Màu nền Màu tối Mặc định Xám nhạt Xanh nhạt Xanh đậm Vàng nhạt Màu sepia Vàng đậm Vàng ố

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~Shuru bhi tumse hi aur khtam bhi tum par hi mai, rahunga, hamesha~

Nandini was standing on the terrace, thinking how life took a turn in the last few months. It was late afternoon, she had a off from college. And it was little early to go, visit Manik, and hence, she took her own sweet time, thinking about her own life.

When had she anticipated that somone called Manik would enter her life, like a fresh breeze of air, swiping her off the feet?

Never.

And when she started to like this subtle smile clad man, she came to the bitter realization of how everything she dreamt and saw was an illusion.

Tears escaped her eyes, when her mind travelled back to that wretched day, when she had seen Manik that vulnerable, asking for drugs. She thanked Aiyaapa for helping her through this, for letting her help him through it. He was in a content space now, having let go off the drugs, and she was positive that soon he will be completely clean. Soon, his smiles will be a figment of her reality, not his illusion!

A few hours later, the dusk was ready to bid bye, welcoming the night, but that solemn evening, Nandini didn't get up to leave. She sat still, with Manik beside her, watching the stars.

They usually shared an hour of the evening everyday, after Nandini came back from her college, or work on weekends. They talked rarely. They were still, practically strangers, knowing almost no factual details about each other, but the silence they shared was too intimate.

Sometimes, Nandini wanted to ask Manik about his likes, his dislikes, his past, his scars and his wounds, why did he wanted to become a writer, or would he ever let her read any of his writings? But whenevershe sat beside him, she used to forget all the questions, and just stare at him, much to his irritation.

Manik thought of it too, to ask her, why she did what she did for him? He knew she was working double shifts to pay for his rehabilitation. He knew she lied for the first time to Mr and Mrs Sharma, for his sake and to keep watering the seed of hope he had planted in every heart of that wretched colony. He wanted to ask her why had she kissed him that night? Or what she thought about him? Why didn't she talked to him? He had seen her chat occasionally and animatedly with a few other patients there. But he didn't, sitting beside her gave him enough solace.

"It's already over ten!", Manik broke the silence for the first time, in eight weeks that he had been here, and they had been sharing the bench.

"I know!", Nandini turned to look at him, and smiled.

" You won't leave today? It's getting late!", He was concerned for her, how would she manage if it's too late at night?

Nandini shrugged it off, not bothering to explain. He rubbed his hands in anxiety and suddenly Nandini turned to him.

"Can we sing for a while, together? I promise I won't ruin your music!", She always amazed him with her ideas and requests, and he found himself always nodding, without making any fuss.

Nandini brought him his guitar, from his room, and he tuned into it, as she gestured to start first, both unaware of the crowd that had started to gather behind their bench. Hearing him sing was something all the people at that centre, patients and staff, looked forward to.

Zehnaseeb, zehnaseeb!
Tujhe chahu betahasha zehnaseeb!

Manik was shocked when she started it, he had not expected her to choose a love song, but anyway, he continued it with a surprised smile.

Mere karib, mere habib!
Tujhe chahu betahasha zehnaseeb!

Nandini smiled at him, and tucked a loose stand behind her ear, as she prepared herself to sing the next set of lines. She just wanted him to know that she meant every word of the song.

Tere sang beete har lamhe pe humko naaz hai,
Tere sang jo na beete, uspe aitraz hai.
Is tarh hum dono ka milna, ek raaz hai.

Manik was simply bowled over with the innocence in her eyes, wrapped with utmost sincerity. His heart fluttered with the realization that she actually savoured every moment they had spent together. He sang the next lines with gratitude in his eyes.

Hua ameer, dil gareeb.
Tujhe chahu betahasha zehnaseeb!

Nandini could see he was reading her eyes as they sang, and it made her happier.

Zehnaseeb zehnaseeb,
Tujhe chahu betahasha zehnaseeb.

She took a deep breath and continued, trying to profess everything that had built inside her in the past two months. She wanted him to know,she wanted him, by her side.

