Fab5 and Nandini were at a restaurant having dinner.
Mukti : "By the way Nandini, even you might end up being in the same position as me in the future."
Nandini : "I didn't understand what you meant by that."
Mukti : "If you end up falling in love with someone or the other way around, you will go through the same situation as me, unless..."
Mukti didn't want to state explicitly that she was referring to Manik, so she thought for a while as to how to say it.
Mukti : "..unless he is already pre-approved by them."
Nandini let out a chuckle hearing Mukti.
Cabir : "What did you find funny that you are laughing to yourself?"
Nandini : "It was nothing."
Mukti : "He isn't going to let you go until you tell him."
Nandini : "You said pre-approved. I was wondering how do you get a person pre-approved. I have heard of getting an application pre-approved. You can get approval before marriage too, but how do you get a person approved and then fall in love? That's it, but I under..."
Cabir : "You are younger than all of us, but you are trying to making fun of us. See how things have changed, the younger generation doesn't have respect for us anymore."
Cabir was being quite dramatic.
Nandini : "I haven't finished yet and you gave an altogether different meaning to it. I have a doubt if today is some 'misunderstanding day'. I wasn't making fun of her. That's what came to my mind first when I heard her, but I understood what you meant. If it isn't a person they already know well, you won't be allowed to proceed further till you get their approval like how it happened with you. Anyways, I don't have to worry about it now. I will pray to god that I don't end up falling in love at least for a few years."
Nandini didn't know that her god wouldn't listen to her in this matter. The path was already laid long back, and she was traveling on that path too, it was only the realization which was pending. She felt it funny when Mukti used the word pre-approved, but she didn't know that that is what is going to happen in her case. Both Nandini and Manik were already pre-approved by their family and friends.
Cabir : "But why?"
Nandini : "When the elders are still single, how can I disrespect them by moving ahead of them. I have to wait till you find someone, that isn't going to happen till you shift your focus from food to girls. We gave you an opportunity too today, but you didn't budge from the table. So I think I will have to find a girl who can distract you first, only then can I think of myself. That isn't going to be an easy task. It will take at least a few years."
Cabir : "I have to be careful with you. You are turning my words against me. You are also planning to take me away from my first love so that you can setup your love life. These two, especially you Manik, this is all because of you, you have spoilt her. See how she has changed, she was the only one who used to support me, now even she has changed teams."
Nandini : "Why are you accusing him? Nothing has changed, I am still on your side in that matter. You have been twisting my words, so I tried to do the same. I was only kidding and you became serious."
Manik : "He and serious? The word serious doesn't exist in his dictionary. Anything and everything is a joke to him, so you don't have to take him seriously."
Cabir : "I agree I was kidding, but who asked you to interfere and spoil the fun. Maybe Nandini hasn't changed teams, but you have for sure. You became her savior and forgot our life long friendship."
Nandini : "Even now he is sitting right next to you and you are telling that he has forgotten your friendship."
Cabir : "If I talk something against you, he comes to your rescue. If I talk something against him, you come to his rescue. I am getting confused if he is your savior or you are his savior."
Nandini : "Have you forgotten? You made me everyone's savior for today."
Dhruv : "That's the only good thing he has done for the day. Otherwise, he has been over dramatic. I have begun to doubt if he had drinks without my knowledge."
Manik : "He isn't drunk. Either he is hyper because of something he ate, or he is spending energy and making place for next round of eating."
Cabir : "Dhruv, I thought at least you will be on my side, but even you betrayed me. Everyone left me alone."
Abhi : "Don't worry Cabir. We will find a girl to give you company like how Nandini said. Then we don't have to bear with your excessive drama or obsessive food habits."
Cabir : "Why? Are you feeling jealous seeing me happy, so you are trying to pull me into your category?"
Abhi : "Why will I feel jealous of you?"
Cabir : "Because I don't have to bear tantrums like you."
Their banter continued. They all had dinner and left home.
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Cabir went with Manik, he had to figure out if his plan had worked.
Cabir : "What was the owner whispering to you?"
Manik had figured out why Cabir was there by then, so he spoke the truth.
Manik : "He was advising me that it isn't easy to get a partner who is compatible with you in all respects, so I shouldn't let go of Nandini."
Cabir : "What did you respond to him?"
Manik : "I agreed with him."
Cabir : "Your participation in the competition served a good purpose. You realized that Nandini is the right life partner for you."
Manik : "Do you really think that today's competition made me realize that?"
Cabir : "Isn't it so? You said you agreed with what the owner said."
Manik : "I agreed with not letting her go, but it isn't the competition that made me realize that. The competition was just a combination of some small made up tests. Haven't I gone through a much bigger test or exam in life?"
