LOVE+

Chapter 48- Fragile Bonds

Nandini felt embarrassed and Manik knew how she felt. She freed herself from his grip. He wanted to talk to her but he received a phone call. "Hello" Nandini looked at him. "Main abhi aa raha hu" he said as he left her there. "Abhi, kya hua tu itna urgently phone kiya?" Manik asked Abhimanyu. "Manik, aaj jo kuch bhi hua, mujhe kuch nahi pata tha, but I feel not comfortable here" he said.

Cabir gets drunk in the party. "Cabir, stop it yaar" Aryaman tried to stop him. "Dude chill this is a party" Cabir said as he began to dance. "Aryaman tum Cabir ko uske room pe drop karo, I'll take a cab" Nandini said seeing Cabir's condition. "Are you sure?" Aryaman asked her. "Yeah" she said and helps Aryaman to take Cabir to his car. She booked a cab and waited in garden.

"Abhi, please aaj mere saath ghar chalo jo bhi hoga hum kal baat karenge" Manik said to him. "Yeah" Abhimanyu agreed to go with Manik. "Abhimanyu kahi nahi jayega" Ishitha came there. "Abhi jo kuch bhi Raman ne kiya bahut galat kiya but please tum aise achanak ghar chod ke nahi chale jaana, please hume bura lagega, Manik please tum hi kuch bolo" Ishitha requested Manik.

"If he is OK he will stay here ma'am" Manik said and Abhimanyu couldn't deny. Manik is about to leave when he see the cab driver searching for someone. "Sir yaha se kisika pick up tha, is that you?" he asked Manik. "No, aap unhe phone karke pooch lijiye" Manik said. "Yes sir I tried but phone is unreachable" he said. "There was a party here, I don't know kisne ye cab book kar liya tha" Manik said to him.

They couldn't see Nandini as she was away from their sight. "Lagta hai yaha koi nahi hai, koi baat nahi sir main ride cancel karlunga" he said and left from there. Manik ignited the engine and it came to roar. She heard the car's horn and came out. Manik saw Nandini and gets down. "Tum yaha kya kar rahi thi Nandini" he asked. She didn't reply. "Kisika wait kar rahi ho" he asked her again. "I can drop you if you" he hesitated.

"Nahi, no thanks maine already cab book kar diya, bas phone ki signal nahi hai" she said. "Tho wo cab tumhare liye tha?" he exclaimed. "Wo aa gaya kya?" Nandini searched for the cab. "Yes, he did come but he couldn't reach you and he went off as he found no one here. Usne ride bhi cancel kiya hoga" Manik said and Nandini is pissed again.

"What?" she almost shouted at him but controlled herself. "Mujhe kaise pata hoga that you'll be here, I thought tum Aryaman ke saath chali gayi hogi" he said. "Aao main tumhe ghar drop karunga" he said to her. "No thanks, main aur ek cab book karungi" she said stubbornly. "Nandini it's not safe to go by cab at this late hour, you should have gone home by now, when Alya left. Ab behas mat karo chalo" he said.

"Kya main aapke saath safe hu?" she asked him. "What do you mean?" he asked offended. "Ye sab baatein karne ki time nahi hai, even if you take a cab, you will have a driver there, so think me as one but please come with me" he asked her. She thought for few moments and silently moved towards his car. He sighed in relief and went near the car.

"Tum peeche baithogi?" he asked when she opened the back seat door. "Ha you said the same now" she said. "I asked you to think of me as a driver but that doesn't me log bhi mujhe aise hi dekhe, come sit in the front" he said or rather ordered. "Monster" she whispered. "Kuch kaha tumne?" he asked her as he wore seat belt. "Nahi" she said. "Good, wear your seatbelt now" he said as he started. None of them talked throughout the ride. She rolled down the window and felt cool breeze.

"Lagta hai baarish hone wala hai" he said but she is so immersed that she didn't reply.

Lag jaa gale ki Phir ye
Hasi raat ho na ho....
Shayad phir iss janam mein
Mulaqaat ho na ho....
Lag jaa gale ........

This song had reminded Manik when Nandini came to drop him off when he was injured. She looked at him as he smiled listening the song. He reached her home. She got down and thanked him. He quickly got down the car. "Nandini" he called her. She turned back to see him. "Sorry for that day, I was really mean" Manik said as he genuinely felt guilty.