~The Wait Was Worth Nothing~

A feeling of relief rushes over me when I see a familiar face in front of my eyes but in the very next second, it washes away.

Why?

Because I am appalled by his move.

I was drop dead scared about a minute ago when a collection of gruesome considerations were enveloping my brain cells.

I was terrified.

The thought of what this person could do to me petrified me but that was only when I didn't know who abducted me. But now that I do, I'm not scared anymore.

I'm blazing-fire-volcanic-eruptions angry.

Because even though I don't know who this person is anymore, I know I have no reason to be scared of him. Or at least I believe so in my heart, but I sure have more than one reason to rip his head into shreds right now.

Anger is streaming through my veins on seeing Manik standing like a bareface piece of fucking crap in front of me.

"Missed me?" Manik's voice breaks into the silence of the room and he smirks right at me.

Fearlessly. Shamelessly.

And that infuriates me even more.

"What are you DOING?!" I slap Manik's chest with my hands to push him away but it doesn't affect him the slightest bit. "Let me go!" I scream into his face.

But the spineless brat leans in close to me, holding his smirk and whispers into my ear, "No."

His breath brushes past my ear, sending waves of electricity through my body. I breath heavily as he closes the space between us.

What the hell does this mean?

I zone out with his breath still lingering on my ear but just when I feel his fingers brush over my arms, I return back from my trip to lala land.

Because Manik can't take you to lala land anymore!

Get a fucking grip, Nandini. Stay intense. Stay angry. And don't look into his eyes.

"Let go of me Manik." I protest.

But he still doesn't move.

I keep on smacking his rock hard chest to push him aside but all my attempts turn out to be futile.

"Stop trying. You can't win." Manik dodges my hits and grabs my wrists effortlessly.

"Well then watch me!" I continue my attempts to wriggle out of his hold and I feel his hold loosen on me. I jerk my hands and quickly move away from him while I have the opportunity to and stand as far as I can from him.

But I realise there isn't much room in this place to stand away. For the first time since I was brought here forcefully, I look around the room. It seems to me as if it's some kind of a store room or something.

And even though this room is not that small, it appears to me as if it is because I can't breathe in this room or escape out of it considering the fact that Manik is standing right in front of the door in all his glory.

"Where the hell am I?" I question him.

"Someplace that you should be at for doing what you did." He says.

"What the hell do you mean by that? Why have you kidnapped me?!" I spat, stepping further away.

Manik starts moving towards me, again. "Didn't your ditzy little cousin warn you about me?"

"What are you talking about?" I frown and keep backing away.

Manik continues to walk in my direction.

"Don't you dare come closer." I warn him but maybe my voice does not reach his miniscule brain because he doesn't stop moving.

"Are you fucking deaf? I said DON'T come closer Manik or else I will-"

He raises a brow up, "Or else you will what?" and smirks.

"Or else.." Or else you will what, Nandini?!

Say something smart, say something threatening. Don't fumble.

I rummage through my brain to find some threat that will scare him off but it's too late for that. My brain takes a lot of time processing a smart reply and meanwhile, Manik closes the distance between us and I'm taken by surprise.

And that is when I make the disastrous mistake of looking straight into his eyes.

Now I can't seem to find my voice.

Great.

And it's happening again.

Cherry on top of great.

The same thing that happened yesterday, the same thing that happened today in the canteen. It's happening once again.

I'm losing out on my senses. He is stripping me off my abilities to function with those eyes of his. My racing heart is interfering with the signals my brain wants to send me.

Look away.

I can't. He's held me captive. With every step he is taking towards me, my breath rate is rocketing high.

Blood rushes to my cheeks and they feel warmer.

My feet keep moving backwards like its an automated response my body generates on sensing him around. I stop when I hit my back to the wall.

There's no escaping now. The realisation sinks into me and I feel helpless like never before. I can't breathe. I'm trapped like a fish in net.

As Manik takes his last step and stands right in front me, the smirk on his face vanishes instantly and something indecipherable replaces his eyes. In a blink of an eye the gap between us dissolves. His palms slap onto the wall on my sides and he traps me in this arms.

I jerk my head backwards and close my eyes tight. My fists are balled and I can't breathe.

I can't fucking breathe. Whatishedoingtome?

He is breathing in my space. I can feel my heart pounding hard against my tiny chest. I'm afraid it'll hop out of it.

I can feel his breath brush past my face as he levels our heights. His breath smells of peppermint.

Peppermint?!

Seriously?

You have graver issues to resolve, Nandini. Peppermint should be the last thing on your mind.

