~I Want to Ninja Butt-Kick His Ass~

"How does. . . this look?"

I lift my head up from the table and look at Natasha holding her phone in front of my face, the screen displaying a dark blue off shoulder top.

"I think it's good." I give her a thumbs up and lay my head back over the table.

There is so much noise in the canteen as usual and with my condition right now, even the faintest of sound seems to be amplified a thousand times. It's like one thousand hammers are being banged against the walls of my brain.

I never should have come to college today.

My eyes are burning, my throat is sore, my nose is red and I have a slight fever too and all this wasn't quite there in the morning. I had taken a paracetamol last night before sleeping and I had made sure I took every precaution necessary for the fever to not return but it did anyway. After I reached college.

Huh.

Navya kept going on and on and on about how careless I was being by coming to college today. All the way from home to here it was a constant yap yap yap about how I should listen to her because she is my big sister, blah, blah, blah. But I paid no attention to that. I was too preoccupied by my own thoughts to pay attention to any of her scolding. I still am.

Every time I close my eyes Manik's face slides behind my eyelids. I see him looking sad, pained. I see that look he gave me before he walked out of the window last night and it hurts. It's hurts so much.

It hurts to know that I could have stopped him. This time it was me who let him walk away. But, no matter what I feel a voice in my head keeps reminding me that Manik, not even for once, had denied his involvement with Aarav. Instead he just kept saying that I had no faith in him, that I don't trust him.

And to be honest, I don't know if I do trust him.

I want to. I know that.

But do I really?

I don't know. It's been years. Even though I remembered him for most days in the years we we're away but I never really thought about how he would change, what person would he turn into. I never thought of it.

"I think the red one looks better. Don't you think?" Natasha speaks again.

I groan. "Ugh. Nuts, I am really not—"

"Oh, hey Navya!" Natasha cuts me off and waves enthusiastically. I turn my head to see Navya walking towards us, her bag slung over her shoulder and a big book in her hand.

She reaches our table and pulls a chair before seating herself by my side. "Hello, miss radio." Navya mumbles.

"Yap yap. Call me whatever, you know you like me." Natasha sings before getting up from her seat and trotting away towards the counter, her short skirt swaying away a little.

"She gives herself too much importance." Navya says into my ear.

"She was just saying hi, you can be a little considerate, you know?" I say. My voice has turned thick and the sore throat isn't helping either.

Navya scrunches her nose and looks at me, "You sound like a man."

I point at my throat, "Sore."

She rolls her eyes and places her bag onto the table, "Well, I won't say I said so but. . . I said so." She takes some money out of her bag and putting it on the chair she gets ups. "Need something?" She asks as she points towards the counter.

I shake my head, "I'm okay."

Navya shurgs and walks away in the same direction as Natasha's.

A few minutes later they both return with a plate each and fall back into their chairs. Navya nibbles on her sandwhich while scrolling through her phone and Natasha and I fall into a discussion about the previous lecture we attended.

Navya tugs on my hand and I turn to face her as Natasha gets busy in her phone.

"Why aren't you talking to Karan?" She asks.

"Who says I'm not?" I ask.

She hold her phone in front of my face, the screen displaying a chat of Karan and her from yesterday.

Karan : She isn't talking to me. I need to tell her something.

"Well, didn't he tell you why?"

"No."

"It's just that. . . we had an argument." I lie and shrug it off.

Well that's not technically a lie, Karan and I did have an argument but it's not just that. I don't want to talk to him because of the way he behaved that day. He was rude and taking all his anger out on me and I don't even know what went wrong.

"Oh, God. Please let it go and talk to him. He's been bugging me all day long now." Navya grunts.

"He hasn't come up to me yet." I wonder.

"Well, yeah. That too." Navya says and moves her eyes back to her phone.

"Oh! I've got an idea!" Natasha slams her hands on the table nearly tossing away her plate of fries.

"Calm down, woman." Navya stares at her.

"I think we should all take part in the freshers. We might as well win something!" She claps her hands in excitement.

I sigh and turn over to Navya who is glaring at Natasha.

"What?" Natasha asks noticing Navya's expressions. "Oh, I know you're not a fresher, Navya. I was talking about Nandu, me and Manav."

