11. MONSTER KIDNAPPER!

The room is silent like a deathbed only the insects’ voices can be heard through the window with Nandini’s small cute curses which Manik is unable to understand because she is murmuring under her breath. He is looking at her with intense eyes, making her annoyed as well. 

Nandini is angry and frustrated as she is unable to cover her fronts while the MONSTER KIDNAPPER is glaring at her like he will eat her up if she doesn’t cover herself properly. She looks at her blouse and whins, cutely, “Ayyappa!… Is monster kidnapper ko samajh nahi aata ki mujhse yeah close nahi ho raha hai toh aakar is bechari ladki ki help kar du… Khadus monster kidnapper kahi ka.” ( Uff, Ayiappa… Doesn’t this Monster kidnapper understand that I can’t close these hooks? Can’t he come and help me, Rude monster kidnapper? Huh! ) She glances at him from the corner eyes and gasps inaudibly seeing his gaze only at herself. She again whins and murmurs annoyingly, “Is monster kidnapper ki toh aakhe hi nahi hatt rahi hai mujh par se… Ah…ah… aab kya karu?” ( He keeps gawking at me… ah… stupid monster kidnapper!… Now, what will I do? ) After a pause, her little bulb-like brain glows bringing a bright smile to her lips. She again looks at him from her corner eyes and turns around a little towards the wall, hiding from his predator’s eyes.

Manik is noticing her all actions and the way her lips move inaudibly and tries hard to know what she is mumbling but alas he doesn’t know the lip-sign language, much to Nandini’s relief. But if he knows what she is calling him then, that would be her last day, most probably. Although he is trying hard to stay away from this girl alas, he can’t even walk a step away from her since he saw her in front of his eyes. Till yesterday, he wished to see her once before meeting his death but now when she is in front of him, he doesn’t even want to go near her, maybe because of his fear of losing her again. Her face, her antics, and her lips are becoming his weakness which he is not aware of. Above all, his protective and possessive side has woken again and multiplied a thousand times unlike before. HE DOESN’T WANT TO SEE HER FACE BUT AT THE SAME TIME WANTS TO LOOK AT HER TILL HIS LAST BREATH, SUCH A COMPLICATED PERSONALITY HE IS. 

He cringe his eyebrows seeing how she hide herself from his eyes and this made him mad. He won’t confess but he was liking her cute pouts, her whining every second, and the way her lips moves inaudibly. But now, he is mad at her. He digs a hole in her back seeing her antics and said possessively, “Yeh kya kar rahi ho?” ( What are you doing? ) 

Nandini gets alert hearing his tone and goosebumps erupts all over her body that’s how he affects her. Being an innocent girl she asks, “Kya aapko bhulne ki bimari hai?” ( Do you have amnesia? ) 

“Kya?” At first, Manik didn’t get what she said but her words hurt his ego. His eyes turn red with immense anger which is ready to explode. ( What? ) 

Nandini didn’t see his eyes, that’s why she simply continued, “Toh, andhe ho?” She pouts with a frown upon hearing his question. Didn’t he order her to hook her blouse properly just a minute ago? Then, why is he asking such stupid questions? Poor girl doesn’t know that he is asking a question because she ignores him and turns her face which makes him unable to look at the face which he has been longing to see for years. ( So, are you blind? ) 

“Tumhe pata bhi hai ki tum kisse baat kar rahi hoon? Mai tumhe yaha se bahut dur bhej sakta hoo jaha se tum kabhi wapas nahi aa payogi…” Manik said angrily while trying to get a glimpse of her face but that STUBBORN GIRL is not ready to oblige him. Those innocent answers or questions of hers are giving him solace which he will not accept. ( Do you even know to whom you are talking? I can send you away from where you can’t even come back… ) 

“Hume pata hai ki hum aap se baat kar rahe hai aur aap hume kahi dur nahi bhej sakte kyuki abhi hamara passport nahi bana hai. Aur waise bhi ghar se toh itna dur le aaye ho toh ab aur kitna dur leke jayogai?” Nandini replies innocently, making his eyes wide at her reply. ( I know that I am talking to you but you can’t send me anywhere because I don’t have my passport. By the way, you bring me here away from my home now, where will you take me more? ) 

She understood one thing, this MONSTER KIDNAPPER will not harm her. He did her bandage and calmed her when she was panicking because of fear. Although he is the one who gave her a wound but he treated that too which no one does for her till now. So, her fear took the back seat that’s why she is giving him innocent replies. This doesn’t mean that she is not scared anymore. She is a little doll who will get scared by small-small things. But unknown to herself, she got the courage to stand against him and back answer him. 

