Monday morning :-
.
.
It was the same usual Monday morning when people were gearing themselves up to reach office after the weekend.

Same was the case with Manik and Nandini . Both were busy in their own world ; one in his dream world as still he was sleeping , and the other in her real own world were she was preparing breakfast. Both did not knew that they are going to witness a new day of their lives.

The past Saturday night had changed their lives forever but they haf no idea about it. Although there was nothing special about that night , nothing happened as such but still that NOTHING was enough for them to give a twist in their lives.
.
.
As per the daily routine , Manik reached late. He was on call while coming towards his bay and Nandini was making an exit at the same time giving all her attention to her mobile screen.

Both did not noticed the other and were about to bang into each other when both suddenly stopped just an inch apart saving themselves. Just as they saw each other , both started recalling the moments of Saturday night when they were together.

For the first time in their lives they both felt awkward in front of each other. Though it was a feeling of awkwardness , but their was a feeling between the two , which earlier both never had. They themselves were surprised to feel such thing.

For few minutes they were standing there without speaking anything. Manik was the first to break the silence by wishing her good morning in a low yet soft tone full of hesitation and fumbling.

Nandini's response was nothing different. Her return morning wish too was full of hesitation and shyness. This awkwardness was broken by a call on Manik's cell.

Both excused themselves and made way to where they were actually heading to before this. Nandini was going to canteen and Manik was on call but their minds were occupied on the sudden changed behaviour they experienced just now in themselves.

"What is wrong with me..?? Why was I feeling so awkward .?" Manik murmured to himself.
.
.
In the canteen , Nandini was sipping coffee and thinking the same , "why did I reacted that way..? He has never affected me so why know..? Why was i so awkward..?"

These thoughts were running in her mind making her all frustrated. She was holding a paper cup which had coffee which she was continuously pressing in her frustration and finally as it always happens with her when her anger and frustration makes her land up in trouble ; all the hot coffee was on her right hand.

"Shittt..!!" She exclaimed out of pain and started jerking her hand. As it was early morning no one from staff was there except the canteen people. She was jerking her hand continuously and finally grabbed some tissues to wipe it off.

A canteen person saw this and told her to keep her hand under cold water and she did that. He bought some ice cubes and she applied it on her hand but the coffee was way much hotter. It showed its effect and her right hand was clearly seen to be turned into red having the burn sensations.

This was not new to her. After what she experienced from Harshad and Soha , she was never the same. The anger which was never around her , now was always inside her , resulting into harms she made to herself bearing all the pain ; physical and emotional.
.
.
Despite of all the pain she moved back to her bay and started off with her work. She was unable to do any work from her right hand so she utilised her left hand for doing her work.

All of them gathered in the conference room after an hour for a quick meeting. Nandini was flipping papers with her left hand and also writing if any point was required. Manik , who sitting beside Vaibhav noticed this unusual behaviour of hers.

He frowned to understand what was she actually upto doing all things from her left hand as he couldn't notice her other hand having burn sensations. He looked at her and she was busy flipping the papers in order to find one.

She looked irritated , mainly because of pain and secondly she was being unable to do her work properly. At that very insistence , he wanted to ask her the reason for this weird thing that she was doing but that was not the correct place to ask and he was certainly not the one to ask. But he was eager to know why is she behaving like this.

He at that very point murmured "looks like people want to learn multitasking" , loud enough to be heard by Vaibhav which was actaully his motive , Because Vaibhav was the only one always concerned about her as she was too young and secondly he knew no one else in the office actually bother about her giving the fact how she was.

Vaibhav heard his comment and looked at the side where Manik was looking. Vaibhav knew that not many people were fond of Nandini so Manik's statement was nothing new to him.

He too found it weird when he saw her doing all the work from her left hand. "Nandini ; are you ok.?" Vaibhav asked .

She immediately looked up and saw Manik staring at her which again made her bit uncomfortable. She then looked at Vaibhav who was waiting for an answer.

"Haan I'm fine." She replied with a faint smile. "Then what's wrong with your hand.?" Vaibhav said pointing to her right hand. She again looked at Manik who was still staring her.

"Wo morning mein coffee gir gayi thi to .." Nandini replied looking at Vaibhav but stealing glances of Manik at the same time. "Did you get any ointment ?" Vaibhav asked her . "Not yet" she replied. "Infirmary mein first aid hoga take it from there." He told her and she nodded.

They all started off with the meeting but Manik's attention was grabbed by Nandini. He could see that she was in pain but was not letting it show to anyone. Soon the meeting was over and everyone was back to there work.
.
.
Nandini was somehow managing to do her work in-spite of the pain. Although she nodded at Vaibhav's statement to get the ointment but actually she did not bothered to get it and apply it on her hand.

She left her desk to talk to the other employe for a minute and when she returned she found an anti-burn ointment kept on her desk. She was surprised to see it there.

A frown appeared on her forehead. Little did she know her colleagues , no one would take the pain to get that ointment for her. She was trying to think who kept it when unknowingly a name uttered out from her mouth. "Manik

Nandini looked up in a direction and suddenly she saw a face hiding behind the door.

The person with a sudden jerk hid himself when saw Nandini looking up in that direction . She could not get who it was.

