NANDINI POV
Finally, it's the weekend.
On this trip, I had a lot of fun and saw a lot, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot. Manik saw me without a scarf; Alya was jealous of the bond I had with Manik; Manik had a nervous breakdown; and so on.
But there is one thing that has been bothering me up until now, and that is what Navya remarked. To be honest, I had a different feeling about Manik. When people ask if I've ever felt this way, I immediately reject it, but I can't lie to myself.
I shook the thought out of my head and walked downstairs. I overheard my mother conversing with someone. The voice was unfamiliar to me. When I entered the living room, I noticed a woman seated there, politely conversing with Mom.
I didn't recognize her, but I gave her a friendly greeting. Then my mother told me that she had been her best friend since primary school.
"Ohh cutie," the lady exclaimed happily, "you're a lot more beautiful than I remember." She appears to be happier, but why is she happy if she finds me beautiful?
I don't know why she found me beautiful because my pajamas were on and my hair was a big mess.
"Give her some time, and she'll ask for my hand for her son." I laughed at the thought.
I thanked her, excused myself, and went back to work on my assignments.
◦•●◉✿✿◉●•◦
I was exhausted, so I went downstairs to eat some snacks.
When I reached down, I noticed the lady had already left.
Mom paused for a moment before saying, "Soooooo."
"Mom, what happened?" I asked casually.
"My friend asked me if you would be interested in meeting her son," she said.
My mum sat in front of me with a straight face while she finished, and I burst out laughing.
"Are you serious, Mom?" I ask. I was confused when I observed her serious expression.
"I'm serious, Nandu," she added, her face serious.
"I don't think it's a good idea," I responded, chuckling at myself for saying the same thing earlier.
She asked, "Why, do you have someone else?"
As she said, the thing that comes to my mind was Manik's face.
"What?!Of course not! Mom, "I remarked, slightly raising my voice.
"All right, cool down... why don't you give this a try?" She expressed herself.
"You simply talk to each other for a few months and then think about the next step if you like him," she tried to convince me.
"He's good-looking, kind, and a good Muslim," she said
I didn't want a kind, good-looking, or good Muslim; instead, I wanted an arrogant, annoying atheist. What the heck is wrong with me? What I'm saying is, Allah, please forgive me.
"All right, mum," I said, "I'll give it a shot."
"Okay, you will not regret it," she said being excited.
*Next Morning*
I was all ready for college.
I received a text message from Aryamaan stating that they were waiting outside. I grabbed my bag and walked to the door.
"Nandu, Harshad will pick you up after school," Mom yelled from her bedroom.
"Who??"I responded with a shout.
"Son of my friend, the one we talked about yesterday," she remarked, smiling as she walked towards me.
I had completely forgotten about him. I simply agreed and walked out the door. I'm now curious to know more about him.
I told Aryamaan and Navya about Harshad. They were surprised. I assumed that maybe he was a nice guy, but who knows?
To be honest, I was a little nervous about meeting with Harshad. The school was over, and I was waiting for Harshad to pick me up. When I was alone, I saw Alya and Manik.
Manik spotted me and began walking toward me after Alya had left.
He smirked and replied, "Hey princess."
"Hey, jerk," I said, putting on a fake smile.
"How's it going with your father?" I asked.
He said, "We talked things out."
"I'm glad about it," I said, and he grinned back.
"Do you have your project? So I'll be able to finish it? " I asked.
"Yeah, wait," he replied as he pulled papers from his bag.
"Here you go and listen, I want 19/20 or more, so do your best," he smirked.
"And the annoying Manik is back," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
We had a good laugh.
A few minutes later, a black BMW stopped in front of the school. To be honest, the car was so beautiful and by the look on Manik's face, He was also impressed.
"That's my ride home," I said.
"Can you tell me who he is?" Manik asked right away.
"Just a family friend, basically. My mother set us up, which is a funny fact, "I replied.
See, I don't want to make him jealous. Okay, a little bit.
I'm just curious about his reaction, but he doesn't seem to mind. Disappointing
We said our goodbyes, and I walked to my car.