Lena dena nhi duniya se mera, bus tujhse kaam hai,
Tere ankhiyon k shehar me yaara sab intezam hai.
Khushiyon ka ek tukda mile, ya mile gum ki khurchanne
Yaara tere mere kharche me dono ka hi ek daam hai.

Manik didn't know how to react, he couldn't understand if it was destiny, or finally his good deeds had been answered. Or simply, a coincidence?

Hona likha tha yuhi, jo hua,
Ya hote hote, yuhi, anjane me ho gya.
Jo bhi hua, hua ajeeb,

They sang together, giving a mesmerizing ending to the beautiful song, lost in each other's eyes.

Tujhe chahu betahasha zehnaseeb zehnaseeb, zehnaseeb,
Tujhe chahu betahasha zehnaseeb!
Hua ameer dil gareeb,
Tujhe chahu betahasha zehnaseeb zehnaseeb!

Their trace broke with the sound of claps, reverbeating through the entire clan of people, standing behind them. They were startled at first, but when they turned, they found so much adoration in so many pairs of eyes, that it overwhelmed both of them, simultaneously.

At that particular moment, Nandini's eyes fell on her watch.

Five minutes to twelve.

She raised her eyes to find the head nurse already staring back at her. Nandini blinked in an affirmative gesture, and the nurse started asking everyone to leave to their rooms. Four minutes later, the yard was empty, except for him and her.

They stood completely dazed in each other's eyes, and as the clock exactly struck twelve, Nandini ran into his arms, and Manik accommodated her petite frame, in his wide arms, hiding the girl he loved to death, with ease.

A smile formed on Nandini's face, and it only grew wider when Manik whispered something into her ears.

"Happy birthday, Nandini!".

---------------------------------------------------------
The single spot light, that illuminated Tridha went off for a second, and when the lights returned, the entire stage, and the audience were all under the light this time. With practiced ease, Tridha walked to her left, opened up a bottle of water, and gulped it down, before picking up the mike again, and returning to her earlier position.

The audience sat still, a haunting silence took over them, until one of the girls stood up.

" Mam, this is where the book ends! What happened after that? Did they get married?", She asked hopefully, and Tridha chuckled.

" Yes, did Manik recover, completely? Did he open up about his past? Did Nandini told him about herself?", another question came, and Tridha's hold on the mile tightened.

Many more queries were thrown her way, following that. People were curious, to know if MaNan had their happily ever after. Or fate played cruel to them, again? Did Manik came out of his illusion? Did the MIRAGE broke?

So many questions, and Tridha knew she had to answer all of them today. The lights went off again, and the entire hall grew silent, when Tridha started speaking again.
---------------------------------------------------------

"On the morning of her birthday, Nandini came out of the washroom, hurriedly drying her hairs. It was already past 9 in the morning, and Nandini cursed herself for being late. She had planned to spend the entire day with Manik, and here she was getting late by hook or crook.

She was wrapping his favourite sandwiches that she had painstakingly made in silver foil, when her phone rang.

A call that changed her life, for the time being.

The phone fell out of her hands, and the sandwiches turned cold, with the tears that run down her face. Leaving behind everything, forgetting even to comb her hairs, or lock her room, or even pick her phone or purse, Nandini ran out, like a mad women.

She ran unfazed by her bleeding soles, her panting frail figure. She ran not like a lady possessed, but like a girl, madly in love with someone who she lost.

When she reached the center, the nurse was waiting for her. She immediately came to her and hugged her, rubbing her back and patting her head.

"He left behind this for you!", She forwarded a letter to her, on which in his handwriting was writing, 'To- my Nandini!'.

Her breaths grew shallower, as the realization sinked in. Manik had run away, leaving behind just a letter for her. She didn't knew how to contact him, or where would he go. He had just left.

With trembling hands, she opened the letter.

"Nandini,
Yesterday night was magical, and yes, I heard everything you wanted me to. I read between every line, and I know all of it, that your heart holds for me!

