I shot my eyes open when a warm hand slipped over my bare stomach under my crop top. I knew who it was but I won't give in soo easily not soo soon. I felt his another hand around my stomach with his face dipped in my hairs from behind. He held me very tight, again I felt tears filling up in my eyes.

I quickly wiped them off and kept my hands on his hands which were on my stomach. Though I shivered at our proximity, the pain he kept inside him mattered more to me. But I won't let go that easily not untill he tells me everything.

Slowly I removed his hands from my stomach and tried to move away but he got hold of my wrist.
"Nandu please" he pleased. Shiver sent down my spine when I heard him call me nandu. This was the first time.

He came near and turned me around so that I could face him. He looked tired, way too tired. But I didn't get, what was he tired off. He held my waist and pulled me closer resting his forehead on mine.

"I'm sorry" came his apology. I knew he meant it but I stayed quite.

"I had a long day I was tired and you brought THAT up I just got mad and lashed out. I didn't mean it. I...I couldn't control my anger " he justified slowly. I knew he had anger issues but he can't use that as an excuse always. He looked into my eyes expecting something. But I didn't budge.

He sighed....

"You won't let that matter go. Will you ??" He said moving away.

I stayed quite.

"Say something Damn it" he said subduing his anger. He was getting annoyed by my silence so I broke it.

"I won't beg you to tell me the truth manik, it's upto you" I said with straight face. A hint of hurt flashed on his face but he covered it.

"Good night" saying that I tiptoed and kissed his forehead before going inside my room. I didn't even turn back once. I climbed my bed and got under the covers.
I don't know when he went out of my room or when I fell asleep.

I had enough of my day.

Next day morning.....

I woke up to get ready for college. Yesterday's events flashed in front of me but I shooed those thoughts away. After getting ready I went to muktis room, I saw her sleeping soundly. I couldn't stop but caress her hairs. She doesn't deserve all this and I will bring her smile back. I kissed her forehead before leaving her room.

I came down and went near dining table. I ate a little as I didn't eat last night properly and I was feeling a bit dizzy. After having breakfast I felt good. After breakfast I got up when I saw manik coming downstairs. It was clear that he didnt sleep the whole night. I felt guilty for that. I took my bag and came aside that's when manik came in front of me. I starred at him but didn't say a word.

He held my wrist, I cringed my eyebrows. He started walking towards the door holding my hand. I was confused but still I followed him wherever he was taking me. And college thoughts were far way gone.

He opened the passenger seat and made me sit. He took driver seat and started the engine. I wanted to ask him where he was taking me but looking at lines on his forehead I stayed quite.

After half an hour silent journey, he stopped the car. Before I could turn and look at which place he brought me, he spoke.

"You wanted to know where Rishab is right " he asked without any emotions.

I gave a slight nod.

He started the engine and drove a little far where we reached a large gate. Looking at the car, watchman came and opened the gate. Manik drove in and parked it infront of the building. I was in daze, mukti told manik wouldn't talk about Rishab at any cost but here manik brought me somewhere I suppose I could get to know about Rishab. Do I really matter that much to manik ??

He motioned me to get down from car. I did as he said. I got down and turned towards the building.

Looking at the board on the building I stood still in shock.

I couldn't move a muscle.

It was MENTAL ASYLUM.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking at my shocked face manik came near me and held my hand before leading me inside the building. I couldn't think anything. I just didn't know what was going on.

We entered the lift. Manik pressed 4th floor and stood quite. I starred at him. The pain, the anxiousness was clearly written on his face. As we arrived at 4th floor, manik led me out. We took left and started walking forward. The whole floor was silent except few nurse and wardboys moving here and there with medical equipments. After a few seconds maniks steps got heavier. I diverted my attention back to manik. He was sweating and his hold on my wrist got tight. He was starring at the door in front.

We walked ahead and manik made me stand in front of the window beside the door. I got confused and turned towards him to ask but he turned me back and pointed inside the room. I turned around and looked through the window.

I saw a nurse standing in front of wheelchair. Wheelchair's back was facing us. I got more confused but all my confusion got cleared when that nurse kept her things aside and turned the wheelchair soo that I could see the person sitting on it.

There he was, RISHAB MALHOTRA.

I was shocked....

My mind went blank.

I couldn't move my eyes off Rishab. I felt like a jelly.

My eyes filled with tears, looking at the boy whom I was ogling a day back in such condition.

He was innocently smiling at the nurse. I felt sick looking at his condition.

I got out of my trance when manik kept his hand on my shoulder. I turned towards manik who stood behind me with emotionless expression.

®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®

I was sitting on a bench in the garden of the hospital. Manik was sitting beside me but didn't speak a word.

