51. LOVE-TEST!

Pihu is calming Nandini who is going overboard because the urge of kissing her shy boy increases per second. She is noticing her shy boy who is following Karan with red eyes and gathering the courage to punch right in his eyes. She giggles and again turns her attention towards Pihu while pouting innocently. 

Nandini:- ( Pleading ) Just one kiss, Pihu. Please… ( Lovingly ) Just look at him, how cute he is looking while following Karan like his shadow!

Pihu:- ( Irritatingly ) That is the matter, Bui. He is following him rather than you. He should be behind you to get your attention but look, he is following him. ( Doubtfully ) I am telling you, you should confirm whether he is interested in you or HIM. 

Nandini:- ( Smacking her head ) Stupid!… He is doing that because of me. 

Pihu:- Because of you?

Nandini:- ( Dreamily ) You won’t understand him. Now, I can’t hold back the urge to take him in my arms and kiss the hell out of him. I am going. 

Pihu:- ( Semi yelled ) Bui, you will ruin our plan. 

Nandini stopped abruptly and cried while making a bad face. She curses her faith and yells getting mad over Manik. 

Nandini:- ( Frustratingly ) Who told that stupid Shy boy to act so lovely? I am unable to stop myself from rushing to get him. 

Soon Karan approaches them, breaking their conversation, and encircles his hand around Nandini’s bare waist, unaware of the pair of eyes that is digging a hole in his body from the back. Nandini rolls her eyes angrily and turns around in a second to punch the hell out of him but Pihu lashes at him angrily before her. 

Pihu:- ( Possessively ) Oye serious actor, stop touching my Bui here and there. You have to touch her only when we ask you to. 

Karan:- But Manik is looking at us so I placed my hand on her to show my rights. 

Nandini looks at Manik from the corner eyes and melts seeing his wet eyes. She can’t see tears in his eyes and now, she starts feeling ashamed of her drama because of which she is hurting her love. The regret flashed in her eyes in a second which changed her decision to play with his emotions. 

Nandini:- ( Calmly ) I can’t continue this! 

Hearing her, Pihu looks at her with wide eyes while Karan shouts too but they are interrupted by Manik’s parents who are noticing them for a very long time.  

Ritu:- Why don’t you want to continue, Nandini? Lose the LOVE-TEST so soon? 

Rajesh:- Didn’t I say to you Ritu, this generation doesn’t know the feeling of burning in love? They easily get tired of each other and forget the love whom they claim to love till death. 

Nandini felt offended and replied unaware of their instigation. 

Nandini:- ( Tiredly ) I didn’t forget my love for Manik but… 

Ritu:- Then, what, Nandini? 

Nandini:- ( Helplessly ) I can’t see tears in his eyes which I am causing because of our drama. 

Rajesh:- These tears are meant for a few days. He will understand your value in his life rather than cry his whole life because of not accepting you. 

Ritu:- Do you want him to cry his whole life? 

Nandini:- ( Cutely ) No!…

Pihu:- Then, the plan is on…

Nandini nods and lets a tear slip from her eyes which was instantly wiped by Karan. He rubbed her cheeks with unknown affection only to hear a loud groan from his back which gained everyone’s attention. From the corner of her eyes, Nandini noticed Manik who was spitting fire from his eyes intending to burn Karan alive. 

Rajesh:- ( Amusingly ) I never knew that my son can be so possessive for anyone. 

Nandini:- ( With wide eyes ) Ya… I am also seeing this behavior of his for the first time. ( With a grin ) But, I am loving it. 

Karan looked back and gulped seeing the rage in Manik’s eyes for him. His hand automatically slips down from Nandini’s waist but the rage in his eyes for him is still there. 

Karan:- ( Scaredly ) Nandini Ma’am, please, think once again. I am feeling like my death is near to me and it is reaching me through your boyfriend. 

Pihu:- Nothing will happen to you. Keep faith in us. ( Commands ) Keep your hand back on her waist and kiss her forehead (Threatening him ) But, don’t you dare to touch her with your lips. 

Karan:- Then, how can I kiss her? 

Pihu:- ( With narrowed eyes ) You just have to act like kissing her forehead. Don’t forget that you are an actor, not her real boyfriend. 

Pihu commanded and went back to her location while Manik’s parents also accompanied the little devil. 

Rajesh:- ( Asks from Pihu ) By any chance, are you Nandini’s daughter? 

Ritu smacks his hand and shows her eyes to keep him mum but Pihu innocently answers. 

