[would love if you leave behind your reviews. The longest chapter so far! And this is dedicated to my sister for it's her birthday, enjoy❤️ ]

The night was dim but calm with pale lights lit up in the hallway. Jeff was fearful anyway, she could've been a little strong if the place was anything but silent. Before her parents left for a trip, she had assumed that she could survive the night without them which felt kind of hard now. She should retire to sleep which would stop her brain from making out horrible thoughts, Jeff thought. When her feet touched the first stair to proceed to her room, a faint sound echoed in her ears, scaring her to bones. She turned around to find nothing, so convincing herself that it was her brain playing, she started strolling up the stairs. The faint sound she first heard grew more, scaring away every strength remained in her. She shuddered at the thought of her house having got ghosts. Extremely frightened, she slowly twisted her neck behind and gasped.

There was someone.

"Who-who is that?" Scared as never before, she asked with rational thoughts being blocked out of her brain at the silhouette. Hugging her quivering body, she tried bolstering herself to face the situation that only felt turning worse. Her wobbly legs tried making a movement toward the shadow resemblence of a being. Her shivering hands searched for something sharp to attack but what if it was someone stronger than her? What would happen then?

A cold sweat broke out from her forehead. Whoever there was still, making her think of a possibility of it being a sculpture. Then, she had hit on running away to her room and then she'd manage to call the cops and tackle this stitch, yes. Turning around as quickly as she could at the moment, she bolted upstairs, when not even half of the steps had been crossed, a loud laugh dispersed the silence out of the place, turning Jeff stoned. Anxious, then suspicious, she swirled around and stayed disbelieved. Running a hand over her red sweaty face, she yelled, "Are you freaking insane, Nandini?!"

Tears had pushed down Nandini's eyes but her laughter hadn't died yet. "See, my dre-dream came true too soon," laughing hysterically, Nandini threw her head back watching Jeff breathing harshly, half releived and half furious.

"I'm killing you now for sure." Jeff ran to her but Nandini didn't draw up her chortle.

"Ahh, Revenge is so sweet." Nandini smirked at her, regaining her poise though laughter still roamed in her tongue.

"How did you even get in here?" Jeff warily asked, diverting the topic so that she could escape her teasing. Jeff knew she soon would describe her face features which indeed was horrified. Nandini simpered on having caught her intention, anyway, being a good-hearted woman that she was, she chucked her teasing for time being.

"I intended to meet all of you since, you know, it's been a long time. And when I reached, I met both uncle and aunty and on hearing that they're going out, I thought I could get spare keys from them somehow and achieve my dream," she narrated, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Yeah yeah." Jeff rolled her eyes at her.

•••

"Now are you going to ghost around here or sleep?", Jeff asked, sitting on her bed.

"Nopes, actually I'm gonna change into a white dress, sit by the window and chant spell to release spirits!" Nandini solemnly asserted.

"I regret asking you to stay the night here already." Jeff shook her head remorsefully.

Stifling a chuckle, Nandini explained,"I could have denied but who knows, a ghost may haunt you or someone may really break into your house with a knife and..." She shook her head sorrowfully at her, "that's why I'm staying here."

The thought itself made Jeff apprehensive though she comprehended Nandini was trying to scare her only for she certainly knew Jeff had always been frightened of ghosts and she reasoned horror movies were childish whenever she had been asked to watch one. Having a hold on herself, "Congrats, today is totally yours!" She threw her way an irritated smile and lied on the bed, jerking the covers over her.

Nandini chuckled and took her mobile phone out of her clutch bag to inform Manik about her night stay at Jeff's place. There was already a message that asked if she had reached there or not from him. A sweet smile graced her lips as she went to stand by the wide-opened window. She dialled him without any thought and it seemed by her call being answered in two rings that he had been waiting for her call only.

"So you've reached, hmm?" Was his first response and she rolled her eyes. Could he ever talk with her without jumping to the matter? "Yeah, I've and umm I'm staying here tonight for uncle and aunty are out. Do you mind me staying here?", She asked and leaned on the wall slightly.

"No, I don't but.." he left it on hang, finding perfect words to just hint that he would miss her. He thoughtfully looked at the moon from the balcony.

"But I'll miss your coffee you know, you got me addicted to it." And to the fragrance of your presence.

She smiled and said, "Try making one yourself, Manik. And it's just a matter of a night." The latter one, she said to convince herself.

"You shouldn't believe that I can brew one up like you do. Anyway, you are gonna be there tomorrow and I don't really feel the need to learn brewing one up as you," he smiled, a little sheepishly. She couldn't bring her own self to reply for her lips were busy smiling.

