I Need You To Be There.... For a litte more than Always!!

Ohk ppl, so here's a thing......

I m super confused!!!

Well, many of u requested to make Manik suffer more...

While, on the other side many of u wanted him to find Nandini ASAP...

And now I really don't know what to right, so what I was originally planning to do was to make him find her very soon, and them work a lot to gain her love and trust back. And by a lot means, a lot.... So tell me if u all would like that or else give in ur views.....

Till then, enjoy the next part for which I know I m quite late, but I can so nothing other than saying a simple 'SORRY....😚😚😚'

And yes.... Do comment ur views about this part, coz this has something for which u all hv been waiting from like eternity😂😂

Love

-Navya!

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Part 61:

Manik: Hello Commissioner Sir.... Hi this is Manik Malhotra...

The next day the first thing that Manik did was to call the police and somehow ask them to find them. Though he was about to do this last night itself after Dadi asked him to find her, but Cabir stopped him as it was quite late at night.

Manik tried to convince the police to help him but no report was accepted as she wasn't missing, she had ran away willing. And finally having no other choice he called the commissioner by the evening.

Manik: I don't care what it takes.... All I know is that I want u to find her ASAP!!! Its been 5 days today since she left, I don't even know if she is in the city or not but I want u to find her details any how!!

After a lot of arguments the commissioner agreed and Manik kept his phone back.

Dhruv: Buddy.... Think, think hard... Has she ever mentioned anyone. Any friend? Any relative? She has to be somewhere....

Manik: No Dhruv.... She had no one!! For God's sake, I don't even think she met a single soul in the past 4 years who wasn't related to me or work...

Aliya: Manik... What about her orphanage?? I mean I think she could go back there!! Do u hv the address??

Manik: Orphanage!!

Manik thought about it for sometime and them said,

Manik: No... I don't hv the address.... All I know that its somewhere at the outskirts of Mumbai. But I don't think she would hv gone there, she always said that, being there reminded her of the time when she was miserable and helpless.

Cabir: Manik chill... I m sure the police will get us some clue!!

Manik: But Cabir what do u expect from me.... How can I just sit here and not do anything?? It's almost 5, we hv been trying since the morning..

Mukti: Manik shut up!! And relax.... Nandini is a smart girl, and I m sure she knew that u would try to find her someday. Do u think she would hv made it that easy for u?? Just sit down, take a deep breath, and think of all the possibilities where she can be.

Mukti shouted at him after which Manik finally settled down.

He rested his head between his palms and closed his eyes while her smiling face came in his mind.

"I will find u Nandini... And I will make u shine for me all over again!!"

He thought to himself.

A few minutes later, he felt a hand caressing his hair as it made him look upside to find Nyonika standing there.

Nyonika: U will find her soon....

She said softly being positive about it and then sat beside him.

Nyonika: Here.... Eat something!! U hvn't eaten anything since tmrw....

Manik moved his head away in a No but Nyonika stopped him and glared at him as she made him eat herself.

Fab4 too picked up the snacks served by Simi as silence filled up the room. Each one in their own thoughts fighting through the situations.

Soon Nyonika was done with making him eat and got up to leave when Manik asked,

Manik: Mom.... Dadi??

Nyonika gave him a small smile and simply nodded at him.

Nyonika: She is fine son.... Getting better!!!

All of them knew that Manik was kinda avoiding to face Dadi, he was in too much guilt to be able to do so. But still provided her weak health he just couldn't stop himself asking about her.

As he heard the conformation about her health, he got up. All of them looked at him confused when he said,

Manik: Guys... Don't stop urself... I know u all hv got errands to run, go finish off ur work.

Cabir: But Manik....

Manik: I m fine, I just want to rest for sometime.

All of them simply nodded at him as he moved away and went straight to Nandini's room.

Cabir: I just wish the police gets some clue.

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Later that day Fab4 returned back to the Malhotra Mansion to find Manik still in Nandini's room. They went in to find him sleeping as he clutched the pillow hard.

Aliya: He is still sleeping....

Aliya shook her head at him. When Mukti suddenly screamed.

Mukti: MANIK!!!

As expected manik immediately jerked up from the bed and asked,

Manik: What happened??

All of them smiled at how predictable he is but his next question took their smiles away,

Manik: Did they find her? Kuch pta chala kya?

Manik immediately picked up his phone to see some msg or missed call when Cabir said,

Cabir: No manik... Not yet!!

He sat back again disheartened when dhruv tried to cheer him up.

Dhruv: Don't worry buddy... Its been just a few hours, I m sure they'll find her..... Chal for now, lets go and make some Music. I m sure it will calm u down!!

