Broken But Beautiful

32. Manik Malhotra and Juices

"Have dinner with me. Alone, tonight," he said, walking towards me, "I'll book reservations to your favorite Italian restaurant,"

"I have to see how long it takes in the fitting," I replied simply, "Then I have to go to Dhruv's house to see his progress. Then I have to come back to the hospital to attend more patients,"

"Yeah so- you don't have to go home and cook," he added, "You can just eat and go back to res-"

"Thanks for trying to be nice. Good afternoon,"

I flunked the bag over my shoulder and was just about to hold on the door knob when the door abruptly opened in my face, and Manik Malhotra stopped in a halt.

My breath hitched. The whole ambience of room shifted beneath me. All around me.

"Nandini," he took my name, almost breathlessly. I let out the breath I was holding.

"Manik,"

His lips held a bewitching smirk as he stared at me, deep into me and I stared back. It was ridiculous how Manik Malhotra could step right in front of me and make me feel like no one else existed. Nothing else existed.

"Mr. Malhotra,"

I looked away, sighing. Apparently, everyone and everything else did exist. 

With the corner of my eyes I watched Manik's smirk fade into an almost irritating scowl.

"Hello, Mr. Mehta,"

The tension inside the room was now different than just a minute ago. That tension had made my heart stop and beat faster at the same time- this tension made me wonder why I had a heart and I ever lived.

I cleared my throat, looking back at Manik, "What's- what's up?"

"Yeah, um," he cleared his throat too, shaking his head at me, "Alya sent me. You were supposed to go for some fittings with her?"

"Yeah but I bought my car-"

"I know that," he added quickly, "I don't know- maybe we're all doing lunch after that together,"

I nodded, quite not sure of him, "You bought your car?"

"Yeah," his gaze shifted between me and Madhav, "So are you- coming?"

I moved a little in my place, all on a sudden uncomfortably aware of Madhav's scrutinizing eyes at us. I looked over my shoulder, then nodded at Manik, "Yeah I was just leaving. Let's go,"

Our hands touched as he left the door handle and I went to hold it. It brought a shiver, but I focused on closing the door behind me- and leave with him. Madhav didn't need to notice that particular shiver.

Or any particular reaction of mine to Manik Malhotra.

The walk to the parking lot was rather fast. My eyes were continuously going back to Manik's twitching palm that I could see from behind, which gave me an odd impression that he wanted to hold my hand. I tried to ignore that too. Manik Malhotra didn't do roses and holding hands.

But then- Manik Malhotra never does romance. He only writes about it. Terrifically good. I suddenly wondered if his romance would be as terrifically good as his writing of it. Or would it be better?

And tried to ignore the fact that I'll just keep wondering forever- because he and I would never be romance. We're just- fire. Fire and ice at the same time. We will burn and drown each other until-

Until?

The question blanked out of my mind the second I got inside the car. Manik swooned his one arm around me in the passenger seat and captured my lips in a cavernous urgency, melting me in his mouth.