{This plot is same as one of my OS, if you haven't read it already then you can read this.}

"Yeh Manik bhi na" Nandini murmured underneath her breath as she got out of the taxi. Her long deep red dress swept across her feet as her silver earrings hung heavy, weighing her head down.

"First he himself ask me out for a date, and see now!! Huh. " She begins complaining out loud as she walks up the steps to Malhotra Group of Industries. 'Be ready love, i'll be waiting for you, don't make me wait for long', Nandini mimicked his lines in the same accent. "Now see, its 10:30, still no traces of him, he gave me half day so that I dont get late in getting ready, and see now! Manik Malhotra, today you are gone for sure!"

Pressing the button for the top floor, Nandini taps her foot impatiently as the elevator doors close on her. Her arms crossed, and her nose fuming with anger, she starts listing out a tirade of various reasons that had been pestering her as of late. Funny enough, her Manik comprised more than half.

Without bothering to knock on the door, Nandini marched into Manik's office. Seeing that nearly all the employees had left for home almost three hours ago, Nandini strode in with confidence and extreme power.

Looking up from his file, Manik's mouth hung open.

"Oh, shit!" He silently exclaimed, dropping his pen, and falling back against the chair, his hands hitting his forehead.

"Yeah, you do that." Nandini said, condoning the slap to his forehead.

"I'm so sorry Nandu" Manik apologizes standing up. His chair spins and hits against the wall from his force.

"Oh please Mr. Malhotra, why are you standing up?" Nandini asks in a high voice, walking towards him with her hands before her. Gesturing towards his black chair, she says, "Please, sit down. After all, you are a very busy man."

Nandini stands behind the black leather chair and waits for an open jaw Manik to obey.

"Nandini," He tries again but is interrupted with a harsh, "Sit" from her.

Manik, with a small pout on his face, sits down and waits for Nandini to deliver her punishment. His eyes trail her as she walks back and forth in front of his desk, her arms crossed tightly across her front.

Stopping abruptly, she faces him to say, " You know what Manik.. YOU ARE IMPOSSIBLE. Koi aisa karta hai kya?"

Manik remaining silent, lowered his eyes, and extended his bottom lip out in a deep frown.

"Stop that." She commands, a strong finger pointing sharp at him.

"Ab meine kya kiya?" He asks, exasperated.

His hands extended themselves as he subconsciously surrendered himself to her.

"That, that face." Nandini explained, bringing her finger down to rejoin her crossed arms. "Stop it. Your puppy face isn't going to work on me."

"But it always does." Manik muttered to himself, interlocking his fingers and sitting them on top of his desk.

"What did you say?" Nandini asked with piercing eyes.

Covering up, Manik said, "Nothing. I was just saying, I'm sorry." He finished with another deep frown. "I got so caught up with work that I lost track of time."

"Why are you being sorry? No, Mr. Malhotra," Nandini feigned being okay and swiveled the chair before her so that she could take a seat. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm sorry that I fell in love with you. I'm sorry that I had to wait for the past four hours wondering when my one and only boyfriend will come and pick me up." Manik's eyebrows rose. "I'm sorry that I bought this dress specially for this date so that you could appreciate how much effort I put into looking extra nice for you today. Why are you being sorry? I'm the one who's sorry." Nandini huffed when she was finished.

After a moment of silence, leaning closer to her, Manik asked, "I am your one and only nah?"

"MANIKKK!" Nandini yells out in frustration.

Both bolting out of their seats, Manik rushes towards Nandini to prevent her from leaving the room. Standing in front of the wooden paneled door, Manik smiles triumphantly. There was no way he was letting his lady love leave all angered.

"Nandini," He says putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Ehh, Nandini," He calls again, putting his hands back on her shoulders.

Before she could shove them away once more, he firms his hold on her.

"Eh, Nanduu," He smiles at the deep angered lines that etched themselves into her forehead. "Look at me."

Nandini crosses her arms once more and grits her teeth, refusing to look at him.

"Fine." Manik shrugs his shoulder, acting nonchalant. "Then I guess I won't give you your gift." He says as he walks away from Nandini and back towards his desk.

Nandini's arms loosened and her eyebrows raised up at the prospect of getting a gift. She contemplated on leaving the office and making her point, but then she also thought about the pending gift that Manik has hidden from her. Knowing him, he'll either give it to Mukti or Alia, or he'll re-gift to her on some other special occasion claiming to have known about the special moment all along. Like last time he did on her birthday. Said he remembered and knew about it all along but she got the biggest surprise when she found his closet to be full of unopened gifts all labeled for Nandini. When she had asked Alia about it (because he obviously doesn't do his own shopping), she had told her that Manik had requested her to buy a gift for every occasion possible. That too on an unlimited budget!

