Hello Fam :)

A/N - If anyone is interested, there's an interview of me taken by @palak1106 Link is in my profile. :)

Happy Reading...

Cabir was hit by a strong feeling of appreciation towards the head girl. Their college building looked something straight out of magazines, well lit and just dreamy, and the fact that she managed it all by herself, he was really impressed. She often brought out that feeling out of him. There were girls he flirted in a harmless way, girls he dated and simply messed with and there was this girl who threatened to turn his whole world upside down. It wasn't in a romantic sense, he would never ever cheat on his girlfriend. While he was pampered everywhere he goes, be it at his home or at Malhotra Industries, Nandini was his reality check. She wouldn't care if he was a Malhotra or the prince himself, she would call out on his stupidity. If his sixth and superior sense were correct, she might be a part of his family and he would bet everything he has, she would be the rock that would stabilize their family.

He looked at Manik, the source behind his weird prediction, who was squirming under his hold uncomfortably. Cabir didn't blame him. He was clinging to Manik's arm since evening. Manik might even be in an extraordinary mood. "Bhai, am I not the perfect date?", he batted his eyelashes.

Manik grunted. "I would have really appreciated it if I am not trying to fight for my rights to freedom of choice."

Yep, definitely an extraordinary mood. He ignored him. He ignored the stares from a few students looking at them on their way to the venue. Seriously, they should by now be acquainted with him and his love for his brother. It shouldn't concern them if he wanted to attend the party with his brother. He has his hidden missions and agendas.

One of them, today, was enhancing his observation skills and he needed a certain head girl for that. Hence, he grinned when he saw Mukti and Abhimanyu sitting on some chairs and talking ideally. "Hello, beautiful. Mukti, aren't you looking gorgeous yourself?", he told.

When Mukti chuckled, he narrowed his eyes at her. "You know, it's basic courtesy to compliment back someone." She stuck her tongue out and Cabir fought back by doing the same. He fights evenly. After five long minutes when he didn't find a trace of the head girl, he frowned. "Where's Nandini?"

"On her way. She had to come back in the morning again to check some faults", told Abhimanyu.

"How about I go and wait for her in the parking lot?", interrupted Manik. Without giving a chance for anyone to speak, he unlatched Cabir's hand from his arm, flashed a very sweet smile to his friends, and disappeared in the crowd.

Cabir threw daggers in his direction. What a cunning devil did he get as a brother?

"Why are you glaring at him?", asked Mukti, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, bro. Aren't you super clingy with him today?", asked Abhimanyu.

He turned to them and smiled sarcastically. "Do you think Nandini doesn't know her way from the parking lot to here that Manik has to escort her? Come on. That guy is bluffing. He just wants to sneak into his ridiculous novel. I don't know what's interesting about it and I had to force him out of his room to the party", he explained.

They gaped at him and Cabir didn't blame them. If he didn't know his brother too well, he would have done the same.

"Isn't he one smart little kid?", muttered Mukti with a grin. She was having fun about this.

Cabir shook his head in disbelief. "Where do you think all his bookish knowledge goes to?"

XXX

They were having fun when they saw Nandini. Was that Manik behind her? He was pleading her for something while the head girl clearly ignored him as she strolled towards her gang.

"Nandini", whined Manik even before Nandini could say hello to her friends.

Nandini turned to him and that was the first time Cabir saw her pouting, crossing her hands. "Manik, I worked really hard for this party. Do you want to ignore my hard work for a novel that you can read comfortably at your home after the party? How about you appreciate l my work and I will return your book?", she asked. The emotional blackmail worked as Manik gave up his protest.

For a moment Cabir believed her sad face until she turned around to wink at them. That was the moment, Cabir decided something important. "You are a Queen", he grinned, giving her the customary bow. Nandini smirked. Both of them ignored Manik's glares.

"How are the arrangements?", she asked her friends.

"As always, the best", told Mukti.

"Best friend, you have outdone yourself", announced Abhimanyu.

As Cabir didn't want to come off as unappreciative, he told, "If I had a company on my name, I would have given you all my contracts", declared Cabir.

Nandini rolled her eyes. "When I will have my company at max. two years, I wouldn't even let one of my documents reach you."

Cabir pondered on the line before turning to Manik. "Bhai, she said when she owns a company instead of if", he complained.

Manik shrugged. "She is a Murthy. Of course, she would have her company within two years."

"How do you know?", asked Cabir, narrowing his gaze. Why did his oblivious brother have more information about their head girl?

