Hustle-bustle in the early hours, Nandini could feel her eyes burning as she tried to keep them open. Standing in a corner, watching everyone rushing towards trailers; She didn't have energy to join the vagabonds. It all felt so hollow. She had hardly have any sleep last night, tears didn't let those eyes close. 

"Nandiniiii"

She heard Aashi's voice from distance. She looked around, tried to look beyond crowd but it was too thick. She saw Aashi piercing the crowd and reaching her. 

"Come on," Aashi said holding her hand and dragging her towards somewhere. 

"I have saved good place for us," She told and Nandini wondered. 

"Is there not enough space for everyone?" Nandini asked unaware. 

Aashi looked back at her amusingly and then shook her head smilingly.

"Welcome to jungle of life, Ms Murthy," Aashi stated dramatically and Nandini smiled. 

They both made their way towards a trailer in end of row and looked inside. It was well warmed container with less people. Aashi smiled widely looking at Nandini and Nandini couldn't believe how that girl could come up with such skills all the time. 

"That's our trailer," Aashi chirped and started to climb on. 

"Aashiiiii," She heard Manik calling her name. 

Nandini halted in her place listening his voice. She dare not to look back at him but she could feel him standing just few steps away. 

"That's not your place," Manik told and Aashi frowned. 

"Come on, Manik. I have arranged this for us after such a hard work. Don't make last minutes changes now," Aashi nagged and turned around. 

"This is going to be quite packed and I don't think so it's good place for you," He said in a stern tone. 

"Go to the cabin and sit there. Do not waste place here," He dictated and intended to leave. 

Nandini's heart flinched so bad as he stopped talking. He ignored her presence like she never existed. Was they over? She bit her lip trying to control her scattered emotions. She didn't want to cry. 

Aashi huffed frustratingly but Nandini couldn't care any more. Everything was inaudible in between storm her heart was going through.

"Okay, we are going," Aashi gave in and held Nandini's hand to drag her towards cabin of trailer. 

"Not her, only you," Manik said bitterly. Nandini couldn't believe her ears as he uttered that. She hadn't seen his face when he had said that but she could hear the bitter. His tongue had used each bitter bud to utter that. 

"Was he already done with her?" 

She asked herself and then let go of Aashi's hand. She couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and saw him standing there, cold and tall. His face deprived of any warmth and his heart, she could feel frost in it. Maybe he had gone all stranger on her but she couldn't stop feeling him. He didn't meet her eyes but kept looking towards Aashi. 

"Aashi, I think I have left some of my stuff in my room. I will be back," Nandini lied in a meek voice and walked away as fast as she could. Tears refusing to retreat, heart denying not to ache; She didn't know what to feel anymore. 

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"What was that?" Aashi asked sternly.

Manik didn't answer but kept standing there. 

"Why would you say such a thing?" She asked demanding.

He looked at her, warning and cold. 

"I don't get scared with those stares," Aashi ridiculed him. 

"Why were you that cold towards her?" She asked coming closer to him. 

Manik looked away and stepped back. 

"I have tons of things to do. Do not increase my headache,"  Manik stated dejectedly and disappeared in crowd. 

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Nandini stood all lost in crowd, lined up for getting into one of trailers. She didn't know a thing anymore. Out of sudden, she was alone. She never felt that scared and desolated. Salt water rolled down her cheek and she wiped it up instantly. Eyes burnt more but she couldn't care much. Speaking your heart could do that to you, she didn't know. She didn't know she meant nothing to him. She didn't know what did she do to earn that frost from him. Instead of understanding her turmoil, he chose to abandon her. She swabbed fresh tears away rashly. Nobody deserved to see her crying. 

Lost in her own glum, she didn't know why she got pushed out of sudden. She held the shoulders of lady ahead of her to balance, she looked around and found people smiling at her. 

"Some people are a little eager," A lady clarified awkwardly. 

"It's okay," She replied sweetly and looked ahead. 

One of men gave her hand and pulled her inside of packed trailer. She found a corner for herself and settled there to find some peace. She didn't know what happened further as she drowned herself trying to find some answers. Nothing was making sense. It all felt like a nightmare. She couldn't fathom a thing. There was no way he could leave her alone till yesterday and today she wasn't even someone he could care for. She closed her eyes. 

