"Nandini, please leave me alone. I need sometime for myself. I'm not feeling good. You should go back home now." Manik's voice was rude. He never spoke to her this way. The tone of his voice so as his words hit Nandini badly but she couldn't do anything.

"Mani, you're asking me to leave? You're seriously asking me to go away?" Nandini asked in disbelief with a hope that he would deny.

"Yes. I guess you heard me right." His voice was still the same.

Wiping away the tears, Nandini started going away still she looked back a few times with a hope that maybe Manik would come out and stop her. But there was no sign of him. 

'Mani could tell me like this? But he is right. Who would like to be with a girl like me? It's better for me to leave. He himself said he didn't want to see me. I'll go.' 

Nandini thought in mind and ran out to the hall. She took her bag from the couch and ran out of the house. 

"Di..." Avneet shouted from back but Nandini left in hurry without even hearing her. She looked back at Sid who was equally confused as her. "What happened to di? Why did she leave like that? I mean... She had gone to call Manik bhai. Then?" 

Sid nodded. "I was thinking that only. Manik was looking very angry when he left. Did he say anything to Nandini?" He didn't like the way Nandini went away.

"That can be found out only after we speak to Manik bhai. Let's go and see him." Avneet got up and started walking towards Manik's room.

Siddharth followed her. 

"Manik bhai, open the door." Avneet knocked on the door but he didn't hear anything.

"Manik, open the door. It's urgent. We need to talk to you about something important." Sid too knocked on the door. "Manik, open the door."

When Manik still didn't open the door, Avneet started speaking but loud enough for him to hear from inside too. "Manik bhai, did you say anything to di? Why did she leave like that? At least, tell us what happened. See di was crying when she left. You know she doesn't cry, if the matter didn't hurt her a lot. Please bhai open the door."

This time Manik couldn't stop and open the door. Siddharth and Avneet walked inside seeing him opening the door. "Manik, what's the matter? What did you say to Nandini? You didn't see the way she left. She looked hurt. What did you both talk about?" 

Manik frowned. 'Nandini left? But I didn't say anything to her. We didn't even have any sort of conversation.' He himself was confused as this thought crossed his mind. 

"I can't remember. Actually I didn't open the door for her."

"Bhai, try to remember. You must have said something to her. Anything. I saw tears in her eyes. She didn't even look at us." Avneet looked at Manik eagerly. She knew her sister well. There must be something which hurt her a lot.

Manik tried to remember his conversation with Nandini. He tried to keep his thoughts cold and thought of it, then he remembered the words which he spoken to her in anger. He felt like banging his own head somewhere for this. He was well aware how sensitive Nandini is. Even though she is really calm but she can't take ignorance from the people she loved and here he asked her to leave without even hearing her.

"Avneet, I did a blunder." Manik looked down rubbing his palms over his face.

"What?" Avneet frowned as she saw Manik.

Manik didn't reply to her instead he just picked up his wallet from the table. "Nandini? I need to see Nandini now. I don't have time to say anything now. Do you know where did she go?" He looked at two of them for answer. 

Avneet nodded in no. "If we had known, then why we would have come to ask you?"

"Let's go out and see. She mustn't have gone far till now." Sid said and they all walked out together.

Other side, the night was quiet. There was fog and darkness all around. In the meantime, some big cars are speeding in the main road. Nandini was walking along the side of the road. She also seemed to be aimless today. Manik's words were only ringing in her ears.

"Nandini, please leave me alone. I need sometime for myself. I'm not feeling good. You should go back home now."

'Does anyone really love me? I made a small mistake. I was only trying to protect Manik. He knew I can't take anyone insulting him or saying anything against him. Still he asked me to leave! He doesn't want to see me anymore. It's said true that love in the world is  very precious.'

In between all these random thoughts, Nandini did not notice when she had stepped down in the busy street and a car was coming from behind. Nandini's thoughts were interrupted, when she felt someone pulled her suddenly. She went and fell on someone's chest and the car flew out of the dust. 

