Lying on his stomach, Manik loaded his MG 2A1 and waited for commander's instruction. Bullet hit the bulls-eye and Manik readied himself for another shot. Precision was consistent as he kept shooting. Training at academy had turned rigorous. Draconian drills had hardly left him any time for life beyond service. He duly understood what this service demanded from him and he was willing to give it all. 

Class ended soon and Major General Gill applauded Manik before leaving the shooting range. Manik waited for Harshad who came wiping his face with towel. 

"It's getting serious, man," Harshad mumbled and Manik patted his back. Smiling to himself, he noticed dark clouds in the sky who had turned afternoon in late evening already. 

"It's gonna rain," He murmured and smiled. 

It'd been almost two months since things had found some stability.  Manik had thanked heavens for taking the drama away from their lives. Nandini had settled well in their new home and apparently had been very busy with her final year exams. It was another week till she would be busy giving papers. Their Sundays had turned into 'he all worried about her exams and she all busy in troubling him'. Nandini Murthy and books weren't best of friends. Manik shook his head with subtle smile remembering how tough it had been for him to make her study on Sundays. Her mind was like this boundless reverie which kept wandering from one silly thing to another. He couldn't even think of things her mind kept producing. 

Their relation had found a ground, it was safe to say. A ground where she preferred to step on his boots and felt like reaching the sky. 

Six Sundays together, and he could say he had known her better. Though it was hard to get her talk. She hardly talked about things which bothered her and kept on talking about all irrelevant things. She didn't share, he had started to feel sad about the blatant truth. He wasn't blind to see how it was getting too much for her to be all alone. He couldn't be with her all the time and when he was with her, she found it unimportant to tell him how her week was, how she was not getting enough sleep, How things at college were tough, how she didn't get time to study because she had no strength left after her part-time job. Manik wanted her to share her loads with him whereas she only sought his warmth when they were together. There were two different worlds, weren't they? Manik smiled softly. 

Manik entered the dorm and found his friends busy gossiping about something. He found it as good distraction. He didn't want to overthink knowing that Nandini was like this, like an empty book where you had to cast some spell for words to appear. 

____________________

Nandini counted the pages which were still unfilled in her answer sheet. Cursing the examination system, she tried to write more. She didn't know how to fill that thick answer sheet. She had already written down everything relevant, she didn't understand why inking that entire booklet was so important to get marks. She looked around at other students who were busy writing their papers as if it was the only way world could be saved. There were still 20 minutes left and 5 pages to fill. She felt like filling the rest of pages writing about her soldier. She nibbled the pen in her hand as she decided to spend these 20 minutes thinking about that taut creature who had managed to be only thing on her mind. 

Manik was nothing less than a new mommy, Nandini rolled her eyes as her thoughts gathered at that one amusing man. It would be a lie if she said how she didn't hate him for scolding her like a professor for focusing on her studies. It wasn't her fault that he had topped the CDSE and knew only one way of studying, like a nerd. There were people like her too who just studied enough to get average marks and save themselves from two extreme ends. Bell went off and invigilator started to collect the sheets. Sneha Agarwal, the topper, literally had a tug of war with Invigilator to write that last line as if without it, she wasn't getting 90 percent marks. Nandini shook her head and laughed.

Coming out of examination hall, she sighed in peace. There was only one paper left and then she would be a graduate. Her phone vibrated in her bag and she took it out. That shiny piece of android showed Daadu's number on display. Her Daadu had gifted her that phone a month back saying he couldn't keep tab of his medicines without she reminding him. She wasn't fool to understand how it was an idea which had popped up in one army mind and was executed by another army mind. 

"You need to buy groceries before heading home?" Daadu spoke as first thing as she picked it up. 

"You can't even ask for the sake of it that how my exam went?" She asked sighing. 

Daadu let out a fat army chuckle as if she had cracked a joke. 

"So that you can tell me to wait for results?" Daadu asked back mocking her. 

"Don't forget to buy some fruits as well," He commanded, reminded to be precise. 

Daadu had become a personal reminder of all the things she kept on forgetting these days. Getting out of campus, she looked at her truck which needed a wash so badly. Starting the ignition, she drove it towards the market. 

Her truck halted in front of a grocery shop. She opened her wallet to see two notes of five hundred. She couldn't continue her part time job at Uncle Bernard's this month owing to her exams and now she was surely out of money. She kept biting her lip till it started to hurt. Manik's debit card was there too in her purse, she checked and hoped she didn't have to use it. 

Getting down, she decided to exert her newly developed bargain skills to save herself some bucks. 

______________________

Mr Murthy entered his house after a month long business trip to find it all quiet. Few servants were hustling here and there but there was no sign of his family members. 

"Where is Rishita?" He asked one of servants and he answered how she was in her room. 

