Destiny's Dice

Tom And Jerry

Minutes pass by in utter silence. Manik is standing statue still, staring at the gate, and I'm rooted to my spot on the porch.

What just happened? Here I am trying to steer clear of Manik and Alya, and this is how I do it? What have I done?

Silent sobs are shaking my shoulders, tears making their way across my cheeks. My knees are about to give way, as I lower myself onto the ground. I hug my knees tightly to my chest, burying my face in my legs.

Manik and Alya are facing so many problems and it's all my fault. I've driven a wedge between them. Alya's rightfully cursing at me. I'm ruining her happily ever after. The back and forth that just went down between the two of them shows me just how much I've damaged their relationship.

I'm unsure whether my tears are for them, and what I've done, or for the person Alya thinks I am. Does she truly consider me to be an intruder in her life, who stole her family? And is now eyeing her fiance.

Have I ever truly even tried extending a hand of friendship towards Alya, and considered her a part of my family? No. I was too involved in judging and disliking her. No wonder she considers me to be an outsider.

I should also see the flip side of the coin, from her perspective. I was an orphaned child, who barged into her house one fine day and suddenly became a part of her family. Her parent's and brother's love definitely got divided, and so I'm sure she holds some hard feelings toward me.

But I didn't know there was this much hate bubbling in her head.

Aiyappa, why is everything falling apart? How do I fix it?

"Ouch," I hiss, as a liquid stings my injured arm. I look up towards my side to find Manik seated beside me, the first aid kit nestled in his lap.

He's pressing an alcohol swab to my wound, his eyebrows furrowed, as he's investing every ounce of focus on cleaning my arm.

"You don't have to do this." I say, shrugging his hand off my arm. I rest my chin on my arm, looking the other side, away from him.

"I know," Manik replies matter-of-factly. "I don't have to do anything I don't want to. But someone has to patch you up. It'll get infected otherwise."

"I'm sure I won't die." I stand up. Manik wraps his hand around mine, tugging me back down. The force of his tug causes me to fall towards him, straight onto his lap.

"Manik, let me go." I say through gritted teeth, struggling to stand up in his tight grasp. He wraps his right arm around my shoulders, holding me in place.

"Let me do what needs to be done, and then you're free to go." Manik says, pressing the swab back on my wound. I bite down on my lower lip, tilting my head to the side, towards his chest. My free hand grips Manik's leg, pressing down on it.

"You're more drama than anything, Angel," Manik comments. I can feel him smirk through his words.

I don't reply. Sure he's holding me in place, but he most certainly cannot force me to talk to him as well.

"Tears don't suit you," Manik says. "Angels shouldn't cry. This emotion is made for sinners like me."

I want to tell him that we're on the same boat. He and I are both sinners. Ruining someone's fairy tale most definitely categorizes as sinning.

"I would've thought a Devil like you would take pleasure in my tears," I snap. A few moments of silence pass by. Oh, so he's speechless now?

"Do you really believe that I would seek pleasure in your pain?" Manik whispers, his breath tickling the back of my neck. "I'm going to put some of that red medicine now," Manik tells me, before I can answer. "But for that I'm going to have to let you go. Don't start running, you won't get too far."

"Oh, really? Because I remember the morning when I tried to escape your clutches and I was quite successful." I say, unable to keep myself from gloating about my small victory.

"That's because I was sleepy," Manik defends himself. "Try escaping my clutches when I'm wide awake and I'll give you a tough fight."

"Excuses, excuses," I murmur. The second Manik's arm unwinds itself from around my frame, I shoot up. He grabs hold of my hand once more, looking up at me.

"Let's please not do this right now," Manik says. "It's been a long night and I do not wish to stretch it out any further."

I look at him pointedly, nodding towards my hand.

"Let go of my hand," I order.

"You'll go, I'll come after and then we'll be playing a cat-mouse game for another hour." Manik says, leaving my hand. "So to avoid all that - and to get away from each other as soon as possible - I suggest you sit down and let me finish what I've started."

I toss Manik's words in my head. Knowing his stubborn nature and mine, I'm sure that's exactly what will take place if I don't be the bigger person right now and give in.

Sighing, I lower myself onto the ground beside him.

"Fine," I say, "But let's try to wrap this up as soon as possible."

Manik nods, grabbing a cotton swab.

"It's not like I intend to spend the rest of the night with you," he comments. This is the Devil I know. The one who passes snide remarks my way, not the one who's bandaging me up at the moment.

Manik tends to my wound in silence, with me just watching his actions. This side of him - this caring, gentle one - is enveloping me in surprise. This is surely a miracle of Aiyappa's. Otherwise how could the Devil become Florence Nightingale?

Every time his cold fingers brush against my bare skin, chills shoot up through my spine. How is this man able to hold so much power over my body with just a mere touch?

"All done." Manik says, eyeing his work with a deep satisfaction in his eyes. He grabs the used cotton and alcohol swabs, and chucks them towards a pot.

"What're you doing?" I exclaim, standing up and marching over towards the dirtied pot. I collect the used materials, enclosing them in my fist. I turn around to find him watching me once more, a small smile lining his lips.

Clearing his throat, Manik wipes it off his face in less than a second. I head past him, up the porch steps and towards the front door.

"Wait," Manik calls. My feet stop at their own volition. I find myself turning towards the Devil.

"What?" I ask. Is he going to ask something in return for patching me up? I should've known.

"D-Do you..." Manik trails off, uncertainty masking his face. He screws his face up, his fingers toying with the bracelets on his wrist. "Do you want to go for a drive?" Manik asks. "Just to forget about all that happened," he adds hastily.

"A drive? With you?" I ask, scoffing. "Most definitely not! I'd much rather walk barefoot for the rest of my life."

Manik's face transforms into one of anger.

"It's not like I'm dying to spend time with you," he snaps. Standing up, Manik bounds off the steps and towards the gate. He unbolts the gate, yanking it open and stepping out. Before shutting the gate, however, Manik looks back towards me.

There's hope in his eyes, as if he's expecting me to tell him to wait and that I'm coming with him. Pursing my lips, I cross my arms across my chest. Shaking his head, Manik clenches his jaw, slamming the gate shut.

Why did he even ask me to go for a drive with him? As if I'd ever willingly seat myself in his company.

I go back into the house, shutting the front door behind me. The sound of someone's slippers slapping the stairs echoes around the house.

Aiyappa, is someone awake? I hope Chachi didn't witness what just took place outside. Hurriedly, I make my way up the stairs, hoping to see who it is. Just as I step onto the upstairs landing, someone's door shuts.

Why is everyone's timing in this house so perfect? First Amms saw Alya and Manik arguing and now someone's seen the three of us wage a war outside. Great! Just great.