Morning was like this crazy ball with no brake over the energy at all. Academy was no less than mad house with hundreds of dashing boys trying to sound normal when Adrenaline was on another level. Dressing, grooming and a lot of shopping to do; it was occasion to empty the purse. Murthy mansion on other hand was no less than noisy chamber. Nandini had turned the house upside down with all the hustle and bustle, occasion was Ms Murthy trying to find a ball dress. It was first time Mrs Murthy was panicked because Nandini had never sounded this interested in dolling up. She had to call all her designer friends, thanks to a hyperactive daughter. She had never seen Nandini this excited about any social event. Entering her room, she sighed aloud seeing the mess Nandini had created. Throwing another gorgeous dress in some corner of room, she sat there frowned in middle of her bed. 

"Nandini, you know you are in trouble if your father gets to know you are attending a military event," Mrs Murthy reminded her. 

 "Yes, I do," Nandini replied with whatsoever no worry about it. 

"And what's this mess? Don't tell me you didn't like a single dress?" Mrs Murthy foreboded the upcoming reply. 

"They all are so stupid, Mom," Nandini said and her mother didn't look shocked at all. 

"That's why I never call my designer friends. You insult all of them," Her mother said collecting dresses from floor. 

"They call for it," Nandini replied ever so casually and walked into bathroom. 

____________________

Manik paid for a black suit in town's best suit shop. He fidgeted with the shopping bag as he moved out of shop. Harshad followed him as they both head towards the next shopping stop. It was beyond abnormal for Manik to spend that much on him. It was first time he had withdrawn that big amount from his account and if he was asked, that felt very weird. 

"Why are you behaving like a girlfriend?" Asked Manik as Harshad frowned further. 

"You never told me that you are rich," Harsahd complained. 

"I am not rich," Manik stated while Harshad gave him unforgiving look. 

"That cash you paid for costliest suit back at shop, I certainly didn't pay for that," Harshad countered. 

"That cash belongs to my parents," Manik replied lowly and Harshad had to let go of his little drama. 

"You always shut me up and that's totally unfair," He whined and stomped ahead of Manik. He didn't want to drag matter further after mention of Manik's parents. He never had talked about them and Harshad assumed he didn't want to. 

Day went in a jiffy and Manik still had to deliver invitation basket to Nandini. That champagne bottle was so dear to his ever so mad partner that he couldn't risk not delivering it. He looked at watch and it was still an hour left to report at academy. He dialed Murthy's number from public booth and it was picked by some servant.  

"Sir," Servant called Daadu. 

"There is some Manik Malhotra on phone," He informed and Daadu's face lit up like a bulb. 

Taking receiver from servant's hand, Daadu chirped, "Manikkk."

"Daadu!" Manik sighed as he heard Daadu's voice. 

"Is Nandini around?" he asked and Daadu looked around to find that jumpy girl. 

"She was just hopping around a few minutes back but now she is nowhere to be seen," Daadu replied. 

"Can I come over?" Manik asked a bit apprehensive. 

"Of course son, you never need permissions," Daadu replied lovingly and Manik smiled nervously. 

"Okay," Manik said elated and hung up. 

He collected the basket from van and gestured Harshad that he was leaving. Harshad smiled ragingly and Manik shot him a glare. 

"Someone is behaving so weird," He announced grabbing everyone's attention and Manik hid the basket behind him. 

 "Shut up," Manik snapped and Harshad giggled. Hopping out of van, Manik waited for van to go. 

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"Nandini," Daadu called her for 5th time only to get a growl from her. She was in bad mood for sure. 

"You still didn't decide a dress?" He asked only to make her more angry. 

"No, No, Go ahead. Taunt me like Mom is doing. You all know I suck at this girly things and still you all have to be so so insensitive," She whined making Daadu all kind of stunned. He surely didn't know ball was that important to her. 

"Come here," He said stretching his arm. She reluctantly walked to his loving embrace. 

"It's just a stupid ball. Right? So why are you so stressed out?" Daadu tried to calm her down. 

"You know it isn't that simple," She whined coming out of his embrace. 

"You very well know how girls get ready for army balls," She grumbled. 

"But no, everybody has to be so insensitive about me only. Mom won't help when I need. You won't understand," She said walking towards the wardrobe. 

"And that idiot Manik doesn't even think I am a girl," She roared throwing her arms in air. 

"He didn't even feel it necessary to give me official invitation," She added throwing one more dress in air. 

