~Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It's your masterpiece after all~

MANIK:

Should I approach her?

Oh no, that's gonna be weird.

I was seriously confused as one half of my heart wanted to approach the girl and offer her some help and the other half said 'Don't'.

Soon my phone buzzed to life.

"Hey Soha" I spoke somewhat uninterestedly.

"Hey babyyy! Where are u? I hope u haven't forgotten about our meet" Yes! The meet...

"Of course not. I'm..on my way" I replied a little later.

"Then come soon na. U know I'm already missing u right! Love u" She spoke in her casual cheesy tone and I hung up the phone.

As soon as I ignited the car, the drizzle converted into a rainstorm leaving nothing to be seen clearly, not even the things at the distance of a hand even.

Will she still be there?

End of POV

*****

NANDINI:

It's raining and I didn't bother to run under some shed or something, as I didn't care about getting wet or falling sick. I hated this stupid rain! It brought to me ur memories each time it touched me Maddy. In spite of my zillions of attempts, I could never get ur memories out of my soul. I have let myself get more destroyed by thinking about all those things that have broken me in the past and distanced myself from everyone in an urge to save myself. As the rainfall got heavier, it was difficult for me to keep breathing as my entire body started shaking at touch of those refrigerating water droplets and I started turning cold.

But soon later I felt the water droplets not touching me anymore, it's weird! I could see the rain still falling making everything destructively beautiful but I couldn't feel the drenched effect on me anymore. I looked around a little and got surprised as I saw an umbrella anchored to a tree protecting me from the detrimental rainstorm.

Who that could be? And why would anybody have done that for me and that too secretively making me feel that I wasn't alone.

End of POV

~He was her rainbow, but she was colourblind~

****

MANIK:

I wasn't a selfish to love myself, take care of myself and prioritise my feelings. Happiness isn't a priority, it's a necessity. I always had a repulsive need to be something more than just-a-human.

"Baby" Soha's voice brought me out of my trance as she passed me a cup of coffee making herself seated beside me. She pulled me in a deep hug but I just couldn't respond to it.

"Why didn't you hug me back baby?" She asked nervously.

Silly me! I thought it's time to make her familiar with the truth I was fighting in my heart for so long as I never meant to cause any sort of trouble to her.

"Umm Soha... I wanted to talk about something" Keeping the coffee mug on the small glassed tea-table before me, I uttered.

"Talk about?" She asked nonchalantly sipping her coffee.

"Us" I fixed my gaze at her.

She must have understood that something was not so right anymore, as she chocked upon the coffee as soon she heard me utter the word 'us'.

"Baby, is something serious?" She asked. I hated myself then for doing this to her but keeping her in a veil of darkness wasn't obviously an option.

"Look Soha, I know this can hurt really bad, but see.." She cut me in the middle.

"Manik, you are scaring me now" she said and I lowered my gaze sighing deeply.

"Every painting is not meant to be hung on the wall Soha, I hope you get that, and our relationship is just..." I again couldn't complete because of her interruption.

"Manik please don't. I want you to stop here" She was getting weaker.

I hated myself more but there was no looking back for me then. I held her hand in mine and continued while gently caressing her hand.

"Soha...you always know that I don't intend to hurt you, you have been one of the best memories of my life. But Soha, I also want you to be in a relationship where your partner can keep you happy, where you would be getting all such love and care that you deserve and with me its..." She gasped and stopped me and palmed my cheek with her another hand.

"Baby you don't know what happiness you bring to me, always. This relationship is more than heaven to me. I don't need to reconsider my opinion about you and this relationship. Please baby" she literally pleaded.

Manik, u have to!

"Maybe I myself wouldn't have reconsidered the same, but the distance between us made me do that. What we are supposing to be love, it isn't Soha. True love doesn't depend on petty matters like distance and all but our's did. I maybe am pushing you away but trust me it's for our betterment only" she broke into tears clasping onto my hands tightly not willing me to move an inch away from her.

Why things are so difficult!

"Soha, you deserve better baba" but she didn't stop weeping only her wailing got louder and worse.

"I...deserve you...Manik.. I..love you..so..so much.. Please...don't do that to...me" she spoke between her sobs. She buried her face in my chest and I kept stroking her hairs to ease her pain.

"Where..where have I went...wrong Manik just tell me?" She embraced me tighter making me feel helplessly useless.

"Shh..Soha it's not your fault anywhere but mine. You know what, at your absolute best even you still won't be the perfect person to the wrong man but at your absolute worst, you'll be worthy of it to the right person. I was never good enough for you. And honestly, I don't feel we fill up each other's emotional gaps well, we are not...not meant to be for each other. I know you'll hate me Soha but trust me you would've hated me more, if 15 years later you get to know that I... I was not feeling for you what I should have felt for my ladylove. We need to end this, please I beg of you Soha not to.. Not to make this more difficult for me" I pecked her hairs and tried leaving her but it was of no use because she was crying cats and dogs and leaving me was the last option to her.

"Manik I...love you... Don't do this to me na" she tightly grasped the back of my shirt and nuzzled herself more.

"I will always be there by your side Soha, but as a friend. I know it's difficult to let it go but trust me its equally difficult for me to hold onto it. I believe Soha you are going to be loved by someone else very soon and your love story then would be a magnificent one" I somehow dreaded her that much broken and pale look, her weeping lessened but still she was sobbing under her breath. I made her drink some water so that she didn't fall sick because of such vigorous crying.

30 minutes later:

"Soha, just don't hate me for being honest. We are still friends and I shall see you soon" I said as I got up to leave after making sure she was better and somewhat strong enough to accept the truth then and to deal with it, though I knew these things take time to be accepted but, either today or tomorrow this had to happen.

"Can't you stay back here tonight?" She asked me feebly.

"That won't be correct anymore" I smiled gently and shut the door behind me after waving a bye to her.

****

The first place which struck my mind was Cabir's place where I could go to compose myself. I badly needed to gulp down few shots. I knew I had been a cocky bastard for having broken a girl's heart this ruthlessly but it wasn't good for both of us in the long term, it wasn't some easy job for me as well.

I had to park my car a little away from his house because of the road construction going there. I started walking lethargically while hanging my head low and dipping my hands inside the pockets. I was about to give him a call to make sure if he was at home until I saw him standing a few meters away from me hugging a girl. Their embracing got disturbed when the mobile of the girl fell and she turned around to pick that up.

Shit!

It's that girl whom I saw in the cafe and the park today!

His new girlfriend? Maybe. Maybe not.

I stood behind one of the tall buildings to have a close watch on them. I didn't know why I did that, but anyway. Cabir held her hand and wiped her tears.

Don't tell me she's his girlfriend!

I didn't know why I didn't feel like standing there anymore and see them. There was this unknown feeling arising in my heart. A sunken feeling! It was heavier than what I felt I would be feeling after breaking up with Soha. I mean..of course they can date each other, but somewhere deep down it just didn't feel right to me. Why? I don't know.. I..just don't know. Not wanting to intrude into their moments, I kept walking away. Why was her presence affecting me that much? If she was Cabir's girlfriend, then I should be happy for my best friend, but why am I not feeling that happiness in me?

I entered the Chandelier Bar which was quite big and the only option available so late at night and mostly good enough keeping in mind my parents' stinking rich quotient. The bar was dark, not much loud and yes posh!

"Sir what should I get you?" The waiter asked me and I nodded my head in a no and made my way to the bar counter and sat there with a strange feeling in my heart.

"Get me the costliest whiskey that you have" I ordered and the butler nodded.

~'We do not fear the unknown. We fear that we think we know about the unknown'~
Sir Albert Einstein