Right. Forget Peppermint.

I manage to turn my head back in the front and open my eyes, timidly.

"I know what you did last night and that was bad." He looks right into my eyes and holds his stare. His lips are inches away from mine and I can't even breathe even though my chest is rising and falling every millisecond that passes.

I can't find my words, I can't find my brain, I can't breathe, I can't... I can't-

Hold your ground.

Remember, he forgot you and your friendship.

Remember, he abandoned you.

Remember you're blazing-fire-volcanic-eruptions angry!

That little voice in my head works it's magic and brings my lost senses back. I chide myself for losing myself like this.

My frown returns and so does my anger. My cheeks turn hot with the adrenaline rush.

I lift my hands up to his chest and push him away, harder than I did last time.

But the son of a freaking monster, doesn't move again! He doesn't look like he's that tough but he surely is.

Looks can be deceiving as fuck.

Rage fills up in my veins and I let it take over me. I keep on struggling to push him away like I did earlier, hoping that he will leave me again like he did earlier but instead he again wraps his hands around my wrist and holds them tighter.

"What the hell Manik? Leave me!" I squeal when his grip tightens around my wrist.

My lips are quivering and they're dry as a deserted land and so is my throat.

"Stop fighting me." He arches his face an inch closer and whispers. His breath touches my lips. I find myself unable to move now. And breathe.

One moment he is a cocky son of Satan and the other moment he makes me want to stop the clock. I am failing terribly in decoding what he wants. His actions are poles apart.

His lips are just a quarter inch away from mine and I can't handle this proximity. I can't breathe in this air, my breath is caught in my throat.

I can't fucking breathe, again.

What the hell is he doing to my respiratory and cardiac systems?

I can die.

My eyes flicker from his eyes to his lips and settle back to his eyes but I don't find him looking back at me anymore. His eyes aren't glaring into mine, they're settled onto my lips instead. His isn't wearing the tough, hard and indecipherable look anymore but his face is softer and calmer.

Aaaand heartbeat rising up to 1000 beats per minute. This is lethal.

I am unable to think, breathe, or even exist and if Manik doesn't move away I will turn into a puddle of water because this proximity between us is doing something to me and his lips are attracting me.

His lips.

Like magnetic attraction.

Something I can't overcome.

They are less than a quarter inch away from me and I.. I-

NANDINI MURTHY, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING?!

As soon as this voice hits my brain, I push Manik away catching him off guard. He stumbles on his feet and takes a step back.

"What are you doing Manik?" I breath heavily as my forehead gets covered in frowns.

The stern look on his face returns and his hands encircle around my wrists once again.

"What is wrong with you?! Let go of me!" I squirm under his hold.

"No." He grounds.

"What did I even do to you?" I struggle to free myself from his hands that are hurting mine.

And I swear to god if he doesn't leave my hand in a count of five, I will break his nuts.

One.

"You didn't do the one thing you were supposed to do, Nandini and that is being a Good Girl."

Five.

"Who said I was ever a Good Girl, Manik?" I pop a brow up and smirk at him before doing the only thing he's left for me to do.

I lift my knee up and aim right in between his legs.

Manik drops his grip on my wrists and backs away and groans.

"Ow! What the fuck is wrong with you! Are you crazy?!" His hands fly over to his precious manhood.

"Coming from the guy who kidnapped a girl for no reason at all! Why the hell have you kidnapped me? What is the hell is your problem?"

"My problem is right in front of me." He says as he struggles to stand straight.

What even?

"What did I even do to you?

"You don't know what you did Nandini?" He gives me a penetrating stare but I don't let that get to me because I really don't think what I did yesterday is equivalent to what he has done to our friendship.

"I actually don't, Manik." I cross my arms across my chest. "I don't know what you're talking about because all I know is that you kidnapped me!" And abandoned your best friend.

"You-"

"Actually, you know what? I don't even know why we're having this conversation or why you kidnapped me because I don't think you know who I am, right? Isn't that exactly what you proved yesterday by ignoring me?"

"I don't know what your talking about."

"Oh, yeah? Was it not you who completely ignored my existence yesterday? And not just yesterday, I assume that's the thing you've been doing to me for the past five years!" I yell.

Manik takes his eyes off my face and looks away.

"You broke into my party, I saw you hiding." He says ignoring my voice.

"I want an answer." I demand, hoping he gives me one because all I want is an answer for why he did what he did and in a blink of an eye I will forgive him. I will forgive him and take my friend back because I need him.