His brother looked at him as if he were stupid. "Because I go to the office."

Yeah, how can he forget the nerd of his brother manages the company in their mother's absence. He recently found out that even if Nyonika would take care of everything and only asked Manik for signatures when she wasn't available, his brother sneaked out project files to read when he got bored at the company. Who would even do that?

He realized he had zoned out until Abhimanyu shook his hand. Nandini was with the principal and there was another man standing beside her, his arm wrapped around Nandini's shoulder. "Who is he?", asked Cabir and he thought he might have imagined the smile on Abhimanyu's face dropping.

"That's our college trustee and Nandini's father", he told.

Weird because both he and Mukti were glancing in their direction. It wasn't like they were seeing them for the first time.

"Let's grab some chairs. They will start with the speeches and it would be boring as hell", suggested Mukti, pulling Abhimanyu's hand.

The head students were sitting on the stage along with the guests and somehow Nandini ended up beside her father. Suddenly, Cabir felt something change as Mukti and Abhimanyu started talking in hushed voices. Manik was listening to the principal with rapt attention. Just because he was bored, he did too.

The principal was as charming as always, making the crowd laugh with his jokes. He interacted with students as if they were all his kids. There were other chief guests who were given speeches as if they had built a replica of the college inside their hearts but Cabir knew better and hence, he tried to let his eyes wander across the auditorium. He was hungry. When will they give food again?

It's always a pleasure to visit my darling daughter's college. She has been working so hard for this. It broke my heart but the results would heal a few of them...

Cabir snapped his head towards the stage. The speech was getting weirder from then and as the trustee heaped praises on his daughter, Nandini blushed. Cabir narrowed his gaze. Nandini never blushed.

"Aren't they cute?", whispered Manik.

Cabir didn't agree but gave a smile before enveloping Manik's hand in his. This wasn't the time to remember their father. His message must have reached Manik as he nodded and blinked his eyes. Cabir returned to concentrating on the stage, letting his hand on Manik's for a few more minutes.

The trustee was now speaking as if the whole college was being run by his precious daughter and how she is the ideal role model for this generation. What the hell is this man on to? His words would turn the students against Nandini. Cabir wanted to scream, to stop the speech. Nandini looked embarrassed like she wanted to run away and hide. The head boy was already shooting daggers at her.

He was so grateful when the principal whispered something in the man's ear and finally, the speeches came to a conclusion. There was a ball dance and food at another corner. As soon as the guests walked off the stage, the principal escorting them, Nandini escaped them to join their friends. Abhimanyu enveloped her in a hug, Mukti joined it a second later and Cabir didn't blame them. Nandini looked like she needed it.

When they took longer to unwrap themselves, Cabir joined the hug. Nandini pushed him lightly, breaking the hug. "That was our group hug", she complained.

"Even I am your friend", replied Cabir. "And you asked my brother to join it."

"That's Manik. He is our friend. You forced yourself into our group", told Nandini.

"Yeah. As if you and Manik have been attached to hips since kindergarten, yeah?", he asked.

She huffed. "I don't even want to talk to you."

"Finally", sighed Abhimanyu before grinning at his best friend. "You know, I am so proud of you."

"Me too", added Cabir.

Nandini glared at him before crossing her arms. There was a romantic song played in the background and Abhimanyu took the opportunity to ask Mukti for a dance. Cabir smirked when a girl approached him for a dance and Nandini rolled her eyes. Making sure Manik would be fine, he went to the dance floor.

XXX

Nandini's mood was soaring down. If not for the college, she wanted to scream on top of her lungs at the man who called himself her father. It was embarrassing enough to stand beside him but the way he was displaying his fake affection towards his daughter, it was downright humiliating. The college was serving fruit punch but she wanted something stronger to get her head back on track or serve as a distraction.

"Do you need some chocolate?", interrupted Manik.

There comes her distraction. Nandini turned to see him biting his lip in hesitation.

"Do you have it with you now?", she asked.

The boy shook his head. "No, but I have it in my car."

"Wow, hero!", smirked Nandini, "For a moment I thought you were innocent but no this is your devious plan to sneak into that book, right?"

"No", whined Manik.

Nandini chuckled and took a sip from her drink. He washes her sour mood like a cool breeze during scorching heat. His innocence was a relief and somehow it keeps her belief in humanity alive. Manik was the living evidence for the fact that not every relationship is business. She didn't understand what to do with this information but she felt much better.