Cabir: Amazing idea!!! Chal Manik...

Manik: Guys plz... I m not in a mood!

Mukti: Manik... Lets do this for Nandini, we hvn't practised from so long. N u know she will snap at u of she gets to know this.

Manik was still not convinced but still they dragged him out of the bed and took him to the music room. They reached there and took their positions as aliya handed over a guitar to Manik.

Aliya: Let's just do this one for Nandini....

She said softly as Manik closed his eyes and nodded.

Cabir too sat at his place all ready for it as he switched on the speakers, but to their surprise before they could start they heard a guitar's tune filling up the room. All of them looked at each other while Manik opened up his eyes listening to it as a voice started,

"I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart"

(Guys the song is "Arms- by Christine Perri" Do read the entire lyrics to get the gist and if possible listen to it along with this...)

https://youtu.be/MeW0Sl0tNS8

All of them looked around when Mukti noticed that the speakers where attached to something else, instead of their amplifiers.

"But you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start"

They left their instruments and walked towards it to find an I-Pad fallen on the ground. It was upside down and they could see a beautiful back cover behind it which had an 'M' inscribed over it. And just them the music hiked up, as Manik picked it up from the ground and turned it around to find a video playing as someone was seen with a guitar. But her face wasn't clear. The video was recorded in the same room as they recognised it clearly.

"You put your arms around me

And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

You put your arms around me and I'm home..."

None of them recognized her voice until they saw the face coming into the camera's range.

Manik: Nandini!!!

"How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around?

I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown"

He saw her wearing the same dress that she was wearing on the day of their last date. The day when she was looking like an angel from heaven. The day when he hugged her for the last time. The day when she told him how special he was to her. The day when Dadi got admitted in the hospital. The day when he uttered those dreadful words to her.

"I hope that you see right through my walls

I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling

I'll never let our love get so close

You put your arms around me and I'm home"

(He knew how badly she wanted to tell him about her past but somehow they never got a chance. Her worlds clearly told him why she wanted him to know, she felt herself falling and she knew only he could hv saved her. But who knew that he himself will push her further downwards..... Tears flowed down his eyes looking at her angelic face as she played the guitar and sang with her eyes closed.)

"The world is coming down on me and I can't find a reason to be loved

I never wanna leave you but I can't make you bleed if I'm alone"

(Her past always made her insecure think that she wasn't capable of his love. She always kept on asking him time to time, 'Why Me??'. Little did he know that someday he will increase her insecurities so much, hurting her all over again.)

"You put your arms around me

And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go...

I hope that you see right through my walls

I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling

I'll never let our love get so close

You put your arms around me and I'm home

I try my best to never let you in to see the truth

And I've never opened up

I've never truly loved till you put your arms around me

And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go

I hope that you see right through my walls

I hope that you catch me, 'cause I'm already falling

I'll never let our love get so close

You put your arms around me and I'm home"

(Tears were unstoppable from his eyes while she lowered down her voice. They saw her keeping the guitar by a side. She opened up her eyes, which were totally red by the constant crying as she whispered the last line again)

"You put your arms around me (sob sob) and I'm home"

The screen went blank after this while Manik fell over his knees.

Manik: I Broke Her..... I Broke Her Guys!!!!

Cabir, Dhruv and Aliya sat by his side holding him up as he cried hard while Mukti was lost somewhere in her thoughts. None of them noticed it as Manik was too lost in his misery.

All he could think was of her face and the pain that it showed as she sang. His trance was broken by Mukti as she suddenly uttered,

"NANZ!!!"

He looked up in a jerk at her words when Aliya said,

Aliya: What??

Mukti: Aliya..... Its Nanz.... Remember my favorite singer during College!! Nandini Is Nanz!!!

Cabir: Mukti... What rubbish are u talking about? And who the hell is this Nanz... I hv never heard bout her ever!

Mukti: Guys... Believe me, I recognize this voice very clearly... Hang on, I can prove it!!

Mukti said to them as she grabbed her phone and opened up google as she typed 'Nanz'. The next second pictures were displayed on the screen as a broad smile was displayed on her face.

Mukti: I knew it... I can never forget her voice!

She passed on her phone to Manik and What he saw surprised him like anything. Picture by Picture of Nandini were displayed on the screen. Though she looked very different in those, but they could clearly tell that it was her only. She had changed her hair style, her dressing style, or in short her entire look so that no one could recognise her. The pictures as he scrolled down were clicked professionally, most probably stills from her music videos as it seemed.