"I don't have any answer for you. What I have for you is a simple question. So tell me, was it not you who was in the electricity room yesterday?"

My heart drops in the pit of my stomach.

I can't believe he gave up on me.

"You're nothing but a fucking asshole." The anger inside me breaks as I start to lose all my strength to fight through this.

He ignores me once again, "You did it, right?"

"I didn't." I lie looking right at his face, trying to keep myself together on the outside while I know I'm losing my composure on the inside.

"Don't lie to me." He grits and steps forward. "You came to my house last night and busted the party."

"I. Did. Not." I hold my ground. If he can't answer my questions, I won't give in either.

Manik steps forward.

"Don't even think of coming close to me." I warn him as my voice comes out as shaky.

It is now that I notice the moisture in my eyes. They're on the verge of dropping tears.

I can't believe all that I had been holding onto is this. It hurts so much. It hurts to see all my hopes crashing, it pains me to lose my best friend.

For five years I held onto this blind hope of having my best friend back someday. He hurt me for five years, everyday, every time when I thought of him.

But I won't let him hurt me now. This is it. I can't wait anymore and I won't.

"Nandini, you can't lie to me. I saw you."

"I don't understand how you think you saw me because I don't really know what you're talking about. I did not do anything." I give him one last stare before walking right past him towards the door. If I stay here another second I will break and I don't want to let him see that. I can't-

"You can't get out of here without answering me." Manik extends his arm and grabs my wrist, pulling me back with a jerk.

Tripping on my feet, I stumble and hit my chest to his.

"What are you doing Manik?!" I shriek.

"Why did you do that?" He asks, tightening his grip on my wrist. He's holding it so tight that it hurts.

"Manik you're hurting me." I hiss as a stinging pain arises where he grips my wrist.

"Don't mess with me ever again, Nandini. I am warning you." He repeats again.

"Right now, you are messing pretty bad with my hand, Manik. Leave me." I push him back with my free hand while I try to wrestle my other hand out of his grasp.

"If you mess with me again I will make your life a living hell." His jaws clench together, tight.

"I already am standing in hell."

"Say you won't ever cross my way." His eyes pierce through mine.

"I will kick your ass and claw your eyes out if you don't leave me right now." I meet his eyes with the same penetrating glare that he gives me.

I am so angry at him for everything he did and everything that he is doing.

I am angry at him for taking my best friend away and in return leaving me with a monster.

He smirks again, "You're pretty feisty for someone your size. I like the change in you."

What the fuck, is he bipolar now?

"And I absolutely detest the change I see in you because you're nothing like my best friend Manik. So if you won't leave my hand right now, don't blame the consequences on me." I fire back.

Manik looses his smirk and keeps his eyes fixed to mine as he drops his grip on my wrist.

I pull my hand back to me and rub the area where he held my wrist and it stings real bad. His fingers left their imprint on my wrist and I can see patches of red all over my wrist.

I keep my eyes fixed to my wrist when a tear falls onto it.

Hearing from people that Manik isn't the same did hurt. But witnessing what they truly meant tears me apart.

I don't know who this person is and he certainly doesn't treat me like I mean something to him anymore.

He meant the world to me. We were best friends and now I don't even know who he is. He's not my Manik because my best friend wouldn't have ever hurt me in any way.

"Nandini, stay-" Manik opens his mouth to repeat his favourite words but stops when I look up at him with my watery eyes.

His jaw ticks and I note his facial muscles tighten.

I gulp the lump in my throat, "After what you've done today, I assure you that I will stay away from you. Far away. And I warn YOU to stay away from me Manik because-" my voice breaks and I lose control over my tears, "- You're one disgusting person. I don't know who you are anymore. You're not my best friend. You're not the person I had been holding onto for past five years, you're not him anymore."

"And you know what, Manik? To hell with the questions and to hell with the wait. To hell with the second chances and hopes! I am done holding onto our friendship all by myself when you clearly never bothered. I don't want any questions.. or your friendship anymore." Wiping my tears away I continue, "So yes, I will stay out of your way, Manik. Wish granted."

I stare at him with a slightest hope of a reaction out of him but he doesn't move. There's no change in his expressions, they're cold as ice and hard as rock.

"Good for you." He says.

Suddenly, I feel nauseated to be stuck in the same room as him.

I feel sick.

So I run.

I run towards the door without bothering to glance at him one last time. I reach the door, unlock it, and leave the room, banging the door behind me.

Navya was right, he is changed. He's turned into someone I don't know and the worse part in all of it is that I don't even wish to know this person anymore.

The wait was worth nothing.

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