Hello Fam. :)

Hope you all are fine wherever you are. Things are crazy all around.  Stay in. Stay safe. Let's be there for each other virtually. Let the stars, the sky, the books and the stories bind us.

It's okay if you don't want to comment. It's okay if you want to comment. It's okay if you want to talk about whatever is going on, to let out everything in your mind or if you want to lock everything inside and talk about something completely random, just drop in a text. I am here and I will be there as much as I can.

Love and strength to each one of us.

Happy Reading..

Cabir went to take a shower after returning from college. He knew he was multi-talented and modest too. Hence, he saves people by limiting his singing skills to his close circle. He doesn't want people to commit suicide by an excess of his awesomeness. Of course, his close circle believes he was also saving their eardrums from getting permanently ruptured. He was in the middle of his private concert, screaming through the soap bar when he heard the knock on his bathroom door.

"There's a call from an unknown number for you?", he heard Manik's voice.

"Tell them, I will call later", he screamed. He is very professional when it comes to his work. Hence, he would first prefer to finish his song before completing his bath. The world can wait.

Fifteen minutes later, Cabir returned to find his album opened beside Manik. He dried his hair and threw the towel carelessly on the couch before going towards his cupboard to grab a t-shirt.

"Are you checking the album, bro? Did you like it?", asked Cabir. He tried sounding casual about it. Between the absence of their father and the non-availability of their mother, Manik's opinions mattered the most for him. It was also because Manik was the only one who believed in Cabir when he wanted to pursue wildlife photography as a career. Manik even went on to argue with their mom in support of Cabir and everyone knows how risky that is.

When Manik didn't respond, Cabir glanced over his shoulder and found his brother lost in his thoughts. He was twirling Cabir's mobile between his fingers absentmindedly. Cabir frowned. Pulling the first t-shirt over his head, he went over to Manik. "What happened? Who was there on the call? Is it any girl?", he wiggled his eyebrows teasingly.

Manik nodded. "It's some Navya", he muttered.

Cabir felt the color draining from his face. He chuckled nervously. "Bhai, she's my friend. We were in the same group during our internship", he explained.

Manik looked straight into his eyes, raising his eyebrow and Cabir knew his brother saw right past his lies. "She called you babe and introduced herself as your girlfriend."

Of course. Cabir cursed under his breath. "Bhai, I can explain. Give me a minute. I need to make a call."

When Manik nodded and Cabir took his mobile and went to the balcony. He dialed the first number in his call log. "Babe, why did you call from an unknown number?", he complained as soon as the caller tune stopped.

"Cabir, I lost my mobile yaar", came the voice of his girlfriend.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's the third one you have lost in this month, Navya. And why did you introduce yourself as my girlfriend?"

"Because I am and it's just your brother. Not your mom or are you already planning to cheat on me?"

"No, baby. No. Manik actually walks on eggshells around girls and anything related to them. I didn't know how he would take this news, so I was taking my time but now...", he trailed off. It wasn't her fault.

"Cabir, I am sorry. I didn't know. Go and talk to him. Call me if you need me".

"Thanks, babe", he ended the call and took a few deep breaths. He didn't know when he would take them again which are essential for his survival. If he could convince his brother that his feelings for his girlfriend are genuine, he knew he wouldn't have to lose Navya for his mother. Manik would fight for him because of course, Nyonika didn't trust her younger son to make life decisions.

He went inside with half gathered courage. Manik was sitting in the same position except now he was tapping his foot. Cabir pulled a stool in front of him and sat down. "I don't know where to start?"

"You lied to me", told Manik. There was neither any hesitation in his tone nor an accusation. It was just a hint for Cabir's dilemma. It was so like his brother to discreetly make people comfortable while they talking to him, the one quality he knew would make him a damn good boss when he would take over Malhotra Industries.

Cabir nodded before taking another deep breath. "I have known Navya for a few years now. She was my classmate from school but we knew nothing more than just the existence of another. She moved to France due to her dad's job and I never spared a thought for her."

"But you met her again in new circumstances and connected to her like an old school friend", said Manik.

Cabir smiled. His brother was good at this. Cluing in and guessing the facts to finish the plot. The number of books he reads might have something to do with it. "I met her during our internship. She was interested in wildlife photography too like me. This last year with her amidst our number of adventures in the forests, I felt the spark. She keeps me happy and grounded. When I am with her, I feel I don't need anyone else in my life."

Manik frowned. "Is that why you avoided all the calls from home? Because you don't want us in your life anymore."

"Bhai, no. That has more to do with mom than you and you know I will need you always."

