A Thousand Encounters

Chapter-42

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Nandini walked in corridor of academy looking for only face she wanted to see but he was nowhere to be seen. Senior batch was performing a drill in adjacent ground and Nandini could hear Kalra barking at them for getting distracted. She simpered while Kalra glared her turning around. His eyes could tell how unhappy he was after seeing Nandini there. Nandini took turn towards Colonel Singh's office snatching the view of men in ground. 

"What a pleasant surprise!" Colonel Singh got up from his chair as soon as Nandini entered his cabin. 

Nandini smile warmly at her Uncle Singh and he welcomed her with a warm hug. 

"How are you, SIR?" Nandini asked playfully and Colonel laughed. 

"Now I am fine," He answered sincerely. 

He peeped into Nandini's eyes only to convey her how he was happy seeing her there. He and Sahiba knew it all, kids were just unaware of it. They didn't want to intervene knowing how Madhav was the ringmaster here. 

"What brought you here?" Colonel asked. 

"A certain something," Nandini answered vaguely. 

"I guess that certain something is not here at the moment," Colonel Singh quipped and laughed at his own joke. 

"I was talking about my job, Uncle," Nandini replied flustered. 

"It's still yours," Colonel cleared it. 

"My college is opening from next week," Nandini informed lowly. 

"And I want to keep the job as well," She wanted to have it. 

"Work in evenings then," Colonel simplified it for her. 

She smiled and lounged on her uncle to give a compulsory thank you hug. 

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Sitting beside a horse while it grazed, Nandini looked at evening sky. She wanted to see Manik before she leaves but that guy had gone to some serious shopping. Well, that's what his friends told her. Sun was drowning in mystery of mountains and there she was, waiting to see the man who had left her a notch higher and now was nowhere to be seen. 

Horse neighed and Nandini looked around to find activity going slow. 

"Where the hell is this man?" She mumbled angrily. 

Getting down the concrete ledge, she dusted her jeans to move towards exit. As she reached the main gate, she saw Manik and Harshad entering the domain holding some shopping bags. She folded her arms across her chest only to show him beforehand that she was angry. Harshad looked up and gasped as he saw Nandini there. He turned around and walked back to Manik who was cursing the bags in his hand. 

"She is here," Harshad whispered. 

"Don't irritate me more, Harshad," Manik said irked. 

"Nandini is here," Harshad tried to cut the chase they were about to do with words. Manik's eyes roamed around to find her standing at door of academy. Manik's lips parted in surprise seeing her there. 

"Act normal, it's golden chance," Harshad murmured plastering a smile. 

Nandini pursed her lips to convey her annoyance but doing anything with Manik had a stupid reflex associated. Manik read her face and tilted his head only to pace towards her but then she was being grumpy and she had to act. She walked towards her jeep and he followed her like a lost kitten. She had might to make him anything she wished.