There is a video link in this chapter, DONOT forget to listen to it as you read
Chapter 35
They stood there, the only two souls in that deserted assembly ground. Her prayers had been answered. The first shower of the monsoon had drenched them together. It had washed away her fears and his anger. She couldn't take her eyes off him. Even with the rain blurring her vision, forcing her eye lids to shut, she struggled to keep them open, to drink in the entire sight of him. He appeared calm like the river, but she & only she could feel the ebb and flow of waves inside him.
He had a million questions in his eyes, she had them in her heart. She was struggling to keep them from flooding her eyes..
Pehle kabhi, na tune mujhe gham diya
Phir mujhe, kyun tanha kar diya
Guzaare thhe jo lamhe pyaar ke
Hamesha tujhe apna maan ke
To phir tune badli kyun adaa
Yeh kyun kiya?
Kabhi jo baadal barse
Main dekhoon tujhe aankhein bharke
Tu lage mujhe pehli baarish ki duaa
{You have never given me sorrow before,
Then why did you desert me this time
U were always a part of me,
In the millions of memories we made together,
Then why did you have to change,
Why did you do it?
Whenever it rains,
All I want do is stare you till the end of time,
You are a sacred prayer, like the first shower of the season}
Finally she understood, it was all futile. Her mission.. She was not made for it, she was not born to doubt him, she was not born to hate him, she was born only to love him. He had the key to her soul. He had the power to sway her to his voice, even to his silence. He knew the magic to mesmerize her, today and every single day. Destiny had brought them together, and destiny had torn them apart. And now, it was destiny again that had brought him to her. She might as well let destiny take its course and take her along to wherever she belonged. But in this moment, all she wanted to do was to pray for him.. Or pray to him.
Tere pahloo mein reh loon
Main khudko paagal keh loon
Tu gham de ya khushiyaan
Seh loon sathiyaa..
aa.. sathiyaa.. sathiyaa..
hmm Koi nahi.. tere siva mera yahaan
Manzilein, hain meri to sab yahaan
Mita de sabhi aaja faasle
Main chahun mujhe mujhse baant le
Zara sa mujhme tu jhaank le
Main hoon kya?
{ Let me stay in your shadow,
Let me go bewildered,
Whether you give me sadness or joy, I'll bear, O beloved
There is nobody other than you who is mine,
You are where all my roads end,
Wipe out the distances between us,
Take a piece out of me and make it yours,
Look here, peek inside me
Tell me who I am }
He let go of her hand. She turned away in silence and he followed her. They walked up to his car, completely soaked and dripping.
"Manik ghar chalen? I have some clothes of my brother Rishab. You can change out of these.Tumhe thand lag jayegi." She explicitly mentioned Rishab's name, not wanting him to assume anything else. He didnt question or comment. He didn't tease her like other days. He silently drove towards her house.
Her's was a small one bedroom apartment on the edge of the hill. It was sufficient for her but she felt a little awkward ushering him in. He was used to mansions, he had spent his whole life in palatial houses n her's wouldnt even compare to one of their regular servant's quarter.
It was cute, her place, small and beautiful just like her. She had kept it clean, everything tucked away in its own place. She didnt have too much of furniture, just a couple of rugs and few cute cushions for floor sitting in her living room. Her bedroom too had the bare minimum of a single bed. But even so, it carried her touch. On the bedsheets, curtains, cushions, everywhere he looked, her saw her hand work.
He had lived in mansions, so grand and colossal that one tends to get lost there. But they were impersonal like hotels, you could spend your entire life in one and yet feel like a stranger.
He preferred it here, where life could thrive, where the wind could flow in and out and the rain could pitter patter all day long. Even the walls were willing to listen.
She brought him a towel and some of Rishab's clothes. 'You go first' He asked her. Her apartment had a single washroom and he was worried she would catch cold.
'No you go first, i am used to getting drenched."
He complied again.
Nandini patted herself dry with a towel and went to the kitchen to make some coffee for them.
"Nandini" She heard his husky voice and turned around to see this. She gulped her saliva.
"Wo actually, yeh shirt thora chota hai, so..." He was blushing, still serious.
'Control Nandini Murthy, don't ogle at him so shamelessly.' She lowered her eyes. "Tum coffee piyo, I'll change and come."
He picked his coffee and peeped into the balcony attached to the kitchen and stood there speechless.
"Acha hai na? Mera personal view?" She asked him jokingly, wiping her hair.
"Tumhara personal view itna acha hai to us din jungle men kyun leke gayi thi?"
"Who tum nahi samjhoge, thora authentic rakhna parta hai, feel lane ke liye"
"Aur kya kya nahi samajhta main?"
She was missing their usual camaraderie, his teasing her, his fake attitude, his laughing at her.. He was absolutely quiet today and his piercing gaze almost burnt through her. She looked away, not being able to look into his anymore. She couldn't decide if she wanted to comfort his vulnerable side or smother his sensuous self with an endless trail of kisses.
"Waise you play guitar? I saw one in your living room"
Nandini nodded.
"Will you play a song for me?"
Nandini went inside to bring her guitar. She had sung this song uncountable number of times in his memory, this song had been playing in her head all evening since she saw him standing there and now she will sing it for him.. She closed her eyes, while her hands started gliding over the strings like it was her second home.
Song link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emfoQNVnnS4
She had expected him to say something, but he didn't. She pulled the guitar over her shoulder and offered it to him.
"Take this"
He looked at her questioningly.
"Aaj ke bad, whenever you feel you have too many questions in your head, play this."
"But I don't know how to play.."
"You would know.." Only she could assure him this way.
"Nandini I need to go home. Main kisiko bina bataye hi aa gaya tha." Truth was no one really cared if he was at home or not, and he himself cared much less. But he couldn't stay here any longer, for if he did, he might end up doing something silly. And with Nandini, he wanted to be careful.. He didn't want to lose her..he had almost lost her and it had driven him crazy.
"To tum Pune se Panchgani sirf ek sawaal puchne ke liye aaye the?"
Manik stopped and turned back. "Us ek sawaal pe meri zindagi atki hai."
"Aur kuch nahi bolna?"
Manik took a long pause, wondering if he should or should not say what he had in his mind. He wasn't used to surrendering before someone. He was scared of showing his vulnerable side to anyone, but if he didn't say it now, he might never be able to say it again.
"Will you make a promise?"
"What promise?"
"Promise me that you would never leave me, no matter what.."
Nandini was chocking inside, she had to hold herself tight before her tears gave her little secret away.
She cleared her voice. "Nandini promise!" And for the first time in that entire evening, she saw him smiling, like the sun rising after a long spell of showers. He scattered rainbows everywhere.
He gave her a quick hug and dashed away.
She wanted to drown in those dark brown eyes, she had finally found what she had been looking for ,for three long years. His lips had been sealed all through, yet his silence had screamed loud in her ears. He could never have hurt her intentionally, he was as much a victim of circumstances as her. She would have to be his guiding star once more. She would have to protect him from all evils... and that NEEL, he better watch out. What had he done to Manik that had caused him this amount of pain..
"U don't dare mess with Manik, no no... and if you do, you would have to face me first, the old Nandini Murthy." She thought aloud.
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