Destiny's Dice

I'll Be There For You

"Angel," Manik's voice invades my shroud of darkness. "I'm glad the suit fit you, and more importantly that you liked it."

Am I dreaming? Which suit? What's Manik talking about? Opening my eyes, I'm met with Manik's face staring right at me. My eyes go wide, as I lift my head off his chest and bring myself into a sitting position.

"I-I'm sorry," I stammer. "I must've fallen asleep," I explain hurriedly. "I'm sorry." Tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear, I wheel the stool away from the bed. Away from Manik.

"Hey there," Manik whispers, a small smile lining his lips.

"How're you doing?" I ask, smiling. "Is anything hurting? Should I call the doctor?"

"Angel, relax, and just breathe." Manik's voice lacks energy and his usual smug tone. I can tell he's drained. "I'm not leaving you so soon."

"No, you're not. After all, you need to taunt me a ton more," I tease. Manik nods his head, wincing the next second. "Be careful!" I exclaim, my hand making its way to his forehead on its own volition.

The pads of my fingers are resting against the bandage, while the tips are resting against the soft strands of his hair.

"No sudden movements," I say, drawing my hand away from his head.

"Leave it," Manik says. "It feels good." My hand is resting midair, just a few millimeters away from his head. Should I? There's nothing wrong with touching Manik's head. But it feels so sinful. No, there's nothing wrong with it, especially because Manik's sick and one must listen to a patient.

My fingers find their place on top of Manik's head once more, my thumb skimming gently across his bandage. A few minutes of silence pass between us, my fingers lightly massaging his head, as they find their way through his strands of hair as if they've been doing this for years now.

"I recognized you," Manik says, his eyes shut.

"That's good," I say, grinning. "At least now we know you're not suffering from amnesia."

"No, I mean when I first came to your house. I even remembered your Chachi," he explains.

"Oh," I murmur. At the time that incident seemed like such a big deal, or maybe I was blowing it out of proportion. However, right now when Manik's talking about it, all I wish to do is shrug it off and cast it aside. "It's not that huge of a problem, Manik. We all make mistakes."

"But that wasn't one. It was intentionally done and cruelly carried out," he says, opening his eyes and finding mine right away. "I think why I'm bringing this up is because...well, I-I'm..."

He trails off, clearing his throat.

"I'm...sorry," Manik manages to say, the words clearly causing him a lot of pain. A giggle escapes my lips. He cocks an eyebrow at me. "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," I say, resting my free hand in front of my lips. "You don't apologize much, do you?"

"I'm not apologizing," he snaps.

"Oh, and so you're, what, proposing?" I grin, shaking my head in amazement. Aiyappa put the world's ego in this one man.

"Moving on," Manik says. "How'd you bring me to the hospital?"

"Eva drove us here," I reply. "Cabir and Aahan would've come, but they had to pick up their car and some guy named Sameer was also left behind. Unfortunately, though, he's been jailed and so they're a bit occupied over there."

Okay, this sounds wrong. I'm making it seem as if they don't care about Manik.

"N-Not that they're not concerned about you," I say hastily, trying to mend my mistake. "They just know you have me and...well, they'll be here soon. I've already notified them of your successful recovery."

"So they think you're such a great caretaker, huh?" Manik asks, a small smirk pulling the corner of his lips upwards. "You must've really set an impression, Angel."

"They're really nice people, Manik," I say, smiling fondly at the thought of the trio. "You should always keep them safe and close to you."

"Yes, always," Manik whispers, his eyes glinting at the mention of their names. "They're all I've got." Manik blinks, his eyes doing that thing which makes it seem as if he's seeing into my soul. "And now you, of course."

A face-splitting grin stretches across my face, joy bubbling out from inside my heart. And now you, of course. Why do those words hold so much importance in my heart that they have the power to completely alter my mood?

More importantly, when'd I become such a special person in Manik's life that he's putting me on a pedestal with friends, who I'm sure he's known for years.

"Does Alya know?" Manik asks, bringing my train of thoughts to a halt.

Aiyappa, the question I was dreading.

"I-I tried to contact her, but her phone was switched off, I think." I say, casting my gaze towards the floor. Please let my lie sound believable.

"You're a great sister to someone who doesn't deserve it," Manik says. I keep my gaze trained towards the floor, scared that he'll read the lie in them. "But a horrible liar, Angel. Look at me and just tell me the truth. I promise that I won't faint because of the heart ache. Let's just say, I'm surprisingly used to such situations."

Sighing, I look back into Manik's answer-seeking orbs.

"She's at a party and will come tomorrow morning," I say.

He purses his lips, turning his head towards the other side. Manik shuts his eyes.

"Ironic, isn't it?" He asks, scoffing.

"The woman who isn't my fiancee. Wasn't my girlfriend and will most certainly never be my wife, is here. While the woman who I intend to spend eternity with, isn't."

"I've really begun to consider myself your girlfriend," I joke, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean, I take care of you when you're sick, help you with your wounds, and now I'm here in the hospital with you as well. If that's not the definition of an ideal girlfriend, then I don't know what is."

Manik doesn't comment, his eyes still shut. Oh no, have I upset him?

"Thank... you, Angel," Manik says cautiously, as if he doesn't know how the words will sound once out of his lips. "There aren't a lot of people who have stood by me in my hard times. In fact, the list is non-existent." He lets out a humorless bark of laughter.

The sound pains me.

"And you being here and even being my crutch back then...I appreciate it. Yes," Manik turns his head towards me, opening his eyes. "I do appreciate it a lot."

I smile, musing up Manik's hair.

"You're a good man, Manik. But a mysterious one," I say. "But if you say such things to me, then I'll truly have to rethink calling you Devil."

"Oh no," Manik grins. "That won't do. What's an Angel without her Devil?" He winks at me, his eyes full of mirth.

"So my face isn't giving you a headache?" I ask, curling a tendril of Manik's hair around my index finger.

"No," Manik draws out the word as if he's still contemplating his answer. "I must admit you're not the best face I've seen, but you're not so bad either. You're surely no Julia Roberts, but I guess you'll do." He shrugs subtly.

Grinning, I tug at a strand of his hair.

"Oi!" I exclaim. "Be nice. Don't forget you're at my mercy."

Maybe I tonight won't be half as bad as I had imagined. Regardless of what I used to believe, Manik and I can sit in the same room and converse for more than a few nanoseconds, without tearing each other's hair out.

A/N: Firstly, I wanna apologize for the delay. I am so, so, soooooo sorry. It's just that I'm traveling and there's an issue with my laptop, so my iPad is my current buddy and I am not too keen on typing here. Also, I'm a bit busy, so please forgive me for all the late updates I make during this week.
But rest assured that by next Monday - the 25th - my updates will become regular again.

Also, thank you sooooo much for your patience. I appreciate it a ton. Please don't give up on me and Destiny's Dice. Thanks a bunch, lovely readers, for reading, commenting and voting. My gratitude is immeasurable. Truly. Thank you! :)