It was sunny bright Wednesday. Town was certainly sighing in relief for the hump day. But there was a bunch of boys who had every reason to be more than excited for the following day. That hilly town hardly had anything for those cadets who barely got time to enjoy and when they were given a chance, they were going to celebrate it like there's no tomorrow.
Manik sat on bench watching a busy street. He glanced at his watch and then at lively cafe across the road where young tourists were going crazy for God knew what. Dumping the empty box of dumplings in bin, Manik got up to kill the time in some other way. He was growing impatient. It was more than half an hour since Harshad had gone inside of that cafe to find a date. Manik was stuck with philanderer friend of his. He saw Harshad coming out with grin and he shook his head. He crossed the road dodging few bicycles.
"This place is oozing hotness," Harshad exhaled the joy.
"Dude, You have taken this date thing to another level," Manik marked his annoyance.
A girl came outside and waved at Harshad.
"She is hot, isn't she?" Harahd asked Manik while waving at that girl.
Friend of that girl came out as well and glanced at boys. She whispered something into her friend's ear and both girls looked at Manik with a face Manik could never appreciate. Girls smiled at him and then asked them both to join. Manik scrunched his nose as if would die out of disgust if had to stay there any longer.
"You all are ridiculous," Manik muttered and walked away.
Harshad followed him laughing and held his shoulder to calm him down.
"Relax, Gentleman," Harshad said slowing his friend down.
"I don't wanna relax. Here I am worried how I am going to..." Manik started to rant about how he was going to ask Nandini properly but then he couldn't tell Harshad that he and Nandini were fine.
"What?" Harshad asked clueless.
"Nothing, it's just I have a lot to sort out, Bro," Manik covered up.
"You know friend of my date was really interested in you. If you are okay, I can hook you up," Harshad tried to help only to get a growl from Manik.
"How can you even say that?" Manik yelled in middle of mart only to attract attention of few passerby.
"Why are you shouting?" Harshad was clueless.
"How can you even think about hooking me..." Manik slowed down realizing how he was shouting a bit too loud.
"When you know..." Manik hinted towards his thing with Nandini. He gestured to Harshad through eyes to get it by himself.
"When what?" Harshad was being dumb.
"When you know...about...me and Nandini," Manik completed glaring him.
"You mean standing under the lamppost every night and getting unique punishments," Harshad uttered and few girls who were standing by a shop laughed.
Apparently two handsome cadets in mart were center of attraction.
"There is nothing like that," Manik chided.
He would have thrown it in Harshad's face but then he couldn't risk someone jinxing it. Apart from that, he had no guts to explain what happened that night to Harshad. He just couldn't divulge the details, besides Nandini wasn't completely convinced yet.
"You think first what you want and about what you are worried, okay?" Harshad had have enough.
He walked ahead leaving a fuming Manik behind.
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Nandini walked in corridor of academy looking for only face she wanted to see but he was nowhere to be seen. Senior batch was performing a drill in adjacent ground and Nandini could hear Kalra barking at them for getting distracted. She simpered while Kalra glared her turning around. His eyes could tell how unhappy he was after seeing Nandini there. Nandini took turn towards Colonel Singh's office snatching the view of men in ground.
"What a pleasant surprise!" Colonel Singh got up from his chair as soon as Nandini entered his cabin.
Nandini smile warmly at her Uncle Singh and he welcomed her with a warm hug.
"How are you, SIR?" Nandini asked playfully and Colonel laughed.
"Now I am fine," He answered sincerely.
He peeped into Nandini's eyes only to convey her how he was happy seeing her there. He and Sahiba knew it all, kids were just unaware of it. They didn't want to intervene knowing how Madhav was the ringmaster here.
"What brought you here?" Colonel asked.
"A certain something," Nandini answered vaguely.
"I guess that certain something is not here at the moment," Colonel Singh quipped and laughed at his own joke.
"I was talking about my job, Uncle," Nandini replied flustered.
"It's still yours," Colonel cleared it.
"My college is opening from next week," Nandini informed lowly.
"And I want to keep the job as well," She wanted to have it.
"Work in evenings then," Colonel simplified it for her.
She smiled and lounged on her uncle to give a compulsory thank you hug.
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Sitting beside a horse while it grazed, Nandini looked at evening sky. She wanted to see Manik before she leaves but that guy had gone to some serious shopping. Well, that's what his friends told her. Sun was drowning in mystery of mountains and there she was, waiting to see the man who had left her a notch higher and now was nowhere to be seen.
Horse neighed and Nandini looked around to find activity going slow.
"Where the hell is this man?" She mumbled angrily.