It was another few minutes later when she noticed a guy approaching her, dreamy-eyed, and groaned internally. Parties are times when guys approach her for a dance taking advantage of her incapability to punch them in front of the guests. During her first year, some even tried to propose to her but now they know better. She gave one look to the guy but when he didn't budge the glaring daggers in his direction, she grabbed Manik's arm. "Come, let's dance."

"What! No. I don't know how to dance", he protested but it was easier to drag him to the dance floor than explain to him.

"I know. Just follow me", she told. Cabir was on his second dance with a new girl but as soon as he saw Manik, Nandini felt him getting tensed. Surprisingly, he didn't barge over the stage to 'protect' his brother from her even though Nandini felt his whole concentration on them.

She guided Manik through the initial steps before he got the rhythm. "See, it's not too bad."

Manik nodded but he was still tensed as he tried hard to move his stiff body.

"Now, you are being stressed unnecessarily. Loosen up, Manik", she told.

"I just don't want to step on you or something", he told.

Nandini closed her eyes for a moment. This boy and his ability to leave her speechless. She ignored the emotions threatening inside as she smiled at him. "It's fine. Loosen up. If it gets worse, we will go back."

Apparently, that was not the right thing to say as he loosened up, his concentration wandered off to the others on the stage. "Why is everyone staring at us?"

Nandini sighed. "Because they don't have any other work than to poke in other's business. Leave about them. Concentrate on me."

"Why did you order me to dance?", he asked again.

"I didn't want to give a chance for people to ask for a dance. They wouldn't understand the meaning of no and I can't make them understand among all these people", she explained.

"So, you are using me as a scapegoat."

"In a way, yes", she replied and bit her lip from bursting out laughing. The adorable pout forming on his face was too much to ignore. "By the way, you didn't tell me how the arrangements are."

"It's too good. You have worked so hard and the result paid off. I just don't understand how you could manage it all alone", he said. The boy could win wars with just sweet-talking.

"Just the way you could manage to finish your book in a day or two. The one you are reading now, it isn't the same one I saw yesterday", she teased which resulted in bringing back the redness across his face.

"Now that I have appreciated your work, can I get my book back, please?", he asked.

Nandini gasped and slapped lightly on his chest. "When did you become so commercial, Manik. You appreciated my work to get your book back?"

Manik scrunched his nose as if she told something unpleasant. "Why would I lie about your hard work?"

She smirked. "Good. Make me believe it and I will give back your book at the end of the party."

A frown appeared on his face. "You are a very cunning woman", he accused.

"Thanks, baby", she said, winked at him and left the stage as Cabir made his way over to them, finally exhausting his patience. Him holding himself for so long was itself a record, thought Nandini.

XXX

Cabir wrapped an arm around Manik, taking him off the stage. He tried to let Manik enjoy in his grand plan of transforming Manik into an independent boy but the frown on his face and the very subtle daggers he was throwing at the head girl concerned him. He thanked the girl with him for being an amazing dance partner before making his way to his brother. "Manik, are you okay?"

"She wouldn't give me my book back till the end of the party", he complained.

Interesting. He had his first dance with a girl and all he could think about was the book. Here, Cabir expected him to drop dead faint in the middle of their dance but Manik's complaint just made him more curious than he already was. He was behaving like a whole different person in her presence and Cabir was sure if it was someone else in place of Nandini, his brother would have politely declined her request or reached out for Cabir to get her to leave him. He didn't know if they would be together or not, his Manik getting into a relationship was still very strange for him, but he knew Nandini would be one of the biggest influences on Manik.

After having their dinner, Nandini excused herself when she got a call and a while later they got a text in their group from her that she was leaving. Since it was already getting late and the crowd was getting dispersed, Cabir suggested they leave for their home.

Manik was upset because he couldn't get hold of Nandini before leaving, his book still with her and hence it was Cabir who took the opportunity to drive them home. He left their friends at the entrance as he made his way to the parking lot and got surprised when he saw Nandini with her father near a car. He couldn't hear their conversation but it was clear from their faces, in the dim light, that they were having an argument. For a person who showcased his love for his daughter in front of the whole college, it was pretty intense. Cabir might have not seen Nandini blushing before but her shooting daggers were way too familiar for him, him being at the receiving end of them on multiple occasions. It was strange. Before he could decide whether to call the head girl or not, their trustee pointed a finger at Nandini and climbed inside the car, followed by her. Looks like his observation skills were extra successful for the day. 

Manan danced. Chapter reviews please. :P