Everything's mess. 

"Dad, stop blaming it on Daadu"

"It's all his fault. He never let her listen to us and see what day she has brought on us"

"It's your damn fault that you never understood your daughter. Besides, she hasn't committed a sin."

"She is on front page, Rishi, kissing a guy. Do you understand what it means?"

"You are taking it on another level, dad."

"Media just wants gossip. I don't see wrong in two people sharing a private moment."

"This is not America, my son. Your father has some reputation in this town."

"What about Nandini, mom? Why nobody is thinking about her?"

"They won't understand, son. Leave them in their pathetic bubble."

"You stay out of it, Dad. It's because of you...."

Nandini threw the pillow away which she had clutched to her chest to suppress the urge to go give it back to her parents. She had have enough. She didn't bother to wear her slippers and stormed towards door. She had promised Daadu to stay in her room but her parents couldn't ever let her be. They always dragged her daadu in everything she does and now she won't stay out of it. 

"It's me who is on front page. Talk to me," She said in trembling voice as she descended the stairs carelessly. Anger wasn't doing good to her. 

"Take her inside, Aparna," Daadu insisted to only calm person there who was a silent audience to this untimely blaming ceremony in their house. 

"Please," He insisted and Aparna nodded sensing Daadu's plead. 

Daadu looked at disheveled Nandini who was ready to charge her parents with something nasty. He didn't want her to ruin it beyond limit. 

"Come inside, Nandu," Aparna held Nandini's hand as she stepped down last stair. 

"No," Nandini barked totally giving in to ire. 

"My great parents need to learn how to be brave and talk to me when I have done the so called felony," She said as she reached her father and stood in front of him almost challenging him to speak to her.  

"Nandini, Go inside NOW," Daadu said sternly and Nandini shook her head refusing to listen. 

"I said GO INSIDE," Daadu yelled at her and she gulped the liquid her throat had started to form. 

"You cannot save me from my own parents, Daadu. They want to bark at me, go ahead," She murmured not looking away from her father. He was scowling at her and she was unmoved. 

"Nandu, please," Daadu's voice pleaded and she tucked her messed up wisps behind her ear. 

Taking a deep breath, she turned around to leave for her room. She couldn't make her grandpa plead, not to her at least. 

Aparna followed her in haste. Throwing herself on bed violently, Nandini let out a helpless groan. She still hadn't learned how to let out. Her uneven whimper filled the room as Aparna locked the door behind. 

She took a deep breath and walked to Nandini thinking how she could make that little girl speak her heart. 

__________________

"Run till you learn how to follow orders," Colonel barked as Manik completed 14th lap with weights on his ankles. 

"Run till you learn not to screw it for yourself," He yelled as Manik reached a little far. 

"Run till you understand what this service stands for," He added while Manik broadened his chest to let each his word sink in. 

Colonel had left all his work since morning and was sitting there to keep a watch on Manik. Major Khan was seeing Manik run with plain face but slowed pace. He knew it was getting too much for the boy. He couldn't ask Colonel Singh why Manik was getting that punishment. Nobody could dare to ask. Deep inside, everyone was feeling for that boy who never did a wrong. 

"Make sure he completes 50 laps," Colonel instructed Major Khan and walked to his office. Someone had come to meet him

Colonel Singh entered his office to find Madhav sitting there with a stern face. He didn't bother to smile at his friend and Colonel himself wasn't in mood to exchange greetings. 

"Singh," Madhav spoke after a thick pause. 

"You know why I am here," He added and Colonel asked peon to stop shuffling the files and go outside. 

"I know," Colonel replied gravely. 

A silence played till Madhav came up with rightly calculated words. 

"Nobody know it's your cadet," He said. 

"I don't want anybody comes to know, Singh," He added making his point clear. 

Same newspaper which had created thunderstorm in town was laying on table. Nobody knew who was the boy. Headline was "Daughter of Madhav Murthy kissed a boy in dark". 

"Nobody will know," Colonel replied. 

"It's a shame that he is your boy, Singh. I never knew that your academy produce such douchebags," Madhav spoke bitterly. 

"I never had slightest of idea that it would reach such a junction otherwise I would have never let that boy near Nandini," He added. 

Colonel's blood boiled listening his dear friend playing one sided notes. 

"It's not his fault alone," Colonel spoke out of vengeance. Nandini was dear to him but this game was demanding some valor.  

"Of course it's his fault," Madhav barked. 

"I tried making him understand in every possible language but seems like that boy lacks some basic decency," He added infuriating Colonel more. 

"So you want to say your daughter has whatsoever no fault in whatever happened?" Colonel raised his voice. 

"You cannot be serious," Madhav chuckled not believing. 

"Don't you see how you are failing at taming a pony of yours, it's clearly your fault and of your cadet," He snarled. 

"You lack, Madhav. You lack in giving good parenting to your bad-ass daughter," Colonel blurted out in fit of anger. 

"Enough, SINGH," Madhav got up not wanting to hear more. 

"I can't believe you, my friend, are badmouthing my daughter for a cadet of your academy," He played his card. 

"And I can't believe you are putting entire blame of Manik," Colonel had picked wrong card to play with. Now he had to take his turn no matter he had his cards wrong. 

"I thought she is like your daughter," Madhav said in a deep voice. 

Colonel seemed to find right words. He knew he had overstepped. He could never mean those words he had said about Nandini. He loved that kid. But guess what, it was too late. Battle was ongoing. 

"I don't want your damn cadet near my daughter anymore. If I see him around, believe me, I would take down this academy of yours," Madhav yelled on top of his voice. 

Colonel huffed in anger as he got up. He had had enough. 

"I promise he won't be anywhere near you or your family. But make sure your daughter is rightly caged because if I saw her trespassing one more time, I won't hesitate calling cops," Colonel was off his senses. Madhav seemed to take a bullet seeing his dear friend clearly drawing lines. 

