Adorable Heart

Rose Day

Wafting through the cool morning breeze, sweet, musky scent of jasmines and tuberose stimulated my olfactory nerves and the faint melodious chirping of birds awakened my auditory impulses.

Pouting in my sugary morning slumber, cuddling my long bolster, I snuggled a little more into the satiny-soft-furry-blanket.

A wide smile formed on my lips as the fragrance of fresh roses hit my nostrils.

Slowly, I opened my velvet black eyes only to meet with his amber brown ones.

Those orbs seemed captivating and my smile deepened as I saw him sitting on one corner of the bed. His face was calm, and the precious smile on his lips made him look more serene.

I was in a reverie when I heard Dadi's voice, "Nandini, wake up. It's already seven-thirty in the morning."

His figure disappeared and my eyes widened with the realization.

Did I just hallucinated Manik Malhotra?!

"Nandini, are you awake?", Dadi once called again.

"Yes, Dadi. I'll be there in ten.", I enunciated.

Getting up from the bed, I looked around and a gasp escaped my lips.

My whole room was decorated with roses and tuberoses. Red, yellow, white, baby pink, cherry pink, blue, orange roses gave a garden-like feel to my room. Smiling to myself, I shook my head thinking about the love Dadu had showered upon us, on all the previous rose days.

Taking a bath, sliding into a simple blue knee-length-one-piece I moved downstairs carrying two pink roses in my hand.

"I love you, my all-time lovers.", I hugged Dadu and Dadi.

"Love you too, beta.", they both smiled taking the roses from my hands.

"What's your plan for the day, cupcake?", Dadu looked at me as we sat at our usual places on the dining table.

"Nothing, I'll be here spending time with you two.", I shrugged.

"Don't you think you should go to Elite?", Dadu asked looking keenly at my face.

"Last year Navya and me, both of us were single, so, we celebrated together. But, now she has Cabir. I guess I should give them some space to enjoy their first rose-day together.", I explained.

"Don't be such a spoilt sport, baby. See even I'm taking your Dadi on a date.", Dadu said enthusiastically.

"You guys are going on a date?", I grinned at Dadu's cute gesture.

"Yes. As my husband becomes a teenager on such days, I decided to play along.", Dadi answered.

"Okay. Then, I'll go to school.", I said as planned on completing my psychology project in the library.

Elite High School:

NANDINI:

As the car dropped me, I started moving towards the school building. Many couples were sitting by the benches in the garden, some stood talking in the corridor, and even the locker rooms were flooded with roses. Smiling, I too wished for getting a red rose from my true love one day.

Before going inside the library I thought of wishing Navya, Cabir, and Manik. But Navya and Cabir were nowhere to be found.

I saw Manik in one corner; he seemed to be mobbed by many girls. Maybe they were some fangirls or his girlfriends, friends.

After the Soha incidence, I had already endured quite much unnecessary attention, and wishing Manik in front of so many people would mean a disaster. So, I decided to stay out of it.