It was the first time in all these years when she hadn't come to receive him on airport. He surely felt a void. He walked to their room and opened the door. She was not in room. He checked the washroom but she wasn't there either. He had started to feel anxious not finding her anywhere. He had gone to a business trip and Amisha too had accompanied him. She was supposed to go to USA anyway. She stayed back with her sister while he rushed back home as soon as his work got over. 

His eyes scanned the garden area and found her sitting there. She was soaking in sunlight, her eyes were stuck on a book. She was surely unaware of her surroundings. 

"You didn't come to see me today?" He asked blatantly. She looked up and her face showed slight of joy but then she covered it immediately. 

"You coming back from your business trips happens all the time so I thought why to bother you," She answered putting the book at table. 

Madhav could feel something had changed terribly. Rishita had hardly talked to him in this one month. Their phone conversations were strictly about family matters barring any discussion on Nandini. Rishi too had been away, busy in setting up Australia branch. 

"You are alright?" He asked noticing her dull features. 

"More than alright," She replied and called the servant to serve the tea. 

Her smile tasted the sour of air as she pondered over how nothing was alright. Her small family had scattered into pieces. Town was filled with gossip that how their daughter was living apart from them. Tittle-tattle was in the air how Murthys had disowned their only daughter and she was forced to live a harsh life. Rishita no longer pondered over Madhav's reputation, not after knowing how he himself was responsible for all this chaos. But then, she didn't know how to gulp those tales down where ladies in her kitty party told her about how town was talking about Nandini being in a relationship with one of cadets of Military academy. She closed her eyes to tackle the anxiety. 

__________________________

Nandini felt like steering her truck back seeing the man standing at her door. But then it was too late, he had already seen her. She wasn't going to run away anyway, she thought.

It was the broker.

She came out of her truck and walked to him. He seemed to ready himself to charge on her. 

"Before you start the same record," She said showing her palm and he closed his mouth. 

"I will give second installment by end of this month," She repeated herself as she had done over the phone. 

"You didn't need to come here just to pose typical threat," She stated and saw expression of that middle age man stiffening up. 

She walked to the gate expecting him to leave but he didn't budge. 

"Ms Murthy," He said trying to control his anger. 

"You have to pay second installment right now, I cannot wait any longer. The owner of this property wouldn't wait till end of month. I think you still haven't read the contract," He stated in a mocking tone. 

Nandini stared at his face, maybe trying to scare him but he was one thick head. 

"I don't have the money, are you that dumb to understand that?" She asked baffled as he kept standing there. 

"Don't tell me that. You had signed the contract yourself," He stated irritated. 

"Screw you and your contract," She barked and took two haste steps towards him, "What part of it you don't understand that I will pay it before this month ends?"

He gaped her angry face and dared to pick the argument again. Thing with her was that she scared him much more than the other party. 

"Tell your fucking landlord to wait, I am sure he can wait, after all, he hadn't even looked at this property for last ten years," She scowled at him and turned to leave. 

She closed the wooden gate and glared him. 

"Next time, I might not come but someone who can talk it out with you will come and see you," He posed a threat as one last resort to get back at that young lady. 

"Send them all, I assure you nobody would go back on feet," She said picking up a small flower pot from the garden.

That man hurried back to his car and found it appropriate to leave before she hit him with that pot. 

Nandini huffed and entered her home. Kicking the bean bag with force, she watched it colliding with kitchen counter. Undoing the muffler, she threw it somewhere in living room and headed to take a long shower. She hated each moment for now where she was so helpless. 

________________________

Four days went in a jiffy. It was Saturday. 

Manik walked into Colonel Singh's cabin and saluted. He could see a girl sitting in other chair. 

"Sir," Manik said as Colonel asked him to be at ease. 

"This is my best cadet here," Colonel spoke to the girl sitting in chair in front of him and she turned around to look at Manik. 

"Manik, I have a work for you this evening," Colonel spoke. 

"Meet Avanti," He said and Manik looked at the girl. She smiled warmly at him and Manik wished a hello. 

"She is here from Columbia University to shoot a documentary," Colonel divulged and Manik tried to look okay about it. He didn't want to do anything with it. He hated the idea of interacting with people. 

"I want you to give her a quick tour of academy. Get her familiar with the place," Colonel ordered and Manik nodded obediently.   

  Manik and Avanti walked out of colonel's office. Avanti surely liked the idea of Manik being her guide at the campus. She somehow was finding it awkward with ranked officers. Army officers could surely make people nervous by just being highly charismatic. 

Manik kept looking around while taking the stroll towards the military practice ground. 

"So," She started a conversation and Manik looked at her. 

"You like it here?" She asked.

"Yeah," He answered proudly and she smiled. 

"I am Avanti," She said extending her hand.

"I think we should introduce ourselves a little better," She said shrugging her shoulders and Manik tried to smile, not making it look like a frown. 