"Who treats a girl like that?" She grumbled and walked from one end to another literally mapping his grave. 

"Why am I even going with him?" She added and Daadu looked at her with this helpless face. He was surely not the one to help the little girl out of trouble. He cursed her mother more as she wasn't his favorite anyway. He thought how she should be rescuing Nandini out of this severe looking matter. 

Door bell rang and Daadu got reminded how Manik was supposed to come. 

"I swear if it's one of another clown designers of mom, I am gonna break his head," She mumbled and walked out of her room. 

Storming towards the main door, she was ready to blow head of whoever was there on door. 

"Nandini," Daadu called but it was in vain. 

Opening the door, she opened her mouth to abuse the person but stopped in course seeing a Manik standing there. A Manik? Well, he looked very nervous, obviously not so him. 

"Hey," He wished and she folded her arms across her chest looking away. She narrowed her eyes thinking finally he remembered that she had asked him something. 

"You look..." He said looking at her angry features and then got a glare from her. 

"What's that?" She asked looking accusingly at bags in his hand. 

"Well, that's my suit," He informed lightly. 

"YOU HAVE GOT A SUIT WHEN I AM HERE NOT FINDING A DRESS," She roared making his eyes open wider than ever. He didn't know what was wrong with her. 

"I.." He tried to say something. 

"You what?" She said walking towards him making him walk back. 

"I just purchased it, you know that shop across the town," He tried to sound low-key about it. 

"And here I have nothing to wear," She said throwing arms in air. 

"What's wrong with you?" He asked narrowing his eyes. 

"Wow," She exclaimed and then walked back to door only to return with more complex emotions. 

"You know what, Malhotra. If I don't find a dress till evening, we both are coming to ball in swimsuit," She said making him shudder in fear. He swallowed hard and then handed her the basket. 

"I think I should go," He mumbled and walked hastily out of mansion. Sighing aloud, he felt like escaping before she burns his suit in utter agony. She could burn anything if he stays there. 

"Why me??" He heard her roaring, "Such an idiot."

He knew he had screwed it. Walking over an angry girl, it's a NO. And apparently he had done that. 

_____________________

It was 4 in evening when boys in dorm had made the place a back stage. It was a fashion show and they all were models, that's how it looked. Manik wore his black blazer and looked into mirror. He had gelled his hair neatly and a fine shave had made him look all sort of handsome. Suit fitted him well and he surely was looking good. Picking up the badge from table, he pinned it on front pocket. Harshad stood right behind him and admired the handsome boy like a proud father. Seeing Manik all dressed, it was once in a decade moment. Especially, when he was taking active part in it. Manik glared him through mirror to make him come out of his stupid reverie. 

Taking the bow-tie, he adjusted it around his neck to give last touch to his look. It would be a lie if he had said he didn't want to look good. It surely wasn't for ball or tradition but for all sort of strange excitement about going to ball with Nandini.

"Manik," Peon cut through the crowded dorm and got to him. 

"Colonel Singh wants to see you," He informed and Manik nodded. 

Walking towards his office, he saw it was locked. He frowned thinking why it would be locked. He walked towards officers bungalows thinking colonel would at his home. Ringing the bell, he waited for someone to open. As door got opened, there he saw smiling Mrs Singh. She looked ravishing in that white saree and Manik couldn't resist but compliment her. 

"Manik," Colonel elated seeing Manik all dressed up. 

"You look handsome, my boy," He said holding Manik's shoulders. 

Manik could feel his palms getting sweaty. The feel of ball had started to kick in. He was so engrossed in warm-fuzzy feeling of taking Nandini to ball that he almost forgot that it was going to be one social drama. 

"So how you are picking Nandini?" He asked and Manik looked uneasy. He didn't know that Colonel knew about it. 

"You know ball starts in an hour," He added and Manik nodded nervously. He was surely afraid to meet that wild-cat especially after leaving her all angry. He didn't know how to face her. 

"I didn't think about it," He said fumbling and Colonel laughed aloud. 

"I knew it," He said looking at his wife. 

"Take keys of my ambassador and pick her up," He said handing him the keys. 

"Sir, this is against the rules," Manik protested. 

"Said who?" Asked Colonel. 

"I make the rules here, cadet," He added using his authoritative tone.  

"Never make a girl wait and especially when she is Nandini," He said while Manik flushed. 

Manik agreed mentally thinking about her possible antics which she would do to him if he screws up. 

