You may feel this is a filler chapter but a lot is hidden in it. You've got to read between the lines to get the hints.
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|| A man's strength is measured by the way he will protect the heart of the woman he loves ||
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“Guys! We'll tell you the whole story but right now we need to talk to someone”, said Nandini upon seeing the guest who had just joined them. There were confused faces all around her for everyone was shocked seeing a new face, which none of them knew.
But like Manik, all of them trusted Nandini enough to at least not question her decision in front of an outsider, “We are on the terrace Nandini, you both come up when you're done”, Nyonika took everyone along leaving just the couple and the person in the room.
“How are you Surya?” asked Nandini as she shook hands with him, “I am just as good as you left me”, came a cheeky reply from him to which Nandini smiled. “But it seems someone else is glowing. What's the matter ha?”, the undertones of teasing in Surya's voice that was very much evident left Nandini laughing and Manik, bewildered.
The scene that was unfolding in front of him was something that left him in a swamp. It took so long for Nandini to open up to everyone here and now there was this man who she hated until a few days ago and now she's shaking hands with him and sharing a laugh.
“Ahem!” Manik walked up to stand by Nandini, and wrung an arm around her waist. This wasn't jealousy but just a way of showing his presence. “Nandini, what is Mr. Surya doing here?” He asked the most important question.
“Manik, remember that day we were sitting on the balcony and you told me that love was not in letting go. It was in standing up and fighting for it and I had said someone told me the same”, Nandini took Manik back to the time they were in Belgium, sitting in their room as Nandini awaited answers for a question, “Yes. I remember”.
“That someone was him!”, there was no chance Manik had seen it coming, “What!?”, came his immediate reaction. Talk about Nandini Murthy dropping bomb surprises.
“Had it not been for him, I wouldn't have travelled all the way to Belgium. I was so… onto being selfless for you that I never realised that my selflessness will lead our relationship to the gallows”, as facts came out in the open slowly, Manik couldn't believe that Nandini had a talk, as deep as this with someone who is not him or Aryaman.
Something was amiss. Something wasn't right and he could feel it. He wanted to point out even but the radiance on Nandini's face, as she talked about him, prevented him from taking any step ahead.
He had missed this. This beautiful glowing face of hers and if Surya was the man who brought it back, then be it. He is there for her, watching out for her like a Hawk. Before Surya could do anything to Nandini, he'll have to pass through him. And when it concerns Nandini, it doesn't take much for Manik to unleash the monster he harbours.
“Thank you Mr. Surya. You gave my life back to me and I'll be forever grateful to you for this”, Manik stared deeply into Surya's eyes while his hold on her waist became tighter. The words that left his mouth might be of gratitude but his eyes made the message clear for him. Try hurting her once and you'll beg for death.
Surya too was not far behind. His murky grin didn't change neither did his challenging eyes. “No need to thank me, Mr. Malhotra, I felt it was my duty to reunite two lovers and I did”, honey coated words in a sugary tone. Just the recipe for disaster.
“I thought he deserved to know the news first hand”, Nandini chirped, breaking the stare down between the not so gentle Gentlemen. “Oh what news?” Surya was suddenly quite interested, “We are getting engaged very soon”.
“Oh my god!! What wonderful news this is!” Surya seemed genuinely happy at the announcement. He took a step forward with an intention to embrace Nandini but stopped, “I can hug you right?”.
Manik cringed internally. He was trying so hard to impress Nandini, but even he was sure that Nandini wouldn't agree to this, “Why not?”. Manik watched stumped, how easily Surya gave Nandini a warm hug and her smile just widened.
“Join us for the celebration, Surya, please. I would love to introduce you to my family”, Nandini seemed excited with the idea of Surya mingling with her family. Manik however couldn't come to terms with it. If he kept quiet even when Surya accepted her offer, it was for Nandini's sake. Else it wouldn't have taken a minute more for him to throw the person out.
Manik wondered what had changed since he last met him. He never had any strangeness for the guy, it was always Nandini, but now every fibre in Manik wanted to keep Surya away from Nandini.
