It was almost six in the evening manik and Mahir had left from pune. They were both travelling in the same car. Wanting to spend some time together, Mahir volunteered to drive. Nandini was sitting in her room and reading a book when she received a call from manik.
Nandini:Hey!
Manik:haan hi! Accha suno meri baat......mujhe na idea mil gaya ki chachi se kya kahege......
Nandini:kya?
Manik: tum na abhi chachi ko bolo ki mere yahan ek chhoti se gathering hai for friends. Aur bolna ki aaj raat sb wohi ruk ne wale hai. I m dead sure chachi maan jayegi.
Nandini: tch manik phir wohi baat. Tum kyu nahi samjhte.
Manik: Kya nandini. Isme kya galat hai.
Nandini: kya galat nahi hai manik. Tum hi batao. Chachi andhi nahi hai. Bohot acche se dikhta bhi hai aur samjhti bhi hai woh.
Manik: agar tumhe itna hi yaqeen hai na nandini ki woh samjhti hai toh phir sach bta do.
Nandini: kya batao ki manik ne bulaya Kyu bulaya yeh nahi pta bas bulaya hai apne ghar, akele.Toh main jao? Aur tumhe lagta hai chachi permission de degi.
Manik: yeh tum janti ho aur main bhi ki tum yeh nahi bol paogi chachi se. Isse accha toh mera idea hai.
Nandini: manik please.
Manik: please what nandini?
Nandini was highly irritated with manik's careless behaviour while manik was now pissed listening to nandini deny all his attempts.
Nandini: tum samjhte kyu nahi mani. Ab main aur jhoot nahi bolne wali chachi se. I m tired of lying each time. Aur hum jhoot kyu bole manik. Kya hum kuch galat kar rhe hai?
Manik: nandini......Fine theek hai. Agar aise baat hai toh aaj hi hum chachi ko bta dege about us.
Nandini: manik I don't belong to a family that is like yours. Chachi ight be very cool. But Chacha and Amms. What about them. Manik my family is a very conserved one.
Manik: toh conserved hai toh kabhi btayege hi nahi. Humesha yun hi manik nhi, manik no, manik aaj nahi, manik go, manik Koi aa jayega yahi karte rahe ga kya hum.
Nandini: we need to give time to my family manik. Tumne dekha hai na Amms doesn't really like you much. You first need to get into her good books. And Chacha.....he is very very protective about me and Rishabh. And abhi bhai ki toh baat hi alag hai. Tum kyu nahi samjhte.
Manik: main Sirf itna maang rha hoon nandini that I want you to be there with me today. Mujhe nahi pta kitna time lagega to sort out everything isiliye main bol rha hoon ki aaj raat mere yahan ruk jao.
Nandini: aur main bhi sirf yahi bol rhi hoon ki hum yeh kal college main bhi kar skate hai jo bhi tumhe sort out karna hai. Main kal raat ko ek baaje ghar aayi. Aaj phir tum chahte ho ki main tumhare saath raho. Chacha chachi ke saamne kya kahu main.
Manik now lost the little patience that he had and yelled.
Manik: FINE. KARO JO KARNA HAI TUMHE. MUJHE AB INN SAB CHEEZON KI AADAT DAAL LAANI CHAHIYE. EK DIN MERE ITNE QAREEB AUR DUSRE DIN MUJHE HI DHAKKA MAAR KE DUR KAR DO.
What manik didn't realise was that Mr. Malhotra who was seated in the car too could hear their conversation. Mahir was shocked seeing his son controlling his anger. As soon as manik yelled Mahir placed his hand on manik's shoulder. Manik who was too drowned in his anger ruthlessly jerked Mahir's hand away.
Nandini: Manik meri baat toh samjho.......
Manik: nahi samjhna mujhe kuch. Tum karo apni mann maani. Aur mujhse baat sirf tab karna jab tumne apna decision badal liya ho.
Manik in anger threw his phone in the back seat while Mahir smiled.
Mahir:toh nandini naam hai uska.
Manik's eyes shot open and he looked at mahir who was looking ahead on the road.
Mahir: har kisi ka sochna dusre insaan se alag hota hai.
Manik looked at Mahir and that is when realisation dawned on him that he fought with nandini in front of Mahir. Mahir smiled and blinked his eyes while manik tired forcing a smile on his face. He threw his head back and closed his eyes.
