**unedited**

N A N D I N I

*flashback continues*

In the middle of my darkness, I found light;
In the middle of my pain, I found your sight;
In the middle of agony, you became my knight.

My head was paining since I had skipped my medicines last night. I tried forcing myself to sleep but I couldn't do it anymore and my eyes finally flew open. The wall clock said 3:30am.

I lazily saw to my other side just to find the most angelic face right next to me.

Manik's hand tugged my waist as he held me so tightly that I might run away, his face snuggling into my hair and mine near his neck. What a beautiful dream this is!

I pulled away from him to see his beautiful face in the moonlight that came in from the open balcony. His face was frownless, peaceful.

I didn't even realise as I took my phone from the side and clicked a picture of him.

Reality doomed upon me. This was my Home. And what was Manik even doing here?

How did he get inside? Shit! I thought I was dreaming last night when I felt his arms around me but no, here he is, sleeping like a baby sucking his thumb.

I immediately pulled away and moved away from the bed.

He was with Soha a few hours back. And now he is with me, sleeping here. He had lied to me, and here I was lying in his arms, wearing his clothes.

I went to my wardrobe and removed a fresh pair of clothes, getting rid of his tee shirt. I wore my plain blue fitted jeans with my black tank crop top that ended just a bit before my waist.

I am going to definitely need a lot of answers when he gets up. I sighed as I took his tee shirt that I was wearing and let it be on the side table.

I amn't going to let this go so easily the next morning.

But till then, I decided to make myself some coffee.

My kitchen was downstairs so I switched on but the light down as I left from there, letting the Baby Malhotra sleep.

Baby reminded me of Aryamman. I spoke so rudely to him last night when all he was doing was trying to help me. I felt so guilty.

I immediately took my phone and I called him up. A few rings passed by and he didn't pick up. Just when I was about to cut it, he answered.

"Hello.....", I heard a sleepy voice.

"Aryamman-...." before I could say ahead, he cut me off.

"Nandini, are you okay? Are you fine? Do you need anything? I told you staying alone isn't a good idea but tum meri sunti kahan ho, sahi naam rakha tha meine- baby. Cause vaise hi stubborn ho tum-......", he shouted till I stopped him.

"ARYAMMAN!" I shouted and he was silenced at once. "I called you to say sorry for being rude last night...", I said sorry.

"Phir tumhe mujhe ek aur baar sorry bolna padega...", he said and I pouted putting the milk for my coffee.

"Stop pouting baby and ask me why!" He said sarcastically and I rolled my eyes at the imaginary him talking to me.

"Why?", I said biting my tongue.

"Because it's 4am and you've just disturbed my beauty sleep....", he said grumpily.

Damn what? It's 4am. Fuck.

"I am so sorry", I shouted as realisation struck upon me. He cut the phone after a few byes and take cares.

My eyes were already in tears. Not that I was guilty for spoiling Aryamman's beauty sleep, but because I was frustrated. Frustrated with everything new in my life and me having no control over it.

Manik walks in when he wants to and walks out when he wants. He kisses me when he wants to and then he shouts at me when he wants to. He'd hug me when he wants to and then he'd push me away when he wants to. Where is my control on things? Why is it always what Manik wants?

I was so frustrated that everything came out as tears as I saw the coffee boil. I had boiled the coffee when I wanted to drink cold coffee. I was actually losing my mind because it was so pre-occupied by Manik and I am so frustrated at it.

I let the silent tears flow off.

I closed my eyes until my bare waist felt some cold hands wrapping around them and I opened my eyes with a jerk.

His hands travelled around my stomach finally stopping at a place, back hugging me. He kept his face on my shoulder and I could feel his hot breath over my neck.

I felt me losing myself in his sweet touches. But not today, he is my boss and I have to drive the line.

I tried struggling to get free from him but he wouldn't leave me.

"Why did you get up?" He asked snuggling in me more and I tried wriggling again and again.

He yawned, his hair messed around, his eyes sleepy, and he a mess. I should feel disgusted by him but the fact was that I loved him. I loved the mess he was, I loved what even the pain if it's him who gave me.

I was, am, and will remain madly in love with this beautiful chaos Manik Malhotra who is standing with me at four in the night, back hugging me, totally unaware of all my feelings for him.

"You know it's so hard trying to sleep these days without you", I felt him smirk but I ignored it. He was behaving so normal like nothing happened.

"Leave me!", I said in a blank, strict voice.

"Chodne ke liye nahi pakda hai...", he whispered in my ears huskily.

"Leave me please", I said in an even colder voice but he kept nodding his head in a no.

"Sir!" I almost shouted and he immediately left me as I turned myself and pushed him away from me.

He sighed at me. "So, are we back to this?" He asked in a bored tone.

"Back to what?" I pretended confused as I wrapped my hands around my arms.

"Back to this 'you're my boss, I'm your P.A. phase' ", he mocked quoting it in the air.

"Did this phase ever change?" I argued.

"I.. I thought we were friends.", he stated in a matter of fact tone.

"I thought the same too, sir!" I said coldly as I grabbed my coffee and left from there, and he followed me.

I opened my lawn glass door as I sat on the wooden slab, putting my feet to the ground, watching the stars still shine over the dew drops on the grass.

He say besides me but I didn't look up at him.

"I wish this night never ends", he said trying to make a conversation as he made himself comfortable watching the stars.

