Hello Fam :)
Happy Reading...
It was during lunch when Cabir realized he hadn't listened to a single word in any of the classes during the first half. He had multiple thoughts running in every direction as Nandini's words from the morning were playing repeatedly in his mind. Slinging his bag over his shoulders, he went to the canteen. He would tackle one plan at a time.
The canteen was crowded as usual but he found the person he was searching for at her usual table. He also noticed the absence of his brother from the group and mentally thanked his luck. He strolled towards them and sat in front of the head girl, who was stuffing her mouth with a cheeseburger. "What's up, guys?", he greeted everyone.
Nandini frowned. "Why are you sitting with us? Don't you have friends of your age? Go sit with them."
Cabir smirked. "I am."
"That face has a story behind it. Isn't Manik your elder brother?", asked Abhimanyu.
Mukti raised an eyebrow. "Unless you want to tell us that you two are twins?"
Cabir bows his head down dramatically.
Nandini's brows furrowed in confusion. "But he calls you kid and we thought you were younger than him", she asked.
"I am a whole 4 minutes and 36 seconds younger than him. Un-identical twins", explained Cabir as he popped a french fry from Nandini's plate.
She rolled her eyes and slapped his hand. "Un-identical in every way", she muttered.
Cabir glared at her and tried to snatch the french fry again.
"But how are you an academic year younger to him", asked Abhimanyu, halting them in their fight.
"I love wildlife photography", explained Cabir. "I was doing an internship for a year."
"Really?", asked Mukti excitedly, "Where were you?"
Cabir smirked all the while looking at Nandini. "While you guys are stuffing yourself with the cheeseburgers of your canteen, I was camping with the wildlife of Africa."
Nandini gritted her teeth. "I will kill you if you are mocking me."
"No, really? Is cheeseburger your favorite? I have just joined the college and I have seen you more number of times with the cheeseburgers than you attending classes", teased Cabir. "How do you even manage your figure despite eating all those junk? Do you workout?"
"Do you want me to punch you?", retorted Nandini.
"Are you trying ways to touch me?", he asked and winked, clearly enjoying the pissed off look on her face.
"You are so dead today, Malhotra", said Nandini and stood up from her chair.
It was only because Abhimanyu had a grip on her hand as he pulled her back to her place. "Guys, you are fighting like kids", he said before giving Cabir a grin. "On a serious note, it's wow, Cabir. Your internship, I mean. It's cool."
Nandini slapped Abhimanyu's hand, freeing herself. "It's not cool. He is a Jungli. Forests are his natural habitats", she told and turned to face Cabir, pointing a finger in his direction. "And you, stop being clingy and go make your own friends."
Cabir frowned. "What's wrong with you? Why are you behaving as if I have eaten your cheeseburger? It's just the fries."
"I will break all your bones if you even try to think about coming near my cheeseburger", warned Nandini.
Cabir smirked at her as he leaned back casually. "You are really so desperate to touch me, right? I know, I am handsome."
She looked at him in disbelief. "Get lost", she told and stormed out of the canteen.
Cabir chuckled and popped a potato wedge in his mouth.
"Bro", called Abhimanyu, "I know, you are new and don't know her properly but don't push her so much unless you want to get killed by her."
Cabir gave him a smile and stood up in his place. "Let me bring her back", he declared.
"Are you sure? It's dangerous", warned Mukti.
He just winked at them in reply before running in the direction the head girl left. He made a mental note to do his homework on the two since they will be around Manik more often. Of course, the sympathetic looks they gave Cabir while he was leaving earned them brownie points each in his books.
"Nandini", yelled Cabir as he found her outside the canteen.
She halted on her steps, turned around and pointed a threatening finger at him. "Stop following me. I could kill you right now, right here."
Cabir chuckled. "Of course, if not anything, I could definitely trust you on that. But everything back there in the canteen was intentional. I wanted to speak to you alone for a moment."
She crossed her arms defensively in front of her and gave him a sarcastic smile. "Really, now, Mr. Cabir Malhotra? As if I am interested to talk to you at all. And alone? Have you too lost your heart to me?"
