One of the hardest lessons in life is let it go . Whether it's guilt , anger, love , love or betrayal . Change is never easy . We fight to hold on . We fight to let it go .
***
Amigos Cafe
Abhi tiredly removed the head of the chef and walked to the outer seating of the cafe to have a seat in the inflated costume , he sat down on the chair and huffed , he wiped his forehead from the arm of the costume , he was tired working under the sun in that inflated costume , Manik chuckled at his best friend and moved near him and dropped a chilled pepsi can on his inflated stomach , Abhi felt the drop and looked at the can and immediately started to open it up , Manik chuckled and sat on the chair beside him .
Manik saw him drinking the pepsi with a great relief , his best friend never fails to amuse him , after taking a large sip and gaining his breathe Abhi said " Where is Mukti Malhotra ? ... Mukti.. damn you come here , I want to see her now . How can she let me do this , it's so hot here , see my hair they are so sticky , I feel like I had a bath with sweat . "
Manik chuckled at him and said " In contrast, I think this job is perfect for you ." and pocked his finger on the inflated costume stomach .
Abhi swatted his hand and said " Perfect for me , you are on her side , aren't you ? You two are bullies ."
" Okay okay , I surrender , I am simply making fun of you." Manik said chuckling .
" You.... Huh damn Why I am your best friend , god must be punishing me for some sins in my past life ." Abhi huffed in annoyance . And sipped the rest of the drink and started to get up when Manik pushed him back on the chair and said " I want to ask you something ."
" What ? " Abhi asked him .
" Umm .. I cannot examine Nandini from now ." Manik said with a serious voice .
" What do you mean ? " Abhi asked him ,looking at his serious face he knew something must have happened .
" Umm .. I didn't had the dare to see her ." Manik said , Abhi looked at him in confusion and Manik drifted in the thoughts of that day when he had to examine Nandini and said hat to Abhi , that day when Nandini was removing her shirt for the examination his hands were shivering , when she happened to unkook her bra , he immediately turned away not daring to look at her , When Nandini said she is ready for the examination , he fumbled at his words and turned around , he took slow steps towards her playing with his fingers , She was in the posture ready for the examination , Manik moved his hand to touch her breast but immediately moved his hand back , and turned and said to put her clothes on and come out , he was fumbling on his words and moved out of the room . As he moved of the room he ran towards the mini fridge in his cabin and picked out a chilled water bottle and drank half of it in a go , calming his heartbeat and also his emotions .
" Woahhh , Woahhh ." Abhi said clapping his hands in excitement and happiness and showed thumbs up to him and Manik looked at him in confusion now .
" Congratulations Bro , finally a woman makes your system on fire ." Abhi said with happiness .
" Woman ? Did it happen to you also . " Manik asked him .
" Me ? Never , I am much professional , i don't date my patients ." Abhi said chuckling .
Manik sighed at him , knowing he can't be serious even at any time , after few minute they heard a car horn infront of the entrance of the cafe , they saw someone getting out of the driver seat and opening the back door and bringing out a very large bouquet of flowers and kept it on the entrance of the cafe at the side .
Abhi and Manik who saw this were confused about the sender so they moved there and looked at the bouquet to see who send it , they saw a card on the bouquet , Abhi picked it out and read the Name " Aryaman Khurana "
" Isn't he Nandini's ex-boyfriend , bastard right ." Abhi said moving back towards Manik who was glaring the man who again came with the another alike bouquet to the previous one and kept it beside the first one . , the man looked at them with a smirk . And moved near them and shouted " Nandini " To come out .
" What's your matter with Nandini ? " Manik asked him , keeping his tone low yet stern .
" Our Boss is Nandini's boyfriend . I send her these flowers on behalf of him . Who are you? " the man said with a cunning voice .
Abhi who was seeing the tashan between them , moved near Manik and whispered in is ear " He is challenging you directly Manik , You have to be tough . Show you are a monster ."
Manik after listening Abhi , smirked and moved near the Man and said " Go back and tell your boss then , Nandini is my girlfriend now . So he better stay away from her . "
" What an actor you are , Nandini come out ." the man said and started to move in the cafe but Abhi and Manik blocked his way .
" Are you two gonna get out of way or not ? " the man asked them .Manik and Abhi didn't budge a bit on his comment which irked him and the man first pushed Manik back and then turned to Abhi and pushed him hard , due the inflated costume , Abhi's imbalanced and fell on the ground .
And now he was going to move inside but Manik held his hand and turned it around and said in a stern voice " Apologize to my friend now . "
" Let me go in ." the man said while Manik was just saying to apologize to Abhi , this continued a while which caught a intense commotion.
Nandini who keeping the things properly in the rack heard the noise from outside and moved towards the railing and asked Sameer who was down " Sameer what's going on out there ? "
Sameer looked outside and said " It seems someone is fighting ." he moved near and finally saw the persons and said " Hey , it's our boss's brother , he is in conflict with someone . "
Mukti who was near the rack and heard Sameer moved near him saying " Bro , what's going on ?"
