PART 7 Abhimanyu's arm was in a vice like grip and with each clap of thunder, Nikki jumped closer to him. He had no idea that the woman who didn't think twice about jumping in a verbal duel with him, who pretended that she could take care of everything, was so scared of thunder.
She was breathing a little heavily and her eyes were closed shut tightly. Abhimanyu stopped by his car and she banged into him, eyes still closed. As he opened his mouth to speak, there was another clap of thunder and she let out a soft scream and pushed him against the car and hid her face in his chest, grabbing his shirt forcefully.
He took a deep breath to calm his heart which had jumped into an overdrive with Nikki's closeness and breathed in the scent of her shampoo. It was a flowery smell and Abhimanyu closes his eyes, inhaling deeply. His hands went around Nikki and he found her trembling. There was another clap of thunder and she inched even closer and Abhimanyu took a deep breath to calm himself.
"N…Nik….Nikita" he whispered hoarsely trying to push her away to create a distance he desperately needed.
"Y…Yeah" she looked up, her eyes huge and questioning, her grip still tight on the front of his shirt.
He wanted to ask to her to get back and give him his space but looking into those big brown eyes, he lost his words. His eyes darted to her lips, which were parted a little and he had an insane urge to place his own on those dew soft lips. He suddenly stood up straight at the track his thoughts were taking. He was crazy….crazy enough to want to kiss the spitfire. If he ever tried to put his idea to work, she would claw his eyes out without a second thought. Wait a minute….was he in the right mind? He was thinking of putting his idea to WORK? With Nikita Malhotra? He needed to see a psychiatrist.
"We have reached the car…..you can let go of me" he says, his voice a little hard and Nikki suddenly becomes conscious of her closeness to him and pulls away, her hands dropping to her side and her eyes lowering, unable to meet his. She hated the man but look how she had jumped into his arms without a second thought and not only that, she had been clinging on to him as her life depended on him.
Her cheeks colored in embarrassment and she looked away, trying to recollect herself. She felt him leave her side and go to the other side. She looked up slowly and saw him waiting with the door open. She walked to that side and tried to avoid looking into his eyes and seat herself wishing to get home soon. She sat herself and Abhimanyu closed the door and took the driver's seat and started driving, thick silence between them. Nikita shivered a little and Abhimanyu noticed that from the corner of his eyes and turned down the air conditioner.
"Thanks" she mumbled and if he hadn't bent his head slightly, she wouldn't have known that her thanks had been acknowledged. He didn't make an effort to break the silence and Nikki's eyes were glued to the window, trying to ignore the strong presence of the man beside her. She fidgeted uncomfortably but it went unnoticed or so she thought.
She was looking everywhere but at him. He understood perfectly well that she was trying to ignore him and she was not the only one. He was trying as hard to ignore her but it was a little difficult. He could see her fidgeting through the corner of his eye and sense her discomfort. He was about to ask her something when her phone rang shrilly in the silence of the car and she took a huge sigh of relief. She looked at the number and a soft secret smile spread on her lips. Abhimanyu's gaze narrowed at her reaction. He had never seen her smile like this and seen a twinkle enter her eyes.
"Hello" she breathed into the phone and let out a tinkle of laughter at the other person's remark which only she could hear.
Prithvi had been sitting in his room, where Damini had left him, his leg propped on a pillow trying to rest. The fact that he couldn't move and he had to sit and rest was driving him up the wall. He felt like killing someone and he wanted that someone to be Damini.
Why had he gone and saved that arrogant girl, he couldn't figure……till now. He had been thinking about her since she had left. She had been rude, haughty, unfriendly and uncivil to him but he had to play the hero.
"Damn" he muttered beneath his breath and picked up a book from the bedside table which he had been reading on his journey to Mumbai. He looked through a few pages and his anger returned in full force and he shut the book unceremoniously and placed it back on the table.
He hated being inactive and had no idea what to do with himself. Frustrated and at the end of his tether, he decided to call Nikki….his best friend.
"Hey" he said sweetly, a smile coming to his face at hearing her voice.
"How are you? Settled ?" she asked .
"Yeah…..like for good" he muttered bitterly.
"What happened?" his friend immediately recognized that he was in a terrible mood.
He tells her about his accident and she clucks softly and tells him how sorry she was to hear that.
"Come and visit me" Prithvi orders, "before I burn down the house."
"Now?" she asks and looks surreptitiously at Abhimanyu who she knew wasn't missing a word of her conversation.
"Yeah" Prithvi says and she finds it impossible to say No to him. She tells him to hold and looks at Abhimanyu who is busy ignoring her.
"Dr. Modi" she finally says and he looks at her questioningly.
"Would it be too much to ask a favor of you?" she asks softly and when he raises his eyebrow in question, color creeps to her cheeks.
"Not at all Princess" he replies and asks her what he could help her with.
"I…ahem…my friend has had an accident….if you could drop me there" she trails off, knowing that she was asking too much of him and there was a possibility that he would rudely tell her off.