Mahir: jaanta hai manik......Nyonika was never my first choice......Infact choice toh dur ki baat hai.....majboor tha main uss waqt.......mujhe ek aise insaan ki zaroorat thi jo mere business ko financially support kare aur usse ek sir pe ek chhat......
This came as a total shocker for manik. He sat straight and looked at Mahir with wide eyes while Mahir had at broken, sad, hurt smile on his face hat was reflected in his eyes.
Mahir: socha tha over period of time shayad pyaar bhi ho jaye. Sach batao toh Nyonika aisi kabhi nahi thi. Aur hum na usse blame bhi nahi kar sakte manik!
Manik snorted.
Manik: aap aaj bhi ussi ki side le rhe hai. Har baar! Kaise! Kaise kr lete hai dad aap. Saari sacchai jaan ke bhi aap usse har baar jaane dete hai.
Mahir: jaanta hoon lekin uska tere aur mere alawa aur koi nahi hai manik. Uski family ne usko ghar se nikal diya tha kyu ki uski shaadi nahi ho rhi thi. Ek talented ladki jiska mind itna sharp ho ek chawl main le rhi thi. Aur yeh koi normal chawl nahi thi manik.
Manik: matlab?
Mahir: ek brothel tha woh. Shukr mano unn logo ka jo unhone Nyonika ko pannah di woh bhi bina usse koi harm kare. Warna aaj na tum yaha hote aur na main. Sirf aur sirf uski wajah se tum aur main yaha hain. Atleast iss baat ke liye toh hume usse maaf karna chahiye na manik.
Manik: maaf toh tab karte hai na dad jab samne wale ko iss baat ka guilt ho. Nyonika ko nahi koi guilt hai nahi koi sharam toh hum kyu mahaan bane.
Mahir: shayad isiliye maine teri baat maan li.
Mahir's voice was heavy. He wore hiss aviators to hide his red eyes. Manik too looked out of the window. His conversation with nandini kept playing in his mind. Just yesterday they promised each other to support each other and today they were fighting. Manik let out a sigh. He was lost in his thoughts. They had entered mumbai city.
Mahir: toh kaha hai uska ghar?
Manik: huh? Kya?
Mahir: tere Dil Ki raani tak paunch ne ka raasta.
Manik blushed. He bit his lip.
Manik: it's okay main kal usse college main mil lunga aur waise bhi we need to be home so that things can be settled.
Mahir: main waise bhi Malhotra Industries jaa rha hoon.
Manik: kyu?
Mahir: maine bola na tujhe ki mujhpe chhod de.
Manik simply nodded. Mahir dropped manik at nandini's house and left for Malhotra Industries to gather information against Nyonika. He walked inside the office. It was almost 8 and the office was nearly empty. Mahir walked towards Nyonika's cabin. He was about to open the door but stopped dead in his tracks on hearing moaning sounds.
Unable to stand there he walked to the cabin at the end of the corridor that belonged to him. Going in he banged the door hard and let hell break loose. Though he explained manik, but he himself was disgusted and hurt and broken. He just wanted strangle Nyonika to death but that would mean entering her cabin and seeing her in a state that he would never be able to handle.
He pulled out his phone and opened his gallery. Going through certain photos he stopped at one particular picture. An immediate smile adorned his face seeing the picture. He felt himself calming down seeing the photo. He kissed on the mobile screen and murmured.
Mahir: I love you.
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Nandini's house.
Manik rang the bell. For the first time he was hell nervous. He didn't know what to say as to why was he there at 8 in the night. Breathing in fresh air manik boosted himself. To his good and bad, both, luck chachi opened the door.
Good luck as it was easy to cinvince chachi using his sona munda charms while bad luck as he didn't know what would he tell.
Manik: aa.....err.....aa.....hi...hi...chachi.
Chachi: Arrey manik! Tum yaha! Bohot sahi time pe aaye ho. Maine na aaj ek nayi dish try ki hai. Aao aao.
Manik cursed himself more now. He looked towards the ceiling. He then looked at Rishabh who was sitting there and giggling at manik's state.
With eyes Manik requested Rishabh to help him escape. Rishabh nodded. Manik then eyed Rishabh towards nandini's room. Rishabh smirked and got up. He in actions told chachi that he was taking manik to his room. Chachi agreed.
