Hi fam!

Let me undo some confusion here. Manik doesn't have Nandini's diary. Yes, he read it to her when she was in the hospital, but he's read what she's randomly written. So Manik doesn't know about Nandini's feelings towards him.

Also, Nandini liked Manik. This was before Aliya and Manik happened, and then she suppressed her crush for him. So no, she barely feels anything for him anymore.

That's it. You can read now.

Happy Reading!

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Nandini

I passed out early last night, so getting up early wasn't a problem for a change. And honestly, the feeling of going back to school after you have passed out is so beautiful.

Aliya didn't come back last night though, and as I got down for breakfast, I made a mental note of texting her.

I didn't have anything in mind to eat, so I was about to grab some fruits and coffee but I was surprised to see my Dad in the kitchen instead, and his daughter- Emilia on the counter with a plate. Yeah, they stayed back last night.

"Nandini," he greeted with a smile, "Come, sit down, I'm making your favourite pancakes."

I took a seat next to Emilia, not wanting to argue early in the morning. "Why're you up so early?" I ask her, trying to give her a smile.

"I've joined new Art Classes here," she smiled back, "I want to be an artist." I wanted to be an artist too.

"Art Classes?" I look to my father, "For how long are you both staying here?" He put a warm pancake on my plate and passed me the maple sauce which I pushed aside.

"Nandini, we're staying with you," he said and I coughed on the first bite of pancake. Still the same taste.

"With me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," He said, "Look sweetheart, you're not eighteen yet. After being your parent, this also makes me your legal guardian, by court and law. So either you come with me to New York, or I shift back to Folks."

I coughed a little louder, "Trust me, that's not required. I can take care of myself."

"It is," my father implied, "And I knew you wouldn't agree on coming to New York, so I'd let you have your space at Folks. It'll become easier for you to deal with the accident, and incase it isn't, I can also help you with a counsellor who heals people after trauma. He's my friend back at New York."

"What about your wife?" I couldn't help but ask as I digged into the remaining pancake.

He paused for a second dramatically, his hand stopping where it was like they show in movies. I was almost tempted to roll my eyes. "Dead," He replied. Oh.

"Dad, can we save this conversation for later?" I ask after a minute, completing my pancake, "I don't feel like arguing right now."

"Okay," he smiled, probably happy that this was the first time I called him Dad without arguing. "How're you planning to go to school?" He asked.

"I'd drive--" my words halted when I realised I didn't have a car anymore. Like my Mom, the car was crushed and dead too. My eyes returned back to the plate, not willing to look up as I pulled myself together again.

"I'll take the bus," I tried smiling.

"I'm going to leave Mia to her Art classes, I'll drop you to school." He said.

"I'm taking the bus, Dad," I said, getting up and putting my almost empty bad on my shoulders.

"I'll see you later, Emilia," I say, smiling at her.

"You can call me Mia, everyone calls me that," she smiled looking up, "I'll see you later, Di."

I give my father one last look, "The keys of the house are in the drawer. You can settle in the guest room with Emi-- Mia. Don't get too comfortable though, we're going to have the New York or Folks conversation soon."

He nods, "You haven't eaten maple sauce even, Nandini, you're sure you don't want more? You used to love maple," he said, as I began leaving and reached the door.

"I developed an allergy to maple sauce when I was thirteen. A lot has changed when you weren't there, Dad," I murmured, leaving.

A lot had really changed.

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I walked into school ten minutes later. I hadn't even reached from the gate to hallways and already atleast ten people had turned to see me.

Folks was a small town like I always say, and the news of an accident passes like wildfire, and death of a loved one even more faster. And I had a two-in-one combination. I wouldn't be shocked if half of them had thought I died too.

I kept my eyes lowered to the ground as I walked my way inside when someone fell in step with me. "Cabir?" I asked, surprised.

"Hey, sister," He smiled, rather toothily.

"What do you want?" I asked back, politely.

"What? A brother can't walk his sister to her class for no reason," he pretended to be hurt. I chuckled, looking away.

Don't take me wrong. I and Cabir got along very good as cousins. We hung out together on family occasions and if there was a problem I couldn't solve, I used to turn up to Cabir only.

But this was all outside school. He and I had different set of friends here, actually... he was the one who had friends, all I had was Aliya. We barely even spoke in school unless we came across, had different lectures, different subjects, different paths.

