The Bet - [Manan] #Book1 | ✓

thirty four

" I need to go washroom." Soha mumbled and started to drag Aryaman along with him and without putting up any questions Aryaman just held her so she won't fall and they walked off to downstairs. When Nandini stopped fiddling with her fingers and raised her head she found Manik was staring at her. No one being around them, the silence piercing. The atmosphere was suddenly engulfed in heavy awkwardness. Nandini just wished to escape somehow before it could get anymore weirder.

** manik's pov **

I kept on averting my gaze from her as it was just so weird now that it was only me and Nandini. Well of course I could stare at her for hours straight without having to blink in between but the atmosphere just felt to heavily awkward at the point maybe because continously she was trying to avoid me while I was trying to get her attention but now all of a sudden it was as if we were thrown in a place together with no escape though we always had stairs to walk out but you got what I meant.

I opened my mouth to say something but before I could I heard a ting sound from my mobile as my screen glowed and I totally would have ignored any damn notification at this point but when I saw it was a text from Soha so I decided to check it, just in case. I unlocked my phone and tapped over the text to open it.

" Aryaman is wasted so I dropped him at his room and I am too tired but hey NOT DRUNK so I am gonna sleep too." I laughed at the not drunk part, sure she wasn't drunk she was just wasted.

After typing an okay and sending it to Soha, I closed my phone. Though I knew it was pointless to even reply her at the moment as she was have crashed on her bed the first thing and might no scratch it must be sleeping like a bear in hibernation. And that girl always slept like no tomorrow with or without alcohol in chugged down her system.

My eyes looked ahead of me. And there she was, Nandini. She was just fiddling her fingers and I was damn sure she was bitting her inner cheek while looking around trying to avoid me. I could sense she was nervous. And so was I. After all it had been such a long time that we get to sit like this without being cold or coming for each other's neck or more precisely for her coming to chop off my head. But now that we were here alone in this calm and cold wind surrounding us, I was nervous.

But it was now or never.

I could always blame it on alcohol if things go haywire.

" Nandini..." I opened my mouth with my fists clenched tightly as I tried not to stutter.

" Yeah...!!" she replied with a frown waiting for me to continue.

" Why do you hate me?" I quickly muttered the words in one breath hoping she won't be able to decipher it into a coherent sentence. But the way her face morphed into a blank or somewhat dark expression, I knew she heard me.

" What...? Why do you even care? Let it be, I don't want to talk about it. " Nandini utter those in a low voice and with such hatred in her eyes and it didn't fail to scare the shit out me. I knew I was wrong. It was my mistake but was it that much of big matter that she was looking at me with a look like she wanted to kill me but just holding back either because going to jail wasn't a pleasing option or because she was too nice to gather courage to do it.

** pov over **

Nandini was burning with rage and felt like hitting him hard until his face would turn black and blue. All swollen and bruised. She was just trying to hold it in somehow it was just being to so hard. The more she was trying to keep it in and more the felt at the edge. At the edge of spilling all of her pent up anger out, she clenched her mouth tight feeling the tears threatening to roll down from her eyes like a never ending waterfall.

Especially in front of Manik. He was the last person she would ever be vulnerable in front of. She would never let him see herself at the worst because she didn't want to boost ego of that heartless monster who didn't think twice before shattering her heart that she couldn't pick it without piercing her fingers. It felt like he never gave two fucks about her. After all she was just a bet he had win over.

** nandini's pov **

I wanted to yell at him, curse at him. And maybe I won't be able to get another such opportunity in my life. Well I intoxicated on alcohol maybe that was the reason I was feeling so daring all of sudden. If I would have been sober I was sure I would have never done what I did next.

Before I knew I was hitting Manik, throwing punches at his chest continues. Though I was sure the impact wasn't that strong as I kept on cursing at him with my blurry eyes as tears kept on falling. Nonetheless I didn't bother to wipe those freaking stubborn tears and let them fall down. The irony, earlier I was so determined to not let this bastard see me cry and now here I was shedding tears without my consent.

But the tears weren't of sadness or weakness. Those were angry tears. I continued to hit him and although he could easily defend himself or stop me from hitting him yet he let me keep hitting his chest and pushing him harshly until his back was pressed against the wall. He still didn't resist and just let me take out my anger.

" You freaking asshole why I had to meet you again. Why am I working under you? Why did we even go to the shit of a college and had to bump into you. You narcissistic jerk I was better off without knowing you. You made my life hell. I will never forgive you never you darn monster. I curse the day I fell for you. " when stared into his eyes I could see it. He expressions were pained. He was hurt. But like I cared about that.

" Was I so wrong that you hate me so much?! " Manik asked in a meek voice, swallowing the lamp that had formed in his throat. It felt like he had no energy to speak even. He looked exhausted, hurt too? Whatever I wasn't going to fall weak. And besides his stupid question made me anxious even more. Was he kidding me?

How did he even dared to ask me such a question? Didn't he know how huge of a damage he had done to me? To my heart? That monster played with my emotions and now he had the guts to say this shit. I was beyond pissed to the point that all I could see was red.

** pov over **

Manik looked at her with anticipating eyes. He tried not to show her how scared he was, how nervous he was. He just wanted to know if there was even a tiny bit of hope that she would give him another chance. Well the death glare Nandini gave him was enough for him to know that it was already a lost cause yet he wanted to hear it from her, just in case.

" Were you so wrong?... So wrong??!! You freaking monster are you kidding me. Do you think playing with my emotions... Playing with my heart... Taking away my virginity for the bet is a joke." Manik stood dead on his track as if his legs were fixed on the floor. His body felt numb as he couldn't even call her name as Nandini rushed down from the roof top.

• • •

So here I am with another update. Sorry guys I couldn't update earlier it was because my exams were going on.

I am not gonna force you guys for comments or votes. I never do because I believe if you guys genuinely like the story then automatically you will feel the urge to comment and vote. But in the last chapter there were only 3 comments. It kind of made me upset so I only want to know if the story isn't going good. That's all that I want to know I won't ever give you guys any target or anything else like that for that matter. I just want to know so that I can improve.

And according to the inline comments ( in CHAPTER - 32). Second chance at love is the most preferred title but still you guys can inline comment your favorite until the story ends because I will take that final poll.