Nandini rolled her eyes and took a deep sigh.

With anger still written all over her face, Nandini stomped towards him and extended her hand out with the palm facing upwards. Standing rigid she waited for him to plant his gift in the palms of her hand but no such thing happened. Rather, he carried on browsing through his file not even acknowledging her presence. Her eyes growing wide open, she looked at her empty palm and then at him.

She put her hand in front of his eyes and he swatted it away. She put it back and he hit it again. Stubborn, she put it back and this time Manik gave her a low-five before swiveling his chair around, taking the file with him.

Her eyes growing even wider, she looks back at her palm and then at the back of Manik's chair wondering when did the tables turn. Spinning the chair around, she extended her hand out again, her eyes becoming watery from setting her jaw for so long.

Taking her by surprise, Manik threw the file onto the desk, grabbed her extended hand and pulled her towards him. Crashing into him, the chair slid backwards until they hit the edge of a potted plant. Eliciting a shriek and grabbing hold of Manik's collar for support, Nandini had squeezed her eyes while Manik had just smiled at her act. He hadn't even bothered to tell her to let go after a full minute had passed by since they had stopped. It was until Nandini had peeked through one eye that she had noticed their station.

"We stopped?" She asks, opening both eyes and sitting up.

"Long time." Manik answers, wrapping both arms around her.

"Let me go." She says, trying to break out of his hold but Manik had interlocked his fingers behind her and had them press into her back.

He shook his head to which Nandini looked at with a frown.

"Toh apne mood ko teekh karo aur mujhe jaane do. Raat ke baara bajne wale hai aur mujhe ghar bhi jaana hai."

Looking incredulously at her, Manik replies, "Toh aap ko kisne kaha tha itne dher raat ko mere paas aane ke liye Ms.Murthy? Aap ghar par bhi reh sakti thi."

Getting caught Nandini fumbles.

"W-woh," Manik's eyebrows raised high as he awaited for her comeback. "Woh mein..."

"Just say you wanted to be with me tonight." Manik offered huskily, his eyes roaming over her face.

He didn't fail to notice the way a deep crimson flushed its way onto her cheeks or the way her eyelashes lowered to hide the embarrassment in her eyes. Nor did he fail to notice the way her breaths came out in long, deep successions or the way her throat would make bob out and then back in as she would swallow down her saliva in nervousness. The longer he stared at her throat, Manik's nonchalant attitude dropped and his desire began to consume his senses. He wanted to lap up the length of her throat with his tongue and feel the vibrations that are caused by her groans and her moans deepened.

He reached out and removed a lock of her hair that had fallen over her face. Holding all of her hair in one hand, he tugged at it so that her neck tilted up and he could see her neck more clearly.

"Manik," Nandini spoke but his entire attention become consumed by the way her throat moved around his name.

"Say it again," He requested. "Say my name again." He placed his hands on either side of her neck and tilted her head up even further so that all he was her throat.

"Manik," She obeyed, her hands resting on his knees for support.

Manik let out a small chuckle as he saw the way her windpipe moved against her skin when she spoke his name. He placed his lips against where her windpipe was approximately located and commanded her to say his name again.

Taking a deep breath, Nandini moaned, "Manik."

Growling, and nipping at her throat, Manik pulled her face down for a hard and rough kiss. Nandini's hands went out to grab Manik's shoulders. She may have tried to pull away from him due to the anger that was still lingering in her but that soon disappeared when he inserted his tongue inside her. As it roamed around the deep cavities, Nandini melted in his arms, all her anger and frustration disappearing.

Manik finally let her go with a long pull at her bottom lip, letting a loud smack echo around the room. He moved the locks that were falling on her face once again and stared deeply into her eyes.

"You're so hot." He whispered to which Nandini blushed and averted her eyes. "Hey," He nudged her so that she was facing him, "Do you know that? The way your face just..glows after I kiss you" He presses his thumb over her bottom lip and spreads the lipstick. "The way it becomes so wet, so swollen and bruised." He swallows. "It's like, it's like it screams out my name. Every wet drop has me written all over it."

Nandini closes her eyes and swallows, her fingers digging deep into his inner thigh. Having his hand tangled in her hair, he tilts her head so that he could have a different access to her neck.