Getting down the concrete ledge, she dusted her jeans to move towards exit. As she reached the main gate, she saw Manik and Harshad entering the domain holding some shopping bags. She folded her arms across her chest only to show him beforehand that she was angry. Harshad looked up and gasped as he saw Nandini there. He turned around and walked back to Manik who was cursing the bags in his hand.
"She is here," Harshad whispered.
"Don't irritate me more, Harshad," Manik said irked.
"Nandini is here," Harshad tried to cut the chase they were about to do with words. Manik's eyes roamed around to find her standing at door of academy. Manik's lips parted in surprise seeing her there.
"Act normal, it's golden chance," Harshad murmured plastering a smile.
Nandini pursed her lips to convey her annoyance but doing anything with Manik had a stupid reflex associated. Manik read her face and tilted his head only to pace towards her but then she was being grumpy and she had to act. She walked towards her jeep and he followed her like a lost kitten. She had might to make him anything she wished.
Nandini didn't know what got into her that she behaved that way but something had changed between them. He was more than a pull and that wasn't funny anymore. She could feel her flesh burning by just being around him. Things were changing. She glanced at him and then drove off. She hit the wheel all frustrated at herself, she had waited there to meet him and now when he came in front of her, she couldn't bear the heat of her own heart.
Manik saw her jeep disappearing in grey of evening and tried to depict what was wrong with her.
"She is one firebrand," Harshad quipped holding Manik's shoulder.
"It was so unlike her," Manik murmured still lost in his thoughts.
Harshad dragged him inside but only Manik knew how much he was craving to be with her.
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Nandini stood on lowermost bar of iron railing as she let the night wind sooth her. Feeling of cold iron in her bare feet was more than relaxing, she wrapped her arms around her belly as cold raised her pores. She closed her eyes only to see her cadet looking at her after that thing he thought was kiss. She opened her eyes finding her throat going dry.
She kissed him, he kissed her. And now things were messier. They both were on same page, but neither of them knew how to read this book any further. There were words hidden under white of paper and they could be seen only if they let the ink loose. It was going to be a battle of paper and ink for them to find a way ahead.
She shook her head and turned around only to find Daadu standing at door of her room. She was in balcony since an hour. Daadu smiled in milky moonlight seeing her hellion wearing a face he had never seen. She looked solemn and that was unlike her. A lady was standing in front of him who always had might to put the world on fire but now she seemed to have it inside her warming her bit by bit.
"I never knew you could be quiet for that long?" Daadu started.
Nandini walked to him only to dive into his chest. Daadu patted her back to soothe her and she sighed.
"You want to talk about something?" Daadu asked trying to see her face.
"Nothing you can help with," She answered, her voice low.
Daadu chuckled and walked her inside.
"Even I was young once," He tried to coax her to open up.
Nandini looked to be in some thought as she stared his face blankly.
"I cannot discuss," She sealed the open letter her face was by diving into her pillow.
She could not talk about that kiss and feeling which followed with Daadu any further. It wasn't something to discuss. It was just too raw to even word.
Daadu kissed her head before he walked out of her room.
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She didn't know it was taste of his lips or what she poured into that kiss, it was intoxicating. Nandini wore her loose sweater and tied her hair in a messy bun. She was going to see him today and she was sure there won't be ring of fire anymore.
She got out of her room and leaped downstairs. Her father looked at her and she looked away trying not to get into anything because all she needed at that moment was Manik. Before she could reach the door, someone rang the doorbell. Servant ran to take the door and Nandini waited. Person on other side peeped in. There stood a suited Manik holding a box in his hand. Nandini gaped him in disbelief while servant gave him a way. He walked in and first person he saw was her. He smiled nervously. She didn't return the smile but her skin turned radiant. She was ablaze.
Mrs Murthy cleared her throat to draw her husband's attention towards Manik. Mr Murthy folded the newspaper and observed the suited young man nervously looking at his daughter.
"What are you doing here?" He yelled breaking the moment for Nandini.
Manik straightened as he saw Mr Murthy walking towards him with an apparent ire. Nandini stood where she was not wanting to intervene. She wanted to know why Manik was there.
"What are you doing here?" Mr Murthy asked as he reached Manik.
Manik looked at Nandini and then at Mr Murthy.
"I need your permission, Sir," Manik stated politely.
Nandini's heartbeats went berserk and she hated that disorder. That man all suited up was turning her into a mess.
"What permission?" Mr Murthy asked narrowing his eyes.
"May I take your daughter out on a date?" Manik asked as sincerely as he could when it was all trampoline inside him. He was jumping and he had no control over it.
Mr Murthy's eyes grew wider and those big eyes shouted for anger.
