Chapter 33
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Manik's POV:

The red string of fate is a Japanese legend in which it is believed that every person has a red string emanating from their heart and passing through their pinky finger. And it's believed that this string doesn't cease at your pinky and is connected to the pinky finger of your soulmate which in turn is connected to their heart! The string between you and your soulmate might get stretched and tangled but never broken.

"Whoa! So this is what they mean by a heart to heart wala connection. This legend is so romantic and dreamy man!" I whisper to myself reading the article smiling ear to ear.

"Manik see even DJ Nandini and I have this string connecting our pinkies!" Monkey Manik yells excitedly dragging DJ Nandini and showing their pinkies to me and I roll my eyes. He's such a goof man!

"Hey, idiot that string is an imaginary one! Not something you forcefully tie to pinkies!" DJ Nandini chides him trying to untie the string as Monkey Manik pouts.

"Mere kushi ke liye tum itna bhi nahi kar sakte?" Monkey Manik asks in a sad dramatic tone and I sigh. He should be in Bollywood and not here in this story.

"Your drama ain't working with me, mister! Now let me get scissors to cut this stupid string." She replies and walks away yanking Monkey Manik with her.

Why search for a scissor when she can easily untie the knot? Kuch toh gadbad hai Daya!

My eyes then land on Chipmunk who is currently struggling to get her spectacles back from the hands of two buffaloes aka my best friends.

"Come on Nandini try taking this from my hold!" Dhruv says teasing her and holding her glasses above his head so that Chipmunk can't reach.

"Nandini tell me can you see which number is this?" Aryaman asks waving three fingers in front of her face as Chipmunk tries to dodge him and get her glasses from Dhruv.

Bechari bahut struggle kar rahi hai! More than Ananya Pandey I say! Help kardoon mai?

Nah! Not at all! Aaj se mera aur Chipmunk ka raasta alag alag! I am gonna change my name even if I utter a letter to her by mistake. Baat hi nahi karni hein usse!

"Mr Street mutt is gonna be your name then!" Monkey Manik yells from a corner and I throw my chappal at him. Why is he reminding me that street mutt thing now? Idiot.

"Guys give me back my glasses when I am asking you nicely please," Chipmunk asks them in a soft tone and they continue irritating her while laughing amongst themselves.

They better give her those glasses back or else they will get thrashed by her!

"Guys please give those back! If not you might regret the decision of teasing me." Chipmunk says sweetly and they both snort at her.

"Awwww! You look so cute trying to warn us in that gentle voice of yours !" Aryaman giggles petting her hair and Chipmunk lets out a huff.

"Fine. Don't yell at me after this!" She mutters and in a swift motion locks Aryaman's arm behind his back.

Wait a minute! How did she manage to do that in a matter of a few seconds? I need a replay of this scene! The ease at which she uses such techniques is stupendous.

"You were saying something about me being cute na, continue Aryaman I love receiving such compliments," Chipmunk says nonchalantly clasping his huge wrist in her tiny palm.

Wait will she pull his ears too?

"Shit! Shit! Nandu it hurts and I surely can say that my arm will be separated from my body if this continues. Please let go, I swear I will never mess with you forever." Aryaman grimaces with a painful expression and Chipmunk chuckles letting go of his arm.

Good thing that she didn't pull his ears. She should only do that to me.

"What kind of masochist are you?" DJ Nandini questions with an unreadable expression and I ignore it.

It's our thing she won't get it.

"Good boy!" She says ruffling his hair and then sweetly smiles at Dhruv.

"Dhruv baccha! In a mood to return my glasses?" She enquires politely and Dhruv gulps audibly standing behind me.

39. Statutory warning: DON'T MESS WITH HER GLASSES.

"Didi, ye lijiye aapke specs. I am giving them to Manik." Dhruv answers in a meek tone placing the glasses in my palm and stands closer to me holding my hand.

"Manik, Nandu is dangerous. Tu hi bachale mujhe." He whispers in my ear and I laugh.

"Well, that was fun!" She says cheekily stepping closer to me and taking the glasses.

"Good that they don't have any scratches!" She exclaims waving her glasses in front of my eyes and I offer her a pointed look.

"I am not talking to you." I answer stiffly, strolling towards Alex.

