Chapter 16

He lost her?

“What… what are you saying, Maanav?” She looked up at him even as a stray tear meandered its way down her cheek.

“Nitya… I am sorry I met Naman behind your back but Kamble uncle was present throughout. I know I should have asked you but… but Nitya I didn’t have the courage to face you.” He left her and moved away drawing a hand over his fatigued face.

“Maanav, just… who are you?” She barely whispered and he turned around. He looked stricken and she wanted to give him a hug to console him. She reigned in her emotions.

He sighed and indicated to her to sit on the bed. When she did, he began pacing.

“Nitya, I have been a soldier… worked for the country, predominantly in the covert ops. I can’t tell you anything beyond that. I did that for almost a decade till recently when I was injured and my identity was compromised…” he walked for a moment and continued. “… I then joined my fellow comrade and close friend Shiv aka Shadow. He founded this Special Protection Services (SPS) and we are the bodyguards on special missions beyond just protecting our clients….” He came close to where she sat and got on his hunches in front of her. Holding her hands, he continued. “…In the wildest of my dreams, I didn’t know that my first client would be… you, Nitya. I had given up after trying for years through different means… it was like you had chosen to hide. What were you doing Nitya…?” The earnest look in his eyes in the dim light with strange shadows on his face caused by the incandescence, broke her heart.

She gripped his hands and bit her upper lip, trying to regain her composure. He seemed to understand her state and made light circles on the area between her thumb and index finger. She bent her head, trying to hide her tears, but he swiftly stood and sitting next to her on the bed, gathered her in his arms. She knew right at that moment… she was home. Maanav was home.

“Don’t worry, Nitya, everything’s going to be fine I promise.” He rubbed her back even as she cried her heart out. She didn’t know she had the lava bubbling within her, threatening to eat her insides… but today it had erupted. The years of turmoil all washed away in Maanav’s arms.

Maanav arranged the pillows on the headrest of the bed and sat in front of them. He pulled her closer and without an iota of hesitation, she moved into his waiting arms. Placing her head on his chest, she gripped his t-shirt. Now that she was paying attention, she felt the strong muscles beneath and a shiver ran through her body. How would it feel to have that mass against her? She smiled as he continued to rub her back. They weren’t lying down but it was still arousing. She had never been with a man who could stimulate her on all counts, like Maanav did. This wasn’t just physical… it was beyond that… way beyond.

Maanav switched off the bedside lamp and the room plunged into darkness.

“Nitya…?” Maanav purred.

“Hmm…?” She hoped he wouldn’t ask her to go back to her room. She was most comfortable now.

“Could you tell me why and how were you hiding… I mean no one and I mean the best of eyes didn’t catch you…I suspected something would have happened…” His hold tightened.

Nitya shut her eyes and dug her nose into his chest, the citrus talc he had used earlier, calming her surge of emotions. She had a whiff of the fragrance earlier when he had come close to give her tea. “I didn’t have a choice, Maanav. I don’t know how much you know about my life but at one time Amma felt threatened and it was affecting her sanity… Of course, I now know what those people were after… but at the time keeping Amma sane and Naman safe was my priority. No one could know about us.”

“But how long were you going to keep hiding…?”

“I don’t know, Maanav. I just don’t know. But how did you find us?” She rested her weight on her elbow as she rose and looked at his face in the darkness, his silhouette barely visible.

“That’s because of Kamble uncle… he stirred it up a few years ago….”

Now that got her attention. “What? Kamble kaka? But if he had the connections then he could have gotten rid of that computer and we could have had a better life…” She was exhausted and sleepy to the core and yet she was arguing. She had to get the answers.

“Nitya, I know it’s difficult to believe. I came into the picture only recently… However, Kamble uncle who is an ex-special op, made it a point to keep tabs on you 3. He was asked to wait… until Naman decoded that instrument.”

Speaking about timing… It suddenly struck her like a thunderbolt. She had always wondered why kaka had gone out of his way to help them. Speaking of which if kaka hadn’t been in the picture, it would have been next to impossible for her to manage everything alone. She remembered the times he had helped them not just with managing Naman or her mother’s moods, but also with money. She realised she wasn’t bitter at all, but a sense of gratitude settled in her heart and she said a mental prayer.

“Nitya, stop thinking about the past now…” Maanav said softly. “…Whatever happened, it’s water under the bridge and I strongly feel like our fathers conspired together… they were like partners in crime.” He chuckled and she went back to her favourite place on his chest.

He immediately held her close, and within minutes she was fast asleep.

The warm rays of the morning sun woke her up and she sat upright instantly. Maanav wasn’t around and she was lying on the bed, covered by the comforter. When had she come to this position, she didn’t remember. She was dead to the world, and she had never slept soundly like this for years before… She stretched and rushed out of the room before kaka saw her there. She didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea…

She smiled as she tiptoed back to her room and locked herself in. She giggled like a teenager almost caught by her parents for breaking the curfew or being seen with a boyfriend.

