The Start Of Something New - Part I

A Stranger's Call

"Mom I'm home" Niti shouted standing in her doorstep as she opened her shoes.

"So early?" Her mother asked rushing out of her bedroom to where she stood. "Where's Kirti? Did you get into a fight?" concern flashed in her eyes.

"No... no I've actually got a headache. I'm not really used to it so...I sneaked out. She's still in there" Niti straight up lied. She figured it wasn't necessary to tell anything right now. She hadn't yet, but she would in time notice her change of dress, she would let it be known then.

"You look a little out of it, are you okay?" Her mother asked noticing she looked distinctly tired.

"Yeah I'm good, it's just the headache" she brushed it off proceeding towards her bedroom.

"I'll make you some tea then" her mother announced and left.

The evening went by quietly, with her locked up in her bedroom. Kirti eventually returned home and called her asking about her sudden disappearance from the concert. Niti copy pasted the same story she'd given to her mother. It was going to difficult and lengthy, trying to explain the actual cause of her disappearance and while she would do it real soon, today was not the day for it.

Later that night she was sitting at her bed with what was her sixth cup of tea, sniffing in the strong smell of ginger to ease her headache.

"Hello?" Niti asked slightly agitated by the phone call interrupting her finally, relaxed and meditatative temperament. An unknown number at that. "Who are you and why are you calling so late at night? Whatever it is in not interested" she said yelling at this person through the phone.

"Hi" he said, and the voice sounded instantly familiar. He was just probably replying to the initial 'hello'. "I'm Manik" he clarified, in a nice, warm voice. One that is at once inviting and inspiriting. She immediately regretted her one sided shouting match on the phone not long ago, but in all fairness she wasn't expecting a call from him so her behaviour was justified. It could have been a stalker for heaven sakes.

"How'd you get my number?" She asked slowly, almost sceptically but there was no accusatory edge to it. She did not want to offend him but she still wanted to know.

"I have my ways" he said cheekily and she almost laughed. He did not give anything away though, or didn't go unnoticed.

"That's not okay you know" she cleared her throat and said in a steady voice. She didn't press it further, on how did he get her number, seeing he wasn't willing to answer properly. The anger and scepticism had seeped out of her voice by then. It was in a way understanding but at the same time it was serious and maybe even slightly reproachful.

"Hey don't be upset" Manik hurriedly said. It was clear he had no sleazy motives. That much was clear from their meeting earlier at his changing room. Far from that. And his urgency proved enough that the last thing he would want to do, would be to offend her.

"I just called to say sorry and thank you for earlier" he said after a few minutes of silence. "I really am sorry, for completely drenching you and then not even offering to help out-"

"You sent your manager" Niti intervened, to try and keep him from feeling more guilty. There was a sincerity in his voice that touched her.

"That doesn't compensate for the behaviour on my part. I must have seemed like a right asshole" Manik replied and she could almost picture him shaking his head and shutting his eyes; cursing himself, probably. From what little she knew him this is what she had concluded.

"You didn't" she said almost in a whisper, the words seeming shallow to even her own ears. It might not be true now, but her perception then was exactly that.

"Truth is I couldn't face you" he admitted sheepishly from the other side of the line and the vulnerability his voice could melt the coldest of heart. Niti felt a pang of guilt in her heart at how wrongly she had a judged him. A heartless, frivolous bastard, with a voice to salvage his existence, that's what she had thought of him, but he was so completely different from that. So small... so real. She was just going to apologise when he spoke up again.

"And thank you for saving me from falling and breaking my hip" Niti cracked a laugh at that "and for saving my self esteem from cracking. I know I shouldn't depend on someone to do that for me, and I gathered you surely don't. You told me a good lot about it and I've seem to finally got it into my head that none of those things matter. So thank you" he finished and let out sigh, like he had been waiting to say that out loud.

"It's okay. Anybody would have done it.. especially for you" Niti replied and she thought it was true. Anyone would save him from falling, literally and metaphorically. He was an idol to thousands after all.

"Maybe..." he saud trailing of. Probably thinking whether or not to go melodramatic with it but he finally settled on "but as of now you did. And that doesn't excuse me from thanking you."

"Mhmm... I accept it" Niti said, after sucking a breath in at how low his voice had gone in the end and how enticing it sounded pouring into her ear. And how utterly wrong it was to feel like that in such a situation!

"And..." he said maintaining the tone, partially.

"Yeah?!" She said suddenly aware he was still on call.

"I was hoping it could be the start of something new" he said. This time, his voice normal, levelled but a tiny bit excited and largely hopeful.

"Yeah it could..." She said trailing away and then adding "I'd like that."