"Sure……I can drop you…where does this friend live?" he asks and Nikki's temper flares. He had to emphasize the word friend meaningfully. This man was irritating to say the least but she had to bite her tongue if she needed him to help her.
She asks Prithvi the address and tells him that she would be coming to visit him and hangs up. She turns slightly towards Abhimanyu and tells him the address.
Damini had been feeling miserable and guilty and these two feelings were alien to her. Especially, the feeling of being guilty. Her mind was hovering on Prithvi and she hadn't been able to concentrate on the file before her. Frustrated with her lack of concentration, she throws the file away and starts walking the length of her room.
He had been handpicked by her mother and that very thing had rubbed her the wrong way. She respected her mother's choice but it was her precious stud farm. She wanted to have a say in the hiring and that is why she had insisted on interviewing him. When she had realized that it was the same man she had fought with on the road, her hackles had risen and she had become determined to fight his hire. Everything was fine until he had decided to play hero and fractured his leg trying to save her.
She was embarrassed by her behavior. She knew she owed him an apology and she had apologized but she couldn't understand this unsettled feeling still. She walked out of her room and peeked into her mother's office and saw Balraj and her in a meeting. She looked at her watch. It was 7:30 and it had been almost 3 and a half hours since she had left Prithvi. She was sure he must not have eaten. She slapped her forehead. How could he eat when he had been advised bed rest? She looked in again and figured that the meeting between her mother and Balraj was going to be a while. She was used to it but poor Prithvi would have to suffer.
She headed to the kitchen and asked them to pack some food and decided to drive it out to him. This was the least she could do for him having saved her life.
"This is where your friend lives?" Abhimanyu asks curiously and Nikki nods.
"In the Gujral property?" he asks gain and she shrugs.
"I didn't know that Dami and you were friends" he raises an eyebrow.
"Prithvi and I" she clears it up and he nods his understanding.
Nikki gets out of the car and heads to his side. Abhimanyu gets out too and she looks at him and thanks him for dropping her.
"How will you get back?" he asks and then wishes that he hadn't uttered those words. Why was he so worried about how she would do what? He had offered to help her and she had chosen this destination. He should be going.
"Auto" she replies and he rolls his eyes.
"You know how far the auto stand is from this property?" He asks and then wishes that he could have minded his own business. He was getting ahead of himself in worrying about her.
"Someone will help me" she says rather unconvincingly for him.
"Fine….whatever" he shrugs and she nods and starts to move away.
"Nikita" she hears his voice and looks back.
"I….I will be visiting Dami…..I'll drop you" he offers.
"You don't have to…..please…this is enough" she shakes her head, taken aback by his offer.
"It's Ok…just call me …I'll be here" he tells her and starts walking towards the main house. There is a loud clap of thunder and he stops in his tracks. He knew Nikki was afraid. He turns to look at her and he sees her frozen on the spot. He sighs and walks to her side.
"I'll drop you to the door" he says and she nods and they walk in silence.
The bell was ringing incessantly. He had told Nikki that the door was open but he had no idea why she was ringing the bell.
"Coming" he shouts and walks slowly to the floor.
He finally reaches the door but it felt to him as if she had pressed her finger to the bell and forgot to take it off it. He was angry and he opened the door and almost screamed, "Are you crazy….I told you it was open" and Looks at a drenched Damini standing before him.
"You?" he felt like screaming.
"You don't have to scream" she snaps.
"You didn't have to ring the bell as if your life depended on it" he snaps back. Why did this girl always have to appear? He was trying to avoid thinking about her and here she had materialized.
"It did…I was getting wet" she pointed out. He looked at her and saw that she was wet and her clothes were clinging to her.
"Well I couldn't rush…..courtesy you" he points towards his leg in the cast.
"Fine" she snaps and he looks at her angrily, wishing she would disappear.
"When you are done wishing me away, may I come in?" she asks irritated and he moves away to let her in, the expression on his face not altering.
"What do you want now?" he asks her rudely.
"I brought you food" she explains.
"Are you trying to poison me? Wasn't breaking my leg enough?" he asks and she turns angrily at him.
"All I was trying to do was feed you….as I saw uncle with mumma….but you are really not worth it" she snaps and Prithvi's mouth falls open.
Dinner? She had gotten him dinner? He must be dreaming.
"Get out of my way" Damini pushes him and he stumbles and starts to fall back. Damini tries to catch him but he had swayed too much for her to stop the fall. He lands on the couch with Damini on top of him.
"Uff" he lets out and pain crosses his features.
"Sorry…am really sorry" she holds his face gently and looks towards his leg.
"Are you Ok?" she asks,
"I will be if you …..hmph…get off off….hmph …me"he says, his breath knocked out of him.
"Dami" Abhimanyu's shocked voice takes her name.
"Prithvi" Nikki calls her frined and Prithvi and Damini look up into the shocked eyes of their respective friends.
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