Manik and Nandini were walking towards Manik's car.

Nandini was enjoying the pleasant weather but Manik was clueless what to say to Nandini.

He was angry on her for drinking knowingly but also knew that saying something to her at this time will be only a waste of energy.

Manik was walking ahead and reached his car first.

He unlocked it and opened the passenger's side door for Nanidini and gestured her to sit.

Nandini looked at him and then at the car. "I don't want to go in the car." she said making faces.

Manik rolled his eyes and said, "So should I call a plane for you?"

"No not plane, let's walk. You know late night, walk and talk and walk and talk, hehehe" She blabbered lost in her own world and laughed like a kid on her own talk.

"Nandini just shut up ok. If we will walk we will reach your home tomorrow morning only, so just keep quiet and sit in the car." Manik shouted on her in anger.

"Array I told you na I don't want to go in the car. I want to walk like before. You remember that night, we walked; we talked, you remember na." She said remembering the rainy night when Manik dropped her home and which was the start of a new equation between them.

"No I don't remember anything and now please get inside the car." He retorted back at her in anger.

"hawww Manik ! You forgot that night, that rain, you forgot us?" she said being in her own world but it left a mark on Manik's heart.

All the memories flashed in front of his eyes from good to wonderful, to bad, to being worst.

"I have not forgotten us Nandini it's you who have forgotten me, forgotten us, forgotten everything. I don't know what is wrong with you. You are not same as before." he said softly looking into her eyes but she got least affected.

Manik held her arms and bought her closer to himself but Nandini surely had some other plans.

"Manik leave me and what are you talking about? Don't you want to go home? Come on." she jerked his hands and started walking ahead of him.

Manik groaned in anger when he came to the harsh reality and shouted, "Nandini stop being ridiculous. Come back and sit in the car."

But Nandini was in her own world. She kept on walking and finally Manik gave up and ran behind her.

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" he shouted as soon as he reached her but she didn't answered him back and kept on walking. After few steps she tumbled upon a stone when Manik held her arm before she could fall.

"When you know you can't handle drinks why on earth you have to drink It." he shouted on her as soon he grabbed her arm." He shouted on her as this time he knew she did it knowingly.

"Why can't I drink tell me? When that Sana can drink and you can talk with her flashing all your 32 teeth then why can't I drink haan? Why? Tell me? Why? What is wrong in that?" she said dabbing her hands on his chest.

Manik was confused with her talks as she was again and again taking Sana's name.
He was not getting any idea what was wrong with her.

"What Sana, what are you talking about?" Manik asked her being all clueless.

"What Sana? Really? How innocent Manik!" Nandini replied making faces at him but poor him had no idea what blunder he has done by spending time with Sana

"Nandini what are you talking about? Say it clearly?" Manik asked her.

"What I am talking about? What were you talking about with Sana, tell me? What was so important that you did not bothered to check on me and neither talked to me. Tell me what you were talking to her. Talking kya, you were toh laughing with her showing all your yellow yellow teeth... cheeee!" she said in one breath poking her finger on his chest and making faces.

"My teeth are not yellow ok." He jerked her finger off his chest and replied.

"And besides what connection does my talking with Sana and your drinking has? You mean to say that you drank knowingly because I was talking to her not you?" he tried to fix the broken puzzle.

Nandini smiled widely and started clapping. "Wow Manik Malhotra, so intelligent you are!" she said and Manik's expression changed to stern.

"And why do think I should have been with you? Remember it was you who wanted me to stay away from you." He replied back to her.

"You know what Mr. Manik Malhotra, I hate you.... I --- HATE ---- YOU!" She shouted her lungs out and Manik was shocked.

"You are very bad, like really bad. You always, always shout on me. I hate you. You are very bad." She said faking crying.

"Come on now, stop your drama and get in the car." Manik said in a casual tone and started moving back towards his car.

Nandini glared him from back and sat on the road folding her legs. "No, I won't. First you say sorry. Then only I will come, otherwise I won't." she said resting her elbows on legs and cupped her cheeks with palms.

"Nandini enough ok." Manik forcefully made her stand on her feet and dragged towards the car. But Nandini freed herself and pushed him away.

"I don't want to go with you. Why should I go with you when you don't care about me at all? Who are you to me?." Nandini shouted in anger and Manik too glared her in anger.

"You shouted so much on me that day. You know I cried the whole night. But why will you bother? You only know how to shout, that's it. You never tried to ask me the reason why I said all that. all you did was to shout at me. You are very bad Manik, really bad." She remembered that day when they both had to meet for the dinner to express their feelings and started sobbing.

