Nandini

"Can I have an espresso, triple shot?" My temples ached in a numbing, throbbing fashion. I needed it. 

I shifted out of the queue. My freshly manicured nails played the piano on the counter of HyLyte's office cafe as the attendant disappeared. I had another satisfying look at the acrylics, that Sneha and I had gotten painted in wine. Ah wine, I would actually love to have some now... at ten in the morning. 

After watching several pink sunsets and sunrises in a row from the confines of my haunting room, I finally resolved that I was going to take control of my life. My first impulse was to chop off my tresses, but Sneha pointed out that my beautiful natural curls were regaining their lush and texture back. Maybe that didn't need fixing yet, I would save it for another day I decided.

A paper cup had come in for "Mukesh!"   

It wasn't until I turned in that direction that I found Mr. Mehta talking to me directly. "I'm glad I met you here! There's a file I need to be collected from Manik before he leaves for his trip," 

My insides twisted at the name that I was trying so hard to avoid. Navya had taken the cue my first day back and had refrained from discussing any interactions with Manik. She had also noticed the swift wave of relief that had washed over me every time someone had told me Manik was busy with something else... sometimes it was meetings, other times he was too engrossed in his workspace to be wandering about. One of those days he had taken his afternoon off, and the next was spent shopping for his business trip. 

Somehow going six days without a sight of him seemed to be relieving; not confronting reality and twisting around its wicked path just seemed easier. 

I blinked, "I'm... supposed to be at Premiera in ten minutes," 

"Oh. For what?"

I wish he had begun walking so as to not spend another moment of explaining to him what it meant like to stay away from someone one genuinely loves. 

"Don't you have other important things to do at this busy hour?" It was ten past ten, the day had merely begun, I expected the drama to take its time and slam me in the face with its dose when I already felt like shit. Looks like my day begins with shit and shit-talk. 

"Yeah, I need a file from Manik, but you say you're busy with Premiera, was it? Why so?"

I rolled my eyes while collecting my order that the attendant thought I was annoyed at him, and wanted to know if I needed anything else. He even went the further mile to apologise for taking too long, to which I assured that I had just been visited by an uninvited guest. 

Now that I think about it, any sane person must've thought I was on my period, instead of addressing the man I was engaging in conversation with. 

I took a sharp sip of the coffee, which happened to be piping hot. I spat it back in, "Fuck."

"Oh, wow!" The O on his face made me scorn, as I assumed he assumed that was the answer to his question. 

Which also made me wonder if there was a spine on that creature that I could snap, ever since I learned that Sonali too was going to be a part of that trip. I had no idea why, because she was only hired as a temporary replacement to a staff member who had gone off on maternity leave. She had no business going to Berlin, except if she thought it was going to be a cute romantic time with Manik.  

Realistically, both that father and daughter were cartoons in the company: one with no professional regard for the power he possessed that he would engage in the private affairs of his daughter so shamelessly, and the other with no self-respect for herself that she would keep hinting to her father more ways to entice a novice graphic designer in the company. 

The veins on my wrists popped. If he cared that much about his other daughter's romantic life, he must want some detail about mine as well. 

"Not sure if you've kept an ear out for company gossip or if it's only matters regarding your vain daughter, but the prince and I are kind of a thing," I spat remorselessly, ruining the character I had established for myself in his eyes. 

"You mean Aryamann?"

"And guess who was my sole inspiration for finding my soulmate?" I gleamed, contrasting his furrowed clueless gape as he sipped his drink. "Sonali, who else?"

My father, who could not fathom the depths of my turmoil, easily deduced something from his own understanding of not being a competent father, connected my salty remarks to his failure as a parent and concluded with an irritable temper, "Your jealousy is something else, Nandini. I really cannot, with this childish attitude of yours."

"I shall take your leave, for I have ruined four precious minutes of my beautiful morning." 

***

Manik

The last few days had been monumental in my growth and contribution for the company. The project was wrapping up, and as the deadline was approaching, my team worked day and night in turns. Setting camp at seven in the morning and winding up by four briefly took me down the college memory lane, when group projects just took forever to finish and our batch mostly procrastinated till the week before submission.

Needless to say, several acquaintances had become closer friends over this short period as well as we all basically lived together for almost a week on a rotation basis! The first thing about design that I learned out of experience was that it came with a great deal of crying–both when code didn't compile correctly, and when everything turned out as expected; in that bittersweet burst of emotions, we connected and shared parts of our lives that would be cherished for a long time.  

To top it all off, Berlin was an exciting plot twist that I wasn't wholeheartedly accepting in the first place. The sudden development of these changes in my life kept me on my toes, with no time to ponder and deduce personal plans. My private life had been put on hold since the news had broken out to me the afternoon of my mother's ceremony. And weirdly enough, I liked it that way. 

"This vector, I want to be more detailed... do you guys think it stands out enough? I don't see the highlight!" My hands were engaged in the gestures so much that I accidentally elbowed Aashika. "Oh God, I'm so sorry," I mumbled and beamed when I saw her face muscles stretch. 

