82. IGNORANCE!

Nan:- Manik, I am still waiting. 

She is still waiting for Manik’s answer while tapping her one foot on the floor. Whereas he is avoiding looking at her like a scared lovesick puppy. His heart accelerates with Nandini’s foot taps. 

Ma:- ( scaredly ) promise me that, you won’t faint. 

Nandini looks at him confusingly and asks. 

Nan:- won’t you think that your statement would be “Nandini won’t be mad at me after hearing me”. 

Ma:- ( confidently ) No…. no…. I know you!……. You are going to be mad at me for sure. 

Nandini sharpens her eyes and seeing her stubbornness he tells her everything from the start to the end. As soon as the story proceeds Nandini’s eyes widen at equal intervals. At last, she slumped on the couch while palming her lips in shock. 

Nan:- all this happened without my knowledge? 

Ma:- ( trying to gain sympathy ) yup!….. and you know what I am….. 

Nandini cuts him in mid. 

Nan:- ( worriedly ) my father went through all this, alone? 

Manik moves back immediately and looks at her accusingly. 

Ma:- here boyfriend is trying to gain sympathy but look at the girlfriend she is getting worried about her father, ignoring me. 

Nan:- why would you be trying to get my sympathy? All that happened because of you. 

Ma:- ( shockingly ) what me? 

Nan:- yes, you!…………. Go back in the memory lane and see Who started the romance in the washroom? 

Ma:- ( getting offended ) no….. no……it was not me…… Your emotions were high that time. You are the one who lost control….. 

Nan:- ( stubbornly, cutting him in mid ) no…. I don’t want to hear anything. You are at fault and that’s it. Now, don’t talk to me. You hide this thing from me now bear the punishment. 

Saying this she walks out from there giving him murderous looks. 

Ma:- ah….. Her mood swings will kill me one day. I wish my daughter wouldn’t get her moods like her mother or else her boyfriend will get mad like me…… ( immediately realized ) NO…… my daughter will not have any boyfriend and I will make sure that she will stay away from boys. 

He stomped his foot on the floor and walked in the opposite direction. He is so much in his thoughts that didn’t realize when he banged with someone. 

Ca:- what the hell!….. Are you blind? Or you are just finding excuses to touch me? 

Ma:- ( angrily ) oh…. TOUCH ME! TOUCH ME! KATRINA…… get aside before I break your not-so-touchable bones. 

Ignoring Cabir royally, he walks forward making him smirk. 

Ca:- aw…. Angry Manik is a treat to tease. 

With a mischievous look, he walked behind him and circled his arm around his neck making him stop in his way. 

Ca:- why is your mercury increasing? 

Ma:- ( getting irritated) Can’t you brother-sister talk in human’s language?

Ca:- ( thinking dramatically ) We can!…… but we prefer using new vocabulary. 

Manik glares at him, making him giggle. 

Ca:- with your behavior, I conclude that the reason behind your increasing mercury level is my sister. 

Ma:- ( while making a bad face ) yes!….. The reason behind my increasing mercury, venus, earth, mars….. Pluto’s level is only NANDINI. 

Ca:- hey, you forgot Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 

Ma:- Here, I am sharing my current misery with you and you are making a joke about it. 

Ca:- ok sorry…… you continued with your story. 

Ma:- you know what, I told her ( Nandini ) how dad and Raman uncle got to know about us and all the scoldings, the pain I got after that. Hearing all this she is not worried about me, she is worried about our fathers that they faced all this alone. Can you imagine? ……………. I know I was at fault because I hid this from her but still I want her to be worried about me. 

Ca:- uff…. Manik look, you know girls become sensitive when it comes to their father. And not to forget, Nandini is a father’s girl.   

Ma:- ( cutely ) I know!…….. But, I want her to pamper me. And don’t you think that the punishment is unnecessary? 

Ca:- no… you were at fault, Manik. You hide it from her and remember it you shouldn’t hide anything from your better half or else ( remembering something ) the consequences won’t be good. 

Ma:- ( mischievously ) I think experience is talking here. 

Ca:- shut up!…. Focus on what I said. 

