~ Sometimes you just need someone to hold you and tell you that you are not as worth less as you think yourself to be~

Life was back to the normal track again, or maybe it seemed so. Arjun and Navya were happy nurturing their relationship slowly, and steadily. So were Kabir and Antara. They met quite a few times, spent time together too, but didn't let any of it affect their studies or family time. They made sure to balance it out, so that nobody could point their fingers out at them, for anything. Manik and Nandini were more than happy to see their siblings act so mature. Happiness was slowly filling all the cracks in their life. Or maybe not.

It was evening when Nandini returned from her office and freshened up. Sitting on the bed she was checking her phone when all of a sudden, her hands trembled and the phone dropped from her hand. It was very sudden, like an earthquake that hits you without giving any time to prepare. Similarly, it hit her, the wave of tears, without any reason, but as she tried hard to suppress the sob, it came out more loud. And just like that, Nandini had burst into tears, yet again. She harshly wiped the tears with the back of her hand, not wanting to cry like that again and again, without any reason. But it was not in her control anymore, her body trembled witn the intensity of her cries as she fell on the bed, hiding her face in the pillow.

Manik entered the home, awfully tired. Every joint and muscle in his body was paining, owing to the back to back confrence calls and mettings. Moreover, he was frustrated badly, all the work had taken a toll on him. Pushing open the door to his room, he sat on the bed, opening the tie and the first two buttons of his shirt. Kicking off the shoes and socks he was about to lie down when he heard the door open. Must be Nandini, he thought closing his eyes.

"Manik, water!", Her meek voice grabbed his attention but he was too tired to reply. He hummed in response, but too slow for anyone to hear.

" Manik, water!", Nandini spoke again, but this irritated Manik and he sat up, taking the glass from her and keeping on the bed side table.

"What is with you? Can't you understand I want to sleep?", For the first time ever Manik shouted on her without even looking at her face. He was so at the edge with the office work that night, he didn't realize when his voice had reached an octave higher.

" S-sorry. I-I didn't m-mean to", Nandini replied, taking a few steps back but the fear in her voice startled Manik. He looked up at her and was stunned to see her face. Her chubby cheeks had paled, her eyes were reddish, almost feverish, her nose was red too but most of all it was the way she was shivering that had worried him.

"Nandini", he called her lovingly but it seemed liked she hasn't even heard her.  She was trembling like anything, and her eyes were fixed at space. She was in her own world, almost delusional.

"I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry", Nandini spoke every word lowly at first but by the time she reached the last word, she had fallen on her knees and kept both her hands on her ears, trying to block out the voices inside her head. Manik was frozen to see her react like that. She was still on the ground, mumbling inchoerantly, as if she existed in some other parallel world and not in this one. Manik rushed to her, sitting by her side as he held her close to his chest. Nandini, unconsciously rested her head on his chest, as if her soul could recognize Manik, but her body was still shivering, as if possessed. Manik had unshed tears in his eyes, which were stuck on her face. Nandini muttered something, nothing more than a mere whisper, and if Manik hadn't had his gaze stuck at her, he would have missed it. But now that he heard it, he understood what had went wrong.

"Appa...", She mumbled again.

And Manik still holding her close, rubbed her back, lovingly, whispering soft nothings in her ears, simultaneously taking out his cell phone to call Neil. Nandini sat like that in his embrace for five or so minutes when Manik suddenly cupped her face and kissed her lips.

"I love you Nandini. I love you", he whispered against her lips, his own tears mingling with hers now, his helplessness evidnet in his eyes.

But it somehow worked, Nandini jerked and looked towards him, her eyes they were distant and lost until now, were coming back to life.

"Manik", she gasped and hugged the life out of him, as if she now realized his presence.

" Manik, a-appa c-came. A-amma cry-crying. I- I feel s-scared", she started crying in his chest again and Manik didn't know what to do. He had not felt that helpless ever, not when he had now started thinking that she was recovering. A few moments later, that felt like centuries to him the door flunged open and Neil barged in, but by that time, Nandini had felt unconscious.

