Destiny's Gamble

Mr. Hulk

Manik turns around and heads away, without so much as letting out a whisper to compliment me. For God's sake, Eva even pointed me out a moment ago, and yet I receive nothing from his end. What was the point of doing all this? Sighing in defeat, I tug the hem of the pullover together, covering my slightly bare abdomen and partially exposed legs. It will take me some time to adjust to my new attire.

"Don't worry," Eva says, throwing her arm across my shoulders. "Manik isn't a man of many words, but his eyes say it all." 

"Yeah, I know," I say, my spirits deflated. 

"I knew I'd met this pretty girl before." I turn around to find Sushant standing behind me.

"Ooh, you got an admirer, girly." Eva whispers. A grin breaks out across my face at the sight of my acquaintance.

"You come here too?" I ask incredulously. Does everyone in Mumbai know of the tracks except me? 

"It's kind of my days old pad." He says, shrugging nonchalantly. "You look...different." 

"Yeah, I'm just trying out something new." I explain, wrapping the pullover even tighter around my body. "Eva, this is Sushant, my friend." I introduce, gesturing between their bodies. "And that's Aahan." Sushant reaches over and shakes their hands respectively, his usual friendly smile lighting up his face. 

"Maybe you'd like to get a drink with me?" He asks, looking at me expectantly. 

"Sure," I readily agree. "I'll be back shortly," I tell Eva. She nods her head, smiling.

"Have fun," she says. "But don't forget that we also want some Nandini time." 

"Definitely." I begin to follow Sushant as he begins to head in the intended direction.

"Where's Mr. Hulk today?" He asks, making me grin. 

"He's undergoing one of his infamous mood swings," I reply. "Don't worry, you won't lose a head tonight." Sushant inhales a dramatic breath of relief. 

"Thank heavens for that," he jokes, nudging my shoulder with his.

*****

"And that was the end of my career as a stand-up comedian." Sushant says, bringing his tale to an end. Fits of laughter are shaking my shoulders, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Aiyappa," I gasp for air. "That was some adventure." Suddenly, my eyes land on Manik over Sushant's shoulder. He's heading in our direction, but because of the crowd gathered around he hasn't spotted us yet. It seems that he's searching for somebody and my guess is that it's me.

Clearing my throat, I take a step closer to Sushant. If Manik can be a complete jerk then so can I. 

"There's something on your shoulder." I say, bringing my fingers towards the collar of his shirt. I put on an expression of utter concentration, as if this is the most important task in the world. I quickly glance over towards the spot where I last saw Manik and this time he's watching us like a predator ready to pounce at any given moment. 

"Thanks," Sushant murmurs, as I bring my lips towards the supposedly dirty spot on his shirt and blow against the material. 

"Almost...done," I whisper, sneaking another quick glance towards Manik. Aiyappa, if looks could kill I'd be lying in my grave right now with Sushant beside me. "Perfect!" I announce, grinning. 

"Thanks, Nandini. So tell me, why is it that I've not seen Mr. Hulk around you tonight?" My friend asks, ignorant to the fact that Mr. Hulk is going greener by the second a short distance behind him. "Is he still suffering through his mood swing?" 

"Oh, he's here," I reply, my eyes following Manik's movements as he breaks out into a fast paced walk towards us. "But apparently he's a bit pre-occupied today." My eyes continue to watch my husband like a hawk as he nears us. "Manik, we were just talking about you." I say, as soon as he's in hearing distance.

"Speak of the Devil and the Devil appears." Sushant mumbles, as Manik's shoulder knocks into his. Before my brain even has time to make sense of the situation, the Devil has wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged me towards his front. His lips come crashing down against mine, all the breath getting knocked out of my lungs. 

Manik's kiss is portraying a combination of emotions to me - anger, jealousy, passion and they're all topped off with a sense of urgency, as if five minutes later he won't be able to kiss me. 

"Angel," Manik whispers against my lips, as I pull back for air. For a few seconds I am unable to speak, my entire system having shut down. 

"That was something." I comment in a hushed tone, a coy smile playing at the corners of my lips. "You finally remembered me, huh?" 

"Do you ever leave my mind?" Manik shoots back, smirking. He runs his tongue along his lower lip as if the taste of my lips is lingering on them. "Come on, let's go. It's our date night, remember?" 

"Thanks for keeping me company, Sushant," I say, turning to my friend. Manik begins to walk, his arm tightly wound around my waist. "We'll definitely do this again sometime soon."

"Of course," he replies eagerly. "Just give me a call and I'm at your doorstep." 

"I doubt she'll answer though," Manik puts in. "I do keep her quite busy at home." He winks at me, his smirk clouded with mischief. I feel my cheeks heat up as I make sense of his words. Unable to say much more to Sushant, I allow Manik to guide me towards wherever in the world he wants to take me. He buries his nose in the side of my head, inhaling a deep breath. 

"Have I mentioned you look gorgeous tonight?" Manik asks, lifting the back of my hand towards his lips and kissing it. "Even more so than usual. Self control is proving to be quite a hard feat today."

"So finally you've found your eyes?" I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes. 

"I didn't compliment you before because boxing the beauty I'm seeing into a mere word is a pure injustice." Manik makes a sharp right, concealing us in an alley. He presses my back against a wall, covering my front with his. "You're the perfect example of infinite beauty and words have  simply not been invented to praise you." His thumb makes contact with my lower lip, pulling it downwards. "Saying you're beautiful is only the start to a string of compliments that will never suffice."

"M-Manik, I'm supposed to be mad at you." I say, his warm breath, close proximity and flawless words clouding my brain. 

"Don't be," he whispers, tilting my chin upwards with his index finger. "I won't let you stay away." Once again, Manik joins our lips together, his left hand cupping my cheek. This kiss, however, doesn't hold a sense of urgency. In fact, it's slow and time consuming, as if he wishes to relish every second of it with ease. My palms rest against his chest as I allow our lips to create a sensation I doubt anything else could. 

"You're everything I could've asked for and so much more." Manik whispers, resting his forehead against mine. Our chests heave up and down in desperate need of air. 

"I'm still mad," I say, although my tone holds no conviction whatsoever. 

"And I had anticipated this." Manik takes a step away from me, raising his index finger. "Wait here." 

"Manik, where..." I trail off, my husband having vanished from sight already. "Great," I sigh. "First you're a jerk and now you leave me alone. What a jerk!" Although I don't like the fact that Manik has decided to leave me here, I simply can't help the smile that breaks out across my lips. Just a brief feel of Manik's lips has me soaring on cloud nine. 

Humming, I turn around and begin to head up and down this darkened, narrow lane. A gasp escapes my lips as arms wrap around my waist. I already know these don't belong to Manik.

"Hey hottie."