Sukoon- yeh mere liye hai aur doosri wali kiske liye hai?
On listening to Sukoon's question, Manik's eyes shifted to Nandini. Nandini looked at him in a questioning manner.
Nandini- what?
Manik- woh...
Manik forwarded the chocolate towards her. Nandini stared at him with wide eyes. Manik said, looking at every corner of the room but completely avoiding looking in the eyes of the woman standing before him.
Manik- what! I thought that you liked chocolates. Jis tarah se kal tum apne chocolate ice cream ke marne ka dukh mana rahi thi usse dekhkar laga ki you like, in fact, love chocolates toh main tumhare liye bhi le aaya.
Nandini took the chocolate from him. And finally Manik looked towards her. Their eyes met. Although there was pin drop silence in the room and no one spoke a single word, but both Nandini and Manik could clearly listen to the voice of their wildly palpitating hearts. Their eyes were doing the talking. It is said that where words fail, let your eyes do the talking. Sometimes eyes express more than the mouth does. Same was the case with Manik and Nandini.
Nandini was witnessing a new side of Manik, a caring one, and she couldn't help but smile looking at the man standing before her, who had so many shades, the rude one who didn't even say a sorry after bumping into her, the sarcastic one who didn't spare a single chance to taunt her, the teasing one who used to make her blush, the self obsessed one who used to think that there's no one who could even give him a close competition and then this,the caring and the shy one who noticed her liking and preferences. Manik Malhotra was becoming a puzzle for her, a puzzle which she wanted to solve.
And Manik, he himself was not aware that why was he behaving like this. The girl, who till yesterday, seemed to be the most irritating girl in this world to him, now had the power to make his lips stretch in a smile. The girl whose twinkling doe shaped eyes used to fill his heart with hope and positivity. He wanted to drown in those eyes. The girl whose innocence made his heart flutter.
Both knew that something had definitely changed, but what, that was yet to be found out. What they knew was that this feeling had set their beating hearts on fire.
Their eyelock was broken by Sukoon's cheerful voice.
Sukoon- Thank you Bhaiya! This is delicious.
Nandini unwrapped the chocolate and offered it to Manik. He moved his head from left to right, politely refusing her offer. Nandini took a bite of the chocolate and moaned closing her eyes in bliss.
Nandini- Delectable!!
Manik looked at both the kids, yes both the kids infront of him savouring the chocolate, forgetting about the world.
Manik- once you are done, we can plan about what to do next?
Nandini came out of her chocolate world and nodded looking at him.
Nandini- Sukoon, here is my mobile. It has a lot of games and I think you will totally enjoy playing these. So go to that chair and try!
Sukoon- Wow, thank you!
Sukoon left to sit on a distant chair and got engrossed in playing the games in Nandini's mobile.
Nandini- now say, what next?
Manik what 'what next'? How would I know?
Nandini- par hum aise toh nahi baith sakte na.
Manik- hmm, let's ask Sukoon for details of her parents, usse jo bhi pata hoga usse kuch toh help milegi.
Nandini- haan, vaise bhi humare paas aur koi raasta bhi toh nahi hai.
Manik(playfully)- abhi toh aage dead end hai!
Later, on enquiring about her family from Sukoon, they got to know some basic details. They were thinking to find someone who could help them to trace Sukoon's parents using these little details. Both were sitting silently in Nandini's room with serious expressions on their face, brainstorming, so they could find that one person who could take them out of this problematic situation.
Manik(whispers)-agar itna dimag padai mein lagaya hota na toh bappa ki kasam zero aryabhatta ne nahi maine discover kiya hota!
Nandini- Manik sapne mat dekho, dimaag lagao, socho, kaun karega humari help?
Just then Nandini got up from her place,
Nandini(happily shouted)- Why did't I think of it earlier.
Manik- think of what?
Nandini- arre mil gaya woh!
Manik- woh, kaun woh?
Nandini- Woh hi jo humari naiyaa paar lagayega!
Manik-naiyaa paar lagayega! Mujhe laga we are finding someonbe who will help us but mujhe kya pata tha ki hume ek sailor ko dhoondhna hai.
Nandini(irritated)- Main aise hi thodi tumhe duffer bolti hoon, woh insaan mil gaya jo Sukoon ki family ko dhoondh sakta hai!
Manik- Kaun?
.......................................................
HEY!
So that was all for this chapter. Hope you liked it!
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Inaayat