Warrior Hearts

Half And Half

Manik's POV

"Have all the clocks in our house slowed down, or is Her Royal Punctual Highness late today?" I ask out loud - to no one in particular - as Nandini strolls into the study. Religiously following our daily routine of greeting, she offers me a stern glare before making her way towards the alcove.

"Anusha, you may now leave." I permit, as I rise from my chair. "And do leave the tray behind." Utterly confused, Anusha's gaze flits between my face, and the tray on the table.

"But Your Highness, I've already made your tea." She argues, nodding towards the steaming cup that's lying on the table.

"Right," I agree, glancing down towards the tray. "You forget, though, there is another person in this room." As I pass my gaze over the items on the tray - memorising their placements so as to not look like a fool in front of Nandini - through the corner of my eye, I catch Anusha sneak a quick glance in her direction.

"Y-Your Highness, are you going to serve her tea?" Anusha whispers, eyes wide. Satisfied, I smile at the tray which is now firmly gripped in my palms.

"No, I intend to bring in some dolls and have a tea party with them." Anusha steps away from the table, almost as if she's taken aback by the dripping sarcasm in my tone. "Also, shut the door on your way out," I instruct. Humming, I head towards the alcove.

"Your Highness, a domestic task, such as this, won't suit you," Anusha hisses from behind me. But instead of offering her any kind of justification - which I'm most certainly not indebted to - I maintain a steady pace as I head in Nandini's direction. She's crouched beside the turtle pond, her back facing me. Albeit Nandini's ignorance to my approaching steps, I'm quite positive that she's overheard a snippet - if not the entirety - of the conversation Anusha and I were having, and so she's well aware of my intentions.

Stationing myself behind Nandini, I clear my throat. Frowning, I watch as she refuses to so much as glance in my direction, and acknowledge my existence. Inhaling a deep breath, I try once again. But my efforts are in vain.

"Princess, is it your life's goal to make mine a living hell?" I question in exasperation. My eyes widen in surprise as, upon hearing my words, I watch Nandini allow herself the luxury of a brief smile. But when she turns around to face me, her expression is blank as always.

"Am I succeeding?" Nandini asks, raising her eyebrows curiously. Sighing, I nod my head in the direction of the tray that I'm holding, as if I'm Nandini's lady-in-waiting.

"Tea?" On their own volition, I realise my lips are turning upwards into an inviting smile. For the briefest of seconds, I feel my stomach plummet in disappointment, as Nandini eyes me warily. "Please?" I add, in the hope that this magic word could play the part of a white flag. Although Nandini responds to me by nodding her head in agreement, her disinterested expression is in sharp contrast to her actions. Frankly, the look she's giving me makes me feel as if I've made her a prisoner of war, and I'm now forcing her to join me for a cup of tea.

"I-I'll just pour you a cup." I reply, as I hastily place the tray on the table beside me. "Fuck," I hiss, as my fumbling fingers drop the lid of the teapot onto the hard surface of the table. Good God, since when did I become such a clumsy man? Another loud clatter echoes around the room, as I bang the metal spoon into the side of the milk pot. Frankly, although it's not my most favourite past time, I've never shied away from being the centre of attention at any given occasion. But as I crouch in front of the table, with Nandini's eyes closely following my actions, I cannot help but feel a knot of nerves tangle themselves in the very pit of my stomach.

"Here you go, Princess." I say, holding out the cup of tea in Nandini's direction. "Would you like a cube of sugar?" If I'm not mistaken, I catch the ghost of a smile on her face as she watches me. Expectantly, I continue to stare at her. Shouldn't Nandini now smile at me? Maybe thank me, too?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" As always, Nandini heads in the complete opposite direction of my expectations, by outrightly asking me this blatant question. "What do you want?" Although the request of what I desire wholeheartedly is right at the tip of my tongue, I find myself shaking my head instead. 

"Nothing," I murmur, glancing down towards my lap, disappointed. Last night - when I first showed Nandini her greenhouse - I had expected a reaction of some sort from her. Heck, I was looking forward to her face breaking out into a grin of pure joy. Unfortunately, though, nothing of the sort occurred. And today seems to be headed in a similar direction. Good God, why is it so difficult for me to make Nandini happy? Rohit seems to do so with utter ease. Maybe I should seek out his secret.

"Malhotra, could you pass me the sugar?" Nandini asks, drawing my attention back to the present.

"Sure," I reply, as I hurriedly place the jar in front of her. But instead of scooping out a sugar cube for herself, I watch as Nandini merely stares into the jar. "What happened?" Curiously, I sneak a peek into the container to find one last sugar cube neatly resting in a corner of it.

"It's the last one," Nandini voices out loud. "And we both take a cube each in our tea." Nandini pays attention to me. After all, how else would she be aware of this minor detail? Although my cheek muscles wish to break out into a foolish grin, I refrain myself from doing so. As far as I know Nandini, she wouldn't appreciate me dwelling on this matter. And I have no intention to make her the least bit uncomfortable. 

"Oh, don't worry," I say dismissively. "I'll make do without it, Princess, but you should go ahead and take it." Instead of obliging my words, Nandini refuses to so much as budge a muscle. "Frankly, I don't mind bitter tea."

"No," Nandini murmurs, frown lines masking her forehead. The mere sight of them tips me off regarding the fact that the gears of her mind are hard at work. Snapping back into action, Nandini reaches into the jar and pulls out the sugar cube. But instead of dropping the entirety of it into her cup, I watch as she snaps the cube in half. Without giving me a chance to protest, she drops one half into my cup, and the other into hers.

"You could've had the entirety of it, you know?" I say, as I fight the urge to smile at Nandini's solution. Frankly, I'm oddly pleased at the way she gave us an equal share, each.

"Your blood's bitter enough as it is, Malhotra." Nandini replies, casting her gaze away from me. "So I just thought that you need all the sugar that you can find." 

A/N: Eid Mubarak to all those of you who celebrate it! Take care and stay safe xx