After a pause, "Manik, uncle and aunty said that they can't wait to have us here for a meal one day and enquired about how you've been," she informed remembering it. "All right, we shall go together someday," he assured.

Silence waited for them to break it but none found the need to do so. They were smiling, the moon had got their eyes connceted and somehow the happiness in them brightened the already glimmering moon itself. They were aware they both were on line, disagreeing to end the cozy silence. The air blew with a fresh blooming love's smell and both made sure of inhaling it all with which their whole existence got raptured.

"Love birds, don't try becoming owls," Jeff yelled sleepily from behind and got them reddened at how she addressed both. Nandini glared at Jeff who seemed to have grabbed the leg of her sleep back.

"Good night," Nandini reluctantly muttered. "Night! And urmm.. come home soon," he uttered and the line had been cut and she couldn't help picture him blushed. Could that be true?

"Goddamn, why am I flushed?" Manik asked himself, shaking his head. Had he ever asked someone to return home? And home? He had never considered it as a home.... until her.

Unmoving and smiling, she looked at the moon and the infinity little stars. Then he, was trying to find the star she had her eyes on for maybe he could see her through it...

She slumped on the bed, her thoughts wrapped around about Manik and theirselves and somehow, at the middle of the night, exhaustion defeated her defence against sleep.

Manik lied on the side she used to sleep and it smelled like her. He breathed in her essence the mattress offered in that melancholic hours of her absence. He rolled on his stomach and sighing, he drifted off to sleep slowly. He so missed her glossy hair softly caress his face sometimes throughout the night accidentally and many things that felt dead around him without her made him realize, she had made her imprint on his life so deep and stiff that he didn't anymore remember how his life had existed before her and there was going to be no reason to unaccept the inevitable effect she owned over him.

•••

An organ beating in his middle, between his lungs told Manik she had arrived home and the delicious smell of a brewed coffee was just an additional confirmation. Having the smile of a just rised sun in his face, he walked away from his room to get closer toward her. She was there, in a red and blue printed floral casuals with her hairs loose, making coffee for him and her face aglow of returning back to her abode. She turned and though her lips were smiling already, his face in sight felt to have stolen all of her pure delight to himself and he seemed no less than a joyous kid who had tasted a sweet drizzle after hours of standing under a fiercy sun. She reverted her attention to the coffee and filled the couple of mugs with hot chocolate coffee.

She handed over him his mug and what all they could feel was tingles as their fingers grazed when he accepted her offer. Eyes locked and then, brutally pushing aside coldness, heat arose in the air. Oh, not from their coffee mugs, but from the intense conversation their eyes were having. Post a few minutes, they came back to earth, mentally.

"See, I don't need to learn to prepare one," he sipped at his coffee that vanished every ounce of tiredness he had on having grabbed a less sleep the previous night, half had already gone seeing her though. She smiled, they sat on the dining table and having few conversations here and there, they finished their coffee and also breakfast that the maid had prepared. Ready to go office, they both sauntered out of their home. Manik, like every other day, offered to drop her and she accepted, unlike other days for she felt the need of her heart to keep the time with him longer. Elated, Manik started his car.

Nandini turned on the car stereo; she had always loved listening to songs while glancing out the window. She'd like to be droven to her office rather than driving 'cause there were beauteous flowers in gardens on the way. There was also a small yet alluringly old temple which she wanted to go to as the aura it possessed tempted her someway. She'd pay the temple a visit one day, she mulled. Manik observed her observations and her smile and her nature of drawing peace from tiny adorable things — how beautiful, Manik admired.

They didn't need words, they didn't need to make conversations, in fact they just wanted to sit beside each other and admire everything the other one do.

Nandini started to sing along, almost unknowingly.

You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye
And I got that red lip, classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style
You've got that long hair slicked back, white t-shirt
And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

"Stop singing," Manik's voice a little high and his brows furrowed which appeared to be of annoyance. Nandini snapped her eyes at him and bit her lips, she didn't want to have a fight now. It's funny how these two could laugh and fight the next minute, one month had slipped away that way.

"Know you're not doing justice to it," he said, his eyes on the road.

"Why, thank you." A sarcastic smile on her lips because she knew he was trying to pull her leg and she would not give him the satisfaction by getting angry over this but it had something more than she thought...

As next on the queue, fetish played out. Deliberately, Nandini cleared her throat and began singing along.

You got a fetish for my love
I push you out and you come right back
Don't see a point in blaming you
If I were you, I'd do me too
You got a fetish for my love
I push you out and you come right back
Don't see a point in blaming you
If I were you, I'd do me too
You got a fetish for my love

She forgot her motive midway and had begun enjoying it. She looked out the window again, singing and humming. Manik's hands clutched on the steering lightly. "Stop it, Nandini before I spill the truth out."

