"You know I can get rusticated," He uttered looking at stars. 

"No, you won't," She replied putting her knee on his leg. 

Manik could feel his breaths aching his throat. It was too much to take. The cold, the risk and her; he could never meet the vigor. It was getting impossible to cop up with how close she was to him. Lying on straw grass, they were gazing stars from little window on roof of stable. It was a clear sky but nothing was clear when it came to his mind. She had her head on his upper arm and she was hardly gazing stars. It was him who had dissected the twinkling orbs when she was doodling something on his blazer. 

"Nandini," He murmured as she hid her face in his chest. She was being an unreasonable kid when she was not a kid. She was creating havoc inside him with her antics. His fragile heart had already won the marathon if his heartbeats were a participant. 

"Hmm," She replied and he sighed. She was not in mood to talk. She was in mood to peel him layer by layer while all he could do was managing his breath and thumping heart. He needed to start yoga soon. 

"What are we doing?" He asked purring like a timid kitten. 

"We are doing nothing, Manik," She replied with ease and he frowned. 

"No, I mean... what are we doing here past midnight like this?" He tried to open the pages which he didn't even know how to read. 

She raised her head from his chest and looked at him with a pout. Manik sighed deep, her frown was a bad news. 

"I don't know," She replied helplessly. 

"You are topper, you tell me," She asked genuinely. Her doe eyes batted as sleep was dancing in there. 

"You are sleepy," Manik murmured and she shook her head. Turning on her stomach, she lay there on her elbows now directly looking into his eyes. 

"I have a lot of questions," She put simply. 

"Really?" Manik asked uncertain. Her tone was alarming. He could sense series of awkward questions coming his way. 

"And you need to answer them," She said nodding her head. She looked cute, Manik couldn't miss noticing that. 

"I'll try," He replied lowly. 

She inched closer walking on her elbow and Manik tried to slide away. 

"Nooo," She objected with a frown. 

"I feel cold," She stated and Manik halted in his place.

"Why heater or my cozy quilt is not enough but you?" She asked fitting between his torso and arm. 

"Why only you are warm enough for me?" She asked playing with loose thread on his blazer. 

Manik smiled looking at her confused face. It wasn't an usual site. She was looking like a lost kitty. 

"Why don't you sound stupid anymore?" She asked and his smile vanished. 

"I was never stupid," He replied defensively. 

"You were always stupid, Manik," She argued in her sleepy voice. He felt he could agree instantly if she kept talking in that voice. 

Silence tried to prevail amid timely neighs of horses. Stable was quiet as everyone was trying to rest except them. 

Manik looked at her biting his lip as she didn't ask anything further. She was looking at him ardently. He felt nervous. She was looking this dangerous-pretty. 

"Why you are only thing I want these days?" She asked inching closer and Manik could never answer anything with she being such tormentor. 

"Why I feel like doing things when you are around?" She said raising her brow. Manik's lips parted in shock. 

"Things?" He asked stammering. 

"Like I feel like playing with these funny lips of yours," She chuckled tracing his parted lips with her finger. Manik for sure couldn't move because he was frozen. She was the snowstorm and he was her victim. 

"They don't look funny anymore," She said putting her weight on his armpit as she leaned on his collarbone. Her breaths were hot like boiling water. He could take the burns but he wasn't sure he would ever recover or not. 

"Nandini," He murmured over her fingers and she hid her face in crook of his neck. He sighed rapidly to deal with torment she was. Her wisps tickled his face while her breaths created havoc inside him. He didn't dare to move, he didn't dare to end it. Her nails dug into his shoulder and he hissed. 

Nandiniii," He yelped a bit before pinning her to grass bed beneath. She looked unapologetic as she stared into his dazed eyes brazenly. She was looking stubborn as ever and he could feel he was falling harder for her. Her inner turmoil had made her look even more irresistible.

"What was that?" Manik asked daring to offend the huntress. 

"That was a punishment for making me feel like this and not helping me with answers," She replied angrily but that ire didn't reflect in her eyes. She was feeling frustrated with all strange feelings she was having. He could get that. He had read that page where she was stuck. 

