Kismat Connection

Part 40

Thank you all for your votes and comments! It always motivates me to continue writing. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

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Fab5 and Nandini were at a restaurant. Manik and Nandini were participating in a competition, so were Abhi and Mukti.

        In the current round, one participant from the team had to pick a song from a list of romantic songs and sing a few lines for their partner. Their partner had to comment on how well they sang and the judges would decide on how romantic the singer was. Manik picked a song of his choice and sang. Nandini praised him, naturally he was an excellent singer. For Manik, this round gave him an opportunity to express what he really felt for Nandini, without giving her a clue that he really meant every word of what he sang.

        The partner who didn't choose to sing had to represent things that were close to their partner's heart or important to them on a heart shaped board. They could draw, write, or use accessories available there. Nandini chose and put things to represent Manik's parents, his friends, musical notes and guitar, a small place for herself and so on. Their partner had to confirm if they were right. Nandini knew Manik well enough to know what is important to him, so she was right. But what she didn't know was that she held a much bigger place in his heart than she presumed.

        The last round was one where they had to complete an activity together as soon as possible. They were given a clue, which they had to use to find the next clue and so on till they reached the final destination. In some teams, one partner would try to do everything on their own, and in some teams one partner would rush leaving the other partner behind. In Manik and Nandini's case, they took turns reading the clues and worked in sync with each other.

        Manager : "With this, we come to the end of the competition. These activities were designed to test how compatible you are with your partner. I understand it wouldn't have been easy for the ones who just met today, but I hope you still had fun. Now, it is time for the results."

        The owner announced the second and third place winners and handed out the prizes.

        Owner : "Before I announce our winner of first place, I would like to say a few words. We have been holding this event from quite a few years. It is very rare that a couple excels in all the activities. So usually our winner is the best of the participants, but this time we do have a couple that excelled in all the activities. The winner is couple no 20. It turns out that they were one of the last couples to enter the competition, but they are the winners of the first place."

        Though Manik and Nandini weren't a couple in reality, they were a lot more compatible than any of the other couples present there. They had formed an instant connection when they first met, and their bond had only grown stronger over time.

        Nandini : "Manik, the prize was originally meant for couples. We aren't one, then how can we accept the prize? It won't be fair."

        Manik : "What do you want to do?"

        Nandini : "If we don't accept the prize, may be a real couple will win the prize. If it is okay with you..."

        Manik : "We will do as you wish. I will inform them."

        They weren't even planning to participate in the competition, so it really didn't matter to them whether they got the prize or not.