Ten days, Ten reasons ✔

Day 3

Sorry for making you guys wait.

Grandmother

Nandini closed her eyes in frustration as she leaned back on the sofa.

Life seemed so sophisticated. Everyone she loved were eventually leaving her and now even her grandmother.

She looked at the medical report and sighed. Right then she heard the doorbell ring.

Tossing the report on the table, she went to open the door. As she opened the door, she saw Manik standing on the door with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

She smiled, looking at him.

"Good morning Nandini." He wished in his ever so cheerful voice.

"Good morning." Although there wasn't anything good about this morning but still she wished.

"This beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl." Manik handed the bouquet of flowers to her, making her smile. "Thank you "

She let her in. "Coffee or tea?" Nandini asked.

"Coffee." Manik said and Nandini went inside the kitchen to prepare the coffee.

Manik roamed his eyes around her house and he could see the walls filled with her family photo. She looked so happy in each one of them. He smiled, looking at it.

Right then his eyes fell on the medical report on the table. He picked it up and went through it.

He sighed, looking at the report. Her grandmother was a COPD patient. She had to face so many problems all at a time.

He kept the report back on the table when he heard her footsteps.

"Your family photos are so lively and beautiful. You look happy in each one of them."

"I know right." Nandini said, keeping the tray on the table.

Manik grabbed a coffee mug. "I love this." Manik said, sipping it. "I should come here often to drink your coffee."

"There's nothing so special about this coffee Malhotra." Nandini said, sipping her coffee.

"But I find it special."

"You do?" Right then Nandini's phone buzzed due to her alarm.

"I have to give Amms her medicine." Nandini said as she got up from the sofa. "I will come in a while."

"Amms?"

"Oh I call my grandmother Amms." Nandini said as she made her way upstairs.

"I am coming too. I want see your Amms." Manik followed her upstairs and she didn't resist either.

As he entered the room, he could see her grandmother seated on the chair with closed eyes.

"Good morning Amms." Nandini greeted her with a cheerful smile.

"Good morning." Her grandmother's weak yet cheerful voice hit his ears and he smiled. Noticing a new presence, her grandmother looked at Manik.

Manik bowed down his head to greet her.

"Amms this is Manik, my friend."

"Are you sure you guys are just friends?" Her grandmother asked, pressurizing the word 'just' more than required.

"Of course Amms we are just friends." Nandini said as she kneeled down on the floor and kept her head on her grandmother's lap.

"It's nice to see you." Her grandmother smiled, looking at him. "It's been a while since I have seen you with someone." She patted Nandini's head lightly.

Nandini smiled, giving her Amms her medicine and water. Amms gulped it in one go.

"Amms uhh umm I mean granny."

"You can call me Amms if Nandini doesn't mind." Her grandmother spoke out with a soft smile.

"I wouldn't mind."

Manik smiled as he too sat beside Nandini on the floor, their shoulders almost touching. Nandini looked at him as he was busy talking with Amms.

She couldn't help but admire him when he laughed or how his eyes seem to sparkle with happiness.

"I will go and prepare for meal." Nandini said as she got up.

"I will help you." Manik said as he too got up.

"It's not needed."

"Oh c'mon Murthy I am not that bad at cooking."

"I doubt." Amms said, teasingly.

"Amms." Manik whined like a kid. "Now I have to prove it." Manik held Nandini's hand and almost dragged her out of the room. "Now I will cook and you will help."

Nandini laughed silently, looking at him. As he walked downstairs. "Manik are you sure you can cook?" Nandini said to tease him more.

"Nandini just wait and see." Manik looked around the kitchen, searching for necessary ingredients.

"Manik leave it. I will do it." Nandini said as she took out the utensils.

"Nandini don't underestimate me. I am much more talented than you think I am."

"Let's see Malhotra." Nandini said as she sat on the kitchen slab. Nandini gave him the necessary ingredients and he engaged himself in cutting. Nandini keenly looked at him and smiled seeing his efforts.

"This is how you should cut vegetables. Perfect in shape as well as size. Talented me." Manik boasted as he raised his head to look at her.

As soon as he raised his head, his finger slipped and he ended up slightly cutting
his finger. "Isshhh." Manik wailed in pain as he pressed the cut.

Nandini held his hand and looked at it. "I told you I will do it but no you don't want to listen to me." Nandini scolded as she pressed the cut. "Now see what happened? Like seriously you are so careless." Nandini kept on rambling as she pour little water on his wound.

He smiled and quietly listened to her ramblings. "Nandini it's just a small cut." Manik said after sometime.

"But still see it-" Her words was replaced by a gasp as she felt his lips on her cheeks. His lips lingered on her cheek for more than necessary and she could feel her cheeks getting heated up.

He pulled his lips away, totally flustered. "Thanks for worrying about me."

Nandini could feel her heart shivering and she didn't know how she should be reacting. So she silently applied ointment on his cut.

He didn't like the silence at all so he spoke out. "Although I was planning to tell the reason later but I hate this silence. So reason three Nandini." Manik paused and looked at her. He smiled as the red hue in her cheeks didn't go unnoticed by him. "Amms."