Manik smiled subtly and took the wisps off her face. 

"Sleep," He asked the sleepy tigress who was frustrated with the blood thirst. He bit his lip feeling her restlessness. It was nothing like ache, it had to be sweetest pang ever. She had started to work on his mind. He was having this urge to do things she was talking about. 

She blinked her eyes a few times before she stretched her arms asking him to cradle her. 

"I wanna sleep," She stated lowly. Sleep was taking over her blunt senses. 

Manik needed to have her closer more than her. She had surely knocked down the quivers of his naive heart and awaken the need of having her as close as he could. 

He rolled his arm beneath her taking her into a bear hug. She put her head on his shoulder and he enclosed her in warm quilt of his arms. It felt heavenly. He tried to come at terms with it while she dozed off. 

Looking at her calm face, it was almost impossible to believe that she was death of him. His each pore patted his back for having her in his arms. 

____________________

Harshad handed Manik a hot cup of tea as they both sat on bench outside dog shelter. Daadu had called Manik to meet him and Harshad had to come to make sure his hopeless friend doesn't fall into sewage hole. He frowned as Manik kept holding cup just to stare the road. Harshad couldn't word what mess Manik had been since morning. He was smiling to himself. He didn't take a bath. He didn't change that stupid blazer. He didn't tell a thing beyond how Daadu wanted to see him. He had gone crazy. 

"Manikkk," Harshad shook the daydreamer. 

"Wake up," He shouted. 

"There is a limit of being a pain in ass," He taunted while sipping the tea. 

"Did you kiss her last night?" Harshad asked not being able to figure out the trance of Malhotra. 

Manik came out of his reverie like a bolt making tea spill on his own fingers. Hissing to his heart's content, He glared Harshad. 

"No, you didn't," Harshad rectified before Manik ended up spilling the rest of cup on him. 

""There is no need to go hulk on your only nice friend," Harshad tried to remind the thankless moron. 

A car halted in front of dog shelter and Manik got up. It had to be Daadu. 

Manik smilingly walked to him as Daadu smiled at him with all his love. 

_____________________

"Cadet, don't strangle the dog," Daadu yelled at Harshad who was given a duty of walking a golden retriever. Harshad smiled artificially to Brigadier. He couldn't believe how he was sent to serve the dogs so that they could have a talk. Harshad cursed under his breath while untangling the dog from its leash. 

"I missed you," Manik said looking at Daadu. 

"I am not Nandini," Daadu teased the lover boy and he blushed. 

Peon served the tea and Daadu took all his time before starting the conversation. 

"I don't think so he is happy there," Manik said looking at Harshad who was running ahead of dog with its leash in his hand. 

"He is just being over-dramatic," Daadu chuckled looking at scene. 

"Don't run ahead of Dog, cadet. She isn't walking you, you are walking her," Daadu instructed Harshad and he again smiled awkwardly. 

"Nandini came home pretty late last night," Daadu took Manik's attention. 

"4 in morning," Daadu put it precisely. 

"You knew it?" Manik asked gasping aloud. 

"Of course I knew it," Daadu said aloud and Manik gazed the floor. 

"And you are angry?" Manik asked lowly still not meeting eyes. 

Daadu's famous giggle echoed the garden and Manik counted the ants. Ants were the stress-buster. 

"You are hilarious, Manik," Daadu remarked and Manik smiled awkwardly. 

"We did nothing. We just gazed the stars and then talked a bit...before," Manik tried to give a justification like a good boy. 

"I don't want details," Daadu intervened halting the nervous cadet. 

"I want some answers," He added seriously. 

"You too need answers?" Manik looked up amused. He wondered what was up with these Murthy's. 

"Yes, cadet," Daadu confirmed. 

"Okay," Manik replied before again continuing the counting of ants on grass. 

"What does this service mean to you, cadet?" Daadu asked sternly. Getting up, he walked to the railing. 

"You mean army?" Manik asked a bit confused. Question was a bit out of context. 

"Yes," Daadu answered looking at gorgeous view of valley.  It was a sunny day. 

