"Manik! It's evening already.. are you not coming to my office?"
Nandini asked as it was already a day that he had returned and there were no more calls or messages from him since yesterday night.
"I'm sorry Nandu... It's just I... I'll meet you some other time okay?"
"Manik what's wrong?"
She asked hearing his tired croaky voice.
"Nothing."
"Manik you shouldn't keep everything inside like that. Tell me what's wrong?"
He still kept quiet making her sigh.
"Manik are you telling me or not?"
"Can we meet?", He asked slowly.
"Sure.. come to my office. We will leave together from here."
"I don't feel like driving. I'll send you the address, can you come? It's not much far from your office."
"I'll be right there.", She said picking her bag from the table.
***********************
"Now tell me Manik... What's wrong?"
They were sitting on the couch of Manik's penthouse.
He lied down on her lap & kept her hand over his head nudging her to ruffle them.
His mind was messed up, he knew Mukti, however scared she might be of them, but when it came to something that she really didn't want to do, she would directly come to him. Then what the hell was that they were blackmailing her with?
"Manik you can't avoid the topic like this."
"I'm not avoiding, I'm just..."
"It's okay take your time. Have you eaten anything?", She asked while ruffling his hair.
"I don't feel like eating."
"Sleep for a while. I'll make something for us till then. Is there anything available in the kitchen?"
"Maggi I guess... You will have to check their expiry before using though.", He told her thoughtfully making her chuckle.
"Okay sleep here for a while...", She nudged him to lie on the couch and got up to go inside the kitchen.
He lied down on the couch with his arm under his head.
What was he supposed to do in such situation?
It was in the spur of the moment that he had uttered shit like he won't interfere. It would be too naive of them to think that he would let her get married like that. Sure she deserved punishment for being so idiotic, but that was for later. Right now the only important thing was to stop the marriage. If he fails in convincing them then the last option will be to kidnap her.
"Manik... Where are you lost?"
"Huh?"
"I'm calling you since last 5 minutes. Where are you lost?"
"Nothing... Let's eat.", He said looking at the bowls kept in front of him.
"Now tell me what has got you so bothered?", She asked sitting beside him.
"Mukti is getting married?"
"Ohh... wait what???? Why? With whom? And why so suddenly? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I would have told you if I had known myself."
"What do you mean?"
"When I entered the house yesterday, they were getting her roka done to a 35 year old perverted bastard. I tried to stop her, but she literally threatened to kill herself if I tried to break the marriage, and made me swear upon her that I won't do anything about this."