As he starts littering her neck with kisses, nips and quick bites, she asked him, "What else did you notice?"

With a wicked grin he answered, "You're wearing a new dress."

Nandini's smile sets into a straight line as she rebukes him. "I told you that."

"But you didn't tell me there's a zipper at the back." He whispered against her hair, blowing them with his breath.

Nandini gasped as he slowly unzipped her dress, letting her long, cool tresses to hit her warm back.

"You're also wearing a new perfume." He added, taking a deep breath. "It's the one I bought for you from Paris." Nandini hummed in affirmation as he trailed a finger down the expanse of the newly exposed flesh. "It's the one from the ad you hate." Nandini scrunched her eyebrows, her eyes still closed. "The one where you complained about perfume ads selling s*x rather than the product itself." He laughed in her ear as she blushed even more. "Well Nandu now you know that their product's sole motive is to sell that only." He spoke softly and hungrily in her ear.

Nandini shivered in his arms from the wave of goosebumps that racked her body. She had turned around to leave, but Manik pulled her back so that she crashed into him. Her open back impressed itself into his shirt buttons, the rough texture of his shirt and coat sending a new sensation through her.

"But we're not going to have that, are we Manik ?" Nandini asked as he nudged his nose against the side of her temple and inhaled her scent.

"Whenever you're ready Nandu." He replied, his eyes closed, feeling her with all his other senses.

"Are you ready?" Nandini asked, pressing her cheek into his jaw.

"The more I get to know you." He answers, squeezing her and placing a soft kiss on her shoulder.

"Have you ever wanted to while I was with you?" Nandini asked, looking up at him.

After a moment, he answered, "Yeah."

He blinked a few times trying to remember the first time he had wanted to become intimate with her. It wasn't the physical pleasure he was after. He wasn't lusting for her or a woman's body. If it was simply s*x that he had wanted, he could have gone to many other women or continued to relieve himself . No, it wasn't simply s*x that he wanted from Nandini. What he wanted was to be intimate with her. To be close to her in a way that no man ever has or ever will with her. He wanted to know her better than she knows herself. Know what she likes or dislikes, what gives her the most pleasure, to be able to see her in a state of ecstasy. He wanted to witness and experience her every moan and groan and sigh and squeak and giggle. He simply wanted to be with her.

"Manik?" Nandini distracts him from his pondering with a soft touch on his chest. "I'm sorry if it got too personal.." She trailed off embarrassed in not knowing she had unintentionally crossed a line.

Shaking his head and with a smile, he dismissed her embarrassment. "Don't be silly." Squeezing her shoulders, he gave her a side hug. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh? What were you think about?"

"How much I want to be with you." He replies, pressing his lips to her shoulder and swaying them both in an amiable nature.

With a soft smile, she laughs.

"Would you like to share?"

"Not yet. Some other day." Manik fended.

"Okay." Nandini acquiesced.

With another squeeze, Manik responded, "I promise I'll tell you. Just not right now."

"Have you thought about how much you want to be with me?" He asked after a few moments.

"If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't have come here this late." Nandini said, nudging her nose against the underneath of his jaw.

"True." He chuckled, "But that's not what I meant."

"Hmm.." He trailed off, taking a deep breath.

Holding his hand in hers, Nandini looked at the way their fingers interlocked with each other.

"I don't know, to be honest. I never, thought of it." She scrunched her brows. "I mean," Shaking her head, "It has never crossed my mind. Whenever I'm with you, I sort of just go with the flow." Looking up at him, "Do you know what I mean?"

Manik nodded in affirmation.

"I mean just a few minutes ago you were kissing me like you would never get to be with me again and now here we are talking about making love. I don't think it ever crossed our mind, has it?"

Manik thought about it for a while before he answered.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, s*x was never a real thing with me before. It was just work, work and work. Mom came first and then Fab5 . But self-pleasure, especially through a simple act like s*x.. it never crossed my mind. It was never an option before."

"So you've never, ever reacted to someone before?" Nandini asked, not quite believing that Manik had never been attracted to someone at least at an anatomical level.

"Well," Manik pouted as he thought hard about it. "No, I don't think so. I think I just tuned people out in that sense. I just looked at them as to what they could offer me." When Nandini raised her eyebrows, Manik clarified, "I mean in terms of their business skills not like that."

Nandini laughed seeing Manik's face go red.

"What about you? Have you ever been attracted to someone before?" Manik asked, wrapping his arms around her again.

"Of course." Nandini replied instantly, making Manik's face fall.

