Hello Fam :)
A/N - So, I was busy with my project. (Regular excuse, I know. Sorry. ;( ) but I have been writing a lot. Mainly offline. And guess what? I have only a chapter or two to complete the book. Don't worry we will have about 50 chapters. Since they are already written, I was thinking about bulk posting. I have 6 ready right now. (Left the 40th one because the ideas were flowing and I jumped to the next ones. :P)
Do you want me to post 3 & 3 today and tomorrow or all 6 now? Meanwhile, I will complete the 40th and I can post the rest too? Tell me before I post the third one today. :P
P.S - I am not going anywhere. We are doing this fast because I can't wait for you to read these. And we can have a sequel. Don't worry. There won't be a break for the sequel. :P
Hence, let me know. :)
Happy Reading...
Abhimanyu was tired and sleepy and hungry and could use some holiday. He was sitting inside the canteen at their college. Even though the vacations were officially over, the mood still lingered in the atmosphere. The students were feeling lazy and their professors were kind enough to cancel the first half of the classes. That was the official announcement.
Abhimanyu, the best friend of the head girl and a smart guy himself, knew the college was just preparing for an event it was conducting. After Murthy fiasco, the trio decided to plan short trips in and around the city. During the middle of their vacations, Nandini got the blueprints for designing the event and they had to cut short the vacations.
Nandini was opposite to him and was reading regarding the event, an earphone plugged in one of her ears. Mukti was beside him typing something on her mobile. Suddenly, he noticed a small crowd gathered at the entrance of the canteen. There were squeals, whistles, and, complete chaos. The head girl was too lost to notice it but it made Abhimanyu frown. It wasn't like there was some celebrity visiting their college. He looked at Mukti but she shrugged.
It took another ten minutes for the crowd to disperse to reveal a boy. He was all tall, dark with a t-shirt a size smaller than his physique which was doing nothing to hide his muscles, and a strut in his walk. Even if they weren't the regular bodybuilding type, the t-shirt was plastered enough to highlight the right parts. Abhimanyu shook his head when he realized why the girls were flocking around him. He was fulfilling all the requirements for the boy crush of the college.
He was surprised when they started approaching them. What was Cabir doing with him and where was
MANIK?
His scream brought Nandini out of her thoughts. She glared at Abhimanyu. "Don't you dare take the name of those two?", she warned. "How could they just disappear in thin air without a message or a call?"
"Hello to you too, Nandini", said Manik with a smile and sat down beside her and waved at the other two.
Mukti was gaping at Manik. So does Nandini, and Abhimanyu didn't blame them. They were all used to Manik in formal shirts or oversized pullovers but the Manik sitting in front of them was a total 180 degree to the boy they knew.
Before they could come out of their shock, a first-year went down on her knee and proposed to be his girlfriend. Manik flashed her a brilliant smile. "Sorry, girl. But I am not interested", he said. The girl sighed, disappointed, before walking away. Cabir, for some reason, was smirking at them.
Nandini stood up abruptly and for a moment Abhimanyu thought she would punch him. Instead, she slung her bag on her shoulder, grabbed the bunch of papers in one hand, and Manik's collar in the other before dragging him out of the canteen.
"What's up with your best friend dragging my bhai all over the college?", asked Cabir.
Abhimanyu snorted. "Like you want to stop her."
"Nah. I think Manik is capable enough to handle her himself."
"Cabir", Mukti called him patiently as if he were a child, "what did you do to Manik?"
The grin on the boy was dangerous and it only grew bigger as he explained his plan to transform Manik. By the end of the story, Abhimanyu was torn between appreciating him for his efforts and explaining to him how stupid the idea was but Mukti was frowning.
"Hold on a second", she said, raising a finger, "you 'taught' Manik about romance by forcing him to read romantic novels?"
Cabir nodded excitedly whereas Abhimanyu was sure Mukti was his soulmate. Their thoughts oh so matched.
"This is by far the stupidest idea I have ever heard to teach a boy who has only Wikipedia definition of love", she told.
Cabir pouted and defended his idea unaware of the storm approaching from the opposite side of the college.
XXX
Nandini dragged Manik until they reached an empty classroom and closed the door. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the floor as she glared at the boy, the most confident smile she had ever seen plastered on his face.
