𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝓦𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 ✅

Chap 37

She woke up not feeling his presence anymore beside her and also the sound of the running water from the bathroom broke her sleep. Throwing the blanket away, she slipped in her flip-flops and tied her hair in a loose messy bun. Yawning, she went up to the dresser just to notice that the t-shirt he was wearing last night was now on her, she smiled subtly looking out. It was still dark outside. She remembered he was going on a mission before the sun could show up.

She sat on the couch closing her eyes. She was still sleepy. The fact that they both slept late last night and now waking up so freaking early, her eyes felt like giving up. But in no way she wanted him to leave when she was asleep.

The clicking sound of the bathroom door made her open her eyes again. He stepped out ruffling his wet hair. She smiled sleepily at him as he said, "Why did you wake up? I would've stilled kissed you before leaving even if you were at sleep." He shrugged as a matter of fact.

"As if I'm dying to get kissed by you.", she muttered to herself.

"I heard that!", he yelled getting ready in his uniform, she watched silently until her attention was diverted to the piece of paper which accidentally fell from his bag. Walking up to it, she grabbed it, "Manik, this-" She didn't speak anything further.

Buttoning his shirt, he turned around and became alert as he took fast steps to snatch that away from her. "That's the legal notice of this mission. Hai na?"

He looked here and there before folding it back in his bag. "Umm... yeah."

She strode towards him and he changed his direction towards the dresser again. She forcefully made him turn to her. "A legal notice with a clause that if anything happened to you throughout your duty there, the authority would not take the blame and which had a signature of yours beneath, accepting  the clause?"

He shuffled with words, "Nandini. I-"

"You what? Were you ever gonna inform me that you're going on a 'secret mission' in Ladakh?" He dared to look into her accusing eyes. "Wow. You don't have an answer now. Huh?" Manik's phone saved him from her wrath as it buzzed aloud. He picked up the call.

For a moment his eyes searched for her, but she was now standing on the balcony. Her back faced him. He hid such a huge thing from her and he knew she was angry, sad, infuriated, and whatnot. "Yeah, I'll be down in 5."

He wore his badges, nameplate, belt, cap, and shoes. She didn't turn back for once and was still standing in the same position. There was this sinking feeling in his heart which said he shouldn't have hidden the matter from her, but it also said that he did no mistake if he wanted her not to worry and remain tension free.

She heard his footsteps nearing her, but she was in no mood to turn around. He breathed from right behind her before planting a kiss at the back of her head, over her hairs. She tightly closed her eyes shut, not to break down or burst out on him.

"I love you.", he whispered in her hair. She gripped the railing of the balcony tightly in response.

Before she could turn around, he picked up his luggage and was gone.

_________

4 days down, 1 more to go.

Not that it was the first time Manik went on a mission, but it was his first time in such a critical situation in Ladakh. There was no direct network connection that she could know how he was or he could knowhow she was doing. She stayed up to date with any kind of news about the latest update in Ladakh.

Until now, the situation there was quite calm and under control, much to everyone's relief. She prayed with all her heart and soul that the same condition prevails for the next 24 hours as well.