"Come to daddy Alex! You know what Alex let's spend our lives together for a long time buying couple T-shirts. And remember Chipmunk is a bad hooman!" I coo into his ear petting his mane ignoring Chipmunk who was adorably pouting at me.

"Manik I said sorry na!" She exclaims in a tiny voice tapping her feet to the ground as Dhruv and Aryaman stare at us curiously.

"You guys fought?" Aryaman asks trying to resolve the situation.

"Yes!"

"No."

We both say at the same moment and Aryaman asks for an explanation.

"Last night Mukti came for dinner so we both together teased Manik for a bit. He didn't like it and now he is mad at me even though I said sorry. " Chipmunk explains and I stare at her shocked.

Teased me for a bit huh?

"You both made memes, gifs and stickers using my face and also tricked me to change my insta username to Mr.Streemutt!" I retort as she looks here and there not meeting my eyes.

"Whoa! Didi, you are amazing." Dhruv says siding with Chipmunk as she shows him her bateesi. Didi ka chamcha!

"Well, Nandu what you did was not nice and don't do it again aur Manik buddy she said sorry na so let it go and talk to her." Aryaman empathises with me and I gush at him. Aryaman you are my only friend! Dhruv is blah.

"Exactly Manik, didi said sorry na so let it go..I am sure you must have punished her accordingly yesterday night by not letting her sleep." Dhruv adds casually and I frown at him.

"Dhruv!!" Aryaman and Chipmunk yell at him simultaneously throwing accusatory glares at him.

"Oh, Shit! It was Aryaman who said that and not me who said that!!" Dhruv exclaims and runs to hide behind me. Kameena! Well har ek friend kameena hota hai.

But wait how can he say I didn't let her sleep! I sacrificed the bigger bedroom which had a fluffy mattress so that she can sleep peacefully. Manik Malhotra is a good boy ok!!

"Hey, I am not a sadist like her to bang on he-" before I could complete the sentence Chipmunk clasps my mouth with her palm glaring at me.

"Guys, can you please continue with your jog. I need to have a private discussion with Manik." She says gritting her teeth and I gulp listening to her tone. Did I mess up something?

"Ahaan! Private discussion huh? Sure!" They both tattle and move away smirking at us.

"Manik Malhotra! What the hell were you thinking while yelling out loud that we sleep in different bedrooms?" She whisper yells at me and I rub my nape having nothing to say.

"Well I didn't understand what Dhruv meant and I just wanted to explain that I am not the type to fight with you throughout the night." I explain in a meek tone and her face softens a bit.

"Manik he was talking about that." She says quietly and I finally realise.

Oh. Ohh. Ohhh

Well, that's kinda embarrassing.... but wait what if my 'that' and her 'that' aren't the same?

Well, I will need some holy water if they aren't the same but if they are the same I will get to tease Chipmunk further.

"Someone said holy water? We supply tons of holy water at cheap prices!" Monkey Manik appears out of nowhere dressed in a suit.

"We recently started 'The Holy water' business please contact us to purify your minds!" DJ Nandini announces professionally handing me a business card and I nod. Well, I better have this card. For future references you see.

"Chipmunk but what do you mean by that though?" I say air quoting that and her face turns scarlet.

"Manik that means that you know." She tries to explain and I nod in a no feigning ignorance.

"Umm, how should I put it..." She mumbles twisting and turning uncomfortably under my stare as I silently chuckle to myself enjoying her situation.

"They were talking about a coital session you idiot!" She announces closing her eyes not realising that her loud voice grabbed everyone's attention.

Noticing the abrupt hush around her she opened her eyes only to get awarded by amused and flabbergasted looks from the bystanders around and her face went pale only to morph into a sheepish one. I break into laughter holding my tummy looking at her face as she mutters a sorry to people around her and then glares at me stomping her feet like a little kid.

"You lied to me!! You pig-faced idiot come here I am gonna disfigure your face!" She growls and pounces at me as I escape her hold and run away giggling at her.

"Catch me if you can shortie!" I yell taking huge strides with my long legs as she tries to reach me. Hehe, perks of me being tall and her being short.

"Ahh! Fuck! Fuck!" Chipmunk exclaims suddenly stopping in her track and I turn behind to check on her.

"Kya hua?" I ask worriedly rushing towards and she holds my hand to balance herself checking her feet.

