Manan Ff- True Love Heals[On Hold]

Baby In Disguise!

Nandini's point of view:
tum... Mujhse kuchh chupa rahi ho.. Hai na?"he said and i looked at him confused.
"itne dino se.. Tum try kar rhi ho ki tum mujhse dur raho.. Hai na?"he said amd i remembered what he was talking about. But was i ready to answer it this soon. Does he really deserve it. I felt my cheeks heat up as i looked away from him trying to hide that little smile that was trying to make its way to my lips.
"what is it?"he asked me again. What do i tell him?
"Manik... You don't want to know!" i replied. I couldn't gather myself to look at him. For all i knew my right now was that my cheeks had already turned pink. My heart beat had increased. On one hand i was super happy to know that he noticed these little things and changes in my behavior. But did he really affect him or he was just curious.
"i do.. Tell me!" he said in a more pleasing tone and that made my nerves wreck.
"nahi.. Manik Please.. I can't tell you!"i pleaded but it seemed to have no effect him. Was it really the time my little secret came out. But what if he turns it down.. What if he doesn't feel the same for me. I'll be heartbroken and this time for real. I don't know if I'd ever be able to cope up with this anymore.
"Nandini.. You're telling me now.. Or i am not going to take you back home.."he said and my head snapped at him. He couldn't put such conditions on me.
"Manik..."i uttered but i had no words to complete what i began.
"I'm all ears!"he said and i clised my eyes looking down. He has a girlfriend Nandini.. My heart and brain reminded me. And so i knew i couldn't do this. I couldn't come between them.
"I'll take a cab!"i said oyt loud and he looked at me. His brows knitted together not understanding what i meant. I calmed myself down. My redness had to leave me fave before he guesses it only by the look of my face.
"what?"he asked.
"if you don't take me back home.. I'll take a cab and go home!"i said.. Smart Nandu! I praised myself.
He rolled his eyes. Was he really expecting me to give in to his conditions. I would have had i not heard his conversation with Soha.
"Urgh! Fine.. You don't want to tell me.. Cool!"he said as he backed off. Whoa!
"really?"i asked.
"no! Ofcourse not.. But listen i can't force you right!"
"right!"i agreed to him and he looled at me unbelievably.
"what! You're impossible! You know what.. Now i won't force you.. Not even to stay with me.. No.."he said more like to himself.
" arre! Why.. We had to spend the two days together.. I had to be your PA."i said innocently.
"no.. I don't need any PA! Not you for sure.."he muttered while i felt a little bad.
"I'll drop you back home!"he said.
"mine or yours?"i asked looking for a hope somewhere. Some gentleness. But this man was Manik Malhotra afterall!
"why will i drop you at mine.. You'll go to yours.."he said like a little kid getting angry and refusing to all the things that his mother offered him.
"okay!"i said lowly and everything died out. No conversations followed and that made me uncomfortable.
"Manik.. Kuch puchu?"i tried breaking the ice.
"nhi.."he answered and i fell silent. I composed myself as i looked outside closing my eyes letting the cool wind touch my face as i tried to arrange the mess i had created in my head.
"pucho!"i suddenly heard his voice. Loud yet soft. A smile crept on my face as i turned back to him.
"do you or the The great Manik Malhotra has a girlfriend?"i said casually but the next look from him and i made up my made i won't ask him questions that were too personal.
He was looking at me like i had caught him doing something he shouldn't be. "sorry!" i muttered softly.
"why do you ask me that.."he initiated.
"nhi aise hi.."i said looking down.
"Nandini no one says or does anything just like that.. I'm sure you too have a reason!"he looked at me, his eyes piercing into mine.
"Manik.. A guy.. Like you.. Is never found to be single.. That's why!" i paused. "and even if they are it isn't for long.."i said genuinely. While he looked on ahead on the road.
" I'd said earlier also I'm single!"he said plainly. And that pinched me because i knew he wasn't. Didn't i deserve to know. About Soha. About them!
"Manik.. Are we really doing this! Are you really dropping me to my place!"i too asked as plainly as possible. I didn't want to portray myself as weakling yet again. I wasn't. I wasn't weak. But this guy. He made me go weak each time i thought about him. This feeling is so different.
"haan!"he said still not looking at me. I knew he was. I wanted him to talk to me properly atleast for once before he dropped me and went his way.
"Manik.. What is love?"i asled trying to initiate something casual. But this time his head snapped at me.
"i always thought what i felt for Harshad was love.."i paused as i looked at him,his facial muscles clenched. "but then it was different.. It was different from what i felt for chacha chachi Rishabh Navya Alya.. And everyone.. It was a different feeling. It wasn't love.. Because I'm sure of one thing.. Love doesn't make you feel alienated.. It makes you feel familiar.. Like you meet someone just for a few days but you feel like you know them forever!"i said and he softened.
"love is pure.. It's not one of those corrupted folders of our brain.. Its a permanent folder if our heart.. It's not something you feel for everyone you meet but for someone special.. It's not different for different people.. Its all about priorities! Love teaches you to be happy in their happiness and to be sad in their sadness!"Manik began.
"but like the love you have for your family is different from that what you have for your boyfriend or girlfriend!"i added.
"it's not different it's just about priorities as i said and about how you choose to express!"he preached likea love guru!
"have you ever fallen in love.?"was my next and the last question for all I knew we were about to reach my place.
"not yet!"he said and something pricked me.
"have you?"he asked me in return and i sheepish smile appeared on my lips.
"yes! I've fallen head over heels in love..
"i said and he looked at me surprised or more like shock.
"Harshad?"he asked and giggle escaped my mouth.
"think something more innovative Manik! people like him don't deserve to be loved.. And so he was never loved.. Not by me atleast.."i said as i screeched the car to a hault.
"we've reached.."he said. I knew we had.
"yes we have!"i kept looking at him like a crazy lover. I knew i was loosing a grip over myself. I had already told him half of what i was feeling and it felt alot relieving. And if he cared, now he had half of my burden.. To think, re-think, create, and imagine who it could be that I'd fallen head over heels for. And if he had brains and some sense of the changes in my behavior he would guess it soon!
"bye Manik !"i said as i got off and walked towards my house and then waited till he drove off not knowing what had to be done now.