A Thousand Encounters

Chapter-43

Throwing another dress away, Nandini stormed towards dressing room again just to grab another suitcase to her room. Well, dressing up for an open house wasn't a big of a deal. She could do it in her loose sweater and gumboots. But then it was a big deal now. Things had changed drastically. 

Opening the suitcase, she started to hurl the expensive dresses which her mother had bought her with a hope that she would wear them each occasion. That day hadn't come till now. She needed them all just to have options. Her forehead started to furrow as she didn't find one apt dress. She opened her mouth to call her mother but then she couldn't. She needed her today because she knew she sucked at this dressing stuff. She and her parents had grown apart to an extent where it was hard to be casual about things. 

Running back to dressing room, she opened another closet remembering how her mother had made servants set her wardrobe few months back. There were many pretty pieces but she couldn't carry a single one. That's where she and her mother differed. Her mother never accepted her the way she was. She always wanted her to become her elite daughter which Nandini was not. 

"Daadu," Nandini whined and closed her eyes. 

Daadu was out of town yet again and would not return till late evening. She had no one to ask. Walking back to her messy bed, she opened her laptop. That one name on Skype was her only aid now. She dialed Rishi's number thinking God knew what and he answered it within seconds. 

"Hey," He greeted with a grin. 

Seeing her confused pout, he dropped that smile. 

"I need your help," She told as if he was obliged to cater to her. 

"Oh..kay," He murmured unsure. 

"By the way, how are you?" He asked but she was gone. Window of her room was only visual in chat. She returned holding three dresses and he frowned. 

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"No touching," Manik  warned Samit as Samit pounced to check out Manik's suit. 

"I have ironed it with so much care," Manik added wearing that I-am-warning-you-already face. 

"Niceeeee," Samit exclaimed seeing the well ironed midnight blue colored suit hanging down the hanger. 

"Don't touch," Manik slapped Samit's hand and glowered at him. 

Walking amid human mess, he saved his precious suit somehow. Reaching his bed, he saw Harshad tossing his jackets on his bed. 

"Clean it," Manik ordered and Harshad shrugged him off. 

Holding his own suit as one Which-cannot-be-crinkled entity, he threw Harshad's useless stuff on his bed. Laying his suit down, Manik smiled in content. 

"I am going to take a bath and if this thing got a single wrinkle, I am going to hold your neck," Manik instructed Harshad and Harshad made all possible bad faces at him. 

"Do you think you are the only one who needs to get ready?" Harshad asked mocking. 

"You are watching this," Manik ordered without paying any heed to Harshad's taunts and walked out of sight. 

Harshad looked at precious suit and then at human circus around, he was bewildered how to protect that piece of cloth amid that mess. Leaving his jackets, he sat by Manik's suit. Cursing the old Manik who had returned miraculously, he looked around only to find everyone getting ready. Harshad was clueless what had gotten into Manik since two days. He was back at being a ruthless jerk. If Harshad was asked, he loved the heartbroken puppy Manik more. He shook his head shutting the mean thoughts out.