The party was going in full swing and the students seemed to be enjoying themselves.. Cabir tried his best to woo Navya but she was giving him some really tough time.. She ignored him royally and went ahead to dance with a random guy.. Now Cabir was standing with Manik and Dhruv, sulking watching her dance with someone else..
Nandini, mukti and Aliya were chit chatting until Madhyam asked mukti for a dance.. She had been waiting for him to approach her, so she immediately gave in and went away with him leaving Nandini and Aliya behind with an awkward silence lingering between them.. Though they had sort out their differences, but had never really interacted much..
"Umm Nandini.. Congratulations.. I heard Manik and you have decided to move in together.." Aliya finally broke the ice..
"Thanks Aliya.." Nandini replied with a warm smile..
"So..howz it going?? I mean with Manik??" She asked casually..
"It's all a package...A lot new experiences...some good, some bad you know.."
"Looking at you people, I thought it would be just perfect.." She said with a tinge of surprise in her tone...
"No relation is perfect, Aliya.. We tend to have differences..after all we are two different people with different opinions.. But it's all about sailing through the difficulties together.. That's what makes the journey beautiful.." Nandini said smilingly..
"You know Nandini.. You have such deep thoughts.. I mean you are so different from Manik.. So calm, so mature..I always thought that me and Manik were meant to be but now when I see him with you, I realize how wrong I was.. I have never seen Manik so happy.. And I am glad he is with someone who makes him happy.." Aliya said with a genuine smile..
"Aliya.. I am really sorry.. I never meant to hurt you.." Nandini said apologetically..
"Oh no..had it not been for you, I would have never realized the truth.. Manik and me..nah..he is better off with you.. I don't think anyone can handle that stubborn head other than you.." She chuckled.. "And he was never into me..all I had to do was to let go..and once I did that, I felt that I was never holding on it..it was just a mere attraction.." She shrugged..
"So..how about something more than just attraction??" Nandini asked teasingly..
"That would have to wait.. I am yet to find my prince charming.. After all, it's not easy to win over Aliya Saxena.." She boasted herself and Nandini chuckled..
"Dude..stop sulking.. I am telling you.. Go ahead and ask her for a dance.. Be a man bro.." Manik told Cabir, pointing at Navya, who had by now joined Aliya and Nandini..
"It's easier said than done, dude.. She isn't even looking at me..leave looking.. She is behaving as if I am some Mr. India.. And you are talking about dance.." Cabir sighed in frustration..
"But Cabir.. Why is she behaving like this??" Dhruv asked him..
"Because of the proposal, I think.." Cabir replied with a sheepish smile, scratching his head..
"And how exactly did you propose her??" Manik asked narrowing his eyes in suspicion..
"What?? I just hinted her my feelings.." Cabir feigned innocence but Manik could see through him.
"Dude I am sure you would have used your smart mouth more than required.." Manik said in an 'I know you very well' tone..
"Arey Manik... Let it be.." Dhruv tried to make peace..
"Guys come on..let's go.." Manik said to both of them.. "And Cabir, don't give up.. You are gonna talk to Navya and that's it.." He ordered Cabir and three of them moved towards girls..
"What's up guys.." Manik said coolly and Navya, Aliya and Nandini turned to see him standing behind them with Dhruv and Cabir.. Navya smiled at the two, ignoring Cabir, yet again..
"Nothing much.. We were just talking about mukti and Maddie.. They look good together, no.." Aliya said pointing at the duo, swaying with the beats, lost in each other...
"Yeah.. Mukti seems to be happy.." Dhruv said looking at her..
"Guys.. This party is getting boring..How about all of us move to the dance floor??" Manik said wrapping his arm around Nandini's shoulders and nudged Cabir, standing by his side to talk to Navya..
"Yeah.. Such a nice song is playing.. We should dance.. Right Cabir??" Dhruv too gestured Cabir to talk to her..
"Umm yeah..wo wo I was saying witc...ouch.." Cabir shouted suddenly taking everyone by surprise..
Cabir was about to call Navya as witchy when Manik stomped on his foot and glared at him, making him realize his mistake.. But as a reflex, he yelped in pain and everyone looked at him in confusion.. But Navya still didn't give up on her resolve and didn't spare him a look..
"What happened Cabir??" Nandini asked him..
"Nothing.. Umm..yeah.. Mosquito.. A mosquito bit me.." Cabir said glaring at Manik..
