Deceiving Veils

Chapter-55{Sweet knots which ache sour}

Manik walked past everyone else and they halted seeing the angry man joining the little convoy. Aashi suppressed her smile while Aryan looked horrified. Aashi looked back at Nandini who was standing behind her stunned at audacity of man whom she valued a little too much. 

"What?" Aashi asked as Nandini glared her. 

"I didn't tell him," She clarified. 

Manik had conveniently walked ahead of everyone and now it looked like he always wanted to lead this pack. He couldn't go more bipolar. 

"What are you doing here, Manik?" Nandini asked walking furiously towards him. Her heart was betraying her mind. Her tongue failed to deliver what her mind was yelling. She took one deep breath before she successfully wore that stern face. 

"I am coming along," He replied casually and that infuriated Nandini further. 

"We don't want you along," Nandini replied in heat of moment. 

Aashi's giggles touched her ears and Nandini mumbled something under her breath. 

"I don't want you along," She corrected and Manik didn't cease to look comfortable about whatever she was saying. 

"Okay," He said quite coolly and turned around to resume his walk. He had put a deaf ear on everything she was about to say. 

"Manik," Nandini yelled his name and he turned around again looking totally calm about all her ire. It was like declared decree that everything she was going to say would have whatsoever no impact on him. 

"This isn't done," She said and her voice got heavy as she tried to talk further. Manik's face turned stern. Nandini looked down licking her lips trying to rein her emotions. She couldn't fall short. 

"My life isn't a garden where you can walk in or out as you wish," She stated hammering each word as harshly as she could. 

Aashi held Mr Murthy's hand and walked away. She knew this would take a while. 

"There is no way I am not coming along," Manik stated totally not answering Nandini's words. He didn't have answers. 

"And there is no way I am going to allow you to be so damn convenient," Her voice choked as she yelled. She turned around barring him to have a view of what she looked. Shaking her head, she cursed the tears which weren't ceasing to put her heart on display. It had taken her a lot to be prepared to carry on without his erratic warmth and now she couldn't risk believing in it again. 

"I won't be convenient," He murmured in her ear. She jumped in her place not sensing when he had walked so closer. Her spine tickled her skin as his warmth caressed it. 

"I know you are angry," He added and she closed her eyes letting those threatening tears flow down her red cheeks. 

"Punish me as much as want," He stated and she smiled sadly. His thumb touched back of her hand and she gulped the melt. 

"I won't even ask for your forgiveness," He whispered as his thumb kept stroking her skin. 

"Just let me beside you," He demanded when he had tried his best to make it sound like a plead. He didn't know any other way of living. 

"I had wanted the same thing for so long, Manik," She replied, her tone a bit calmer and soft. 

"But I don't want to seek anything anymore. I won't be able to take the pain again," She stated and walked away. 

Manik kept looking at her vulnerable figure as she walked somewhere in forest. His heart drummed on beat of fear. He didn't know what would he do if she refused to take him in. He wasn't going to give up but he wasn't ready to be deprived of her assent as well.