Oh no!
Okay, this time they weren't stuck in a lift but other than that, this situation was almost similar to the one in the morning.
The streetlights had gone out too, so it was pitch-black outside. The only light in the room was the red glow given off by the gas fire, thank god gas line was still working! And she was completely alone with Manik. It was exactly similar to the morning's situation. The only difference was that this time, she knew who he was.
Nandini swallowed hard as her eyes adjusted to the dark and she saw him moving towards her. That made her realize, that this situation was different in one more way...they were alone, together, in her flat, with her bedroom, only a feet away.
"I guess that wasn't one of your parents?" he asked dryly.
"Both my parents are dead" she responded quietly. Saying this still pained her. There were countless memories of her happy childhood when they both had been alive, especially memories of their Christmases and other festivals together were enough to make her sentimental. Her parents had taught her to celebrate all the festivals. They had played with colors on Holi, visited mosques on Id, burst crackers on Diwali, had fun at Baisakhi and decorated trees on Christmas.
But these memories were quickly overshadowed by the sad memories of her mother's death and then even bleaker years because of her father's marriage to Sakshi. After the arrival of Soha and Sakshi, nothing had ever remained the same.
Nandini blinked as she felt the hot sting of tears in her eyes.
It was shocking, and frustrating, because she didn't give into tears easily. Earlier, it hadn't been like that. But later, she had forced herself to become strong after she had come to know that such an emotion would be used as a strong weakness by Sakshi and Soha.
God, her condition was no different than Cinderella's, she realized with a sniff. Actually, it was. There was no Prince Charming in her story who would love her, cherish her and protect her. There wasn't any fairy godmother who would wave her magic wand and she would reach the castle where her prince lived.
"Nandini, are you crying?" Manik asked immediately as his hand reached out and touched the dampness on her cheek tenderly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry with my stupid question" he murmured softly. He sounded absolutely sincere.
"You didn't" she reassured him quickly. "It's just that, my...I mean, Christmases are like that, aren't they? Wonderful family time for some people, and, lonely for others? I bet you have a huge family back in-" she stopped. She didn't know where was his family right now. As far as Ella had told her, they had homes all over the world.
"India" Manik replied with a smile. "My entire family stays in India."
"Yeah, right, so, they must be waiting for you so that you all can celebrate New Year together."
She had made her voice light deliberately. First, she didn't wish to sound like a damsel in distress and second, because he had moved closer. Somehow, the awareness that had cracked between them in the kitchen had intensified a lot more than that. She didn't wish to give him a wrong expression by speaking in husky tones.
Her heart nearly stopped when she saw him grin. He still hadn't removed her hand from his cheek. "Yes, my family will be together. We have the habit of celebrating all the festivals together" he said affectionately. "But I doubt they will wait for me before starting the celebrations."
But Nandini was sure they would wait. Because all things kept aside, deep inside she knew that Manik Malhotra was a nice man. And with his charm, warmth and lively sense of humor, he must surely be popular in his family. What had Ella told her? That he had four younger sisters. She could only imagine what it must be like to have so many siblings. She had always wished for a sibling, either brother or sister. Then she wouldn't have felt so lonely after her father's death. At least there would have been a support system to save her from the horrible treatment of Sakshi and Soha.
