Yaariaan of SPACE-part 34 updated 03 May - Page 4

Hi all, thank you for the responses, the suggestions and encouragement. Appreciate it all. Just changed the name of the FF to see if I'd get better responses and may be I'd get lucky. Keep reading and supporting... 😛

Part 12 - Heart to heart

Navya and Nandini were in the canteen. They had ordered fresh juice and vegetable sandwich. Navya was dissecting the whole incident that took place in the classroom. Fab 5 had soon left the classroom after the exit of Aliya. Mukti went after Aliya and the others followed her. But not before a final warning from Cabir that they would continue the discussion later.

" you know Nandu, I feel that FAB 5 will not leave us itni aasani say... Mera matlab hai, did you hear the last words of Cabir. It was like a dhamki. But why? I still don't understand what you or me have done to invite the wrath of FAB 5. The girl who was sitting next to me in class, Surbhi, she was saying something like that... That they will not spare us and we have been singled out and in their hit list now. What do you think? Waise bhi, I am new here in Mumbai. Don't even know these people properly... Nanduuu.. Kahan kho gaye ho? Why aren't you saying anything?"

" Navyaaa, I can speak something only if you give me a chance na? It's not that , Navya, we both are scholarship students.. And that is why they have targeted us. Don't ask me why. But that's the only explanation I have. "

"So, it's not a crime na? And what have they got against scholarship students? "

" anyway, we will have to be careful and we will deal with it together when it comes. Thik hai? "

" Nandu, I am glad I found you.. Best friends forever??" Questioned Navya stretching her hands. But when Nandu gave hers, she said
"Wait wait wait. I know something better.. Seen in a movie.." And spitting on her hand and rubbing it together raised her hands silently asking Nandu to do the same. Reluctantly Nandu obeyed. Thus they sealed their friendship- to stand together through thick and thin...

******************************************

Mukti found Aliya in the washroom. There were 2 others girls in the washroom. Mukti asked them to leave . Aliya was clearly upset.

" Aliya, what happened? You know Cabir was just teasing. Why did you take it so seriously? You know that Manik has eyes only for you? "

" Mukti, when it comes to Manik, I am very insecure . I often feel that I am not worthy of him. I mean, look at him.. Girls are literally throwing themselves at him. "

" But, haven't you seen yourself in a mirror. Aliya? You are so beautiful. You have style and looks. What else is needed?"

"Do you think that's enough to hold Manik's interest? No, he will get bored easily. And that's my fear. I don't want to loose him, at least not his friendship. Being Manik's girlfriend is very exhausting, Mukti, you don't understand. I live in constant fear of not rising up to his expectations and standards."

" oh god. I didn't know that. Aliya. If you can't be comfortable with each other, then that's not love... But , you have been together for 7 years"

" I was taken to London and put in a school there when I was 10. Actually, I was a very shy nerd type girl. I was subjected to bullying there for my looks and being an Indian who had limited knowledge of English worsened my situation. I insisted on coming back to India. I joined warriors High and that's how I met all of you. Me and Manik decided to date. I changed my appearance after reaching India. But somewhere down, I guess the insecurities and lack of confidence I suffered in England still exists. I can't seem to come out of it."

"Oh Aliya" Mukti took her in a hug .
After a while, they separated and Aliya continued " anyways , I am lucky that I have got you and the FAB 5. As for me and Manik, I am going to think properly and then may be reach a decision to how to take our relationship forward"

" yes , you do that. Come let's look for the others"

And they left together, content , having shared something that only friends can do with each other.

*******************************************
Dhruv found Manik in the jamming room. Manik was singing a latest Bollywood number. Without hesitation, Dhruv took out his guitar and started playing. They finished and gave each other a yaariaan smile.

" that was nice. Music is a great stress reliever "
Dhruv said.

" buddy, what are you stressed about? Is it about Soha? I can talk to Nyonika again and convince her. I have my methods. We don't have to go through all this shit of dealing with those two girls."

" exactly Manik, that's what I want to tell you. Just lets leave them alone. Mum has decided to enroll Soha in a regular college where she can do degree in Arts. She has interests in that field . Engineering is not her cup of tea. "

" but Soha said..."

" Soha is still a child at heart and doesn't know what's good for her. She thinks that since we all are here, she should join SPACE.and you don't worry, I will convince her. "

" then what are you stressed about?"

" Manik, I lost our guitar striker. The one we had kept for ourselves... Our friendship wala one. I am worried about that. I have a bad feeling, like something awful is going to happen between us.. Some nagging, disturbing feeling, that just don't go away"

" buddy, it must be somewhere. Did you look everywhere? "

" yes, I think I lost it during Mangalore trip. "

" that was our lucky charm.. But, don't worry. We will get another one made with FAB 5 logo. Don't stress yourselves for that."

