~If you listen carefully, the silence is beautiful~
Morning 8am:
"Mukti unless u want to get ur neck snapped by me na don't ever try to wake me up this early" Manik warned his cousin sister while shivering inside his oversized woollen cardigan.
"Bhai it's Sunday" she rolled her eyes.
"Haan that's what I'm saying. It's Sunday only u dumb-head. And look at the temperature man! Wufff. And I don't understand why are u dragging me to the Church so early in the morning!" He inserted his hands in his pockets to keep himself warm.
"Oh hello! It's 8am and on Sunday at least u can manage to come to Church for the prayers. I come here every Sunday with Abhimanyu and now since he's out of town, u only promised to accompany me here, bhool gaya?" She tightened her woollen stole around her neck to prevent the cold.
"Don't know what had gotten inside me then when I promised. Sometimes I feel why the hell do I talk so much" he huffed while she kept irritating him all the more by placing her ice-cold palms around his neck.
"Don't u do that" he shrugged off her hands and walked faster than her pace whilst she kept giggling.
-----------
"Manik, stop doing that" Mukti glowered at Manik who with a tissue was making a paper plane sitting inside the Church while the prayer was going on. She snatched the tissue away from him and directed him to sit quietly by putting a finger on her lips while he plainly mimicked her.
"God!! This is so boring... And upar se yeh stupid Mukti and god knows till when this father will continue his torture. I definitely must find out a way to sneak out of this boredom" Manik glanced around and found everyone to be deeply engrossed in the prayer while Mukti kept suspiciously staring at him.
"Kya hain?" She whispered gritting her teeth.
"What kya hain! Prayer kar na" Manik ordered her to look ahead and he himself closed his eyes in an attempt to show his dedication. Mukti kept frowning for a moment but later she gave in and got engrossed into the prayer herself. Having opened one of his eyes Manik found Mukti to be shutting her eyes to dilute the religious words in herself and he knew there was nothing that could be an hindrance then. Giving a victory smirk to Mukti whose eyes were still closed, he silently stood on his bench and crossing Mukti slim frame he jumped off it and ran out of the Aisle though few of the aunties gave him pathetic stares which were ignored by him 'religiously'.
"Wohoo! Isse kehte hain brain! Manik Malhotra always has his own ways sweeta" he murmured while jogging out of the Church. He walked till the bench outside the Church and stretched his arms left and right widely to ease his back whilst yawning until his eyes fell on the board which read Cemetery. Had it been any other day Manik wouldn't even have cared to get into the details but there was something that he couldn't stop his feet from reaching the cemetery because of the unknown desire in the middle of his chest. Since it was Sunday many families or singles came to offer flowers to their beloved deceased. He kept passing through the graves until he saw one petite frame sitting near one grave on the ground who reminded him of someone and all the memories of the cute girl whom he met at Cabir's house thundered his heart. He couldn't even realise that when his hand reached the shoulder of the weeping girl and it stopped the sobbing of the innocent soul. His heart started beating rhythmically like a melody in his head as he discerned the prettiest girl sitting there with swollen eyes and reddened cheeks. Nandini couldn't process the presence of Manik suddenly over there and kept gaping at him with her eyes still watering. As soon as the reality has hit her up she moving her face aside wiped off her tears and Manik sat on his knees beside her.