Harshad and I exchanged greetings, and we had a brief discussion about school and the future. He told me that he had already completed his studies and had begun university this year.
He seemed intelligent and was handsome, but not as appealing as Manik. Oh my god, why am I comparing him to Manik?
"Hey, Ummm... could I get your phone number?" Harshad asked, a little nervously.
"Sure... give me your phone," I said. I didn't think twice about it.
We said our goodbyes, and I entered the house, where my mother awaited me in the living room.
She quickly fires out a series of questions. We sat down, and I told her everything that had happened. She was happy.
MANIK POV
"Just a family friend, basically. My mother set us up, which is a funny fact, " she said and left. When I saw Nandini driving away with another guy, I felt strange.
Am I seriously falling for this girl? I can get every other girl I want, but why am I so jealous? And by the way, I already have a girlfriend. I sat down on the bench.
How can I be in love with a Muslim girl? I mean, I respect religion and all, but I could never see myself with one. I'm with the hot girl who gave me everything I wanted, but I still need Nandini.
What the fuck is wrong with me? The worst thing is that I can't even share this with anyone. I need to get rid of the feeling I have towards Nandini. I always annoy her... But maybe there was a reason why I did it.
When I got home, I noticed that everyone was seated in the kitchen. My father, mother, and younger sister. This is the moment I've been waiting for. My only nightmare was that my father was dying of cancer.
I was glad to see them, but my mind was racing with a million thoughts. I said hello and walked to my room.
I lie down in my bed and start thinking about Nandini. I was getting headaches from everything.
A knock came at the door. I got to my feet and opened the door to see my father standing there.
"Hey, do you mind if I come in?" Dad asked.
"No need to ask, dad," I replied.
"So tell me, what's wrong?" he asked.
I rubbed my face and responded, "Nothing, dad."
He pointed at it and said, "Don't lie, you have a frown."
I knew that I had frowned every time I was jealous, but he actually remembers.
"You know, when you were little, you always had this frown whenever Mukti got more attention from us," he added.
"Are you going to tell me or will I have to guess? With a smirk on his face, he said
"Fine... Okay, umm," I paused.
I shook my head when he asked, "Is it about school?"
He went on to say, "About your girlfriend." I shook my head once more.
"Now I know, it's about the girl you couldn't take your eyes off!" he exclaimed confidently.
I was taken aback that he guessed it because I didn't say anything.
"Okay, so I'm right. What's her name? " He asked.
"Nandini," I said.
"Nandini is a beautiful name, so what's the deal with her?" he asked.
"It's nothing bad," I said, being irritated. I hated myself that I cared too much about her.
"Manik, you don't have t......" I cut him in middle
"Don't think you can play my father just because you're dying; you have no idea what I'm going through. I didn't mean to interrupt him rudely. Then I realise what I said, and I observe that my words have hurt him.
"Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" I attempted to clarify.
He smiled as he answered, "No, it's fine, that's the truth.
"But Manik, look at me and listen, and then I'll leave," he said, and I immediately looked at him.
"Don't be confused so much, I know you like this girl. I knew it from the day I picked you up on the trip. When you look at her, your eyes light up... I haven't seen it when you look at your own girlfriend. Even if she's Muslim, don't let that stop you.." he stated.
I was taken aback by what he said; he had just answered the question I had asked myself.
"Manik, before I go, promise me one thing, just one thing," he said. I nodded.
"When I was dead—" he began, but I cut him off.
"No dad, stop!" I felt my eyes watering. I stood up.
My dad also stood up and tried facing me.
"Manik, look at me," he murmured as he turned my head to face him.
My eyes were welling up with tears. I stared him in the eyes.
"Promise me you'll be happy, even if it's with that Nandini... I want you to be happy after I'm gone," he pleaded, tears in his eyes.
I couldn't stop myself from hugging him so firmly that tears streamed down my face. We stood there for a while, and in his arms, I felt protected.
So, how was the chapter?
What do you think about Harshad?
One word for Nandini?
One word for Manik?
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