She shrugged with a playful headshake, "The enthusiasm, I love it! Manik is right, try putting the violet layer on Screen,"

"Looks so much better! Great job guys," The team cheered and then high-fived. 

"Break time!" I shut the binder with a dramatic flip, and sang a tune that I imagined would play in the background when I made a grand entry of some sort with a smirk, or accomplished something evil. After all, Zakir Khan also endorsed that harr koi apni kahaani ka hero banna chahta hai! (Every person wants to be the hero of their story!) Ta-ta ta-ta ta-ta ta ta-ta! 

It was finally time to wake my baby up, give her a few kisses as well as make her do some body stretches. As I exited my cabin along with Richard, I saw Navya head towards the kitchenette on our floor with Naina asleep on her shoulder. Excited to see my little girl, I hopped in sneaky footsteps until I was right beside her. "Is it salmon salad again?" I teased, while taking Naina into the custody of my hold. 

Her hair had grown long enough for a tiny soft clip to be worn. So I bought her a twenty-four pack hair-clip set meant for babies, with different shapes, colours and patterns. That day she was wearing purple pants and a white top, so I had chosen a lavender gingham clip for her with a gathered ribbon flower glued on top.  

Navya chuckled, remembering that she was long overdue on groceries, and was literally putting up all leftovers together to make her meals. It had also been affecting her mood the last few days, not eating delicious meals. "Actually, I was brainy enough to grab a frozen pumpkin pie from the supermarket yesterday,"

"Did you grab other groceries as well, or was it just this iconic pumpkin pie?"

I flicked my baby's chin a couple of times, checking if she was hungry. A few kisses were dropped on her baby head and cheeks. 

"Stop it, Manik!" I grinned at her, after which I focused on fiddling with my baby. 

Navya popped her pie in the microwave and then while adjusting her dupatta, leaned on the counter behind her. She spent a few moments cross-armed, examining. "What are you doing for Naina's six month celebration?"

"Well, I haven't thought it through that much. It will be in Berlin, and I don't have the slightest idea what that place is like,"

"I've heard it's got some good-looking chicks," Cabir said, resting his forearm on Navya's shoulder like a human arm-rest. He tended to do that a lot with her, I had noticed, mainly because of their height difference perhaps.   

"Yeah Cabir, I don't think that's really our arena of interest," Navya added, briefly tilting her head upwards and making eye-contact with Cabir. 

If Navya wasn't already married and with a child, I would've shipped the two of them and teased them about it until one of them developed feelings for the other and made my life simpler. There wasn't really romantic chemistry between the two, but I could see that relationship turn into something beautiful and unconventional because of their similar personalities. Then again, God wasn't that nice to us, to give us such perfect love stories. 

"Why not? Definitely," I added, breaking the uncomfortable tension that surrounded me. 

I could tell Navya was thinking something, thinking of telling me something or asking me about it, perhaps whether I would celebrate Naina's six months of existence without her. And as if answering my thoughts, she asked, "When is your flight?" 

It wasn't the question I was expecting. Mildly taken aback, I recollected whatever information was on the top of my head regarding the trip. "Sunday? Either Sunday or Monday, I'm not very sure yet. I have to check though." "I will miss this bunch, my team, ya! Who knows where they'd be by the time I return?"

I was very conveniently avoiding any mention of Nandini, also for the very reason that I had not let her get to me and happened to enjoy my life like the old Manik that I was before Nandini allied with HyLyte. It just felt so good to feel that way again, only being responsible for myself and an infant whom I adored from the depths of my heart. 

"Naina..."

"Don't wake her up, Manik, poor thing... feed her like this," 

"No Cabir, she won't latch or drink anything. She has been throwing these tantrums lately of not drinking her milk, or taking long hours of coaxing for her to consume her food,"

"Like mother, like daughter," Navya muttered under her breath with a small concealed smile, but I heard her loud and clear.

Is she not eating properly? 

The thought that had temporarily disillusioned me was kicked out when I began patting Naina softly. 

"She's awake," Navya whispered sharply, anxious about any wails that could erupt soon. 

I craned my neck backwards to study her blankly staring and blinking sleepily ever so quietly. It seemed as though someone who could calm her just by appearing before her eyes had just passed by, keeping Naina hooked by the power of sight. 

I didn't dare turn, my toes chilled inside the loafers I was wearing. The morbid fear that washed over me didn't seem to affect the little one in any way. I had gone so long without thinking of her, and that strength I'd built up in these days was slowly being sucked out of me like a straw in a carton of packeted juice. 

Navya had also frozen, although her expressions conveyed a change in sides... slightly favouring the opponent over me. The devil who shared one, rather two most important things with me. 

And the magic that the devil cast on my baby was something mystical, soothing to her little soul beyond my words could ever convey. 

--- 

It's 3a.m. but I promised, so here I am. Thank you for reading <3 

Next update: Monday <3