Under the Mistletoe Manan SS: Part 5 P.24 (Mar.14th) - Page 4

~~ Under the Mistletoe ~~

Part Two

"That still doesn't answer my question though," I spoke softly.

He came closer to me. Oh shit. He replied to me in the same tone as well, "You didn't answer my question either."

His voice sounded so gentle and mesmerizing that I was forced to look at him, despite wanting to avoid any sort of eye contact.

It was then that I realized why people said eyes were the window to the soul. I caught a cornucopia of emotions flooding through his eyes; from wanting, to longing; from needing, to caring. I didn't know much about him before, but I felt as if I did now.

"You have beautiful eyes Manik," I spoke out more for myself, but he probably heard it too.

It was as if we were in a trance, just looking at each other. No words were needed. Everything was going well, even the embarrassment with which the conversation started was disappearing. But the universe just loves to torture me, as my stomach chose this moment to voice itself in the sound of a loud rumble.

He looked like he was suppressing his laughter, while I just stood there embarrassed, yet again.

I turned around, closing my eyes and mentally slapping myself. Why do these things only happen with me? But thankfully, the elevator showed up at that moment, temporarily changing the topic.

I saw Cabir come out, with a case of beer in his hand. Alya and Mukti followed behind him, each holding a carton of eggnog and cookies respectively. Seeing their friendship always reminded me of my friends back home; their love, fights, silly conversations, everything! I wish I could have gone back, but I had no choice. Mumbai was the place to be for Rishab's treatment, and there was no way I was going back without him.

I saw the 4 of them heading towards Dhruv's room; taking it as a cue, I was about to enter the elevator, when I felt a tug on my wrist.

"If you want, you can join us. I mean there really isn't any reason why you should be spending Christmas alone." He held a certain tone of hope in his voice, or maybe it was me over-thinking it, but regardless, it was hard for me to say no. I really didn't want to spend Christmas alone in my room, but I also didn't want to intrude.

All this while, we didn't realize the others were still standing, waiting for Manik to come. I guess they overheard our conversation, because they invited me to join them as well.

Apart from Manik, I was on good terms with the other members of Fab5. Cabir, Mukti and I were working together on a year-long project for a fusion classical music show, whereas Alya and I were co-assistants of the VP of SPACE Academy. Dhruv, I talked to often because we ate lunch and dinner together at the dining hall ever since Frosh.

We didn't get along at first; the Fab5 seemed to have had some sort of a grudge against me because they made my first year hell. But we got over it I guess; since then, I've become more of a friend. But then there was him. I was too intimidated by him to ever think about approaching him. Even now, his gaze made me more conscious of myself.

Before I could think of a decent excuse, I was dragged by Dhruv to his room. I gave in to their requests; at least I don't have to eat those granola bars from the vending machines.

Never had I imagined this would all be happening. Quite a Christmas miracle it seems. We all sat down on the bean bags that lay across the room, with Manik sitting beside me. They all were just talking about their exams and classes, when suddenly my stomach grumbled again.

I grabbed my stomach in an attempt to quieten down the sound, but this only aggravated it. They all looked at me and attempted to control their laughter, although it's important to note that they were terrible at doing so. To prevent any further embarrassment, I just ended up asking them if they had anything that I could eat.

"Manik, I forgot to bring the macaroni pie upstairs. Could you please get it from my car? I don't want to go out there again," Alya requested Manik.

"Nandini, do you mind coming along? I actually need someone to hold the door for me as I get the stuff." I agreed to his request, and we both left for the parking garage.

We went out to the corridor, once again waiting for the elevator to come. Silence encompassed the wait, as I anticipated what he could possibly ask me this time. Fortunately, there were no questions this time. But unluckily, there were some observations on his part.

"Cute sweater," he remarked. I blushed again. Aiyyappa!! Why am I blushing like an idiot here? He must be thinking of me as a loser. Gosh.

"Thanks," I muttered in response. "Waise Manik, how come you guys are celebrating Christmas here on campus?"

I looked at him, trying to decipher the look in his eyes. He seemed a bit hesitant to speak...

"It's okay if you don't want to answer... I was just...," but he interrupted me.

"Actually, this year has been a rough year for all of us. And so, we decided we would spend time with the people we care the most about. The ones who mean the most to us."

"Ohh, sorry for the intrusion then. I didn't mean to...," I trailed off, looking away to the side. I really didn't want to spoil their mood on such an occasion.

"Trust me Nandini; you're anything but an intrusion."

- End of Part 2

Do let me know how you found the story :)

And don't forget to like the very first post if you want PMs!

Take care!!

Lots of love,

Hinal 🤗

Originally posted by: PrincessAshVik

This is such a cute story:):)

Thanks for the PM:):)

Was that the end?

Edit: I guess not😳

Hope you update soon:):)

Originally posted by: whitelily

fabulous update 👍🏼

Originally posted by: sonia_1

Lovely update 😊