Man (still holding her close): i m sorry Nandini.

Feeling Manik so close to her made Nandini close her eyes.. she could feel her erratic heartbeats..she could feel Manik's warm breath on her cheek while saying sorry. That breath..though warm.. but it send cold shivers down her spine.
Manik slowly comes to face her n finds her standing with her eyes closed.

Man: Nandini..

She slowly opens her eyes to find him staring at her.

Man: me nahi jaanta tha k tumhe dard deke me tumse sorry kaise kahu..tumhe better feel kaise karaau. Phir ye tareeka mila..TUMHARI beti se hee seekha.. MAGIC.. jaise usne tumhari chot pe magic kiya..waise mene bhi apne diye huwe chot pe Magic kerne ki koshish ki.. did it work?

Nandini was all the time staring in his eyes..seeing the innocent child hidden in his eyes..how he preferred to say sorry using a little kid's way. This somewhere touched her deep.. they were still in their stance when Navya's voice gets them out of their world..

Nav: Nandu..kaha ho tum?

Hearing her..Nandini pushes Manik a little n calms herself. She leaves from there to go meet Navya.

Nan: haan Navya bolo.

Nav: kaha thi tum? Kabse tumhe dhoond rhi thi.

There come fab4 behind Navya and Manik too comes out at the same time from Nandini's room. Fab4 gets surprised on seeing Manik there..but there was one who was smirking..the CABIR..

Cab: Manik..tu yaha Nandini k saath tha? Kya kar rha tha?

Nandini turns back to see Manik standing there.

Nav: Nandu..ye tumhara ye wala gaal laal kyu hai? Kuch huwa kya?

Nandini immediately turns the other side..she recalls the kiss n looks at Manik who has a slight but a sweet smile on his face.

Nan: n..no..nothing.. aise hee..acha bohot late horha hai..tuition ka time hogaya hai..lets go.

Saying so..she immediately leaves from there without waiting..followed by Navya n fab5. Cabir then holds Manik when fab3 were ahead of them..

Cab: bolna Manik..tu Nandini k saath kya kar rha tha? Aisi kounsi baat thi jise kerne tu uske kammmree tak pohoch gaya?

Man (glaring): shut up Cabir. U always like to piss me off ryt.. tujhe pehle hee pata tha na Arohi k baare me..phirb u ddnt tell me..inspite of knowing how much i was bothered by it.

Cab: haan pata tha..coz unlike u i dnt jump to conclusions..doubt tha to clear kiya. Lekin ek baat bata..y shud i have told u about this?? N y were u "bothered" about it??? Arohi chaahe Nandini ki saggi beti ho ya nahi..how does that matter to u? U were the one right who always said that Nandini doesnt matter to u..to ab kya?

Manik's tongue gets tied..he looks here n there..not able to see in Cabir's eyes.

Cab: chal..tuitions k liye late horaha hai.

Saying so both leave to join others.

Before leaving..Nandini goes to meet kids n Arohi.

Nan (carrying Arohi ): ruhi..bacha aaj me raat ko aapko sulaane nee aapaaungi. Aap meri gud girl banke choti maa k paas sojaana..ok?

Ar: tyu nee aaodi?

Nan: bacha aaj mujhe kaam hai..ab hum naye naye decorations ker rhe hai to uske liye mujhe din me aana padhega na..to isliye raat ko kaam kerna hai..taake me din me yaha aasaku n hum sab milke nayi decorations kare..

Ar (pouting sadly): i bill mish u.

Nan (kissing her cheeks): i will miss u too my jaan. Acha theek hai..kal subah me jaldi jaldi aapse milne aaungi. Ok?

Ar (smiling brightly): otay.

Fab5 n Navya were all the time adoring Nandini n Arohi. Their relation was truly a heart connected relation..mayb the best example of humanity.

Navni and fab 5 then leave for Malhotra mansion.

Nan: Navya..tum inke saath aage badho..me car park kerke aati hu.

Navya and fab5 enter and move towards the study room.

Nav: arre wah..ye to badi achi jage hai..kaafi mazaa aata hoga nai yaha padhne me?

Muk: actually Navya..hum kabhi padhte nahi the..lekin jabse Nandini ne tuitions diye hai..tabse kafi kuch samaj me aarha hai.

