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P R O L O G U E
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M A N I K
The aroma of the brewing coffee that once calmed my senses is now suffocating. The taste of that hot drink that once acted as a drug to make me keep going throughout the day now not just burns my tongue rather sets my whole body on fire. A sensation that has no cure.
"Seems like even your coffee could not calm the storm going inside you." the familiar voice of my best friend came from behind me but I kept my concentration on preparing morning coffee for her. But deep down I knew it was just a distraction from the actual talk with her.
"So, what next?" he spoke while taking a sip from my coffee mug but I cared less at the moment. If it was some other time then I wouldn't even have let him touch it let alone take a sip but now my whole concentration was on making the cold coffee as per her taste.
"I just have to wake her up and make her eat. She has not eaten anything since yesterday. " I replied nonchalantly. As if you have, mocked my subconscious voice but again it was all my fault.
I could hear him release a sigh of despair.
"Till when Manik? Is your revenge greater than your love for her ?"
I turned to look at him to see him already looking at me. His eyes themselves had so many questions but my eyes must have shown my vulnerability that he looked away from me.
"Call me if by chance you remember you have a best friend named Cabir..." and he was gone along with my coffee which he took with himself and I let him go.
Setting the coffee and breakfast on a plate I made my way upstairs towards my room where she was sleeping after her breakdown and I was the sole reason for her tears.
Entering my bedroom I was greeted with the sleeping beauty who was now the damsel in distress. All credit goes to you, mocked my inner voice and I couldn't agree less.
There she was all curled up in the bed with the dried tear marks over her face. Her hair though messy was shining with the rays of the peeping sun. The small sounds of her breathing were the only sound heard in the room.
Making my way towards the small side table, I kept the food and moved to open the curtains. As the curtains flew open, the blinding light that entered made me close my eyes but I opened them slowly to be greeted by bright sunlight.
Only if dark clouds weren't hovering over our life.
"Morning Sunshine," I snuggled close to her only to hear her groan in return for disturbing her peaceful slumber.
"Morning Starlight ." she greeted with a quick peck over my lips and again snuggled more in my embrace to sleep. She and her endearment. She has something similar to every endearment of mine.
"Get up sleepy head and have breakfast, otherwise your cold coffee will get colder. " I said while giving a lingering kiss on her forehead just to hear her sigh in bliss.
She peeked at the side table through her sleepy eyes and gave me that cute look meaning to feed her. I could just shake my head at her laziness.
I started to feed her but after a few morsels, she turned my hands towards me indicating me to eat too. I was going to deny but her one glare and I ate it without a tantrum. After completing the food I forwarded the cold coffee towards her but she pushed my hand denying the coffee and hugged me.
"What's wrong Nandini?" but she refused to look at me while hiding her face in the crook of my neck. I sighed knowing what was coming and I have no answers to any of her questions.
But her reply not just shocked me but shook me from the core.
"I love u Manik" and for the first time, she confessed those three words which I was dying to hear since don't know how long but now I could only feel one thing- pain.
The pain of love.
"I love u too Nandini." I too confessed the words without any hesitation though my heart felt like someone was squeezing it to stop the life out of it, once and for all.
"Won't you wish me? " she asked while breaking free from my embrace and looking at me with those doe-shaped eyes full of love reserved just for me.
"Happy Birthday Love," I said while cupping her cheeks and a teardrop fell from her eyes. I wiped the tear from her eyes and leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead.
"Happy 1st Anniversary Manik." she wished me as my lips touched her skin and at that moment I knew, this was it.
One year back, on her birthdate, our stars aligned to make us meet but today, after a year, on the same day we realized we are star-crossed lovers - never meant to be together.
"You remember your promise?" she asked looking directly at me with those accusing eyes and I could just nod my head while avoiding looking at her.
"I promise you Nandini, I will stick to you like a coffee stain cause just like the coffee stain you can't get rid of me. "
That was something I have promised her the day I had realized my feelings for her instead of confessing to her. And today after confessing I broke the promise.
"Stains are better off treated early. The more you delay, the dirtier it gets." the words left my mouth with no emotion.
" Dirtier you say," She laughed with a voice laced with no humor but just mockery and pain.
"I will carry this stain as a mark..." she whispered with a calm face but her words were like daggers to my heart and I could just hold her close one last time as she completed her sentence.
"Mark of our incomplete end that you decided. "
I never feared the end but now I dreaded the beginning without her in it.
Keyword - dread.
And dread is more dreadful than fear could ever be feared.
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This story will run in a flashback to when they met for the first time on her birthday and later continue after the prologue as the time comes.
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