14. THE CALL!

Cabir:- ( scaredly ) Is he in the hospital or any cremation place? 

Pihu:- ( with wide-open mouth ) Bui, did you make him impotent? Because he dares to touch an ELECTRIC POLE with his bare lips. 

Nandini:- ( murmurs ) AM I AN ELECTRIC POLE?

Cabir:- Where is his cremation ceremony? I will visit it and pay my condolences. 

No one is giving Nandini a chance to reply who is fuming hearing their questions. She gritted her teeth whereas Navya is trying her best to hide her giggles. 

Cabir:- I mean who will stay alive after kissing you. May God bless….. 

Before he could complete his sentence the lioness roared, making them deaf for a second. 

Nandini:- ( angrily ) Shut up!…

Pihu:- ( worriedly ) Mom… I can’t hear anything! Have I become deaf?

Ignoring the little devil, Nandini walks ahead and grabs Cabir’s collar making him scared like hell. Within a second he starts sweating. 

Cabir:- Hey….Nandini, no violence. I am your one and only brother. 

Nandini:- ( angrily ) Why do you think that the boy will die if he kisses me?…. Am I some type of poison? 

Pihu:- technically, Bui you are not less than that. 

Nandini:- ( while gritting her teeth ) Little devil, I will deal with you later. 

Cabir:- Navya… please save your husband. ( to Nandini ) Nandini, this is domestic violence. I can sue you for that. 

Navya:- ( innocently ) What could I do, husband? I love Nandini more than you so I can sacrifice you for her. 

Cabir:- ( while gritting his teeth ) everyone is mad here……. Baba Ji, why did you send me in between these ladies? Don’t you melt seeing me suffering between them? Why are you punishing me?

Saying this he shows crocodile tears to his sister trying to melt her who left him in a second. He held his daughter’s hand and instantly ran away saving himself from her leaving Nandini with her dear Bhabhi. 

Navya:- ( smirking ) So, who was the boy? How does he look? Is he handsome? Does he have a good height? How is his family? Did you meet them? Who is in his family except him? Are they good? 

Nandini rolls her eyes at Bhabhi’s continuous question who has no end. 

Nandini:- ( sarcastically ) Yaa… ya… shouldn’t I bring his birth certificate, matric pass certificate, degree, and character certificate for you? 

Navya:- What will I do with his birth certificate? 

Nandini nods her head in disbelief and climbs the stairs to go to her room. 

Navya:- ( yelled ) At least tell me his name? 

Nandini:- ( yelled back ) UNKNOWN!

Navya:- Ok… so, where did you meet with your UNKNOWN? 

Nandini:- In hell… 

Navya:- Oh… that means in the office, right? 

Nandini giggles because her Bhabhi guessed it right but still didn’t answer which confirmed it. 

Navya:- ( with a teasing smile ) Aab toh Mujhe office jana hi padega. ( Now I have to go to the office anyhow. )  

Otherside Manik is tosing on his bed because the sleep is far away from his eyes. Nandini didn’t inform him about her reaching home that’s why he is a little worried for her. He won’t get sleep until his heart will know about her whereabouts. His eyes and ears both are stuck on his mobile screen waiting for her call but that girl has no clue about it. He didn’t know that Nandini already informed his mother about her reaching home safely. 

After getting tired while waiting for her call he finally decided to call her once. With a big bright smile, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. The call got answered on the third ring making him relax. 

Manik:- Hello Nandini…? 

The attendee:- Hello…. 

A very sweet girlish voice comes from the other side making him frown because he knows that Nandini is not a girl who will answer any call so politely. That’s why he checks his screen to look at her number. 

Manik:- ( politely ) Hello, Am I talking to Nandini? 

The attendee:- How could I know whether you are talking to Nandini or not? 

Manik:- ( whispers ) Did I call in the mental asylum? 

The attendee:- ( angrily ) Oh… hello, I heard you. Don’t you dare to call me mental, ok? 

Manik nods scaredly. 

The attendee:- By the way I am Pihu. And may I know why you call my Bui at this time? 

Manik:- ( confusingly ) Bui? 

Pihu:- ( in a disappointed tone ) Ya… Nandini is my Bui, unfortunately. 

Manik:- ( smilingly ) Oh… so, you are her brother’s daughter, right? 

Pihu:- No… I am her Bhabhi’s daughter. 

Manik:- Both are the same. 