“Please take Mr. Surya where everyone else is, we'll come after freshening up”, Nandini watched with a smile as the lady walked Mr. Surya till the elevator which leads to the terrace, before she along with Manik left for their room.
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“So Mr. Surya ha?” Manik asked as the moment Nandini came out of the washroom looking like a blooming flower. Nandini just hummed in reply, busy in wearing the butterfly pendant that was giving her a tough time.
“I thought he gave you strange vibes”, Manik who was on the bed, now stood behind Nandini with the pendant in his hands and his eyes locked with hers through the mirror.
“He did”, Nandini chuckled and turned to face Manik after he had locked the pendant effortlessly and given a quick kiss on her nape, “He did till we had that talk but after that, it was something different”.
“He still has an aura around him. But I'm not sure if it is negative. All I know is, it could be positive too”, she told the truth. The exact thing that she had felt that day. “Are you saying that you are re-thinking your judgement about a person?”, Manik gave a rephrased statement of what just Nandini said.
“That is exactly what I am doing! And for a fact you only told me that everyone is not like you deduce them to be. They can surprise you. So, I'm just giving him a second chance”, Manik was puzzled.
It was sort of his words against him. Nandini was right. It was after all Manik, who had asked her to be a little more open in her judgements and she was just going by his words.
“Okay but remember if he does something, I won't hesitate to break every bone in his body”, Nandini chuckled lowly. “Haan baba we'll break his bones together if he doesn't something dubious”.
“As my queen to be says”, Nandini, who had taken a step forward stopped and turned to stare at the Manik.
“Queen to be ha?” Nandini raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner. “Aren't you?”, Manik spoke in a challenging tone.
Nandini's eyes almost rolled over on their own volition yet a smile broke out on her face. She wasn't one of those who liked to be tagged, but somehow this tag felt nice. It felt warm and soothing.
When you have fought all the life battles alone and you suddenly find someone standing in front of you like a shield you often tend to retract and not welcome it.
Things were quite different with Nandini. She had resisted this feeling with all her might only to understand later on how much she wanted this. This feeling of having someone around who is trying to protect you from every wrong that can come to you.
Even though the addressal she got was very overwhelming she, like her usual self, replied to him by pressing her warm lips against his cold ones and letting them linger there for a minute too much for it to be called just a peck.
“Let's go now. You can blush later Malhotra”, Nandini found her arms latching with hers as she dragged Manik along with her who wasn't willing to leave just yet. Not after the little trailer he got.
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As Surya entered the terrace, he stopped and ran his eyes. All amused eyes and faces were looking his way with questions in their mind while he looked as confident as he could be.
He had this enigma around him that attracted people to his personality, which was opposite to it. Calm and composed with a hint of chivalry and stoicism.
That was him.
Surya stared back at everyone a little uninterestedly until his eyes landed on the person who took away all his attention.
In the corner, with the same girl who had visited Nandini that day, stood a guy.
A guy who emitted an aura similar to him. Who stood in a stance similar to him.
A hand in pocket and a peculiar suave in his manner.
The two men stared at each other, before walking up to each other.
“Aryaman Khurana''. A hand was forwarded towards him that reeked of confidence. “Managing Director. NA Textiles.” The starry green eyes flickered from Aryaman's lustrous face to the hand he had forwarded. “And Nandini's brother too”.
It was supposed to be a warning for Surya which he took head on with his classic rogue smirk. “Surya. Owner. White Orchids. Nandini's partnering firm”. Though they shook hands with solemnity it was an unspoken battle for the upper hand which had no outcome for the powers clashing were almost identical.
“So you both have introduced yourself already”, the tussle of power ended when a chirpy Nandini broke in along with Manik who looked a little pissed with something. Ah! If only they knew what happened just before he was dragged here.
“Your brother here seems to like me a little too much”, Surya rubbed in all the wrong places for Aryaman. The guy was something and it was becoming hard for Aryaman to accept that. He also couldn't ignore the uncanny similarity he felt, as if he knew him and that irked him more. That scally smirk he walked around with was familiar but from where? He didn't know.
