A Thousand Encounters

Chapter-17

"She really hates you, dude," Harshad smeared salt on Manik's hurt ego yet again as they came out of dispensary. Manik gulped the tablet without water and Harshad chuckled hard. 

"Look at you," He quipped and Manik gave him a life threatening glare. 

"She is something," He added dreamily and Manik clasped his neck between his elbow to choke the dream quotient out. Harshad choked and tapped in air to give up. 

"I don't want another word about her. That hell cat...," Manik made the last part inaudible. 

"How's your butt now?" Harshad asked groping Manik's hurt rear and Manik cried in pain. Before Manik could strangle him to death, he ran away laughing hard. 

Manik rubbed his butt hissing, he anyway wasn't in condition to chase Harshad. He cursed Nandini aloud as he blamed her more. 

Few minutes back...

Manik walked towards Nandini as she waited him to take over the rein of horse. He straightened himself more to look unruffled when he was literally edgy the way she was looking at him. She did check him out from tip to toe and then leered like a predator. It was like everything else had gone still as he reached her and looked into her eyes. Did someone tell her that how perfect she look in that outfit? Manik shook his head to kick out the clutter. She smirked more as she gave the rein of horse to him. 

"So," She said as she climbed up the horse. 

"So?" He asked following the tradition. 

"Ready to get butt-hurt?" She asked with a wink. 

"In your dreams," He retorted with a wink. 

Daadu smiled like a fan-girl as he witnessed the mute scene from far. His heart could jump out with elation to see the desired scenario. He looked around to ensure nobody notices his smile and then wore a stern face to mask his real emotions. 

"Now see, how to ride a horse," Daadu seasoned the awaited scene as he bragged. Cadets looked uninterested as Manik and Nandini shared a few more muted gestures. There was a chemistry, a tension which they could easily make out that it belonged to venereal bracket. 

Nandini reined the horse to get it going towards wider ground. Manik followed her and so does the gazes. They chased each other like heart chases feelings. Wanting to get caught when trying to get away. Daadu smiled under his mustache. He did find it utterly youthful. 

Manik smiled shaking his head as she tried a trick him. His smile should have meant ridicule but it came out as an act of blush. She chuckled aloud seeing him trying to control that curve of his lip. 

"Is it rose garden?" Harshad asked cadet standing next to him. That guy in return only sighed cold. 

Manik was getting comfortable with her thrilling presence as he rode the horse effortlessly lowering his guard. She didn't look like trouble anymore.  He sighed deep to inhale the endearing aroma. Following the pattern she made like a spellbound pony, he kept getting weaved in her web. Suspicious much? Manik sighed again kicking the suspicion out of window. 

She paced her horse towards hurdles and ditches. He didn't know they were going to do steeplechase. She crossed one hedge and then another while he just could keep looking at her forgetting about his own horse. His horse jumped to cross one hedge and he came back to reality. He tried to grip the rein in hand but it was too late. He could feel his rear leaving the saddle. Air touched his warm ass and he threw his arms in air to manage the fall. Was there any way to look graceful while falling on your ass? He closed his eyes and his rear touched the ground. Horse kept leaping the ditches and Manik cried in pain.