N A N D I N I

Pleasant! The morning was so pleasant with the sun diffusing its light over, filling me with enthusiasm for the day. I woke up a little late as yesterday was hell tiring. Anyways the memories of yesterday with him would be fresh in my mind. As I settled myself in the dining table after finishing off my morning chores, I heard Manik talking on his phone.

"Yes Cabir. Bye." He hung up the call with his friend probably who I knew was present in our wedding. He started eating after giving me a smile. Since a few days, I wanted to ask him about his past and badly wanted to know who were his parents.

"Where are your parents Manik?" I asked, biting my lower lip. All of a sudden, the environment fell silent and I could see his knuckles clenching. I grasped my lower lip with my teeth out of nervousness and he looked up from his plate, his eyes red. He got up by which I was startled. I stood up too and got hold of his hand that he jerked away.

"Man- Manik, what happened? What are your paren—"

"Don't, Nandini." Apparently, his face went all hard. I watched him dubious but actually jumped to a conclusion of leaving this conversation on hang which seemed the best to me then. Silence embraced us and shortly I became the only one to be in the house.

   —• ☘︎︎ •—

"What the hell even? Enough time has been given for them to send over the essentials, right? Then why this now? I need the fabrics promptly when I arrive the office tomorrow, Sara," I shouted over the phone whilst entering the house after returning from office. Well, this day was quite frustrating and I was certain this was in the list of my bad days.

Only in case you didn't know what I saw next, a girl showing off her sexy body was talking with Manik. They giggled and I, well, burned?

The girl noticed me and I just blankly looked at her. She eyed me from top to bottom and I threw my signature 'whatever' look on her way. My eyes once stopped at him whose were already on me. I brushed away his glances when the lady walked towards me. "Who is she Manik?" She asked him as he too came out of his room, standing beside her, before me.

"She.. She is my —" he thought, looking everywhere but us. His hazels met my eyes and I looked at him with more confusion and little expectation mixed. He looked down, rubbing his nose with his finger as if he didn't know what to say.

"You can't probably know, it's business related." He concluded, looking at her to which she saracastically let out a 'oh' and my face fell plain.

So now I'm a stranger, great Mr.Malhotra!

"Alright now, I gotta go. Bye, Manik," she urged out of nowhere and he smiled, more artificially? My brows danced in anger but then who was I? In a plan to avoid him, I slammed the door of my room. His I-am-a-poor-boy glances when I was going away didn't help him getting in words with me, how would it?

Grasping a magazine to read, I huffed. I heard my name being called or better, being shouted by Manik along with few hard knocks on the closed door after some ten minutes. I didn't pay my mind though my ears started hurting of the blare.

Damn this day, argh!

Turning deaf to his shouts, I pulled the covers over me and soon everything faded.

—• ☘︎︎ •—

A U T H O R

It couldn't be a usual morning if Nandini was being silent. Currently, they were taking breakfast with an awkward atmosphere and neither of them knew how to break it. Just when Nandini got up to leave, Manik called for her.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" He asked.

"No. But why?" She questioned. "I want to... takeyousomewhere." He said in one breath and his eyes roamed all over the place as to escape his nervousness. "Me? Where and why?" She asked him again, confused.

"That— is for you to know later." He answered. Sure, his nervousness was crossing the scale with her shocked and questioning looks. "I mean, why should I?" Was she stern? Of course. "Nandini... I want to make certain things clear."

"I don't want to come," she said with a hard face.

"I know why you have been holding on to this marriage, for Amms right? but you can't live like this forever. So can you come, please?" His eyes pleased her. There was something about his eyes for she was hypnotized by them, everytime they looked into hers. What made her wonder was how could Manik understand her this much that he knew why she had been patient with this marriage. She nodded a little and both headed to their workplace.

The evening came by, with the sun setting in, spreading orange-yellow over the horizon. Nandini's mobile beeped with Manik's message, amusing her.

Manik:
Please be ready at 9.

When did Manik Malhotra, the egoistic man started adding 'please' everytime? Everytime yes, but for everyone, never.
She replied with an okay, thinking about what he was planning. Just when she was about to work again, her phone rang flashing 'Jeff<3'.

"Is my friend Nandini alive?"

"Long dead lady!" Nandini said nonchalantly.

"I hate you. You didn't miss me. Nor called me up!" She overdramatically said and Nandini rolled her eyes. "I missed my drama queen so much. Now tell me, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright. Everything cool there?"

"Yeah Jeff. We're good."

"Good. Bae I just hate to work now...."

And the conversation led to another conversation and another. Time with your special best friend is such a bliss and in fact that's when we feel we really are lucky. Nandini couldn't tell her what happened the previous day. Not that she didn't want to, but that she didn't want her to get worried.

It was past eight. Nandini came out of her cabin and bidding bye to Darsh, she went to their house. Dressed in a high waisted skinny jeans and pink crop top, she applied minimal make-up. Well, that minimal make-up was of a mascara and a nude lip colour.

Manik:
Waiting down.

Manik pinged her, again. It was now date vibes.
Date? Manik and Nandini?
Nah.