Chapter 40
So am I?😆
"Nyonika...she never caressed my hair the way chachi did...never hugged me the way I was hugged today" Manik thought as he took a walk down memory lane. The memories are so beautiful. Waiting for Nandini..meeting her for the first time.
"The very first moment, when my eyes fell on her...I did feel something. I found her beautiful in red. She has such a magical face...her eyes large..deep and those lips are like pieces of cherry. I wished that I could touch them...how many moments I had to control myself" Manik thought as he lay down on bed.
Manik remembered the way Nandini lied...it did anger him, but he knew that something was making her hesitate. If not for Kabir's plan he could not have been able to take Nandini alone on a bike ride.
"That bike ride was so magical...the breeze...the night sky and Nandini's arms around me...wish that the moments had stopped there. But then she had to scream and scare me and make me stop the bike because of a dream! Like seriously? which girl sits on a bike and falls asleep and dreams??" Manik thought as he felt himself smiling.
"If not for the rain, we wouldn't have had to take a shelter in a shed and then if not for the thunder..Nandini wouldn't have hugged me." Manik remembered that hug as he closed his eyes and he could feel the clumsy hug that he got from Nandini. She clung to him like there was no tomorrow.
"Such a lot of sorries she said today and I had to find a reason not to forgive her so fast. Because if I forgave her so fast..there wouldn't be a reason to hold her back. I didn't want to let her go so fast. But then she had to act like she fainted. If I had taken her to the hospital..I would've made a fool of myself. Thankfully I found out her acting and the way she tried to sneak out from my room in my home...she was so funny doing that. Does she even realize how funny she is?" Manik thought as he felt himself smiling widely.😃
"Then the moment when current was gone and she was screaming out and seeing her draped in a towel...did she even realize how she made my heart beat? Did she even know what I was feeling holding her in my arms like that? What if I had lost control of myself?" Manik thought as he felt a strange sensation creep through him. Manik hugged his pillow and he felt that Nandini was softer than the pillow...hugging her felt even more wonderful.
"Then the way she caressed my cheek...was there even dust on my cheek...or was she acting? She made me act even better than Parth Samthaan! I mean...making me act like looking through clothes in cupboard." Manik thought as his eyes dreamily looked into the blank space as his lips never lost the smile on them.
"She is so cute...the way she made an excuse to stay back, call up her family and prepared a surprise for me. I truly wanted to keep her forever with me locked in my arms..but all I could do was to kiss her cheek...atleast to thank her sweet gesture. The moment when I saw her bare waist...it felt as if my heart stopped..."😕 Manik suddenly closed his eyes tight as the image of Nandini standing on the stool trying to pick up the bowls went through his mind.
Manik got up from his bed and walked over to the balcony as a gentle breeze caressed his hair and he looked at the moon and the moon was smiling at him. The stars are looking so beautiful tonight. Manik remembered the moments of silence that passed between him and Nandini as they sat enjoying the noodles.
"It was all beautiful..except for the memory of Soha. But even in that bad memory..there was something good...it made me feel the warmth of Nandini...the way she hug me..caressed my hair and tried to console me. I felt that she truly had some feeling for me. The moment when she held my hand and made me sit and listen to her story..I felt so much better" Manik thought as he remembered Nandini narrating the story.
"The most wonderful was the moments spent in Nandini's home. The love of chacha-chachi..the adrakwaali chai" Manik remembered and suddenly a smile spread across his face when he remembered what happened at that point. Chacha had asked:
"Manik?? Tum itne famous ho! Tumhaari koi girlfriend hai kya?"
Manik suddenly got shocked and started coughing spilling tea onto his t-shirt and blazer.
"Aiyoo Manik beta...your cloth is now dirty! Nanduuu take him to the washroom!" Chacha instructed Nandini.
"Yes chachu!" Nandini replied.
Manik followed Nandini as she lead him to a room and opened the room to let him inside. Suddenly Nandini heard chachi calling her "Nanduuu bete idhar aa naa"
"Manik..that is the door to the washroom..I will be back in 5 minutes" Nandini said as she walked out of the door closing the door behind her.
Manik entered the washroom and started cleaning up his blazer and t-shirt as he looked at the image of himself in the mirror. He poured water on clothes as he continued to try to remove the stain. The stain almost disappeared. Manik washed his hands and wiped on the towel and walked out of the room and sat on the bed in the room and looked around the room.
"Whose room is this?? Is it Nandu's room?" he thought as he looked sideways. Manik noticed a framed photo of Nandini along with an old lady kept next to the bed. He picked up the photo and looked at it "Could it be..Amms?" Manik thought as his fingers slighted traced over the frame of the photo. Suddenly Nandini opened the door and walked in with a set of clothes in her hand.
"Manik, your clothes will get stains. Mujhe wo kapde deke ye kapde pehenlo!" Nandini said offering the clothes in her hand to Manik.