Manav is another one of my friends besides Natasha. Well, he is more of her friend than mine but she likes to keep us as a group. She says it makes her feel like she does in fact have 'friends'

"Oh." I say and Navya goes back to scrolling on her phone. "I don't think I want to. . ." I say.

Natasha's eyes widen, "What are you saying? No. No. No. Unacceptable. We've gotta stick together, girl. You've got to do this with me."

"Nuts—"

"Nah-ah. The only way we survive this hell hole is if we stick together, Nandini. And I already have in mind what you're going to be do—What's wrong?" She frowns.

We look around ourselves and notice the people in the canteen rushing towards the outside corridor. Navya and I look at each other, both puzzled.

"I don't know.. Why are people leaving?" I stop a guy who is rushing past our table. "Hey, what's. . . Where is everyone going?"

The excitement on his face is clear as he speaks, "There's a fight going on in the hallway, Karan v/s Manik. Come along or you'll miss it!" He says and flees past us.

I jerk my head back to Navya and find her looking at me with the same expression as mine.

"Ooh. Can not miss it!" Natasha chirps and runs after that guy leaving her bag behind.

"What has he got himself into now?" Navya grits and hangs her bag on her shoulder before running off in the direction of the crowd. I grab my bag along with Natasha's and follow Navya outside wondering what Manik has got himself into.

When I reach outside I find Navya snuggling her way through the crowd to the center of the circle surrounding Karan and Manik. I can see them both standing close to each other. The tension around them can be sliced off with a knife. I nervously tug at my bag as I follow Navya to the center.

Manik has his hands around Karan's collar, "You don't get to decided what's right and not! You can't do what you did!"

"It is fucking wrong! And I did not do it, Manik!" Karan pulls himself away and stumbles behind when Navya reaches to support him.

I snuggle my way out of the crowd and stand behind Navya.

My eyes land on Manik who hasn't lifted his eyes from Karan yet. He looks angry. He looks wild. Crazy mad. I don't think I have ever seen him like this and it scares me to look at him this way.

He advances towards Karan but when his eyes land on me, he stops the very moment.

"Manik, you're fucked up in here." Karan presses a finger to his forehead. "I said I didn't do it! I had no involvement in it!" Karan growls.

The entire crowd hushes amongst themselves, wondering the same thing that I am. What the hell is this about?

Manik removes his eyes from me and I think I feel his anger rise, if that's even possible. He darts his eyes back to Karan and stares at him furiously. "I don't believe you." Manik says through a clenched jaw.

I notice his hands are stuck by his side, his fingers balled into tight fists. He moves his eyes from Karan to me and then after what feels like an eternity he moves them back to Karan.

Karan removes his hand from Navya's grip and walks towards Manik. "Do you really think I give a shit about what you believe, Manik?" Karan gets dangerously close to Manik, his fingers are too balled into fists.

If this keeps going on like this, they might soon start throwing punches at each other.

Manik stares back at Karan, his eyes filled with rage. "I think you should. Considering how I can change a lot of things for you."

"Don't try to threaten me, Manik. I'm not afraid of you and your threats. I will never do what you are accusing me of."

"Oh, yeah? And why is this that suddenly? Because you're—"

"Okay, enough. ENOUGH!" A new voice rings through the tension filled atmosphere of the hallway and I notice Sam standing behind Manik. He holds his arm and turns Manik to face him.

Sam mumbles something to Manik and his face turns towards me, his eyes staring into mine. My heart starts beating widely as Manik holds me under his stare.

"Karan, come on." Navya reaches towards Karan and tugs on his arm.

Karan shrugs her hand away but Navya reaches for it again and holds it tighter this time. "I said to come with me." She grits. "This is no time to play stubborn, Karan."

"I am warning you for the last time," Manik takes a step towards Karan. "Don't."

Sam steps in between the both of them before Karan gets a chance to say a word. He looks at the both of them as he mumbles something only they can hear. Frowning, I study the boys as they continue talking in hushed tones. They break away a minute later but Manik and Karan do not move their eyes from each other, each holding an expression of rage.

"C'mon, Karan." Navya walks up to him and pulls him back with her.

He gives one last glance to Manik before turning to face me. Our eyes meet for the briefest of a second but he looks away as Navya drags him along.

"Yeah, alright! Show's over!" Sam says and the period bell decides to ring at the same moment.

