28. SHY BOY 2.0

Nandini:- Please baba Ji… MERE SHY BOY ko safe rakhna and thodi akal bhi dena. ( Please God, Keep MY SHY BOY safe and give him a little brain too. ) 

Manik pouts and looks at her with red eyes but did she care about his anger? He knows the answer, which is a big No. While she ignores him totally and takes out a small pendant from her bag. 

Nandini:- Shy boy, I also bought this for you. This is an evil eye reflector. ( Cutely ) Should I make you wear this? 

Manik nods, hiding his moist eyes. Today he has no words to describe how he feels seeing these little-little gestures. Whereas Nandini comes near him and makes him wear that pendant while saying. 

Nandini:- I hope this pendant will keep you away from every danger when I wasn’t beside you. 

Suddenly those last words of her’s stirred something in his heart. He turns around in an instant and pulls her with a jerk, sticking their fronts with each other. For the first time, he used his stern tone on her, making her surprised. 

Manik:- Where were you going away from me? ( Pointing at the pendant ) I don’t want this if you won’t stay with me. I WANT YOU, NOT THIS PENDANT TO KEEP THOSE EVIL EYES AWAY. 

For a second, Nandini felt good and found the different emotions in his eyes, as well as his tone, screamed possessiveness for her! He can do anything for her but the mere thought of her not staying with her killed him brutally. 

Nandini:- ( Palmed her face ) uff… Where do I go leaving my Shy boy all alone? 

She asks cutely but Manik doesn’t melt and looks at another side to avoid her. Now she understood that her Shy boy got angry with her but she didn’t know the reason. She looks at their position which warms her heart with immense love. 

Unknowingly they both are standing so close to each other that their breath is mingling. Both are aware of their proximity but no one is ready to break that touch of theirs or I would say Manik is not ready to let go of her waist. He is scared that if he leaves her then she would go away from him as others always do because of her introverted nature. 

But he is not aware of the fact that HIS FIREBALL is irrevocably in love with him. She won’t go anywhere because she is a hell of a possessive girl. 

With a naughty smile, Nandini pulled him even closer through his elbow, and in an instant, his heartbeat increased when their chest collided with each other giving him the feel of her bust. He looks down at her shorter frame and time stops for him. He knows what he felt for her is real and beyond his expectations but today he finds the same feelings in her eyes too. ARE THOSE EMOTIONS FOR HIM? The same question is running through his mind. 

Suddenly he remembered that he was angry with her and like an innocent child he turned his face away moving a little back, showing his tantrums to her. Nowadays he is showing a lot of tantrums to her as his heart knows that she will pamper him and will bear all his tantrums. 

Nandini giggles beautifully seeing Manik’s tantrums with that innocent pout intact on his lips. If she had time then she would eat him raw right now. But now she is running out of time, she smiles slightly and moves ahead cupping his cheeks. She placed her soft petal-like lips on his rough cheek. The kiss was soft and full of emotions that can be read by any person. In response, he closes his eyes in bliss while his cheeks turn red with blush. 

Nandini moves back after a while and doesn’t know what comes into Manik that he forwards his other cheek for another kiss. He was never a boy who will share such romantic moments with anyone but right now this feels correct. THEIR KISS FEELS RIGHT, THEIR CLOSENESS FEELS RIGHT, THEIR INTIMACY FEELS RIGHT, In short, THEY FEEL RIGHT!

His move brings shock to Nandini. If she won’t be a strong-headed girl then her eyeballs will come out of their sockets seeing HER SHY BOY doing what he is not made for. Nevertheless, she kisses his other cheek with the same emotion making his heart flutter with happiness. 

Finally, she moved back after a minute and both felt butterflies in their stomachs as they shared their FIRST-EVER CHEEK KISS. 

Nandini:- Good luck, Shy boy. Go and rock the stage! Make me proud!

Manik nods with red cheeks not meeting her eyes because of shyness and looks down to control his blush while Nandini notices a slight lipstick mark on his cheek which is very faint that no one would notice until they come into his private space. But not everyone comes there as it’s her territory. 

She raised her hand to wipe her lipstick stain from his cheeks which were caught by Manik in mid. He gives her a cute innocent smile and says. 

Manik:- Don’t! 

