Amigos!!! Quite happy with the last chapter's response. I mean most on any chapter of any book. So ya here is the next part.

Inline comments are love ❤️

Happy Reading:)
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Aryaman was sitting in class with Alya and Manik when Nandini walked in. He glanced at her and could tell she was a bit upset. A part of him wanted to go and ask her what was wrong, but a more dominant part stopped him. If Nandini could snap ties so easily, then he didn't need to bother. Nandini on the other hand didn't notice the trio and went and sat in her corner.

Manik who happened to follow Aryamann's line of vision when he looked at Nandini, could also tell looking at her face that she was upset, but he wondered why. Aryaman kept mum throughout the class never glancing at her again, but in his mind, all he was wondering was, why did Nandini look upset?

After the classes got over, Nandini was leaving for home when she suddenly bumped into someone and would have fallen almost had he not held onto her wrist and balanced her back to place. "Watch where you're going yeah!" she heard the guy's voice before looking up, and mumbled a quick apology when she finally noticed his face.

He was peering down at her, and for once he didn't have scorn on his face. "Did Nandini Murthy just apologize to me?" and there, his smirk was back.

But he was even more surprised when Nandini didn't give a counter reply and left. He looked at her retreating figure confused, he knew that she hated him, and with her sassy mouth, she wouldn't leave any opportunity at getting back to him, then today as he looked at the ground, he found an ID card.

Hell, he still feels the punch he got when he crossed the line and demeaned her on her parents.

He knelt to pick it up - it was Nandini's. It must have fallen when they bumped into each other he thought and glanced at the ID card once more. Something on it made him look back again. Now he knew why she was upset. He decided to catch up with her and give her the card back before she reached the gate so the college guards didn't harass her further. She was low anyway.

Aryaman was sitting in a café with Alya and chatting with her when his phone beeped. He was about to look at it, but Alya stopped him. They were alone after such a long it, it almost felt like a date, and she wanted his undivided attention. Aryaman smiled at her and put the phone away.

Nandini reached the gate and was about to produce the ID card from her pocket when she realized it wasn't there. She looked around and but it wasn't anywhere around, as she frantically began to look for it cursing her luck, she suddenly saw a hand before her holding the card. She took the card and sighed in relief. "You know you're a saviour" she s, said and smiled up to look at her helper's face.

Once again she was surprised to see the familiar face of Manik peering at her. "You?" she asked surprised.

"What, now you will return the card and rather pretend that you lost it?" replied Manik with a laugh.

"No" she replied shortly before turning around. "Where are you going?" she heard him ask.

She was surprised, why was Manik so pally to her suddenly, but she didn't question him further, she just responded "Home" and was about to go again when he spoke a third time, "Should I drop you? I am leaving too".

Nandini had had enough now, she turned around and asked him instead, "What do you want Manik? Why are you trying to talk to me?" irritation was clear was n her voice.

Manik looked taken aback but he didn't scorn at her, "Why would I want something from you Nan-" but Nandini cut him mid-sentence, "Well I refuse to believe are just innocently trying to help me. I am not judgemental Manik, but I know you. You're the reason Aryamann and I aren't friends anymore. You wouldn't just come to help me out of kin----" but then Manik didn't let her finish. "That's enough Nandini, just because I am listening to you, doesn't mean you can blame me okay! I was just offering you a ride because, in case you didn't notice, it's dark now, and it is about to rain again AND if in case you don't remember, there is a transport strike today! So, if you are done with your investigation, can we go?" he asked angrily and a surprised Nandini followed suit.

What choice did she have? She was very tired anyway specially emotionally. And something in him made her trust him that he won't do anything wrong to her although he wasn't very nice to her verbally.

As she sat silently in his car, he drove off, and no sooner did they start, than big drops of rain started pelting down. "Close save huh?" Manik laughed, and Nandini nodded slightly.

Strangely Manik wasn't annoying her that much right now. "Do you like rain?" he asked her after some time while driving by a park, as they spotted some children playing football in the rain. "Hate the rain" Nandini replied nonchalantly.

And she wasn't lying. Without Aryamann by her side, the rain indeed seemed to have lost its charm. "See that's why we are at each other's neck! You don't like the right things in life! Try cutting chai in a chai dada's khudi(earthen cup) while in the rain, you will fall in love with rain!" said Manik jovially.

Nandini's head snapped up in surprise, his lines took her back to memory lane, *try cutting chai in the rain, you will fall in love with rains* once upon a time Nandini had taught this to Aryamann, only after that did they start enjoying the rains together! And today Manik was telling her the same thing?

Suddenly she came out of her reverie as the car halted, she looked up surprised as they hadn't reached home yet. She looked at Manik questioningly, and he indicated a tea-stall right outside. "Come," he said, his face lighting up with a bright smile. "No" she replied instinctively. "YES," his grin became broader as he pulled her out in the rain and strode towards the stall.

As they drank tea, Manik spoke about his life in Delhi, his friendship with Alya, his childhood and his reason for moving to Mumbai.

Nandini watched him silently, this was a completely different man than the Manik she knew. This man in front of her was nice. Maybe Aryamann always saw this side of his; hence he didn't want to snap ties with him. But then why did he behave so rudely with her she wondered, and why suddenly was he so nice and friendly with her now? He seemed to love the rain, and in the rain, he actually ended up befriending his enemy.

Nandini was so lost in her thought that she never noticed when Manik stopped talking and stared at her, watching her lost in her thoughts. Manik saw her clouded face and realized she was missing Aryamann. He felt bad for being the reason for them snapping ties.

He held her wrist gently, and she snapped out of her trance, "Nandini, Alya is a nice girl. Aryaman is very happy with her." He said softly. "I know," she said and nodded, but those treacherous tears were back at bay.

Manik noticed this, and something inside him crunched. "Nandini, I am sorry, I am the reason why your friendship fell apart" - Manik surprised himself at the confession.

Nandini looked at him with tear-filled eyes, she realized Manik was really sorry for being who he was with her for so long, in that moment she genuinely smiled and forgave him. "Manik, it's not your fault. From how I see it, influences and causations are used in arguments such that people can later blame these for the decisions they take. But in reality, I feel they are gibberish. Every decision of man, stem from a simple question, he wants something, or he doesn't. And Aryamann didn't want it - our friendship" she completed with misty eyes.

Manik's head shot up in shock, he had heard similar lines before, "Everything roots from the simple choice of whether you want something or not. Just that." - he had heard it so long ago, and he hadn't heard it ever since the speaker left him forever. He hadn't heard it ever since his beloved Prerna's demise.

Manik looked up at Nandini in a new light, she was so similar to Prerna in many ways. He never wanted to hurt Nandini verbally the way he did but then.. *sigh*

At that moment, he didn't know what urged him to say this, but he said it anyway, "Happy Birthday Nandini!" and a surprised Nandini broke into a smile, a genuine everlasting smile, that made him feel warm inside.

And something definitely changed at that moment between both of them.

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What do you feel?

Love,
Krishna 💙✨