Nandini , Cabir , Mukti, Vibha moved out of the cafe and saw Manik holding someone's hand and the side angrily and Abhi who was on the ground trying to get up , Nandini ran near Manik and held his arm , Manik immediately left the hand of the man pushing him little and looked at Nandini , the man who stumbled a little back just looked at Manik angrily and punched right into Manik's face .
" Anuj , why did you punched him ." Nandini shouted at the man , who was none other than Anuj , Cabir moved back and held Anuj back , Mukti and Vibha also looked at them after helping ABhi to get up .
Nandini moved infront of Manik facing Anuj and he said " he stopped me from seeing you . "
As Nandini was stood infront of Manik , she had also held his hand tightly in hers , Manik glared Anuj and said to Nandini " He said Arayaman is still your boyfriend , and as your current official boyfriend , I can't tolerate anyone spreading lies about my girlfriend . And also I should prevent you from these rumors which keep disturbing you . " Nandini looked at him with shock , she didn't knew he will take the act this seriously , he even let a man punch him for her .
Vibha clutched Abhi's hand tightly for support as she listened Manik's confession , she can't believe that the person she loves is already a boyfriend of someone else .
" Nandini " Anuj said making Nandini look at him , and he continued " Are you really with him now? " Nandini looked at him and the other who were looking at her before she could say something Anuj said again " Nandini , you and Arayaman have been together for so long , he is waiting for you to change your mind , but you..."
Manik felt Nandini holding his hand tightly listening everything of Arayaman again , he know it's breaking her , she will not be able o answer him and he need to do something , he pulled Nandini behind near him , and her back hit his chest making her look into his eyes , Manik just gae her an assuring smile and silently placed his lips on her forehead , which made her shock but also relax . Vibha was just looking at them in shock , while Mukti , Abhi and Cabir smiled looking at them like that they finally know they are going to be together even if they act .
Manik after pecking her forehead removed his hand from her hold and then held her hand in his and moved out of that place ignoring Anuj's shout .
" Nandini .." Anuj shouted
" Shut up , can't you see , Nandini is my Sister in law now , Go tell your Arayaman , that don't come to us again ." Mukti said to him smirking and moved inside the cafe , Vibha too moved inside controlling her anger , Cabir left Anuj and went inside with Abhi , leaving a him fuming .
Pal bhar thaher jao
Dil hi sambhal jaaye
Kaise tumhe roka karun
Meri taraf aata har ghum phisal jaaye
Manik was now walking in full speed with Nandini trailing behind him matching his speed but as he held his hand she hand to jog a bit for it , they reached the nearby park but manik was in no mood to stop .
Aankhon mein tumko bharun
Bin bole baatein tumse karun
Agar tum saath ho
Agar tum saath ho
" Dr. manik ."
" Dr. Manik "
Rehti...Rehti
Nehar nadiyaan si
Teri duniya mein meri duniya hai
" Stop , Where are we going ? " She said finally Manik stopped and left her hand and said " I found out that you had no answer for his question so that's why I had to take you out ."
Teri chahaton mein,
main dhal jaati hoon
Teri aadaton mein
Agar tum saath ho
" It's not that I don't know , I umm I am confused ." She said not looking at him .
" Did I do a mistake ? " he asked her , he did want her to feel low because of him . His question was immediately answered by her " No . You didn't ."
Teri nazron me hai tere sapne
Tere sapno me hai naa raazi
Mujhe lagta hai ki baatein dil ki
Hoti lafzon ki dhokebaazi
She said and looked at him , his left cheek was turned red due to the punch and also he had a cut on the corner of his lip .
" Your face ." She said and she was touched his cheek he winced a bit and Nandini removed her hand , Manik touched there and said " It's okay , I am fine . "
Tum saath ho ya na ho
Kyaa fark hai
Bedard thi zindagi bedard hai
Agar tum saath ho
She nodded at him and said " Dr. Manik , we are just faking our relationship , It's just a show , please don't take it too seriously . "
Manik's heart broke listening this , his face drained by every emotions , but he fake smiled at her and said " I know ." She looked at him and gave him a small smile , though Manik's heart was paining but seeing her little smile his heart melt and he said " Are you going back ? "
Palkein jhapakte hi
Din yeh nikal jaaye
Baithi baithi bhaagi phiroon
Meri taraf aata aata har ghum phisal jaaye
" No . It's not good to go back now . I am heading home , can you tell Mukti that I am sorry " Nandini said to him , he nodded at her smilingly , and Nandini left from there walking , Manik looked at her sadly .
Aankhon mein tumko bharun
Bin bole baatein tumse karun
Agar tum saath ho
Agar tum saath ho
----
Abhi was driving Vibha to her home , he was driving the car but was well aware of Vibha's glare so to safe himself he said " Ahh My arm it's so hurting , What a friend you are , my arms are sore and you are glaring me . You should be thanking me that in spite of resting I am dropping you ."