Cabir winced internally. This girl was different from what she appears to be if her getting defensive over a simple line is anything to go by. He shoved his hands in his pockets. It was more for the head girl's comfort than his, giving her a clear idea that he wouldn't try anything. He filed the information to research later too. "I guess you got too many proposals than you are comfortable with. But sorry, no. I have lost my heart to someone else. Not you", he clarified. Nandini was about to protest but Cabir cut her off. "Listen to me. It's about Manik." Cabir noticed the way she loosened up as a frown appeared on her face.
"Manik?", she asked, "What's wrong with him? Is he fine?"
Cabir sighed. He hated the care in her voice for his brother but he needed the same care to get her to do his work. "Nandini, I don't know why but Manik is comfortable with you. I understand Mukti. She is sweet and all but you?", he said, shuddering dramatically.
Nandini gritted her teeth. "Get over with your nonsense and come straight to the point."
He nodded. "I want you to take care of my Bhai. Especially from the girls in your class." Cabir winced at the death glares she was sending in his direction.
"Basically, you want me to babysit your brother. You think I don't have any other work than this highly prestigious project of yours?", she asked. "If your brain couldn't process my words in the morning, let me reframe it for you in simple language. I am friends with your brother, not his babysitter."
She turned to leave and Cabir had to step in front of her to stop her. "Nandini", he tried again, letting his concern for his brother to be heard in his voice, "this isn't babysitting. My Manik can take care of himself. He is nervous around girls and that isn't his fault. It's just the circumstances in his life. Do you even know what happened last night?" He explains to her the previous night's incident with Alya. By the time he completed speaking, Nandini was fuming and Cabir wanted nothing but to scream on her face and protect his brother from all the hurt this girl might cause his brother in future because the affection on a person evaporates as fast as it started.
"The nerve of this girl. She just needs anything that spells 'male'. And Manik is a free bait. The guy that he is, he wouldn't speak up a word. So, let's take advantage of him", she said and rubbed her head in frustration.
Cabir clenched his fists from inside his pockets and put up a straight face. "I can protect my brother but I can't enter inside your class, right. I heard you people have some common classes too. Will you please take care of him there?"
Nandini frowned. "I am still not helping your Bhai when he can't help himself. Don't you guys talk to your mother? Isn't she one of her friends' daughters? That girl would have kept her distance from him had if your brother gathered enough nerve to talk to your mom. What am I supposed to do now?"
"Nandini, you don't know my Bhai at all. Listen, your accident with him, weren't you the one who was coming in the wrong route? It was your fault completely but he apologized to you, right?" He felt smug looking at the discomfort on her face. There was a side of his brother which the head girl was unknown to. He felt a childish pleasure in knowing more about his Manik than her.
"How do you know about that accident?", she asked bringing him out of his thoughts.
He stopped his urge to roll his eyes. "Of course, he told me. He tells me everything. I know how you have saved him from Alya and Harshad. Nandini, even if you murder Manik, he would still think he might have hurt you to the extent of forcing you to kill him. He is that kind of person. He can never be immoral towards anyone but suddenly one day, he called to inform me that he hates Alya. Do you understand how much that girl is affecting him? On top of that, yesterday's incident. Even after all this, if you don't want to help him, I don't know what else to say. Yeah, I talked to mom too. I am not sure how she will handle this but she is aware of Alya now."
He had a sudden urge to see Manik and make sure he is fine. The conversation with the stubborn head girl was making him restless.
"Fine, I will keep her away from Manik", she muttered.
Cabir almost missed her words. Almost. He let out a breath in relief and pulled her into a hug, thanking her repeatedly. He pulled away when he felt her hands patting his shoulder in an awkward comforting gesture and came face to face with his brother, who was staring at the duo with a huge frown. "Hey, bro", he waved at Manik.
"Cabir, what are you doing here?"
He shrugged. "I was talking to Nandini".
"Hey, Manik", called Nandini, "did you find the book in the library?"
"Yeah, it was there. Thank you", he said.
