Channa Mereya.....o piya❣️

Chapter 4: Friendship is not for us!

"So...how was your day?" Cabir asked as he walked in with the rest of them while Nandani and Manik were chilling on the couch, watching Tom and Jerry.

"It was better then I expected." Nandani said to Manik's surprise while Manik just had a smile on his face. Cabir was happy to notice the change in just one attempt. He confirmed it that he wasn't doing anything wrong. "You tell, how was your day?" Nandani asked.

"We too had great fun, without Manik!" Aaliya said with the sarcastic smile playing on her lips. Cabir noticed the harshness in her voice and diverted the topic.

"Nandani, how is your leg now?" Cabir asked.

"It's quite perfect now I guess." Manik said. He knew it was staged by Nandani but just didn't know the reason.

"Yeah Cabir, I am quite good. See...I can even jump on my feet now." She said jumping a little.

"By the way Nandani, you didn't do this so that you can spend some alone time with Manik is it?" Mukti winked at Nandani.

Nandani seemed nervous due to the fear of being caught but Manik gave it a thought. Could this be the reason? Had she done it to spend sometime with him?

"Chalo guys, lets order some food. I am starving." Navya said and she placed an order from her phone. "Pizza's will be here in a while..." She said. They all went to change while Nandani went in thoughts. She walked out for fresh air but someone followed.

"Manik is not that bad, is he?" Cabir asked and Nandani chuckled as soon as she heard him.

"You....I though you went to change." Nandani said as she folded her arms across her chest due to the chill in the atmosphere.

"Well I expected bloodshed on my return but now I am curious. You guys were watching Tom and Jerry?" He said it with sarcasm dripping out from each and every word.

"So...we both like Tom and Jerry!.... And he wasn't that bad. Maybe I judged him without knowing him." Nandani said as she thought about their game.

"So then why the lines on your forehead?" Cabir asked as he pointed towards them.

Nandani chuckled at him and then spoke. "I don't know. For the first time, it felt like there is so much more to Manik. I mean, I thought he was this careless, mean, arrogant and annoying person, who knew only how to fight with me. But today, it felt like I had this puzzle in front of me. It's all scrambled, some pieces are missing.....I don't know how to put it in words but it felt like....."

"music without it's tune....incomplete?" Cabir completed Nandani's sentence.

"Maybe....what's hidden in him?" Nandani asked genuinely caring for him maybe as a friend.

"There is a lot to Manik, Nandani. But unfortunately, nobody knows. He doesn't let anybody ever come close to him. I mean we are his friends but there is a wall that even we are not allowed to cross. But if you have discovered the 'great wall', then maybe you can break it too." Cabir said leaving Nandani in deep thoughts.

"But why would I do that? And most importantly why would he let me through the wall." Nandani asked. This time Cabir really didn't have an answer to her question, or rather he couldn't tell her. "Anyways let's go in, it's getting colder." Nandani said and Cabir agreed.

Next Morning...
"Saale, what were you doing with Nandani yesterday?" Manik asked Cabir as they all were walking towards discovering Goa.

"When?" Cabir asked rather pretended not to know.

"I saw you talking with her yesterday, after you guys returned back? What was it about?" Manik asked.

"Oh....wait wait..! It was not me, Nandani wanted to know few things about you." Cabir said and Manik was shocked again.

"What did she want to know about me? Since when is she interested in my stuff?" Manik asked being dishearten.

"She wanted to know why is the tune to your song missing?" Cabir said.

"What..! What does that even mean?" Manik said.

"Well you only figure it out from her...how would I know?" Cabir said. He could very well tell Manik everything but he wanted them to discover each other by themselves. His ideas were working, the seed that he had planted in both of their minds was actually growing. Nandani wanted to talk to Manik while he wanted to know, what made her feel that about him.

Manik's POV
It's almost night and we are about to go back but I still haven't spoken to her. Like I have, the whole time about little little things. From her wanting to eat vada pav here in Goa to her wanting to ride a horse. She was opening up to me, slowly but it was happening. She feared the water, still on my insistence she came in the sea. After a long time or rather for the first time I had seen her happy, smiling and laughing her heart out. "Manik!"

"Let's go out inside, everyone is waiting for you. Dinner is ready." Nandani came smiling to call me.

"Nandani come sit here." I asked her to sit next to me on the bench.

"Hmmm...now what?" She asked.

I wanted to ask her about it but I can't tell her that I got to know from Cabir. What should I do? "Nandani, I heard you speaking to Cabir yesterday. You were saying something about me?" I asked it this way.

"What..! There is nothing like that..." She pretended once again.

"Something like....music without tune?" I said and she closed her eyes as she admitted to herself.

"Manik, it's not like that...! I mean....I was curious, you seem fine but your eyes tell a different story." She said herself being confused.

"What do my eyes say?" I asked looking into her eyes. She too got lost in my eyes but then stood up to leave as she felt uncomfortable. "Nandani..." I held her hand and asked her again. "You didn't answer my question." She turned back and looked at my hand which held hers. I immediately took my hand back. How could I forget my limit, how could I forget that I perhaps didn't have the right to ask her the question.

"Oh..I guess I am disturbing the couple in love!" Just then Aaliya broke the awkwardness. How badly I wanted to thank her.

Nandani's POV
"There is nothing like that Aaliya..!" I clarified before anyone could point at us. But wait, this is Aaliya! What have I done.

"Oh yeah, maybe your leg is still painful, maybe you want to have dinner with Manik in private." Aaliya said. This is so awkward. I feel like the bone in the middle. "Maybe you don't like Manik being with his friends!"

"Aaliya...Please. I don't have any problem with his friends, but you seemed to have problems with me?" I replied in the same tone as her. The allegations on me were completely wrong. I can never try to do that.

"Nandani..!" Manik raised his tone at me! Seriously!! "Let's go in." He said and walked in with Aaliya while I stood there analysing what just happened. Manik knows I would never do such, then why did he not defend me. Does he feel for her as well?

Fine! It doesn't affect me with what he feels but how could he not say anything to Aaliya. It's okay Manik, we were fine how we were before. This friendship thing is not for us!
End of POV

"Where is Nandani?" Dhruv asked.

"She must be coming." Manik said and they sat around the table for dinner. Just then a message popped up on his phone. 'Going out to eat, have fun with your FRIENDS!"

"Manik...What happened?" Cabir asked.

"Nothing yaar. Nandani said she isn't hungry and she is taking a walk in the garden. Let's eat...I am starving." Manik said and focused on eating while his full attention was on Nandani.

Cabir too had sensed the mess. He knew his work had gone in the drain and his head was once again on it's way to get new ideas.

Is Cabir doing the correct thing by bringing them together with the help of small small lies! If Manik feels for Nandani, then why did he not say anything? Does he feel for Aaliya then? Do tell me how the update was and your views on it.