"Nandini, is everything okay?", he asked, flashing her another smile.
"I will break all your teeth if you are flashing them again at me", she warned. "What the hell is all this?"
He shrugged. "Didn't you ask me to become stronger?"
"I asked you to become stronger, not to flaunt the results of your workout sessions."
"I wasn't flaunting", he protested.
"Oh! Really?", she asked. She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice even if she wanted to as she pointed towards his muscles. "Am I seeing something different?" She smirked when Manik dropped his act and slumped down on the nearest bench.
"Cabir forced me into this", he muttered, looking down at himself. "This is too tight and I am not used to wearing half sleeves. It's uncomfortable."
Nandini rolled her eyes. Of course the Jungli Malhotra and his Jungli ideas. "Listen, hero, just breathe, okay? Tomorrow onwards, wear something that would make you look like you instead of a stuck-up brat."
Manik blinked at her, probably processing her words, and then his ears turned red, as he shifted in his seat embarrassedly. Suddenly, there was the Manik she knew all the last semester in place of the arrogant show-off. Nandini bit her lip to prevent the smile that threatened to form on her lips.
"Can I change it now? I brought a spare with me. I will go to the restroom, change and come back", he asked, hesitantly.
Nandini grinned, all teeth and sarcastic. "Why? Do you want to flirt with some more girls?", she mocked before shooting a fierce dagger at him. "Change here. No more arguments."
"Turn around", he ordered but the panic was clear in his voice, "and close your eyes."
Nandini rolled her eyes dramatically but obliged. Once she was sure he couldn't see her, she let the smile appear on her face. There was something about the boy that made her fond of him. He might be the smartest person present in a room but he could steal the hearts with an adorably confused frown on his head. He could hold on to an argument logically but would panic right before his big exam. Manik wasn't the ideal boy with a cool attitude that the girls swoon on, he was the real boy who isn't afraid of his flaws or wouldn't stop wearing his heart on his sleeve. He was perfect in his own imperfect way.
Nandini was brought back to the present when Manik taps on her shoulder. "I am done", he said.
She turned around, smirked at his full-sleeved oversized sweatshirt. The girls are going to be so disappointed. "Is this the head boy Manik Malhotra?", she asked.
"Yes, head girl, Nandini Murthy", he replied back almost shyly.
"Wait a second", she told, "are you trying to replace your 'apology' with a sorry?"
"Cabir asked me to use that", he mumbled.
Nandini burst out laughing before pulling the boy into a hug. "No need to force a change on yourself but I am so proud of you, Manik. The defending yourself part. I am impressed", she told him and laughed again when he blushed all red.
XXX
Nandini went to the canteen again, briefing Manik over the event their college was conducting. It was to highlight the Indian culture and for the first time, they have sent out the invitations to international candidates. It would be her pride event and she was happy she had Manik with her to help her. She couldn't have possibly managed it all alone.
The scene at the canteen was so different than what Nandini could have ever imagined. There was a girl near the table where her friends were sitting. Going by the expression on her face, she looked like she was furious at Cabir, and surprisingly, Cabir was drenched and listening to her. Nandini never knew someone could make him listen to them because she was damn sure the younger twin had always been 'baby'ed.
Before Nandini could appreciate her guts, the girl had her arms around Manik. The head girl mentally groaned and reached out to pull the girl away from Manik but he already had his hands around her. He was surprised sure but she had never seen him so happy with a stranger and suddenly her mood soured as Manik ignored everyone in favor of her. It's as if the two were in their own world. They didn't even glance at Cabir, which was saying something, at least for Manik. She slumped down between Cabir and Abhimanyu, opposite to the head boy and the girl.
The girl was babbling nonsense about her journey, her college and whatever was on her mind while Manik, the idiot that he is, was subtly pushing Cabir's plate of sandwiches in front of her, forcing her to eat them. Nandini would have swooned if she wasn't busy killing the girl in her head. Who the hell was she? Why the hell isn't Cabir reacting when she was stealing both his food and his bhai? Instead, the younger twin rolled his eyes looking at the duo before grabbing Manik's bag. He took out the t-shirt Manik wore before and changed it right there in the canteen. He smirked when people hooted.
Nandini pinched his arm. "If I see you one more time either exposing or giving others the ideas of exposing, I will make sure it would be the last time you step into the college. Trust me, I would be more than willing to throw you out of the college."