Out of sudden, lights went off. She opened her eyes and gasped. She looked around quickly to find shutter closed down. She clutched hem of her skirt trying to control her racing heartbeats. She heard a click and there she saw a little bulb lighting, bringing in some relief. 

Familiar fingers prowled on her lap and held her hand, she looked up quickly to find a pair of eyes peeking into her eyes already. His face looked dull in dim light of bulb but grip, that was firm as ever. She just kept looking into his eyes without blinking as if trying to make out difference between imagination and reality. He clasped her hand tightly and drew the difference.

What was he doing there?

She felt like shouting at him asking him till he doesn't come up with a valid answer.

But no, she won't. 

Hiding the relief from her face, she looked away only to stare into dark. 

Manik collected her hand in his and took it near his heart. Holding it there, he sighed aloud trying to gain her attention. 

Wriggle to get away! 

Nandini ordered herself and started to put in some halfhearted efforts to come out of his grip. 

"Is it some kind of game?" She asked turning towards him angrily. His eyes having pool of something she didn't want to see when she wanted to see it so bad. It was same yearning which she craved till this morning. Trailer started to move and people filled the chamber with murmurers. Nandini's stomach twisted with constant sensation of trailer moving, she was already feeling like throwing up. 

She looked at Manik who had held her hand tightly near his chest and was looking around. 

Nandini felt sudden urge to punch him in face for being so composed after almost shaking her to bits. She jerked away her hand taking him off guard. Getting up, she fumbled as she tried to find some other place to sit. She wasn't going to let him have his ways. She looked around only to find people already staring at her. She looked around and found no place. Looking back, she saw him simpering a bit. He was one shrewd man, she narrowed her eyes. She wondered where did that hurt disappear in which she had drowned herself few minutes back.   

Nandini started to shift some luggage to make some space. She shifted some little containers to her seat and made a little space for herself. Settling there, she sighed in relief. She couldn't left herself on his mercy. He had already made her feel vulnerable in worst way. She felt something moving and saw containers getting shifted one by one. Manik was shifting them to his seat to make some place for himself. Nandini scowled furrowing her nose to mark her displeasure. He arranged the containers neatly and dropped himself right beside her. 

"What do you think you are doing?" She asked glaring him in dark. It was even darker as containers obstructed the little light they had. He had cut them from rest of people by drawing that little container wall. 

"Nothing, absolutely Nothing," He replied innocently and leaned on wall of trailer pretending to relax. 

"If you think you are going to do this stupid stuff and I would give in then you are wrong, Manik," She uttered strongly. 

"I don't expect you to," He replied with his eyes closed. 

She was unable to read that man sitting next to her almost pasting himself to her without a single miss. She kept sitting there coping up with her own turmoil while he again clutched her hand in his and put them in his lap. His hand colder than ever, she spared a glance at him while he still had his eyes closed. 

"This would surely not work," He remarked and she furrowed. 

"Huh?" She asked bewildered.

"You and me," He said bringing knot of their hands forth and back to draw, "This is how it won't work."

Nandini felt like hitting him for that lame mockery of her words. 

"Surely not when one would go taking revenge on other for even expressing," She retorted whispering. 

His eyes snapped open and he shifted dangerously to face her. Now their hands lied in her lap and he faced her. His eyes refusing to calm down, she should expect something nasty. 

"That wasn't a revenge," He replied firmly. 

"You almost had shut me out. No, no," She said and then paused, "You kicked me out." 

"I didn't," He replied sharply.

"I didn't want to hurt you so I was keeping away," He justified keenly. 

"So you made me believe that I am not needed anymore," Nandini asked in broken yet fierce voice, "You did hurt me, Manik."

He sighed while she looked away to shut the tears inside. 

"You couldn't take it. You felt bad," He mumbled and smiled a bit. 

"And you said we won't work?" He asked not even asking but answering already. 

Nandini looked at him pouting thinking how to disfigure his face. 

"So all this," She started and then hiccuped, "All this was to make me regret my own words?"

He looked baffled but then discomfort could never linger on his plain face for long. He found his stance real soon and gawked her. 

"In the end, I am a fool who dared to feel anything," She added in defeated tone. 

"No," He replied quickly wiping tiny teardrop from corner of her eye. 