“Aye… Pagal AURAT!… Mere sawaal ka sidha-sidha jawab do.” Manik said in a rage while gritting his teeth out of anger giving murderous looks to her. At the same time, he looks around to see if someone heard them or not. If anyone hears them then, it would be so embarrassing for him. He is known as the HEARTLESS GANGSTER but now this MINIATURE is crushing his ego in a second. Everyone is scared of him and this MINIATURE is back answering him so casually. ( You… Stupid LADY!… Answer my questions in simple words. ) 

Nandini got angry hearing “AURAT ”. Her self-esteem got hurt, making her annoyed and in a swift, she faced him angrily while saying, “Yeah band karne ki koshish kar rahi ho jo aap ne bola hai. ( Pointing at her blouse ) Par yeah aapki tarah KHADUS or ZIDDI hai meri sun hi nahi rahe hai.” She ends up glaring at him because he dared to call her “A LADY!”. Is it not shameful for an eighteen-year-old girl? ( I am trying to close these hooks but these are RUDE and STUBBORN just like you because they are not listening to me. ) 

Manik looks at her with wide eyes. First, she dared to glare at him and second, she called him KHADUS and ZIDDI. But the way she calls him “AAP” something stirs in him again, for a moment he keeps that away and focuses on her. “One second, What did you just call me?” He couldn’t believe what he heard, so he asks to confirm. “Huh!… Kya bola?”

“Lo aab deaf bhi ho gaye.” Nandini said while rolling her eyes, making him angrier. In a swift, he grabbed her arms in his tight grip and looked into her eyes with rage. She shivers and averts her eyes not having the courage to look at him. Both felt the shiver with their closeness but he didn’t let those feelings overpower his senses. He pulls her closer and tightens his grip around her arms, making her cry in pain. ( Now you have become deaf too. )

For a split second, he felt good seeing her tears because he cried the same way when she left him. But his love for her is beyond those emotions. Now, he doesn’t want to see her cry but his anger is what he can’t control,  “Bahut zyada nahi bol rahi ho… Aur yeah aasu kise dhikha rahi ho?” ( Don’t you think that you are talking so much… and to whom you are showing these tears? ) 

Nandini cried harder and seeing her tears Manik immediately left her arms while she said, cutely, “Toh mai kya karu?… ( Pointing at her blouse ) Yeah band bhi nahi ho raha hai aur aap…” She stops in mid and looks at him accusingly, “App ne bhi toh mujhe Aurat bola… Kya mai aapko Aurat lagti ho?” ( So, what will I do? These hooks are not clamping and you… you are calling me a lady!… Do I look like a lady to you? ) 

“Huh!…” Manik again felt like he heard something wrong but seeing her pout and accusing eyes he understood and murmured with a neutral face, “Pagal ladki!…” ( Stupid girl!… ) 

“Haa… yeah better hai.” ( Ya,… this is better. ) Nandini smiles instantly and replies still crying while he rolls his eyes at her. He pulls his hair in frustration and murmurs angrily giving her nasty looks, “Kaha fas gaya mai?” ( Where did I get stuck? )

Hearing his words, Nandini looks at him with hate and looks at the ceiling while murmuring under her breath, “Ayyappa… aapko nahi lagta ki yeah line toh meri hone chahiye thi. Mai fhass gayi hoo is Monster Kidnapper ke sath.”  ( Ayiappa,… don’t you think that these were my words? I am the one who got stuck with this Monster Kidnapper. ) 

“Yeah chapar-chapar band karo aur jo bola hai woh karo nahi toh agle panch minto mai, mai ise bhi phadd dooga… understood?” Manik threatens her by pointing at her blouse, making her cry again. But he is also right at his place. He knows that someone would come anytime and he doesn’t want them to look at HER with dirty thoughts. That’s why he is behaving strictly with her. ( Stop your blabberings and hear me out, if you didn’t close this within 5 minutes then I won’t stop myself  from ripping that for you. ) 

Nandini nods scaredly and wraps her hands around her chest looking into his eyes with a pout. But much to Manik’s annoyance, Aditya enters while whistling, and seeing him in the room Manik covers her by standing in front of her to save her from Adi’s eyes. His possessiveness was at its peak whenever he saw any other man around her. He tries every possible effort to deny the fact but his heart and body still have feelings for that one face that she got. Nandini and Aditya both didn’t know about this move, so he is safe.

He stood between Aditya and Nandini like a wall while rudely asking Adi, “Kya kaam hai?” ( What is the work? ) 

Aditya took a back hearing his rude tone and palms his face, “Kuch kaam nahi hai Bhai… mai toh bus is ladki to dekhne aaya tha.” ( There is no work brother… I had just come to see this girl. ) 

And this is enough to awaken the Monster in Manik. He fists his hand and was ready to give a punch to Aditya who comes just to see HIS NANDINI. HIS NANDINI? He asks himself. 

To be continued…