Nav: wo to hai. Nandu k notes b kamaal k hai. Matlab wo b hume wahi samjhaati hai jo professor samjhaate hai..lekin uska tareeka bohot alag hai.

Al: u r ryt..she simplifies everything..giving examples with our day to day lives.. n thats what helps us to remember the lessons.

Nav: hey mataraniii

Cab: kya huwa madhubala..chilla kyu rhi ho?

Nav: hum to bhool hee gaye..kal to humara test hai. Aur Cabir. .humne kitni baar bola humara naam madhubala nai hai.

Cab: haan to tum drama to madhubala jaise hee kerti ho na. Aur ek test hee to hai..dnt wry..u will pass..ye baba cabir ka ashirwaad tumhare saath hai. Tathaastu...🙋✋

Nav (crossing her arms on her chest): ab koun drama ker rha hai? Aur waise b..test hamare akele ka nahi hai..tum sab ka b hai.

Fab5: what??

Dhr: wht r u saying Navya?

Cab: hume to kisi ne kuch nahi bataaya.

Nav: pata to tab chalta na aap logo ko agar aap log aaj lecture attend kerte..

Meanwhile. .after parking the car..Nandini was going towards the study room when someone calls her from behind:

Hey Angel..

Nandini turns back to find Mr. Vishal Malhotra standing there..

Nandini looks astonished n then says..

Nan: good evening sir

Vis: gud evening my dear Angel.. hru?

Nan: m gud sir..how abt u?

Vis: well now tht u r here..i m absolutely fine as well. But..wht r u doing here? Hadnt u left the tutor's job?

Nandini gives him a surprised look as how he came to knw. Understanding her expressions..

Vis: nyeo told me..tht u refused to continue as fab5's tutor..so..

Nan: yea..actually there was some stress but now everything is handled.
So i thought to continue.

Vishal smiles at her..

Vis: mind if i steal few min from ur time?

Nan: not at all sir

Vis: come dear.

Vishal takes her to his study room n closes the door behind. He gestures Nandini to take a seat n himself sits next to her on another chair.

Vis: so..what did fab5 do this time?

Nan: sorry?

Vis: i m sure this time they must have crossed their limits ryt..n thts y u decided to drop from this job.. these kids i tell u.. but trust me..they arent bad at heart..its all mayb coz we as parents ddnt show them where they are supposed to stop..we failed to show them their limits..n see..now they have crossed that.

Nan: its nothing like that sir..plz dnt blame urself.

Vis: was Manik involved too? I dnt knw why but my heart says..he wasnt. I knw he is impulsive..he has anger issues..but i also knw tht he wouldnt allow himself to hurt U.. was he really involved?

Nan (answering immediately ): no sir..Manik tou ddnt even knw..he wasnt at fault...

She realises tht she just favored Manik in front of his dad..she tries to cover it up..whereas hearing Nandini standing up n covering for Manik gets a big smile on his father..

Nan: wo..wo i mean to say that...there were some misunderstandings which r cleared now..n m not leaving this job anytime soon.

Vis (smilingly places his hand on her head): u knw y i call u Angel?

Nandini shakes her head in negative.

Vis: coz i truly believe that u r the one who can set every wrong thing right.. u r the one who can bring happiness in anyone's life..u r the one who gives me hope..hope that everything will be alright.. u give me the reason to b positive..and that's y i call u Angel.

Listening to all this..Nandini's eyes get filled with tears..all this took her down to some beautiful memories..

Flashback:

Girl: popsyyyy..popsyyy..where r u?

P: m here princess

G: caught u... but what is this popsy..u again gave me a new name..today m princess!

P: ofcourse my princess..

G: popsyy..y do u n momzy call me pari..not that m complaining..but just..want to knw.

The person takes the girl in his arms by wrapping his one arm around her shoulder n says..

P: because U R our ANGEL..

G: huh?

P: u knw princess..when u were small..just 4 years old..at tht tym..we faced a huge loss.. something had terribly gone wrong in the company. I used to work day n night to find the root cause..but the work n stress was taking a toll on me..n i was losing my patience..i even used to get frustrated on ur mom..but then..one day..when i was sitting n trying to solve the problem..u came stealthily n very calmly u sat on my lap..initially i got irritated..n i was about to put u down when u hugged me tightly..n slowly u were playing with my hair..n then what u said made me smile after so long..a big genuine smile..

