"Im responsible for someone's death" Nandini answered breathing hard.

Manik was numb as if his whole life history came back crashing towards him listening to nandini. He closed his eyes to wash off those horrible memory and tried on concentrate on nandini.

" what do you mean" manik asked her cupped her cheeks. Her eyes filled with tears but not only that, her eyes were filled with unbearable pain which she had kept in her heart all the while. Her hands started shivering which made manik worried.

"Nandini just let it out, im with you alright and i will be no matter what" he said putting his hands around her waist and pulled her close. She kept her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his stomach. Manik cocooned her safely in his arms.

"Naira" this word slipped out of nandinis mouth. Manik closed his eyes to compose himself. His past was hitting him hard listening to her.

"What happened to her" manik asked softly kissing her head lightly.

"I lost her because of me, im the reason for her death..its all because of me" nandini started ranting amidst of her tears. Manik rubbed her arms to calm her down. His own heart was burning with unbearable flame. But he knew its his time to be strong for her.

" shhhh!!! Calm down" he said calming her down saying sweet but nothing in her ears.

Nandini closed her eyes and let her tears slip out of her eyes. She clutched maniks shirt in her fist to calm down the pain her heart was going through. They stayed like that for a while. Manik didnt force her to speak. Calming herself, telling herself that she has to be strong, she started speaking.

"I was the happiest person manik, i had everything my parents were and are my strength. They love me more then anything and support me in every thing. They never questioned me about my friends gang. Since childhood i had 3 bestiies, we four used to rule the school. Me, Naira, Aju, Pulkith." Nandini spoke controlling her tears. Manik was smoothing her by rubbing her arm. He noticed the way she told pulkit's name with disgust, he got confused.

"Naira, she was soo beautiful manik. She was such a sweetheart. She cared for me like a small sister and loved me to the core. She was kinda reserved and shy person. Her father died when we were young. She had only her mother shaila aunty. Aunty was like a sister to my dad." Nandini said muffling a cry. Manik cringed his eyebrows and spoke.

"What do you mean aunty was " manik asked cupping her cheeks.
"She passed away 3 days back" nandini told as tears made their way. Manik now understood why nandini was soo weak 2 days back. He wiped her tears soo that she could continue.

" Naira and pulkit were 2 years elder then me and aju. Aju was my best friend and my bodyguard. He was the sweetest person i have ever known. He lived with his parents and pulkit stayed in his mansion alone with workers. Pulkit belonged to very rich family. His mom died while giving birth to him and his dad lived here in mumbai " nandini told closing her eyes to stop her tears.

"I knew Naira and pulkit had feelings for each other infact i was like cupid for their love manik. You know naira naa, she was always jealous of me cause of my behavior. Because of my carefree and cool attitude many students in the college were my friends, they loved spending time with me. i knew nearly half of the college. She was not only jealous but also loved my character. You know why im still like this, thats because of her. I remember her telling me 'never let go of your character, never change your self for anyone or for any situation. I love you like this, always smiling and making others smile'. Her words still ring in my ears manik. But everything changed on that day, all happened when that person came back" nandini told wiping her tears. Her pained expression turned into hatred expression. Her eyes spitting fire remembering those days.

[Guys this is why nandini lived her life soo joyfully and spent her day full of life even though she had worst past]

Manik was damn curious to know what might have happened when everything seemed soo perfect.

"Pulkit's dad Dilip Patil came back to bangalore. When we got the news we were very happy. We thought we will spend more time in pulkits house soo that naira could impress pulkits father. When he came back, he was good he spoke with us warmly like a fatherly figure. We started spending more time in pulkits house, we had fun but naira used to be silent most of time as if she was uncomfortable in that house. We thought she might be anxious as we decided to tell Dilip patil about naira and pulkit but the scene was totally different. She used to act clumsy all the time when we were in that house especially infront of Dilip patil." Something ringed in maniks mind. He tried to remember where he heard this Dilip patil name but he couldnt so chucked it.

"One day mom told me to go and give a bag filled with some stuff to pulkits house but i was lazy to carry that bag soo i forced naira to come. From few days naira avoided coming to pulkits house but we didnt pay much attention to that. But that day i literally dragged her to his house. She begged me not to take her there manik but i was soo stubborn that i didnt listen to her. I emotionally blackmailed her to come with me just because i was lazy to carry that bag. I didnt waste a penny of thoughts to think why was she denying soo much what might be the reason but if i had thought about just for a while then she would be with me manik now." Nandinis spoke as again tears started accumulating in her eyes.

[Guys remember the voice nandini heard in her nightmare in chapter 36]

"What happened next" manik spoke caressing her cheeks with his thumb.

"That day ...i...i took her there she told me that she will wait in the living room itself that she didnt want to come inside the house. I agreed and went inside the kitchen to give kaka the bag. But...but when i came back she wasnt there manik. I searched near by but didnt find her. I thought she went back and i got soo angry. Raging i went out of the house straight to my house thinking i wont talk to her from then on. I came home and sat with mom and dad. After like 3 hours shaila aunty came home asking for naira. I told her what happened and she told that naira didnt return home. she had some work with naira soo she came in search of her. I called aju and pulkith, they told they were with school boys playing cricket in the ground and naira was not with them, it was already 7 at night. But then...."nandini started sobbing. Manik panicked.