"I have lived all my life in states. My parents surely have lived in India for few years," She started to tell and Manik tried to find clown friend of his so that he could spare himself from this unnecessary human interaction. Harshad. 

"I am in final year of graduation and I couldn't be more happier to do my first field project here," She said looking at him. Manik smiled not knowing what to say. 

"And you?" She asked after a short pause. 

"Manik Malhotra," He said and then took a pause. 

"It's kinda this much only and rest you know,  I mean I training here" He spoke stretching his words as if it was too much to utter. 

The little conversation died a quick death as Manik started to show her around. She was a lively girl but somehow Manik found it trivial to reply at everything she spoke. He was like that only, he shrugged his shoulder when she stopped to pick up random topics. 

"WZT-3M, that one," Manik pointed towards a tank which was standing in its full glory. 

"Too much expenditure on defense, Isn't it?" Avanti didn't mean to ask but words were already out. She looked at Manik as she realized and found him ready to have conversation, finally. 

Manik spoke in length about how these equipment were crucial and how it was outright wrong to think that defense budget was overdone. 

The discussion went on as they completed a quick tour of campus. 

"I hope you haven't mind the little discussion we had" She asked as he dropped her at admin office. 

"Not really," Manik smiled genuinely and added, "I could talk on this topic any given day."

Avanti smiled at him and he took her leave. 

It was 7 in evening and that meant just few more hours when he would be going out. He smiled as he entered the dorm. Harshad was sitting on his bed as if had hundred of questions to ask. Manik mumbled some curses to his fate as he realized How Harshad knew how Manik had spent his evening. 

___________________

Nandini started the engine and let her truck roar before she headed to pick her pretty soldier from academy. She was never a morning person but then she couldn't sleep much past seven. Thanks to her exams which ended just yesterday and had screwed her sleeping schedule, and all the worries which had been eating her head. Her wisps flowed with the wind as she kept driving that red beauty on hilly paths. Her heart had been battling a war since a few days and now she knew the battle was going to end, just by one look of that man. 

 "I was a black sheep wandering
You were an open wound.
Falling from so much darkness
Into an empty room"  🎶

The song played and she brushed her hair back which were obstructing her view. Her loose sweater slid off her shoulder. She leaned into her seat letting the wheel steer at prolonged ease. 

Taking the final turn towards the academy, her eyes got set on the big iron gate. Clock told it was 7:45. Her fingers kept tapping the steering wheel impatiently. After minutes which felt like hours, the gate opened and she could see him coming out with a backpack swinging down his muscular shoulders. Did she tell how he had turned all firm these days? She meant the physique. Her soldier had been working real hard.

He looked utterly amused as he looked back. He was bothered, she deduced by that face which had sulk written all over his face in the tiniest font. A girl followed him and he waited for her. 

Nandini leaned into her seat to contemplate. It was time for cadet-chicken-dance. She now knew what the sulk was about. 

She talked something and Manik paid heed. Interesting! 

Manik too talked something back and she smiled. Okay!

Too much of talking! 

Nandini came out of her truck and decided to have a closer look. It was going to be very amusing when he would be eating her head with endless explanations about that girl. She sighed and jumped to sit on bonnet. How had she missed him talking nervously!

They both seemed to talk about something as they looked at statue outside the academy. Manik smiled awkwardly as she followed him towards the bus stand. The Bus stand, which happened to be just behind where her truck was parked. 

There comes my jumpy man! 

Nandini pressed her lips trying not to laugh already as she watched him gazing ground rather than ahead. That guy was an open book only for her to read, Kinda only book she liked reading. 

Looking at that petite girl who was clad in long skirt and kurti, Nandini wondered since when academy was allowing female cadets. She followed him as if he was the guide for the day. 

His eyes shot up instinctively as Nandini breathed first breath of dubiety. She wasn't sure about Manik's plan for their-day. 

There he saw her sitting on bonnet of her car, a million dollars smile adorned his lips. Nandini gazed him intensely while his feet worked towards her. Finally a smile touched her lips as his arms urgently picked her up from truck. She wrapped her arms around him and let him twirl them.  He no longer showed patience when it came to her and that made her stomach flutter uncontrollably. 

He looked at her as her feet found his boots to stand, her eyes showed such gush of relief that he couldn't help but peck her cheek leisurely. 

Someone cleared her throat and Manik realized how Avanti was there too. He turned around to find her looking at them with a small smile. This was awkward. 

"Nandini, she is Avanti," Manik introduced the two girls. 

"So I have to be on my own for the city tour?" Avanti asked, unsure.

"So you were supposed to give her a city tour on SUNDAY?" Nandini asked Manik with a face he knew shouted for trouble. 

She was territorial, he knew. Courtesy, Daadu!

 "I have told her I can't," Manik whispered and smiled at her as if pleading her not to dig into. 