Manik: thanks yaar champ
Rishabh showed a thumbs up and moved to his room while manik pushed open nandini's door. He very well knew that except at night Nandini never locked her room. He entered in to see Nandini struggling to free her Manan and musical tie bracelet that had got tangled in each other.
Nandini was highly pissed, irritated and angry with herself as well as manik. She didn't knew what to do that would help her. She was already missing manik. Not seeing him the whole day had already made her mad and the fight had just acted as an oil to already burning fire.
Nothing seemed to lessen her anger. Not even music. Everything just seemed to add to her irritation. And now the tangled bracelets made her more irritated. So much that tears started spilling out of her eyes. She jerked her own hand in anger.
Manik, who was standing near the locked door and smiling seeing her irritated face, sighed seeing tears spilling out of her eyes. Nandini was sobbing looking down. She got and fell on the bed hiding her face in the pillow and crying hysterically. She raised her hand to wipe her tears when she saw the bracelets from her hands missing. Raising herself a little she searched for the bracelets.
Nandini: abhi toh haath main tha.....Aise kaise nikal gaya. Aiyappa! Mujhe pta bhi nahi chala........
Nandini was now crying uncontrollably. She was still looking around when she felt someone's fingers skim her exposed neck skin. She knew who that someone was. And now she knew where her bracelets were. Angrily she thumped on the bed and slept covering herself with the blanket.
Minutes later she felt the blanket being raised off her. She was about to pull it back when a hand stopped her. She turned around to see manik standing there with his charming smile melting half of her anger.
Manik too lied down beside her and engulfed her small frame in his large ones. He kissed her chubby red puffy cheeks. Nandini, though angry snuggled in him.
Nandini: kyu pareshaan kar rhe ho?
Manik:maza aata hai pareshaan karne main.
Nandini: mujhse ladne main tumhe maza aata hai?
Manik: haan kyu ki phir tumhe manane ke bahane tumhara paas aane ka mauka milta hai. Warna toh tum mujhe apne paas kaha aane deti ho.
Nandini turned around and hit him on his stomach. Manik fake winced. He pulled her more into him while she happily snuggled. Nandini raised her head to look at him. Manik too lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
Nandini: ab ladoge mujhse phir kabhi?
Manik smirked: haan. Bilkul. Roz ladunga.
Nandini made a bad face and glared at him. She looked away to express her anger. Manik smiled and leaned a little more closer. He whispered in her ears.
Manik: lekin I promise aaj ke baad meri wajah se kabhi bhi in beautiful eyes se tears nahi aayege. I promise.
Nandini hugged him tightly. Manik too wrapped his arms around her. Not seeing each other the whole day had made them a mess. This is how they are. They can't be away from each other but when together they can't keep themselves away from fights.
Nandini: tumhari uncle se baat hui?
Manik: haan baat bhi hui aur dad bhi mere saath aaye hai.
Nandini: suddenly kyu?
Manik: suddenly nahi. He told me in the morning only when I spoke to him. He agreed with me. Infact he wants to meet you.
Nandini: hain?
Nandini pulled away from him all startled.
Manik: haan......
Manik then narrated all that had happened from morning till the time Mahir dropped him at her place.
Nandini: manik you shouldn't have spoken to him that rudely.
Manik rolled his eyes.
Manik: ab toh tumhe sab pata hai na. Toh ab chalogi mere saath.
Nandini: lekin manik it's your family matter usme mera kya kaam.
Manik: You are family too nandini. And I am not doing this without having you besides me.
Nandini: manik I am always there with you. But this......I can't be there. I am an outsider. Uncle and Nyonika might not like it.
Manik: FYI, Your UNCLE himself wants to meet you and wants you to be there. And about Nyonika, then do you think I care.
Nandini had nothing to say. She simply nodded. He was right. She needs to be there. Not to witness the drama that would unfold. But to handle manik who was surely going to be hell angry and make a mess. Nyonika was not an easy fish to catch. She surely would say or do something that would make manik loose his temper. And that is where she would be needed.
Nandini got ready meanwhile manik managed to convince chacha and chachi both. When nandini came down, Manik and she bid bye to Chacha and Chachi and drove away in manik's car that he had called for.
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