21. FIREBALL…

At night, Nandini parked her scooter in front of Manik’s house. He get down from her scooter and turned around to say goodbye but found her lost in thoughts.

From the shopping incident, she is just thinking about the way she felt around him. Never in her life has she got possessive till now but for him, she felt that emotion which she is unaware of. Many questions are running marathons in her mind and heart for which she has no answers. 

Manik shook her a little to bring her back from her land and asked worriedly. 

Manik:- Nandini, are you fine? 

Nandini nods her head instantly like a robot without a word, making him surprised. 

Manik:- ( surprisingly ) No sarcastic answer! How is this possible? 

His words gain her attention, making her look at him with cornered eyes. Till now he gets annoyed after getting numerous sarcastic comments from her but right now NO SARCASM is also snatching his sleep. 

Manik:- you are not MY FIERCE GIRL!… ( Worriedly ) Who are you? 

Nandini:- ( annoyingly ) Shy boy, go inside before I run my scooter on you and break all your 206 bones. 

Hearing her, Manik took relief to breathe and murmured. 

Manik:- Thank god! I got my FIERCE GIRL BACK. ( To Nandini, concernedly ) Call me once when you reach home, I won’t sleep until I get a call from you. 

Without having a second look at her face he turned around after burying the urge to kiss her forehead to assure himself that she will be safe. Nandini looks at his retreating figure and calls him loudly, making him turn back in a second. 

Manik:- Huh?

Nandini:- Why will you wait for my call? Why do you care whether I reached my home or not? 

Manik took back hearing her questions because he is also not aware of his feelings for her. He doubts his feelings but the way he gets tensed on little-little things which is related to her cleared his 90% doubts. Still, HE DOESN’T WANT TO FALL IN LOVE AGAIN. He licks his dry lips in nervousness and innocently answers. 

Manik:- ( innocently ) Maybe because I want to make sure that YOU ARE SAFE AND AROUND ME. 

Nandini nods a little and Manik again turns to go back to his house but suddenly she remembers the Salesgirl and the only thought of her is enough to ignite the flame in her. She calls him back again who turns back in a second as if waiting to spend some more time with her but is hesitating. 

Nandini:- ( sternly ) Shy boy, have a bath and change your clothes as soon as you reach your room. Understood? 

Manik:- ( confusingly ) But, Why? This is not a time for a bath. 

Nandini:- ( authoritatively ) You have to bathe because I am saying, that’s it! 

Manik:- ( cribs ) Why?

Nandini:- ( possessively ) Because you are smelling like that Salesgirl. 

Manik:- Salesgirl? Who? And, How can I smell like her? 

Manik already forgot about that Salesgirl because he doesn’t care about any other girl except HIS FIERCE GIRL! 

Nandini:- ( with narrowed eyes ) Should I give you a demo? 

Manik gulps his saliva seeing her wide red eyes which are scarier than a monster. Like an obedient student, he nods and runs inside the house to take a bath as per her order.

After almost 40 minutes of the ride, Nandini reached her home and as per her habit entered the house through the window like a thief. She is lost in HER SHY BOY thoughts that’s why she didn’t see her whole family at the dining table having their dinner. 

Cabir saw her entering the house through a window and palmed his face, making the other two ladies giggle. 

Cabir:- ( sarcastically ) MY DEAR HEADACHE, I personally designed a beautiful gate for entry and exit. So, I will feel privileged if you TRY to enter through that gate like a princess not like a thief from the windows. 

Nandini rolls her eyes seeing her brother trying to be sarcastic but he doesn’t know that she has a degree in this course. 

Nandini:- The gate was locked, Brother. 

Cabir:- ( disappointedly ) Oh… so sad! But you know, I spent some extra thousand and installed a doorbell which surprisingly works too! You can take an effort to press that doorbell and we will open the gate for you, simple. 

Nandini:- ya, it’s simple but the thrill which I feel from entering through the window is unimaginable. You won’t understand that. 

Cabir nods his head in disbelief while Pihu hi-fi with her Bui, making Navya giggle at her craziest Sister-in-law’s nature. 

Navya:- Nandini, you come on the right time. Come, have dinner with us. 

Nandini:- ( tiredly ) No Bhabhi, I am not hungry. 