G: what did i say?

P: u said..
"Dont wolly popsy..all will b okay..i know u will make it okay. U ale my supel-helo (superhero ).. u can do it popsy..i lovb u vely much"

P: and that gave me a new energy..i felt so happy n proud that my little baby has so much of faith in her popsy..n i again started with more enthusiasm n got the problem solved.
That day i realised..tht u r the one who can set every wrong thing right..u can bring happiness in anyone's life..u give a new hope..hope to never lose..u give the positive feel that everything will b alright..n thats y..U R OUR LITTLE CUTE ANGEL..
But now since ur momzy calls u Pariii..
So i decided to call my little daughter my PRINCESS.. u like it?

G: i love it popsy..

Vis: what happened dear?

Nan (trying to control herself): no..nothing sir. Just got overwhelmed. I dnt knw y u feel like that..

Vis: can i request a favour frm u?

Nandini's eyes get filled up with tears..unable to speak so she just nods in positive.

Vis: beta..Nyeonika is very much upset with this fact tht u have left this tutor job. N this made her angry on Manik..once again.

Nan: once again?

Vis: 3 yrs ago something happened that has caused so much of differences between Nyeonika n Manik that today..they dnt even talk to each other.

Nan (self talk): so i was ryt..there is some tension between Nyeonika mam n Manik.

Vis: beta..i hv tried my best to get them closer.but i just couldnt. But i knw..u can..coz u r my Angel.. will u plz help me in getting my family closer?

Nandini smiles n nods..: i will do my best sir.

Vis (confused): u dont hv any questions to ask?

Nandini shakes her head in no.

Vis: nothing? U dnt wnt to knw wht happened..what went wrong?

Nan: no sir.. i think thts ur personal matter..n m really honoured tht u considered me capable enough to share ur worries with me n expected me to help u.. trust me..i wont let u down.

Vis: tht m sure of dear. But still..without knowing anything. .u r ready to help me..why?

Nan: coz i cant see a broken family. Its very painful to stay under one roof being a family but without relations.. being so close yet so far.. n who knws this pain better than me.. (chuckling sadly)

Vis: is something wrong Angel?

Nandini again shakes her head in no n holding herself..

Nan: i need to go.

She leaves from there n goes towards the study where fab5 n Navya were waiting for her. On the way she recalls all the talks...n finds it difficult to get a hold on herself..involuntarily her tears roll down the cheeks... She stops at a corner n inhales deeply..leaving the breath from her mouth.

Nan: u cant fall weak Heroine...u cant..

The tears werent ready to stop. She palms her mouth n closes her eyes tight to control herself. After sometime..She again breathes in and out few times and wipes the traces of her tears and then moves towards the study.

On seeing Nandini at the door, Aliya rushes to her..

Al: Nandini..is this ryt that we have a test tmrw?

Nan: yes Ms. Saxena..thts ryt. In fact i think its quite an important one..coz sir was stressing on it again n again.

Nav: ab kya kare Nandu. Tumhare haath me to chot thi..tum to likh b nahi saki..aur humne toh poore notes b nahi likhe..ab kaha se notes laay?

Muklya: we r in a fix now.

Nan: guys..plz relax. Take ur seats first.

While gesturing them to their seats..her eyes fall on Manik.

Nan (self talk): i was right. Manik has a sour relation with his mom.. n thats the pain he has been concealing in himself. I knw this pain..its makes u hollow from within..it slowly eats u from inside..leaving nothing but only void in u. I need to do something. I have to help Manik and Sir.

Man (self talk): y is there something different in her eyes today? Y her eyes r wet? Was she crying? But why? What happened now? She has so much hidden in her heart..so much of pain..so much of hurt..i wish i could remove all that n make her free from this pain.

Nav: nanduu..bolo na.

Nan: haan? Haan... so where was i? Haan..notes ryt..u dnt need to worry about the notes..i hv them ready..here u r.

Saying so..she removes 6 copies of notes for each n everyone there n hands them. Everyone go thru the notes when Navya says..

