MaNan: It all started with a lie

Savior Murthy

Nandini

That feeling when you know that you have been living the best life, with the best people around you gives you so much content. It is always a treat for you when you have all happy and jolly faces around who care for you immensely and love you so much, on whom you can trust without a question and without whom your survival gets tougher everyday and where there is no place for misunderstanding or insecurity and now that's what I call a bliss....pure bliss. My life is exactly that!

That night when manik asked me out for a date on valentines...our first official date, and the efforts he put in, right from decorating our swing to those letters and that cute pikachu stuff toy and also not to forget that rice ball.

The boy is actually crazy!

I had never felt so special like he made me feel. With him even the smallest of moments become magical and even the biggest of problems turn small.

Okay....nandini you need to stop girl! Once you start talking about manik...you just don't stop!

Smiling at my silly self I stared at the gift manik had given me. Oh did I forget to mention it? Its my 3rd gift in a row after the new year night. He gifted me these pretty earrings with a cute note in his neat handwriting which read-

Do you know how important your earrings are to me? You look beautiful....no no sorry...you make these earrings look beautiful. You know these earrings feel like twinkling stars hanging down your ears which make MY star shine even more. I hope you like them!

Yours,
Mani

Adorable! Isn't it? He always manages to make me feel special...childhood friendship has proven to be a big advantage for him and am glad to have found this gem of a person.

I was busy smiling at those earrings when out of nowhere I found Bhai lying down on my lap with his eyes closed and frowns on his forehead. Bhai only does this when he is way too stressed out or sad and looking at him I can guess he is stressed about something.

"Bhai kya hua? Wanna talk?" I asked gently, caressing his hair. He made himself more comfortable on my lap and then opened his eyes to look at me. "Nandu do you think I am a bad boyfriend?" "what?" seriously! Like out of all the things possible he is asking me this!?

"What what? Tell me na...I wanna know" he asked pouting cutely and I sighed. "Bhai I am not mukti so how do I know how good or bad of a boyfriend are you?" "but you know what...I think I am not a good boyfriend. You know these days...I have been really busy nowadays because of work and shit and because of all that I have not been able to take out time for mukti and maybe she is a little upset but not showing it" he completed sadly while I stared at him in disbelief.

"Seriously Abhi? This is what is getting you so stressed?" he nodded. "And I thought you had some big problems" "Come on. Even this is a big problem" "stop exaggerating" my voice laced with utter disbelief.

He didn't say anything for a while and just kept staring sadly at nowhere in particular. "Fine stop these acts already! You are free tonight right? Then just arrange a date for her or just spend some quality time with her and she will be all fine. Ya?" "nandu you are a savior!" he bounced off my lap with twinkling eyes and zoomed out of the room to make arrangements for the evening making me laugh at my big brother who was no less than a baby.

It had been an hour since I was busy reading my favorite Agatha Christie when my phone rang showing maddy's call.

Phone Convo

Nandini: so how come Mr. Madhyam singhania called me today?

Maddy: Oye dramaqueen! We had a talk just a day before

Nandini: ya ya and that was 24 hours? I get it...ab tumhe kaha apni best friend ki yaad aati hai?

Maddy: god murthy...stop acting like my girlfriend ok!

Nandini*giggles*: acha ok say...kya hua?

Maddy: I will be reaching to your place in 20 minutes...keep my rajma chawal ready

Nandini: hey am not your cook ok?

Maddy: please na...I am literally craving
Nandini: fine!

Maddy: do you know you are the best?

Nandini*smiling*: yeah yeah I know. Stop with this buttering

I sighed keeping my book aside and walked to my kitchen to prepare rajma chawal for Maddy.

Maddy was a great cook himself but dunno why he always loved food made by me, specially rajma chawal. He is one weird creature I tell you!

I was almost done preparing the meal when the bell rang and in came aryaman.

Wait. Aryaman? Wasn't Maddy going to be there?

"Murthy I need your help!" "well hello to you too arya" "I have no time for your sarcastic comments right now....I really need your help" he sounded desperate. "Tell me" I said sitting on the nearby couch, next to him. "What do you feel for manik?" what? "What? How is it anywhere related to your problem?" I frowned.

Why was he asking about my feelings for manik?

"Say na" he cribbed. "Manik....well he is my best friend and if we talk about my feelings for him then...he is that one guy who can bring out the best and the worst in me at the same time, he keeps me sane but at the same time drives me insane too. He makes me feel special without even putting in efforts and lastly he is one person who gives me peace and makes me feel the safest" "munchkin you are whipped" I heard Maddy speak from the door as I completed making me blush but I anyways rolled my eyes at him.

"Stop faking glares alright and aryaman why are you so much interested in these things suddenly? What's cooking?" Maddy asked raising a brow. "Wha-what's cooking? Nothing...nothing at all" he shrugged nervously. "Acha? Then why are you stammering?" I was suspicuos too now.

Aryaman shifted uncomfortably on the couch but then sighed and finally uttered what he was trying to hide. "I...I think I like aditi...like you know....more than a friend?" he said scratching the back of his neck as Maddy and me sat there dumbfounded at the new information.

Sorry! I know no MaNan this time but this filler chapter was needed. I couldn't just neglect other characters of the story and only write about MaNan right? I hope you people are fine with it. And about the next update?....I have no idea really!
I hope you liked the chapter and nandini's bond with her friends. See ya till the next time!

Happy reading.

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