~ Sometimes what seems the truth and what is the truth, are two different entities. Messed but different.~

Manik woke up the next morning, restless and with severe lower back pain. Groaning he sat up, his left hand rummaging through the side drawers for his painkillers. He swallowed two pills with water and opened his eyes properly to find the clock striking 10 am. Shit! He was late. Cursing he checked his phone for any important email or other notification, his breathing relaxed when he found none. Quickly he got ready and ran downstairs to find Pakhi sitting on her usual couch, editing some document.

" Maa, what's there for breakfast?", Manik called out to her, like every other day as he poured himself some juice and took a sip.

" Paccakes with syrup", Pakhi replied without looking at him and Manik though found it strange, didn't reply.

" Nandini made it, not me, so do not touch if you want to criticize it for that. There is bread and jam or nutella if you want", Pakhi spoke just before he could pick up a pancake and sarcasm dripped from her voice. Manik touched neither and walked towards his mother, sat down on his knees and rested his head on her lap.

"Maa!", His voice was fatigued, he didn't want to fight with the only women he loved beyond measures, the only women he had still been the same age old, naive Manik to.

" I don't like it Manik, the way you talk to her. You try to demean her every now and then. You don't recognize the efforts she puts for you....", Pakhi huffed and a chuckle escaped his lips.

" Yeah sure", he spoke under his breath, his eyes lost in a distant world, an unknwon yet familiar emotion passed his eyes but since he had dipped his face in her lap, she could not see them.

Ab dooriyan itni h toh,
milna yha kal ho na ho!
( Such is the vast sea of distance,
Who knows if we will meet or not)

"Manik! I am talking to you!", Pakhi chided again and Manik sighed before looking up in her eyes.

"Maa, I know you care for her, but I am not comfortable in her presence. Please maa, I won't say her anything. But keep her away from me, please", the note of desperation in his voice shook Pakhi.

"Manik beta, I thought you liked her!", She ruffled his hairs but Manik stiffened at her statement.

" You were wrong them. Her mere sight is enough to suffocate me maa, please don't make it more difficult for me. She is an outsider for me, let her be that until she is here", Manik rose to his feet, a soft moan escaped his lips due to the cramp in his back and was about to walk away when his eyes caught Nandini standing at the door of their house. She had returned back early since she had an meeting to attend at lunch, assisting her boss. Their eyes met, and a had a conversation of their own.

"Why Manik?"

"I wish I could answer"

"It is hurting me Manik"

" It is hurting me too, Nandini"

" Then why are you doing this Manik? Why are you pushing me away?"

Manik stole his gaze from her and walked away wearing his aviaters and Nandini stood watching him going, thinking if what she thought she saw in his eyes was the truth or a figment of her imagination because his words clearly opposed it.

Nandini smiled at Pakhi who smiled back at her, unsure if and how much of the conversation she had heard. Nandini changed and went for her meeting and by the time she returned it was already past eight. Working as an intern for an architectural firm was not easy. The deal had been signed and they also had an after-party later. She returned tired and collapsed on the sofa when Pakhi came with a mug of hot chocolate for her. The mother-daughter duo sat there talking when Manik came, at around 9:30 pm. He passed a smile to his mother, ignored Nandini and went off to his room. Pakhi stood to serve dinner when Nandini offered to call Manik and without waiting for her approval, went upstairs.

Manik was standing by the swing of hia room, holding a cup of filter coffee in his left hand. He had a coffee machine placed in his room separately, courtesy to the addiction he had with the bitter liquid.

"Manik!", Nandini's voice broke his trance and he turned to find her standing at the door, her arms crossed.

"Yes?", His tone was formal, almost CEOish.

"So, will you please enlighten me as in why have our friendship come to this uncomfortable end?", Nandini questioned and Manik let out a bitter chuckle.

" There was no friendship, it was my mistake to think so", he gulped down his coffee and Nandini was stunned at his comment.

"Manik!", Her voice rose an octave higher as he disrespected the purest relation of her life.

" I can see that you have changed, and you have no respect for an emotion as pure as friendship, but that doesn't give you the liberty to disrespect my friendship", she shouted at him, and Manik smirked.

"There is no relation between two strangers madam, and you are nothing less than a stranger to me. An outsider who have barged into my home and and my life without my legitimate permission!", Manik spoke in a voice ice cold, and it sent shivers of disgust running down her spine.

Her eyes turned red in anger as she walked a step towards him with a deadly smirk matching his.

"Yes sure Mr Manik malhotra, I am the same outsider whose father's pocket money gave you the right to watch those sick movies with me. The same outsider who if stayed in your home, payed the rent by treating you with all the KFC and MacD food. The girl who paid for your pizza and everything else I know you liked but never voiced out for. And also, your mother loves me like her own, so do not mess with me. I know preverts like you, you act rude to make girls cry over you, but I am not any other girl, Mr Manik malhotra. I am Nandini Murthy and I rule my own life!", She screamed at his face, huffing in anger, and as always, not realizing everything she had spoken in fit of her anger.

"Thank you Ms Murthy", Manik spoke with eyes oozing fire, " thankyou for wiping the ounce of guilt I had, for you are the same girl you were ten years ago. Nothing much have changed...", His grip on the coffee mug have tightened and it broke into pieces bearing the burn of his ruthless anger.

Pakhi sprinted up at the noise only to find Manik and Nandini glaring at each other, while Manik's eyes had hatred in them, Nandini looked only under the spell of anger.

"Manik!", Pakhi called and Manik looked up at her, standing at the door behind Nandini.

"Take this girl away maa, and ask her to drift a bill of how much she and her parents have ever spent on a prevert like me. Immediately!", Manik ordered his mother whose mouth was hung open in shock and Nandini's eyes widened at his order.

" And please close the door, immediately.", He turned his back to them, his bleeding hand dripping with blood.

" Manik, I didn't mean that", Nandini's voice was soft now but Manik paid no heed.

"Leave!", His voice was still angry and Pakhi pulled Nandini down with her before rushing to her cell phone.

Mohabbat ki kahani me kaha ye mod aate hain...
Ki jinko dil me rakhte hai, whi dil tod jaate hai.
( Sometimes there are turns in love such that,
The ones you hide in your heart are the same one who break it)

"Hello, Shivi beta. Please come home ASAP beta", her teary voice was enough to worry Shiwali who immediately left her clinic and rushed to Manik's house.

Nandini stood completely stunned with Pakhi calling Shivi, and the way she was crying and trembling. Ten minutes later, a girl who looked in her mid twenties, her black hair cascading down and her beautiful brown eyes that demanded immediate attention rushed in, and hugged Pakhi.

" He will be fine aunty. I am here!", Her voice was soft and assuring and she passed a small formal smile of acknowledgment at Nandini before running upstairs.

What shocked Nandini more was her taking out what looked like a spare key from her handbag and opening Manik's room, locking it behind her, coupled with the look of relief on Pakhi's face seeing her.

T

he heartache that had paralysed her with pain just hearing manik talking with Shivi, killed her today when she saw her and the care and concern she had in her eyes for him. She could clearly see that Shivi loved Manik. And with that another realization came to her, this time loud and clear. She loved him too!

__________________________________

Hey.
So the only warning I want to give os read the upadte carefully. There are certain hints that you might miss otherwise.
The readers of The kasauli diaries please re-read the last two updates. You guys have missed an huge point or clue already 🙈🙈🙈
All the best and stay calm. Things will come around.