“Guys, this is Mr. Surya. He was kinda a cupid for us and that's why I wanted to introduce him to you all”, leaving Manik, everyone else was now blankly looking at Surya.
If Nandini Murthy is saying something like this, it means the guy has to have something. And going by the way he carried himself, it was evident that he had that ‘click’ in him.
A brief round of greetings and introduction later followed.
“Okay enough now guys! Tell us what the hell actually happened between you both that such a confusion arose”, Amyrah spoke everyone's mind out aloud. All the eleven people there wanted to know what happened, especially Cabir who was rooting for that part where Nandini refused Manik's proposal.
“Okay guys. Settle down we'll tell you the whole tale”, said Nandini rested her head on Manik's arms sitting beside him. The excited lot which let me tell included Nyonika and Raj.
“For starters tell us did you really refuse Manik's proposal first?”, it was indeed the first devil speaking. “Yeah. Kind of. I guess”, this was all that Cabir and the trio needed to laugh out.
“My dream came true!” Cabir declared and Manik shot him glares good enough to bury him. “But Cabir, she proposed to me next”, Manik placed a quick kiss on Nandini's forehead in appreciation.
“Yaar Nandini! You should have waited for him to propose again”, A little seemingly low spirit Cabir exclaimed, even though his insides were bursting with happiness for the couple who he had seen grow in front of his eyes.
“So that means you guys are officially hitched now?”, Dhruv who had been silent throughout out voiced the conclusion and the couple in question blushed alongside giving a positive nod.
“Finally!!!!”. Nyonika had been sitting holding her breath. The Inception kind of storyline that Manik and Nandini had weaved around the people made Nyonika hold her celebration for a while. But now as the clouds of confusion officially cleared she couldn't help exploding with joy.
“Okay okay Nandini…” Amyrah's ecstatic voice rang. “Where is your ring?”.
A cautious yet awkward exchange of glances happened between the two. There was an attempt to find a common answer for the question so that they don't go two different ways again.
“Umm it all happened so quickly that… we kind of ”, Manik was not able to complete his statement because all hell broke loose.
“You didn't get her a ring!!” Mukti said, surprised. “Manik seriously? I thought you were the most romantic among us. We really looked up to you”, Abhimanyu meant what he said.
This was a belief that ran deep in the family. Manik was the perfect guy who girlfriends nag about not having and boyfriends hate.
“Manik you're my son! I expected better. Look at me, how I proposed to your mom!”, the humour in Raj's voice tickled everyone, while Nyonika slapped his hand away, blushing a little.
“Haan Manik… you've let the ‘Be romantic like Manik Club’ down”, you call Cabir when you need drama. “Shut up!” Manik gave Cabir a stinky eye. “No but seriously Manik, you should have lived up to our expectations' ', Aryaman too joined the party.
“Ahem! Guys! The girl who should actually have problems with not having the ring is…”, Surya's words brought attention back to Nandini.
As the talks subsided, the meek snores coming from beside Manik just got a little louder. There she was, the girl around which the fuss was, sleeping peacefully in the arms of her beloved.
The day had marked the end of a strenuous week and all she wanted to do was this. The fatigue from the travel as well as the mental tiredness had taken a toll on her and what could have been a better bed than the canopy of Manik's arms. His fragrance. His warmth and his touch.
For Manik, there wasn't a moment better than this to end his day. His love sleeping like there is no tomorrow in his arms, feeling the security that he's been trying to give her. Feeling the love he has for her.
It was in the heat of the moment that it struck.
This girl. She has battled so much just for his sake. She has overcome those scars which scarred her for life.
The least he could do, after such an overwhelming week, was to give her some tranquil and loving time.
And that was what he was going to do.
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I hope you people got the hidden meaning that was there in this chapter!!
Do tell me what you deduced.
Also, something is coming up in the next chapter!
See you soon
Love Iris 🦋