"Something pricked me. Shoe ka sole kharaab hogaya shaayad." She answers removing her shoes and I notice how worn out they were for the first time.

"Waah! Waah! Chipmunk you own a huge departmental store but phir bhi naye shoes kharidne mein kanjoosi!" I mock her and she stares at me sheepishly.

"These are my lucky shoes. How am I supposed to throw them away?" She questions and I look at her pursing my lips.

"What is the age of this lucky shoe madam?" I ask quoting lucky shoes and she frowns at me.

"Ummm... 8 years." She murmurs looking down and I guffaw.

40. Human version of an antique store.

"And can I know why these shoes are lucky?" I ask removing bending down and removing her shoes as she gasps on my sudden move.

"Well I won most of the track races I participated wearing them and I got them as a gift from mom and dad when I was going to uni. The first gift" She answered whispering the last part to herself but my hearing was too sharp to miss that. I should ask her about this later.

"I guess I should throw these away now." She says sadly taking her shoes from my hand and I shake my head in a no.

"Tch tch tch look at you not even wearing socks! Eww!" I exclaimed looking at her bare feet and pushing my shoes towards her gesturing her to put them on. The ground is freezing and there's no way in hell I am letting her walk barefoot.

"Not everyone has a sock fetish like you! And how will you walk without shoes?" She asks putting on my shoes and I point at my minions print socks.

Don't you dare laugh at my socks ok? Minions are the cutest and coolest characters!

"And yeah let's look for a cobbler to get the shoe sole changed. How can we throw away your lucky shoes?" I say and she beams at me jumping like an excited kid.

"Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! Manik you are the best" She says clapping her hands excitedly and I stare at her amused.

How am I supposed to believe that she is the elder one among us when she is so adorable most of the time?

"You have monster-sized feet manik!" She muses walking beside me and I roll my eyes at her. She never misses a chance to mock or insult me, does she?

"Natural for a lilliputian like you to feel that way!" I counter coolly and she glares at me.

Irritating her is more entertaining than Netflix.

"Something something is going on between these two!" Monkey Manik says looking at us through a magnifying glass and DJ Nandini nods in agreement.

"They have some chemistry and physics going on between them bro!" DJ Nandini adds tapping on chin.

"Iss chemistry mein bahut jyada chemicals hein!" Monkey Manik adds smirking evilly and all of a sudden his face morphs into a shocked face.

"You called me bro? YOU BRO-ZONED ME?" He asks DJ Nandini sadly and she frantically nods in a no.

"Areyy nahiiii!" She argues and Monkey Manik steps away from her.

"I am leaving this story. I don't want to be your brother. Tata!" He cries and runs away.

"Heyyy! Wait! What will I do without you?" She yells and runs behind him

Kitna drama karte hein yeh log.

Anyways let's move on to the next scene.

"Look look look I finally made a perfectly round Chapathi!" I exclaim proudly showing my artwork to Chipmunk as she takes out her notepad from the cupboard to write a note.

"Meet the new master chef of India, Mr.Manik Malhotra!" She adds playfully as I pout at her remarks.

"I am learning cooking so that I can help you every morning. Accha nahi lagta when you working all by yourself. " I state frankly and she smiles widely.

"You are so chweet at times.
Sugar Candy!!" she says in a baby voice pulling my cheeks as I grumble. I open my mouth to utter something but the doorbell interrupts me.

"Go check who is it. I will go change now." Chipmunk says stepping into her room and I scoot towards the door.

"Whoa, my family sure knows how to melt me!" I speak to myself after taking the box of chocolate driver gave me. Mukti di sent me those as an apology for yesterday. Golden days of my life are finally here what's better than receiving chocolates every day?

"Hayeeee! Chocolates! I want one!" Chipmunk announces scurrying towards me and I hide the box behind me. My precious chocolates!

"Manik Malhotra doesn't share chocolates!" I declare pushing her away from my chocolates and she scoffs at me.

"Manik please you are a sweetheart na! Just one chocolate!" She pleads to make a puppy face but I don't budge.

"Nope. Not possible." I say with a poker face and she glares at me tapping her feet.

"Fuck you, Bitter Gourd!" She mutters angrily barging into her room and closing the door with a bang. Sugar Candy to bitter gourd huh? Paagal!