Although Manik comforted Dhruv, he had an uneasy feeling about it. It was too precious to be lost. It was a symbol of their friendship and intimacy.

******************************************

" hai, are you Nandini? And you are, Navya?"

Nandini and Navya were just coming out of the college when they were met by Cabir who stopped them with this question. Nandu and Navya looked at him puzzled. What is this man, now being so friendly and asking silly questions. Is this another one of his pranks.

This time Nandini spoke up " Are you mad?or suffering from amnesia? Did you forget the morning fiasco so soon? We met each other in Mangalore airport too. Did you forget that also?"

Hearing this, the man laughed.. And said" oh so you already met Cabir.. I am his twin Ranbir" saying he held out his hands.

Navni was taken aback. Both of them looked very similar, but on closer look , there was something different too. This guy looked more humane and compassionate.
He was continuing" I hope we can be friends. I am in the third year. If you need any help, don't hesitate to approach me. I am a member of the students council"

Navya was dumbstruck and still staring at him. Nandini quickly amended her mistake .
" I am sorry, I got confused. Thanks for the offer of help. Appreciate it "

" ok. Then see you around"

Saying that, he gave a wink and left. Nandini liked him instantly. He looked very friendly and approachable unlike his evil twin.

They were met by another guy from their class . He was wearing glasses and looked a shy type. He approached them hesitantly and gave them an yellow piece of paper and left almost immediately after saying that the note was from FAB 5 .

With sinking heart, Nandu opened the note. It read as follows

To Nandini Murthy and Navya Naveli.

This is your first task:

Come dressed stylishly similar to Mukti or Aliya ( short dress, high heels and heavy make up) tomorrow for the fashion show and you better learn to cat walk because if you fail, then get ready to say ta ta...

FAB 5.
*******************************************
Probably, This fashion show would be the very first step to be taken by our Nandu to enter Manik Malhotra's world...

Aww u changed the title.

Wow..

Awesome update
Too gud
Update soon

Thanks for the pm

Part 13 The fashion fall

Nandini and Navya was in Nandini's room to plan for the fashion show next day.

" Navya, this is fab 5 !! Seriously, this is their first task? How pathetic. Don't you think? We can easily pull off this one. Just because we look like sanskaari girls - "

" we are sanskaari girls-"

"Ok baba, we are. But , this task is sooo easy. See, I am from Mangalore...I spent my childhood in the States. So, I am used to all this. And, don't worry. I will help you "

Navya had been really worried on hearing about the first task , she was going on ranting about the impossibility of carrying out the task. That was when Nandu decided to step in and instill some confidence in her.

" Navya, let's go shopping. Chachi will come with us and help us. She is Punjabi only at heart" a wink" but she is a through and through Mumbaite. We can also take an appointment in a beauty parlor for tomorrow and get ourselves done. Let's rock girl and show them what we are made of "

By the end of the speech Nandu had become excited. Navya was not convinced though.

" but Nandu, what about high heels and cat walk. I have never... I can't ..."

" we will practice , now" saying Nandu put on the music and ran to Chachi's room to search for Chachi's longest heels.

By the end of the hour the girls had enjoyed practicing cat walk so much that they even forgot the whole reason behind this effort.

" OMG , Navya look at the time. We need to get our dresses and the accessories " exclaimed Nandu. " let's leave"

By the time the girls had done with shopping and dinner, they were too exhausted. So they dropped Navya off in the hostel and decided to meet the next day for further arrangements. Chachi was the most excited. She forced the girls to try out different outfits and all the 3 had a great time choosing the accessories and the dress.

The next day in college was peaceful. They had classes only till lunch break and then college was dispersed for the students to get ready for the fresher's welcome program. Navya and Nandu rushed home to get ready. They had to report to college at 4 to practice for the fashion show with the rest of the first years. The function was to start at 6. So they had just enough time to do a their own personal practice, rush to the parlor and then reach the venue.

Nandu switched FTV on and Navni imitated the models' gestures , hand movements and walking style. Chachi soon joined them. They all had a wonderful time especially when Navya was doing cat walk on her high heeled shoes.
Afterwards, they went to the beauty parlor and got their hair done. The beautician gave them some tips to make up their face.

They reached the college on time . They were directed to the green room where all the first year girls had gathered and were discussing their outfits and looks. Many of the ultra modern girls were asked to wear traditional clothes . Some of them were asked to wear a saree.