"We'll see," Madhav said as last thing as he stormed out of colonel's office. 

It was an end of a friendship decades old. Colonel dropped in his chair realizing what he had said. All of sudden, It was more than just a love-story. 

________________________

"She has bottled up a lot, Dad," Aparna spoke to Daadu as they sat on a bench in garden. It was late evening and garden was lighted up with lamps. 

"When did this little girl become so lonely?" She asked looking at Daadu. He seemed to be in some deep thought. 

"Since when everyone around her started fighting for everything," He answered after a long array of silence. 

"She has seen her parents fighting all her childhood. They used to blame each other for everything...for her even," Daadu revealed and chuckled. 

"I tried protecting this little hellion but I think I failed," He added looking at his fingers. 

"You didn't, Dad. I didn't mean to question you. I am sorry," Aparna said sensing burdened voice of Daadu. 

"I tried speaking to her but she doesn't share anything," She revealed. 

"She runs away from everything," She added and looked at her father-in-law. 

"Not really," He corrected. 

"Believe me She is not some broken kid," Daadu said being proud of her kid. 

"She just doesn't tell that...it hurts. She doesn't talk to herself," He said sadly. 

A silence prevailed as they both tried to stop analyzing the pretty hellion who was already off with her wheel to a much needed drive. 

"She is serious about that guy, right?" Aparna asked and chuckled. She knew the answer she guessed. 

"Hell yes," Daadu replied with a smile. 

"She has never been this serious about anything in her life," He added and giggled. 

"That cadet is one lucky ass," He said with a smug. 

"A military man?" Aparna asked almost taking it as a thunderbolt. 

"Cadet Malhotra to be precise," Daadu replied confirming. Aparna sighed processing the things. All of sudden this was something which could involve her. 

_________________________

Harshad sat at feet of Manik's bed with a pained face. Manik winced as soon as Harshad put the hot water bottle on his aching calf. 

"I am sorry," Harshad said totally not wanting to hurt the guy any further. 

Samit brought the glass of milk to Manik. 

"Mess Kaka sent it," He revealed as Manik raised his brow. 

"He said turmeric milk would help," He divulged. 

Manik gaped his friends who were sad as if someone had died and it was a prayer meet. 

"What's even wrong with you guys?" Manik asked not being able to take the extra care. 

"Colonel shouldn't have done this," Harshad spoke finally as if waiting for someone to ask. 

Manik rolled his eyes totally knowing it was return of Granny Harshad. 

"I mean why won't you ask what did you do to deserve such severe penalty?" Harshad asked shifting the hot water bottle to other swollen calf of Manik. Manik let out some curses as pain ran through his leg. Samit laughed not being bale to digest the scene. 

"Shut up, Samit," Harshad barked. 

"It's inhuman," He added trying to come up with more precise words. 

"It's unfair. It's dictatorship," He found the apt word finally. Manik glared him not wanting to paint colonel bad. He knew he was right putting him under severe grill. He had clearly not followed his order last night. 

"Don't say that," Manik tried to shrug it off. 

"Oh-the-great-Manik-Malhotra," Harshad mocked and pressed the hot water bottle into his pained leg. Manik winced in pain and tried kicking Harshad in face. Samit walked away laughing. It seemed like things were back to normal. 

"Now tell me what happened?" Harshad asked in a serious tone. 

Manik sighed deep trying to find right words. He hadn't thought about it since morning. He was beyond shocked when that photograph actually got published in English daily. He didn't have guts to even think about how Nandini would be. 

"Didn't you read newspaper today?" Manik asked not wanting to explain it. 

Before Harshad could tell how he never read newspaper, peon came and told Manik colonel Singh had summoned him to his cottage. 

_________________

"I can't believe you said that about Nandini," Mrs Singh said holding her head. Dinner was untouched on table. Colonel Singh couldn't eat before emptying his heavy heart to his lovely wife. 

"Singh, do you realize you just punished those kids for no fault of theirs?" She asked still trying to believe what her husband had done in name of coping up with a situation. 

She had summoned Manik after knowing how Colonel Singh had made him run mad as penalty. Her husband had ruined everything further instead of handling the situation calmly. 

"And Nandini is like our daughter. How could you?" She asked baffled. 

"What could I do when Madhav was constantly putting my cadet down unnecessarily," Colonel Singh asked. 

"So you made it even by putting Nandini down," Mrs Singh asked not believing her husband. She could tell how kids were better than these grown-ups. 

"I didn't mean it, Sahiba," Colonel Singh confessed lowly. 

"I love that girl beyond everything," He said and heard his wife sighing in frustration. 

"May I come in, Sir?" Manik's unsure voice interrupted the little fight. 

"Come in, Son," Mrs Singh walked to door and saw Harshad standing beside Manik. 

"Actually Ma'am, he was having trouble walking," Harshad tried to justify his uncalled presence. 

"Thank you," Mrs Singh smiled at scared Harshad. 

"He'll be staying here tonight," She told and both Manik and Harshad gaped each other. 

Harshad left and Manik gulped seeing Colonel Singh taking slow sips of water. His eyes were jammed on table and body stiffed. 

"Come in, Son," Mrs Singh said lovingly to Manik and he smiled nervously.

_________________________________

Fingers tapping steering wheel, eyes set on grand building of military academy. Nandini bit her lower lip trying to come at a decision. She blamed it on her jeep who drove her there. She frowned a bit as she waited needlessly. She knew where her home was. It was in a dorm where a kitten slept talking in his sleep. 

Stepping out, she walked towards wall totally unknown of fact that a lot happened behind those walls. But then she could hardly give a damn even if she knew. 

_________

Unedited*