"When and where?" Monkey Manik asks with a smirk on his and I punch his face. Perv!

Well, I will deal with Chipmunk later but for now, I gotta rush to the academy.

Later that day,

"Assholes! Why am I the only scapegoat for all their stupid pranks?" I clamour to myself scrubbing my skin with shampoo hastily trying to get rid of the stupid drawing my idiotic friends drew on my chest and tummy.

"Idiot. Why sleep shirtless and then complain when they draw bikini on your skin?" Monkey Manik points out and I scowl at him. Why does he lecture me always?

"Weren't you talking about leaving the story since DJ Nandini bro-zoned go ahead do that shithead!" I grumble turning on the shower.

"Oh, that well we had a talk and its settled. DJ Nandini and I are anything but siblings." He says blushing heavily and I narrow my eyes at him. He's hiding something from me for sure.

"What kind of talk did you guys have?" I inquire and he looks away trying to conceal the smile on his face.

"Respect my privacy bro. Now I gtg and meet DJ Nandini. Tata!" He muses and walks away merrily. Well, I don't care. I should get rid of this bikini drawing on my skin first of all.

"Screw you guys! This drawing won't erase at all whatever I do!" I exclaim coming out the washroom dressed in my track pant and the troublemaker trio continues laughing at my plight.

"You can't expect anything better from a permanent marker dumbo!" Aliya who used my skin as her canvas replies controlling her laughter.

"Aliya you did a great job with the drawing though! Manik looks smoking hot in that red bikini!" Dhruv bellows and I smack his head.

"You are right buddy! Manik what about entertaining us with pole dance and your hot moves?" Aryaman questions hi-fiving Dhruv and they both smirk at me.

"Hahaha! Very funny. You know what I am gonna take revenge for all these stupid pranks one day and you three will end up crying like babies. Manik promise!" I threaten sitting on the couch and they laugh more at my threat.

"Oh my God wait! I forgot about the most important thing. Aryaman you said you are gonna show your girlfriends photos today." Dhruv reminds ceasing his laughter session as I and Aliya stare at Aryaman for a response.

"Yeah wait a minute." Aryaman murmurs unlocking his phone and handing it to us.

"How did such a pretty face fall for a trash can like you?" I ask in amazement glancing at the photos of his girlfriend as Dhruv and Aliya laugh at my question.

"Just the way Nandini fell for you." Aryaman whispers in a deadpanned tone and I show him my middle finger.

"Accha Aryaman why are there no photos of you guys together?" Dhruv questions narrowing his gaze and I frown at him. Why do I feel Dhruv is playing detective here?

"Ohh that! My girl hates clicking photos and all these photos are the ones I took without her noticing." He reasons ruffling his hair and we nod.

"So when do we get to meet her?" Aliya asks this time and Aryaman's face turns pale at this for a moment.

"Umm..you see it's the first relationship for me and her so we thought we should take it slow..and strengthen our bond before meeting family and friends." He answers nervously after a minute or two and I smile at him trying to calm his nerves.

"We understand buddy! Get to know her more and let her meet us only when you are sure. We three will wait!" I assure patting his shoulder and he loosens at this.

"Yeah! What Manik said is true we can wait. You know Arya I am so happy that we have one more couple in our group. Now all I have to worry about is finding a girl for this monkey!" Aliya says pulling Dhruv's ears and we cackle at this.

"Don't worry Aliya I will marry you if I don't find a girlfriend." Dhruv teases her and she makes a disgusted expression at this.

"Ewwww! No way in hell I am marrying you! And Manik you better go and wear a Tshirt. What will Nandini think if she finds that drawing on your body?" Aliya reminds giggling at me and I gulp at that possibility. I hope she doesn't notice me at all.

The main door opens with a bang halting my thoughts and enters Chipmunk looking lost.

"Hi, Nandini!" My three friends tell at the top of their voices trying to grab her attention as she nods at them and drags her petite body inside her room.

She didn't notice me.

HOW COULD SHE NOT NOTICE ME STANDING SHIRTLESS WITH HUGE BIKINI DRAWING DRAWN ON MY SKIN?

"Chipmunk!!" I call out her name and dash into her room. Entering her room I look around only to find her holed up in a corner with a thick blanket camouflaging her delicate figure.

