ʟᴏᴠᴇ- ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴜʀᴇ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ | ✓

~ f i f t y f i v e ~

"Princess, did Cabir uncle taught you this?" Anahita widened her eyes and bobbed her head excitedly and Manik rolled his eyes as he knew only Cabir can think of such things, but teaching them to his Princess? He needs to stay away from her, for his own sanity.

Overcoming with the laughter everyone again got immersed in small chit chats and Anahita again started showing Manik her drawings, when Manik's phone which was kept on the table infront rang. He looked at the caller and his smile disappeared before he declined the call and again looked back at Anahita's book. This happened for two more times and at last he put his phone on silent and flipped it back, before concentrating back on Anahita.

This was noticed by Nandini and Shivay. Shivay had a talk with Arijit and he knew what had happened there in the morning. He looked at Manik and then at his sister who was also looking at Manik but with frowns on her face.

Nandini had seen the caller Id which was saved by Meri Maa. And seeing Manik declining the calls again and again and the way his smile dimmed after the call, she knew something was wrong. Because as much as she knows him, he never neglect his family.

Suddenly a fear went through her heart as her mind ran with possibilities of his this behaviour and every possibility had her as the reason of them. She remembered the news telecasted on the television, but she wasn't sure that if Manik's family knew about her.

And then she realised one more thing, which actually had her in confusion earlier too but she was distracted. But now she looked at her brothers and then Manik and thought that why none of them seemed surprised seeing each other. And with all the thoughts her head felt heavy and she excused herself and moved inside the room.

Shivay had noticed her different expressions of distress and he blinked at Om and Rudra when they frowned. Glancing once at Manik who was looking at the direction of her room only, he followed Nandini and closed the door behind after entering in her room.

He saw her sitting on the bed with her legs hanging. A lost look on her face thinking of answers to many questions. Shivay sighed and moved towards her and sat on the floor near her legs bringing her out of her trance.

"Bhaiyu, what are you doing? Come sit on the bed." Shivay held her hands which were trying to make him stand up and pressed them giving her a small smile.

"You remember, Mr. Senior Goenka used to talk about one childhood friend of his from village, with whom he had lost his contacts?"

Nandini frowned in confusion hearing his abrupt question but nevertheless nodded her head as she clearly remembered tha how fondly he used to talk about his childhood friend and how badly he wanted to rekindle with him.

Shivay just gave her a smile and caressed her hands gently before continuing.

"He met him again an year after you- you were gone." Nandini squeezed her brother's hand, but her mind was still confused, when Shivay's next words took all of them away.

"He is Yash Malhotra, Manik's grandfather." Nandini gasped with the information and kept looking at her brother as if wanting to tell him that he was joking, but Shivay nodded his head and Nandini inhaled a sharp breath.

And suddenly with only one information, her all questions were answered.

She now knew that why her brothers didn't reacted seeing Manik so close to her and Anahita, because they already knew him, and maybe about his feelings too.

Because, his grandfather is her grandfather's long lost childhood friend. And when they would've met, he would've told him about her. That how big of a blot she was on his name.