NEVER IN A FOREVER (Manan)

70

Nandini

"Did you guys lose your brain or I did mine?" I asked, my heart beating loud.

"None of us did Nandu, we had to tamper your memories" Mukti said, sitting beside Abhi who wrapped his around her shoulder.

I sat in between Maa and Manik, waiting for someone to speak. Abhi sighed, like he was dreading this.

"I don't think this is the right time" His voice sounded slightly shaky.

"You can't do that, I am the only one in the dark in this room, the memory was mine and it's unfair for me" I said, my heart constricting with the fact that everyone whom I loved dearly chose to avoid a big part of mine.

"It's for your own good, Nandu," Mukti said softly.

"I'd prefer hurting truth over protective lies" I answered her. She knows me. She nodded her head.

"I'll grab xanax, just in case" Manik said, standing up but I stopped him.

"I don't need it when I have all of you," I replied, shaking my head. I'm not that weak.

"She deserves to know. She is family" Dhruv said.

"Soha is in a rehabilitation centre" Manik said, making me look at him with wide eyes. The face from the store room, she looked so beautiful, it flashed in my head, my brain showed those flashes again.

"What are you getting as flashes?" Abhi asked, making me frown.

"I'm killing you Abhi, you knew it yet you chose to stay quiet" I snapped at him.

"Baby doll please, let me help you at least now" He pleaded. I hate my mood swings.

"All I see is flashes of lights, like neon lights, glitter ball, it's disco. A pub" I spoke, the place became quite clear now.

"Two years ago, after your graduation," Manik said.

"Abhi never allowed me to go to the pub, how could I see it?" I asked as Manik wrapped around me as he pulled me closer to him, massaging my head, like he knows that my head is hurting.

"We sneaked out, just you and me because I asked you to tag along that I wanted to meet Harshad" Mukti's voice was filled with regret.

"That asshole," I muttered.

"No cursing baby" Manik whispered in my ear, making me roll my eyes.

"We went to the pub and you wanted to have a drink, I went to confront Harshad because he was cheating on me with someone else" Mukti took a shaky breath.

The memory flashed in my head. That's where I saw the girl.

"You were having your first drink when I fought with that disgusting bastard. He was kissing someone. I slapped him. He was shocked. We didn't know that he and Madhyam were involved in drugs" Mukti said.

The packets of drugs in a navy blue college bag, I was tied to a chair, so was Soha, the girl in the picture.

"Harshad went crazy and forced us to have drugs because he wanted us to get high and then lie to us as we won't remember it" Mukti murmured.

I was listening to her quietly. I didn't want to disturb her flow but the pictures in my head were quite disturbing. Manik was kissing the side of my head every now and then, like he is with me.

"He was high on drugs that day, he made a mistake sending me the text he wanted to send to Soha to come to the club, forgetting that he texted her already" Mukti continued.

Manik's hold on me tightened. Like he didn't like what she was going to say.

"His gang forced themselves on Soha, five guys, criminals, they forced her when I was fighting with Harshad. One of them tied you to a chair, Harshad slapped me, trying to force me into drugs but Madhyam didn't want you to get tainted, you were his girlfriend at that time so. You saw Soha getting assaulted, it was too much for you, you cried seeing her, hearing her screams even when you were not in your senses" Mukti was shivering while tears already made their way from my eyes.

"Manik and Abhi, I knew Manik from the music he played with Dhruv and Cabir. For extra credits I had to assist them at my internship so I had his number and I knew Soha as his sister. So I called him and Abhi after banging a bottle on Harshad's head" Mukti let out a bitter laugh as I turned to Manik's side, hiding my face in his chest as I cried, cried for his sister, for Mukti, my memories, for the soul that was tainted.

"You were locked up in a room in there with Soha and five guys, the door had a glass. I was so scared, Abhimanyu and Manik came as fast as they could with the police. They weren't humans that day, they almost killed everyone, except Madhyam because he saved you, but in his drugged state, he tried to kiss you so he had his share of beating which can't be seen" Mukti was crying by now.

"Manik" I sobbed as he wrapped both hands around me, even though he was stiff, he tried to comfort me.

"We took her and you to the hospital, Soha wasn't in her senses, she was crying and screaming, you were like a rock, but were still crying. Aryaman treated you while A female doctor treated Soha. We thought it was best to make you forget your memories while Soha's case was bad. She turned suicidal in minutes, she couldn't bear that when the drug's effect wore off, they had to keep her in hospital restraining her from any objects for a week, that didn't worked" Mom, dad, Dhruv and Abhi were crying as Mukti spoke, but Manik didn't even reacted.

"Aryaman could wipe off your memories, he used a few injections and medicines and it was done for you, but strong triggers could make you remember them. Manik and Abhi bribed the officers and the few news channels that reached there and threatened them to not get your and Soha's picture in the news" Mukti spoke while we were surrounded by silence except her.

"I was the reason she was assaulted" Manik spoke so slowly that made me freeze. No.