The Nerd and The Brat ✔️

47. The Outing

Hello Fam :)

Happy Reading...

It was almost two months since their conversation at the beach and Manik stored the memory hidden from the world. The only other person who knew about it was Nandini and she acted as if she hadn't said the words. It was fine with Manik. Nandini and he were polar opposite and while at nineteen, Manik was still figuring out human interaction, he didn't want to get into relationships as of yet. He had seen enough relationships of Cabir to decide, it wasn't meant for him. Fortunately for him, Nandini has nothing to do with it too.

Hence, they ignored the day and went back to being the friends they were but sometimes, when Nandini was too angry to reply with her usual comebacks, the days when she felt more tired than usual and it took more than a chocolate to bring a genuine smile on her face, Manik wondered, would it be better if they were in a relationship. She could have another home to come too but for it to happen, his mom should agree for it and Manik never had a conversation with his mother about Nandini.

Tomorrow was the last semester exam for Cabir and during the vacations, he was planning for a safe adventure for the first weekend with their friends. His brother said he would inform Nyonika and it was better if they didn't explicitly mention Nandini's presence since they would be staying for two days but Manik felt otherwise. Nandini wasn't one of his bad habits that he needed to hide it from his mother. As Manik was already done with his exams and Cabir was doing some last-minute studying, he found himself knocking at his mother's door.

"Don't tell me you need new books for the vacations already", she teased as a greeting. "You were with your books till today."

Manik chuckled and took his seat on the couch. "I want to talk to you about our vacations if you are free."

Nyonika closed her laptop and set it aside. She abandoned her chair to sit beside Manik. "You look troubled", she told.

"Cabir is planning a weekend outing with our friends in some forest", he told with a smile on his face.

Nyonika chuckled. "I understand your need to be troubled", she said. "You don't want to go?"

"Last semester, he said I need to get out of my shell and play with my fears or something equally dramatic", he told and they laughed. It was exactly what Cabir would say to blackmail someone to go on a trip with him. "I am afraid of forests and I wanted to see if I could hold on myself for two days."

"You don't have to prove to someone but if you really want to go, go ahead. At least you will have an experience", said Nyonika.

Manik nodded. "I wanted to talk about something else, actually", he told and took a deep breath. "Nandini Murthy, she is my friend and she is coming on this trip too." Manik saw the moment the smile on his mother dropped and he waited for her to break the silence first.

"I feel better that you told me instead of hiding it", she said after some time.

"I never wanted to hide it from you. I never had any friends and she became my friend accidentally. I didn't know then about our companies not getting along. I was afraid of your reaction", he confessed.

"What has changed now?"

"I don't want you to feel, I am hiding our friendship from you. It's insulting both you and Nandini", he told. His mom nodded but otherwise didn't say anything. "I could convince Cabir to drop the plan if you don't want us to go."

Nyonika sighed. "No, Manik. You should go. God knows, I would always worry about you if it's up to me", she said. "Coming to Nandini, kid, I don't trust her family and I don't know her enough to differentiate her from them. You never had any friends and Cabir told me that the ones you have now make you feel safe and comfortable, including Nandini. That's enough for me as of now. I can't control your life based on society or our businesses but I am warning you. You have met her family. Hence, be careful. Okay? One scratch on you, I would burn their company. It's a simple deal."