Saying this she stood up from her chair and walks out from there unaware of the bomb she threw on her Bhai and Bhabhi while Pihu is looking at her back with a mischievous smirk. 

Navya:- ( worriedly ) Hey Bhagwaan, kya hogaya hai meri Nandu ko? Kahin kisi ne kaala jaadu toh nahi kar diya is par? ( Oh my god! What happened to my Nandu? Did someone do black-magic on her? ) 

Cabir:- ( with wide eyes ) Navya, I am thinking the same… NANDINI=FOOD=NO HUNGER…. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? 

Pihu:- ( with a smirk, cutting her father in mid ) Kaala jaadu nahi PYAAR KA JAADU HAI. ( It’s not black magic, dad… It is LOVE’S MAGIC. ) 

Cabir:- Huh? 

Pihu:- ( happily ) Oye… Bui chali apne SASURAL re….. 

Navya understands that there is something that Pihu knows but Nandini is unaware of that whereas Cabir is as usual clueless. It’s a fact that he won’t understand all these three ladies in this birth. 

Cabir:- ( confusingly ) What are you talking about? 

Pihu:- ( tiredly, while looking at her clueless father ) Uff… this generation is so stupid. 

Cabir smacks her head, making her cry dramatically. 

Otherside, Nandini reached her room and immediately called Manik who was resting on his bed and thinking about HIS FIERCE GIRL. A smile graced his lips without his knowledge until his cell phone rang while flashing the name “FIREBALL” and he picked up her call on the third ring. 

Yup, he changed her name from Fierce girl to “FIREBALL” as he finds it more relatable. 

Nandini:- ( impatiently ) Kaha par ho? ( Where are you? ) 

Manik:- ( confusingly ) Bed par… ( On my bed… ) 

Nandini:- ( with narrowed eyes ) Kiske? ( Whose bed? ) 

Manik looked at his mobile screen with wide eyes hearing her question and replied in a reflex. 

Manik:- Aapne… aur kiske? ( Mine!… or whose? ) 

Nandini:- Hmm… Had a bath? 

Manik:- yes… ( after a silence ) Did you reach home safely? 

Nandini:- Hmm

Manik:- ( concernedly ) Are you alright? 

He is concerned about her because the way she is behaving from the morning is something strange. 

Nandini:- Hmm… Why did you ask? 

Manik:- just randomly… 

Nandini hummed in response and tried to cut the call because she is drowning more and more in the feeling of which she is unaware. 

Nandini:- ok…….. So bye… 

Manik:- ( yelled ) No! 

Nandini:- What? Do you want to say something? 

Manik:- umm… No…. ok, Bye… 

Manik bites his lower lip in nervousness as he is getting tense thinking about his tomorrow’s performance at the college. He is wanting to put his stress in front of her but the words are ditching him. He knows that she is the only one who is his stressbuster. His heart starts beating with dual speed, making his stress bigger and bigger. 

There is a saying that your real SOULMATE will understand your thoughts even before you put them in words and the same happened this time with Nandini. It won’t take a second for her to understand his dilemma, making her chuckle at his cuteness. 

Nandini:- Shy boy, don’t be nervous. I am sure that tomorrow you will give your best performance. 

Manik:- ( scaredly ) Are you sure? I don’t know but I am not getting good vibes. What if something went wrong? What if I forgot my song during the performance? What if the students don’t like my voice? What if…..

Nandini:- Yaa… What if the stage collapses because of your horrible voice? ( with horrific expressions ) What if the audience claims to get their money back and the worst thing is… what if your voice cracks their eardrums?

Manik understood that she was taunting him for thinking negatively. 

Manik:- ( innocently ) Sorry… 

Nandini:- ( sarcastically ) Yaa… right! Practice this word because tomorrow you have to apologize to your audience after rupturing their eardrums. 

Manik stays quiet and hears her scoldings like a good student with a pout. After two minutes of silence, Nandini calms herself and continues with a love-filled voice. 

Nandini:- Shy boy, Why do you always think negatively about yourself? You have an amazing talent and a phenomenal voice. I know tomorrow is a very big day for you but TRUST ME you will do great. Don’t get nervous or underconfident, you will shine tomorrow like the brightest star. 

To be continued…