M A N I K

Fuck.

"Saale, tu morning jog kyu kar raha hai? Bohot fit hai tu, ladkiyaan marti hai tujhpe. Nandini ne chod diya toh kya ho gaya yaar, bohot ladkiyaan hai tere liye, tension naa le!" Cabir ranted taking another bite of his potato chips.

" I swear I will murder you and eat all those potato chips in your hand", I threatened as I stopped walking and he kept the chips back on the sofa.

"Mujhe maarna hai toh maar, potato chips ko haath bhi lagayega na toh mein tujhe bhoot banke maarunga!" He said with anger in his voice. How the fuck did Navya even get married to him?!

"Cabirrrr", I gritted. "Yaha Nandini mujhe chodke uss Harshad ke saath date pe chali gayi hai, and all you care for is a ten rupee packet of potato chips!"

"Dude. Dude. Dude. It's not ten rupees, it's a hundred rupee packet. And it's not just potato chips, it's potato chips with cream and onion. Lays ka new flavour hai, you need to try!" He said and I stopped walking listening to his lame joke.

And then I finally sat besides him on the couch as I snatched the packet from his hand and ate it myself. The only funda we foodies know~ when confused and don't know what to do, eat.

"How can she leave me for that Harshad!" I ranted and he smiled.

"She has not left you for that Harshad. Voh uske saath ek project discuss karne gayi hai café mein, honeymoon manaane nahi gayi joh tu yaha jal raha hai saale. Cheer up!" He said hitting my bicep and my eyes just widened.

HONEYMOON? Yeh mujhe better feel kara raha hai yaa worse?

"Honeymoon agar hoga toh sirf mera aur Nandini kaa. Nobody else, get that!" I said in a threatening tone holding his collars in my hand.

"Toh shaadi kar le na usse!" He said casually and my hands went cold on his collar as I closed my eyes in frustration and everything came back to me. I could hear my parents shouting and screaming and me trying to hide in my room in the darkness hugging my guitar.

Suffocation- that is exactly what marriage is. I love Nandini and I trust her, but I don't love marriage and I don't trust it.

"You know what, mujhe Nandini ke baare mein baat hi nahi karni!", I opened my eyes to see Cabir smiling.

"But yaar mein usse aise chod bhi nahi sakta. I trust her, but she's very naive. And that jerks intentions are not the best!" I fisted my hand and he took another bite of his fucking potato chips.

"Toh jaa na uske peeche!" He said after a long pause and I looked at him.

"You know what, I don't want to talk about Nandini, can we stop?", I declared and snatched the packet away from his hand and he pouted looking like a fucking gay.

"I don't want her to feel that I don't trust her!", I said after a good five seconds and he sighed.

"You don't want to go behind her. You don't want to leave her alone. Why don't you try and call her?" He said like an Einstein and I frowned.

"In what language should I explain you Cabir, I don't want to talk about Nandini!" I shouted and he rolled his eyes, eating his chips. Bloody hell, yeh kitna khaata hai. I don't know about Navya, but if he keeps eating this way, he will look like a pregnant lady.

"I think you're right I should call her!" I declared again, my nostrils flaring and he long sighed. I picked up my phone and called her, but the phone went unanswered.

"The fuck!" I cursed as I threw away my phone in anger.

"Stop acting like Ishqbaaz ka Shivaay by throwing phones. Be a man, create your own personality dude. Stop being a low town thief. Go, find another way in talking to your Nandini", he said making different faces and I pursed my lips.

"Hell with you Cabir. Don't you understand I don't want to talk about her!" I shouted in annoyance and he made a disgusted face, but he continued to eat his potato chips anyway.

"How did she dare to not pick up my call. My call, like seriously, my call!", I grunted.

"Yeah right, to toh prime minister hai. Barack Obama hai. Deepika Padukone hai. Kaun hai tu jo voh tera phone uthaaye?" He said irritated as he finally offered me the chips.

"Nandini ka boyfriend?" I said with an obvious face and he shut his mouth.

"Toh Nandini ko-.....", he started but I cut him off.

"What the fuck Cabir. Don't you understand that-...." I shouted again but he cut me off now.

"...that you don't want to talk about her, right?" He completed my statement making me more angry.

"Manik, buddy, let's go. One of my friends is a very good doctor, let's consult him. He will tell you how to deal with split personality, you don't need to worry. And I will talk to Nandini and beg her not to leave the split you-......", he ranted without making any sense to me.

"CABIRRRR", I gritted my teeth. "Yaha I am talking about my falling love life aur tujhe apne stupid doctor ki padi hai!" I shouted.

"Teri love life koi London bridge hai that it will fall. Nahi na? Aur mujhe doctor ki nahi, teri padi hai. Because you my friend are becoming mad in love.", he enlightened me and I really wanted to get up and give him slow claps.

"Cut the crap Cabir. Tell me what should I do now.", I pleaded. I couldn't believe that I, The Manik Malhotra was pleading someone as low as Cabir Dhawan for something. I don't know what else will Nandini's love and my madness make me do.

"I think you should sit back and see. See how Nandini and Harshad will spend more time, he will propose her, she will leave you, get married to him, have kids and then she will tell her kids looking at your picture that you were some one sided psycho aashiq of hers who disappeared or died out of his madness and split personality", he smiled and I stared at him with knitted eyebrows.

"Not me, it's you my friend who needs a doctor", I smiled at him as I got up and grabbed my car keys.

Nandini Murthy, here I come!

