Inline comments please

Flashback (Mumbai)

Manik's POV

"Suna tumne Cabir... That Harshad...How dared he...? He played with us right under our nose...And I was stupid to believe him... Jo bhi hua I am responsible for that..." I leaned across the wall slipping myself down the floor as I reached home .... I was fighting the tears flooding my eyes...

"Manik...tu thik hai na..." Cabir ran towards me taking me into a hug...

"Hmmm...but Nandini...woh toh chali gayi na..... And who's responsible Cabir... The Manik Malhotra and his stupidity...I didn't trust her...and I trusted what Harshad made me believe... "

"Manik...pls ro mat...sambhal khud ko..."

"Kese sambhalu ..kese Cabir... Maine use jane diya who's more important than my life... Nandini meri sab kuch hai...and see meri wajah se woh chali gayi...I didn't trust her Cabir..."

Just then Mukti came and gave me another shocking news

"Bhai..us din Dhruv ke mom ka call aya tha Nandini ko... Mujhe abhi pata chala Navya kisi se keh rhi thi ki Dhruv met with an accident...and Nandini use dekhne gyi thi hospital... "

"What... Navya ne hume kyun nahi bataya...?". Asked Cabir curiously

"That's not important Cabir... Important is I misunderstood her... I didn't trust her..."

"Bhai ismein apki kya galti hai..ab call aya toh its pretty obvious apko laga woh Dhruv ke pas ja rhi hai..."

"Mukti abhi tum yaha se jao...I am there.." Cabir eyed Mukti to leave

"No use Cabir... She's right Mai toh sochunga na Nandini Dhruv se milne gayi...aese waqt pe call hi aaya tha...Aur sach bhi tha ki woh jaa rhi thi...But You know Cabir what's my mistake... ? I didn't give her time to explain... She was saying she will explain later...But Me being the impulsive jerk...assumed things and spoke whatever my shitty tongue uttered in anger... Pagal ho gaya tha main...kuch bhi bol diya maine use... You know anger is my worst enemy... Nandini kehti thi You should control your anger..But maine kya kiya... I ruined everything out of jealousy and anger..."

"Manik tu apne ap ko kyun blame kar raha hai..? Situation hi aesi thi that you couldn't control yourself..."

"I agree situation aese thi... But I can't deny the truth...I AM WRONG CABIR..YES I AM WRONG... I could have trust her atleast once before jumping to conclusions... But nahi maine kya kiya... I didn't trust my Love... I accused her of playing with two boys...I questioned her character... I doubted that she was in relationship with Dhruv...I accused her of cheating on me... Isn't that wrong Cabir....?"

My voice choked

"Manik.. stop blaming yourself... Yeh sab us Harshad k wajah se hui hai ..."

"No Cabir I am responsible for this ... I made myself available to Harshad for using me... If I wouldn't have believed his talks... toh aesa kuch nahi hota..."

"Manik Harshad just used the jealousy card and you fell into the trap..."

"Right...But I was a big fool... I didn't trust Nandini... Mai bewakoof tha ki Main Harshad ki baaton mein aa gaya.. Harshad played with my feelings because I allowed him to play... If I hadn't been a fool to believe his words then today Me and Nandini would be together... But see aesa kuch nahi hai..." Tears rolled down my cheeks sensing the situation of separation

"Manik..."

And Cabir hugged me tighter...

Seriously I needed a hug to calm down myself.. I was thankful to the Almighty that he gave Cabir as my sibling...He had always been with me in my thick and thins... And like a true frnd and brother... woh Aaj bhi mere sath tha....

"Cabir...I need some time alone... " I said breaking the hug...

"I understand I'll leave..But Manik... jo ho gaya so ho gaya...ab you need to fix everything..."

"Hmmm..."

And then he left....

I sat on the bed palming my face in frustration

I was blaming myself and yes I knew I was wrong... I didn't trust her...I didn't trust my Love..I didn't trust MY NANDINI...

"I AM SORRY NANDINI...I AM EXTREMELY SORRY..I KNOW WHAT I DID WAS WRONG..VERY WRONG...BUT IT WAS UNINTENTIONAL...I KNOW I'M A BIG FOOL...I SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED YOU... CAN'T YOU FORGIVE YOUR STUPID LOVER NANDINI...?? PLEASE JUST FOR ONCE MAAF KAR DO MUJHE..."

I screamed my lungs out while talking to her pic... The tear drops were wetting the photograph... A stabbing pain stung my heart😢

But gathering courage I wiped my tears and made a resolution...

"Nandini...jo hua so hua...But I'll find you out... And I'll ask for forgiveness... And we'll be together..I promise that to you..."