"Hey! You ok?" I whisper crawling into the blanket and Chipmunk offers me a blank stare pulling her hair with both the hands.

"Why am I not invisible yet?" She asks in a tiny voice and I frown at her.

"Well, this blanket is not 100% pure invisibility cloak" I answer sitting beside her and covering myself with the blanket as she gazes at me muddled.

"You didn't watch Harry Potter?" I whisper and she nods in a no. "Let's watch it this weekend. You will love it!" I whisper and she nods in a yes.

"Manik... I am doomed. Maybe I should run to Amazon forest, dye my hair yellow, change my nationality and never come back to India." She says after a while and I stare at her silently questioning her sanity.

"Whom did you kill Chipmunk? How should I help you hide the body?" I ask in a deadpanned tone as she looks at me barely controlling her tears.

"Far worse than that. Manik my dad asked me to present to 15 foreign officials regarding a million-dollar investment. And I know I will fail to do that and then dad will realise how hopeless I am and then he will kick me out of the company and I will be left stranded on Bombay streets begging for money waiting for death." She says without breathing and I gasp at the amount of overthinking she did.

"Arey why will you fail? I know about you na? You are the best Chipmunk!" I tried assuring her in a gentle tone as she starts sweating.

"Nooooo I am not the best. Manik I am 100% certain that I will fail. Even if I prepare well I am sure either the presentation will crash or I will forget the main points or I will just be dumbfounded when I encounter the officials. Then mom and dad will finally realise how much of a mistake it was ad- I mean they will abandon me. I am sure." She starts hyperventilating and I pull her into my lap to calm her down.

"Chipmunk! Shhh! Stop speaking for a while and just take a deep breath." I tell her as she stared at me wide-eyed.

"Take a deep breath," I repeat my words and she loosens up inhaling and exhaling for a while.

"Now close your eyes and count till five. Try not to think about anything else." I cajoled her and she followed my words.

"Now tell me what happened? What is this presentation about?" I probed her and she opened her eyes finally calming down.

"Dad and Chacha have plans of expanding the business to other countries and for this, they are meeting a few foreign investors. Until now it was always either of the two presenting to investors but now they want me to take that responsibility. I don't want to run away from it the deal is worth around 70 crores minimum. One tiny mistake from my side and everything will be ruined." She expresses her worries leaning on my shoulder and I caress her back thinking of what to say.

"When is your meeting with the investors?" I ask leaning into her and smoothing her hair which was messed up due to her continuous pulls.

"Next Friday. I have a week to be precise." She answers lost in thoughts and I sigh. "Damn all you have is a week to prepare...nah yeh tumse nahi hoga I know!" I instigate her anticipating that reverse psychology might help.

"Hooga naaa!" She answers back instantly in a determined tone and I smile to myself. Reverse psychology always works!

"Ohkk then!" I respond shaking my head and flicking her cute nose.

"I can do it! I have 7 days in my hands that means 168 hours or 10,080 minutes! If I plan accordingly and give my 100% I will rock the presentation." She assures herself as I wonder how did she calculate the hours and minutes at her fingertips.

41. Kinda a prodigy.

"That's the spirit Chipmunk! What matters the most is that you tried or not. And mein hoon na so no worries! I will help you in whatever way I can!" I affirmed clasping her hand in mine as she nuzzled into my neck.

"Shit look at us hiding under a blanket and whispering stuff. What will the three think!" She bellows throwing away the blanket and standing up.

"Lol! They will understand. Don't bother." I convinced her as I realised that I was shirtless and Chipmunk was staring at me currently dumbfounded.

"Just go put on your shirt before I get into a mood of teasing you regarding the drawing." She breathed rubbing her nape and looking away and I could notice her face turning beet red.

She's blushing? I thought she was gonna embarrass me about this. I swear she's so unpredictable.

"Put on some warm clothes and continue with your work Paagal!" I assert placing a mug of hot chocolate on Chipmunk's study table as she continues typing in her laptop. She is quite serious about performing well in the meeting but I feel she's overworking herself.

"Yeah, I will! Manik I think you should go to sleep. It's quite late already and you did help me a lot with collecting data even though you were tired." She suggests looking at me and I nod.