Nandini blinked her eyes several times trying to register how her timid kitten had entered the lion's den and was daring him in most polite form.
"How dare you?" Mr Murthy shouted and Mrs Murthy held his arm sensing something unpleasant coming.
"I have this invitation for open house and I would like to take Nandini with me. It's strictly an army event," Manik elaborated even when he knew Mr Murthy's concern was not what he thought.
"You have crossed every freaking limit, Young man," Mr Murthy said holding collar of Manik. Manik flinched a bit but didn't let it show on his face. He had to do it, if he backed out now, he would lose her forever. He had to resume it from where he had lost it.
Mr Murthy felt little palms of his daughter undoing his fists as she glowered at him. Her eyes held so much and suddenly Mr Murthy realized how much he had missed in her life. She looked like a distant dream even when she was standing just a step away. A pang hit his chest and he blamed it on fatherly instinct. He hated being emotionally wrenched so he wore that anger again. His hands let go of Manik's collar as she stepped between him and Manik.
Manik felt her stepping on his boots as she always did as she faced her father. Her hands held sides of his coat for support as she stared into her father's eyes. Manik held her wrists from behind to keep her steady. He didn't know what was she up to.
Mr Murthy dreaded her retort because he could see that little rebel taking it on another level.
"And game is over, dad," She whispered peeping into his eyes.
"You lose, we win," She added and Mr Murthy tried to find himself in her eyes. She was as stubborn as he was. She was just like him, but he could never accept that fact. She just challenged him and that ended the little scope for a little treaty.
"We don't need anyone's permission to do things we want to," She declared while squeezing Manik's hand which were holding her hands now.
Mr Murthy looked past her to glare the man because of whom all of it was happening. Manik didn't take his eyes away.
Mr Murthy walked away urgently not knowing how to deal with those two at the moment.
"You are a shame to this family," Mrs Murthy said bitterly before following her angry husband.
Manik encircled her stomach and whispered in her ear, "You are the best thing happened to me."
It was beyond his understanding how parents could be that harsh on their child. He had never felt warmth of his parents and he assumed parents were protectors but here he was seeing a contrast. He would have not taken two seconds to blame himself for this messed up family equation if he didn't know they both weren't standing wrong. They had tried to do otherwise, they failed. There cannot be any argument further.
"Will you be my date, Nandini?" He asked softly.
His heat was warming her disturbed heart.
"If that means I get to do whatever I want with you, then yes," She stated and he looked down smiling.
"Deal isn't that bad, Cadet," She added turning around to face him.
"It cannot get any better," He replied.
Nandini gazed him for few seconds before she dragged him outside holding his hand. He followed her like a spellbound prey.
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Sitting on bonnet of her jeep which was standing on edge of cliff, she pulled him closer. He didn't protest because he knew he couldn't risk. It was almost after eternity that they were like this.
She unbuttoned his coat and he gasped. Stopping her was bad, bad idea. She slid the coat down his shoulder. Her breaths fanned his throat as she did that. Her hands slid down his torso and Manik jumped in his place. She brutally took his tucked shirt out of his pant.
"What are you doing?" He asked baffled.
She loosened top two buttons of his shirt to let his neck breathe. It felt good if he was asked.
Her hand raised to ruffle his set hair and he clicked his lips in irritation.
"It took me an hour to set them," He whined.
"Now you look fine," She said after having a lazy look.
Manik glared her and she giggled.
"You know it took me two hours last night to iron this suit," He was being reasonable.
She giggled more. Her bare feet touched sides of his thighs as she swayed like a stray wisp.
He turned serious as he saw her laughing carefree. He stepped closer where he could look into her eyes properly. Standing between her legs, he gazed her.
"You still angry with me?" He asked. He deserved an award for being stuck up with obvious things but then world wasn't generous.
"What do you think?" She asked sincerely.
"I think after everything today, I am forgiven," He stated unsure and she added to his uncertainty with that stern face.
"So what you did today was for my forgiveness?" She asked.
He looked to be in some thought.
"No," He replied.
"I did it because I wanted you to be my date," He said as his palms rested on either side of bonnet.
She smiled and he bit his lip. It was time for awkwardness to kick in.
They kept looking at each other without breaking the chain. She waited for him to surprise her like other day and he could not even think of committing that again. Both were anticipating something but were too raw to say it.
He leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her cheek and she smiled. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she rested her head against his ear. He didn't take second to embrace her.
When they think things had sorted, a sweet storm was evolving. And this time, it was going to drench them like never before.
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Unedited*
A/N
Apologies for being MIA. I seriously hated this delay. Work pressure is leaving me no time to write. I shall find a balance soon. Thanks for all the patience and love. :)