I felt extremely guilty for acting so amateur last night. I cant even imagine my sibling if I had any in that state. Now I was more curious of how rishab landed in hospital in that stage. And another thing was he looked the same as he did in the picture, he looked like 13 or 14 years but as far as I know he was 3 years younger then mukti he should be 18 by now. I needed answers and all the answers were with manik only.

I turned towards him, he sat beside me with his hands covering his face. I placed my hand on his lap to gain his attention. He uncovered his face and looked at me, his eyes were blood red.

I took his hand and held it between mine.

"How did this happen manik ??" I asked softly.

He stayed silent for a while..

"I caused his accident" he said words filled with hatred for himself. I flinched at his tone.

Before I could ask anything he sadly chuckled and stood up.

"We had a perfect family Nandini, every damn thing was perfect in my bloody life but I messed it up very badly" he said in hatred tone running his hand on his hairs.

"What is that" I asked getting up and stood next to him. My eyebrows cringed in anticipation to know the truth.

"Huh!!(smiled sarcastically) mom,dad, me, mukti,rishu we had a normal life Nandini. Fun loving family. Everything was graceful. I , I was their rockstar. Mukti and rishi looked at me as their role model. And they both were everything to me. Their happiness, their smile was enough to warm my heart. Mukti, she was our doll. We treated her like a princess. Rishu!! He was our little champ. Just for his one smile we were ready to any thing, I mean any Damn thing. Dad mom would forget all their worries just by spending some time with us. They adored us soo much. Cabir,druv always took rishu's side in any conflict (smiling remembering those days) and navya, aliya and of course abhi used to take muktis side. While my parents took mine. We used to bicker, play,tease and do all sort of things to keep each other happy. We were one hell of a happy family. But I ruined everything on my 18th birthday " he ended with a dark frown on his face.

I smiled all the way when he spoke about his family moments. Now I regret never having a sibling. Such a cute family they were.

I placed my hand on his shoulder encouraging him to continue.

"Dad never allowed me to ride any vehicle untill 18. He was strict about our safety. I always travelled out in a car with a driver untill 18. And on my 18th birthday he gifted me an ZMR bike, fanciest one at that time. You should have seen rishu's face when he saw the bike. He was literally jumping around. (Chuckled remembering rishu's reaction). That day rishu literally pleaded me to take him on a ride. Mukti demanded for a ride after rishu. I was more than happy to accept their request. But..." he stopped as his voice caught up in his throat.

Running his hands on his face he spoke.

" I took him out on a ride, I was 18 Nandini what more can you expect from me, my first bike and I was hell excited, it was more like craze to me. And when ever rishu cheered me calling me as his rockstar my happiness knew no boundaries. I ....I...I saw the truck coming from the side Nandini, I bloody saw that coming. But my craze took over me, I....I...I thought I could cross the road before the truck would come close. Rishu cheered me up as even he was excited. All things caught up in my head. I accelerated and rode the bike at high speed, we nearly crossed but ....the truck hit the bike at the end where rishu sat ....it ..took place all of a sudden that I lost control over bike and next thing I know was blackness covered my eyes" manik said sitting back on the bench with sagged shoulders and tears threatening to come out. His voice broke at the end.

" I ...I was in coma for 6 months Nandini, 6 bloody months I was fast asleep after destroying my brothers whole life. I soo wish that I never should have woken up from that coma but here I am standing all alive and watching my brother out there suffering with memory loss and mental problems and ..and addition to that he is handicapped. " manik shouted last sentence with tears in his eyes. I was numb at my place.

The universal truth is, if someone close to us die we grieve, we cry our hearts out, we feel like our world crashed down but TIME ....this powerful thing heals the pain we suffer by losing our close ones. After years we cry, we feel pain only when we remember that person not every second, every minute. We move on in our life be it the hardest still we will cause that's how life is. We move on with time. We still feel the shallowness of the place once that person held in our life but our life works won't stop. Neither time nor life stops for anyone. But but when our loved one is left with mental disorders and handicapped that's the worst thing. I still remember one of my cousin had cancer, at the end stage pain increased soo much that he asked his parents for some tablets that could help him DIE peacefully. I medications they go through are very painful. Looking at other walking and running happily crushes their souls deepily. Looking at the person we love suffering all day long isn't an easy task.

If we are walking on a road and see an handicapped beggar we feel soo bad for them then imagine how painful it is to imagine our siblings in that condition. Damn !! It gives goosebumps just by a mere thought.

I was loss of words. I didn't know what to say. I never had any siblings so that I could feel maniks pain but I still faced something similar to his past.