After a shower, she went downstairs and the sight before her eyes melted her heart. Maanav and Naman sat together for breakfast and Maanav helped her brother to cut the omelette pieces. He made Naman serve tea, and she stood rooted to her spot on the staircase as she saw Naman being an epitome of concentration. He barely spilled tea and Maanav just gave him a nod and a pat on his hand. Naman looked at Maanav and she could see the hero worship in his eyes. Her heart stopped… what she would not give for this moment to freeze. She had never seen Naman bloom like he did in the past few days and despite the incident yesterday, he wasn’t traumatised. It was all because of Maanav.

Naman looked at her and smiled. The gap between his front big incisors looked endearing as he flashed his pearls. He rarely smiled like that… “Didi… tea… Naman, Maanav sit. No dropping.” He blurted excitedly.

She nodded and walked towards the duo. Maanav turned to look at her and her heart skipped a beat. He had worn a loose t-shirt and in that cosy dining area, they looked like a normal family. At the same time, her heart fell… this was only temporary and their lives were at risk. She shook her head. She would enjoy these moments. Naman was so happy… she didn’t want to burst his bubble.

“That’s so nice Naman, didi saw you pouring the tea. Good job there. You didn’t spill it.” She gave him a high-five and Naman stiffened his fingers and shook them like he always did whenever he got excited. She immediately looked at Maanav to see his reaction to this display by her brother… her heart pacing as she panicked. What would Maanav think of Naman? But to her surprise, Maanav too gave the boy a high-five and the next moment, Naman hugged Maanav, stunning her to the core. Naman couldn’t tolerate human touch in general, and she was the only exception. She teared up…and looked away.

“Naman, why don’t you go upstairs and start the computer? I shall join you in a few minutes.” Maanav said softly and Naman scampered away like a little boy who was just given his favourite chocolate.

Nitya felt his hand on her shoulder and turned around. She didn’t know what to say in the tsunami of emotions tugging her insides. She just looked into his eyes. The abyss of emotions, particularly kindness. No, he wasn’t pitying her, but she found trust… something she was so desperately looking for.

“Nitya… you don’t worry, alright? Naman is cool. He is brilliant… in fact, he is a genius. You probably don’t know what he had found…” He pointed in the direction where Naman had gone. “… you have a gem there. Naman is priceless, Nitya. You have done a great job with him.”

She didn’t know what came over her, but she hugged him instantly. He didn’t wait to hug her back. While she blinked back tears and gripped at his t-shirt-covered back as if her life depended on him, he bent and kissed her temple and then hovered tentatively lower till she could feel his warm breath on her earlobe. She stood still not wanting to disturb the moment, and then he kissed her ear. “Gosh, Nitya…” he whispered into her ear. “… I have been wanting to do since long…”

Her grip on his t-shirt tightened, and so did his embrace. The world disappeared, and she shut her eyes, tilting her head to give him access to her neck. He didn’t disappoint her and she felt the warmth swarming over her neck below her ears. He pecked at her slender neck and she thought she would collapse right there… giddy with excitement. Her heart was racing and so were the flutters in her stomach. Was this the moment she had waited for years? This felt so new, yet familiar. Because it was Maanav… she knew right then that it had always been Maanav all the way… even in his absence. No one could measure up to his image in her mind.

She felt a nip on her neck and gasped as he took a tiny bit of her skin in between his teeth. He let it go and blew on it… she was floating in mid-air…. safe in her bubble of trust and love. Yes, she was in love with Maanav; she always was. As a child and later even as an adult without knowing how he had turned out to be… The chill on her neck where he had nipped her sent shivers down her body and all she wished at that time was to lay somewhere and enclose him in her soft warmth. She knew he felt the same if the hard prodding against her stomach was any indication.

Maanav tightened his hold further and rested his chin on her head, sighing. She buried her nose in the crook of his neck, kissing the side of his Adam’s apple. She felt his tremble beneath her hands and the fact that she was the cause of it thrilled her to no end.

“Nitya… if you do that again then… I…” Maanav halted, and she felt him gulp. “…I won’t be able to contain it anymore… you know this isn’t a one-day wait, right?” He held her in front of him by her shoulders.

Nitya smiled and looked away… gosh, she was embarrassed. His grip hardened on her shoulder and she looked up into his eyes. He was frowning. “Nitya… while I don’t want this moment to end… there is something very pressing that needs to be taken care of. This sword hanging over our heads should be dealt with so we can get our lives back.” The yearning in his eyes gutted her.

She nodded… how could she think of her pleasure in such a situation, she wondered. He must have guessed her feelings. “Nitya…” he spoke softly. “… don’t berate yourself anymore. Remember, Naman is this amazing guy, and the reason is you… his determined didi. He revers you, Nitya and I remember how you spoke lovingly about him in childhood. He has come this far because of your efforts…. don’t ever feel guilty about anything…. got it?”

