Part 10
The happiness that he felt from morning has gone out the moment Nandini kept the phone, he was so sad, about Soha intervention with his call and Nandini's reply made him more and more sad, and he told "Why the hell, you think i mistakenly called you Nandini, i wantedly did that, i want to speak to you, and i want you to speak to me, only to me, but why can't you get that, am not the same Manik who ignore you all the time, your absence made notable effect on me,and just to talk to you and express my new feel, i just called you, but, but, everything was spoiled, Oh God, why its always happening to me, its like standing on a knife, though i don't want to get myself out of it" and he left home for the rest of the day cancelling all his meetings.
Radha wondered seeing him this much early, and on being asked about it, he replied that he is not feeling well, and radha replied "Nowadays you are becoming sick often, what happen to you" and Manik replied himself " Not sick, am becoming love sick, all credits goes to your daughter, aka DIL" and he replied to radha "Nothing ma, need to rest for sometime" and he left to the room, he changed into his casuals,and he went to have a smoke standing on the balcony, and after that he returned back and opened Nandini's wardrobe, to take her saree, so as to solace himself with that, and that is when a red diary fall down to his feet, and he bend down and took that in his hand, and opened it, it had a pic of Nandini, and she was younger in that, might be 3 or 4 years back the photo was taken, and below it was written as Nandini Moorthy, he read that twice, and he just caressed his thumb over the name, and he just with his index finger, hid "Moorthy" and murmured, it has to be "Malhotra, Manik Malhotra, and u r Nandini Manik Malhotra" and he smiled himself,and went to his bed and opened the diary to know more about her. He composed himself saying, " Might be,she would have mentioned her likes,and dislikes,now i'll get a chance to know about it and i'll change myself in a way that you will not able to reject me, when i say my heart to you".
The lines on the first page of the dairy shaked him to the core, and he blinked his eyes again and read it "I hate smokers" Manik thought "I am clean bold with the first page" and he threw the diary on the bed and laid on the bed,and he took her saree in his hand and asked "But, why did you not informed about this before, and how many times i would have smoked before you, but you didn't even show a little trace of discomfort on your face. and i know what you would have felt seeing me smoke, shitt !!!!" and he again thought "No Nandini No, i need you,i can doanything for u and now am ready to sacrifice anything, but , i wonder, whether i could quit smoking" then he thought for a while and said "Ok, from now onward, i will not smoke before you, and slowly i try to reduce the number, and finally i will quit" and he thought "But why didn't i give a try like this for Soha, i thought i love her, but where does she stand a place in my heart" and he continued with the diary and he came to know more about her and her likes and dislikes and about the incidents that happened in her life.
Manik was so involved in the diary, that he didn't notice the time,and radha came to call him, as the door was not locked, she came inside and called him, Manik turned towards her and she asked "I asked you to rest, and what you are doing," and she looked at the diary in his hands and said "Manik?? From when you had the practice of writing a diary" Manik just kept it under his pillow and replied "No ma, that diary belong to a special person in my life" and radha smiled and asked "Whose that spl person, may i know about him/her" and Manik took her out of the room to the living hall saying "I will let you know at the right time" and they all sat together for dinner,he turned towards the chair next to him saying "Nandini, tomorrow by this time, i would have expressed my feelings for you, and we would have dinner sitting close to each other and u would smile at me, like u always does with Mom and Dad" and he smiled thinking about this.
He went to bed, hoping to see Nandini in the morning, but he was so excited and he didn't sleep so long, even after pills, and cuddling with Nandini's saree, he didn't sleep, and he talked to her saree saying " How i wish to hold you, when you are wearing this" and he giggled like small boy and with so much thoughts, finally he slept around 1 after a little time on smoking and he woke up around 8 in the morning, hurriedly he got ready and went down to tel his mom that he want to pick Nandini from railway station, but before that his mom said "Manik, you want to have your coffee?" he nodded a "NO" hesitating to say what he was about to say but then radha continued "We are going to railway station to pick up Nandini, so if you want anything, just ask Patil(their servant)" and they both left and Manik stood there numb, not knowing what to say or what to do,he had the coffee which patil gave and was constantly looking at the door and his watch and waiting for her.
In the meanwhile he was practicing talking to Nandini, once she reached there,and he said "Hey Nandini, how was the tour, hope you felt bored without me, same with me yaar" and he nodded his head and said "No no not like this" and gave another try hallucinating her and saying "Hey Nandini, How are you, you look pale, was it the effect of missing me for 4 days" and he again nodded to no and said "This time Final, and turned towards her image and said " Hey Nandini, i was waiting for you, i thought to join with papa and mama, but got up very late, thats why ya" and he lowered his head, but he heard the reply "Thats fine Manik" and he said "Oh Nandini finally you decided to reply me, from where do you got this guts, i thought i should take my own WAY to make you open your mouth" and he laughed and he continued "Don't worry dear, we can have that during our personnel time in our room" and smirked at her.
His smirk on the face vanished away seeing Radha and Mohan entering the house, and he pinched himself and felt the pain and turned around to see a confused Nandini standing there, and when he stepped towards her to speak, they heard a big sound "Ouch, Manik come here soon" from the room,and it was soha's voice, everyone saw each other, and Mohan said "Go and check what has happen to her now" and he went upstairs with his eyes and concentration fully on Nandini.
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