All the eyes zoom in on Manik and Sam as they still remain in the center of the room. The students crowding them start dismissing, muttering amongst themselves, each guessing a reason of their own of this banter among the two boys.

I stand fixed at my spot when Manik looks my way. The anger in his expression is fading, slowly, but fading. There's that look on his face, the same one as yesterday. The one he gave to me when I didn't say I trust him. He's holding onto it. My eyes fall on Sam who is looking at the both of us. He sighs and turns to Manik, saying something in his ears. Manik gives him a look of puzzlement and then turns away and walks towards the opposite side.

"W. O. W. What was that all about?" I hear Natasha's voice from behind me.

"I. . . I have no clue." I say as I keep my eyes fixed on Manik's retreating back.

Can I ever solve the mystery that Manik has become?

He is nothing but complicated. A puzzle.

There was once when I could read Manik like he was an open book but now, all I can do is cripple under this frustration that he forces inside me by behaving like he does.

I have to know what this is about and I have to know if he's okay. I have to know where we stand after last night's fight. I want to know what's on his mind.

"Take this." I hand over Natasha's bag back to her before running off in the direction same as Manik's.

I can hear Natasha calling my name but I don't care to stop. I see Manik turn right before vanishing from my view. I walk faster and reach the corridor he turned to but he's not there anymore and neither is Sam. It's like they vanished in thin air.

I continue going further into the empty corridor where Manik turned to. It stretches quite far ahead of me. I come to a halt when I reach halfway and turn back. The students have cleared the corridors and returned back to the classes. I glance at the screen of my phone and sigh. I am late for my class as well.

With a defeated heart I start walking back to the way I came from when suddenly I hear a door being opened behind me. But before I can turn around I realise that I am being jerked inside that door by someone. A short squeal escapes my mouth as the door is closed behind me. I turn and find Manik standing with his back to the door, looking at me furiously.

"What the hell, Manik?" I keep a hand over my beating heart. "You scared me." I jerk my hand out of his grip. I look around and find myself standing in an empty classroom. "One of these days you will definitely give me a heart attack, Manik. What will you do if I die?" I glare at him.

"Shut up, Nandini." He says and takes a step forward and presses his palm to my forehead and then to my cheeks. "You're feverish." He says. "Why did you come to college today?"

"Afraid I caught a glimpse of your display of affection out there?" I jerk my head towards the door.

"You shouldn't have come today. You'll fall sick."

"I already have." I say and pretend sneezing "Aachoo!"

"Go home, Nandini." He says, stepping away from me.

"Don't tell me what to do." I scowl and take a step back myself. "I know what I have to do."

Manik rolls his eyes, "Why were you following me?"

"You could have asked that like normal human beings instead of doing all this."

"Well, now you can answer like normal human beings instead of being annoying." He retorts.

I glare at him, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You were the one following me. You tell me what's wrong with you?"

I pull at the strap of my bag, "What happened in that corridor?" I ask.

Manik's expression don't change even for once. He keeps his stone face and chocolate brown eyes fixed at me. "A healthy argument between two college mates." He shrugs.

"You call that healthy?" I scoff.

"I like to think of it as a healthy argument considering I did not break his nose."

I cross my arms over my chest, "Manik—"

"Why were you following me?" He asks again fixing his eyes onto me.

I bring my hand to my mouth as I feel the urge to cough. "I need to talk to you." I say once it's done.

"I don't want to talk to you." He says sternly. "And please, go home and get some rest."

"And how is that something of your concern? Why do you care?" I blurt.

Manik's lips turn into a thin line and I realise I shouldn't have said that. Of course he cares and I know why. "You're right. I don't care."

"I never said you don't care, I asked why do you?" I continue.

"Well, now you know that I don't care at all." He says and turns away but I hold him back by his arm.

"Manik, please." I say. I can see the tension in the way he holds himself and it tugs at my heart.

Is he always like this? Does he ever feel at peace anymore? Why is he like this? There is so much that I want to know but he wouldn't tell me now. Not after last night, not after I doubted my trust on him.

He jerks his arm out of my hand and faces me once again. "What?"

"Stop doing this. Stop, just stop. Please. Why are you doing this?" I hold him by his arms and look into his eyes.

"Why am I doing this?" He removes my hands from his arms. "Are you really going to ask me that?"

"Manik—"

"You don't even know if you can trust me, Nandini. How am I supposed to react to that?"