Her eyes searched for Manik and she looked at his desk which was empty. With a sigh and giving a stop to her thoughts , she kept the ointment aside and resumed her work without the idea that the person whom she was searching for was actually watching her from behind the door.

It was Manik only who was hiding himself from her so that she takes the ointment because he knew she wont take it herself.

He didn't had any idea that he was the first to come to her mind seeing that ointment kept for her. As she was seated now , he could not see whether she applied it or not.

He then noticed the glass door at a distance which was having her reflection. He tried to see through that and found that she had not applied it. He was disappointed. With a long face he came back to his bay and sat down without looking at her. He was feeling dejected.

She was bothering her alot and this was bothering Manik alot. He was not able to concentrate on his work. Then and now he kept checking her but the result was same. The ointment tube was lying aside and she was fully engrossed in her work.
.
.
At lunch hour , Manik and Cabir were in canteen having some snacks where Cabir was telling him about something but Manik's mind was occupied by Nandini and the fact that she didn't took the ointment.

At that very moment Nandini entered canteen but did not noticed Manik and Cabir sitting there. She went to the counter to take something. Manik noticed her and made faces.

In little anger and irritation he just turned around his face but in just few seconds he again turned but this time not to look at her but her hand.

He noticed that her hand is covered with the medicine. Unknowingly a smile crept on his face. This was noticed by Nandini who saw Manik staring at her hand.

Just as he noticed that Nandini is looking at him he turned his face around with a jerk and looked at Cabir so seriously as if he was engrossed in his talks. Nandini turned around and looked at her hand. She didn't realised when she had a smile on her face with which she left the canteen.

Manik saw her leaving and the smile was still there on his face. He bit his lower lip and suddenly his smile grew wider.

Cabir noticed him smiling and looked at the direction where his eyes were stuck but there was no one. He waved his hand in front of him.

Manik :- "huuhh..!! Haan yaa.. Kya hua..?" He said controlling his smile and stammering.

Cabir :- "tujhe Kya hua..? Aise Kya smile de raha hai college ke majnu ki tarah.? Koi yaad aayi..? Ya kuch yaad aaya..?"

He said in his ever teasing tone.

Manik smirked on his statement and said "main ye visualise kar ke smile kar raha tha ki tu kaisa lagega jab Teri ek aankh band ho jayegi ; tera ye Haath (he picked up Cabir's hand and suddenly dropped it) fractured hoga Aur tu theek se chal bhi nahi paayega.. Kaisa lagega tu bas yahi soch raha tha main."

Cabir smirked at this and said "but dude , why would I look like that.?"

Manik looked at him smiling which suddenly changed into an anger look , of course , the fake one, and said "kyonki tu pitega mere haato ek din.."

Cabir faked a laugh and said "very funny manik..!"

Manik got up from his seat and dragged Cabir encircling his hand around his neck.
.
.

The day got over and both relaxed themselves in their respective homes.

Nandini while lying on her bed looked at her hand and recalled the moments of the morning. How she felt awkward in front of him , his stare in the meeting , his hidden care and affection and his smile which he had when she applied the medicine.

She smiled looking at her hand. Manik at the other end was gulping beer sitting in his balcony recalling all the moments from the weekend till the lunch hour at office that he knowingly and unknowingly had spend with her.

Smiling like a baby , his chain of thoughts were broken with the sound of the message tone which grew his smile even wider. Message was from Nandini.

After battling for half an hour with her emotions and chain of thoughts ; she finally gathered courage to message him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nandini :- thank you..! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing her name on his mobile screen he felt a unique happiness within him. He smirked seeing the message and decided to tease her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manik :- thank you..?? For what.?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This made Nandini too smile as she knew he was playing with her. Smiling she replied ,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nandini :- you know for what
Manik :- no Nandini , I don't ... Please explain .. For what ..! (He wore his ever beautiful smile while teasing her).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nandini rolled her eyes seeing the reply and blew out her breath , smiling in disbelief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nandini :- I know Manik you kept that ointment on my table for me. So , thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manik raised his eyebrows reading the message and smiled on her confidence .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manik :- and what makes you think I kept it .?
Nandini :- I know my colleagues ... Who will keep it and who will not I can easily make that out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manik felt really happy on how confident she was that he only kept that tube for her .

Keeping the jokes aside , he unknowingly wrote something that he always wanted to say to her after knowing her.

His fingers wrote that one thing which he always wanted to tell her but never gathered courage to say and also he never found himself in a position to say this to her but today he did .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manik :- don't be so hard on yourself Nandini . Don't try to punish yourself for everything ; even that you haven't done. Don't do this to yourself. You should take care of yourself just for your own sake at least .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

she felt a shiver in her body reading that message. In those 3 years no one ever said this to her. She was punishing herself and she knew it but there was no one to stop her. His message made her numb for sometime. She didn't knew what to say so she chose the safest way round .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nandini :- good night Manik and thanks once again. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Manik read the reply and shook his head with a smirk. He knew something like this would be her reply. He felt helpless for moment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manik :- good night :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
.
She laid down reading that message again and again when she felt a slight headache. She paused all her thoughts and decided to sleep.

Manik too felt bit restless recalling her past which Mukti told and seeing her like this. He was feeling helpless and decided stop his thoughts so he too went to bed to engulf in sleep.