~You Stole My heart, but I'll Let you keep it. ~

Your life will change forever. This will be the best trip of your Life Nandini. I realized that my life surely did change, for better but sadly, that feeling, that happiness and those butterflies in my stomach just couldn't last for long. It was all like a dream for me. Never in my life, I had imagined that I would feel something like this and even Though I was physically in Mumbai, My heart and my mind, both were still in that magical place. By now, I had realized that this feeling was not temporary, this was not normal, this was just something else. You need to stop thinking about him Nandini, he's gone. You don't even know his name! Just when I was lost in his thoughts, two hands wrapped around my shoulder. "Mukti!" I sighed. "What yar Nandini? What is wrong, han? You're behaving so weirdly since you've come back. I mean, is something troubling you?" She Questioned, looking at me with concern in her eyes. No matter how much I try, I always failed at hiding any damn thing from her. It's like, she can read my eyes. "Stop scaring me Nandini! Tell me what's wrong?" I could feel my heart beat thumping faster. Should I tell her? This was the only Question running in my mind. "Fine," I said, taking a drep breath, "I met a guy there." Mukti got the hint and Her facial expressions clearly told that she understood what I was trying to say. "Don't tell me, You're still thinking about him? I mean, are you in lo-

"No. Nothing like that. Its just that I, I don't know." I protested, knowing that she was thinking right and I was doing nothing but, ignoring the truth. "Nandini, do you even realize what does this Mean? Abhimanyu will kill me if I tell him about this." She said, angrily though. Well, Abhimanyu, He's her fiance. "What does Abhimanyu has to do with this?" I questioned. "What do you mean by that? Nandini Murthy, You have your engagement next week that too, with Abhimanyu's brother!" She cried out loud annoyingly. "Why are you worrying so much? It's not like, I'm refusing for the engagement right? I mean, I barely know that guy." I said, accepting the fact that are paths were meant to be crossed only once. "Oh so that means you're gonna get married to a guy, knowing that you do not love him and the best part is,You think I'll let you do that?" Did she really say that? "What do you mean?" I asked, not being able to digest the fact that Mukti was saying this, knowing that my engagement is fixed with her fiance's brother and Knowing that how complicated this case can turn out to be. "I cannot let you take this step knowing that you have feelings for someone else." She said, patting on my shoulder. "Mukti, Forget it." I said, removing her hand from my shoulder. "What now Nandini?" She was angry and annoyed as hell. "I don't even know his name. I can do nothing!" And this was the truth. "I have developed feelings for a guy, jiska mujhe naam bhi nahi pata." I sighed. "Nandini try to remember, kuch to bataya hoga usne? Anything? Where does he live? What does he do, Anything!?" She Questioned. "Nothing," I said looking at her. "He told nothing." Mukti thought for a while and then dialed a number. "What are you doing? Kisko call karahi ho?" I asked. "Abhimamyu. This is not right. Ye sab jo horaha hai, honey wala hai..No. This is not right. Okay fine you have no clue about his whereabouts but atleast we can try to find him. We cannot giveup like this. I cannot let you do this." She stated, confidently. "Why the hell are you calling Abhimanyu then?" I literally shouted. "I need to tell him so that he stops his brother from coming here." She replied. "No, don't do that," I began, "Let him reach here, I'll speak to him myself." Mukti's eye widened hearing this. "Are you serious?" She Questioned. "Yes. This is my problem and I will solve it myslef."

~~~

His flight landed an hour ago and He has left for his home along with Abhi. I read Muktis text message and My legs started to shiver. Oh God, how am I gonna do this? I was taking this risk for a guy, who was no one to me but a stranger. A stranger who changed my life in just a week. I didn't know his name or his address and I had no freakin idea if I would ever be able to meet him again but Still, I was taking this risk for Him Because he made me realize that the feeling of love, attraction and affection, does exist. I Picked up my handbag and left for Abhimanyu's Place, bracing myself for the nost dangerous battle of my life.