Nandu had chosen for herself a champagne colored elegant party dress with floral lace slim fitting bodice, high neckline and deep V cut back with a flowing short, layered chiffon skirt. This, she paired up with a pencil point heels which was a bold step for her to take as she did not have any previous experience with pencil point heels. Nandu was driven by an internal force that strived to prove in front of all students of SPACE that she was no less than any of them and especially the FAB 5 who had belittled her for her plain looks. The hair stylist had arranged her straight flowing hair in a loose chignon to give her a messy look.

Later on, they were asked to gather in the auditorium where they all did a combined practice with the boys who were all dressed in modern to traditional outfits. They decided among themselves the pairs . Nandini was paired with a friendly boy who was dressed in a jeans and a sweatshirt. He introduced himself as Aryamann Khurana. And within no time Nandini had become comfortable with him . He was cracking some jokes all the time which helped to lighten the atmosphere. They had a round of their dress rehearsals and then they went back to the green room to change out to normal wears as the fashion show would be the last program of the day and scheduled for 9 pm. So they were asked to join the audience until it was time to get dressed for the fashion show.

The program started at 6 pm with a welcome speech by the principal for all the newcomers. The principal was a bald headed plumb man in his mid 50's who appeared a bit tensed. He had a strange English accent that sounded a bit forced. There was a speech by Mrs Nyonika Malhotra. She gave an outline of the history and the achievements of SPACE. The chief guest of the event was Mr . Manish Malhotra who looked very handsome and young for his age. He looked strikingly similar to his son and it was obvious that Manik got his height from his father.

Then the cultural programs started with the performance by FAB 5. They were just awesome on stage. They had a special rapport with each other and the entire college enjoyed the show especially the song sung by Manik. By the time they had completed, there was demands for more . Nandini was highly impressed especially with Manik as he had the looks that would attract any girl and the magical voice that would hypnotize anyone. Many of the other senior students also showcased their talent. By around 8 pm , the first years were asked to get ready for the fashion show.

Navya was dressed in a black laced full sleeved cocktail dress with modest knee length. That was the furthest she would go. Her long hair was arranged in a sophisticated plait that lay on one side to her front. She was nervous and as usual giggling and whispering to Nandu all through out the time they waited for their program to start.

" Nandu, mom should see me now. She will have a heart attack and imagine the faces of sonu, chutki , Krishna and the rest of the gang when they hear about this. I can't wait to tell them. You know, u are looking superb, I mean I can't take my eyes off you. How do I look? . May be after this, the other students and especially the FAB 5 would accept us. You know they may even invite us to their gang. Then they have to rename it as Super seven or may be Sexy seven will also do, by the way we look now. Hai na" said Navya giggling.

" Navya , you look irresistible. But I want to tell you that you look more beautiful when you are just yourself. Your simplicity is your beauty. Don't let anyone or anything change that. Today we will just prove to them that this is not an impossibility for us and we can do and face anything. That's it. We will not allow them to destroy our uniqueness or our individuality. Ok? "

Navya nodded and gave a thumbs up.

Finally , after a long wait, their program was announced. Navni moved to the back stage. One by one the students started walking to the stage in pairs . Aryamann smiled at Nandini on seeing her and when it was time to step on the stage gave her a thumbs up and both of them together entered the stage from opposite doors which were leading to the stage. They had to walk towards the end of the ramp,twirl and move back and repeat the step again. As Nandini reached the end of the ramp , her heels gave away. Nandini twisted her legs and fell straight down , out of the stage and landed into a very strong pair of hands.

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Manik was chilling at one end of the auditorium when he got a call from Nyonika to reach at the front of the stage where she was sitting and watching the fashion show that was going on. He would have ignored her summons had it not been for her mentioning that his father who had arrived as the chief guest was now leaving for Pune. As he rushed to the front, he noticed Nandini enter the stage. She had had a make over and Manik's eyes were fixed on her. Hot , that was the word that entered his mind on seeing her. She walked with elegance and confidence until she reached the end of the ramp where she twisted her leg while twirling. Manik acted on impulse when he saw her falling and moved to the front of the stage just in time to hold her as she fell directly into his hands.

She had her eyes closed tightly in fear and her plumb red lips were shivering slightly . Manik had a deep urge to kiss her which startled him and he put her down, on her feet, suddenly.

The first thing Nandini realized after her fall was that she had not hit ground but that a strong soft hand was holding her bare thighs. His other hand was on her shoulders. Nandini shivered on this touch , but still was not ready to open her eyes to see the face of her rescuer. As soon as she was put down, she ran off to the back stage without looking back and it was much later from some other girls that she came to know that she had landed herself into the hands of the great Manik Malhotra.

Note: now you all might have realized that I am an IPKKND fan as well. 😉 . I always enjoyed the practice sessions, the dress rehearsals and the back stage nok jhoks of college programs more than the actual event. I was trying to recreate that in this part.

Wow..