"It's nice to meet you, Nandini," Avanti advanced her hand because Nandini till now hadn't bothered to greet her. Nandini mouthed a hello and walked back to her truck.

Manik smiled awkwardly, nobody could make Nandini do things which she didn't want to do. 

Nandini watched them talk briefly before Manik started to walk towards the truck and Avanti towards the bus stand. 

As soon as Nandini heard Manik close the door, she accelerated the truck rashly. Manik fastened the seat belt and took a deep breath. Someone was angry.

She concentrated on road not knowing what was so wrong to make her mood foul. She was excited to listen Manik ranting about that girl whom he might have thought worth a mandatory explanation. But now something had actually put her off that she needed some kind of explanation from him. He didn't say anything for few minutes and she huffed audibly. 

"Were you going to spend OUR Sunday with her?" She asked not being able to take his stupid silence. 

He looked at her with a visible frown. 

"You know I wasn't going to do anything of that sort," He answered calmly and waited for her to say something. 

Nandini was ached for many reasons and now when he was with her, all the buried pricks had started to resurface. She had got a trigger. 

"Nandini," He called and turned toward her seeing her hard expressions. 

"I wasn't going to know If I hadn't come to academy, right?" She asked, not being able to keep her vulnerability in check. 

"You are always going to be aware of everything I do," He answered with a tinge of stern. He closed his eyes sensing how all the mental tussle he had created in entire week was going to find a let out if he didn't keep his cool. He couldn't lose it.

Both breathed deep taming their own demons. 

Soon they reached their cottage. Nandini groaned audibly and Manik looked at her. Her eyes were set at something. He found a car parked outside their cottage. She stormed out and charged towards that vehicle with rage not seen before. At last, she had found right person to blast right left center. Manik came out of car trying to chase her. 

"Come out," She demanded. 

The broker came out along with two other men who seemed to be thick as sacks. 

"Which part you didn't understand when I told you I would pay your money," She barked at them and they looked pissed. 

Manik in no time rushed to her and stood by her not understanding what was going on. 

"Who are you?" He asked as roughly as he could. Those men turned to him. 

"We are here to collect our money," The broker revealed bitterly. 

Manik looked at Nandini who was exasperated. She licked her lips and tried to avoid his gaze. 

"Who gave you right to coerce people like this? You just cannot come at our place and threaten us about money which we are going to pay," Manik told the broker through his teeth.

"Hello, mister! It isn't like I am pestering her for nothing. I gave her enough time to deposit the installment but she didn't," He accused, "Even I am answerable to my customers. Four days back only, I had given her the ultimatum."

Nandini angrily walked to the yard and picked up an iron rod. She stormed back and three men seemed to run towards their car.

"Get the hell out of here before I break your head with this," She warned and they three reached their car.

"This is tyranny," The broker yelled and Nandini hit the rod on ground.

They started their car and accelerated it.

"You will get your money before this month ends," Nandini yelled after them. Dust filled the air as the vehicle escaped the vale.

Dropping the rod on road, Nandini turned around to find a very angry Manik. His nostrils kept flaring as he looked at her and then at his boots.

She knew what was coming ahead. She hurriedly tried to walk away when he grabbed her hand. She struggled while Manik made sure he wrapped her little palm in his rough one firmly.

"Speak up, Damn it," He yelled making her flinch a bit.

"This man was pestering you since so long and you didn't find it important to tell me?" He asked through his teeth.

Nandini bit inside of her cheek and kept avoiding his heated gaze.

"Nandini, I am talking to you," He hammered each word with conviction .

"Why you didn't inform me about this man?" He asked again and she looked at him.

Even she was angry, time was already testing her and here her soldier had turned into a hulk. She couldn't fathom her stars.

"As if you would have come as next thing na," She asked mockingly.

"You wouldn't have come, Manik. Nobody was going to come and see if I was alive or not. Everybody comes to see me when they find it convenient," She yelled in his face.

Her frustration had to boil out of hot pot.

Manik kept gaping her for few seconds while she violently wiped her red nose.

"You don't tell me a thing, Nandini. How would I know if you won't tell me," His fingers went through his hair in exasperation.

"I can see you suffering, damn it. I couldn't keep my mind off it entire week," He said earnestly as he held both her arms firmly.

"Talk to me, Nandini," He pleaded her furiously and she looked at him.

She stared into his worried eyes for a minute or two before she wriggled too hard to get away. She didn't know that conversation could solve anything. She had seen her parents talking all their lives and tangling things more, she didn't believe in words.

He didn't let her go and she sighed.

"Let me go, Cadet," She spoke lowly as if was tired.

"That's not how I had imagined our Sunday to be," She added and looked at him. She was so so vulnerable.

He loosened his grip and she didn't take a second to run inside.

He kicked a pebble or two before he too walked inside after her.

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Unedited*

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