"It means pride and honor to me, sir," Manik answered getting up. 

"Not feed me bookish answers, cadet," Daadu said using his brigadier voice. 

Turning around, He looked at Manik keenly. 

"Why did you join army?" He asked getting closer. 

"That's the only thing I knew since I was born. My father wanted that I join army just like him," Manik answered. 

"And why did you fall for Nandini?" Daadu asked mildly and Manik looked at him darting his eyes away from famous nowhere. 

"Now that came out of syllabus," Daadu tried to tell the context of his questions. Manik again looked straight. 

"No book tells answer of that," Manik replied lost in his thoughts. He was still confused where this conversation was heading. 

"Now if you have to choose between your service or her, what would you do?" Daadu asked steering the conversation brutally towards dead end. Manik gasped finally getting the point of that talk. 

"You know my answer," Manik replied lowly. This question had come a bit too early. Why time had to be so brutal?  Manik frowned inwardly. 

"I want to hear it, cadet," Daadu said touching Manik's shoulder. 

"Service before self," Manik answered quickly and Daadu smiled. Manik heard him chuckling. 

"Then what about my granddaughter?" Daadu asked making Manik more baffled. Manik frowned further. Daadu himself was an ex-service man and he couldn't understand why would he put him in such tight spot. 

"What about her?" Manik asked for gaining some time. 

"Everything," Daadu replied walking fro and back across the railing. 

"That self in that phrase is all about her. Nothing has ever existed before in my life. She is the only one. I haven't even confessed it to myself till now. I don't know if I am making any sense or not. But I can tell one thing, beyond my service, I belong to her," He replied trying to mean each word. Each word he spoke hammered his own mind. He hadn't even spoken to himself about it before. And it came as mind-blowing surprise to himself as well. 

Daadu looked at him with tint of pride in his eyes. 

"Now you are prepared," Daadu said patting his back. 

"Prepared for what?" Manik asked nervously. 

"For upcoming days. Testing times are ahead, my son," Daadu answered vaguely and walked towards his chair. 

"Don't quiver when time comes, Manik," Daadu said aloud. 

"I didn't get a thing," Manik mumbled. 

"You would get it soon," Daadu answered and Manik turned around taken aback. 

"I have good ears," Daadu removed his frown. 

Manik nodded feeling like a fool. 

"And tell her soon," Daadu said and Manik couldn't even sit properly in chair. 

He again got up feeling all those ants he had counted biting his butt. Well, not literally. 

"She would kill me," Manik answered walking fro and back. 

"You are still doubtful?" Daadu asked angrily. 

"Nooo," Manik answered quickly. 

"But you know her," Manik showed his helplessness and Daadu softened. 

"You know her too," Daadu tried to calm Manik's senses. 

Before Manik could blabber more, Harshad's yelp drew their attention. 

"He bit me," He was running towards them with a crying face. 

"Sandy doesn't bite, cadet," Daadu tried to calm Harshad down while Harshad showed his finger to Manik like a kid. 

"He just nibbled you, buddy," Manik assured Harshad taking a look at his finger. 

"And that means she likes you," Daadu broke the news and Sandy came wagging her tail. 

Harshad still didn't seem to buy the theory while Sandy stole some quick zoomies. It had to be crazy day. 

_______________________

"What's this?" Nandini asked making a roll of hot parantha. 

Her father eyed her angrily and Nandini had to take the piece of paper to read what it was. 

"Application form of London business school," She read and threw the paper on table again. 

"Cool. Who is going? Mom?" Nandini put forward her 'interest' in the proposal. 

"Nandiniiii," Her mother growled. 

"I mean you would make a fine business woman, mom," She took the mockery one notch higher. 

"Enough, Nandini," Her father said controlling his tone. 

"You are going to enroll for this," He said it in clear words. 

"I won't," Nandini replied as clear as she could and turned around to leave the dining table. 

"So that you can keep seeing that cadet?" Her father touched the right string to have her attention. 

"None of your business," Nandini replied trying not to get triggered. 