Cabir : "Which test are you talking about?"
Manik : "The day Nandini was kidnapped, shot and was fighting for her life was the biggest exam of my life so far."
Cabir : "Do you mean to say that you realized on that day itself?"
Manik : "Not really. Like how you don't get results of the exam immediately, even I didn't realize on that day. I wasn't in a position to understand or analyze anything at that time. So many things happened in just a matter of few days. I didn't know what to do or what to make out of what I felt, so I thought that it was better to concentrate on setting things right. I felt that it was more important to comfort Nandini and bring her back to normal than focus on how I felt at that time. However, I couldn't forget that day or how I felt on that day."
Manik : "I felt emotions which I never felt before. First, Nandini was in danger miles away from me, but I felt the sensations of being in danger. I am definitely not a superhero to sense danger. It isn't that my close ones haven't been in danger before, but I never sensed it, then how did I feel it in her case. I never believed in it till then, but I went ahead and acted upon it. Then I saw her in a vulnerable state, her tears pricked my heart. She was hurt, but I could feel her pain. When I was waiting outside the operation theater, I was scared to death. There was a strange feeling as though everything had come to a standstill. It felt as though my breath was stuck and my heart had forgotten to beat. At that time, the thought which came to my mind was what am I going to do without her, if something happens to her. If being her savior was what connected me to her, I should have been scared for her, but how could I feel that my life depended on her?"
Manik : "Once Nandini was out of danger, at first, I thought that I was feeling responsible for what happened with her. Then I realized that I was concerned for her, from the time I met her. I had tried convincing myself giving some reason or the other, but I was never sure of what the actual reason was. So when she considered me her savior, I accepted that that was what connected us. Even earlier I couldn't see her upset, but they were small issues and they got resolved quickly, and I didn't have to think about it later. But what she had to go through on that day or the days that followed was a much bigger issue."
Manik : "I have been thinking of her all the time and I couldn't be at peace with myself till she got back to normal. No one forced me to be with her or do anything for her, but I tried to find ways to be with her. I have done everything, even things which I haven't done before, to bring her back to normal. I knew she was important to me, but I don't know when she became so important that my life started revolving around her and her happiness and sorrow became mine. It was that day and the days that followed which made me realize what she really means to me. I knew their was some sort of a connection, but it wasn't what I thought or what she thought. It is a lot more stronger than that. The result of today's competition was just a reflection at surface level, but I feel that the connection we share is a lot more deeper than that. My life is interconnected with hers, so I can't let her go."
During the party, when Cabir and Nandini mentioned about finding someone special, this is what was going on his mind.
"I don't have to meet anyone to find the special one, you are right in front of me. You walked into my life long back, but it took time for me to realize. As always you are right again that you never know when and where you will meet the special one, but how do I say it to you?"
When she asked him how his heartbeats were so calm, his thoughts were :
"When you are with me and I know you are safe, my heart is always at peace. It becomes restless when you aren't fine. I wish that you are with me always like this and I shield you from all the obstacles in your life."
Cabir : "Hmm... so all that philosophy you were imparting to Mukti was based on this. Why didn't you tell me before? I was putting in efforts to make you both think in that direction for no reason. You are already head over heels for her."
Manik : "I have seen how you have been pestering Mukti in the past. I didn't want to be the target of your crazy ideas, but today, I realized what you were trying to do, so I decided to tell you. You don't have to put efforts now."
Cabir (sarcastically) : "You did a great favor by telling it to me."
Manik : "Leave the sarcasm aside, you are still the first one to know."
Cabir : "When are you planning to tell her? From her talks, it doesn't look like she knows what you feel for her. Also, it doesn't look like she feels the same for you. What will you do if she doesn't reciprocate your feelings?"
Manik : "I haven't thought about it yet. She has just moved on from that incident and got back to normal. Moreover, I don't want to distract her from her dreams, so definitely not so soon. I will have to wait for sometime."
Manik : "She is aware that there is some sort of connection between us. Considering the situation in which we met, the only possibility which she could think of, was labeling me as her savior, so that is what she believes even now. I can't say about love, but she feels the same as me when it comes to everything else. I could sense only when she was in danger, but she has been able to sense when I am around from quite sometime. It may take time, but I strongly feel that she will also realize sooner or later. If she doesn't, I will make her realize."
Manik was very patient when it came to Nandini. He was confident too that she will reciprocate his feelings sooner or later, but Cabir was impatient. He wanted to figure out what Nandini really felt for Manik. He wanted to ensure that Manik gets the happiness he deserved. He didn't want Manik to lose Nandini by delaying, especially when he felt so strongly for her. Cabir started thinking of ways to achieve the same.