"I will sleep. But please listen to me and put on woollen clothes. The temperature has dropped a lot today and you might catch a cold." I say placing a sweater along with a blanket and socks in front of her. Getting back to her work she bobs her head and I return to my room after checking on her for the last time.

Later that night I wake up again to see if Nandini was still working and I sigh to myself on finding her dozing on her table without any blanket. Why is she so careless? Scolding her internally I cover her with a thick woollen blanket and also put on the fuzziest pair of socks I had on her dainty little feet.

"I can do it! I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!" repeating these words to herself Chipmunk walks around in the parking lot trying to calm down her nerves. Today is the day of her meeting with the investors and she has been a nervous wreck from the time she woke up.

"Chipmunk! Calm down will you? You have prepared well for this meeting and there's nothing that could go wrong!" I utter as she looks at with uncertainty

"Manik it's just that..you have helped me a lot regarding the presentation. You attended the academy in the mornings and after returning home you stayed up with me until late nights helping me figure out stuff. And today if I don't do well I will be disappointing both of us. It's ok if I disappoint myself but I don't want to disappoint you..." She says after a moment of silence and hesitation.

"Hey..listen to me whatever is the outcome today I won't be disappointed with you. If you succeed I will congratulate you and pray that the winning streak continues. If you fail I will console you and encourage you to keep trying ok? So don't worry too much about disappointing me." I ensure holding her close to me and she nods leaning in to hug me.

"Thanks! You know life seems very much easier when I am with you." She utters and I chuckle kissing her forehead.

"Well, I am the best! But now you gotta leave so that you will reach the office on time. Mumbai traffic is the worst!" I remind her and she hustles to her car in a hurry.

Entering my academy I dash towards my classroom only to halt on my tracks noticing Aryaman and Dhruv arguing about something in a loud but incoherent voice.

"Guys, Is everything ok? You both look like you want to kill each other!" I announce in an amused tone and their bodies turn stiff and they pause arguing.

"Aryaman this is your chance to spill it out! Stop hiding things from Manik." Dhruv claims and Aryaman continues staring at me with a blank look.

"What happened? What do you mean by hiding?" I queried puzzled by them.

"Manik...its nothing Dhruv is just bluffing!" Aryaman blurted and I could perceive the tension in his tone.

"Aryaman you can't hide it forever. If you aren't going to say it out I will do the honours instead." Dhruv warned and Aryaman clenched his jaw losing his calm.

"Aryaman, Dhruv stop beating around the bush and spill it out," I order inhaling some air trying to calm my nerves.

"Aryaman's girlfriend never existed. The pictures he showed us yesterday were taken from a random website. In fact-"

"Just fucking shut up will you!" Aryaman yelled on top of his voice interrupting Dhruv and grabbing his collars.

"What the heck are you doing? Have you lost it?" I roar separating him from Dhruv and standing in between both of them.

"You want the truth Manik? So here it is, I loved Andy I still love her. Dhruv forces me to find someone else and get over Andy but it seems like an impossible task." He states glaring at me and I step away from him realising my blunder.

He sacrificed his first love for me but I couldn't save that relationship.

Aryaman storms away immediately and I just stand there not finding the right words.

"Manik..." Dhruv whispers and I motion him to stop.

"If possible can you please go behind him and make sure he is fine? I will be alright." I plead and Dhruv nods leaving the room.

Do I even deserve his friendship? I have been so selfish all along not knowing what Aryaman was going through.

I guess I deserve to be hated by him.

Nandini's POV:

"I stuttered twice, spent an extra minute on a slide, didn't answer one of the questions accurately and I should have been more creative.." I mumbled to myself noting down all the errors I did during the presentation. The presentation was average and on a scale of 10, I would rate it as a 7. I expected a 9.5 though.

Will they cancel the deal? That will be a huge loss to the company. Tossing the note away I walked to and fro in my cabin waiting for the result. The investors were currently talking to dad and chacha.

A knock on my cabin door disturbed my thoughts and then entered Dad looking calm as usual.

"Nandini...you know until the age 30 none of my deals was successful. The investors were quite picky and strict with their terms and conditions so I failed to impress them most of the times," He explained sitting down on the chair and I nodded understanding the outcome. I failed.

