MaNan-Colors Of Destiny

Chapter 8

(A/N: Hey everyone. Okay, so today you guys are actually getting your update an hour early because many of you were begging for the next chapter. Hope you like it and please, please do vote and comment. We take so much time to write long parts for you all so we expect a little from your side too. Thanks. Happy Reading!)

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Nandini: "Manik..."

Manik: "Nandini, where is your mangalsutra? And sindhoor?" I know she's lying. She can't be serious.

Nandini: "Manik, what's wrong with you?" What's wrong with me? Well, I should rather say nothing is right in my life for the past 10 years.

Manik: "Listen Nandini, agar tumhe mujhe avoid karna hi hai toh just tell it on my face. Don't lie to me, okay? I know you very well and I know that you respect traditions. So bolo, sindhoor kyun nahi lagayi? Aur mangalsutra kyun nahi pehni?"

Nandini: "Mr. Manik Malhotra, you think you know everything? Mein jhoot nahi bol rahi hun aur mujhe tumhe avoid karne ki koi zarurat nahi hai okay? Just get it straight, I am married." She is angry now. But please Nandu. Don't say this.

Manik: "Now what about me Nandini? Do you know what I've been through in these 10 years?" I am crying now.

Nandini: "Manik, do you know in what condition you left me? I was so helpless and I lost everything. You didn't even think of stopping me from leaving college right? You knew how much that scholarship meant to me and you knew that music was my life, after you. But still you didn't care? And what about our... Forget it." She is shouting at the top if her voice and people are looking at us with wide eyes. I smile at everyone and pull her to another place and pin her to the wall.

Manik: "Nandini, I still can't believe you are stuck with that bitch Soha. How does her death matter?"

Nandini: "Exactly Manik. After all we've been through together, we broke up because of Soha? Manik tumhe pata hai, I was forced to leave Mumbai and that was only because of you!" Her volume has reduced now but she is still puffing with anger.

Manik: "But Nandini..."

Nandini: "Manik, you think I didn't trust you. But do you remember when you were about to kill Harshad? That day when I saved him from you? Do you think it's wrong from my end to think about that incident and change my decision and assume you could have gone to any extent to protect me? And what about Cabir? He... Cabir said that when it comes to me, you will go to any extent."

Manik: "Nandini, I will go to any extent. I can even kill myself but not anyone else. I am sorry for what I did. Please forgive me. I need you back in my life. Atleast, just tell me that those kids are not yours and nobody has that place in your life which I had." I plead. I sound damn desperate but do I look like I care? I need her back at any cost.

Nandini: "You are impossible, Manik." She leaves and I follow her.

We go back and Nandini sits with my friends. I join them while the kids play. The kids then get called to introduce themselves on stage. We have a light conversation and everyone tells Nandini about the lives of all the members of the gang while I admire my doll, her smiles, her happiness and her excitement. It has been 10 years since I've seen her and I can't take my eyes off her. Every now and then, she steals glances from me and I try to look away. Looking at her, all my anger, the pain she put me through, everything vanishes. But she doesn't care anymore; she moved on.

All the teachers assemble together and allot some pairs to tie Rakhi among the students. They also pair some parents so that they can make new brothers and sisters too.

Teacher: "Nidhi, you have already tied Rakhi to Naman na, so now tie a Rakhi to Akshay."

Akshay: "Ma'am, me?" He has an expression like 'why-me?' I giggle at him. He is hilarious. He grabs a girl beside him and speaks. "Ma'am, she will tie me Rakhi. I had promised her." We all burst into laughter seeing that girl standing cluelessly.