MANIK

Minutes turned to hours; hours to days; days to weeks and weeks to months but my heart was still left open and untouched. I stayed quiet for so long that the desire to speak was adrift. How I wish if only time could turn around permitting me change only a fraction of seconds of my life then maybe I could've saved myself this misery.

She brought storms to my entire life but kept peacefully sleeping on that wooden bed. We two also could have an ordinary life like other lovers and lived happily in a little home of our own but with her lying lifeless on that bed, I almost forgot I had a beating heart underneath my chest that still ached silently.

Each day she killed me and each day I gladly accepted it and was ready to embrace all the pain if it could save her the distress.

She told me one night that we never know who do we see for the last time. She lied when she said it was most painful losing your loved one to the hands of death because never did she mention how much can it hurt seeing your lover living like a dead yet not dead. She perhaps was testing me, seeing how long could I wait for her like this but little did she know I was testing her that how long could she stay aloof.

Everyday I watched her, not with any hope but only to absorb the pain within myself. I watched her as she slept peacefully all day and all night without any demand or complain and I never realised when exactly I got so intimate with the pain that she gifted me. It was all her love. I used to sit on the bed beside her and watch her in between moments of my blankly blinking eyes and thoughts full of voidness.

Tying the band of my wristwatch around, I looked up at my impression for one last time before grabbing the white satin handkerchief to fix in the pocket of my black tux. The piece of cloth felt so soft in my rough palms which was almost the colour of moon and tried draping it properly until it slipped from my hand.

The door swung open and leaning on my knees in an attempt to pick up the cloth, I twisted my head towards the door where stood the most beautiful bride dressed in white Vuitton with a matching netted headpiece tucked under a little diamond crown on the middle of her head. She grinned walking towards me watching me return the smile to her. I stood up in a straight posture holding the handkerchief as she took the walk of grace towards me. Her cheeks glowed and eyes shone sending the epitome of her cherry red lips to some other level.

"You look beautiful." I smiled complimenting her while fidgeting the cloth with my fingers. She blushed turning crimson.

"Thank you Mr. Malhotra. You look very dapper in the black tux and this white shirt." I bowed down before her and she laughed.

Her eyes descended from my shoulder down my chest till my hands near my gut.

"May I help?" She asked eyeing me the handkerchief.

"All yours." I extended both my hands sideways.

Taking the silken cloth in her grip, she stepped closer making me breath her expensive cologne.

"Nervous?" She questioned with eyes flickering constantly between my eyes and pocket where her fingers were busy tucking the handkerchief making me look a man with no flaw.

"How the tables have turned! Shouldn't I be the one asking you this question?" I danced my brows observing her beautiful lips curve into a shy smile and then converting to a pleasant giggle.

"Have to take the best care of my Best Man, for today at least." She winked.

"Ohhh...." I threw my head a little back parting my lips in a 'O' understanding everything she said. "So I'm being esteemed only for a day, heh Navya?"

She patted on my chest once letting me know her job's done and turning towards the mirror I confirmed it to be accurate.

"The Best Man takes longer to get ready than the bride herself." She rolled her eyes watching me splash some cologne.

"Got to be so. I'm the Best Man after all. I can ditch you any moment in the aisle, so zip up." I kept buttoning the coat.

"So when are we leaving?" I asked her through the mirror.

"The sooner the better" she smiled nervously playing with the hem of her headpiece lying till her hips.

"Hey that's supposed to be Cabir's line!" I uttered trying to ease her. She smiled faintly and turning towards her, I held both of her elbows.

"Aye Navya, it's absolutely alright to be so knotty right now. Marriage is a life changing thing and so little jitters are complimentary. Don't worry about that. And moreover you're not getting married to some stranger, you both have loved each other since so long. You..both know your positives and negatives and have the love and understanding to make good if anything slips out your sleeves because no matter what, Cabir will never leave your side." I smiled warmly.

"You're right Manik and there are no second thoughts in my head but seeing the person you've loved so long awaiting you as your life partner in that Church is so... the feeling is lovely yet nerve racking." I tried to suppress the pang in my chest because I knew never perhaps I would feel that feeling.

Exhaling through my lips calmly, I tried to conceal my wounds.

"I know I know but... that's the most special thing about this whole wedding drama, isn't it?" I pulled her in a gentle hug and she wrapped her hands around resting her palms on the middle of my back.

"I so love you Manik. Before talking to you, I can't tell you I was almost in the urgency to throw up but now..." she breathed "I feel better and so much happier."

I nodded smiling at her but observed her moony eyes turn gloomy in a jiffy. It was her day and I wanted her to be the happiest come what may.

