A Thousand Encounters

Chapter-38

"Don't call me baby unless you mean it"

Nandini tapped on steering wheel as she drove back to home. She didn't know why she was listening to that song, it wasn't her taste. It was she wanted to amplify everything she was feeling. Though Feeling was hysterical as she could feel this pool of emotions inside her and it didn't even feel terrible. It felt mandatory. 

Leaving her jeep on front door, she threw keys towards gatekeeper and strode towards main door.  She just wished nobody came in her way that morning because she was walking grenade who would explode real bad. She entered her home to see servants busy in routine morning hustle. Taking stairs, she heard her mother calling her but she wasn't going to stop at any cost. She wouldn't want to burst into something terrible in front of those people. Closing her door loudly, she threw herself in her fluffy bed. It absorbed her and it kinda felt good. 

Closing her eyes, only face she saw was of him. She didn't know why he was back. She threw the pillow away and yapped. 

"No freaking way, Manik Malhotra," She yelled and broke the neatly done line of pillows on her bed. Sitting on her knees, she stared into wall where this portrait of horse hung. She heard herself sniffling and that's when she realized she was crying out of inability of hold her emotions. She wasn't able to cop up with gush of emotions he had brought back. Her angry demeanor loosened as she dropped her shoulders. Grabbing a pillow from ground, she hugged it only to lay down quietly. 

"You are a bad, bad kitten, Manik," She murmured as she let out some halves of sobs. She certainly wasn't crying, she was sure.  

Nothing had made her cry and now he was trying to do that quite effectively. She had tried to undo everything he had done. She could have carried to live the way she was before. But then it was like there was no way back. It all was in vain. 

She heard door of her room clicked open and before that person could dare to open his or her mouth, she hurled pillow his way. 

"Not now," She yelled. Rishi gaped her as he tried to make out what was wrong. 

"GET OUT," She yelled further and Rishi closed his mouth awkwardly. Closing the door, he walked down the stairs.

"She is in terrible mood," Rishi said horrified as he saw Daadu coming out of his room. 

"Is it?" Daadu asked as he proceeded to get newspaper. 

"Yes, I think something terrible happened," Rishi replied as he reached the last stair. 

"Sounds like a name of a man," Daadu said smiling inwardly. His granddaughter was bad at coping with her emotions. She was terrible at emoting. He couldn't be more happy if she was expressing herself in some way at least. He looked up at her room which was closed and took a mental note to see her after breakfast. 

___________________________

"I can explain"

"No, you cannot"

"I was scared"

"Who isn't, Manik?"

"I know I did a blunder"

"It is a sin, Manik"

"What are you talking about?"

"Nobody fails on purpose. You failed by choice. You failed her."

"I know"

"There are people who hardly pass"

"Huh?"

Manik asked baffled and Harshad shook his head. 

"Forget it. I am a bit too anxious about results," He added nervously.