"What truth?" She asked, frowning. "It might hurt you but since you're asking, you sing so badly. Look around, everything seems to self-harm listening to your voice!" He said solemnly, "And I should be given an award for self-restraint for not doing anything of that sort so far."

A smirk hid behind his lips. She looked at him highly miffed with her lips slightly parted, then breathing harshly with anger, she turned away. She'd never agree to come with him again, she determined.

Silence made its arrival and didn't depart throughout the journey. Manik would look her way at times, smiling smugly and she would pretend she didn't see him at all, although she knew he caught her pretence. Arriving at her office, he informed," I'd come home late tonight."

No response.

She climbed off the car and turned away, not offering words of gratitude for the ride. "Be kind, woman! See you," Manik shouted at her back and half-laughed. A sweet smile with resistance against the same broke out on Nandini's lips after she had heard the screeching car sound.

Darsh waved at her with his lips wishing her morning; only if he knew her morning had already been made. She smiled at him, wishing him back and they both walked toward each other.

"So Nandini, have you packed stuffs for the trip?"He questioned which baffled Nandini. She should pack stuffs to go where? And what for? He gazed at her puzzled face and furrowed his brows. "What? Don't tell me you don't know!" He eyed her face which was confused than ever.

"No, sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," She looked at him remorsely.

"Saraa!" He yelled for Nandini's assistant who hastened to them, looking frightened but somehow it appeared to be an act.

"You didn't inform Nandini about the New York trip for a few days? Then just what are you here for?" He shouted whilst Nandini's face drained of colours. New York trip? For a few days?

Sara looked down and Nandini felt anger ascertaining their hands in her bones. How could she not inform this to her earlier?

Before she could burst out at her, Darsh warned, "Go away from sight now. This is should be the last time of this, you'd be fired otherwise." and dispersed her.

Nandini wasn't not even close to pleased at that— if anything, she was infuriated as hell. "I should have myself informed you beforehand but argh I got stuck with some other stuffs. Come, I'll tell you the details." He pointed his finger at her cabin which was close and Nandini unwillingly obliged.

"You know, Mr.Jaccob is shrewd and hard-to-impress kind. But we have to get this deal done some way or the other, it can leverage us to a new level so I find we have to go over there to catch this. It might take us some four days totally, I suppose. And yeah, we gotta leave in four hours. I seriously am so sorry to not have discussed this with you but acknowledge that I hadn't been given a choice to make this decision after pondering over it. I hope you get it," he explained and she just sat immobile.

Of course, she had travelled to places, her job had demanded unplanned plans as now but this felt hard for her this time. She could have at least had the opportunity of biding him before leaving.

•••

After done going through some files, she vacated her office angrily. Only when she reached the park lot did she remember she hadn't brought her car. Wow, perfect.

Cursing under her breath, she booked a cab which consumed about thirty minutes of hers  but fairly it wouldn't take that much time. She glared inwardly at the chauffeur and sat in stiffly that one could be forgiven for thinking she was short-tempered. From there, she attempted calling Manik several times which went unanswered everytime.

What the heck was today? Nandini curled her lips at the yet again unanswered call. She uncertainly ceased trying and waited for him to make a call himself. Stepping out of the car on reaching their home, she paid the cauffeur and pushed the door open. She was walking upstairs to pack her belongings but stopped by the dining table where they had a pleasant time that morning. She all of a sudden felt sad and grasping the reason appeared impossible. Shaking her head lightly to dismiss the ominous thoughts that captured her mind for reasons unknown, she hurriedly started packing her stuffs after informing about her departure to the maid.

•••

A woman who had her glasses on hid beneath her sad eyes. The Airline announcement reached her ears— it was time for her to leave. She felt hollow from within, some inaudible roar threatened her to stop. She looked at her phone, he hadn't called her back yet. She contacted his office number as well however they informed they couldn't connect it to him, he was busy. So, she had to leave without seeing him, hearing him. It obviously would take days to return back and they would not be able to meet. She should have taught him to make a coffee the way she did, she thought bitterly.

"Nandini, come. It's time for our boarding," Darsh urged and she gave a nervous smile to him which though confused him, he didn't push anymore. She'd come, obviously, Darsh smirked. Their team which was of eight members had already gone but Darsh waited. A ting sound from her mobile jerked Nandini and she looked at the source ever so expectantly, then dismayed as it was just a notification from an app. She bore into the phone her fiercy eyes until she accidentally clicked it and many image popped up, out of which only one caught her eyes, she turned white. Darsh frowned looking at her rigid frame, her eyes glancing at whatever surprising she found, then went away when he saw her standing up after sitting unmoved for minutes.

The image read "silence before the storm" and her heart beat rose.