of time with Navya in the past few days. A lot of time, she accompanied Cabir to Manik's house and we loved spending time together. She's beautiful and she's adorable and it's so amazing to look at the prankster be crazily in love.

It's been three— or four days since I was staying with Manik because of protection purposes, but I didn't understand why I needed to be protected. Manik and Cabir had been acting crazy to keep me in the house. If I hadn't said anything, they would have even arranged for an army around his house to make sure I was safe. But I never could comprehend the danger outside? Who was there who'd want to kill me? And most importantly, why me?

"Who were your friends?" He asked and I sighed. "I had a lot of friends, but never real ones. All I had in my inner circle was Mukti and Zubin and then only Zubin, but I'm happy I always had him" I tried smiling but I could cry out any moment. I missed him.

"Of course" he murmured under his breath. He still didn't like Zubin much.

"You don't like Zubin much, do you?" I asked and he laughed. "He was my best friend, my closest buddy at once. And madly in love with my sister since we were teenagers, if I might add," he tried smiling.

It just have been so difficult for him when Zubin didn't trust his own best friend, and he was all alone and all these years when everyone was busy hating him, he was breaking inside and all though he doesn't show, he misses everyone. He even misses his mother, wondering how it would be if he would have grown up like any normal child with a happy family and his best friends, being careless and sound stupid things like any other boy does. But they chose to break him, to break his heart and then they all left him in darkness all alone.

"You know, my dad would have loved you" he raised his eyebrows and I pursed my lips. "Why?" I asked, a genuine smile all over my face.

"Because he was always fond of people like you, he appreciated them for the way they believe in love and spread love and happiness as they go around. He was a nice man, liked keeping nice people around him. And I know he would find pleasure in the way your eyes sparkle everytime you talk about love.," his confession made my heart flutter. I could reply nothing but smile my brightest smile as I looked at him, losing myself in his genuine thoughts.

He says that my eyes sparkle. But what he doesn't know is that they sparkle only when they look at him.

"Do you come here often?" I asked and he smiled, "Very often, it makes me feel closer to him," and with the way he spoke about his father, I knew he missed him so much.

"Alone?" I couldn't stop but ask. He nodded. Then why would he bring me along?

"You're the first person I brought here with me, I never even allowed Cabir to come along, and he never insisted because he knew this was my space. But I brought you here because I just wanted the two most important people of my life to meet each other for the first time," he whispered and my heart skipped a beat.

I would have been easily convinced that this was all a dream, owing to his smile and addicting talks. It was as if he was too beautiful to be the reality. People as beautifully broken as him just appear in dreams and fairy tales and I was afraid that one day he'd disappear leaving me alone. But even if he does, I'd never complain. He had already given me the memories of a lifetime to live with and even if he left, I'd never stop loving him. He'd be my beautiful secret until I live my last breaths.

He slowly slipped his hand underneath mine and I rested my head on his shoulder as the sun touched the horizon, paining the sky into shades of orange, yellow and blue, the clouds dancing around magnificently as the sun cast its last rays, giving way to tiny stars that twinkled its way and the sky touched the first shade of evening, spreading magic everywhere around us.

With all the problems i was dealing with, my life could have been termed a nightmare but to me, it wasn't. Because until he was by my side, even nightmares felt like fairytales.

❤

We walked back into his house with my hand in his which he held so firmly, as if his world would slip away if he let my hand go. But not that I minded it. His hands were cold but it provided me the warmth nothing else could.

"Hey!" A voice startled me, causing me to pull away my hand from his hold and he stared at me with a bored expression while I gave him a small glare as we turned to our audience. Mukti ran from the couch to us and into Manik's arms. Zubin just stared at both of us. Cabir smirked while Navya just walked out of the kitchen with snacks in her hands.

When Mukti was done hugging Manik, she engulfed me into a hug. I was very upset about her fake death drama and also disappearing with Zubin but I knew they needed this time and I had missed her crazily. I hugged her back and she breathed in relief.

As walked in, Zubin also came ahead and wrapped his arms around me, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I've been so selfish again, I'm sorry," He whispered and I could have broken down right there in his arms. Although I tried ignoring, I could see Manik and Zubin looking at each other as if they were talking something.

"Manik, firstly, thank you for trusting me with your sister and letting us being away for a while," Zubin began as we settled on the couches. "And thank you for being with Nandini when she needed me the most. I've been very selfish since the past few days!" He wrapped a hand around me and I weakly smiled while Manik's eyes flickered from him to his hand and then back to him.