"When you told me that your friend naira was hit by the truck, all my past played infront of my eyes like a film. I could only see that but couldn't do anything to prevent that. I still feel soo agitated that I could have stopped myself when I say the truck then now we wouldn't have been here. I feel sick guilty that I ruined my little champs life Nandini. I ruined his whole life. " manik said with hatred and punched the bench below a bit hard. I winced at his act.

"What is his condition now??" I asked softly.

"He lost his memory and had a severe head injury like a mental sickness. His legs lost their capabilities too. Doctor told He will be healed but it will be a very slow process Nandini. We can't even make him remember the past cause it will directly affect his brain. He is in very sensitive condition right now. We can't pressurize on him. He was just like an infant when I met him after I woke up from my coma. He ...He didn't recognise anyone nandini. He didn't even know what is the meaning of the word MOM. You wouldn't wish to see my mom at that time. She was totally shattered. Her first son was in coma, where doctor told that my coming back chances are very less and her younger son doesn't even know the meaning of mom. He couldn't recognise anyone was too much for us to handle. Dad was totally broken looking at his happy family losing everything. Mom and dad didn't leave India the day they left the house, they stayed here for 2 days and spent every single second with rishu before going to London." Manik said as a lone tear came running down his cheeks.

I felt tears brimming in my eyes imagining raj uncle and nyo aunty's situation. Children are the priceless possession of parents, if children get hurt parents bleed. 

I wanted to comfort him but I want him to let out everything which he's been holding on since soo long.

"If you were 18 at that time then rishu was 12 right " I once heard mom and dad talking about this. Manik, mukti and rishu had 3 years difference each.

"Yes but due to this accident his growth capabilities deteriorated badly. Since 6 years he only had a growth of 2 years " manik spoke dejectedly.

"Manik ...I " manik spoke in between.

" it hurts Nandini , burns like hell. I can't even control my anger looking at him every time. Every painful treatment he goes though breaks my heart a zillion times " he said pointing at his heart , rubbing it slightly as if it was on fire.

I sat on my knees in front of manik and wiped his tears, it was the least I could do right now.

"Is this the main reason why you joined street fight manik" I asked keeping doubt ahead.

He looking at me in surprised expression but soon covered it.

"Yes !!(sighed) every punch I get from those fighters make me feel better, a voice inside me screams that I deserve it. All those anger which builds up in me will be passed on to my punches. My blood boils every time I think I ruined a life out of my bloody craze " he said his eyes spitted fire. That's when I realised he despise himself.

If we destroy any thing we borrow from others, guilt eats us till no end. But when we become the reason for ruining someone's whole life, it isn't easy to handle. I have been through that phase.

"What happened that day, mukti got a call and soo did you and you guys disappeared" I asked if I had to heal him I needed all the information.

"That day rishu tried to get up and walk due to his mental illness he even forgot that his legs won't work and fell in the washroom when no nurse was around" he said closing his eyes shut. I was breathing hard. I soo wish no one had to face this. No one had to see their siblings in that condition.

"Tomorrow it's his birthday, soo mukti was busy from past 1 month for tomorrow's arrangement, she decorates the whole hospital just to see a smile on rishu's face" he said with a slight smile.

"Manik " I took his hands in mine.

"Remember one thing  NAIRA IS DEAD BUT RISHU IS ALIVE out there " I said in dead serious tone. He gave me a confused look. I will make him realize the meaning of this sentence soon.

I wiped my tears and stood up with a smile.

"Come let's go meet him " I said.

Manik hesitated. I frowned.

"Manik ..." I said in a warning tone.

"I ..I never stood in front of him since the accident" he confessed slowly. I never knew this could hurt soo badly.

"Why ..." just a simply word came out of my mouth.

"I never gained courage to stand infront of him Nandini , I'm his culprit" manik said the last word in hatred.

I gulped at the depth of his words.

"Manik every single person on this planet makes mistake but sitting at one place and punishing yourself isn't a solution. I know you are guilty and even I was in your place my condition would be same but you still have chance to redeem yourself. You just need to be positive " I said cupping his cheeks. He cringed his eyebrows.
I smiled and pulled him so that he can stand.

"We had a long day today, let's get back home" I said intervening our fingers. It was too much for me to take. I never remembered Rishab and I never thought manik and mukti had to go through soo much.

Manik as you said I will make all the wrong things right in your life. I mentally planned.

He looked at me in confusion.

I know he expected some lectures from me.

But now it isn't time for some lectures it's time for some ACTION, and I will be the DIRECTOR.

Any one of you can become PRODUCERS if you want 😉😉.

Wait to see nandinis plan in action.

Dont forget to vote and comment for next update. I guess I cleared all the doubts from the starting if I had left out anything let me know soo that I can put it up in next chapter.