"Black Queen!", she corrected me and I sighed keeping the chicken soup at the table.

"Black Queen or not I don't care! All I care now is you're not well so you're going to lie down and follow my orders!", I said as I made her sit back on the bed.

"Listen--", I cut her off and said, "You'll listen to me! And that's final! You lay down and have this soup!"

Without giving her any chance I brought the soup and fed her a spoon.

She keeps looking at me and I keep feeding her ignoring her looks.

After the soup is finished she slid down and closed her eyes turning her back towards me. I also didn't disturb her and tucking her properly left the room.

She was sleeping so I didn't wake her up even for food because she was in a very deep sleep.

In the afternoon I thought to go to Soha as I behaved really bad with her and she needed me, after all, we both have each other only.

I checked on Nandini and found her eyes closed hugging the other pillow. I called kaka to inform him about my departure. He was an old man who's working for us when I was 10.

"Kaka! Yeh Nandini hai! Bemaar h toh look after her! Jaisey hi uttey call kijyega mujhey!"

"Baba agar Soha bitya aayi toh.?"

"Kaka!! Ssshh!!", I took Kaka out of her and said, "Main ussi k pass jaa rha Hun air Nandini k samney Soha Ka naam mat lena! Issey mery aur Soha k barey Mey nhi pata hai"

Kaka nodded and I went to Soha.

*******

It was late night when I returned back. With Soha I never realized about time. Kaka had called me that Nandini woke up but Soha started crying for our time so I told Kaka to tell her that I'm in an important meeting.

As I returned I called Kaka moving towards Nandini's room.

"Baba! Nandini madam Yaha nhi hai!"

"Madam.? Aap kab sey formal ho gaye Kaka.?", I asked playfully to him to which he looked at the terrace and said, "Nandini madam ko pasand nhi aaya! Toh unhoney mana kiya!"

I nodded angrily and said, "Hai kaha wo.?"

I'm sure she's here because she didn't have any option. I had jammed the network before going so that she can't leave this place and she didn't have any vehicle that she could go.

"Baba! Ek galti ho gyi.!", he said in a scared tone.

"Don't tell me kaka you told her about Soha! I can tolerate anything but this!", I scarily told him to which he confusingly said, "Ni ni baba! Wo baat yeh hi ki jo ice-cream Soha bitya layi thi wo kitchen mey slab par they apkey jane k baad Nandini madam aayi thi aur unhoney kha liya us'sey!"

I sighed in relief and said, "Thank God! It's ok kaka! Ice-cream hi khaya hai na is'sey bhi bahut important and precious chizey ley chuki hai meri zindgi sey wo!"

"Par usmey ice-cream mey lagta hai sarab tha baba isliye uskey baad she started behaving different!"

"Us'sey koi farq nhi padta kaka! Is'sey jayda alcohol leti h wo! Bahut cheap ladki hai wo!"

"Bura na man'no toh ek baat bolu baba! Yeh Nabdini bitya hai na.?"

"Haa!", I sighed as kaka was working with from a long time and he knew about Nandini but he was not there when everything happened.

Keeping his hand on my head, he said, "Kill her but don't break her heart! Sishey ki tarah nazuk hai tut'ney par sirf ussey nhi tumhey bhi dard hoga!"

"Mujhey dard k saath sukoon hoga ,jo main paa kar rahunga!", Gearing myself for a new drama I moved towards the terrace where I found her lying down on the floor. She was doing something looking at the sky mummering to herself.

Silently I laid beside her but she busy in her own world.

"Tarey gin rhi ho ?", I softly asked her. She gasped in sudden intervene and looked towards me then turned back towards the sky.

She didn't answer so I also looked at the sky. After some time she said in a drunk voice, "Tum kyu aaye ho.?"

"To take you away from yourself!", I answered truly because she's drunk and today I don't feel to lie.

"You're playing with fire! I will burn you!"

"Maybe the ashes will satisfy me!"

We both whispered looking into each other eyes. Our eye lock broke as turned back towards the sky and said looking at the stars, "Their twinkles are with you then why do you want to burn from their truth?"

I didn't answer her as I looked towards the sky looking them twinkling for me. We both were lying beside each other looking at the sky silently.

"Those two stars! Shining brightly! Those are my stars!", I started looking at the two brightest stars.

"Why.?", she asked silently.

"They are my parents !", I whispered as a lone tear fell from my eye, "They are mine! Sirf mery! My mom and my superhero, my dad!"

She smiled slightly as we looked at each other then started looking at the sky suddenly as if finding something.

"Kya doondh rhi ho.?", I asked her finding her busy on her own.

"My star!"

"Your star.?"

"Yes.!"

"Whose that person who's your star.?", I asked curiously wanting to know about her.

"That's my star!", she said pointing towards a small timid star which was far away and twinkling very dimly.

"Your parents.?"

"No.!"

"Sibling.?"

"No.!"

"Friend.?"

"No.! That's me! I'm my own star!", she whispered looking at me as if telling me a secret.

I looked at her in shock trying to know the weight of her words. What do you want to say Nandini.? Why your words always give an unknown shiver to me.?

Looking at her, who was busy on her smiling finding her star, I asked in a small voice, "Why are you're your own star and why your star is so far to see?"

"So that your star can't see me!", she whispered and shivered as I saw her eyes filled with tears.

"Let me see you then!", I asked her softly and wiped the unshed tear which she successfully didn't let it fall.

She didn't say anything further and kept looking at her star with a proud smile. I cocooned her to me slowly to which she looked me.

We both keep looking at each other for hours and whispered before passing out, "You're spoiling me!"

And I-- I just keep looking at her taking her softly in my arms, "I want to spoil you!"