Nav: lekin nandu..tumne ye sab likha kab? Hum to tumhare saath hee the na..tumhare haath me to dard tha..tum to kuch likh b nahi paa rhi thi..phir ye kaise?

Nan: haan ye notes mene nai likhe..lekin hai ye mere hee.

Muk: how?

Nandini takes out a small device like thing n shows it to them

Nan: wo jab b me notes nahi likh paati hu..tab ye mere kaam aata hai.

Dhr: n whats tht?

Nan: ye eik device hai..which records the audio and then converts it into written form. So i just recorded the lecture n then it converted it into these notes...haan..isme kya imp hai wo mene mark kerdiya hai. So i think now we can proceed.

Cab: wow yaar.. nandini tum to kamaal ho yaar..matlab tumhare paas latest technologies hai..ye tumhare paas aaya kaha se? I mean how do u knw so much abt technology?

Nan: wo actually my da.....
I mean..my colleagues are techology freaks so i got this techo love from them.

Manik cringes his eyebrows..sensing something fishy.

Nav: chodo na kaha se aaya aur kisne diya..imp ye hai k hume notes mil gaye. Thnk u Nandu.

Nan: its ok.. so Mr. Dhawan..i think u shud...

Cab: kya yaar Nandini.. ab to hum dost ban gaye hai.. i mean tum hamari dost ban gayi ho..phir b tum hume ye surnames se bulaati ho..yaar ache khaase naam hai hamare..
Cabir..dhruv..aliya..mukti...MANIK..
To tum hume hamare naam se hee bulaao na..kyu Manik?

Manik glares at him.

Muk: actually cabir is ryt. Nandini..hum tumhe apna dost maante hai..tumhi bolo..doesnt it sound weird our friend calling us by our surnames?

Nan: ok..so lets do it this way..i will call u with ur names only if..

Before she completes..Manik interrupts her..

Man: if?

Cabir giggles seeing him so desperate.

Muk: Manik..thts what she was saying na..let her say.

Nan: if u guys score well in tmrw's test.

Fab4: what??

Dhr: thts not fair Nandini..

Cab: exactly. .i mean look at these notes..how will we memorise them?

Nan: i think thts wht i m here for...to help u.. so lets start.. we will go slow..with the aim of understanding and not just cramming. . N m sure..u guys will do it.

They start studying with Nandini guiding them..giving them important tips..showing them what's more important..what points the professor stressed on..clearing their doubts whenever they had. Soon their tuition time was up and they were also done with their notes.

Muk: wow..i mean we completed all this in just 4 hrs..not bad..

Al: not not bad Mukti..its very guud..in fact i think tmrw we wud pass the test easily..ryt Nandini?

Nan: u think? Well..i m sure i will b taking ur names tmrw..

This brings a smile on fab5's faces.

Nav: chalo nandu..ab hume chalna chahiye. Tum hume baahar auto stand tak drop kardogi plz?

Nan (eyeing Cabir): actually Navya..mujhe dusra route lena hai..tou..ek min..
Mr Dhawan..would u mind dropping Navya to her hostel?

Cab (getting happy): yea sure..y not..chale Madhubala ji?

Nav: no thnk u..hum manage kerlenge. Nandu..hum khud chale jaayenge. Tum fikar mat karo..

Nan: Navya plz..mujhe satisfaction rahegi k tum kisi jaan pehchaan waale k saath ho. Plzz

Nav: theek hai..tum kehti ho to jaate hai. Byee..tum apna khayaal rkhna..aur zyada stress mat dena haath pe..doctor ne manaa kiya hai na..aur agar kich zarurat padhe to hume call kerna.

Nan (smiles): i will. Tum b khayal rkhna. Bye.

Cabir n Navya leave..before Cabir leaves..he turns around n mouths a THANK U to Nandini. .to which she just smiles. All this was seen by Manik n fab3. They understood that Nandini deliberately sent Navya with cabir to get them closer.

Nan: ok then..i will take ur leave. .

Muk: nandini..stay back for sometime plz.

Nan: m so sorry Ms. Vardhan..but i need to go to my job. Its my working hour so...mayb next time.