"It's not like that. . . Manik, I just—you tell me what should I believe? How can I not believe Nav—" I stop mid sentence when a I go into coughing fit. I keep one hand over my stomach and place the other on the nearby wall to support myself.

"Nan—" Manik starts to inch towards me but I hold a hand up to stop him.

I clear my throat and take a deep breath once the fit passes and then I sniff. "I'm okay." I tell him.

"This doesn't look like okay—"

"Manik, Navya is my sister and I think I know for a fact that she wouldn't lie to me." I ignore his concern. "She holds you responsible for whatever Aarav did to her because she thinks you played a part in it."

"And you do too?" He asks. "You think I played a part in it?"

"Are you saying you didn't?" I question.

"I'm not— this is what I am talking about, Nandini. This is what I was talking about last night too. This look on your face of. . . of uncertainty. . . Like you. . . you don't believe in me." He shakes his head and takes a step back.

"I will believe in you if you tell me the truth, Manik!"

"The truth? You want the truth? I'll give you the truth, Nandini but how can I bring myself to tell you the truth about my life when I know whatever I say you aren't going to believe me!" He runs a hand through his messy hair. "You don't even trust me."

"I will, if you tell me something to begin with!" Manik stares at me in silence. "How can you ask me to believe you when you don't even tell me what I have to believe in? Who am I believing in?" I stand exhausted now.

I can't keep fighting with him when all I want to do is be close to him. So close that I. . . I don't know. . . just close. I can't help but think of the two times we kissed and went on and on and on for minutes after that.

I don't even know when I let this feeling grow. I came back wanting to get our friendship together but instead I found something I never knew I wanted more than I wanted my friendship with him. I don't want to be just a friend anymore, it's more than that now. It's so much more and bigger and consuming that even in the middle of an argument my mind is swirling back to when we kissed.

Manik heaves out a tired sigh and closes in on me in two long steps. He pushes me up against a wall and blocks me with his arms on either side of me, slammed against the wall. "What do you see when you look at me?" He asks, standing so close that it's hard to breathe anymore. "WHAT, Nandini? Tell me!" He shouts and I flinch.

"You're shouting." I say, looking straight into his eyes. "Don't shout at me." I tell him keeping my face straight, trying to not let him know how much this affects me.

But, who the hell am I kidding? He knows that already.

"You don't get to be angry at me." I clench my jaw. "I deserve answers. I can't let you walk all over me, come as you please, kiss me whenever and not tell me what I want to know!"

"Kiss you whenever?" He raises an eyebrow and jerks himself off me. I breathe in relief. "Kiss you when— Well, in that case I want to kiss you right now,  should I then?!"

"Do you ever need permission?! Do you ever ask before jumping into my room through the window?! Do you ever ask before throwing me off against the wall and caging me between your arms like you did before?! Why do you need to ask that now? Huh? Do what you want like you always do! Go ahead! Kiss me!" I shout out and frown hard at him.

I am so angry. I am so damn angry. I don't even know what I said to him right now.

I breathe heavily after finishing my rant and Manik closes in on me again. He cages me in his arms once again and brings his face closer to mine. I push my head back, banging it lightly against the wall as I contemplate on what brought this on. A moment later my eyes are wide open as realization of what I had just said starts to seep in.

"What are you doing?" I say, keeping my head back so that our lips don't touch yet.

"What you asked me to do to. Kissing you." Manik mutters slowly. His breath fans my lips.

"Manik. . . G-Get b-back" I stutter. I might as well try while I'm still under the control of my brain and not overwhelmingly possessed by estrogen.

"Why?" He raises his eyes from my lips to my face.

I breathe heavily. "Because t-this is not. . . Is not right." I suck a sharp breath in when I feel Manik's fingers lazily grazing the skin on my arms, traveling up and down the entire length of it. "I-I'm angry at y-you."

"I'm furious at you."

"I'm. . . I'm more furious at you that you are at me." I say still looking into his eyes. I swallow hard.

My throat's drying up and I so are my lips. I suck my lower lip in, biting on it.

"I want to kiss you." Manik mumbles, brushing his lips lightly across mine and I lose my resolve.

"Kiss me." I want him to. I can't. . . I can't breathe. I can't think. And with him this close to me the only thought clouding my mind is how his lips feel against mine; heavenly.

