MaNan- 5 Years Later...

16• |Anarchic departure|

"I am stocking up some food for you in the refrigerator." Nandini answered with a smile. Jeanette walked faster to the kitchen and gave Nandini a tight hug from the back.

"You are the best!" Jeanette exclaimed to which Nandini simply shrugged. Nandini pat Jeanette's hand that was circling her neck and resumed wrapping the cellophane sheet on the containers.

"Did you talk to Sameer about telling Manik? It's been too long now." Nandini asked Jeanette. Jeanette retracted away from Nandini, giving her a clear idea that Sameer still wasn't planning on informing Manik that he was seeing Jeanette for almost six weeks now. Nandini never wanted to keep it a secret but given the lockdown and everything, Manik and she did not hang out that much and it never came up in a conversation between them.

"I asked him but he says that this isn't the right time." Jeanette sighed, helplessly. She hated being in the spot and here it was her boyfriend and best friend at opposite sides. Once, when Sameer came to have dinner with them here, Nandini and he almost got into a fight about this. Jeanette wanted these two to get along but it kept getting harder as time passed.

"Jen, I want to be supportive of your relationship but your boyfriend isn't making it easy. Manik might not be my best friend anymore but he is important to me and I hate hiding this from him. Sameer is making Manik feel guilty about taking that job but he wouldn't tell him that he's dating you. If I lose my patience then I might blurt it out to Manik." Nandini ranted in a go with a disappointed look on her face.

"I can only say so much to Sam. If he is choosing to keep it a secret then what can I do, Nandini?" Jeanette questioned. Nandini did find it unfair that she was holding Jeanette responsible for something that she wasn't doing in the first place. Jeanette did not care about Manik because she barely knew the guy so why does she have to force herself into this situation?

"You are probably right. I'll do what I have to... Sorry, if I came off as a persuasive imposer." Nandini apologized, earnestly.

"What do you mean by you'll do what you have to do? Are you by any chance thinking of breaking it to Manik? If you are then I beg of you to not do that. It wouldn't be fair to Sam. To be honest, this isn't your thing to be talking about, in the first place." Jeanette said all that in one go, leaving Nandini in shock. This wasn't how Jeanette usually talked to Nandini. And especially when Nandini was just apologizing, Jeanette did not have to sound so selfish. Nandini understood that she was feeling protective over her relationship with Sam and she did not want anyone to jeopardize it but that does not mean that she was allowed to assume that Nandini would cause trouble for them.

"If it isn't my place to be talking about this then why bother telling me about it?" Nandini simply asked that.

"You are my best friend, aren't you?" Jeanette asked a question in reply of Nandini's question in a sarcastic tone.

"I am and I remember that. I just don't think that you know the meaning of it anymore." Nandini said and Jeanette just blinked in a daze. How did such a small thing lead to them questioning their friendship of three years.

"I do not want to fight with you. We don't do that." Jeanette said implying that Nandini and she never fought with each other. They had an effortless friendship and they barely argued but ever since Manik and Sameer had entered the picture, they were having more disagreements than ever.

"We should probably stop talking about guys, I think." Nandini said while still in thoughts about what she wanted to say and by 'guys' she obviously meant Manik and Sameer.