Man (self talk): is she mad? Ek tou haath pe chot lagi hai..upar se she wants to go for job..Godd...kya karu me.......
Hmmm..smirks)

Nandini leaves frm there..

Dhr: chal buddy..me b chalta hu.. mukti..come..i ll drop u.

Muk: yea ok..chal..
Chal manik..see u tmrw..n all the best..

Man: yea..tc..byee.

As soon as fab3 leave..Manik immediately dials a no.

Man: hello..
..

Man: yea..i want to book a cab..but it shud reach my place within 10 mins.
...
Man: well..i knw ur rules..but i hope u knw who is speaking from this side..its a call from The Malhotras..dont u think u should give some privilege to tht?
...
Man (smirking): good...
N cuts the call.

Man: lets meet again Ms. Moorthy.

Here..as soon as Nandini leaves..she gets a notification on her cell phone about her passenger..n she gets surprised to see the pick up point location.

Nan: ye add to Malhotra mansion ka hai..Yaha se koi mujhe...i mean cab kyu hire karega?

She gets a call on the cell phone..which is meant for all the cab drivers to keep them connected to the centre.

Nan: yes mam

Mam: Nandini..i want u to rch the destination in 10 mins.

Nan: but mam..its clearly mentioned tht we reach our destination within 20 mins..n the passengers get this information prior to making any bookings...then y 10 now?

Mam: i knw Nandini. .but see at this..they r Malhotras...wont it b a big thing for us..as it is these people dnt need a cab..but today..they called our centre..so we need to give a positive inpression to them..n thts how our business can grow..tell me..can u do it?

Nan: yes mam.

Mam: good..now reach in 10 mins..but..drive safe..u r more important.

Nan: i will..thnk u mam.

Nandini drives back to the mansion n reaches there within 5 mins. She calls the no. Which got registered while making the booking.

Man: hello

Nan (self talk): yeh to manik ki awaaz hai)

Nan: hello sir..ur cab is ready..waiting down at ur door.

Man (sighing in relief): yea ok..u just put the meter down n wait for me..i m coming.

Nan: sure sir.

Nan: ddnt he recognise my voice? Use pata nahi chala kya k me hu? Nahi pata chala to theek hai na..mujhe kya..he is my passenger now n not someone i knw. Let me start the meter n wait for him.

Nandini keeps waiting for him in the car..getting tired while sitting..she comes out n stands leaning on the door of the car..looking at her watch again n again.
Here..Manik was constantly keeping an eye on her from his terrace.

Man: sry to keep u waiting Nandini. Lekin i dnt want u to drive in this condition. U need to give ur arm rest..but here u r..working even in this condition. I had no other way than to keep u waiting here.

Nan: hadh hai yaar..pichle 2 ghante se i m waiting for Manik..agar aana nahi tha to bulaaya kyu. Ab to 9 baj gaye. Gents passengers ka tym b khatam. Kya karu???
Call kerke dekhu..haan this wud b fine.

Nandini again calls Manik from the centre cell phone. Manik looks at her and answers the call..

Man: yes..

Nan: sir..this is to remind u tht the cab is waiting at ur door..

Man: oh yes..i remember..u just wait for me..n let ur meter go on..i will come soon.

Nan: actually sir..i m sure u must b aware tht we donot take gents passengers after 9 pm..n its already 9 pm..so wud u plz come n give me my fare so tht i can go ahead?

Man: what? I mean..yeah..i know that..but dnt u think tht it would b so unprofessional of u to drop ur passenger in mid way just coz ur time got over? Come on..u r very professional..i dnt think this move of yours would bring a good name to ur centre.

Nandini closes her eyes in frustration n fists her hand..n unknowingly she fists her right had which gives her pain.

Nan: aaoouu..

Manik who was continuously keeping an eye on her movement sees her wincing in pain.

Man: careful Nandini...dont squeeze ur hand.

Nandini opens her eyes on hearing this..she looks around to see if Manik is nearby..n thts y he got to knw tht she squeezed her hand. On looking here n there..she finds Manik on his terrace looking at Nandini.. but he immediately ran from there after  cutting the call. Nandini keeps her cell phone inside n sees her hand. Luckily it ddnt start bleeding again. All of a sudden Manik comes in front of her n very lightly holds her right arm..looking from up to down..in all directions..surprising Nandini.