~~~

"Ram prasad, Chotay Baba kay room me coffee bhijwao jaldi." I heard Abhi saying this as I entered the Mansion. Come'on Nandini, You have to do this. I told myself closing my eyes. "Aray Nandini! Tum yahan?" Said Abhimanyu, he looked surprised. "Um yeah. I-I just wanted to have a word with him." I spoke, stressing on the word Him. "Oh," he said, smiling a little, "I can understand. Ek kam kro, take this," He handed me a cup of coffee, "Take this along with you and I'll send your cup in a few minutes, Yeah?" Cup of coffee? Yeah, You will definitely send me a cup of coffee with a pinch of Poison in it, after knowing why I've come here. Ai apaa, help na buba! "Sure." Saying that, I walked towards his room. My cellphone rang and it was a text Message from Mukti which said, Bataya? What did he say? Shocked tha? Ya phir sad? I want details. Oh God! I said, rolling my eyes. I entered into his room but he was not there. Maybe he's in the restroom. I said, on not finding him anywhere. I sat on the Sofa, Checking out his room. He had so many Medals, certificates and trophies. A Red Beautiful box covered with silver stars caught my attention. It was so beautiful that I just couldn't resist myself from opening it. Nandini, No. It's his personal stuff. You cannot just open it without his permission. I said, warning myself in a strict tone but Sadly, My heart didn't agree and I picked up that box in my hand. The moment I opened it, My eyes literally jumped out of their socket. My heart beat was racing and Thousands of emotions hit my heart altogether. This is..This is mine. I said, still looking at the Necklace I found inside the box. But how's this even possible? I lost it there, that night and these sure as hell can't belong to someone else because I got these customized. It has an 'N' on it with a firefly. No, This is mine. I was astonished to the core. This was unbelievable for me. I heard someone unlocking the door and that's when I realized that, he will come out any minute. I immediately kept the Necklace back in the red box and left the room in a hurry.

~~~

I was lying on the bed, switching the side lamp on and off. I closed my eyes and tried to remember that Night. I remembered how I woke up and realized that I have Lost my necklace. I remembered how I Questioned him about it and how he answered me in a sarcastic way. So does that mean..Is Abhi's brother HIM? Can it be him? Obviously he can be! I mean,who else was there except the both of us? No no no..Am I just assuming all this? Oh God, What is happening with me? This can't be real. No, Am I dreaming? The reality was no less than a dream for me. I mean, just think about it. You go for your bachelor's trip to a place where you're not allowed to disclose any single thing about your life and there, you meet a guy, a total stranger and fall in love with him and the Cherry on the top is that you come back home and start having this weird feeling that the guy you're about to get engaged to, is the same guy you fell in love with. I was in a mess, a total mess. Too many Questions were running in my mind and I had no answer. "Open the door Nandini!" Mukti screamed her lungs out. I stood up, opened the door welcoming her ever famous super annoying Questions. "What happened? You didn't even bother replying me. Do you even realise how tensed I was?" As expected! I sighed. "Did you say something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah I was saying that I went to meet him but a strange thing happened there." I spoke, hesistatingly. "What?" She demanded an answer and I narrated her everything that happened at Abhi's place. "Are you sure it was yours?" She asked, not being able to believe what I just said. "Yes. I'm damn sure!" I spoke, confidently. "I feel like punching your face Nandini! I mean, you know nothing about a guy you're in love with? Kuch to pata hoga, any description any Mark on his face or anything?" She shouted at me but the saddest most awful truth was, I actually didn't know anything about him. I never even tried to know him a bit more. "No man! How would I know? We were not allowed na. We just met the first day and had a huge fight and after that, we became partners. Yeah, I actually know one thing about him. He was an awesome dancer. We won the paper dance contest! Thanks to him, He made me feel- "

"What the hell!," Cried Mukti cutting me off, "What was your guy's name? I Mean, The guy you met there?" She Questioned, giving me confusing looks. "Namik. I mean, the temporary name was Namik." Hearing this, Mukti's facial expressions literally changed. A smile formed on her lips and it certainly did not look like she was sad or something. Infact, She looked happy and excited. "What? Why do you look so happy?" I asked angrily. "And yours was Naina, right?" She asked raising an eyebrow at me confusingly. "No, Nanditha." And she smiled again. "Actually mujhe bolna Naina he tha but What happened was that-

"Forget it. GoodNight." And saying that, She kissed my cheek excitedly and left the room leaving me stunned. What was that? This girl is crazy or what? Urgh! I threw the pillow angrily and switched off the lamp.

