Nandini came to an abrupt halt hearing his shout, abhi too reached right behind her and held her.
Rest of them too looked startled at both manik and nandini turn by turn.

"kya kar rahi ho!! Why are you running like that...i have told you hundred times to be careful" he scolded her reaching up to her but it was audible to everyone.

Nandini looked around. Everyone was there. Manik had never spoken in raised voice to her in front of others and here he was right away scolding her in front of her parents!. Her eyes started welling up and in no time she was crying buckets. She ran back to the room from which she had just come and locked it.

No one had anything to say. Murthys knew that it was nandini's fault , so they didn't know what to say.

"manik!! ye kya tarika hai nandini se baat karne ka..!!" neyonika was infuriarated. Manik looked down. He knew he was harsh, but when it comes to nandini's well being, he just looses it, so he had nothing to say in his defense, but he was worried for nandini.

"neyo..ab gussa chorkar pehle nandini ko jaa kar dekho" maan ordered. Abhi had already gone and rest of them followed, leaving manik behind.

He stepped down the stairs and walked out to the garden. They can take care of her, he thought. He wouldn't go to her so soon. He wanted to give her time to calm down and retrospect. Perhaps she will realise that he was not totally wrong.

Manik's outfit

His phone buzzed. It was a call from his P.A.

"yes"

"sir there is an emergency"

"what is it?"

"sir, as you know the current situation of law over demonetisation..so your consignment which you had ordered from cuba has been confiscated on the airport and the authorised person has also been held. And the officers from ED are just not ready to listen. They want to speak to someone higher in authority.

Whom should i send sir??"

"aditya, its a personal consignment , not in anyway related to the company. I will go myself"

"sure sir"

"fix a meeting with the director of ED. I won't speak to these small fishes.They think they will get an opportunity to corner a malhotra! I will show them where they have laid their paws!" manik scowled.

"right sir!"

"i don't want dad to be involved in this. You got that?"

"right sir"

"good"

Manik hung up and he was pissed at the audacity of the officials. The person with the consignment must have produced all the documents, but just because he was carrying diamond jewellery worth some crores, they thought they can cash the opportunity. The jewellery was meant for mukti's wedding. The papers are all clear, yet!!

The phone buzzed again.

"yes aditya!"

"sir its quite late. The director of ED is off duty now"

"aditya! I want to clear the matter right now. I won't wait for morning. The representative of the jewellery company is in illegal confinement. It will directly ruin my name in the market. Threaten them that if i don't get to meet the director right now, i will go to the media in the morning with the facts." Manik barked on the phone, his temper flaring.

Aditya shuddered on the other side.

"right sir" he said meekly.

Manik hung up. He was pacing in the garden now. He heard sounds from inside the house. They are looking for him. He knew if they saw him they would know that something has happened,so he decided to leave from there inconspicuously.

While he was driving, he received a call from an unknown number.

"hello"

"hello, am i speaking to mr. Manik malhotra?"

"yes. Who is this?"

"sir, i am the director of ED. My secretary informed me about the whole situation and sir i have rectified it. The person has been released. You don't need to take stress. And tomorrow itself when i reach the office , i will order an enquiry into the matter."

"good"

"sorry for the inconvenience sir."
"i hope it won't happen in the future."

"absolutely sir. Thank you"

And manik cut the call.

He received another call.

"bol cabir"

"kaha h tu??"

"kuch kaam agya tha so i had to leave from there. Nandini theek hai?"

"yeah she is fine"

"medicines kha liye usne?"

"hmmm"

"ok"

"its quite late so we are also leaving from here. When will you come back to manilla?"

"one hour or so"

"ok then bye"

"yeah bye"
.....
Manik walked into his home and directly went to his study and put all the jewellery cases into the safe and carefully locked it. Then he made his way to bedroom. He carefully unlocked it so as to not wake up nandini. He saw she is in deep sleep. He relaxed a bit looking at her serene, calm, carefree face. After changing into his nightwear, he slipped on the bed beside her and spooned her in his arms, burying his nose into her hair. She didn't wake up, may be she is too tired, he thought and slept peacefully.
......
Next morning, nandini tried to turn in her sleep, but was unable to do so, due to the heavy weight on her body. She opened her eyes to see the source,and it brought a smile on her face. Inspite of being angry on him for scolding her , then ignoring her, she couldn't help but admire his sleeping form. He had his face buried in her hair and his lips slightly parted as he inhaled and exhaled.