Pihu:- No!… Not a biological daughter but I am nothing less than her real daughter. Why did you ask? 

Rajesh:- Woh… There are many similarities between you two. You both are alike DEVILS. 

Pihu gives him stern looks and focuses on the drama which is unfolding in front of them while Rajesh signs in relief. 

Here, Karan bends down a little to kiss Nandini’s forehead but something unexpected happens AGAIN. Manik walked towards them in a rush, just a moment before Karan’s lips touched her forehead, and pulled Nandini in his arms, making her stiff. 

He eyes Karan dangerously as if warning him of the sin he is going to commit by kissing his Fireball. She looks at him with wide eyes and finds jealousy and possessiveness for her in his eyes. 

Manik rubs her cheeks which are touched by Karan a second before and dusts her forehead which is going to feel Karan’s lips rather than his. 

Manik:- ( Giving an excuse ) Fireball, there is something… let me remove it. 

He wipes the imaginary dust from her forehead, making enough space between her and Karan so that not even his shadow could touch HIS FIREBALL. Whereas Nandini hides her giggle but it is so difficult for her to keep her heart sane seeing him behaving so cutely. He wrapped his hand around her waist and dragged her away from Karan while stomping his foot, angrily. 

Karan yelled in pain while Manik smiles in victory and Pihu and Nandini find it too hard to control their laugh. He murmurs something under his breath that is inaudible to Nandini but for the very first time, she felt that he used abusive language for Karan. 

Keeping her amusement aside she saw that Manik bought her in the garden away from the party setup to get much-needed privacy. She is going mad in love seeing his gestures and quietly follows him to start her next act. Unknown to them, Pihu and Manik’s parents also followed them accompanied by Navya who saw them going somewhere in the dark. 

To start her act, Nandini pulled her hand back from his hold, making him shocked and yelled. 

Nandini:- Manik, why are you dragging me? 

Manik:- ( Innocently ) Fireball, he is touching you and coming closer to you. Don’t you understand? He is interested in you. ( Getting hurt by her ) Why are you letting him touch you? 

Nandini:- When did he touch me? 

Manik:- (Frustratingly) He touched you here… ( Cups her waist, making her gasp ) and rubbed your cheeks like this… ( He also rubs her cheek to feel the smoothness of her skin. ) He is also going to kiss you here… 

He is going to put his lips on her forehead to show how that boy is going to kiss her skin but Nandini moves back and in an instant, a hurt flashed in his eyes. He saw her resistance to his touch and hardly stopped his tear to slip down. 

Nandini:- When did he kiss me? 

Manik:- ( Innocently answers ) He didn’t kiss you but he is going to…

Nandini:- So, what? 

Hearing her answer, Manik gets a little angry and asks in a high-pitched tone. 

Manik:- What do you mean by that? Would you let anyone kiss you? 

Nandini:- ( Shrugging her shoulder carelessly ) Ya… just like WE KISSED YESTERDAY. 

Yesterday’s kiss flashed in front of his eyes like a movie but he took a back when she compared THEIR KISS to any other random kisses. 

Manik:- Was that just a RANDOM KISS for you? 

Nandini sensed the fury in his tone and turned her back to avoid looking at him as his innocent eyes were making her weak. Before she could answer him back, he asked her again in a rough tone that he didn’t even know he could speak. 

Manik:- ( Emphasizing each word ) WAS THAT JUST A RANDOM KISS FOR YOU? 

Nandini closes her eyes to take the final step of her plan and gathers the courage to speak while looking straight into his eyes. 

Nandini:- DOES IT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU AS FAR AS I REMEMBER YOU DON’T FEEL ANYTHING FOR ME. 

Her tone is nothing but instigating. Manik moved his hand in his hair, angrily and flared his nose in extreme frustration. 

Manik:- This is not the answer to my question, Fireball. 

Nandini hides her smile seeing the way he didn’t forget to use her nickname given by him rather than calling her Nandini. But being a stubborn girl, she is adamant to answer his question, directly. 

Nandini:- Why are you talking about the kiss all of a sudden? THAT HAPPENED IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMEN…

Before she could complete her sentence, Manik grabbed the back of her head roughly and smacked his lips with hers, giving her a heart attack. He cups her face with his other hand but there is no gentleness in his touch. He pulls her nearer and nearer with his hold on the back of her head giving her no chance to reciprocate the dominating kiss. 

To be continued…