"Is the flavour of the cake bothering you?" I danced my brows and she lowered her eyes without any reaction to my awful joke.

"I don't want to upset you Manik.... but Nandini would've been so happy seeing me dressed up like this. Since forever she's so excited planning how the day of my wedding's gonna be. I remember how she fought with me once when I joked that Rusha will be my Maid of Honour and she cried for three hours at a stretch until I blurted the truth. I promised her." The corner of her eyes floated a painful tear that she was preventing hard from showing up and I looked down at the Kashmiri carpet underneath.

"And you've kept your promise, Navya. She's your Maid of Honour only." I spoke.

"Yeah but not in the way I wanted her to be. She's so numb to understand anything happening around. I'm so glad Manik, you didn't leave her. She's very very lucky to have got a man like you but unlucky enough to...to not live life with you like she dreamt of." She again rested her head on my chest and I stood indecisive of my actions or words. The pain sliced my soul with its sharp blades.

"Navya.... you know right I suck at moments like this? My words ditch me." I murmured.

She smiled lifting her head off my chest.

"Thank you for all the things you did for Cabir and me, Manik. We'll forever be grateful to you." She exhaled smiling like a princess.

"I never did anything for you because you're Nandini's friend or that asshole's lover but because you're a great person and Cabir and you both deserve each other although the match is a bit unlikely." She chuckled hearing me while dabbing the corner of her eyes with a tissue paper careful enough to not smudge her eye makeup.

With Navya I entered into Nandini's room where she sat reclining her back on a cardiac chair, deprived of any sensation. She looked like a Cinderella in that peach gown and diamond studs fixed on her ears with matching shining neckpiece.

"How's she looking?" Navya asked.

Even before she got ready as a bride, she reached my house early in the morning to dress Nandini up with the help of the nurse. I smiled thinking how she managed to look beautiful even at this stage. But then again, she really wasn't the best at her beauty because the twinkling in those dreamy eyes were missing that once was my inspiration.

"I'll...?" She moved closer towards Nandini's chair whilst I stopped her stating I'll manage myself. She was the bride and thus deserved best care and attention.

Confirming her that I would manage to handle Nandini like I always had been, giving me a small smile she exited the room along with her other Bridesmaids who were waiting impatiently outside the door.

Sighing while rubbing my palms, I walked up to Nandini and holding the handles of her chair pushed it ahead of me. It's been three years where Nandini and I hadn't exchanged a single word, her friends used to talk to her in this state but I hated doing it. I never said a single word to her. She must had been carrying identity of Nandini in that body but she really wasn't my Nandini.

-----

Standing at the end of the aisle, I looked around at everyone elegantly dressed up who desperately awaited my further movements. I asked Navya for her hand who was holding a bunch of flowers in the other. As I received her hand happily in mine, I walked through the aisle and my eyes reached the bench where numerous guests and family members sat but my eyes searched for my own one and I breathed in relief when I saw the pretty inactive lady on the cardiac chair looking blankly at nowhere; I never liked that look in her eyes since past three years. Aryaman who sat beside her assured me showing his palm and I nodded at him taking Navya towards the handsome and dearly groom.

My eyes reached straight to Cabir who was expectantly looking at our arrival towards him and I could say from the words they spoke with their eyes that love indeed was the most divine feeling on earth.

Submitting her hand in her future's hand, I felt light. A love story got it's shape and it's good to witness and be a part of it. As the wedding rituals were taking place, my eyes averted towards Nandini trying find in those dull and pale eyes if she remembered that years back how in the same Church we practised our vows. I knew all my tries were to go in vain as she wouldn't react yet the hope occupied a major part of my everyday.

----

We all came to the garden behind the Church which was extravagantly decorated and seemed ethereal under the pleasant bright sun. Mukti wrapped her arm around mine receiving a toasty smile from me.

"Cabir and Navya both wanted to wait and delay this wedding." She said while I sipped on my champagne averting my eyes every now and then towards Nandini who was seated on that bloody chair between Aryaman, the newly wedded couple and other guests.

"I know...." I sipped again "They wanted Nandini to recover and witness the wedding"

"You know by forcing their marriage early you've practically smeared their hopes of Nandini recovering anytime soon." She mentioned keeping her hand wrapped looking at the surrounding as we stood under a tree looking at the happiness around.

"I'm sure even Nandini wouldn't have wanted it, Mukti. How could I punish two lovers like this? No, it wasn't correct. More than being anything else, all my life I had been a very realistic man and you know that. Nandini would recover but when she will.... none of us know and so..how long should they have waited?" She rested her head on my shoulder.

"What about you? You're busy making everyone happy but don't you forget we all can see the pain you try hiding from us." I smiled vaguely rubbing her knuckles which clutched the cloth around my elbow.