Just as I ignited the car engine, a spooky voice filled my ears, "mujhe chodke jaayega kahaan? Hahahaha....", and a pair of hands encircled my neck as if pressing it.

"Cabir Dhawan, I am sure Navya doesn't want to become widow Navya soon!" I gritted as he hopped ahead to the passenger seat from the back seat.

"Let's go to Nandini!" He shouted in the air as if we were going on a picnic and I smashed his head. "Please don't tell me tujhe phirse Nandini ke baare mein baat nahi karni!" He mocked.

I gritted my teeth but then I started laughing and he laughed with me too as we both wore our shades.

That's why I call him my soul brother.

"Manik, you trust her right?" He asked and I pursed my lips.

"Maybe"

"You love her right?" He asked again and I sighed.

"Yes!", i replied after a long pause.

"Then what is all this. Itna possessiveness, yeh pagalpan?!", he said and I looked at Cabir to see if he was laughing but he was not. He was very very serious.

"Insecurities!" I termed.

"If it's love, than you shouldn't be insecure!" He sighed and looked away, leaving me in my own pool of thoughts.

Does it mean this is not love?

~

N A N D I N I

Yeh ishq hai,
yeh ishq hai

I smiled as Manik's song playing in the café made its way to me. Aah my rock star monster!

"So this was the final part, and we wrap up with this!" I said with a smile as I shut the laptop and so did Mr. Saxena.

"It was very nice working with you in this Nandini. I'd be looking forward for more!" He smiled and we shook hands.

"So, Nandini! If you don't mind me asking, are you single?" He said and I dropped the pen I was holding in my hand.

Isn't he too straight? Abhi No bolungi toh he will ask me my boyfriends name, and I can definitely not give Manik's name. If I tell yes, toh he will hit on me.

I gave him a small smile and looked away. Let him assume the answer himself.

"This is a little straight, and you don't even know me much Nandini, but will you marry me?" He asked and this time, I dropped the cup that was there in my hand and I got up.

"I mean, tum smart ho, tum independent ho, yet you are down to earth and respectful. What else do I need in a girl? I will officially send my parents to your house for a rishta, it can be a love-arrange marriage, you know!" He smiled.

"If Manik comes to know, you can end up in the hospital, you know?" I wanted to reply but I kept quiet.

How am I supposed to reject him without sounding rude when every single person of the café is looking at us?

"Umm, Mr. Saxena, actually... I-... I don't like mixing up professional and personal lives," I lied. That was the biggest lie I must have ever told because my own boss was my boyfriend.

Suddenly, I felt bad. I felt so disgusted at the girl I myself was- was I actually a slut just like Soha had said?

"You are a very good person and you really deserve the best, but not me. I... I am committed!" I weakly smiled as I grabbed my laptop and bag and left keeping the bill on the table without sparing another glance at Harshad.

I don't know if this was the best way to reject a person or not, but I was too busy fighting an inner war as after one year, everything came back to me.

Was I really wrong in maintaining such a personal relationship with my boss?

"Are you another bed warmer for Manik?" The reporters words came back to me.
"Are you a slut?"

{a/n~ this is a reference from MaNan FF- His P.A. Those who haven't read the book, don't need to bother except the fact that Manik was a very big player before Nandini}

"Trust Manik!", I whispered to myself as I smiled and took a deep breath and smiled to myself.

"You love him, he loves you?", I said to myself but it came out more like a question, as if I was questioning myself if I love him, if he loves me?

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I closed my eyes trying to get a grip over myself as I smiled.

Just when I opened my eyes, I could see Manik and Cabir across the road, waving at me. Manik's face had concern written all over it, and I almost forgot all the inner feelings inside me as I smiled just looking at him.

"Nandini! Kahan chali gayi thi tum?!", Manik  shouted from across the road as he came jumping over, skipping the vehicles, without caring for his life and Cabir ran behind him, apologising to all the drivers.

"Nandini!" He shouted in disbelief as if checking if I was fine or not and wrapped his hands around me, pulling me in a bear hug.

I smiled and kept my head on his chest, and he relaxed as Cabir smiled.

"Where were you?" He asked and my eyes flipped towards him. What was wrong with him? Why was he behaving so bossy?

"Harshad ke saath bhaagne ka plan kar rahi thi" I giggled and he rolled his eyes.

"This is funny for you, isn't it?" He mocked and the other two laughed too.

"Bhaagne ke sochoge bhi na, toh kheechke vapis le aaunga!" He said pulling me closer as we all walked to his car while Cabir went in my car.

"I wouldn't think of that in the first place!" I said and his smile widened.

"After all, whom will I get like you. I mean such a rock star, a businessman, such a hottie, already established man. I wouldn't let go is such a boy, right?" I teased with a wink and he fake smiled.

"Cabir ke saath kam raha karo aaj kal. Varna Bhai-Behen dono ko mental hospital le jaana padega!" He smiled.

"He isn't my brother, okay? If I will ever cheat on you, it will be with him!" I informed him proudly and he sighed in disbelief.

"Ab toh Cabir ko marna hi padega. It's time for Navya to be a widow!" He laughed and I punched his stomach as we sat in the car.

He took my hand in his as he kissed our entwined hands and drove the car with a content smile but my eyes were stuck at our entwined hands, just looking at it with confused eyes as the inner war rised again.

Were we actually happy, or were we just pretending to be?
Were we actually in love, or was he just a habit to me?

~nothing holds us back except our own insecurities. Some insecurities make us, while the others break us~

~•~