Pihu:- ( nonchalantly ) No, brother and brother’s wife are two different personalities. 

Manik palmed his face. 

Manik:- You are the same as your Nandini Bui. 

Pihu:- Everyone says that. 

Manik:- ( hiding his giggles ) You are interesting. 

Pihu:- ( in an attitude ) Ah… please, don’t flirt with me. I already had a boyfriend and for a year I have been committed to him. 

Manik’s face reddens hearing her words. 

Manik:- ( shyly ) I didn’t mean that. 

Pihu:- Leave that and tell me, What’s your name? 

Before Manik could tell her his name, he heard Nandini’s voice in the background. 

Nandini:- Whom you are talking to, the little devil? 

Pihu:- I don’t know but your mobile screen says “SHY BOY”. 

Manik’s cheeks turned into the darkest shade of red when he got to know that HIS FIERCE GIRL saved his number from the name “SHY BOY”. Undoubtedly he loved this name which was given by her. 

Nandini:- ( impatiently ) Give me my phone back. 

Pihu nods negatively and puts the call on speaker. 

Nandini:- Shy boy? 

Hearing her voice Manik comes out from his land and a current passes his spine. 

Manik:- Hmm? 

Nandini:- Why did you call me at this hour, anything serious? 

Manik:- ( stammers because of shyness ) No… everything is fine here….. But….. Woh…… I wanted to…. Know….. 

Pihu:- ( while giggling ) Bui, Your Shy boy is shying…… 

Nandini:- ( to Pihu ) Shut up!… ( to Manik ) Say, what you want to say, Shy boy? 

Manik:- ( hesitating ) Woh… Did you reach home safely? 

Nandini:- Yup, I also informed Aunty long ago. 

Manik:- Oh… But Mom didn’t inform me about it. Ok, No problem……. Hmmm

He wants to talk to her some more time but couldn’t have the courage to do so. He is finding excuses to start a conversation but all his plans fail in front of her. 

Nandini:- What Hmmm? 

Manik:- Nothing……. Bye. 

Not finding anything to say, he cuts the call immediately and releases the breath that he is holding till now. 

Pihu:- ( pouting ) Bui, he cut the call but I want to talk to him more. He is interesting and a good man. 

Nandini:- ( while raising an eyebrow ) How do you know that he is a good man? 

Pihu:- Because he called you to ask whether you reached home safely or not. Isn’t that cute? Everyone calls you to ask for dates and all but HE IS DIFFERENT, right? 

Nandini:- ( smilingly ) Yes, HE IS DIFFERENT AND GOOD AND CUTE…..

Pihu giggles seeing her lost in his SHY BOY’s land. But soon her eyes widened with the fact that her Bui just praised a boy, a random boy. This fact scared her and she moved backward making Nandini confused. 

Pihu:- Who are you?……. Where is my Bui who hates boys as she hates cold food? 

Nandini:- What is the relation between boys and cold food? 

Pihu:- ( innocently ) My Bui hates both of them. That’s the relationship. 

Nandini:- Pihu, I am done with you. You are getting on my nerves now so, leave my room right now. 

Pihu:- ( emotionally ) You are not my Bui…… because she never threw me out of her room like that. 

Nandini:- ( rolling her eyes ) Oh… LITTLE MELODRAMA, don’t do emotional war on me. 

Other hand, Manik is still not getting any sleep. He is missing Nandini and doesn’t know why. His mind is roaming around her and Paras who is already throwing himself at her. For the very first time, he felt anger, possessiveness, and protectiveness for Nandini. 

Manik:- Why am I feeling all these for Nandini? 

He has a strong urge to see her but he has no courage to admit it. The situation is the same on another side too. Nandini is also missing a piece of her heart but she is bad at decoding that. Not wanting to keep an urge to hear him once before sleep, she calls his number. 

Manik picks up her call before the second ring and smiles wholeheartedly. 

Nandini:- Hello, Manik? 

Manik:- ( while grinning like a teenager ) Hello…

Nandini:- Did you fall asleep? 

Manik:- No… 

Soon Nandini realized what she was doing. Calling any boy just to hear his voice is not her cup of tea. She cursed himself before saying. 

Nandini:- then sleep! 

Saying this she cut the call making him pout cutely. 

Manik:- Did she call me just to know that? 

With their urges to see each other and to hear each other’s voices they slept. 

To be continued…