Long time No see! *Sheepish*

So here I make a comeback and I hope I would be giving regular updates from now on! *Fingers crossed*

Thank you for all the patience and support. I truly treasure each my reader! 🤗

Happy Reading! 💖

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Mr Murthy couldn't name it, he couldn't put a finger on it but his forehead formed sweat beads in two degree Celsius. His little daughter was standing at the main gate. Cold wind was taking her wisps along and her long sweater couldn't even reach her knees. She had lost weight. His heart twisted and he didn't know how to bring back all the ire which he should have felt seeing her. She wasn't moving but was staring at him with offense written all over her face. 

He slowly descended the three steps to walk on the frosty grass while she folded her arms across her chest. Madhav could see her face quite clear now. Her eyes were a bit dry and face rosy. She was angry. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked as roughly as she could. Madhav could feel the lost anger coming back as he heard that detested tone. 

"Was just seeing it for myself," He said shrugging his shoulders. His hands slipped into pocket of his ling coat as he looked at her cottage.

She chuckled dryly and took a deep breath. 

"Seeing if I was sleeping on road or not," She asked tucking her hands in side pockets of her long sweater. 

Madhav chuckled this time at amount of disdain his own daughter had for him. According to him he had given her the world, He couldn't gulp the fact how she had chosen a cadet over him. 

"Your so called cottage isn't any better than that," He taunted acidly. 

Nandini lost the simper on her face and walked closer to her father. Meeting his eyes, she smiled contently. 

"I have been sleeping peacefully and trust me there's nothing for which I would trade my home," She said with a smile. She wanted him to see how proud she was, after all he had put her through. 

"Your home?" He asked raising his brow. 

"Are you sure?" He asked looking at her with a simper. 

"My home," She asserted and he shook his head ridiculing her. 

"A down payment doesn't make a piece of land yours," He stated with a chuckle. 

Nandini couldn't believe how far her father could go to put her down. She never wanted him to be proud of her but she had never thought he would make it a battle of egos. 

"A down payment doesn't take it away from me either," She stated tilting her head. 

"I will see how you pay for it," He barked at her, finally shedding the facet of patience. 

"I will make sure no one lends you a penny from Murthy mansion. Your life was garden full of roses because you are daughter of Madhav Murthy. If you couldn't treasure this privilege, you have no right to live with perks of being a Murthy," He stated in a low but distasteful tone. 

"I would choose to die in street rather than taking a penny from your clan. You and Mom never shied away from telling me how I was a trouble to family. Don't worry I never was used to be a Murthy so I would JUST DO FINE," She snapped back. 

"People who believe in me are enough for me to survive and I don't need any freaking surname to lead a life," She snarled at her father's face. 

"We'll see. We will see how far you go without money and support," He replied not knowing how to tame his anger. He couldn't take her drifting away from him when he himself was making sure she didn't stay. He hated losing control over his daughter. 

"You are standing on my property, Mr Murthy and I don't appreciate strangers at my doorstep at this hour," She didn't know why she said so but it felt like only let out to all the needles which were piercing her heart. She wanted to hurt him so that he could know how it felt. 

Madhav's face lost all its color as he heard her calling him a stranger. Things had gone uglier than ever between them and he was sure there might be no coming back. He gritted his teeth and walked out of gate leaving an enraged Nandini behind. 

She heard him banging door of his car and she turned around furiously to lock the main gate. He saw her closing the wooden gate mercilessly and then walking inside her cottage. Light of her living room went on and he drove the car out of there. 

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Manik laid on his bed staring the ceiling as he couldn't get her out of his mind. He smiled more he hugged his quilt tighter to tame his heartbeats from beating so fast. 

"Crazy," He murmured as he remembered her pecking his lips in front of his seniors. He was flustered, least to say. She said it was good to burn the world when they were so burnable already. Crazy lady!

He giggled as he remembered his mates trying to know about her once she was gone. She could twist the entire world on her fingers. He knew, he just knew she was a sorceress who had ruined him for this world. No one and nothing was as amusing as she was. He was ruined.

"Sleep, dude," Harshad threw a pillow on him and Manik caught it. After sparing a fake glare to Harshad, he hugged that pillow too. 

"Stop giggling, you idiot," Harshad said irked as Manik didn't stop giggling. 

"Shut up and sleep," Manik scowled at him and then turned sideways where no one could disturb his Oh sweet thoughts. 

He could give up anything to see that carefree smile on her face. He could spend another day reminiscing her laugh which he heard as last thing before she left. 

"Good Night, My crazy woman," He murmured and kissed the pillow. 

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Nandini stood leaning on door and heard her father's car go away. She didn't know what caused it but she could feel a tornado building in her heart. She didn't know how and why but moist in her eyes was forming again and again even when she had strictly told it off. She walked to kitchen and gulped a glass of water to calm herself down. 

