His Wife ✔️

5. Scars And Stars

M A N I K

She found the colours to paint me when the world had left me grey,
We are strange in love, she and I,
Too wild to last, too rare to break.

"Excuse me, sir?" The knock on the door rescued me from drowning into the sad world.

"Manik!" Her voice played in my ears and I took a deep breath as a magical smile appeared on my lips.

"Yes Nandini!" I smiled at her as she walked inside and sat opposite me. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair were tied in a nest above her head and she had made no effort at wearing the most fashionable clothes or at her appearance like her usual self.

"Please be mad at me!" She begged in a whisper, her voice drained of all emotions. She was tired, tired of fighting the war with herself, of punishing herself of trying to cheat on me. And I was watching all of this helpless, just like a stranded soul watches the waves passing by, helplessly.

"Nandini. This is the third time I'm telling you, I don't want to be mad at you. You were making a mistake, you realised it, you didn't do it. That was it!" I tried smiling as I engrossed myself back in work and she took a helpless sigh.

"This isn't you Manik, this isn't us. You're pretending to be fine but deep inside I know you're hurting. I know you're doing this to make me feel better, but this isn't making me feel better, it's just making me worse!" She whisper shouted and I chose to be silent.

I was a mystery, a monster to the world but it was beautifully strange how she could still read me like an open book, as if each line of my book was learnt by her, as if this was her possession that she wouldn't ever let go.

"Manik! Please look at me. This makes me feel so distant from you. Look into my eyes Manik. Shout at me, be a monster, don't talk to me, punish me but don't stay silent, your silence haunts me Manik please!" She begged sitting near my knees and I held the file tighter.

I couldn't look at her, because if I do, I will keep imagining that fucking Jerkshad trying to kiss my girl and I surely loose all my calm. And I don't want to shout at her for no mistake of hers.

She has suffered enough because of me, I couldn't hurt her more. Neither do I have the power to look into her eyes, nor to lie anymore.

"Manik, I know I have made a mistake and I am sorry for that. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still your princess. I know I was going to make a crucial mistake yesterday, but I really, really was going to do that out of vulnerability. And what's important is that I didn't kiss him, right? I slapped him instead. Talk to me Manik, please say something. Don't distance me this way from you please!" She begged and I closed my eyes as her hand held mine tightly.

Just as much as I wanted to hold her close, I wanted to push her away. And I couldn't decide which one to go with.

"Nandini, we have professional commitments to meet, and I hate mixing professional and personal lives. Get back to work, everyone out there needs you!" I tried sounding normal.

"You need me more Manik, you need me too...", she whispered as she got up.

Her petite frame wrapped around my body as she placed a long wet kiss on temple and I shut my eyes feeling her cold lips on my warm skin.