Manik shook his head and Cabir physically saw him pushing his thoughts aside. "We will talk about that later. Coming back to the girl, so, you have been with her since last year."

Cabir denied. "We were in the same camp and became good friends. I felt an instant connection but I have always brushed it off. When I returned after my internship, Bhai, I felt something was missing. We grew up in different places, so I am used to your absence but Navya? I got used to having her around. I started missing our conversations, our time spent together. It was a total mess inside my head and I didn't know whom to talk to. That's when I realized she was different than any of the girls I have dated and the connection between us is more precious than all my relationships combined.

"Ten days later, I got an assignment and I went back to Africa. I felt a piece of me returning when I saw her there again and I had asked her out. It was one of the most random moments I had in my life but I never regretted it even for once. Bhai, she has become an important part of my life. Mom would never understand it. She doesn't trust my choices and that's why I had to keep it under covers."

Manik didn't interrupt him throughout. When Cabir went silent, he felt the thoughts swirling inside Manik's head. His worry only increased when Manik's frown deepened. "Bhai, I don't want to lose her", he stressed again.

"Cabir, you aren't getting it. Baby, I will convince mom. I would never let you lose anything and definitely not the one you truly love", assured Manik.

Cabir let out the breath he was holding. "Thanks, Manik. So, we are good, right?"

Manik shook his head. "I am worried about Nandini, kid."

"Nandini? Where did Nandini come from now?"

His brother cupped his cheek so carefully that he felt like a child again and for a moment he imagined his father in place of his elder twin. "Kid, you can't be in love with two different people at the same time. It's cheating. Nandini or Navya, decide on one and I will talk to mom for you. I promise, I will support any decision of yours", explained Manik.

He removed Manik's hand and instead held it in his. "Relax, Manik. Who told you I love Nandini?"

Manik scrunched his eyebrows. His brother has his data prepared and Cabir braced himself up. "I saw it, kid. You have been constantly teasing her since the day you met and she was okay with it. You two were having arguments all the time. You never have arguments with anyone other than mom. Over that, you were hugging her openly in the college during lunch today", explained Manik.

Cabir burst out laughing. On one side he was trying to figure out if his brother was in love with the head girl and on the other side his Manik was setting up the said girl with him whom he hardly knows from a week. The small anger in his heart for Nandini, because he thought she had manipulated his Manik, had subsided. These two were oblivious if not anything else because Cabir's instincts were strong. He could tell when a 'not-a-couple' would potentially end up as one.

Sobering up, he slung an arm around his brother's shoulder. "Manik, listen, I am not in love with Nandini. Hell, we are not even friends properly. She can't stand my presence and I think she is headstrong."

"She is good too", argued Manik and Cabir had to bite back a grin, "like a superwoman waiting to save the world during an apocalypse."

"Yeah, deep inside the mystery of her heart, she might be that too", he said, agreeing with his brother because the head girl can be anything that involves punching and kicking people. "But the fact remains that, I get a kick out of riling her up and she gives up on arguing with me which also means, she hardly cares about me."

"Baby, you are the best thing that could happen to anyone. She just doesn't know you", assured Manik.

Cabir couldn't help himself but wrap both of his hands around his brother. "And you are the most precious soul anyone could ever meet", he muttered. He broke the hug even before Manik could say a word and grinned at him. "Does my hugging you make you uncomfortable?"

Manik frowned. "Kid, you are my baby brother. Why would you make me uncomfortable?"

"And not even when mom does right?", he smiled when Manik shook his head. "Because unlike what mom says, a hug is a friendly gesture, relaxing even. Just because I hug someone, I am not in love with them. But you don't ever let anyone make you uncomfortable by their hugging you."

"Aren't they all the same? Except for family, I guess", whispered his brother and Cabir's heart clenched for his brother.

Manik was never allowed to live with people while growing up. Their stranded villa in England only had butlers appointed by their mom and no butler would give a hug to their boss's kid however alone he might be. Neither do the rich brats in the all-boys school that his brother went because boys after a certain age become too cool for hugs and affection. The most human contact his brother had was through Nyonika and Cabir when they visited him twice or thrice a year.

It was the top second reason why he behaves overly tactile with Manik. Somewhere inside his heart, he was afraid his brother would become alien to all the normal human behavior. It was also one of the reasons why he hates his mother so much. She had twisted and controlled his Manik so much that he was scared, he had to lose his twin to the cruelties of the world.

He shook his head. "No, Manik. They aren't all the same", he said softly, afraid, he would break something inside Manik by talking out loud. "Abhimanyu is your friend. Are his hugs similar to Alya?"