She was feeling hot as if someone had put her on fire. She took off her sweater and walked to her bed to dive into cold of it. It warmed up like a heater within a minute and she got up to open the grand window. Ice cold wind slapped her bare skin. She didn't care, she didn't care if she fell ill. She wanted to push every freaking emotion out of her system before they made her weak. 

Stepping on ledge, she held the glass window tightly. The vale was steeper than hell, she slowly sat on it letting her legs sway down. Cradling herself for minutes she calmed herself down. 

 "We'll see. We will see how far you go without money and support."

Putting her hands on cold ledge, she bent further to look into dark ridge. Her father's words were ringing in her ears. 

One drop, two and then three...She lost the count as her teardrops kept dropping into that steep ridge. She didn't know how to stop them from flowing. She was sure how her father didn't mean anything to him, but pang in her heart wouldn't go away. 

"Manik"

She murmured in muffled tone. 

"I need you freaking Malhotra."

She said out loud and mewled. 

Wiping her tears from back of her hand, she let the cold wind dry it. She could feel the frost now. She rubbed her arms with palms and looked at distant mountains. Two or three houses were lit like embers. A smile played on her lips. Leaning on the cold surface, she looked at numerous stars twinkling. They reminded her of her timid kitten who would tell her countless philosophies on those bulbs up in sky. Last time, he said they watched over everyone. 

"Such intruding idiots"

She murmured and closed her eyes to see his funny face so that she could sleep the night.  

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"Dad"

Rishi yelled as he came downstairs. He couldn't find his father anywhere. He was sure it was his father who on purpose had preponed the setting of their Australian branch. 

"What's wrong, Rishi?" Mrs Murthy asked as she found her son quite irritated. 

"If he thinks that he can do whatever he wants, he is wrong," He stated furiously and saw his father entering the house with Amisha. 

"Rishi, my son," He exclaimed proudly and looked at Amisha," Didn't I tell you he is an early riser."

Rishi took a deep breath and waited. He didn't want to make a scene in front of Amisha. She was an outsider and he would not want to battle it out in front of her. 

"Tell me what's wrong?" Mrs Murthy asked her restless son. 

"He is sending me to Australia next week," He told his mother and looked at his father who was now sitting at dining table. 

"So what's wrong in that?" Mrs Murthy was clueless. 

"He has preponed the set up of Australian branch by three months," He replied trying to tell reason behind his exasperation. 

Mrs Murthy was still unable to understand what was there to be this irritated. 

"He wants to send me away from India, away from Nandini, Mom," He finally said it aloud. 

Mrs Murthy could finally understand what was making Rishi so restless. She knew how he was helping Nandini in setting up her life. Though none of her children told her anything but she had her sources. 

She was engaged in her thoughts and Rishi had already walked to dining table. 

"Dad, I want to talk to you....alone," He said requesting Amisha in gesture. 

Amisha looked curious but smiled faceting her interest in to be discussed affair.

"You wait here, Amisha. We will take the study room," Madhav said and got up. Rishi followed his father and locked the room. 

Amisha found Rishita glaring her and shrugged her shoulders. 

"What it is which couldn't wait for few more minutes?" Madhav asked a bit irked. 

"Your ways," Rishi replied curtly. 

Madhav looked at his son as if had heard him wrong. He was talking like someone he had met last night and after that didn't let him sleep. He was suspicious if Rishi had come to know about his meeting with Nandini last night.

"Don't talk in riddles," Madhav warned and took the giant chair. 

Rishi took the chair across the table and sighed deep. 

"I am not going out of India anytime soon," He declared. 

"You are, in fact you are going to Australia next week," Madhav too stated as if it was certain. 

Rishi looked at his father as if was seeing a different person whom he didn't even know. 

"You would go to any extent to defeat your own daughter, won't you?" He asked in disbelief. 

"I don't know what are you talking about," Madhav stated and picked up the newspaper to read the headlines. 

Rishi chuckled and then looked out of window. 

"You disabled her cards. You disabled our joint accounts. You met the broker last evening and you say you have no idea what I am talking about?" Rishi's voice raised towards the end. 

"Don't talk to me in that tone, Rishi," Madhav warned and threw the newspaper on table. 

"It's my money. It's my business. I would do whatever I want to," He barked aloud. 

Rishi gaped his father unable to understand what had happened to him. 

"Then what I am doing here? Like Nandini, I am too just someone whom you wanna dictate," He stated in hurt. 

"Maybe it would be better you hire some new employee to set your Austrian branch because I am not going anywhere till the time I make sure my little sister is safe in her own town and that too from her own father," He snarled and got up to leave. 

