Warrior Hearts

Logic Versus Love

Manik's POV

"Malhotra!" Nandini yells, as she barges into the study. But I refuse to so much as look up at this unwanted disturbance, even as she bangs the door against the wall with a force that has the potential to disturb the very foundation of my house.

"Why in the world did you not inform me regarding your meeting with the army?" Nandini asks me, indignantly. In an attempt to further intimidate me, the woman in front of me bangs her palms onto the tabletop. Without bothering to look up at her, I can already tell that Nandini must be emitting tangible fumes of rage. And this look of hers is surely complemented by the dramatic heaving of her chest. Up and down. Up and down. Oh, and of course, Nandini's eyebrows must be knitted together, too, as she demands an answer from me.

"Just like you failed to let me know that you'd be passing up on my lunch invitation." I retort, languidly drawing my gaze up to meet Nandini's. "Do pardon me, Princess, but after your absence I just assumed we weren't going to report to each other anymore. Not that we ever did so in the past as it is." Upon hearing my words - almost as if I'm her wrongdoer - Nandini releases a scoff of disbelief. On their own volition, my eyebrows rise up in surprise. Good God, I salute this woman's audacity.

"Malhotra, we both know who passed up on lunch." Nandini snaps in return, as she folds her arms in front of her chest. "So let's not sour our mouths, and keep this strictly professional." Narrowing my eyes, I search Nandini's face for any sign of remorse. But there's not so much as an inkling of that emotion on the woman's face. Good God, the least she could do is feign some guilt for the sake of doing so, and proving to me that she has a decent bone in her body.

"You know what?" I blurt out, rising to my feet. "My tea was a little too sweet this evening. So I'm ready to sour my tongue, and discuss your betrayal." Slamming my palms onto the table, I lean towards Nandini, like a crouched lion, ready to leap out and attack his prey.

"As you please," she concedes, mirroring my stance.

My eyes widen momentarily as I realise that the two of us are breathing in the same air. I suck in a sharp breath, my gaze trailing its way towards Nandini's lips. They're hovering mere inches away from mine. Good God, I can feel her hot breath fan against my skin. Frankly, the matter at hand seems to have slipped out of my mind altogether. All I'm aware of is Nandini's presence in front of me - closer than an arm's length away. I've been intimate with many girls before, of course. After all, I am Manik Malhotra. And so this close proximity is not a foreign concept for me. But never before have I found myself reacting to another in the way that I do to Nandini's presence. She's always so close, and yet a world away from me. Nandini is like my reflection in a mirror. I can always see her, witness her close proximity to me, but not once am I able to reach out and touch her, and satisfy this yearning that grows stronger with each passing day. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to skim my finger along the length of her skin just once.

A sharp knock at the door has Nandini backing away from me in mere seconds, and just like that, she's out of my reach once again. Dropping my head down towards the table, I release a sigh. Perhaps Nandini has this effect on me because her close proximity to my body is so damn fleeting, like a moment that I'd miss if I were to blink.

"Dadi," Nandini exclaims. At once, my head snaps in the direction of the door. Surely enough, Dadi is stationed at the threshold, her gaze firmly fixated on me. Fuck! I'm all too familiar with that look in her eyes. It is usually a telltale sign of the deep trouble I'm in. But what in God's name have I done now?

"Nandini, dear, would you mind leaving my grandson and I alone for a while?" Dadi asks, her gaze still pinned on me. "I have a few words to share with him."

"Of course, Dadi." Nandini replies, as she dutifully begins to make her way out of the study. I refuse to so much as blink as Dadi casually strolls into the study. I watch as she tears her gaze away from me, tracing it across the interior of my work room.

"Dadi - "

"Every week I'd visit your father within the four walls of this very room," Dadi interrupts me. Swallowing my unsaid words, I purse my lips. There's one thing I've most certainly learnt over the years, and that is, when Dadi's adorning her lecturer shoes, I should let the words flow out of her mouth without even the slightest of interruption.

"Naturally after his demise I expected you to fill in my son's shoes, Manik." She continues, as her index finger trails along the length of the topmost bookshelf. "Alas, although you sit in his chair, positioned behind the desk that was handcrafted for his sake, you have failed to wear his robes, Manik." Furrowing my brows, I stare at Dadi's back. Turning around to face me, she clasps her hands together in front of her. "Do you think your father founded this entire kingdom on the basis of his mind? Manik, pray tell me, son, that you aren't foolish enough to believe he was a man of logic."

"How else is a king supposed to rule his land?" I ask, shrugging my shoulders. Shaking her head ever so slightly, Dadi allows a small smile to spread across her lips. Frowning, I stare at her. Am I witnessing the slightest hint of mockery in her smile? Good God, Dadi is treating me like a joke. But why?

"Manik, you aren't a boy anymore," Dadi says, tsking. "The kingdom that is under your watch isn't an accumulation of inanimate wooden soldiers and townspeople. Unlike the toy collection that Shivam has, your kingdom bears humans, who breathe and eat. Real life people who have emotions, and your father understood this. He, therefore, led with his heart." Smiling, Dadi presses her finger into her chest, right above her heart. "And do you know from where he began implementing this practice?" Cluelessly, I shake my head. "From his own home," Dadi informs me. "Till date, Manik, our family stands on the basis of love, which is why we fell apart when our emotional glue - my son - was torn away from amongst us."

Releasing a sigh, I bow my head towards the tabletop. Frankly, Dadi does not need to keep reminding me about the way our family grew distant for me to remember it. If only I was as capable as Nandini at handling both, the kingdom and my family all at once. For crying out loud, that woman came into our house, and effortlessly brought everyone back together, almost as if the job was a piece of cake.

"Manik, the reason why Nandini fits in like a glove with all of us, as if she's the missing piece of our family's jigsaw puzzle, is because that girl is overflowing with love." Dadi says, almost as if she's read my thoughts. "She has so much to give and never seems to stop. By treating her in this manner, abusing the love she has, and trampling all over it, you're taking for granted a blessing from the heavens above. Manik, you are paving the path for your own destruction by rejecting the only good thing in your life. This, I can assure you of."

"She betrayed me, Dadi!" I blurt out, like a tattletale. "I...I invited Princess for lunch, and she refused to show up, without so much as informing me prior to the hour itself." Releasing a bark of laughter, Dadi shakes her head in response to my words.

"Betray, Manik," Dadi repeats, almost as if she's testing the word out on her tongue. "You're one to talk about betrayal. My dear son, our values and beliefs are polar opposites because my faith lies in never playing with another's emotions, regardless of the reason - big or small. It's never right to do so, and after being on the receiving end of it, I have an inkling that you know being the victim in such cases doesn't feel good at all. Although, I must say, Manik, the betrayal you felt is nothing compared to what Nandini has suffered at your hands in the past. She didn't show up for lunch, for the love of God, but you...you led her into believing that you loved her, and cared for her. Now imagine the extent of the betrayal that she experienced, Manik."

A gasp escapes my lips. Although I wish to look away from Dadi's accusing gaze - a pair of eyes that seem to be drilling guilt into the very depths of my soul - I find myself unable to do so. If anything, I'm frozen in place. For crying out loud, the very gears of my mind seem to have stopped rotating altogether.

"One last thing before I leave, Manik." Dadi says, her jaw set tight. "I suggest you collect a few snacks from the kitchen because we both shall now watch as your organ of intelligence - that is, your brain - leads you to your own destruction."