Man: dehaan kaha hai tumhara? Doctor ne kaha na not to stress ur hand..but nai..tumhe is haal me b kaam kerna hai. Ek do din chutti le leti to ye garmi sardi me nahi badal jaati. Zyada dard horaha hai kya?

He finally looks at her face n finds her already staring at him.

Nan: thats y u called me here? U booked my cab so tht i come here n wait for u..n i wont have to drive. Ryt?

Manik leaves her arm n looks here n there.

Man: noo..nothing like ..like that. Y wud i do that? Anyways..u stay here..i have some work inside n then we will go.

Nan: m sorry sir..but i cant wait. My time is over for gents.

Man: fine...let me call ur centre.

Nan: sure sir. U call them..they would send another cab for u since u r still at ur pick up point n i havent driven u somewhere..so i will b allowed to go.

Man: in that case..
(Opening the back seat door)
Lets go..Miss Driver.

Nandini looks at him with wide eyes.

She too takes her seat n starts the car.

Nan: destination sir?

Man: marine drive.

Nan (confused): marine drive? But thts very close by..u could have gone walking..

Manik raises his eyebrows..

Nan: sry..

Saying so..she starts her drive..which lasts only for 15 mins..tht too coz of moving traffic...as Marine drive was quite close to Manik's house.
Getting down from the cab..Manik says..

Man: i think now u cant leave me here..in the middle of my journey..i guess u will have to wait for me.

Nandini just nods her head in positive.

Manik goes and sits on the pavement n looks far in the dark sea..looking nowhere but everywhere. Slowly the time passes..and the crowd gets lesser.. he feels a pat on his shoulder..he turns n finds Nandini standing there.

Nan: sir..its 11 pm. Do u still want to sit here?

Man(looking into her eyes): will u sit with me..for sometime?

Nandini doesn't say anything..she goes back to her car. Manik sadly chuckles. After few minutes..he finds Nandini sitting next to him at little distance. He looks at her n finds her looking into the dark night.

Man (looking straight ): i thought u wont come.

Nan: had to park the cab at a better place..it was blocking the way.

Manik looks at her n smiles..then looks ahead again. Both sit in silence for sometime. .when Manik speaks..

Man: thank u.

Nan (confused): for?

Man: for getting a smile on my mo..mom's face..for getting peace in my life..for getting music back in my life.

Nan: i ddnt do anything.

Man: u did..u recorded our performance n sent it to her..n thts what got a smile on her face..a big one..after 1 year 4 months.

Nan: u remember when she smiled last time?

Man: i remember everything related to her. It was her n dad's wedding anniversary. .dad had sung her favorite old song in his non so melodious voice..n tht got a smile on her face.

Nandini saw him n observed a very sweet smile playing on his lips. She again looks ahead..

Nan: dnt u think u shud b the one to get that smile on her face rather than me or any other outsider?

Manik's smile fades away

Man: i wish i could.

Nan: where there is a will..there's always a way.

Man: but sometimes that way..leads u to ur destination empty handed..coz u lose everything while walking. (Sighing)
Some bends can never be mended Nandini.

Nan: mayb coz they arent meant to be mended..but to take a turn and walk on the new path tht it shows.

Man: u knw i feel there is one common thing in us..u never give any explanations for what u do...neither do i. I dnt believe in explanations Nandini..coz those who know u..who trust u..wont need it..and those who ask for it..wont believe in it..

Lets leave..its ur time to go back.

He stands to leave when Nandini catches hold of his wrist. She says..while still looking ahead.

Nan: sometimes u dont need to give explanations. .but u need to keep forward ur part of truth. Jhooth se jitna nuksaan hota hai usse kahi zyada nuksaan poora sach na jaan ne se hota hai. N saying the truth is not considered as explanation. Then its on u to decide..whether the person deserves to knw the entire truth..or just live in the illusion of what he considers to b the truth.

Saying so..she leaves his hand n gets up.

Nan: shall we leave?

Manik just nods.

Nandini drops Manik to his place n moves from there..leaving behind Manik in deep thoughts..thoughts of her..her words..thoughts of Nandini..