Ma:- I understand but I won’t talk to Nandini. Today, I will ignore her as Raman uncle and Abhi ignore your presence because she blamed me unnecessarily.

Ca:- ( while glaring at him ) one second….. One second… when my father and bhai ignores me? 

Ma:- every time………

Saying this he immediately left from there making him angry. 

Ca:- I won’t leave you, Manik. ( while looking at the sky ) Nandini’s ayyappa saves us from these two love birds. Today they are on a mission to ignore each other which is next to impossible. Give my father a good heart so, that he will easily tackle their moves and kisses. 

In the evening, the garden area is decorated like some royal dance hall. All the ladies are dressed in heavily black colored gowns with shimmering gold masquerade masks on their faces, looking like princesses. Whereas all the men are giving compliments to their respective ladies with the same colored three-piece suit and with their unique masks. 

Throughout the day, Manik and Nandini never talked with each other. Although they keep eye on each other but hidingly. At the party too, they are keeping distance and giving cold shoulder to each other. Both are adamant to show their stubbornness. 

Raj:- ( while looking at the love birds ) only today we all got to know about their relationship and only today they are behaving as EX. 

Abhi:- but…… what happened, why are they behaving like lost enemies? 

Raman:- ( dramatically ) lost enemies!……. They are giving each other break-up looks. 

Currently, Nandini is having a light-hearted conversation with Aryaman whereas Manik is sulking with passing time seeing them together. He just wants to go there and pull her away from everyone who is eyeing her. Now, he is regretting picking this gown for her as she is looking sexily hot in that. Her body tone, features, and her curves are just cherry on the top. 

Ma:- ( while shooting daggers at all the boys who are looking at his girlfriend ) don’t they have a mother and sisters at home? 

Ca:- why are you getting annoyed? You are the one who decided to ignore her and now you are just focusing on her moves. Let my sister live her life… 

Ma:- shut up, sister’s brother. Only my mind decided to ignore her but my heart is still focused on her. Just look at those boys……. all are giving me vibes of desperate horny boys who are ready to do anything to get a girlfriend. ( cutely ) MY NANDU!!!

Both got distracted when a girl approached Manik. 

Well, the situation is the same on the other side too. Nandini is also looking at Manik from the corner eyes but she is not jealous when he is talking with a girl. She understood the girl’s intention by having a glance at her hands which were desperately wanting to touch him. For her only Manik matters. She trusts him blindly. She knows that her Manik will never look at any other girl except her. 

Apart from that, Harshad Saxena with his father enters the hall making Malhotra’s and Murthy shocked. 

Manish:- hello lovely people….. 

Raman:- ( angrily ) what are you doing here, Manish? 

Manish:- uff…. Raman, your best friend didn’t tell you that he invited me?

Raj:- what rubbish!….. Why would I invite a person like you? 

Manish:- ( with a smug smile ) yaa…. Why would you invite me?……….. Don’t you know that all the shareholders of Murthy’s industries are invited? So, am I. 

Then, all realized that indeed he is one of the shareholders of the Murthy’s industry. Out of nowhere Harshad’s eyes land on Manik. 

Harshad:- hello, my brother….. 

Manik looks at him surprisingly and walks towards him. 

Manik:- what are you doing here, Harshad? 

Harshad:- enjoying the party. By the way, I must say you did a good job. ( while admiring the decoration ) 

Manik:- well, I wish I could say this too……. ( while looking at Manish ) to your father but my bad luck, you are not as good as you are supposed to be. 

The younger gang giggles because Manik insulted Father-Son on their faces. Harshad comes closer to him, angrily but he gets disturbed by a voice that gives him chills. 

Nandini:- dad…… ( to Raj ) uncle, everyone is calling you. 

Harshad’s eyes are just stuck on her face which is glowing in the lights. He eyed her from top to bottom.

His behavior was noticed by Manik and he immediately comes in front of Nandini to cover her from Harshad’s eyes. Without any delay, the others walk out from there taking Nandini with them. 

Ma:- ( angrily ) don’t you dare to look at her like that…… 

Harshad:- why? Is she yours? 

To be continued…