"Navya u know right, this was his favourite place in the entire Shimla. Whenever I come here I feel that the air of this cliff that surrounds me is his loving arms enveloping me" Nandini twinkled while standing by the railing of one high cliff. Navya passed a weak smile.
"Nandini, see I am happy with whatever makes u happy but have u never thought about ur future?" Navya asked being genuinely concerned.
"Future? Do u expect me to marry some man after I finish my college knowing very well that I would never be able to provide him the feelings that wife should be having for her husband?" Nandini frowned meekly. Navya knew going into the discussion of the not-so-popular marriage zone with Nandini meant trouble as it always had been.
"Nandu, I'm not saying that, anyway, lets forget about it for now, yeah? Achha tell me something, where did u vanish the last night from the movie theatre?" Navya enquired while Nandini's eyes grew bigger.
"M..Me?" she fumbled.
"Yes y..you" Navya mimicked.
"Um actually, I... I wasn't liking the movie much, such a bore, God! So I thought of not disturbing u people since u..umm u people were so excited for the movie and I sneaked out of the theatre and came home back and slept." she somehow completed her sentence and it felt a huge boulder was off her chest.
"Yea of course, the movie was lil boring and tumne bilkul sahi kiya that u sneaked out of there after all company bhi itna interesting and hot tha" she winked while poor Nandini stood there for few seconds still trying to register the words that her friend just then spat.
"Company?" she was scared. It wasn't that she needed to hide things from her soul friends but she feared that if they both have seen Nandini with Manik, then their preurisation of Nandini's moving on in life would only be increasing.
"Achha whatever it is I'm not getting into the details since u must've some reasons behind it. So chill I'm not grilling u anymore. Achha by the way Nandu, there was a lil beer party at Cabir's place tomorrow evening and in no manner I'm gonna digest ur no. U are coming alright unless u want me to question further about that mysterious guy of last night" Navya so very well has decorated her sweet threat that Nandini could never say a No. Her condition was like 'is taraf kua, us taraf khai'. She knew going to Cabir's place would definitely mean the presence of Manik Malhotra and if her friends ever come across the fact that he was that guy in the movie theatre then they surely were gonna dig one mole out of the hole. Contrarily, she couldn't dare to say no as well because Navya's parents would never allow her to roam till late at nights somewhere until and unless Nandini accompanied her and since Cabir being Navya's loving duffer boyfriend would also kill her if Navya couldn't come because of her. And to top them all, if she said no there only Navya as promised would question more about Manik which meant immediate danger, thus to avoid the danger for now and to think of some suitable reason for the latter, she bobbed a yes, reluctantly.
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Same day, at Nandini's college:
"Aaliya, why are u blocking my way, let me go" Nandini politely asked while Aaliya gritting her teeth roughly held her elbow and nudged her brutally.
"What the hell do u think of urself, u bloody middle-class? Haven't I told u earlier to stay away from Dhruv" Nandini tried to free her arm off her grip but Aaliya was way too adamant this time.
"Aalya tumhe samajh kyun nahin aati yeh baat that I'm not interested in Dhruv. How would I make u believe this, tell me" Nandini was still struggling with her hand.