I opened the door and told Cabir about my resolution...

He and Mukti gave hugged me tighter and I felt a little relieved...

*********

Writer's pov

Alya entered Manik's room... She found Manik lying on the bed on his stomach...His bare back is visible...

She came near Manik...and kissed his forehead... Manik turned aside...

"Manik...utho na baby... or kitna soyoge..?"

"Thodi der aur..."

"No chalo...just wake up now..."

Finally Manik woke up after five minutes of cajoling...

The moment he woke up..Alya took him into a hug and Manik reciprocated... Alya then whispered "I love you Manik" to which Manik said in his sleepy tone "I love you Alya but just as a friend"

Hearing that word friend Alya jerked away from Manik... By her expression anyone could see how pissed off she looked at the moment...

Yes Alya has helped Manik in these two years just to get his love .She hated Nandini from the very beginning ..But she couldn't help as Manik always favoured her...But when Nandini was gone...she didn't miss a single chance to help or rather say woo Manik... And today hearing the words I Love You she thought she has finally won... But Manik was Nandini's Manik... He went close to Alya..as he considered her as a friend.. Obviously he had no idea about her intentions...

Fate smiled at Alya as Manik friendzoned her... ( Yes my readers I can see the smiles on your faces too 😁 and now I think you all would give up the idea of beating your writer 😉)

Manik is shocked to see her jerk away instantly... Anyways he got up and wentto the washroom... While he came back angry Alya was nowhere in sight.

But one thing was today Manik was sad...

He skipped breakfast and went to a room where he didn't allow anyone... He bolted the door and got himself lost in a dark room..Yes that room was dark ....painted all black.. everything was black there...curtains..bedsheets... pillows... literally everything...

Since two years that room was his favourite spot... He spent hours in that room..No one dared to enter that room... Not even Cavya and Mukti and Abhimanyu... ( Yes Mukti found true love in Abhimanyu..and last month they tied the knot in a simple court marriage)

The Manik Nandini had left behind was a changed Manik... He wasn't the cool carefree Manik... He had become cold...and a detached person...who seldom opened up except to his frnds and family...

He still taught music at SPACE but he hated social gatherings... Every Morning he went to his work and later he would come and have his meal and then he entered his dark room...he used to sing of his loneliness,of his shattered life,of his lost love and buried himself in gloominess...

He was in sort of some depression...

Cabir advised him to see a doc..but Manik being the stubborn soul never admitted his depressed behaviour...

Now you will ask what was the reason behind this... Why didnt he fulfil his resolution?

He tried his best but He failed badly...

He left no stone unturned to know about Nandini's whereabouts...

Yes he searched every corner of India...he used his sources...(Dad's sources) But there was no positive answer .

He tried searching her abroad..With the help of some experts he searched almost every famous country even New York... But still he couldn't find her location...

( Yes now you'll ask Nandini is In New York..how couldn't he find her then...? That's because Nandini being the cleverest has changed her name to Naina in her legal documents...So even when Manik heard from his experts about some Naina shifting to New York he couldn't realize that it was his Nandini...Yes fate played its game once again...My poor MaNan 😔)

Since two years he kept on searching for Nandini... But every time he failed in his mission.

Yes today was the day ... exactly two years and a week after their break up... He was sad... sad will be an understatement... He was disappointed and broken from within...

He didn't go for work... It was 4 long hours since he went inside that dark room...

He had never been so late...

Cabir had something to share with him... He was waiting for him to come out...

The wait was killing him... So Finally he dared to get in... Never ever he tried that before... But now he couldn't wait any longer...

He opened the door slowly without making a noise...

He was shocked to see everything black there... A dim light failed to remove the darkness completely...

Cabir's eyes searched for Manik...He couldn't sense anything in the dim light..He switched on some other lights and there he found Manik lying on the floor with the strings of a broken guitar scattered besides him... (It was the same guitar Nandini jad gifted him on his birthday...Refer to Ankahee for details)

A broken wine glass rolled down the floor until it met Cabir's feet...

It took no time for Cabir to sense the situation...

Yes Manik committed suicide... He was lying senseless .. His arm had something inscribed over it .... Yes Manik wrote that with the broken piece of the wine glass...

It read "Nandini... I Love You..."

And that was enough for Cabir to bear it... He gave out a loud shriek enough to criss cross the dark walls...

"Manik.... Yeh tumne kya kiya....? Why did you do this... ? You can't commit suicide...No way You are a strong person...Why did you...Why Manik ....Why...?"

Cliffhanger again...yeah yeah I know ...But You know I just love that...So say me how's the chapter...Please type down your comments... and keep voting... Thanks for reading...

Your writer Sangita :)