I ignored him and rolled my eyes watching the beautiful stars.

"I'm the word that starts with 's' and ends with 'y' Nandini", he sighed and my eye brows twitched in confusion before finally realise what he meant.

"you mean sorry?" I scowled.

"So if you know it then you rather forgive me", he said- ordered in a bored tone which made me only angrier.

"Okay, I forgive you that you introduced me as your personal assistant and not your friend", I said coldly.

"Not only for that....", he tried explaining but was out of words. His eyes had softened, his face serious and his hands in the air exposing me thing. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"For bringing Soha, you know, and lying that I was in the office", he accepted.

"It's okay", I said plainly.

"It's okay! It's okay?" He asked in confusion repeating the words, not believing i said. He should be glad that I forgave him. I rolled my eyes at him mentally.

"I mean I'm glad it's okay, but didn't you feel bad, I mean I got Soha and I didn't tell you and...", he tried explaining but he sounded dumbfounded.

"It's okay Manik. We're friends. I shouldn't be angry at you for that. I'm sure you have a reason for forgiving her, even when you tell your friends in the morning, they'd be happy with whatever you decide. We're your friends, we'd support you in everything.", I said keeping a heavy stone on my heart as I got up to keep the cup back in the kitchen.

But before I could walk more then three steps, his hand grabbed my wrist tightly and he jerked me towards him because of which I fell directly into his arms, sitting on him, our faces inches apart.

His sleepy brown throbs glaring into my red by crying dark brown ones.

"We're just friends?" He asked in a whisper as if he was hurt and my heart broke.

I didn't know what to answer. I chose looking away. I tried getting from his lap but he didn't let me go.

"Soha", I whispered and he looked at me hurt. "Where is Soha? She is such a sweet girl Manik, I really want to know her more...", I try saying with a huge stone on my heart but my voice broke by the end and I looked away because I knew I'd cry if I keep looking into his eyes.

"We kissed Nandini!" He said in a whisper of disbelief and the anger that had been subsiding in my rose again.

"Isn't it very normal for you to just go around kissing girls?", I mocked in a sarcastic tone.

"It is, but you're not one of them", he tried explaining again but I don't think I would give in.

"Really?" I mocked.

"Nand-..." he tried but if no use.

"Come on Manik, you know and we all know that it meant nothing to you. I am just another girl you're playing around with, and you'd leave me once you're bored of me bec-.....", I wanted to speak more, I wanted to speak my heart out, my insecurities out but I was quietened.

I was quietened by his lips on mine.

My eyes were wide open and my heart pointing in my chest by feeling his lips on mine for the second time.

I was in his lap, he kissing me and deepening it.

I wanted to push him away, my mind screamed that this was not right. He went around kissing every other girl every night and I didn't want to be one of them. I wanted to tell him that I didn't want to be in such an undefined relation, that we were just friends. That he was my boss and ultimately, no matter what, I was his personal assistant.

But this stupid heart decided against it. I stopped protesting and lost myself on him. The time stopped when his tongue touched mine gently.

In this cold atmosphere, I felt hot as I finally closed my eyes and kept my hand on his chin, kissing him back.

When he finally felt me calming under his touch, in his arms, he broke the kiss.

As we pulled apart, we just stared at each other. None of us knew what to say.

"I-......."

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring. My eyes grew wider and wider looking at that as I couldn't stop thinking what was he up to?

It was a plain platinum band. He thought it in front of my eyes and I looked at him confused.

"It's a promise ring", he said as he took my hand and slowly slipped the ring in my index finger. "I promise you that, from today onwards, I wouldn't lay my hand on any other girl. I wouldn't even kiss anyone, except the one I think I have feelings for or I think I am falling for", he smiled at me gently.

I wanted to speak so much but I was all confused. I wanted to ask him so many things but I wondered if this was the right thing after such beautiful words he had said.

I just kept staring into his eyes. His eyes spoke so many unsaid words, the beautiful smile that dazed upon his lips.

I wanted to ask him so badly about Soha but I restricted. I didn't want to apply his mood. I didn't want to spilt this moment by dragging he unnecessarily. I quietly let go of all the anger and doubts I was holding against him.

"I promise that I wouldn't do anything wrong. I promise I wouldn't do anything that makes you feel that you're one amongst the girls I used. I promise I wouldn't hurt you. I wouldn't even kiss any other girl except the girl I am having feelings for", he said looking into my eyes.

"But you just kissed me", I pouted and he giggled.

"Maybe because I have feelings for you", he whispered huskily in my ears as he kissed my ear lobe. I closed my eyes absorbing his words and his lips on my ear and with every second, my heart skipped a beat.

There was an undying zoo of butterflies in my stomach and some new hopes in my shattered heart.

I closed my eyes as I kept my head on his chest, hugging him as I still kay in his lap and he pulled me closer, hugging me tighter as he placed a soft kiss on my crown.

I don't know why he was doing this. I don't know what was happening.

But all I know is that it was magic. Everything was magic- that moment, that dawn night, the dew on the grass, the twinkling stars, that beautiful appearing sunlight just like the new hopes in our heart after a weary night and undoubtedly, us.

~she wasn't exactly sure when love happened, or even when it started; all she knew for sure was right there and then, she was falling hard and she could only pray that he was feeling the same way~