I feel Manik stiffening and then he scoffs before pushing himself away from me. "You'd think I'd do that now." He says, laughing sarcastically.

My breathing accelerates. What does he mean? I look at him, confused.

"If I kissed you, it'd prove you right. That I go on kissing you whenever I want to. But the fact is that, Nandini Murthy, I don't. I always wait to see whether or not you'll cave. And you always do."

My jaw drops. "I feel used." I stare at him, unable to contain the anger rising in me. My cheeks are burning red, half due to the embrassement and half due to the uncontainable anger boiling inside me.

"I didn't even kiss you."

"Well, you. . . you. . . God dammit! You suck,  Manik! I can't believe you did this to me. I can't believe you're doing this to me. I actually waited to ask you before jumping to conclusions and this is what you're doing to me for that? What are you angry about, huh?!"

I am so furious. I am so damn furious. I have never been this furious at anyone ever.

"But you did believe a bit of it already, didn't you?" He asks. His voice doesn't sound angry but sad. The fire in his eyes gives way to sadness.

I hesitate for a moment. I open my mouth to say something but nothing pours out. I don't know what to say. He's right. I did doubt him.

"You don't get to do this to me, Manik. You can't make me feel terrible for not trusting you when all you've ever done is give me reasons not to."

"Forget it, Nandini. You won't ever understand what I'm trying to say. It will always be about a reason to you." He shakes his head.

I take a step towards him, my fingers entangled together, pulling at each other anxiously. "Help me understand then. Manik, I can't do this alone. I need you to help me. . . You know I want to believe you."

"You need reasons to believe me. I don't. I don't need any reason from you to believe you. I trust you like I trust myself. Maybe more."

My heart aches. Why? Why can't I just say it out loud to him? Why can't I tell him that I trust him? Why do I need him to give me a reason for that? What the hell is wrong with me?!

I ransack my brain to come out with a reply but I don't have any. I don't know what to say to him. I can't bring myself to agree with him even though he is so damn right!

"Manik—" I start but stop when I notice the door behind him opening.

Manik turns around and a second later Sam's head pops in through the door and his eyes land on Manik. "There you are. I've been searching for you all over. Since when do you not pick your phone?"

"I didn't hear it and anyway, I was about to come. I'm done here." He says and it feels like someone punched my heart deep down into my stomach.

"What are you doing here anyway— Oh." Sam looks at me when I step in his view from behind Manik. "Hey, Nandini." He says.

"Let's go." Manik pushes past Sam and walks out of the door into the hallway.

"Okay. . . Bye then." Sam waves at me but before he can slip out of the door, I reach up to him quickly and hold him back.

"YOU." I scowl. "You asked to hold on to him. You said, 'Don't let go' Now you tell me what should I do when he makes it so hard to keep up with him?!" I blast off at him. "I don't even understand him anymore! He's being so damn unreasonable right now I don't know what to do. What should I do? He's not listening. He's not telling. He's being such a baby, I swear I will ninja butt-kick his ass the next time he does this and make him talk if that's what it takes! Do you listen to me MANIK MALHOTRA?!" I shout inching towards the door.

"Woah. Okay. First, he's gone. And second, calm down woman." He places his hands lightly on my shoulders but I step away.

I am in no mood to calm down right now. My head is about to explode of the terrible pain it is in and I don't know what caused it. Manik or the stupid flu?

"I don't want to calm down. I need to know why you said that?" I glare at him.

He peeps outside the door before looking back at me, "Meet me after college ends behind D block. I'll tell you what you're looking for." He says.

"Answers?"

"Nandini, I do not have a death wish. Not everyone is as lucky as you are to piss Manik to the extents and come out alive. I will only tell you what you need to know and then when Manik comes around, he will tell you everything on his own." He smiles down at me and then starts to move out of the door.

I stop him again. "Wait." I frown. "What do you mean? You. . . You know what he's hiding from me?"

A small grin plays at the corner of his lips, "I know everything, Nandini." He says and then slips out of the room, leaving me dumbfounded. 

--------

Okay, hellooo!

How'd you like this? I know, I know, just a filler but next one would be information for you guys.

Something new would be revealed. Maybe. Or maybe Nandini would know how to get hold of Manik.

Do you think Manik's being unreasonable?

Do like and comment and let me know!

Please ignore the typos.

Xoxo💋