~~~

The next Morning, I woke up with one thing very clear in my mind that Today, I'm going to speak to My future fiance at any cost. I will tell him everything and then it's totally upto him. I freshened up myself and walked out of the room hurriedly. "Wait, Where?" Asked Mukti, who was preparing the breakfast in the kitchen. "I'm going to Abhi's place. I cannot do this anymore, I'll go tell him everything. Okay?" I said out loud, so that she hears me. "Okay, Best of luck!" She said, with a little smile on her face. Best of Luck?!? I told her such an important thing and her reaction is so plain? I rolled my eyes, taking a deep breath and left for Abhi's Place, Again.

Before entering his Mansion, I joined My hands and Requested Ai appa to make it simple for me. I was about to tell My 'To be Fiance' that I fell in love with Someone else on My bachelor's trip. This was not easy. Not at all easy! I walked inside, confidently. You have to do this! - I kept telling myself. As I entered his room, I saw a Tall Guy Standing near the Window. His back was facing me and he was Checking out the weather, Maybe. "Look, I need to talk to you." I spoke nervously. He was about to turn his face towards me but I Stopped him Saying, "No, Please. Please don't look here. See, I know this will hurt you but It's important for you to know. Look, The thing is that- Oh God, How do I tell him? I was feeling so guilty and embarrased that My hands and legs were literally shivering out of fear. The vision infront of me started to blur and I was fighting hard against My own emotions. "Before you say something, Can we introduce ourselves? I mean, can we just say an hello?" He asked. His voice though..Nevermind. "Actually I can't face you. I mean, I won't be able to confess this face to face." I said, hesitatingly. "Who knows? Kya pta apko kuch confess karnay ki zaroorat he na paray." Saying this, he turned his face towards me and I immediately closed my eyes as an icy ball of fear formed in the pit of my stomach. Shit, no! "Hi, I'm Manik, Malhotra. Pyar se aap mujhe, Namik bhi bula sakti hain." What the hell? What did I just hear? I could feel millions of little butterflies dancing in my stomach as I heard that Name, That Voice. I opened an eye to check if What I was thinking, is true. "Tum!?!?" I cried out loud rubbing my eyes as hard as possible. Am I hallucinating? I murmered. "Han to kya kehrai thi tum? What confession?" He questioned slowly moving towards me, smirking. My heart beat was thumping as fast as it Could and His Strong Gaze was making me go week in my knee. "N-No-Nothing." I said, looking at him. "No no, you must've come here for something na. Mukti se bat hui meri, You're not ready for the engagement right?" He asked, smiling a little. Mukti? "So, heard that you're in love with Someone else. Tell me about it?" He whispered into my ear, huskily causing my breath to hitch. "No..No one. I-I-I should Leave now." Saying this, I turned to leave but he immediately held My hand and pulled me towards him, "Sometimes Coincidence is a plan in disguise. I mean, just think about it, Wasn't that too Coincidental to be a Coincidence?" He Questioned looking into my eye. "What do you mean?" I asked, blankly. To be honest, by then, I had realized that there's something I'm still not aware of and I had actually already Planned Mukti's Murder. "Let us do the honors." Abhimanyu & Mukti entered the room flashing their evil smiles. "But first,Promise me Nandini, You won't kill me after this?" Said Mukti making a sad pout. "You wish!" I said, throwing daggers at her. "You actually thought Aunty would want to send you on your bachelor's trip? I mean, tumhe sach me laga we were sending you there because we wanted you to have some fun?" She giggled looking at Abhi. "Manik was against Arrange Marriage and you were too innocent for him toh islye we planned all this. First, I convinced Manik to go there and then Aunty ki help se, Mukti convinced you. As simple as that!" Confessed Abhimanyu. "Oh. That means all this was your plan, like a trap? I can't believe this! You people were forcefully trying to make us fall in love? And you," I said looking at Manik, "All this while, tumhe sab pata tha, right? You knew I'm Nandini and you were faking all that, right? Now I get it. Wo sab..Wo sab ek dikhawa tha. That was not you doing all that, That was a Plan. Great! And Mukti tum, Jabse mein ayi, You knew that I was tensed, I was upset but still you were enjoying all this, Wow!" I was on the verge of crying. I was pissed as hell and Why won't I be? "Hogaya Nandini? Are you done? Now can I say something?" Questioned Mukti. "Now listen,Yes it's true that it was all our plan but-