She nodded blinking back tears. Maanav had only met her, after years, but he knew the right things to tell her to make her feel better. Hand in hand, they walked together upstairs to Naman’s room. The boy was engrossed in tying something and didn’t bother about their intrusion. He was ricking steadily and Nitya knew he was upto something. He rocked only when he was about to do something big or he was reaching his target. Maanav gestured for her to wait while he left the room. Soon Naman halted, and she saw something flash on the worn-out screen. Some set of codes began to form and scroll upwards. Right then Naman began to rock furiously, and the music began to play… like the one that played on the night she left her house and moved with Kamble kaka. She got goosebumps and stared at the screen.

Right then Maanav walked in with a worn-out torn carton and sat next to Naman. Naman immediately ceased rocking and looked at Maanav. Her throat clogged yet again seeing the idol worship in Naman’s eyes for Maanav… Inhaling deeply, she watched the scene unfold before her. Was this the beginning of the end of tribulations for Naman and her? And how was Maanav connected? What exactly had their fathers planned?

Maanav opened a letter and gave it to her… it was addressed to him by his father. Right then she remembered her letters and rushed to her room to retrieve them. She had the good sense to take them along when they had left home.

Returning to Naman’s room, she placed both the letters on the side table and Maanav moved close to her. Her anxiety had shot up but a tiny whiff of that citrus and she calmed instantly. Maanav read through all the other letters and then the one addressed to her and was as confused as her. He kept thinking about it. “Nitya if you realise, both the fathers mentioned ‘saving the world...’ and ‘taking help’… something about ‘completing the circle... I don’t get this but what I have in my possession, from my father, should be a crucial link. That’s probably must be the ‘complete the cycle’ thing my father mentioned… rest this language by your father doesn’t make sense at the moment… but let’s hold on to what we have….” He was back in his operative mode and Nitya was still reeling with the findings. She wondered what their fathers discussed in the park all those years ago and she couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of it all.

Maanav unwrapped the contents of the box. He further removed the bubble wrap and even as Nitya and Naman watched with bated breaths. He removed an object that looked like an ancient cordless phone that was in vogue in the early 2000s. He looked at Naman’s instrument and then looked back at the sibling duo. Naman wheeled his revolving chair closer to the instrument. He took the object from Maanav’s hand and hovered around the instrument before placing it in the hollow in the corner. Suddenly the object lit up strangely and some kind of codes and incorrigible tunes began to play from his computer. Naman furiously got back to typing and Maanav placed his hand on Nitya’s clasped ones. She was a wreck.

The door to the room opened again and Kamble kaka walked in hurriedly. “Maanav where is your…?” He halted mid-sentence as he watched the display on the computer and they heard the tune change. The song now repeated, but the notes seemed complete.

“This is Ripples genesis… I know the melody…” Maanav declared. “…I have to report this…”

But before he could say anything or do anything further, Naman began a tirade. “Second one… attack… December… second attack… sequel attack… December…water attack again…. second attack…”. He began to rock. He was in his own world and tears streamed down Nitya’s cheeks. She knew Naman was in agony…

Maanav instantly walked closer to Naman and put his hand on the boy’s shoulders. “Hey buddy, you did well… you know that, right?”

Nitya was lost and so was kaka…

“Maanav this is it… this is the closure your fathers would have wanted. Let’s hand this over to the authorities…” Kaka said.

Maanav stood his height and pondered over the tune that kept playing in perfect synchrony.

“Wait uncle, we must resolve this. We just know things have matched but we don’t know what it is… let’s find it first. Some clue… somewhere… I must discuss this with Shadow…” Maanav spoke up and kaka instantly replied.

“…. Wait Maanav… I almost forgot the reason I came barging into the room… I was taking a walk around and I saw this man in overalls….”

Right then there was a huge bang… a blast and on instinct Maanav held Naman and fell to the floor with Naman underneath. Dragging out his hand, he pulled a stunned Nitya closer to the floor and Kamble kaka was sprawled next. There was no smoke, but Nitya could still feel the vibrations.

“….meant… that man was suspicious so I tried calling you… you didn’t answer, Maanav…” Kaka panted as he spoke.

But Maanav was already on his walkie-talkie. “Bullet here… we have been attacked…Plan B… Ok… Ok… over and out…”

He stood and pulled Naman along. He held out his hand for Nitya and Kaka stood up straightening his clothes.

“What… what was all that, Maanav? Is this place compromised? Was that a blast?” Nitya was worried.

They heard sirens from a distance and knew there would be a gathering of people by now. The perps wouldn’t linger for so long.

“Later, Nitya… for now we must make a move… Naman can I trust you with the instruments?” Maanav asked Naman to Nitya’s utmost surprise.

Naman scampered around the instrument console, unplugging it and dismantling it. Within a couple of minutes, he packed them and for a boy with poor dexterity, he had done a neat job. The blast didn’t seem to have disturbed him given his chirpy attitude, but Nitya knew it was because of Maanav. She was glad she didn’t have to deal with it all alone.

“So where are we going…? we have to escape the law enforcement gathering outside…” kaka said.

“Don’t worry uncle… the arrangements have been made… we will disappear. Through the wall… literally…” Maanav looked at a stunned Nitya and winked.

©priyanayakgole

(Disclaimer: This is a piece of fiction using the backdrop of the attack that happened and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. This doesn’t attempt to change history or facts.)