He stormed out banging the door loud. Madhav kept looking at the door stunned. Rishi had never talked to him in that tone. He knew he needed to step back if he didn't want to lose his son as well. He couldn't lose him specially when his daughter was on mission to make his life hell. 

Daadu and Rishita watched Rishi going out of house infuriated. Rishita tried to stop him but Rishi was soon off to road in his car. 

"What if..." She wanted to voice out how she was afraid even Rishi would leave. 

"He isn't Nandini, Rishita," Daadu assured her and sighed. 

"He would be back," He tried to calm his daughter-in-law. 

They both had heard what conversation had gone inside the studies. Amisha too had heard loud and clear but she behaved like nothing had happened. 

Rishita sat on couch defeated as she thought about how her family was drifting apart. Daadu too knew all of it was going haywire. He made it a point to talk to his cunning son soon.

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Manik boarded the city bus in haste as he had almost missed it. He caught his breath and stood at last step of over crowed bus. The conductor came to cut the ticket and Manik happily told him the address. 

He was going home. 

It was Sunday morning. He had taken first bus to his new home. He remembered how his friends had whistled and hooted when he had stepped out of assembly. Manik had never got a home to go. Everyone went to their abodes every holidays and he stayed back at academy. Now each his friend was happy seeing him leave so urgently on Sunday morning. 

He took the seat as soon as few passengers stepped out. Looking out of window, he saw snow-capped mountains smiling under sunlight. It was a sunny day.  He looked at his wristwatch and found it was 7 in the morning. He was sure she must be asleep. He hugged backpack which he had packed just in case he needed cloths. He smiled in glee. 

The bus left the stop as soon as Manik got off the bus. He was standing at 10th milestone. Their cottage was quite far from the main road. He needed to walk 3 kilometers on an unmetalled road to reach their small cottage. He chose to run instead of walking and reached there in less than 10 minutes. He was panting hard standing in front of cottage. Opening the wooden gate, he heard it creaking as he ran towards the door. 

He rang the bell hanging on the door loudly and took out the spare key. He wanted her to stir in her sleep before he saw her angelic face. Nandini had given him spare keys of house when she had visited the academy on Friday. He unlocked it and opened it only to get startled as she leaped into his arms. He was flabbergasted as he held her in his arms tight trying to balance them both. He took an urgent step back on the stair while she wrapped her legs around his waist. 

"I missed you, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you..." She kept on saying as she kissed his earlobe endlessly. He was feverish in no time as he held that fireball in arms trying to decipher her mood. 

His one arm was wrapped around her waist while other slid up and weaved across her shoulders. He extracted her and looked at her face. She looked like she had just woken up. She held his face in her warm palms and kissed him urgently. Manik didn't know how to manage temperature anymore. He was on fire. He wasn't sure he could ever meet her without having his heart failed.

She parted to look at his flustered face and smiled at the artwork. He gaped the mischief on her face and leaned to kiss her tenderly. Even he needed his share of expression.

He missed her too. 

He could throw a tantrum how she didn't ever let him surprise her. She giggled as he groaned as she stepped on his boots. 

"What if it was someone else?" He asked amused. 

"I would have flung into his arms," She replied casually. 

Manik huffed and glared her. She laughed out loud and kissed his red nose. 

"Welcome home, My dear kitten," She murmured over his nose and held his hand to drag him inside. He smiled as if had got required attention and followed her. Locking the door, she pushed him ahead to ride on his back. He held her bare thighs and looked at the condition of cottage. 

"What earthquake has hit this place?" He asked disgusted. His eyes had horror as he gaped the kitchen. It had dishes mounted in basin and counter was a mess. Her cloths were sprawled all over living room. 

She was peacefully resting on his back, as if trying to go back into sleep. 

"It would take entire day to clean it, you crazy girl," He stated irked. Her hand started to travel from his nape and slid across his head to reach his lips. She palmed his mouth so that he could stop panicking. 

"Let's sleep for an hour first before you waste rest of the day lecturing me," She said complaining. 

She stepped down and walked towards her bedroom holding his hand. Getting on her bed, she pushed him along. He laid there helpless as she sprawled the quilt on both of them. 

"Sleep," She mouthed before laying on his torso to sleep. 

He sighed and squirmed as she wriggled too much. 

"Stop it," He asked as she didn't stop. 

Her giggles touched his ears and he smiled. He had no mood to sleep but then she wanted to. He held her close and looked out of window. The view was breathtaking. He wanted to wake up to this every morning. 

His eyes caught a beer bottle on the ledge and he frowned. He could feel her warm breaths on his chest. He needed to ask her what the hell she was doing there on ledge. 