"I was planning to get us some privacy for later and... " He started to utter something more twisted but trailer stopped making a hoarse sound. Mutters filled the container and then shutter opened making a sharp sound. Manik got up and saw Harshad standing there looking for him. Manik shifted the little containers aside to make a way and Harshad spotted him. Taking Nandini's hand in his, he made her stand.  They walked towards the door and Manik jumped out. Harshad scrunched his nose displaying his displeasure with their little rendezvous. 

"So this was your urgent work?" He asked Manik. Nandini glared Manik getting Harshad's tone. She freed her hand and walked towards the edge of road to breathe some air. 

Manik looked at other three trailers which halted right behind their trailer. Precisely four trailers full of people were his responsibility to take.

"What's the matter?" Manik asked Harshad. 

"I don't know these paths. You drive," Harshad uttered uncomfortably. 

Nandini looked at them listening Harshad's words. 

"He hasn't even recovered," Nandini yelled from afar. 

Manik looked at her in relief. She had finally spoken something  which sounded in his favor. Nandini scolded herself for wording her concern for him. 

"I will help of course, I am not that heartless as your lover," Harshad retorted roughly. 

Nandini stood their appalled listening his words.

Next moment, Harshad was grabbed harshly by his collar. Manik brought him closer and glared. 

"Never talk about her," He warned and Harshad looked away. Leaving his collar, he looked towards Nandini and found her gone. 

"Take a break," Harshad shouted to drivers behind and that halted their journey in its very early stage. 

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Nandini walked beside trailer kicking the little pebbles while he ran after her to find her. 

"Go away," She yelled even before he could say anything. Continuing her little walk, she paced her steps. 

"Listen," She heard him mumbling and next she was plastered to the cold mettle of trailer and he hovered her. 

"What do you even want?" He asked fiercely, hardly able to keep him away from her angelic face. 

"I want you to understand but I guess that's too much to ask," She uttered bitterly and he pushed her further into that mettle wall. 

"When you know we both can't, why are you even doing this?" He asked baffled. 

"I am not doing anything," She replied mumbling. 

"You are making it so damn difficult," He accused. 

"I am just trying not to lose you and that's so damn difficult for you to understand," She yelled crying. 

"But It doesn't even matter to you what I feel," She added sobbing. 

His breathes went uneven as he saw her in crying. He could never see her in tears and there he had caused that salty water.

"Shhhh," He tried to calm her down but didn't know what to do. 

"You have all the right to protect me and I don't have," She added further. He cupped her face wiping her tears. 

"You know what you don't even listen what I say, what I go through, what I went through when you were lying unconscious," She said hiccuping. 

"And you don't even care," She added lowly. 

"I do," He corrected sternly. 

Silence took over as her sobs died with seconds. She was feeling light but his quiet again was not helping. It was just telling her to forebode that he again didn't listen a thing.

"I'll try," He said with a deep sigh. She looked at him and found him already looking into her eyes. 

"I'll try not to go reckless," He uttered fumbling. 

"I don't think so," She remarked. She didn't know how he would even try. 

"I think so," He answered encircling her waist.

Extracting her from cold mettle, he brought her as close as he could. 

"BUT," He started and looked into her eyes fiercely. 

"Never ever say this cannot work," He warned while she licked her lips nervously. No, she wasn't giving in. 

"We'll see," She dared and he gripped her soft skin more tightly. 

He didn't argue further but his eyes took few more minutes to calm down. Closing the gap between them, he embraced her tightly. He kissed her hair tightly and then backed off. 

"Come one, Hop into cabin," He instructed and she gaped him not believing the calm man standing in front of her. He had to be masters at transitions.

"Someone had said it was not for me so I am not sitting there. I will return back to container," She said tauntingly. If he had thought what he did in morning was forgiven, he was wrong.

"Now I will comply," She added. 

Saying that she started to march towards back of trailer. His huffs and puff didn't go inaudible to her. Series of curses too touched her ears. Next she was swept off the floor and he lifted her in arms. Opening the vehicle's door, he put her in. She uncomfortably shifted to another side as he climbed on. Settling himself in driver's seat, he looked at her with that little nothing. 

"That was not at all reckless," She taunted and looked out of window. 

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Unedited*