Now, I would request you to read this song, I have written only for you. I am hoping it will convey everything I couldn't.

Thoda sa mai rutha hu, thoda sa mai toota hu,
Thoda sa, tere bina.
Aansu ruk se gaye thode thak se gaye,
Beh gye, tere bina.

Mai tera hu, aisi jagah pe, jo bepata ho,
Jahan fasle, na ho, aur hum tum, bepanah ho,

Raahein meri kho gyi dhundli si ho gayi,
Rah gyi tere bina!

Thodi sa mai toota hu thoda sa mai rutha hu,
Thoda sa tere bina.

Kabhi agar khi, milna likha toh, tham jayege hun
Whi jeeke agar marna bhi ho toh na hoga koi gum.

Dard sahlata hai, baatein kah jata h,
Yaad bhi dilata hai.

Thoda sa mai toota hu thoda sa mai rootha hu,
Thoda sa mai tere bina!

Yours only,
Manik!"

The head nurse was having all her sympathies with her, until she found Nandini smiling.

" Nandini?", She called out, afraid with the happiness that radiated on her face.

" He will come back, Mrs Smith, he will come back! I know!", Nandini spoke, and walked back home, smiling.
----------------------------------------------------------

Tridha took a longer pause this time. She wanted to see the reaction of her audience. She wanted to see if anybody understood what Nandini did, from that song.

"Did he come back?"

"Did they meet or not?"

"But they didn't have contact numbers. How did they meet? And why did he leave?"

"Why did he broke Nandini's heart?"

So many questions. They came like tides, trying to drown Tridha but she stood smiling, listening to every question.

"He did, ten years later, in 2015!", One sentence, and the crowd was hurled into silence. They were shocked to hear that. Those who believed Manik would have returned, never expected it would be ten years before he did so.

"Nandini, waited for him, with a hope in her heart. She chose to settle in Manali, with a job. She was a liability to her uncle-aunty anyway. Everyone told her to move on, but every time she felt low, she re read his letter. She was certain he would return to her, to his home. And he did one morning, all of a sudden, in the winter of 2015. Nandini was sitting on the swing of her terrace, in the same house, that she had bought from the old couple she lived as a tenant to. A gush of air had passed her and she had known he was there, just like that. She had turned to find him, standing on the terrace door, looking at her with misty eyes. And in the next second she was in his arms, content. She never asked him why he left, he never told her what he went through without her. No questions, no answers. And yet they were happy with each other, simply.", Tridha finally giggled, as she gestured to start a power point on the screen behind her.

"This is a snap from their marriage ceremony, and with this I introduce to you, the faces of Manik and Nandini, better known as MaNan!", Tridha clapped, and the audience followed, many of them with tears in their eyes.

Today the younger generation had planted a seed of hope in their hearts, that true love does find you, and it stays, forever.

A few thousand kilometers away, Manik was watching it all on his television set, with Nandini sitting on the ground, near him, watching with utmost concentration.

" I can't believe she presented our story so beautifully, Nandini!", Manik sighed, and Nandini smiled.

"Told you, she is a gem of a person!", Nandini beamed with happiness.

A cry broke their trance, and they realized little Nimmy was crying. Nimmy, better known as Nalini, their three year old daughter, was the apple of both their eyes.

Cradling her and making her sleep, Nandini returned to find Manik lost. The questions which were never answered today broke out.

" Hey!"

"What If I never had returned Nandini?"

"You would have, or you would not have left that letter. Remember~ Thoda sa mai rootha hu, thoda sa mai toota tu, thoda sa, tere bina!
I was your home! You had to come back."

"Sometimes I think I am too lucky to have found you. You were right, we should never forget the beautiful beginnings because of tragic endings"

"I am always right husband!"

Nandini kisssed Manik's forehead, and wrapped her arms around him, happily, thanking aiyyapa for being there for him when she was not.

Manik too thanked aiyyapa, for letting him rest his past in peace, and helping his achieve so much in the past years so that he could give his little family a happy future.

Some stories are not about minute details, they are all about the tangible love, like this.💕

-----The end----

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