"Well yeah. I mean, there's a reason why I watch so many romantic movies Manik." She blushed.

"You're sexually attracted to Shahrukh Khan?" Manik asked in a dead pan voice, totally horified.

"What? No!" Nandini exclaimed. "N-no! I'm not sexually attracted to Shahrukh Khan. That's not even the point." She defended. "I like his movies because they're usually romantic. That doesn't mean I'm attracted to him. I'm just attracted to the love stories he portrays. Stop being so jealous of a famous movie star."

"Mein kaha jealous hora hoon." Manik defended with a fallen face. "Tum khudh lagi ho uski sau baatein karne mein. Zyaada safayi do gi na toh dal utni hi kaali nikli gi."

She swatted him against the chest and got up from his lap to stretch herself. Getting up himself, Manik shifted Nandini's hair so that he could zip up her dress. Walking towards the sofa, they take off their shoes and settle themselves in. With Nandini resting in front of Manik, she cuddled into him as he pulled her closer into his arms.

"Won't your parents get mad that you're coming so late?" Manik asked.

"They would. But I told them that I'm staying over at a Navya's house." Nandini replied.

"Oooh, Ms. Nandini Murthy is lying now? Should I be worried?" Manik teased.

"No" She replied, hitting him lightly. "I have a friend who's going to be getting married soon. She told me to come over for a few days and I said I will go with Navya and shall stay with her tonight." She added, hugging him and inserting her legs between his.

Hugging her tighter, Manik lightly rubbed his feet against hers.

He contemplated on asking her if she ever thought of being intimate with him but then thought again.

"Manik, ask na" She encouraged.

"No, leave it." He dismissed.

Exhaling, she asked, "Is it again about making love?"

Manik looked down at her, "Can you read minds?"

Smiling, "No, just yours. Ask what you need to." She said, playing with a button on his shirt.

"Have you, have you ever thought of being with me? In that sense?"

Nandini remained quiet as she twirled the white button underneath her fingers.

"No." She answered finally. She felt Manik's body going rigid underneath her. "It just, never occurred to me." She began clarifying. "It's like I had said before, when I'm with you, I sort of just go with the flow. I don't really think much of what's going on. I trust you with myself to know that I'm going to be in safe hands."

"So, if I were to make you mine right now, would you let me?" Nandini looked up at him trying to discern whether he was merely asking hypothetically or if he was asking to act out his desires in that very moment. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. To be honest, the moment he saw her in his favorite color, looking dead drop gorgeous... he was loosing all his sanity since then.

Manik lowered himself so that he could rest himself above her and kissed her lightly. Keeping his eyes locked on her, he kissed her again. And again. And again.

He kept kissing her, increasing the duration and the intensity until he could feel himself pressing hard against her.

"Tell me Nandu" He whispered against her collar bone. "What would you do?" He huffed a hot breath, threatening to breach against her bosom. "Would you let me?"

"I-I don't know." Nandini breathed out, lifting his head up from her cleavage so that he could look at her.

Seeing her watery eyes, Manik looked totally baffled at this, he shook his head and held her face.

"Hey, why are you crying?" He tried to console her.

"You want it so bad and I..." She broke off, afraid she'll actually start crying.

"Don't be silly." He said wiping the small tears that spilled from her face. "I want to make love to you but not against your will. If you're not ready, then that's totally fine."

"But how can I not know?" She held his wrist as she tried to compose herself. "I love you and want to be with you, so how can I not know if I want to" She broke off again, berating herself.

"It happens Nandini. It just means you're not ready yet. When you are, you'll just know. I don't want you to do something while you're still unsure and then regret it after. I don't want your first time to be an event that you regret." He said softly, rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

"Our first time." Nandini corrected. "And not only first, it'll always be you... Only YOU! " She said with a strong conviction sending her tears back inside her body. "I'm sure of it." She resolves her words with a sharp and deep kiss that she plants on his lips by tugging his head closer towards her.

With each movement of the lips, she affirmed her love for him and made a silent promise that one day the day will come when she will be ready for him in the intimate manner that he desires. But before that day arrives, she will continue to love him in the way that she knows how. By being there for him whenever he needs her.

***********

Though its approx 4000 words, but I really don't know how you all will find it!
This theme is something, I never came across before, A mature talk between two adults, to step up in their relationship, taking in consideration of the comfort level of your soulmate.

Honestly I wanted to keep a realistic approach. I hope it wasn't too overboard.

Obliviously it can be boring, but couldn't help, it was an unexpected demand for epilogue.

Will be waiting for your feedback :)