It took Nandini a few seconds to realize what was happening. When she observed everything, she raised her face and became surprised seeing the person there. "Baba, you are here!"

It was Abhay Malhotra, Manik's father. A lot of robbery took place in that area around that road in last few days and he was on duty there. He noticed Nandini walking, he was about to call her. But seeing Nandini walking lost in her thought, he rushed towards her and pulled her else she would have faced an accident today.

"How were you walking on the road, Nandini? If I hadn't noticed you on time, then what would have happened? You were about to hit by the car." Abhay scolded Nandini.

Nandini too realized what was going to happen. "Actually..." She didn't find anything to justify herself or answer him. "Leave all this. First, tell me how are you?"

"You don't remember this old man anymore" He made a sad face.

Nandini hurriedly nodded in no. "What are you saying, baba? Can I ever forget you?"

Abhay smiled. "I know my daughter can never forget me. I was just kidding." He ruffled Nandini's hair as if she was some kid. Nandini pouted at this act of his and he chuckled. 

"You didn't tell me how're you? I go to your place almost everyday but you're never home. You're always out on duty."

"I'm fine and what can I do? It's my job so I've to stay out."

Other hand, Manik, Avneet and Siddharth were looking for Nandini. They also reached the same road while looking for Nandini but till then she had left so as Abhay. They heard about Nandini from one of the constables there as they knew four of them. 

"What would have happened if uncle was not here today and saved di on time? It's pinching me even to imagine the sight." Avneet nodded her head as if trying to remove the image as well as the thought from her mind. She didn't even want to get the thought of something happening to her sister in her mind.

Sid nodded his head. "You're right. Now let's go to Nandini. He said Nandini had just walked away from here. It means she would be around only."

'Honestly, I shouldn't have spoken to Nandini like this today. I could never forgive myself if something happened to her. I can't bear a scratch on her and today she could have reached to hospital because of me. Thankfully dad was her. I have to apologize to her.' Manik was walking while these thoughts were roaming in his mind.

Manik came out of the world of his thoughts with the words of Sid. "There is Nandini." He spoke as he noticed Nandini a little ahead to them.

Manik too noticed her. He ran and held her hand from back. Nandini was surprised once again. She turned back and this time found Manik. Nandini looked at Manik with teary eyes. 

Manik looked into her eyes and those enchanting eyes seemed to make him forget everything. He didn't give Nandini any chance to say anything, he pulled her in a tight hug. He hid his face in her neck wrapping his arms around her shoulder pulling her as close as possible. His eyes were closed as of trying to soak in her presence. The thought of Nandini's accident and her going away from him was killing him from inside even if it was only for few minutes. That mere thought was enough to scare the hell out of him. 

Nandini surely was not ready for this. She didn't thought Manik would come here and hug her in the middle of the road. It was a big deal for a boy like Manik even to hold his girlfriend's hand in front of everyone. Here he was hugging her. That was surely a very big step for him. His this gesture was making her forget everything happened in his place few minutes back. She slowly threw her arms around her waist and closed her eyes. A few tear drops slipped through her eyes.

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." Manik kept saying sorry for uncountable time. 

Nandini only hugged him tighter snuggling in his arms. "Don't push me away like this ever."

"Never." Manik kissed on her head.

Sid and Avneet who had also reached them till now was amazed to see this scene. Sid whistled seeing them and they came back to their senses. They pulled away from each other and felt shy. 

"I was saying it's already very late and if you're done with your sorry session, then we should go home." Sid teased them. 

They nodded and started walking towards Nandini's place. 

In this winter night, Manik and Nandini were walking along the road holding each other's hands. Even the trees seemed to greet them in their destination of love. 

Here you go with the new chapter. Do let me know how was it. Don't forget to vote and comment. Thank you.

26.12.2023