Stars | completed

11. Stay

name:- Stay
word count:- 4000 words
published on:- 2nd March, 2019

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[unedited]

N A N D I N I

Next day passed quickly in college, mostly attending regular lectures until Navya said that they wanted to come to see my new apartment. I was fine with that until I realised they would end up seeing Manik's things as well, we did have to figure a lot of things to hide everything from our friends and now wasn't the exact moment to decide things abruptly. I had to tell Manik so I ended up bunking my lectures to find him in his and I sneaked him out, and then he had acted like a drama queen. Like always.

I had pulled him between one of the shelves of the library, when he had come to take some music instruments and he looked shocked while I stood there proud. Pulling a six feet giant wasn't a very easy job after all, was it?

"Nandini, yeh tum kya kar rahi ho? Koi dekh lega!" His hands covered his broad chest, amusement and fake fear playing in his eyes as I sighed, rolling my eyes at him.

"Manik, tumhe nahi lagta yeh meri line honi chahiye thi?" I pout and he smirked.

"Okay, toh tum bol do," he took a step forward, a teasing smile on his lips as he put his hands on the shelf behind me from either sides, sandwiching me and my eyes widened as I realised how close we stood behind the piles of books.

My heart raced faster and the way his eyes looked into mine were being of no help. "Manik, koi sach mein dekh lega," I whispered in nervousness and he stared at me for a blank second before his smile turned into giggles and he stepped away from me, sighing to himself while I breathed in relief.

"Do you know you're cute," he complimented and I flipped my hair behind, smiling. "But the last I checked, you thought I was a potato face. Cute kahan se ban gayi mein?" I teased, raising an eyebrow and he pretended to think for a while.

"You know, pretending to like you really takes a long part of my day," he made a fake bored expression. "Ab bologi yahan bulaya kyu?" He diverted the topic.

"Right. Navya said that these people wanna come over and see my new apartment," I told And he brought his eyebrows together in confusion. "And so?" He asked. I always knew he was so dumb.

"So, they'd come over and see your stuff and see you and not feel betrayed at all that their best friend has hidden the fact that he has moved out from his mansion and is staying somewhere else, with a roommate, and that too me!" I fake smiled and realisation struck him.

"We'd probably keep the room locked. Tell them it stays locked at all times, and your roommate opens it only when she comes back, which is rare. She stays out at all times" he said and I nodded. "Sounds fine" I agreed.

"Ab should I resume back to my lectures yaa kuch aur bhi karna hai?" His smirk returned back and I immediately nodded negatively, eyes wide.

"Jao na, roka kisne!" I shrugged. "Tumne," he winked but left anyway, disappearing within the different rows between book shelves and I sighed, leaving. The day had been exhausting, and only one lecture was left which I decided to skip, because it was something we all had together— me, Navya, Fab5 And Inaaya since it was music class.

And no matter how much I deny, the fact that Manik skipped lunch made by me to spend time with Inaaya hurt. Not that it meant a lot to me or anything, but it just hurt and I didn't know why. Maybe it was a bubble blast to me, that Manik wasn't how he was just to me, he was like that with everyone. That happy or secret sharing side of him wasn't just for me, it was for everyone. I was no special, and I guess I didn't want to be anymore.