"And I am happy she is coming with you," Mrs Singh said and Manik smiled awkwardly. 

Colonel left the room to take a call while Manik stood there perplexed about something. 

"Ma'm," He called Mrs Singh and she turned around. 

"What to do if a girl was really angry last time you saw her?" He asked biting his lips. 

"Don't make her wait," She answered and he looked away all embarrassed. She wasn't a fool not to get his questions. 

"Go now," She said and Manik walked out of house. 

______________________________

He was sitting in car for past 10 minutes just thinking hard how to get out and walk to Murthy Mansion. He never had thought that one day he was going to be this nervous to see this girl. They weren't in such sort of fancy encounters where he was dressed up and she was the one for whom he had done that. Someone came out of mansion and Manik narrowed his eyes to recognize who it was. As Daadu walked towards his car, Manik jumped out of his car and ran to him. 

"Manik," Daadu said seeing him. 

"You look good," He added while Manik just looked towards door. 

"How's she?" Manik asked all afraid. 

"Beautiful," Daadu replied while Manik frowned not getting what he wanted to know. 

"I mean, Is she still in bad mood?" He asked impatiently. 

"She hasn't talked to anyone since two hours," Daadu informed, "So nobody knows if lioness is in mood to kill or play."

Manik gave up sighing aloud. There was no way he was getting through this night.

"I shouldn't have made her mad," He said. 

"You didn't make her mad," Daadu replied, "It was normal. Girls do feel anxious when they are indecisive."

"Really?" He asked to ensure. 

"I guess so," Daadu answered almost confidently. 

"I need to leave now. I have some work to do before I head to venue," Daadu excused himself and left in car. 

Manik after spending five more minutes on main door finally rang the doorbell. Mrs Murthy opened the door and Manik smiled as normally as he could. 

"Manik," She looked happy seeing him. 

"Come in," She insisted while Manik walked in quietly. 

She made him sit in living room after normal exchange of talks while she went up to call Nandini. 

Some 600 seconds had passed since Mrs Murthy was gone and Manik had no other option just to rub his sweaty palms and count the time. As he heard the door knob open, he looked up instantly. And what he saw afterwards was worth wiping the floor with jaw. A girl in white cap-sleeved gown had started to descend the staircase while it was hard to make if anything else around even existed or not. He got up on his feet as she took the fifth stair and smirked coyly at him. He felt his mouth drying up and that's when he realized he was looking at Nandini with an open mouth. He closed it instantly just to realize his pulse was high and feet were jammed. His eyes were glued and that was embarrassing. Her fine scent touched his nostrils and he felt like frosting in moment. Was she the same Murthy girl he was taking to ball? She was looking beautiful from past few days but today it seemed it was the finale of that contest. 

She examined him from top to toe and then tilted her head complimenting and Manik finally stopped gaping her with a loud gasp. Inhaling just enough air he again looked up and licked his lips, it was time to curse himself again. He was an open book, a book which was about how beautiful she was looking and he had whatsoever no shame in gawking her. She halted right in front of him and that's when he realized she was not letting him look anywhere else tonight but at her. Her silky wisps were messily settled on one shoulder while lips wearing the shade of coral red formed a sexy smirk, she wasn't any less than how his undoing was supposed to look. He opened his mouth to say something then closed it finding no word. 

"You look handsome, Cadet," She said. 

"Thanks," He spoke and then bit his tongue. That was not the tradition. He should have complimented her first. 

"You look...." He started but then stopped not finding any suitable word. 

"Different," He ended and then frowned himself at outcome of his numbed mind. 

"Wow," She mumbled and then chuckled. He was certainly idiot but today he should be called as handsome idiot. She chuckled while he kept looking at her in apparent awe.

"Shall we go?" She asked and he just nodded. It had to be utter fail ever. Wasn't he supposed to say all this? He shook his head while she made her way towards the door. 

Nandini sighed aloud as she turned to face the door. It wasn't easy walking down wearing that thing. But now when she had, she was sure she was going to ruin it while partying hard. She turned around to see a tortoise paced Manik. 

"Come out of shock, Manik," She uttered and he came out of his ever so lasting reverie. 

She walked out and cold touched each of her pore. Manik closed the door behind and then joined her. Almost beating her to reach car, he opened the door for her while she just looked surprised. He bit his lip in elation for doing something right finally and that's how ball night arrived.  

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Unedited*