"But I'm here for something else....," he said softly and my eyes flickered to mukti who was shyly sitting next to Manik when my eyes caught the diamond ring shining her engagement finger and my eyes widened.

"Vaise toh I don't need your permission for this-...," he snapped and Mukti glared at him while my mouth fell open.

"But I'd do this for Mukti's happiness. So Manik Malhotra, with all due respect, would you let me, Zubin Singhania, get married to your sister Mukti?" He asked and I squealed hopping into his arms again. My stupid best friend was getting married to his childhood lady love. Can you believe that?

Smiles broke over everyone's face including mine but Manik sat there seriously, into some deep thoughts. "I don't trust you Zubin" was his only answer and the smiles of everyone's faces vanished almost as quickly. But none of us could blame him for his past.

"But for a fact, I know nobody would love her as you do. Years of you not moving on after thinking she's dead is enough proof for that. And I don't trust you, but Nandini does," he pointed at me. "And I trust her, so maybe I'd learn to trust you too!" He said softly and all the smiles returned as Mukti hopped into his arms but his eyes were stuck at me.

'Thank you' I mouthed and he winked, giving me his breath takingly beautiful smile.

"Uh, vaise Zubin—... Uh fuck it!" Manik murmured and I shrugged it. He's crazy sometimes.

"Actually, I wanted to ask— inform you, Nandini's mine tonight!" He shrugged casually and my eyes widened. Zubin's actions came to a halt and Mukti winked while Cabir smirked and Navya laughed.

"No— No! I mean, I'm taking her out tonight!" Manik corrected and Zubin stepped forward, inching closer to Manik, making my heart beat faster. All that anger that Manik hadn't even asked me out yet disappeared and I felt nervous. Were they going to hit each other?

"I told you, don't play her!" Zubin whispered, anger clear in his voice.

"I'm not," he answered seriously. "I know my history with girls doesn't let you trust me with someone as close to you as her but if I can entrust you with my sister, you can allow me a date, atleast?" He asked and I slowly smiled. It felt nice, Manik pleading to someone for me.

"Maybe I can try trusting you," Zubin murmured and the tension released as small smiles broke both their faces and they put their arms around each other in a small hug.

"But I have conditions. You pick her up from my house, and I need her home next morning. Treat her nicely, don't maker her complain and— most importantly, no sex!" He warned and I turned red while others laughed. "Dare you break her heart, and I'd burn your world down!" He said seriously but smilingly.

Happily, I slipped inside. Standing by the balcony, I smiled in content. Life wasn't going on as planned, but I had no complains. I was happy as I always wished to be.

"Hey!" I heard a soft whisper as his lips touched my ears and he put his hand around my waist, turning me. Keeping my hands on his chest, I pouted.

"I'm not going out with you tonight!" I demanded and squeezed his eyebrows with the naughty smirk on his face.

"You are," he whispered, nuzzling his lips on my ear and I held the collar of his shirt smiling as I pulled away. "Why should I?" I teased on.

"Because you want to!" He shrugged and I pouted. He laughed, tracing my lips which I immediately pursed.

"That i do," I agreed, "but I want some good reasons".

"Playing hard to get, are we?" His fingers traced my skin and pulling away again, I nodded teasingly.

"Then I have a very big reason," he held me close, "Cabir and Navya, Zubin and Mukti, they both have their own stories and they're all beautiful just as their love is," He whispered and I looked into his eyes that stared promisingly into mine.

"But actually, I'm tired of their stories, so I thought let's write our own" He whispered making my heart skip a beat as he stared into my eyes sincerely and I smiled.

"So Nandini Murthy, can I and you together write a story that I can proudly call mine?" He kissed my crown as I nodded, keeping my head on his chest and he wrapped me into a hug.

"I will, Manik, I will," I whispered as a happy tear flowed off my eye and he pulled me close until there was no space left between us, and from today, there never will be any spaces between us.

I and Manik were going to make our own story. It might not start with 'once upon a time' or end with a 'happily ever after', but it would be a story that would shine like stars every night admist a dark sky, that would fall like leaves from every tree, a story that would remain even after we die.

I don't know if forevers exist, but if they do, that's where I hope to find a love for us, the one that cant be beaten by death, the one that lives not only in hearts but in every cell, the one that lasts Humesha.

Love will
happen to you a hundred times at once,
in a thousand different ways,
as a million different colours.

~•~

Just wanted to let y'all know: Humesha was unpublished for a while and then republished. So the book has been removed from all your reading lists so y'all know can go add it again now.

Do let me know if you liked the update.

Vote, comment, love, and fan.

Thank you! See y'all next Friday.

All the love.