Together Till Forever || A MaNan Fanfiction

11| A Hug That Matters

I miss you Nandini.

Though the message disappeared with the same speed it came, it gave Nandini what she wanted. All the negatives were sidelined for a moment and the limelight was on Manik. The man she has come to chase, treasure and then not let go.

The flight of stairs, descending which earlier looked like a herculean task to her, was now reduced to a miniscule task. She with the speed of a lightening got down and greeted the man in blazer who was appointed to welcome her.

"Good evening Ms. Murthy, Simon Terry here. I am the general manager of Niran outlet here", Nandini may have a phobia for this country but this doesn't means that she won't expand her business here.

She shook hands with Simon and the first question she asked him was, "Do you know where is Manik?". When Simon was on his way to escort Nandini he had prepared himself for any question that she may ask him because he has been told that Nandini Murthy doesn't like it when her questions goes unanswered. But, never in his dream he was expecting this question.

"Ma'am...umm...I am not...", Nandini gave him a curt nod and in his hands thrusted her mobile with a number on the screen, "Dial and ask". Saying this, she moved ahead towards the airport building with a terrified clueless Simon following her.

Being Nandini Murthy has some advantages. For example, the aura she exudes intimidates almost every person she comes across and the one who hasn't been intimidated by her is the one she is here for. The formalities which would have taken atleast an hour were completed within thirty minutes and Nandini along with Simon was on road in a beasty black limo.

"Ma'am the person said he has left the set and hasn't reached his hotel yet. They don't know where he is", Nandini just hummed. Her mind was back to thinking about all the places Manik could be. It was Manik's first time visiting Belgium. All that he knows about Belgium was through the tales she had told, nothing more and nothing else.

"Where can he go?", she thought, focusing on the places she had once elaborated to him. She kept crossing off the landmarks from her lists until a thought ransacked her mind, and took her back to the time it had happened.

*Flashback*

"Nandini", Manik cooed in her ears while peeping from her shoulders into the laptop that she worked on. It was a much awaited weekend for them and they were there at the Eden.

Manik was eagerly waiting for Nandini to complete her last project before he gets her undivided attention. He had very comfortably placed Nandini in between his legs, letting her rest her back on the hardness of his chest. She herself didn't mind.

"Hmm", she replied, least disturbed by the random patterns his fingers were drawing on her arms or by the dwindling he was doing with her hairs. " You are opening your stores in Belgium too?", he asked a bit surprised. "Yeah why?", she asked still unbothered. "Given your history with the country then too?", his words made Nandini's fingers stop their tapping and look at him.

She chuckled looking at his concerned face. "I keep my professional life and private life separate Manik. What happened if I don't share a good history with that country. It doesn't matter. You really don't need to worry", she explained as sweetly as one would explain a child. "That means you have no problem in talking about the country?", questioned Manik. Now that question got Nandini thinking. Is she actually comfortable in talking about Belgium and her life in Belgium?

"I guess I am okay with it. Until the questions don't remind me of the parts I'm trying to forget", there was a curious glint in Manik's eyes which told Nandini a shower of questions was on her way. "I have been wanting to visit Belgium since so longgg. Tell me something about it. What are its speciality? What about its cuisine and street food, and its people?", he asked like a curious cat that he is.