Kaisi yeh Yaariyan Season 3

Chapter 12 and 13

A week had slipped past. It was Saturday evening, the day Nandini finally got engaged in a private ceremony at the Moorthy residence. The only people present were Neel and Nandini's families. Neel's parents had flown down from Bangalore and Amms too had travelled all the way from Mangalore.

Because Nandini had put across the clause that no one except their families and her best friend Navya would be invited for the engagement, Neel had arranged another reception at the evening only for his friends, colleagues and clients. Nandini didn't have a single invitee there. Not that Neel hadn't asked her, but Nandini knew all too well her friends would boycott even if invited. Leave alone friends, if she had the option she herself would have boycotted her own engagement. For some reason, she was missing Kabir today. She was damn sure that if Kabir was alive, he and Navya would have planned something to screw up this jerk Neel. Nevertheless, even the thought comforted her. She was dressed up for the show.

Meanwhile at her home, Amms and Mr. Moorthy, chacha as she fondly addressed him were relieved that the ceremony was over without any interruptions.

Mr. Moorthy: Thank God Amma, it all went well.

Amms: Yes, beta you are right. You know how particular Neel's parents are, not the easiest ones to please you see.But everything went well and even though the wedding will be 6 months later, we should start preparing.

They went to discuss many things. How much money would be required for the wedding, whom all to invite, so forth and so on. Amms was particularly happy because she has known the Dixit family since ages. She was the one who had introduced Neel to Nandini when he got a posting in Mumbai, in the same public sector bank where Mr. Moorthy was working as an accountant. That was some two years ago. Since then Neel had made such progress to join a multinational bank and getting a posting in Switzerland. Amms liked the fact that Neel came from a middle class family and yet he was ambitious enough to carve out his own way in the world. Neel was a self made man unlike Manik who was a completely spoilt brat of a rich father. She was glad that with this engagement, the Manik chapter was going to be closed once and for all. Yeah she had to pretend at times, especially on Nandu's 18th birthday because if she had shown her real feelings, nandini would have been hurt but the truth was she always detested Manik.

Chachi was sitting quietly in a corner, listening to the ongoing discussions but somewhere lost in her own thoughts.

Suddenly she asked Amms "Do you think Neel is the right guy for our Nandu.?"

Amms was surprised. Her tone gave away her inner irritation " What do you mean?"

Chachi: "Did you notice how silent Nandu was all through the ceremony? It was her day and yet she had no joy, no glow on her face. It was as if she was discharging some kind of a duty. Infact why just today, I have never seen any love for Neel in her eyes. I don't know why she chose him, why she agreed to get engaged to him."

Amms was fuming "I will tell you why, because she is not as dumb as you. She doesn't float in an imaginary world like you punjabi's do. She is sorted and intelligent. She is practical and she knows Neel will be her best provider. What is love? That happens in movies like that Shahrukh khan of yours, delivering cheesy lines. For us middle class respectable people there is no existence of that kind of love."

Chachi was so hurt she instantly got up and ran upstairs to Nandini's room. Her eyes had welled up and her voice was chocking. The room was dark and she was alone. Nandini was out with Neel for the reception at a suburban restaurant.

She didn't have a child of her own. But she treated both Nandu and Rishab as her own kids. Infact Nandini was both a daughter and a friend to her. There was so much that they understood about each other even without exchanging a word. She had known from day one that Manik was special, even when Nandini was herself not aware. She had seen it in their eyes. She had known how on most nights , after dinner Manik would wait outside & Nandini would sneak out to meet him. Yes she had known all the while but she trusted Manik enough to know that he would never do anything to hurt her. Yes, they were middle class people with orthodox upbringing yet she had convinced her husband to let Nandini travel with Manik to denmark for his treatment. She had witnessed just how much Nandini meant to Manik, she had seen the bruises on her when that pandit kidnapped and assaulted nandini, but the pain and the tears were in Manik's eyes. Ironically, it was Amms and Mr. Moorthy who were related to Nandini by blood, not herself but family is not always only blood, sometimes it's a heart to heart connection.

If life ever brought her face to face with Manik again, she would slap him and ask him why he broke both a lover's and a mother's trust. 

CHAPTER 13

Manik was lying by the pool side, staring at the vast sky above. He felt at peace looking at the twinkling stars. He was now 6 days old in Mumbai and yet these 6 days had been totally uneventful. He was feeling sick staying at home.

He had tried everything in his power to dig up his past and one of the first things he did was to search his name in Google. He presumed, like any young guy he must have had a facebook or instagram account before he left. His father was one of the biggest industrialists in the Mumbai - Pune area and there had to be a lot of information about him on the net. There was, but only official information. There wasn't a mention anywhere of Manik, not a single social networking profiles. It appeared as if someone had deliberately cleaned all online information. It was strange why someone would do that. So many questions rattled his head that he couldn't even take rest in peace.

He had asked dad, about the new staff at home. He asked him why all his old things had been cleared out. He asked him why there was no information on net.

"I don't blame you Manik, you must have forgotten that I and Nyonika, I mean your mother don't live together. She is the one who controls what happens inside that house, including when to hire and fire staff. So I wouldn't be able to tell you where and why your old things have disappeared. May be once your mother is back, you can directly ask her. As for your social circle, I wish I had known who your friends were, but I am a bad father Manik. I was never there with you. I don't know when and how you grew up, I regret it now but there is nothing I can do to help u remember your past. And I feel you should start fresh, forget what was and think about what can be. If you had good friends, shouldn't they have kept in touch with you?" That's what his father's answer to his question was. Manik had a

feeling that his father was hiding something from him. But what and why? Who would help him solve these puzzles.

Manik was feeling irritated. He wanted a break.. To just forget all of this and chill out. He started fiddling with his phone. There was another unread message from Neel. Fuck, why was this guy so insistent on having Manik attend his engagement. All these traditional functions made no sense to him. He felt claustrophobic in places where there were too many people and too much drama.

But then he thought he really needed a break, there was no harm in going. He could slip away if he didn't like it. Besides, Nandini.. Another unsolved puzzle that played on his nerves.

He got up, and went upstairs.

He pulled over a red low neck T shirt and a black blazer over his black pair of jeans and picked up his car keys.

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"Where are you going Nandini?" Neel pulled Nandini's arm as she began to walk off.

Nandini brushed off his hand "Aren't we done with this? Sab log to chale gaye.. I am going home."

"Not yet. I have a very important guest who is yet to come."

Nandini frowned. She started playing with her phone to avoid any further conversation with Neel.

"I think he is here. Let him receive him. U b right here, I will be back in a minute." Nandini didn't look up and continued to play on her mobile.

She heard footsteps on the ground. Whoever Neel was waiting for must have arrived, Nandini. Just one more smile, one more handshake and she would be free for the night. She had had a lot already and she was tired as hell and hungry too.

"Congratulations Nandini!"

What was that..that voice.. Her head was held low, her eyes fell on his shoes and then inch by inch they moved up..up his waist and shoulders..and they stopped at his face. She froze.

"Congratulations Nandini!" He said again smiling at her. She couldn't move. Damn was she paralyzed, was it her mind playing a trick on her? It was more than she could handle. Her head started spinning and she fainted.