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Daadu was happily reading the newspaper sitting in garden when Rishita came there and sat across the table. Daadu looked at her suspiciously. She never was the one who would want to spend time with him. Though these days she was being kind to him. Maybe she had no one else to share her concerns. He didn't mind either. 

"You want to say something, Rishita?" He asked finally as he saw her playing with her ring. 

"No, nothing like that," She was fidgety. 

Daadu smirked behind the newspaper. 

Nobody can fool him. He waited for her to speak. 

"You didn't go out today," She started to say. 

Daadu looked at her keenly and asked, "Where would I go?" 

"I thought..." She started to open up but then sighed. She was nervous. 

"I thought you would go to see Nandini today. It's her off day," She stated. She was worried for her.

Daadu shook his head at the fact how a mother was nervous to ask about her own daughter. He wished Rishita had never listened or tried to please her idiot husband. She might not be this distant from Nandini if she had listened to her heart. 

"Not today," He answered and folded the newspaper. 

"Maybe tomorrow I will go and I am going to stay two days there with her," He seemed excited. 

Rishita knew why Daadu wouldn't go today. She had an idea how it was an outing day at military academy and who would be there with Nandini. Her frowns turned deeper as she thought about it. 

"People would talk in no time," She murmured but Daadu heard her. 

"People are jerk," He stated sternly. 

"But It's not right..." She wanted to say it all. 

"Manik is right, Rishita," Daadu replied confidently. 

"He is the most right man for your daughter. You should keep aside your dislike for him. It's not him who took your daughter away. It is your husband and even you to some extent," Daadu put softly not wanting to accuse her straightly. 

She kept looking at him with an illegible frown. She didn't want to let go her distaste towards Manik. Maybe it made her feel less guilty. 

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"That one too," Manik instructed sternly and Nandini picked up last cloth from living room. Her eyes were murdering Manik while she roughly picked her cloths up. He was making breakfast for them while making her clean the living room. 

"I hate you, Army man," She yelled from bathroom. He giggled listening her cursing as she soaked the cloths in soapy water. 

"You army man are neat freaks. You need to learn how to chill," She accused him walking into kitchen. He was cutting cucumber which he had brought from nearby farmer. 

He shoved one into her mouth as she came closer. 

"And you, Miss messy cat, need to learn how to keep your house clean," He said and put a piece of cucumber in his mouth. 

She sat on the counter while he flipped the parantha in pan. He was cooking some delectable Aloo parantha.

 "Where did you learn cooking?" She asked messing his hair. He hissed at her and she chuckled. 

"I have been cooking all my life, lady," He answered coolly. 

He cooked and she crooked. He hissed at her while she tried to kiss those hissing lips. He was irked yet wanting her to do more. 

Their breakfast was an eventful affair! 

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Manik stood proud as he saw the entire house set so well. She was in her room sorting her books as per he knew. He walked into bedroom and saw his backpack all open. She was setting his cloths in cupboard. 

"What are you doing?" He asked clueless. 

"You aren't taking them back. They will stay here while you suck at academy," She wasn't suggesting.

He didn't know if she wanted him or his cloths. 

"What are you gonna do with them?" He asked amused. 

She sighed and turned around to see his attention deprived face. 

"They would have time of their life here along with Nandini Mur..." She was speaking enthusiastically but then stopped hastily in the end. 

She turned around and busied herself in screwing the cupboard. 

Manik didn't fail to notice discomfort in her. 

"What's wrong?" He asked and she stomped her foot on floor totally telling how she didn't want to talk about it. 

She walked into bathroom as if had got a list of chores to do which she didn't even realize were there to do entire week. He huffed and followed her. She drained all her cloths and put them in bathtub. He rolled his eyes and proceeded to help that amateur head. 

"I saw a beer bottle on ledge of window," He stated and she looked at him as if he had landed from mars. 

"So?" She sang. 

"Drinking beer is against your rules or what now," She was for sure going to be difficult. 

"It was on ledge," He put it simply. 

She didn't reply as if knew he was going to dig her deep. 

"You were on ledge doing what??" He asked and she turned around to glare him. He glared her back. She looked around so that she could divert his buzzing mind.  

Picking up bucket of soaped water, she poured it over him. He stood there with an open mouth trying to comprehend what had just happened. 

"I was ledge walking, happy?" She answered and walked out of bathroom. Manik looked here and there and then at his cloths. He was drenched in dirty water. That's another thing it had scent of her cloths. He mentally slapped himself for being hopelessly in love.
He huffed aloud trying to wake the sleeping anger up. Walking out, he found her collecting the beer bottle from the ledge. He walked to her and yanked her closer. She stuck to his soaped self like a glue. 

"I need to wash a few things," He stated and picked her up to walk into the bathroom. 

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Unedited*

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