Phir Le Aaya Dil || A Manik-Nandini OS

She stopped dead in her tracks as she stared at the vast expanse of the courtyard at SPACE Academy for Performing Arts. She knew she should have taken the longer route to get to the library, but alas! Laziness always did come with a prize. She shut her eyes tightly as she heard that taunting voice, so husky that her knees buckled. She could picture the emotion on his face as he sparred with one of the members of Fab5, the notorious, rebellious and in turn the most popular band in the college. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair that she knew would be sticking out, despite his having brushed it to perfection. She wanted those molten eyes to stare into hers as he whispered teasingly into her ears.

But she couldn't want any of those blissful moments, for their love was forbidden; she a member of the rival team, NH3, and he being the leader of his own band - it was almost something Shakespeare could turn into a fantastic play.

Nandini Moorthy took a deep breath and strode forward with the confidence she'd come to fake whenever he seemed to be in her proximity. She willed her eyes to stay on the trees around, or the vast majority of posters that hung about - anything to avoid his intense gaze. 'Aiiyappa, please don't let him look this way?' - she prayed, but knew it was a lost cause. She knew that he had sensed her presence the minute she'd stepped into the courtyard. Just like she'd be able to tell if he'd entered a room - the air would shift, and the atmosphere would become thick with palpable tension and intensity that you could cut with a knife!

'Dude, you never told us where you disappeared to last night! Nyonika bothering you again?' came the irritated voice of Cabir Dhawan.

She sighed and bit down on her tongue to keep the smile from gracing her face. On my terrace, gazing at stars, she wanted to say out loud, shaking her head at the corniness of the entire situation.

'You know her Cabir, she's always on my case - but like I always say, you don't get to choose your family', he replied ever so confidently, feeling his insides churn as the familiar atmosphere surrounded him.

Manik Malhotra had spotted her as she made her way across the courtyard to get to the library - of course! The thought made him roll his eyes and smile affectionately at the same time. He knew she was praying that he wouldn't spot her - that none of them would spot her, and thus, he chose to avoid looking in her direction - her Aiiyappa knew how hard it was on him.

'Haan but...' Mukti Vardhan began to cut across Manik's comment, but trailed off suddenly.

Oh Aiyappa.

'Yo commoner!' Cabir yelled out across the courtyard, striding purposely across the courtyard, making his way to her. She ignored him, and kept walking, only to be stopped by his bulky presence in front of her.

'Yes, Cabir the mighty, can I help you?' she replied, the sarcasm tinting her tone. Manik grinned to himself, he'd always told her that his mannerisms had begun to rub off on her, and voila! He couldn't WAIT to point this out to her!

Cabir chuckled humourlessly as he flung his arm around her shoulder. The cringe seemed to spread from Nandini's body to Manik's, as she fidgeted to get out of Cabir's grasp.

'Cabir, would you care to stay away from me? The thing is I don't want to contract that disease of stupidesia' that you seem to have - yeh beemaari chhoone se phailti hai!'

This time, Manik had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud at one of his closest friend's plight. Who knew his girl had such sass?

Cabir's eyes narrowed dangerously, as did Mukti and Alya Saxena's as they stormed towards where the scene was unfolding. Sighing and nodding slightly to his buddy Dhruv Vedant, Manik made his way towards the centre of the drama.

Don't look at her, Malhotra. Don't you dare.

Nandini seemed to be having similar thoughts as she avoided looking at him and his swagger that seemed to be confident, but all it radiated to her, were his nerves.

'You behenji, just get out of here. You're not wanted, alright?' Alya's voice taunted her, and Nandini rolled her eyes at the most commonly used comeback in the history of comebacks.

She lifted her gaze to meet that of the Fab5's but as soon as she'd made the movement, she knew she was going to regret it - for right in front of her was her very own Monster, staring at her with those pitch black eyes that seemed to give off his cold demeanour to the rest of the world. To her, all they seemed to convey was his love, his anxiety, his passion, and at this moment, his mischief. As if they said to her 'Oh no, don't you go anywhere. I want you'.

'Really Alya? What's next? Me buying you a 101 comebacks for dummies', as a birthday present? Where's the fire guys? Thodi originality laao yaar!'

Nandini seemed to have stunned them all into silence since they seethed, standing there ever so confidently. Mukti moved forward threateningly, trying to let her actions be spoken louder than words - in hopes of punching the living daylights of that Mangalore scum.

Nandini waited for the action that she was ever so familiar with, albeit in a context completely different at times, but a gesture that was customary for him nevertheless.

Manik flung his arm out, effectively stopping Mukti in her tracks as his feet moved forward, his eyes never leaving those of the petite girl standing in front of him, her arms folded.

Her eyes sparkled as she challenged him to say something trifle, insulting, crude. And he didn't disappoint. He leaned forward, and bent his face so that he was maddeningly close to her. Their stance radiated their anxiety, and self-restraint to one another as they prepared for another sparring session. They'd egg each other on needlessly in public, wanting to see which one seemed to lose even a shred of their mask that they were forced to keep on.

'Toh Professor Nandu, aap hee sikha do kuch originality. You've taught us all so much - we're eternally grateful, truly. Yeh lesson mil jaata toh it'd have been the cherry on top of the cake, you know, what I mean?' Manik all but whispered, earning a chuckle from the rest of his band members.

Her gaze never wavered as she looked at his slightly bent form, the height difference amusing her to this very date - and she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped around in those big arms as they cocooned her tiny body to his gargantuan form. His thoughts seemed to be on par with hers as his hands formed a fist, his knuckles whitening - something that no one but her seemed to notice.

'Afsos Mr. Malhotra. Aapke jaisi originality hum mein kahan? Should we ask Alya about your originality? I'm sure an expert like you wouldn't need advice from an amateur like me?'

His eyes contained his mirth at her crude innuendo as he kept his gaze on hers. She looked on defiantly, sensing Alya's blanching as she stood next to Mukti, the latter making another threatening move in Nandini's direction.

Ouch, that was cold, and coming from me, that's saying something! He seemed to convey his thoughts relatively clearly as she caught onto the slight shake of his head.

'Why ask Alya? Why don't we give it a firsthand experience, commoner?' His smirk was in place, as his friends chuckled once more. She couldn't control the delight dancing in her eyes as she quickly heard the sincere promise of a night to remember, in his voice, excitement pulsating through her body.

'That wouldn't really be possible, since I wouldn't touch you if my life depended on it, you evil freak!' This time, she seemed to have taken it too far as his lips twitched upwards, wanting to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She craved for his touch as much as he craved for hers, and he felt his control slipping away slightly. She grinned internally in delight, the spark of victory evident in her eyes.

She sensed the agitation of the rest of his crew, and knew it was time for her to make a swift exit if she didn't want any more shit hitting the fan.

'Anyway, as amazing this conversation has been, I really need to get going. But considering how I've already seen you all this early in the day, the rest of the day should just go uphill from here, correct?' she bit out, and without waiting for a reply, she straightened herself, pushing Manik ever so slightly, her fingers lingering on his chest not more than a fraction of a second, and walked away.

'Screw you, commoner!' she heard his crude shout coming from the other end of the courtyard. She smiled to herself at what that comment translated into.

I love you, Spot!

Nandini craned her neck ever so slightly from her position behind a tree and she caught his gaze, looking directly at her, as she knew he would be. She winked, and he sat up straight in an instant, grinning to himself as he caught her reply.

The same way that I love you, Monster!

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And that's a wrap!! Let me know what you guys think! Reviews are like cookies - I love 'em!

-Raina