"Mosquito???" Aliya frowned..
"Aliya leave it na.." Manik tried to divert the topic.. "Cabir, you were saying something, right??" Manik again coaxed him..
"Yeah.." Cabir looked at Navya.. "Na na Nandini.." He stuttered and suddenly turned towards Nandini.. "Can I have a dance with you??" He blurted out without realizing, nervousness taking a toll on him..
This one statement earned him different expressions from everyone.. Aliya was confused, Dhruv gave him a look of disapproval and Nandini had quite an unsure look on her face..Navya, who knew exactly what happened, chuckled to herself and spared him a glance of pity.. Cabir, who caught her looking at him like this, frowned in confusion.. But as he turned to look at Manik, he could decipher the reason behind her pity.. Manik was shooting daggers at him and Cabir gulped in fear.. Their silent conversation was broken by Nandini..
"Yeah sure..." Nandini accepted out of courtesy and Manik looked at her in disbelief..
"What sure, haan?? Why would you dance with him??" He asked her angrily and turned towards Cabir.. "Dude.. She is my girlfriend.. You aren't supposed to ask her for a dance.. I am there for that.." He almost yelled at Cabir and Navya giggled at this..
"Calm down Manik... It's just a dance.." Nandini glared at him and Cabir sighed in relief, thanking her in his mind for having saved him from the monster..
"But.." He started only to be shushed by her glare..
"Come Cabir.." Nandini said moving towards dance floor followed by Cabir, who gave Manik an apologetic look...
"Can I have a dance with this gorgeous lady??" Dhruv asked Aliya forwarding his hand and she happily placed her hand in his..
Manik's eyes followed Cabir and Nandini as they moved to the dance floor.. His hands fistened at his side as Cabir placed his hand on Nandini's waist... At the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't a big deal as it was just Cabir.. But what made him angry was that Nandini agreed for the dance inspite of his disapproval.. Dominance, that was his habit, accompanied with possessiveness was surely a deadly combination.. His thoughts came to an abrupt halt with Navya's voice..
"Since you are not gonna ask me, so lemme do the honours.. Dance??" She asked forwarding her hand and Manik looked at her in surprise..
"What??" She asked... "What's the use of my best friend dating this hot piece of ass if I can't even have a moment with him..." She winked at him and he chuckled, holding her hand..
"Seems like my girlfriend having a sexy best friend finally came handy.." He winked back and both of them moved to the dance floor...
Madhyam and mukti were still dancing.. Mukti was lost in him and her trance was broken by his voice..
"Mukti.." He called for her attention..
"Hmm.." She responded lightly..
"You know what it is leading to.. Don't you??" He asked her..
"I didn't get you.." She frowned at him..
"I mean..all this between us..you know.."
"Hmm.." She responded with a thoughtful look..
"Listen.. Before we get deep into this, I want to clear some things.." He told her and she nodded asking him to continue..
"See I am no saint.. I have had girlfriends..and I even had been involved with them sexually.. About you, I feel really attracted towards you.. Mind it, it's no love for me yet.. It may or may not turn out to be so with time.. But for now, attraction is all I feel.. So I can't give you promises for future and all.." He told her casually..
Mukti listened to him very carefully and took her own sweet time to let the words sink in.. True, even she felt attracted towards him.. But that was it.. She couldn't get herself to make peace with all that he said.. Again, it was a 'no love' thing for her..yet again another experiment that could turn out either ways.. What bugged her the most was her inability to decide if she wanted to go ahead with this experiment.. She was confused if Madhyam was her forever.. But then she decided to go with the flow..
"Even I need to tell you things.. Everyone here knows about my past relationships.. And I am not a virgin...better you know that beforehand.. But what I want you to know is that I am not getting into some fling..sure it's no love yet.. But I have expectations.. I want things to work out between us..so if you just want to play, then back off..I am not available.." She warned him..
"Woah..I have a tough girlfriend, I see.." He smirked at her and she smiled hearing his words..
Cabir and Nandini saw Navya and Manik dancing together.. Manik shot them a death glare and held Navya closer.. Cabir shook his head helplessly at the sight... First, he messed up and couldn't even ask his girl for a dance.. Then, to his very bad luck, he had pissed off his best buddy by dancing with his girlfriend.. And now all that was left was to see his girl, who was ignoring him, dancing with his best friend cheerfully..
"Don't worry... She is just teasing you.." Nandini's voice brought Cabir back to earth..