Nandini was lying on the bed, a drip running on to her system to help her recover. Manik Was sitting by her side, his gaze still teary as he looked at her earnestly. Neil was also standing looking equally messed up, but he also knew that he was the one who needed to be the strong one now.

"Manik?", Neil called as he kept a hand on his shoulder, and Manik looked up at him, tears shining in his expressive eyes.

" Its all my fault Neil. Its all my fault. I should have seen her before scolding her...", Manik facepalmed himself and Neil sat beside him.

" Are you mad Manik? How were you supposed to know that she isn't in a stable mind? And obviously you can't be always so serene, so in control. Its not your fault", Neil tried explaining him but the guilt in Manik didn't lessen. Nandini was in a pathetic state, and he couldn't bear it. But before he could break down any further, a soft moan from Nandini grabbed their attention. Neil immediately rushed to check her vitals, as Manik helped her sit up.

" Manik", she called as she opened her half droopy eyes and Manik rushed to her, holding her hands, but not meeting her eyes.

" Nandini, how are you feeling?", Neil asked, softly patting her forehead, and she smiled in gratitude, to which he simply nodded.

" Manik", she called again, but he still sat frozen, not daring to look up.

"I am sorry Nandini", Manik choked on his own words, as tears made its way out of his orbs, "I didn't mean to shout on you", he gulped the lump in his throat.

" No Manik. Rather I should thank you", Nandini said, a painful smile adorning her face as Manik and Neil stared at her in confusion.

"You shouted at me, but as soon as you saw my tears, you rushed to me. You cajoled me, cared for me...", Nandini started to speak, but burst into tears. Manik frowned further. Wasn't that exactly what you were supposed to do? He waited for her to speak but she didn't. She couldn't. But by then Neil had realized what was going on.

" But this is not what she had expected from you", Neil's voice caught his attention and his heart broke. If not this, what had she expected?

"She had expected you to thrash her for crying, for not understanding what you wanted at that moment", Neil answered reading the questions on his face.

"Because this is exactly what she had grown up watching. The moment you shouted, her mind had wandered into past and she had seen her appa in you and her amma in her own self", Neil clarified, and as the realization dawned in Manik's eyes, he looked up at Nandini.

"But you saved ne Manik. You brought me back to present. You made me differentiate between appa and you. I am not amma. I can never be her. Solely because I have you. You are my most worthy possession Manik. And today that fear, that I might end up like amma, it left me forever. You can never hurt me, not even unconsciously", nandini ended up keeping her head in his chest, wailing aloud. Even Neil had tears in his eyes but he thought it was better to leave them alone.

" You made me a better person Manik. You ended that bitterness in me that I didn't even know existed", Nandini was still crying in Manik's hold, while he was rubbing her back. Something felt wrong to her, and she looked up at him.

"Manik?", She cupped his face and made him face her. He was crying, badly.

" I am sorry Nandini. I am so sorry", he started weeping completely startling her.

"For all those nights you had cried before me, for a those years you spent, bitter to the world, and to yourself, for all those fights you had to battle alone, I am sorry", Manik wept badly but it had completely overwhelmed Nandini.

"No Manik. You are the reason I am here, in a happy space. Please don't be so hard on yourself", Nandini wiped his tears with her thumbs, and kissed his forehead.

And was there anyway, Nandini could bear Manik in tears? Never. So, though she herself was still in tears, she knew how to distract him. Leaning towards him, she wiped off all his tears, and then smiled at him. Manik knew something was going on in that crazy head of hers. But before he could react, she pinched his cheeks hard.

"Manik you are so cute", she laughed wiping her own eyes.

" Yaar", Manik cringed, " I can be handsome, attractive, hot, sexy, but not CUTE",  he made a irritated face but Nandini kept laughing at him. And her smile made him smile. They functioned that way. Both cried together. They manofied each other together. And they smiled together. Always there for each other.