Cabir glared at her. "Listen, Murthy, my girlfriend just broke up with me. My bhai has been ignoring me for the past few minutes. I seriously lost all the hope in life and you want to expel me from college. Why are you being so heartless?", he hissed.
"Girlfriend?"
"Is that the only word you understood in my whole speech?"
Nandini raised her hands in surrender. The kid has lost his mind probably due to his apparent breakup. Isn't breaking up the most common event among couples? For now, she kept the question to herself and concentrated on the head boy who was supposed to help her plan the event. Cabir was muttering something under her breath and suddenly the girl finally let her gaze wander from Manik.
"Hey, you are Nandini, right?", she asked, "The head girl."
Nandini was taken aback. She guarded her face to replace it with her best professional one and nodded at the girl.
"Hi, I am Navya Naveli from the University of Paris. I am here for the event 'Indian Culture and its impact on the world.' It's nice to finally meet you in person", she said.
She was sweet, prompted a part of her brain but Nandini knew better than to trust a sweet person. She raised a questioning eyebrow at the girl. "The event doesn't start until next week", she said.
"I know", told Navya, waving her off. "I came early to surprise Manik. He hasn't talked to me for a month. I got worried."
Yeah, the one-month disappearance. Nandini was yet to question Manik about that but right now, she really wanted to punch someone. Either the girl, the head boy, or his idiotic brother, it doesn't matter.
Cabir, the idiot, was poking the girl's arm. "Babe, why aren't you feeling my presence?"
Babe?
"Cabir, you better be dead or I will kill you", threatened the girl.
The girl was really sweet, thought Nandini to herself.
"Baby, I told you, we were at the farmhouse and there weren't any signals at that place. I have even messaged you explaining everything", pleaded Cabir.
"By the time I got your message, Cabir Malhotra, I was already at the Mumbai airport", she told, "So, please, don't you dare talk to me before you learn to check the date and time."
This was the most satisfying experience, thought Nandini. The girl was roasting the younger Malhotra, turning him into a pouting mess.
"I am really sorry but why is Manik excused?", he whined.
Nandini perked up listening to Cabir's question. He wasn't the only one to find the answer to that question.
"Because you had a responsibility towards me", she told, "since I was your girlfriend."
"Was?", asked Cabir.
"Girlfriend?", Nandini asked simultaneously. She earned a glare from Cabir but she shrugged it off.
"Yes, girlfriend. Yes, was. I am breaking up with you", answered Navya to both Nandini and Cabir.
Cabir grabbed her hand. "Baby, listen to me", he told.
"Not a word, Cabir", the girl told firmly.
It was Manik who touched the girl's hand softly. "Navya, shall we go for a walk?", he asked her, throwing her his sweetest smile.
Nandini knew she wouldn't disagree with him. No one could.
"Sure, bhai", she told and they were out of the canteen.
Bhai?
Cabir wailed dramatically. "My girlfriend broke up with me", he told.
Can this boy be any more stupid? Why was he advertising for the whole college to listen?
"Cabir, Manik will sort it out. Don't worry", assured Mukti.
Nandini slapped his arm. "Dude, is she really your girlfriend?", she asked him.
"Why would I cry for another's girlfriend?", he told, sniffing.
"Who knows", she said, shrugging. "But she is the one for you. The perfect match for you. Damn, it isn't even an hour and she had already shut your mouth, made you cry like a baby, and stole your food. Impressive."
"Aren't you the one mentally killing her some time back?", he accused her.
Nandini ignored him in favor of food.
It was almost half an hour when Manik returned to the canteen along with Navya, laughing at something Manik had told her. When they reached Cabir, the girl hugged him and kissed his cheek. Cabir had the widest of grins as he hugged her back. He broke the hug to jump on Manik.
"Thank you, bhai", he screamed.
Manik smiled and ruffled his hair. "I love you too, baby."
"Everything has changed but not this", muttered Nandini. Beside her, Abhimanyu and Mukti laughed at the twins.
You don't belong to a place. You belong to people. To your parents friends.
Navya is here. As I said earlier, she won't be a major character but important to Cabir. And as many have guessed, the gym session could only affect his out appearance and he is still the cute and sweet Manik. Next one in a while. :P