"Cabir, Alya doesn't hug me. She does something weird. I feel violated", confessed Manik.

Yeah, she lets all her perverted hands and thoughts on you, thought Cabir. But of course, coming from the guy who doesn't even dog-ear the pages from his book or who rubs his hands over the covers of the book, almost lovingly, after he accidentally drops them, it doesn't surprise Cabir that Alya makes him feel violated. He pressed his palm at the back of Manik's neck and felt the tension leaving him. "Hey, Manik. What about Nandini? Do her hugs she make you feel uncomfortable too?"

"Nandini doesn't need to hug me to make me feel uncomfortable. Just her presence makes me nervous", muttered Manik.

Cabir suppressed the urge to burst out laughing. "You are just being scared of her, Manik. I saw her hugging you the other day. Didn't you feel violated or uncomfortable after that? Like you usually do with Alya."

Manik looks at Cabir horrified. "Nandini is never like Alya, Cabir. They are poles apart. In fact, they aren't even the poles of the same magnet."

Cabir raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Nandini saves me from trouble, through Alya or Harshad or anyone. She lies to save Harshad from getting expelled even when she knows he wouldn't acknowledge her. She saves Abhimanyu and Mukti from probably the hurt she is surrounded with. She tries to be normal for the sake of friends even when she needs a huge bar of chocolate to get going in life. Of course, she forces me, she threatens me, she makes me nervous but she also respects my space and backs away when she realizes I am uncomfortable. Like when we went to that bar, she behaved like Alya and just when I was about to compare them, she backed off and said she was just teasing me", explained Manik.

Manik lifted his head to look at Cabir for the first time from the time he started speaking about the head girl. "Cabir, it's weird because she calls me when I don't go to college. She screamed at me when I was stuck with the office work and didn't pick up her calls for one whole day. It reminds me of you. But then she goes back to scaring me."

It was the first time Cabir has heard Manik speak so much about a girl. He rubs his brother's back. "Manik, relax, okay. I get it. Nandini scares me to an extent and that's saying something. Anyways, let's make a deal. You stay with Nandini during your class, okay? Whenever someone troubles you, tell her. She would take care of them."

"Why? Are you going somewhere?"

"No. It's just that I can't come inside your class, right? And you have classes with Alya", he said and grinned when Manik agreed. "Do you want to meet Navya now?", he asked finally coming back to their actual topic.

"Where is she?", asked Manik.

"Paris", told Cabir on his way to grabbing his laptop, "but we have Skype to the rescue."

"But I don't know her", whined Manik.

Cabir rolled his eyes. "Bhai, we meet people to get to know them."

"Why are we video calling her again?"

"Because it's not possible to book flight tickets now to meet her in person. Hey, babe", said Cabir and waved at Navya when she came online.

"How is your brother?"

"Baby, at least wave at your boyfriend" complained Cabir.

"Cabir, you scared the shit out of me. Will you answer my question or do you want me to come there and punch you?"

Cabir pouted. "He's fine. So, that's how priorities change now. Anyways, Manik, meet my only girlfriend, Navya, whom I would never ever cheat on. Navya, meet Manik, my brother, my twin, my Jaan, and my everything."

Manik blushed and Cabir laid back, letting them interact with each other. Just a few minutes into the call, he was proud at the way his brother was handling the conversation without letting any of his inhibitions crawl into the call and some part of him knew, his smart nerd was treating this as a meeting in order to increase his confidence levels and hide his nerves.

When Navya accidentally addressed Manik as Bhai for the first time and panicked, he assured her it's fine and she could call him whatever she wanted. Cabir leaned away from his brother and blew a flying kiss to his girlfriend. She was constantly making Manik laugh, smile, blush and totally comfortable with her. She even manipulated Manik in ganging up against Cabir. It felt as if they were friends for a long time, almost siblings. Cabir reminded himself about why he loved his girlfriend so much.

After the call, Cabir almost bounced in his place as he grinned at Manik. "Bhai, what do you think about Navya? Do you like her?"

"She is sweet, Cabir and she could shut you up which is rare and awesome", teased Manik.

"Not done, Bhai", whined Cabir, "you had just met her and you have to love me more. I am your baby brother. I am more important to you than anyone."

Manik chuckled. "Do I have an option there, kid?"

Cabir glared at him. "You don't need an option, Bhai. I am the best."

Manik laughed and ruffled his hair on his way out, after wishing him goodnight.

Some of the questions regarding Cabir and his bond with Manik is explained here. I hope you got some of your answers.

Drop in any other questions you have in the comments.

Iam updating as soon as I am writing a chapter so, let's hope to meet sooner. Stay safe.