The Nerd and The Brat ✔️

34. Tall, Dark and Muscles

"What's up with your best friend dragging my bhai all over the college?", asked Cabir.

Abhimanyu snorted. "Like you want to stop her."

"Nah. I think Manik is capable enough to handle her himself."

"Cabir", Mukti called him patiently as if he were a child, "what did you do to Manik?"

The grin on the boy was dangerous and it only grew bigger as he explained his plan to transform Manik. By the end of the story, Abhimanyu was torn between appreciating him for his efforts and explaining to him how stupid the idea was but Mukti was frowning.

"Hold on a second", she said, raising a finger, "you 'taught' Manik about romance by forcing him to read romantic novels?"

Cabir nodded excitedly whereas Abhimanyu was sure Mukti was his soulmate. Their thoughts oh so matched.

"This is by far the stupidest idea I have ever heard to teach a boy who has only Wikipedia definition of love", she told.

Cabir pouted and defended his idea unaware of the storm approaching from the opposite side of the college.

XXX

Nandini dragged Manik until they reached an empty classroom and closed the door. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the floor as she glared at the boy, the most confident smile she had ever seen plastered on his face.

"Nandini, is everything okay?", he asked, flashing her another smile.

"I will break all your teeth if you are flashing them again at me", she warned. "What the hell is all this?"

He shrugged. "Didn't you ask me to become stronger?"

"I asked you to become stronger, not to flaunt the results of your workout sessions."

"I wasn't flaunting", he protested.

"Oh! Really?", she asked. She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice even if she wanted to as she pointed towards his muscles. "Am I seeing something different?" She smirked when Manik dropped his act and slumped down on the nearest bench.

"Cabir forced me into this", he muttered, looking down at himself. "This is too tight and I am not used to wearing half sleeves. It's uncomfortable."

Nandini rolled her eyes. Of course the Jungli Malhotra and his Jungli ideas. "Listen, hero, just breathe, okay? Tomorrow onwards, wear something that would make you look like you instead of a stuck-up brat."

Manik blinked at her, probably processing her words, and then his ears turned red, as he shifted in his seat embarrassedly. Suddenly, there was the Manik she knew all the last semester in place of the arrogant show-off. Nandini bit her lip to prevent the smile that threatened to form on her lips.

"Can I change it now? I brought a spare with me. I will go to the restroom, change and come back", he asked, hesitantly.

Nandini grinned, all teeth and sarcastic. "Why? Do you want to flirt with some more girls?", she mocked before shooting a fierce dagger at him. "Change here. No more arguments."

"Turn around", he ordered but the panic was clear in his voice, "and close your eyes."

Nandini rolled her eyes dramatically but obliged. Once she was sure he couldn't see her, she let the smile appear on her face. There was something about the boy that made her fond of him. He might be the smartest person present in a room but he could steal the hearts with an adorably confused frown on his head. He could hold on to an argument logically but would panic right before his big exam. Manik wasn't the ideal boy with a cool attitude that the girls swoon on, he was the real boy who isn't afraid of his flaws or wouldn't stop wearing his heart on his sleeve. He was perfect in his own imperfect way.