Cabir rolled his eyes and wrapped pulled Manik's free hand. "Manik, let's go to the canteen. I am hungry."
The huge frown on his brother's face transformed into concern as soon as the words left out. "Kid, why didn't you eat till now? You didn't even have a proper breakfast", scolded Manik, lightly.
Cabir pouted. "I was waiting for you, Bhai."
Manik freed his arm from his hold and wrapped around his neck instead. "Baby, you will fall sick like this. Come, let's eat something." He dragged Cabir along with him towards the canteen, forgetting Nandini in his worry.
When Cabir turned around, he found the head girl gaping at the twins. Cabir stuck his tongue out maturely and declared himself as a winner in his self-declared war for his Manik.
XXX
It was after college hours when Cabir saw Nandini again and she was shooting daggers at him. Nothing new there. He was waiting for his brother in the parking lot, who was explaining some questions to Abhimanyu. Nothing new there too.
"Why are you glaring at him?"
He turned his attention from Manik when he heard Mukti asking the question to Nandini. "She is just jealous of me", he replied to Mukti while throwing a smirk at the head girl.
"Why would she be jealous of you?", asked Mukti.
"Because Manik pampers me but not her", he said, grinning.
Nandini stared at him in disbelief. "Why would Manik pamper me?"
"Wait a second", interrupted Mukti, "Manik pampers you? Shouldn't it be the other way round? I mean, he is a cutie and innocent and you are-"
"Jungli", finished Nandini for her. "That's the reason why I am shocked and not jealous."
He glared at Nandini before turning to Mukti. "Mukti, Manik loves me the most and hence, he pampers me a lot. How is his being innocent related to it?", asked Cabir. "Let me show you a demo."
"No need", Nandini said off-handedly.
"Nandini, I have to see with my eyes to believe this weird thing he is trying to explain here", told Mukti.
Cabir bowed down dramatically. "Watch me, pretty girls." He looked at Manik, who was now writing something furiously in his notebook to prove his point to Abhimanyu. "Bhai", he screamed and sulked when Manik looked at him, "aren't you done with your studies for the day? I have been waiting for for so long. Or did you forget that there is someone who is waiting for you?"
He ignored Nandini when she complained to Mukti that he was being overdramatic. In a series of events throughout his lifetime, he has been complimented by the same line numerous times, so, it has become normal. Instead, he concentrated on his brother, who was haphazardly stuffing his notebook inside his bag before walking towards him. Abhimanyu followed.
"Kid, how can I forget my baby brother?", asked Manik as soon as he reached Cabir. "We were discussing some doubt, baba."
Cabir pouted and pulled his ear. "Sholly. I was tired and nowadays, it's like you have completely forgotten me. You don't even talk to me during college."
Manik freed his ear and palmed the side of his face. "Baby, it isn't like that. Didn't we have lunch together? Acha, leave all this. How about we go home and spend some time together? Is my baby too tired?"
"Very much", exaggerated Cabir.
"Why don't you give me the keys? I will drive and you can rest", asked Manik.
"No", Cabir protested, "this will relax me." If he loved anything more than his wildlife photography, it's his driving. It's his one true love after his Bhai. It's his-
"Manik", Nandini interrupted his thought process and the look she had on her face wasn't less than any devil. "How can you let your small baby brother drive with extra small hands and legs? He will even be tired, right?", she asked and smirked looking at Cabir.
"Yes, kid. I am there, right? You don't have to drive. This will tire you, even more, baby, especially in this Mumbai traffic."
"Fine", agreed Cabir and gave the keys to Manik. As he sat in the car, he declared another war inside his head with the head girl.
XXX
All through their conversation, Abhimanyu and Mukti were just gaping at the twins. Nandini had to slap them to bring back to reality.
"What was that?", asked Abhimanyu.
"An idiotic brat being spoiled by his innocent brother", replied Nandini.
Cabir has a twisted hate-love relationship with Nandini. He hates that she is getting close to Manik but loves riling her up. Any questions on those two?
Any comments/questions in general regarding the story?