"You know one time I even ran away from a meeting because of anxiety. I guess I wasn't courageous like your grandfather who founded this company," He continued and I slumped down feeling guilty. Dad trusted me but I failed him.

"I am sorry dad...I will do better-"

"But Nandini you took after your grandpa! Your notions always mirrored your grandfather and today was proof for it," He added and I looked at him confused.

"The investors were quite satisfied with your ideas! They suggested few changes here and there but except for that we got the deal." He finished beaming at me and I couldn't utter a word. I got the deal! My hard work paid off.

Manik. I want to hug you and thank you a thousand times for being there.

"Thank you, dad...thanks a ton for trusting me." I mumble quietly smiling at him as he reaches out to me and gently pats my hair to show how proud he is.

I would remember this moment forever.

"Nandini...the head of security informed me about what happened in your office last week. I am not sure about reporting this to cops but I can't compromise over your security too so I and your chacha have hired a new driver cum bodyguard who is gonna be there by your side. I hope you are comfortable with this." Dad declares and I stare at him surprised as I never expected this type of reaction.

"I am fine with your decision dad. I am sorry that you were burdened by me." I mumble looking down at my feet.

"Nandini..your safety is our priority and not a burden. I know me and mom weren't ok with adopting you but you never were a burden. Adopting you is one of the best decisions we made." Dad uttered the most comforting words which I longed to hear.

"I got the deal. Not a tough task for a prodigy like me." I said proudly flipping my hair to one side keeping my face neutral.

"Want me to hurl rotten eggs and tomatoes at you?" DJ Nandini sneered and I sighed kicking the car tire. How am I supposed to tell Manik?

"Manik we did it! Our hard work paid off." I exclaimed clapping my hands, beaming at my reflection. .

"Are you pregnant with his child or what? Do it again." She scolded me and I pouted.

"Piche dekho piche dekho!" Monkey Manik babbles bolting towards us and I frown at him.

Abe yaar problem kya hai iska?

On his insistence, I turn back only to find Manik a few feet away, staring at me perplexed.

"Should we hang ourselves or jump from the terrace? So embarrassing!" DJ Nandini rambles as I stagger to him ignoring her words.

"How did it go? You got the deal or not?" He asks in a concerned tone entwining his fingers with mine.

I nod in a yes not finding the right words. "Omg! You really really got it? I am not dreaming now?" He asks a pure smile budding on his face and I mumble a quiet yes marvelled by his reaction.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now. I am so damn proud of you Chipmunk!" He yells heartily picking me up in the air and twirling me around as I let out a surprised giggle.

"I guess I should feed you something sweet! Yeah, that's how you congratulate someone properly!" He hums and I notice the corner of his eyes getting moist.

"You are crying?" I ask wiping away his tears and he nods in a no. "Nah! I am just so happy for you...shit, I probably look like an idiot right now getting sentimental over this." He expresses sheepishly.

"No, you don't! And I love it. It's nice to have a person who celebrates my happiness." I say joining my forehead with his absorbing the warmth of this moment.

"Manik you gotta add more ghee and dry fruits then only Halwa will taste good." I advice sitting on the kitchen counter munching on Lays.

Blue lays is the best I swear.

"No way! I already added 3 spoons full." My diet-conscious husband counters and I silently curse myself for letting him cook.

Doesn't he know that the more, the merrier?

"Manik, I am the head here! Listen to me or else get your ass out of my kitchen!" I order and he sighs.

"Get ready to wake up early and run for an hour tomorrow!" He states frowning at his cellphone keeping the ladle away and I shrug. Typical Manik Malhotra.

Remind me to hide his phone and alarm peeps!

"Oye you gotta keep stirring!" I tell him opening a new packet of chips as he types into his phone something looking agitated. Something seems off with him.

"Manik did something go wrong? You look troubled." I ask tenderly and he nods in a reluctant no.

"Yeah! It's nothing huge. Don't worry!" He mutters looking away and I understand that he is lying.

"Manik... it's alright if you don't want to talk about it yet. Just remember whatever is troubling you it will be solved soon." I try to assure him. I am curious about what happened but I should respect his personal space and not probe him too much.

"And how can you say that things will be sorted soon?" He questions rising his eyebrows and I shrug.

"Because you are a good person and god wouldn't want to trouble you for long," I reply instantly and he scoffs at this.