"But Let me say this." Spoke Manik, cutting her off. "Yes, it was a plan but guess what? Nothing happened as per the Plan and I'm actually so Glad that Our plan didn't work. Mukti and Abhi told me that your stay name is going to be Naina but tumne to name he change karlya. And about what you said, All this while, I literally had no damn idea that you're the same girl. You know why I kept fighting with you? Because deep down inside, I knew that I have started to develop feelings for you. I was not fighting with you, I was fighting against my feelings for you. That Night when you slept with your head on my shoulder, I Knew this was something else. I understood that you have made a place in my heart. That is when it hit me, Mr Manik Malhotra, You came here for Someone else. I knew that I was not going on the right path but in that Particular moment, I didn't mind being wrong, At all. I didn't even try searching for Naina after that Night because I Started to find peace with you. I liked being with you. Remember our Dance together? That is when I realised, it's not just a temporary attraction but it's something much more bigger and beautiful than that. Remember the wish? The wish we made before letting go off our lanterns? I wished I meet you again, I wished some miracle happens and I get to see you again and see what fate did with us, See how it managed to crossed our paths again, in the most amazing way as possible. Remember when you asked if I have fallen in love with you and I said No?" He Questioned.

"Yes." I replied.

"I lied. I crossed My Fingers while Saying that."

"Me too." I smiled.

"So Ms Nanditha, Aka Nandini Murthy, Do you still want to cancel this engagement?" He asked, holding my hand. "Well, I won't. But, I have a condition." I said raising an eyebrow. "And What is that?" He asked looking confused as to what is wrong with me, now. "I want My Necklace back." I said, folding my arms and he smiled, pulling me closer for a side hug. "Thank God!" Cried Mukti. "Warna mae to dar hi gayi thi when Manik told me kay usay koi Naina mili he nahi and Nandini said she has fallen in love with a guy. I was like what the hell? I thought are plan failed miserably untill Nandini told me about the Paper Dance Contest which you guys won. Thankfully, Manik told this to Abhi before and obviously, there can't be two winners right? That's when I understood, there's a misunderstanding. Nandini told me the name of the guy and Hearing 'Namik' I literally jumped out of excitement!" So that is why she behaved like that. Everything was crystal clear now. I closed my eyes and Thanked Ai Appa for everything. This was no less than a miracle and My life was finally sorted. "So, Hello Mr Manik Malhotra, Myself Nandini Murthy, Your would be fiance." I said, extending my hand for a handshake. "Well, Hello Ms Murthy. Myself Manik Malhotra, the one who's gonna grow old with you. So Yeah, Please bear with me for the rest of your life?"

"Same goes for you Mr Malhotra. I'm gonna steal your last name anyway, You don't mind, Right?"

"I Love you." He said, pulling me closer.

"Oh really? I mean, tumhe to mujhme 0.5% bhe interest nahi tha na, like What about your Standard?" I laughed, reminding him about what he said when we met for the first time.

"I've lowered my Standards a bit, You see." He smirked.

"Oh like that," I chuckled. "Nevermind, I love you too, Future Fiance. Just by the way, I love Namik more than Manik. You're cool with it right?" I whispered into his ear, blushing profusely.

"Ahan," he said flashing a Crooked Smile, "I don't mind, Just make sure you love both of them equally." He winked. I smiled looking at him and he embraced me in a bone crashing hug, twirling me around. "Get started already. We're ready to take this step." We said in unison, looking at Mukti and Abhi.

And that is how they met their Soulmate, Life partner and a Shoulder to cry on and that is how Manik Malhotra and Nandini Murthy decided to tie the knot. A Week Changed their life Forever - A Week to Forever.

~~~

~ "Well, Look who I ran into." Crowed Coincidence.

"Please," Flirted fate, "This was meant to be." ~

~~~

So here I end My First ever MaNan TS. Please do leave in your comments and tell me if you liked it. This was my first try in writing a three shot story so pardon me for the Mistakes!

Signing off,

Saba. :)