18. Strategies Of Love

                                    

                                          
Wahi phir mujhe yaad aane lage hain,
Bhoolne mei jinhe zamaane lage hain.
                          
Translation:- I've started remembering again, the one, whom I spent a million lifetimes to forget. 
                          
A woman fears to lose two things in her life, her family and her dignity. Often times you've heard that fear gets the worst and best of a person but what if you are afraid to lose your family, what if you're afraid to lose their happiness? You'll find yourself going crazy right? Panicked, helpless. That's what's Nandini was going through that moment. That one phone call freaked her out. It threw her back to square one. It put her back to the darkness of her past which she has been trying to overcome. Alas! Nothing soothes the pain of losing your mother. She put her head between her palms, squeezing the sides of her temple, trying to ease the pain that she felt. Her head felt heavy, like it would burst any moment now. Moreover she felt dizzy, as if the world spun faster than it should've been. She took a deep breath, through her mouth, to survive, because she felt suffocated and threw her head back at the headrest of the plush, luxurious armchair, tightly closing her eyes because her vision was blurred. She knew. She knew it was another triggering attack and she should control it lest she should invite more damage to her body than it was already. After a few deep breaths with a blank mind, she snapped opened her eyes only to find five aghast faces staring down at her in what you could probably say concern. She wasn't surprised about Dhruv, Alya and Cabir, because she was on a friendlier term with Dhruv and Alya while Cabir, though namesakingly, was her brother after all, but what about the other two. But then, Nandini felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her past experiences have made her almost like a robot. She is just supposed to feel and be concerned for her family which obviously doesn't include these familiar strangers. She leaned forward and maintaining her professional aura, decided to start her interrogation.
                          
Nandini: Yes..? What brings you here? How may I help you?
                          
Hearing her strict, professional tone, as if nothing has ever happened few moments back, when a lot involving them had took place, surprised the group. What was she hiding? Their confused yet curious glances asked each other and got nothing in return. Manik, being the leader of the group, composed himself and cleared his throat, readying himself to answer her.
                          
Manik: We were informed by your P.A that you wished to see us.
                          
He carefully spoke his words with a calm expression, noticing every bit of expression change on her face as if, the slightest change would give away a hint to him. She scrunched her eyebrows and looked into nothing as if to remember the reason she had called them. These anxiety attacks leave her completely useless, they make her unaware of her surroundings and present. She made a mental note to discuss this with her doctor. She can't be forgetting pettiest things over her anxiety attacks, it could be worst someday. Suddenly the bulb of her brain lit and everything gradually came back to her. She looked at him with her sharp eyes, awaring him of the return of their same old dangerous Nandini.
                          
Nandini: Oh yes! That reminds me Mr Malhotra. I see you guys haven't even started practicing till now, have you?
                          
Manik exchanged a look with his fellow band members. They all knew they were guilty because there isn't any doubt that they are simply here because of Nia and Nandini. Had they not controlled the situation here, they would've been thrown out by now. So they definitely owe an explanation.
                          
Manik: Um, yes, Nandini. We haven't because I had some important work and I got late but I promise we.......
                          
Nandini: So, this album doesn't hold any importance in your life Mr Malhotra? If that's the case then why on this earth are you even wasting our time?
                          
She screeched in a high pitch cutting Manik in between because of two reasons. One being she hated any kind of negligence in work and two being she hated fake promises and considering Manik's past self, she knew he only made promises that he couldn't keep. Hence this only added to her frustration. She stood up banging the table hard with her fists.