Nandini:- Shy boy, there is my lip mark on your cheek. I have to erase it…

Manik:- I know but…Don’t rub it. ( Sweetly ) Let it be with me as your good luck wishes. 

Nandini looks at him with wide eyes. Today she is seeing a different Shy boy who is a replica of her original Shy boy but his behavior is totally against his nature.

Nandini:- Shy boy, anyone can see it and it won’t look good. 

Manik:- ( Cutely ) Are you scared of anyone? 

Nandini:- No! 

Manik:- Then, I don’t care. It’s your good luck and it is too light. No one can see it. 

Nandini nods still lost in the moment and he hears the announcement of his name. He has to leave right now but he chose to complete one incomplete task before going on the stage. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at his Fireball. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek while murmuring a thank you. He has the urge to bite her chubby cheek but he stops his heart anyhow. In a second he walks out of the room without meeting her eyes with those red cheeks which turned the deepest shade of red after his stunt. 

Here, Nandini looks at his retreating figure with wide eyes and stumbles. She never expected that her shy boy would take this bold step. 

Nandini:- HE FREAKING KISSED ME!… ( Looking at the ceiling with an adorable pout ) God, today I just asked you to give some brain to my Shy boy so that he can see my feelings… but… But what did you do to MY ORIGINAL SHY BOY? 

It’s true that she went to the temple today and wished that HER SHY BOY would understand her feelings and love her as much as she does. She wished for his success and also wished to give them a happy future if they are meant to be. But she didn’t know that her god would fulfill her wish in an hour.

Practically god didn’t just fulfill her wish, he just changed her shy boy which she can’t expect. 

Nandini:- I understand that you want the best for me ( Cribs ) but… I want my ORIGINAL and OLD SHY BOY back. 

The god was like, “What have I done?” 

Nandini:- ( sheepishly ) But… I love this SHY BOY 2.0 too. 

She squeals like a teenager looking at her reflection in the mirror. Unknowingly her hand goes to the place where he kissed and she could not stop herself from caressing the same cheek. After a second the realization dawned upon her, making her laugh wholeheartedly. 

Nandini:- Now my Shy boy will not meet my eyes for a week. ( Going aww on him ) Haye…. MY BLUSHY SHY BOY! 

Otherside Manik too bites his lower lip and caresses his cheek while climbing the stairs to reach the stage. He is blushing and also thinking of an excuse to avoid her until he gets over his shyness as expected by Nandini.

He heard the roar of the thousands of people as soon as he reached the stage and all of a sudden his calmness left him but he composed himself for the sake of his parents and NANDINI who invested her precious time into him. 

Manik:- ( determined ) Manik, you have to do it! For Mumma-Papa and Fireball. 

Giving a charming smile to the audience, he sits on the chair which is present in the middle of the stage and fixes mike according to his need while adjusting his guitar in his lap. The audience is going crazy to hear a new voice while Manik’s ex-friends are ready to throw tomatoes at him after hearing his crap song. 

For a change, most of the girls are crushing over his looks and smile which he didn’t care about. 

He closed his eyes and opened them only to find the three most important people of his life standing in the front row only for him. They are none other than his parents and Nandini. Seeing them, all the nervousness went down the drain and a sudden confidence boosted him. He tunes his guitar and his fingers do wonder on the strings, making the auditorium silent. 

Some of the girls were impressed seeing the way his fingers create music while some are eager to hear his voice. The boys are also lost in the charm of his music and just swing their bodies according to beats. 

When Manik sings the first line of his song, the atmosphere goes frozen. It didn’t take much time for Manik to impress anyone except his ex-friend who was looking at him in shock. 

Alya:- How can he sing so well?

Her boyfriend:- I am thinking the same… He was a coward then… How can he sing beautifully in front of thousands of people? 

They didn’t come out from his shock but Manik completed his first song which is based on friendship. The auditorium goes mad after hearing a song they can relate to 200 percent. 

Manik opens his eyes and looks at his mother and Nandini who are murmuring prayers silently which makes him happy. He roams his eyes and the loud squeals go higher giving him his confidence back. He loved all the shouts and squeals which made him realize that HE IS NOT USELESS, HIS TALENT IS NOT USELESS. 

Today, he understood that he will achieve his dream of becoming a rockstar because this time he has his lucky charm, HIS FIREBALL with him who will show him the right path. 

To be continued…