He scrolled down the pages and saw a few pictures of her.

Manik: Nanz.......

Just then something clicked his mind as he stood up in a jerk.

Manik: Ohh shit... How can I not think of this?? Abhimanyu!!! He was her only friend, he is very close and knows everything about her. He did call her Nanz the first day he came, and she had slapped him for that. She must be with him.

Cabir: Great... Call him, call him now!

Manik heard him and groaned.

Manik: Freak... I don't even have his number.

But before anyone could say anything Mukti spoke,

Mukti: I do....

All of them looked at her confused at which she fumbled and uttered,

Mukti: Umn... I hv been in contact with him. Let me call him...

Manik ignored her words and simply waited for her to call him while the others gave her a we'll_get_back_to_u look. Mukti immediately called him as Manik snatched away the phone from her and put it on speaker phone seeing the caller Id as Abhi...

The phone continued ringing a long time after which a sleepy voice finally picked it up,

Abhi: Hello beautiful.... Would u believe it if I say that u just broke my sleep in which I was dreaming about U.

Mukti sighed at his words and ignored the gazes on her, as she said,

Mukti: Abhi r u back to India??

Abhi: Hmn...

Mukti: ABHI... Can u plz fucking wake up?? Why the hell r u sleeping so early?

Mukti snapped at him loudly as he finally woke up and asked in a concerned tone.

Abhi: I m so sorry... Actually I came this evening only and the jet lag.... Well u leave it, tell me what happened??

Mukti looked up at Manik and then slowly said,

Mukti: Abhi wo... Nandini-

But before she could continue he broke her in between.

Abhi: Kiddo.... What happened to her?? Where is she?? Tell me mukti......

All Manik's hope died down again listening to his words as Nandini was not with him also. Manik got away from there and moved to the other side when abhi interrupted again.

Abhi: MUKTI say something!!!

Mukti: Abhi... Listen can u plz come to the Malhotra Mansion right now!!

Abhi: But Mukti... Kiddo!!! Is Nandini fine??

Mukti: Abhi just reach her... I'll tell u everything!!

Saying so Mukti disconnected the call while Manik sat on the couch digging his head into his palms.

All of them sat around him while the silence prevailed as none of them knew what to say. After what seemed like forever Manik moved up his head And looked at Mukti.

Manik: I wanna know about Nanz....

Mukti sighed at him as she sat comfortably and started,

Mukti: Nanz was once a really popular name in the Music industry. Especially in L.A. and the countries surrounding it. She had started her Music career at a very young age of about 14 or 15 and she had got her fame almost instantly.... She was brilliant, her voice touched hearts. Personally, she was my reason to wanna make Music bigger. She had everything with her name, fame, money, but then suddenly I don't know what happened she disappeared.

Just a few days after her International Launch, she just sold off all her property and donated everything she ever had. Paid off her team and left compensation money for leaving all her on going assignments. Some ppl said that she ran away, some said that she committed Suicide. No one knew where she went and her chapter was closed.

All of them heard her properly and expected Manik to say something but he didn't.

Aliya: But if she could sing so well why didn't she ever sang in front of us. U remember the sangeet function, she made Mukti sing, but she didn't.

Manik: Coz Her voice was her identity and she wanted to leave her identity behind. She didn't want anyone to recognize her voice. Just like Mukti did Today!!

Manik said slowly closing his eyes. While Mukti continued,

Mukti: Guys... Nanz was no where like our Nandini. She was rice, spoilt, arrogant and what not. There wasn't one of her interviews in which she didn't curse the reporters or get into an argument. Drinking and smoking during concerts. Making nuisance. All this was her habit. It was like no matter what event it was, she always came in with problems. And I can't even imagine Nandini like that!!

None of them said anything at it thinking about all her words when cabir asked,

Cabir: Mukti what about her family??

Cabir asked suddenly, but before Mukti could say anything Manik replied,

Manik: Cabir, she was an orphan!!

Cabir: Manik just think.... She started off at a age of 15, do u think any one can do that with the shitty services at an orphanage. She just told us about her being an orphan but come on, we all saw how she always tried not to talk about it. Maybe it was bcoz she didn't wanna lie much to us.

Mukti: I know Cabir... U hv got a point!! But there is no personal information about Nanz anywhere. Its as if, she had it hidden all the time.

Mukti said going through her phone again.

Aliya: But what could hv happened that she seriously left everything behind and came over here??

Manik: Only one person can give us our answers, Abhimanyu..... And I will get those anyhow, coz this time I won't let her disappear in thin air. No.... This time she is gonna come back.