AMMS

"Come on, you two?" Nandini sighed in surrender as I hustled them to sing together.

Zehnaseeb, Zehanaseeb
Tujhe chaahun betahasha zehnaseeb

Nandini initiated with such lightness in her voice, the winds coming in from the window to listen her sing.

Mere kareeb, mere habeeb
Tujhe chaahun betahasha zehnaseeb...

Manik sang with tenderness, his happiness emitting eyes zeroing to the girl.

—• ✰ •—

"How beautifully you both sing," I lauded admiringly, my hands joining for applause for the two. They came forward with their faces smiling and I welcomed them to sit beside me. Nandini inclined her head towards my lap, resting on it which was probably to hide her tears.

N A N D I N I

I sang, I just did. Memories were brought to life— just how beautiful my mom was when she lulled me to sleep; when I'd get all naughty and stubborn to eat. Life felt a little lighter and lighted until she was caged by God in heaven.

I inhaled heavily, my eyes dropped and I struggled to blink away the sleep though it wasn't of any help for gradually everything faded in front of me...

—• ✰ •—

"But Amms, why can't I stay for a day or two here?" I asked, saddened. "It's not like you can't, but Nandini, you have works, right? And I don't want Manik to be alone at his house," Amms stated, not even a microsecond did her expression change from being stern.

"No, no Amms. It's fine if she wants to stay here. I assure you of managing alone," Manik cramped our argument. "Weren't I working from here before? And why can't Manik stay here too? We two can stay no, Amms?" I implored. "Nandini, it's a no if I say so," she pressed whilst I puffed some air out of my system in a hurry and went to my room, undoubtedly annoyed.

A U T H O R

"Let her stay, Amms," Manik asked in the favour of her. "I really want her to but perhaps she will be finding about me suffering from brain tumour and that's what I don't want. Persuade her to come with you, Manik, please," she pleaded. He gave her a nod, his heart wretched hearing her.

He sauntered into her room to which she didn't budge or showed him a sign that she could feel him, sitting on the bed and biting her lower lip.
"Urm...you know you look that of an appetite alien," he spoke in an attempt to get her face rid of those frustrated expressions.

"Which means, you've seen an appetite alien," With sarcasm served in his plates casually, she smiled at him which presumably was to show she wasn't getting convinced, not easily at all. "Wow. So that's how you reward my good heart that deliberately wanted to light your face up with? How kind my wife is," he faked solemnity.

"You ain't backing off, are you?" huffed Nandini. "You can see me not doing that, can't you?" he spoke, rather challenged.

Their conversation took a pause and all of a sudden, Nandini bursted out in fits of laughter that horrified Manik as it was unanticipated. "What even?" Manik ridiculed.

"An appetite alien? Seriously, Manik?" She chortled, her laughter loud enough to break free through the walls. Manik smiled and thinking about it made him join her too.

"Have you ev-er seen yourself in the mirr-mirror?" she faced difficulty in speaking continuously for her laughter blocked the words she wanted to spill throughout.

"Of course. Why?" All confused at the silly question she asked, he frowned, though started laughing the next second.

"I was right. That's the only way you could have seen an alien, a hungry one!" Stifling her laughter sure was the greatest task and so she didn't even try controlling them.

"How had you been sleeping all days before we met, 'cause clearly you can't get an ounce of sleep at night without laughing at me," said Manik making so many faces that one fail to count but she was seemingly not intending to stop her laughter anytime soon.

Wiping the lone tear, Amms, who had been watching them, smiled and felt so satisfied of getting them tied together. Wasn't this all she wanted to see? She put her head up and sent a prayer to the Lord to bless both of them with immense love.

—• ✰ •—

"Bye," Nandini plainly bade Amms when taking their leave. "You sure that's how you want to bid me?"

"I didn't wish to bid you in the first place." Nandini thinned her lips in a line with her few remains of anger. Amms ignored everything and hugged her real tight, Nandini melting in those two arms. "I'll miss you, too much this time, Amms."

"Always with you, Khanna." She patted her head. They smiled, breaking the hug. Manik came forward, his smile so pure, whom Amms welcomed with so much blessings. "With your permission."

She nodded and both waved at her, Amms smiling like never before. After even their retreating figure went out of sight, all of a sudden, she felt oddly cold and blue.

"Good-bye? A real one?" She muttered into thin air.

—• ✰ •—

N A N D I N I

Time really flies, it does. Just like that, a month passed. I wondered how could Manik and I get to know eachother so well in a month. It had been such a delight to be a friend of him, though we were more than that. Everything between us was becoming unhidden and nothing, forbidden. No matter how much I begged the unbuyable time to get slower with him, days would rush.

An unexpected knock got my attention shifted from something I was pensively staring at and I stood up, trying to look ahead to meet the person but lights went out, preventing me from viewing the figure in front of me. "What the heck?" I yelled and in a bid to get my phone's torch on, my hands motioned on the bed.

But I sensed someone closing my eyes with both of their hands.

"Who are you? Why the hell are you doing this?" I shouted, agitated. The hands were soft and felt familiar but my brain was too shocked to get in search for that matter. I shouted again but it fell on deaf ears.

"Oh my god, how scared you're." as soon as I heard that girl's damned laughter, my shouts subsided and also the lights were brought on into my room.

"Why the hell were you pulling that idiotic trick on me, Jeff?" I, for sure, was mad at her. I mean, who do these?

"Only and only because I'm your sweetest and your most lovable and your best-est friend," Jeff sang and anyone could say I wasn't pleased at all. "See, I'll come at you someday," I challenged with my lips curving into a smirk.

"That someday is your dream, Miss loon," she gave me the smirk back, more devilishly.

"What did you just call me now?" I cocked my eyebrow up at her.

"Miss loon, love-stricken loon," she very bravely asserted. "Oh, how and why?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I've found certainly many reasons this month since I came here. One, you dreamy eye him. Two, you smile at him like an actual loon and three, the most important one that has been unearthed by my detective of a brain— you love him!" Her opinions met with my scoff.

"Don't you think you're way too high?" I asked wryly. "Don't you think I'm stating rational things?" Jeff asked bullishly. "I think the contrary is very much true and better," I hissed.

"Will see, anyway," Jeff simpered. "Oh hey, Manik!" she waved in the direction I had my back.

"Manik?" I turned, my eyes expectant with a slight red hued cheeks whilst Jeff's half supressed chuckle reached my ears. I couldn't locate anyone on turning back and it had then dawned on me.

"You're so gone, Jeff, I swear." By the time I uttered warnings, Jeff had already took to her heels and I began to chase her. Having few minutes passed in the little race, we both laughed with all hearts.