She removed his arms from on top of hers and as she did so he frowned in his sleep, which made her giggle and she shifted to face him.

"manik..." she said softly and his eyes flew open. They stared into each others eyes.

"sorry" he said "mujhe tumpe chillana ni chahye tha"

She didn't reply. She just looked down.

He raised her face holding her chin.

"kuch bologi ni?" he asked. She shook her head as a sign of her anger.

He sighed.

"nandini...main ni chahta ki tum kisi v wajah se upset ho..that's why i am trying to protect you and our baby. Today if you would have fallen...you know the consequences...and that thought just got me on the edge and i lost it. I am sorry" he said and held his ears.

She sat up on the bed.

"no you are not sorry. agar tum sorry hote toh tum kal raat mujhe akela chor kar ni jate!"

He sat up too beside her.

"Come with me" he said getting up from the bed and giving his hand to her . she took it.

"par kaha?" she asked.

He took her to his study and opened the locker and showed the various diamond and platinum jewellery sets.

"isi ki delivery mein kuch problem ho gyi thi to hi had to leave from there last night" he explained.

She softened a bit.

But her face was still dull.

"nandini i am sorry...baba!" he said pulling her to himself. "ok next time jab amma appa abhi and others will be with us...tum mujhe dant lena unke samne...i won't mind. Ok?"

"but why will i do that?"

"you know tit for tat"

"manik you are impossible..tum galat karo and i do the same just to take revenge! We are life partners not some fight partners!" she chided him.

"ok" he said babyishly.

"i will go freshen up" she said suddenly feeling very shy, now that the fight was resolved. She moved towards the door.

"abhi na jao chorkar k dil abhi bhara ni..." manik sang the old number halting nandini in her tracks. She turned around with a mischievous glint in her eyes and manik bit his lip as desires pooled up in his heart.

"nahi nahi abhi nahi...abhi karo intejaar...." she sand huskily walking backwards.

"nahi nahi kabhi ni...main hun bekarar.." manik sang the next line, walking towards her. She shook her head as if asking him to not follow.

"bare wo ho tum piya...zid q ni chorte...kaliyon ko khilne se pehle ni torte..!" she sang the next part and realised that she had hit a wall behind her.

Oh shit she said and screwed her eyes shut. Manik came smirking to her and caged her between himself and the wall.

"so mrs malhotra...what were you saying...haan...kaliyon ko khilne se pehle ni torte...right??" he asked ever so seductively and she nervously fidgeted on her feet.

"manik..." she managed to say.

He ignored her plea and continued "you know now i realised that we have not jammed from a long time.."
Her big doe eyes even got bigger hearing the undercurrent of sexual innuendo in his voice.

"kya ase kya dekh rahi ho?? I was just asking you know i will take my guitar, you on your veena...we could make some good music" he said non chalantly. And her lips curled up in an o.

"what?? Tumne kya socha?? " he asked her innocently then acting as if realisation hit him, he widened his eyes and said " don't tell me ki tum soch rahi thi ki...you and i..i mean we.." then he changed his expression into one of a shy boy "wse i don't mind...whatever you have in your mind..we can do that"

Nandini's cheek were getting hotter and redder by every passing second.

She felt butterflies in her stomach and everything south of her body knotted in anticipation. Pregnancy has heightened her need for him and everytime she feels, she cannot get enough of him. And as if her hands moved on its own accord and were in his hair, pulling him down , fusing her lip with his. Manik smiled between the kiss for being able to distract her and getting his own way.

They made love. They made music.....
---------------------------------------------------
And also guys please read tweetie1005 's stories! And zarnishkhan12 new Manan Ss- Deewangi! They both are amazing writers! Try their stories once! :)