" I can't believe Manik choose Nandini to be with him ." She said with a stern face .
" Vibha." He sighed at her , but she banged her hand on the dashboard and Abhi looked at her to say something but she just shouted at him saying " Why ? What's so special about that woman ? "
Abhi sighed at her question , he knows Nandini is much special for his best friend , and what they did was just an act for them ,but Manik truly has feelings for her , but this hurts his one more best friend . He don't know what to do know , tell the truth about them to her , or just let her be in false news . But then he decided to tell her the truth .
" Umm , They are just acting ." he said slowly and Vibha looked at him with confusion and asked " What ? "
" Umm .. Nandini's mother really wanted her to marry , so she was just sending her for blind dates , so Nandini asked Manik to pretend like her boyfriend ,so that she can avoid these blind dates ,and Manik agreed to her . It's all fake ." he said but deep inside his heart he knew Manik is not at all faking it , but he can't tell this too Vibha , he knows how much she is crazy for him and if he told this Nandini will be in the hit list of Vibha .
" Really , How do you know ? " Vibha asked him .
" Manik told me . He was asking how to act it ." he said clearly .
She hit his hand with a relief saying" You should have told me this earlier ."
" I told you now , so smile now . " he said .
" Yup , I was just overthinking , You are right , it's all fake , How can they two be together ." she said and relaxed back on the seat , Abhi saw her from the corner of his eye and thought " They can be together Vibha , and I will definitely try that so that my buddy can be happy forever ."
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" What the hell ! Who asked you to fight and mainly punch someone ." Arayaman shouted at Anuj as he called him to tell what happened at Nandini's shop opening .
" It was the doctor boss , Who stood in my way so I .." Anuj said but Arayaman stopped him and said " Please stop making me worry Anuj ."
" Sorry Boss , umm now what ? " he asked his boss who sighed and said " Now what , i will deal with it when I am back ."
" umm.. but .. Is it true .. Nandini is in relationship with that doctor ? " Arayaman asked him and got only a positive reply from Anuj .
" Okay , Now no more trouble me . Bye ." Arayaman said and kept the phone . Making him sigh .
----
Mukti was settled on the bench in the garden of Abhi's house , she called him few times but he didn't even picked it up, she was waiting for him to show up , She was a little guilty for making him wear that costume so she had decided she can do something so that his sore arms nay feel relax but he is not present here .
Abhi drove his car infront of his house when he saw Mukti sitting on the bench , his face automatically stretched in a smiled seeing her , but he masked it and got down from the car and moved near her and said " What are you doing here ? "
Mukti looked up at the source of the voice moved infront of him immediately and said " Where have you been , why didn't you answer my call ? "
" I went to drop off my friend ." Abhi said casually .
" Man or Woman? " Mukti asked him curiously , Abhi was really someone close to her , she can never loose him .
" I was.. Wait , Who ever i be with doesn't have anything to do with you ." he said and started moving to his house .
" Huh .. I know it , you where with some girl na ." She asked him .
" Off course it's a girl , I dropped Vibha her home . " he said .
" Huh , What's so special about that Vibha , that you are friends with her . " She said with a bad face , ABhi so wanted to chuckle at her but controlled and said " hey She is my friend , and she doesn't ask me to wear such an inflated costume in the hot summer , letting me die in heat . Look I am so tried , My arms are sore and all ."
Mukti smiled at him and moved near him and said " I know you worked very hard today. So i am here to appreciate you ."
" No need of that ." he said turning his face away , Mukti bit her lower lip and started moving away and said " Okay , By the way , As i learnt some techniques , I thought I could have given you massage , so you could have been relaxed . But i should head back now . "
" Ahhhh .... Look my back is so sore please .." Abhi said and dragged her inside his house .
----
Manik was sitting on the sofa with the medical kit open on the table and was waiting for Mukti to come down after changing her into her night dress , she came down and settled near him on the sofa and picked out the antiseptic cream and applied it on his cheek which was red due to the punch.
" Bro , you did a really great job today , Just like Nandini's proper boyfriend . I almost believed that you are her true boyfriend . " Mukti said smiling , but Manik had no emotions on his face .
" I was just acting ." Manik said .
" Okay okay , I understood . Such a great actor you are . I really hope you two should become a real couple. You are a perfect match ." mukti said dreamily , he glared at her , he wanted to say something but his phone rang , making Mukti safe from his glare and some comment .
He looked at the caller ID and a little smile came on his face , he moved from Mukti's side to the little balcony and picked the call.
" Hello Nandini , What happened ? "Manik asked her , as she calls him very rarely .
" Hey , Umm It's time to test our acting skills for real . " Nandini said making Manik confuse but then remembered that she is talking about meeting her parents was the real test . He agreed at her and She said him the details and kept the phone .
***
❤ Chapter 23 ❤
How was it .
Hope you liked it ..
The most liked part of yours .
Precap : Parent meeting and umm Kiss ;)
Thank You
Stay safe
Love