Manik listened to her carefully and witnessed her sobbing which made him even more furious on her. He came near her and grabbed her arms tightly.

"Listen Nandini , I should be the one who should be getting an apology and you here in the middle of the night , at the middle of the road asking me to say sorry for making you cry ? Like seriously?

you think I was happy doing that? Nandini, you forced me. You very well remember what I did and say to you but do you even remember what you said to me? I waited for you so long that day and in return I got that bloody answer that I..." Manik stopped in between as he did not wanted to repeat those words which she said.

Nandini was staring him with teary eyes and said, "And you believed what I said."

This statement made Manik softened his looks and loosen his grip on her.

"You claimed to know me more than myself right? Then why didn't you understood me this time? I said and you believed it. Not for once you tried to ask that Nandini, why are you saying this?" Nandini said while tears were continuously from her eyes.

"Nandini..." Manik looked into her eyes but couldn't speak anything. He knew what she was saying was true. He was so much angry from her words that he didn't realised why Nandini said all that after knowing her so well.

"You just saw what I made you watch. But you never tried to know the reason behind it. Manik, you knew that much only? You always knew what I wished for, what I wanted, what I am thinking; then why didn't this time Manik? Why didn't this time?" Nandini continued and her sobbing turned into incoherent crying.

Manik was numb, speechless. He was just all perplexed. While he was trying to fix the broken puzzle, suddenly Nandini hugged him with all her force.

"You mean a lot to me Manik, really. I don't want to lose you Manik, I just can't. You were so angry with me, so rude to me. It killed me every second Manik, it really did." Nandini spoke keeping her head on his chest and kept crying.

Manik slowly broke the hug and wiped her tears.

"Stop crying Nandini. Am sorry. You are right. I was so into myself that I didn't noticed that you cannot say all that just like that. Am really very sorry Nandini. I am really sorry." Manik said looking straight into her eyes while his own eyes got moist.

"I know I didn't asked that time but now I am asking. Please Nandini, at least now tell that why you said that. What are you hiding? I know that night, that meeting, it was just a formality. We both knew what we wanted from each other. But still all that happened. And now I know it was because of some reason. Please say what is bothering you. I am there na. I will sort out everything. Just say it. Please." Manik pleaded her in a soft tone.

Both were crying at that moment. Nandini in her pain and Manik after realising his mistake and seeing her condition.

Nandini just kept on staring him and said, "I don't want to go away from you Manik. I don't."

Manik cupped her face and said, "You will never go away from me. I promise. Am sorry baccha for making you cry. For hurting you so much. For pushing you away but not anymore. Just for once say what was wrong. Why you said all that?"

With this tears rolled down to kiss Manik's cheeks too. He pleaded to her with moist eyes but she kept on staring him with teary eyes.

He stepped ahead covering the negligible distance between them and touched her forehead with his lips.

She closed her eyes taking in all the warmth, love, comfort, care; which he was trying to pour out from his heart upon her in that kiss.

As his lips lingered over her forehead, not ready to back off, tears found their way out from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Manik looked at her and wiped her tears with his thumb still cupping her face between his palms.

"Nandini.. Please stop crying. Baccha... I am here na. At least tell what is bothering you. You know na you can share anything and everything with me and I won't be ever judging you. Before anything else, we are friends; best friends and we will always remain that. Tell me baccha what's wrong, what are you hiding?" Manik spoke softly caressing her face and hair looking straight in her eyes.

She drowned herself in his deep orbs and found immense love floating there for herself.

Guilt empowered her heart even more and she hided herself again in his arms which were nothing but heaven to her.

"ssshhh... relax...Ok I won't ask anything but just please stop crying." Manik whispered in her ear rubbing her back as she sobbed incoherently in his arms.

Manik sighed in disappointment, closing his eyes as things were just going out of his way.

He now knew one thing for sure that Nandini was hiding something really big that was stooping her from coming close to him.

His several attempts to stop her tears were going in vain as she was just not ready to stop and neither was ready to leave his embrace.

He kissed her hair numerous times to assure her that he was there with her.

Tired of crying and under the effect of alcohol, she slept in his arms.

Feeling her weight entirely upon him, he slowly broke apart to look at her face.

Dried tears mark were still there on her face which pierced his heart every moment.

He caressed her face and drooped a feather kiss on her forehead.

"No matter what Nandini, I am here and will always be. Whether you want it or not." He whispered softly looking at her face and picked her up to take her to the car.

He laid her on back seat carefully and drove away for her place.

******