We both reached the party destination, it was one huge party - obviously where The Manik Malhotra is invited that party can not be an ordinary one. Décor, music, everything was on point. I went inside - hand in hand with my man. Woah! Many people came and greeted us, oh wait us is not the word, him. Yes, they examined me from head to toe, I smiled in return. I had no clue about the party's reason. Like was it someone's birthday, anniversary or the man of the party cracked an awesome deal. Then I heard one man's voice.

"Hello people, thank you so much for taking out time and coming here to attend our company's fifth anniversary and our 3rd marriage anniversary!" The man holding the mike spoke, side-hugging his wife, it was no one else but my cousin sister navya and her husband cabir.

"Manik, Navya di!" I uttered in excitement.

"Yes, since that day you said to cabir that you want to meet her, so go!" He smiled, first I was excited but then thinking what she would think about me, I nodded negatively. "Nandini, go, don't think what she'll think, she's your cousin and one day or the other you've face her and till now I'm sure, cabir ne navya ko sab kuch bata diya hoga." Manik said, motivating me to go and talk to her. "And even now you want me to go and speak to her? Are you mad?" I said. "Yes nandini, you need to go and speak to her she's your sister." He explained. "Cousin sister" I corrected.

"Hi nandini!" I heard someone greeting me from the back, I turned! Woah! Navya di, I had no clue how to react, I just smiled and said, "Hello.. di..Happy Anniversary!" I greeted her with a smile. "Thank you nandu." She said and engulfed me in a hug, honestly, her sudden gesture surprised me, but I tried to look as normal as I could.
"Nandini, cabir told me everything." She said after taking a deep breath. I just smiled, actually faked a smile.
"Manik.. manik is a nice guy nandini. He might be one weird guy on earth but he really cares for his loved ones." She told me some facts about manik which I already knew.
"Yeah di, he is. I don't regret any moment with him." She smiled at my honest opinion about manik, somewhere I knew I'm falling for this guy but I was really not in a condition to accept it either, even though I knew manik would never leave my side but still.. I went into that zone when manik pulled me out, di had left my side long back, "Nandini? What's wrong?" He looked at me, confused. "Nothing manik, it's just that.. meeting di after really long, since I ran away no one tried to contact me so it's a bit awkward you know.." I left my sentence incomplete. Manik gave me an assuring smile, "Nandini, happens just leave it on time and just don't think of anything. Okay?" I smiled.

Time passed just like that, they cut the cake, everyone wished them a happy anniversary. I went to them and hugged di, cabir smiled. I walked off giving space to other guests to meet and greet them. I was passing by some guest, then I heard them blabbering about someone, surprisingly it was me. One of them said pointing towards me, "Is she the same girl who entered this party with Manik Malhotra?" She passed a disgusted smile to another lady standing there, she spoke, "Maybe his lady for the night. You know how manik is, even my lil sister and him.. geez, this man is just.." She passed a disgusted look, it was not about me, it was about manik for me, I didn't really bother what crap they spoke about me, but for manik I didn't, I couldn't stand the fact that they just spoke ill about someone who's trying to change or for me, he has changed.
I walked up to them, "Excuse me?" I smiled hiding my uneasiness. "Yes?" One of the four spoke. "You know you're speaking ill about someone you don't know?" I said in the soft tone. "So you know him?" I smiled, "I know the better him." She passed one confused look to me and said, "So you're his girl for the night? No? Defending him and all, tomorrow you'll stand here with us and agree every point we say." She smiled and patted my cheek. "No, that's never going to happen, you know why because I know him better than you all! I respect him for who he is now. Learn to respect people. Don't judge them because of some stupid acts they did in the past. Every saint was a sinner before, no one is saint over here, I'm sure you don't want me to find out who you were or may be are!" I smiled, she fumed in anger, cringed her brows together. "Listen you bitch, stop right there." She said gripping my wrist a little tighter, I yelped in pain. "This shows how scared you are, your lil dirty secrets might just come out that can spoil your image you've created in this society." Despite of the pain, I still managed to add some more frowns on the head of that plastic lady standing in front of me, uttering crap about manik. "Listen you!..." She tried to raise her voice, I smiled, "I'm sure you don't want me say something about you in this party, so slow down lady." She muttered some abuses. I removed my hand from her grip and took some steps to walk off. "Wait for the day he'll leave you and sleep with some other women, naked in your room." She said from the back, this definitely shook me. Manik hadn't made-up any commitment to me, yet I knew he wouldn't do anything which'll hurt me but still, everything stopped for a moment for me, all the moments spent with manik became a movie and started to play in front of my eyes, his care, his concern everything - I turned back, "kyu kya hua? Darr gayi? Manik didn't make any commitments to you? That he'll marry you bla bla, but he did, to my little sister but he left her after fucking her, do you hear that? Yes he left her." I could feel pain in her voice for her sister but then I couldn't deny the fact that manik has changed, he's not the manik I slept with. He's now a sensible man, who cares for me more than his own life. "I really don't know what happened with your sister, nor I want to know and trust me I'm not going to explain you my relation with manik, what we have - you can never understand, so piss off!" I spat my anger and left from there. I heard her saying, "You'll regret your decision of being with him." I turned, smile and said, "I'd love to." I winked at her and walked off. I removed my heels and sat near the pool with my legs dipped in water. I heard some foot steps, "You were good." It was manik, I turned and smiled. "Manik.." "Manik.. I.." "No nandini, you don't have to explain anything to me." He sat beside me. I had to change the environment from being this all emotional to the lively one, one mischief striked in my mind I smiled cunningly, and SPLAAAASSHHH! A handful of water spread over manik's face. He was taken aback because of this sudden attack from my side that too in a total different environment. "NANDINIIIII!" He yelled annoyingly, wiping off the water from his face.
I got up from my place and ran out of manik's reach, he stomped his foot and ran behind me muttering abuses, I laughed, I stopped in a silent place, I couldn't find manik anywhere around. "Manik?" I yelled. "Oh God nandini murthy! Why do you always land up in trouble?" "I shouldn't have done this." "Manik! Where is he now?" I was legit scared by now, I didn't know what lane was it, I've never been to this place before, I looked around in order to find manik, then I heard some footsteps approaching me, "Manik?" I muttered in the lowest tone possible, as I couldn't afford to call another trouble but no one responded, I supposed it ain't manik so I hid behind the tree even though it didn't cover me fully but I supposed it had. My breathing hitched as I felt one arm around my waist and other hand shutting my mouth, I couldn't scream because of that palm covering my mouth. I tried to push but all my struggles went in vain, and then someone snuggled in my neck blowing hot air. I applied all the force I had after my running marathon but couldn't push that piece of flesh and bones away instead that person hugged me even tighter.

(TAAADAAAAAAN! 🙌 Cliff-hanger? Don't worry, I'm typing the next update right after this one, it'll be up in a while as soon as I'm done. Yeah I know I promised one update every week but the people connected to me on twitter knows that diseases and viruses get attracted to me no matter how much I try to stay away from them, I was doing pretty well health-wise but then chicken-pox showed up and I was down again, I'm really sorry guys, I'll try to make up for the loss. Please accept my apology.
Running to write the next chapter. Hope this was not boring. 🙈)