"I'm just doing what Nandini loved doing. Anyway, let's go. It's time for my speech."

----

We all sat on a large grand table clapping and cheering as the couple cut the wedding cake and kissed and turn by turn it came to all the interested important members to deliver a brief speech involving the heavenly duo.

I stood up comfortably fixing my coat when came my turn and could feel all the eyeballs merrily awaiting my words except the one that looked far into the blank blurred lines of decoration.

"To love, to laughter and to happily ever after. Please raise your glasses to the bride and groom." I raised my glass to toast and saw others raising their glasses took a small sip. I saw Navya sitting with her head resting on Cabir's shoulder and they both looked as if they owed me a lot.

"I'm Manik Malhotra, a dear friend of this lovely couple and although I know they might have a heart attack hearing me call them lovely, but well...that's true; at least for this one day." I found people laughing whilst Cabir shook his head grinning heartily holding Navya protectively.

"I would like to thank each one of you for turning up today and joining us in this happy occasion extending all your love and wishes to this retarded couple." And again the place echoed with laughter.

"Cabir and Navya, today is a great day which you'll cherish forever. You started off as friends and then lovers and it's wonderful seeing you turning a husband and wife to soulmates." I ran my finger around rim of the glass "This is not the speech coming from the Best Man but jointly from the Best Man and the Maid of Honour.." Navya's eyes watered as I rested my hand on Nandini's bare shoulder who sat beside to where I stood.

"You two may have heard about a lot of keys to a successful marriage but trust me, it lies all inside you where rests this unbroken bond. So live happily forever as lovers and as friends, it's the dawn of a new life for the two of you. Honestly Navya, at first I didn't understand why I was being asked to be the Best Man because basically I'm a ridiculous person, redeemed by the warmth and love of this lady beside me dressed in Peach. I never knew or believed I could be best at anything until this dull lady sparkled my life. Truly, we never had the chance to gel up much because of whatever reason but after Nandini took a leave, you were by my side like a friend sent from heaven and I can never thank you enough.

Cabir, when I say you deserve Navya more than anyone else then think this is the biggest compliment I've ever given you. I can't tell you each other's pros and cons because you both know it all and even though something's left I'm sure you two will find that out; letting alone some weird cons that I can't say in public." Cabir chuckled nodding at me with those softened eyes.

"Love, fight, hate, beat one another but never leave the other's side because once the hollowness starts filling you up, you can't live with that. Because this kind of love comes once in a lifetime where nothing can go wrong. No dark night can change the two of you; the love that ties you. When you wake up and you watch all your dreams disappear, that's the time when you know that you've to hold on to each other tighter." I sighed feeling a squeeze on my hand from Mukti. "Because once the spaces start deepening no matter how hard you try it won't..just...be enough."

I gulped realising that the air around was turned emotional by me and shaking my head, I plastered a happy smile.

"So you two, till date Nandini and I have had enough of tackling you guys and now you two have to sort your asses out. I'm sure Cabir, you won't get a worse cook than Navya and Navya, obviously you won't get a poorer joker than your beloved Mr. Let me know Navya if anytime you want to get this moron's ass kicked. Just stay happy always. Always. And have lots of kids. To conclude, Happy Married Life from Nandini and me." Tilting my glass again at them, I took my seat watching Navya who was in tears holding hands near her chest and Aryaman showed me a thumbs up with a proud smile.

----

"I'll take her." I instructed Nandini's nurse listening to which bobbing her head she headed towards the parked car I had called for her.

Turning to Cabir, I gave him a brotherly hug promising to meet up soon and wishing for the final time and literally ordering him to take care of Navya. He bent down on his knees before Nandini kissing her knuckles and I smiled before wishing him goodbye.

I placed Nandini in my car carefully on the passenger seat  and myself slipped into the driving seat. Pulling the gear, I sped the car away.

It was early evening while we were crossing the curves of the mountains and I turned up the volume of the romantic track being played on radio seeing the greyish blue hue on the sky. If Nandini would've been normal, she would surely have hummed along. I increased the heater temperature perhaps she felt cold. I didn't talk to her, not at all but my eyes constantly found her hazy ones which was impossible to study. Lifting my hand from the steering, I rested it on her knuckles on her lap and the drive by the mountain edges was silent.

My weak heart was sufficient enough to strongly beat for the two of us despite her nonreactive predicament.

***

The epilogue will be up shortly. Kindly do vote and comment how you find it. I apologise to all those who've felt sadness reading this, the story is only progressing how it was planned. Please do read the epilogue as it holds something worthy of your hearts. Take care.

Hold your loved one closer and say I love you before you regret not saying all your life.