" shhh !! " he spoke as he didnt know what to say.

"Naira came to our home crying hysterically manik, her dress was torn on the side. She somehow covered herself in that. When i saw her in that condition i lost my breath. My mom, dad and shaila aunty were in shock looking at her. She came and hugged me soo tightly manik. Everyone started asking her what happened ..she said that pulkith's father raped her. "
manik clenched his fist and his jaws hearing this. Even he has sister and he cant even think of any girl in that condition.

" i ..i was feeling soo hard to breath manik, she went through that because of me. When she told we were like still. Totally still. Shaila aunty started crying soo badly and even my mom too. Dad was soo angry. God !! I never saw him like that, it was the first time in my life. Because of my foolishness naira had to pay such a heavy price. Shaila aunty broke down soo badly that day. It was like a nightmare for me. I took care of naira that day consoling her where as guilt was killing me badly but mostly i was crying for my best friend/ sisters loss manik. I cant even imagine myself in her place "...manik placed his finger on her lips to stop talking.

"Dont !! Dont even imagine, nothings gonna happen to you like that " manik told her gritting teeth as his arms around her hugged her possessively. Nandini just starred at him.

"Next day we told pulkith but he didnt trust us manik. He took his father side. Naira was devastated that day. She was totally shattered as pulkith didnt believe her from that day we never spoke to him. We went to his house to confront his father but he wasnt there. My dad told that he will file a case on pulkith's father and he did too. Shaila aunty told not to do anything like that as no one is there to look after them but dad shouted at her and told them to shift to our house. I didnt leave naira for a second also I was always with her." Nandini told imagining nairas face.

" case started manik, dilip patil came that day and told naira is lying. He didnt do anything, he was innocent. Hugh !! That bastard, i felt like strangling him right there. Naira flinched badly looking at him as if she saw a ghost. Big fight took place that day. As case started, we hired a lawyer he was pretty good. But dilip patil had lots of contacts as he's a big business man. But one day a worker working in pulkith's house told us that he saw dilip dragging naira inside his room and he told that he will support us in court we were soo happy manik. We thought that we will teach that dilip patil a lesson and he will rot in jail his whole life but everything changed." Nandini told her voice was getting weak remembering all those.

"Why, you had proof right" manik asked in confusion.

"From that horrible day, naira stayed in her room only. She rarely came out and barely spoke with others except me. I apologised to her like a million times manik. I didnt know what to do. I thought if dilip gets punishment somehow we could get justice for naira soo my dad tried everything. When we got that workers news we were really happy. Aju and i thought of taking naira out soo that she will feel better going into fresh air. We forced her AGAIN and took her to mall with dads permission. Even dad agreed for take her out, it will be like a change for her. But....while we came back from the mall ..on the road.... a truck came and crushed naira ...." nandini's voice died there only. Manik hugged her closing his eyes. He felt his head will burst open. His past was killing him. Everything nandini told reminded him of his past. Soo much of similarities.

"Blood ..blood manik, it was all over me. I was ...i felt numb manik. I couldnt breath. Her body was right infront of me, totally crushed. God !! I forgot to breath manik. I saw my best friend my sister dead right infront of my eyes and again i couldn't do anything to save her. I was the sole reason for her death." Nandini's voice broke.

"But how come all of a sudden a truck crushed her. I mean even you and your friend aju were there na why only her" manik asked her.

"It was a murder manik. It was planned and plotted. It was all because of Dilip patil. He knew the inspector very well. They planned if naira wont be alive then we will take the case back as she was no more." Nandini said with utmost hatred.

"But what about truck driver" he asked

"He ran away manik, we dont know where he went. We tried searching him but we couldnt. I dont where did that dilip patil hid him. The case was dropped, police told that the truck driver died and they found his body somewhere and closed the case, it was all their plan and we were soo depressed at loss of naira that we didnt have strength to fight. Aju's parents got to know all this and took him away from us, he was helpless and guilty but had no choice.Still dad wanted to continue the case but shaila aunty didnt agree she told that now her daughter is only not there for whom will she fight ". Nandini said sighing heavily.

"Yesterday it was naira's death anniversary. Shaila aunty was preparing for the ritually thats when she got heart attack and she..." nandini couldnt continue.

Manik hugged her tightly as he heard everything he wanted to, he didnt want her to continue.

Nandini was still in maniks arms and was looking at the waves of beach remembering all the childhood memory she spent with naira.
Manik ran his fingers in her hairs smoothing her. Even he was looking ahead at the waves. Both stayed in silence as nandini spoke more than required while manik heard more than required.

Sometimes silence speaks lot more then words.

Nandinis past !! Still few thing are there which will be given in next chapter.
I cried a lot while writing this, let me know how you guys felt. If you have any doubt ask me.