"Huh.." He asked, confused..
"She likes you Cabir.." Her words brought a big smile on his face..
"She told you??" Cabir asked her..
"No..but I know this.. She is my best friend after all.. I am happy for you both, Cabir.." She smiled at him..
"She is so difficult.." Cabir pouted a little and Nandini laughed at his expression..
"All the best Cabir.. This is just the beginning.."
"I guess I need some training from you.. You seem to be an expert at taming wild animals.. A wild cat as a best friend, then a monstrous boyfriend.." Cabir mocked and she chuckled at his words..
"By the way Navya, nice idea.." Manik smirked at Navya while dancing with her..
"Idea??" She raised her brows..
"Yeah.. For making Cabir jealous.. Dance with his best friend and he would come running to you.." Manik told her..
"What jealous?? Why would I make him jealous??" Navya feigned ignorance..
"Oh come on...its not Cabir you are dealing with here.. I am Manik.. I know exactly how girls think.. The way you have been ignoring him all evening.. I know all these games girls play.. It's so obvious you like him.." Manik shrugged..
"Impressive.." Navya smiled.. "So is that what you are doing by dancing with me, making your girlfriend jealous??" She asked..
"Ahaan..she isn't the jealous types..I know it's not gonna affect her even a bit.. I am making your to-be-boyfriend jealous.. He has to pay for stealing my girlfriend after all." He winked at her and both of them chuckled..
"So Dhruv, now that everyone has found their 'special someone' and just the two of us are left, how about we both hook up??" Aliya whispered huskily in Dhruv's ear and he looked at her in shock..
"Aliya.. What.. I mean.. This.." He stuttered and she bursted out laughing..
"Oh my god Dhruv.. Look at you..I was just joking silly.. No need to get worked up.." She said laughing and he sighed sadly..
"Only if you knew how much I want this.." He muttered to himself..
"You said something??"
"Umm no..nothing.."
"But Dhruv.. On a serious note, it's high time you find someone.. You know what.. I will help you.. I will find a perfect girl for you.." She said ebulliently..
"No Aliya.."
"What no?? I said na..I will get you your dream girl.. You just wait and watch.." She said smilingly and Dhruv looked away to hide his emotions..
The music changed to a sensuous romantic song and couples moved even closer.. Manik looked at Nandini longingly.. Cabir, in turn, looked at Navya.. Both of them shared a look and Cabir blinked his eyes assuringly at Manik.. Next moment, both of them twirled their respective partners and positioned themselves such that Nandini landed in Manik's arms and Navya landed in Cabir's arms... Navya tried to move away but Cabir gripped her waist tightly..
"Not anymore Navya.." Cabir said in a husky tone and pulled her closer.. Navya's struggles zeroed under the effect of his proximity..
"Finally... Finally you are where you belong.." He leaned into her and kissed her earlobe while she held on his shoulders tightly..
"Leave me Cabir.." She croaked out in a low voice, trying to control her breathing..
"Ahaan..never.. You have no idea how much I wanted to have you like this...close to me..since you walked into the party...you look breath taking Navya.." He said stroking her cheek..
"I thought I am 'not so beautiful'.." She teased him..
"I think you take me too seriously.."
"So what's the guarantee that you are not joking now.."
"So lemme prove it then.." And with that he placed his lips on hers..
He just sucked her lips once and pulled away, not wanting to share a private moment meant for the two of them in front of so many people.. Navya stood there shocked.. She didn't even have the time to register when he broke the kiss.. As she gained her senses, she looked at him and saw him smirking at her.. Heat rose to her cheeks and she looked away blushing, making him chuckle..
"I guess I did my job pretty well.." He said grinning..
"Job??"
"Yeah.. Job of taming a wild cat.." He teased and she smacked his arm playfully..
Meanwhile, as soon as Nandini landed in Manik's arms, he sighed in satisfaction.. He placed his hands on her waist while she locked her arms around his neck.. Manik pecked on her forehead lovingly while she closed her eyes, relishing the moment..
"This feels perfect..." He said nuzzling in her hair..
"I thought you were enjoying without me.." She said in a mischievous tone raising her brows..
"You were jealous??" He asked smirking..
"Nah..Cabir is quite hot, you see.." She said teasing..
"Really??" He pulled her closer and moved his hands on her bare back.. She gasped at his action..
"What happened baby?? No smart comments??" He asked tracing her spine seductively..