"Well, it is my business. You are my daughter unfortunately," He retorted aiming each arrow precisely. Nandini was getting on his nerves recently and he had to mend her ways before it's too late. 

"I am not pleased about fact either," Nandini said turning around. Her face clearly telling how worked up she was already. 

"I have no time for this stupid contest," Her father said getting up. 

"You are either going to London or you are not meeting that boy ever again," His father dictated.

"I am not going to London and I am meeting that boy again, guess what I am meeting tomorrow morning," Nandini answered folding her arms across her chest. She couldn't fall short. 

"Okay," Her father chuckled helplessly. 

"Nandini, you are taking it too far," This time her brother spoke sensing ire of his father. 

"I am sorry for being such a pain in ass, Rishi," Nandini replied tiredly and turned around to leave the hall. She didn't have time for this pointless banter. 

"Meeting a cadet in army stable is an offence. He can get rusticated next time," Her father spoke furiously and Nandini gasped. 

"I can't believe," She said turning around. 

"You are spying on me," She yelled as loud as she could. Daadu halted in his place as he entered the house. 

"You have left me no option," Her father gave useless justification. 

"I will ruin his career," He finally got there where he wanted to. It was his last resort. 

"Madhavvvv," Daadu yelled coming towards dining area. 

"It isn't your empire where manipulation works. It's prestigious army," He added taking the offence. 

 Nandini could feel her eyes burning with tears which she wasn't allowing to flow. She walked to her father before she loses it in front of them. 

"Try touching him or his career, and see what I would do," She threatened as brutally as she could with that trembling voice. It was getting difficult for her to contain her ire. Stomping away, she stormed towards her room only to close it with a thud. 

Rest was story of yelping things which made noise as she broke them one by one. 

"You took it too far, dad," Rishi rushed towards her room listening her screams which conveyed nothing but her infamous ire. 

"Try touching her or Manik, and see what would I do," Daadu warned before he too rushed towards Nandini's room with his aching knees. 

______________________

"Send some food," Rishi spoke over intercom as Daadu tried to calm that little devil. Two servants cleaned the mess in room and closed the room before leaving. 

"This is not the way, Nandini,"Daadu spoke stroking her head as she was lying with her head in his lap. 

"What was the fault of that teddy bear?" He tried to humor the miffed queen showing her poor stuffed toy which she had thrown behind the table. 

"You haven't changed a bit, Nandini," Rishi spoke trying to come at terms with little destruction She had caused. 

 "I thought you have grown up," He gasped taking everything in. 

Daadu laughed a bit while Nandini turned her face away burying it in Daadu's fluffy tummy. 

"You must not take her light," Daadu replied to a scared Rishi. 

"She had you stuck on that tree for hours when she was just 6," He laughed aloud reminiscing the incident. 

"How can I forget?" Rishi joined the little try to cheer her up. 

"And all I did was threatening her little puppy," He stated as he gaped the tree in garden. 

"You were such an asshole," Nandini said raising from Daadu's lap and Daadu widened his eyes over the word used. 

"Nandiniiii," Daadu pointed out the language. 

"And you were such a cry baby," Rishi mocked. 

"I and cry baby?' Nandini asked getting off the bed. 

"I have to remind you who had cried buckets when I had bound you to that tree house," She stated and Rishi smiled. They both gaped each other for a minute trying to digest the little banter they had after so many years. 

"Tree house is missing though," Rishi smiled reminiscing one of very few memories he had made there.

"So who is this boy?" He asked trying to know the little devil more. 

"None of your business, Mr Rishi Murthy," Nandini brutally refused the little effort. She couldn't just let him in. He had been gone for too long. 

"Right," Rishi replied taking the cue. 

"Have food. I should hit the bed. It's too late," He said awkwardly. 

As he reached the door, she said, "Thanks for the food."

He smiled and then left the room. 

"That was rude, love," Daadu said as Nandini attacked the food. 

"I hardly know that guy, Daadu," She stated and Daadu gave up. He was happy enough with that little progress in this brother-sister bond. 

_______________

_____________________________

Unedited*