MaNan FF - Humesha : Book 2 [COMPLETED]

Chapter 12 : A Shoulder To Cry On

"Are you mad?"

"Excuse me?"

"What? Actual question hai, are you mad?"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"This costs way too much, what is wrong with you?"

"Manik! Can you just accept the gift?"

"No! This is damn expensive, what were you thinking?" Manik scolded, pointing to the guitar in his hand.

"So I can't buy you a decent birthday gift now?! Is that how it is now?" Nandini snapped back, scrunching her eyebrows.

It was Manik's 27th birthday and they were having a party at the Malhotra farmhouse in Madh Island. Manik had dragged her to one of the bedrooms and started interrogating her.

"This guitar costs a lakh, you idiot!"

Nandini looked offended. This reaction of Manik was the last thing she had expected. She thought Manik would be happy and would not stop thanking her with his kisses. Her imagination had truly gone wild because Manik looked or did nothing like that.

"Idiot?! You call me an idiot? For gifting you a guitar you have been eyeing for months!"

"Toh tumne kyun khareed li? Nandini, you cannot spend your money like this! At least not on me."

"What? Toh kis pe karu?"

"I don't know...this just seems too much Nandini. I don't want you to spend such huge amounts on me..." Manik said, trailing off towards the end and looking so vulnerable that Nandini felt bad for getting pissed at him.

"So you can buy a Tiffany and Co. ring for me but I can't?" Nandini asked, sounding softer this time, trying to make Manik meet her eyes, but he didn't.

"Nandini, you know what I am talking about right? Amms ko bura nahi lagega...that you spent such a huge amount for a gift?" Manik asked, and for a moment, he sounded like a child who didn't think he deserved the best things in life, that he deserved happiness. Nandini didn't even wish to think about how an actual younger Manik would have been, staying locked up in his dark bedroom and being punished by Nyonika for the pettiest things.

"First of all, you don't even know how I bought it! I bought this guitar with the money I got from my parents' will. We got a huge amount, Manik. I did not want that money all to myself. I talked to Amms about this...she told me that Appa and Amma would have liked to give their son-in-law something as a gift. This guitar is like a gift from them. And obviously I won't spend my money carelessly Manik." Nandini said, sighing towards the end.

Manik didn't know what to say. He had always been someone who spent for others. As for himself, yes, as a Malhotra, he never had to worry about money. In fact he could stay at home for a year and still be comfortable. But with Nandini, that wasn't the case. She belonged to a middle class family who valued money a lot. Her spending a lakh for him was a huge thing. He didn't want her family to think she had to do all this to fit in with his family.

"Nandini...I-"

"Chhod do, Manik. Maine socha tha, Manik kitna khush hoga dekhkar! Lekin nahi, thank you kya? You didn't even smile. You looked at the gift and dragged me to this room. You didn't even smile outside in front of all our family and friends. Kaisa laga hoga unko?" Nandini said, and freed her arm from his grip and rubbed on the reddened skin, wincing at the way Manik's grip had hurt.

"Nandini, I am sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay Manik, leave it na. Let's just go back."

"Nandini, can you please talk to me? Everytime you say it's okay, I know it's not. And there's everyone outside. I don't want to create a scene."