"No..it's ok! I can manage. When I give your clothes for washing..I'll give mine also to wash" Manik said trying to assure Nandini.
"Arre aise kaise?? Now your clothes will get tea stain. Let me wash your clothes clean and I will give them to you. Waise bhi..since U are doing me a favour..I should return the favour na?" Nandini asked in an assertive tone.
"Achcha??" Manik asked softly as he took off his blazer and started to remove the t-shirt also.
"M..Manikkk? Tum ye kya kar rahe ho? Shirt kyon utaar rahe ho?" Nandini asked suddenly backing off a bit.
"Kyon?? Tumhe mere kapde nahi chahiye?" Manik asked making an innocent pout.
"Haan kapde chahiye..magar mere saamne kyon utaar rahe ho?" Nandini asked with a scared look on her face.
"Tumne hi tho kaha tha...ke wo kapde loon aur ye kapde de doon..isliye utaarke de raha hoon!" Manik said as he once again started to remove his t-shirt.
"No...wait..I'll go outside and wait...U change the clothes after I leave" Nandini said as she turned around to leave the room. Manik quickly moved forward and grabbed Nandini by her arm and pulled her into him. Nandini didn't turn to look at Manik but felt Manik's fingers trace over her arm down to her bangles as she felt Manik get closer to her.
"Kyon?? Mujhse darr lagta hai, Nanduu?" Manik whispered into Nandini's ears. 😳
"Darrr?? Kisko?? Mujhe?? Nahi tho!!" Nandini said word by word.
"Achcha?? Phir?? Kyon?? Bhaag rahi ho??" Manik also imitated her word by word style of speaking. 😛
"N..Nahii..main kahan bhaag rahi hoon..wo main chachi ko bataake aati hoon..ke I have given the clothes to U" Nandini stammered as she pulled herself away and rushed out of the room closing the door behind her.
Manik continued to smile as he looked at the door as he changed out of the t-shirt and wore the clothes brought for him. The dress was really loose.
"Lagta hai ke chacha ke shirt hai...bahut loose hai" Manik whispered to himself as he rolled up the sleeves of the loose shirt and buttoned himself up. Manik finished wearing the shirt and suddenly a thought crossed his mind. He walked over to the bed and removed the pillow and looked underneath. There was no photo of Parth Samthaan...there was no photo at all.
"So..was she lying to me? Like seriously? She was trying to make me jealous?" Manik thought as he stood holding his waist and rubbing his finger over his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly his eyes fell upon a magazine lying on the table. Manik picked up the magazine and on the cover page is his picture.
"So...I'm there in her room...even if in the form of a magazine cover photo. So..does she say good night to my magazine photo?" Manik thought with a smile on his face as he placed the magazine back on the table. 😳
"Manik...are U ready? Oh!! Ye kapde tho bahut loose hai" Nandini said loud as she walked into the room and started laughing seeing how loose the clothes were on him.
"Haan..ye kapde na..tumhaare Parth Samthaan pe shayad fit honge" Manik said with a smirk on his face.
"Nahi na...Parth Samthaan bhi tumhaare tarah hi hai..tall, slim and bahut handsome" Nandini said with a smile.
"Mere tarah handsome?? So U consider me handsome?" Manik asked with a smirk on his face. 😈
"Arre maine aise kab kaha? I said slim and tall like you!" Nandini tried to correct herself.
"Waise...wo jo picture hai..usmein jo lady hai..is she your Amms?" Manik asked suddenly remembering the photo next to the bed.
"Haan wo meri Amms hai. Par tumhe kaise pata?" Nandini asked with a confused look in her eyes.
"Nanduuu?? Bhool gayi?? After the 1st wrong number call with you..when I called you back..it was your Amms who picked up the call na? Waise bhi...U have praised her so many times. How can I not guess it?" Manik asked with a little smile on his face.
"Haan...I'm missing her a lot" Nandini said with a bit sad look in her eyes.
"I can understand that...I'm sure your Amms is also missing you" Manik said walking over to Nandini.
"Achcha Manik..chalo chalte hai! Chacha-chachi wait kar rahe hai" Nandini said.
"Ya but before that..." Manik said as he pulled Nandini into his arms as he passed his fingers through her hair. "I have a question"
"Q...Question?? K..Kya??" Nandini found herself stammering as Manik's arms went around her.
"I looked under your pillow...I didn't see a photo of Parth Samthaan...I saw only this magazine here..." Manik said as he picked up the magazine from the table showing it to her.
"So...am I your Parth Samthaan?" Manik asked with a little smirk on his face. Manik's eyes had a naughty gleam in them. 😈
"Ayyappa...that shine in his eyess...I still cannot forget them." Nandini thought as she rolled on her bed. "Today was magical..." Nandini thought as she closed her eyes trying to let the goddess of sleep shower her blessings on Nandu. 😳
Edited by priakachan - 9 years ago
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