"Maa..aa..nik.." She moaned...
"Mine.." He drawled in a sexy voice and placed a long kiss on her neck while she smiled at his possessiveness...
The couples separated as the music came to an abrupt halt..
"Guys.. It's almost time.." The DJ announced and everyone started hooting...
Together they started the countdown and then the party poppers bursted marking the beginning of a new year..
"Happy new year..." All of them shouted merrily and loud music started blazing while people wished each other..
"Happy new year baby..." Manik pecked Nandini's lips...
"Happy new year Manik.." She pecked on his cheek..
Both of them moved to wish their friends.. all of them wished each other and fab5 had a group hug.. Meanwhile, Navya quickly filled Nandini with her new status update, who in turn congratulated her heartily.. After a while, when everyone was busy among themselves, Manik held Nandini's hand and dragged her outside...
"Manik.. What are you doing??" She asked him..
"Sneaking us out of the party.." He shrugged..
"And why so???"
"Just come with me.. I want to take you somewhere.."
"But Manik.. Everyone is in there.. I didn't even tell Navya.. She would get worried for me.." She said as he opened the passenger door of his car for her..
"Come on Nandini.. If we both are missing, then isn't it quite obvious that we are together?? And they know and they understand that we need some alone time.. So just hop in.." He told, getting impatient whilst frustrated... And she instantly got into the car, looking at his exasperated expression..
The half an hour drive was a silent one as Manik concentrated straight ahead on the road while Nandini kept looking out of the window.. Manik pulled in front of a tall high-rise located in the southern suburbs of Mumbai as he drove into the basement parking.... He quickly got out of the car and moved to her side to open the door for her.. He led her to the elevator and pressed a button on it..
By now Nandini had got an idea about where they were, so she waited patiently.. As the evelator stopped and they stepped outside, she came in view of a plush lobby that led to a single apartment door.. Manik unlocked the door and led her in holding her hand as she looked around in awe.. It was a beautiful two storey penthouse covering the whole twentieth floor of the apartment building..
"Welcome home sweetheart.." He crooned softly as the corners of her lips turned up in a huge smile on her face..
"This is beautiful Manik.." She said as she walked into the huge living room, set up with brown coloured couches and a home theater across the wall..
"Come..let me show you around.." He told leading her..
They had a nice tour of the house and Nandini couldn't be happier.. This house had it all, a living room, music room, an Italian designed kitchen, a running balcony all along the face of the apartment, overlooking the Arabian Sea, a sundeck, lap pool and every other luxury.. She already had her mind running on the changes she wanted to give it a homely look..At last he led her upstairs, that had three bedrooms along with a master bedroom..
As they entered the master bedroom, Nandini looked around the huge room.. The room had a separate division on its left that was the sitting area..on the right was a door that Nandini knew led to the bathroom.. The bathroom had all the facilities with a jacuzzi, a shower stall separated by an opaque glass wall and a vanity.. Adjacent to the door was a huge walk in closet..
In the middle of the room was placed a king sized bed with spring beddings covered in black satin along with black cushions.. The interiors of the room was in white and red and Nandini decided she wanted it that way only.. Red being his favorite and white being one of her own.. Her admiring session was broken by Manik as he placed his arms around her tummy, back hugging her..
"Liked it???" He asked placing his chin on her shoulder..
"I loved it Manik.." She said turning around and sliding her arms around his neck.. "This is a perfect start to the new year.." She said with a never ending smile on her face..
"Ahaan..not yet.." He said as he gently removed her hands locked around his neck..
The next moment she was swept off her feet as he picked her up bridal style and moved towards the bed.. He placed her on the bed gently and moved on top of her, taking her lips for a passionate kiss.. Soon they were devoid of any clothes as the passion of the night took over them.. He kissed, sucked and bit every inch of her skin while she was lying there surrendered, basking in the warmth of his love..
The next few hours, room was filled with their moans and groans as they explored each other once again.. And he claimed her yet again as he entered inside her with a deep thrust while she clawed at his back at the heavenly feeling of him inside her.. She moaned as he started moving inside her..
Slow, gentle, hard, rough, fast, he was all at the same time, making love to her like never before... Together they reached their climax as he drove them to the peaks of pleasure and ecstasy..
Slowly, he pulled out of her and gathered her exhausted form in his arms.. She cuddled herself close to him while he covered both of them with the duvet..
"Now this is the perfect start to the new year.." And he kissed her with all his love..