"I am not a good person Chipmunk. I can be selfish at times and hurt the people I love the most." He argues standing in front of me and I frown.

"Manik....tell me something while learning a new dance step do you get to learn it perfectly at the first chance itself?" I ask him and he glances at me puzzled.

"No..not at all I fall, make mistakes and then learn it after trying for a while. Learning it perfectly for the first time itself is impossible Chipmunk." He answers playing with my hair.

"Exactly! The same is with life Manik. It's your first time living this life and every situation you face in life is like learning a new dance step so we tend to make mistakes and hurt people out of oblivion. And what matters the most is correcting those mistakes." I explain and he nods deciphering my words.

"Things will be back to normal if I apologise and be the better person than my previous self na?" He asks hopefully and I nod.

"Letting go of the bad in you and changing for good is the best you can offer!" I add and he nods feeling relieved.

Smiling at him I caress his forehead and cheeks trying to smoothen the stress marks and he leans into me closing his eyes.

"Wait! What's the smell?" I exclaim and my eyes land on the halwa which is churred as Manik forgot turning off the stove.

"Oops! I guess the halwa isn't edible anymore. Will Nutella work as a congratulation?" He asks with the most adorable expression on his face and I restrain myself from squishing his cheeks.

"Nutella is the best!" I chirp holding up my thumb and he grins at me.

"Do that again na you know caressing my forehead and cheeks! I feel real good and it kinda soothes me." He says pointing at his face and I look away flustered.

Why is he blunt about everything?

"Nah! I am going out to party with Navya and Mukti so move I gotta get ready." I say getting down the counter and rushing to my room.

"Freak I am late! Do I look fat?" I ask him hurriedly putting on my stilettos as phone buzzes with texts from Navya.

"Yeah, your cheeks are fat!" He answers sulking and pouting and I glare at him only to melt at his puppy face. How can I ignore such a cute human?

"Order something to eat and don't stress yourself too much. I will be back soon!" I whisper caressing his cheeks and forehead and he beams at me nodding his head like a little kid.

"You look really pretty today!" He answers kissing my cheeks and I stare at him taken aback by the sudden move.

"Warn me before you do stuff like this!" I breathe and storm out the house trying to get rid of the goosebumps and heat flashes. I am sure he's laughing at my cost. Monster!

"Turn on the AC to maximum please," I say to the new driver settling inside the car and panting for air. Navya and Mukti offer me concerned looks and I smile at them diffidently.

"You guys go ahead, I will be back in two!" I say to them as we reach the club and walk towards the washroom as a painful yelp from a remote corner grabbed my attention.

Changing my track I head towards the corner only to find a barely conscious woman being thrashed by a brawny man. I back away on witnessing such a gruesome scene gasping for air. Running away was the only instinct I had as this situation brought back the echoes of the scariest night of my existence. The man was engrossed in threatening the girl and cold sweat soaked my clothes as I could sense the arrival of a panic attack. I crawled to a corner sobbing quietly as the devils of fear feasted on every inch of my sanity. I don't want to be beaten again. My wrist was fractured the last time and every time I tried to eat or write it hurt like a bitch. Someone, please make this fear disappear. Please make me disappear. I can't take this.

Another angsty yelp from the woman broke my reverie and I rapidly breathed through my mouth trying to hold myself together. I can't give let the fear rule me. I have to save the woman. Organising my thoughts I text Navya for help and get up from the floor.

"Trash like you should settle in the trash can instead of our society!" I roar hurling the heavy metal trash can at him and he swerves towards me.

"Damn! One more bitch to take care of!" He snarls throwing his fist at my face which I dodge by squatting and counter-punching his ribcage. He breaks away from me coughing violently and I tackle him down with a kick aimed at his ribcage again. Standing steady I bring my stiletto close to his throat to do the maximum damage possible but the man clasps my foot and throws me down. Taking control of me he bashes my head to the wall and turns towards the woman. I try to stand up but my vision gets blurry and I find myself slipping into the dark tunnel of my past.

           ********************
~ I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
Oh, it's coming down, down, down.~
Down, Jason Walker.

A/N :
The only time I like cliffhangers is when I write them lol. 😂😂

The next chapter is about Nandini's past how many of you excited?