"And..." he put his arm around my shoulder, drawing more attention towards us, "...I have decided, that you would hang out with me and my friends."

"What? No!" I said immediately in reflex. I wish someone understood how tedious it could be for an introvert and socially anxious person to meet new people and make friends.

"Hey Nandini!" I heard another chirp and looked up to see Mukti. Mukti and I were friends, like hi-I-know-your-name kinda friends, more like acquaintances.

"Hey Mukti," I answered, slightly confused.

"You're going for chemistry class?" She asked. I nodded. "Great! Me too, let's go together," she smiled holding my hand.

I was honestly a little overwhelmed.

"Hey!" Cabir pushed Mukti. Oh, I didn't tell you? They were best friends. "I am walking her to class."

"Yeah, but we have the same class so I can do this. Go find something better to do, jerk," She snapped back.

"But Manik told me to do this..." he defended.

"So you can take over my part if I'm doing yours..." Mukti deadpanned but stopped, realising I had stopped walking.

"Manik?" I asked, confused. The first bell rang, meaning we had to go for classes. "Where did Manik come in this from?" I asked.

"Uh--" Cabir searched for excuses. "Why don't you tell her Mukti...." he looked at her for help.

The second bell rang, which was like a warning bell to be in lectures. Mukti nodded, grabbing my hand and making our way to the class.

There were just seven people in the class except me and Mukti, and the teacher wouldn't teach after exams, so we were supposed to be idle. We sat on the last bench and I looked at her with accusing eyes. "Explain?"

"Okay... so..." she took a deep breath, "Promise you wouldn't be angry?"

I showed her my eyes, giving her a glare that Aliya often calls the I-am-a-mafia glare.

"So Manik allotted duties to Me and Cabir to be with you all day," she murmered. I looked at her in confusion, asking her to go on.

"Like Cabir was asked to walk you to your class, I was supposed to be with you in the lectures, Manik will meet you if you go to the cafeteria, Cabir if you wanna go to the locker, and your Dad would pick you up after school," she said.

"You're joking right?" I asked but her lips didn't even move a muscle.

"But why?" I asked.

"Something about Manik being concerned of your safety and your Dad being worried since you're an introvert and you'd get a lot of attention today, so they both formulated this up," she shrugged.

I closed my eyes. So Manik and my Dad we're friends now? Picking out things to annoy me?

I have to talk to Manik.

"Mukti!" I say, "It's alright, really. You don't have to do this, neither does Cabir or Manik. I will talk to him."

"No! But I like you!" She shrugged, "You're cool. You don't like attention. You wouldn't brag about clothes or shopping like other girls. I want to genuinely be friends with you," she said, drawing random doodles on her notebook when she realised all the seven students in the class were looking back at us, more precisely at me.

Some indirectly, some in the corner of their eye. One guy didn't even hide staring at me.

"What?" Mukti shouted, looking at everyone, "Do your own work or I'd put your asses on fire. If either of y'all look behind, I'll make sure you won't have eyes anymore too look anywhere!" She deadpanned and everyone shifted, including the Chemistry teacher.

"Thanks," I murmered.

"That's what friends are for," she smiled back. I liked her. She was badass. "Wait!" She remembered something, "We can be friends only if you don't like Mean Girls."

"You don't like Mean Girls?" My eyes widened, and then a small smile came to my face. Aliya loves Mean Girls. "Finally someone I can accept this with. I hate, hate Mean Girls. Aliya's made me watch it so many times. But I hate it," I accepted in a low voice and she did a victory punch in the air.

"Nandini," she chirped, "We're going to be best friends." I laughed with her.

"And..." she said, "About Manik. Don't take him wrong. He might know a lot of people, but there are very few he actually considers as friends. And he goes to any extent for that friends, their happiness and safety. His world is small that way, and he's looking out for you because he cares. He's fond of you, Nandini."

"He's fond of you, Nandini," Her voice kept resonating in my ears all through the first and second period as we talked randomly and drew doodles in an empty notebook.

By the end of the day, I found myself bunking the last lectures and going to the cafeteria with Mukti. I and Mukti did go along very well. I wondered why I hadn't met her before. She must be the only other girl in whole of Folks who hated Mean Girls, wouldn't talk about shopping, and read books.

And she was just as hungry as I was. I should've listed to Dad and eaten something else.

As I ordered my coffee and sat on a table with Mukti who munched through her sandwich, I saw two more chairs being pulled and Cabir and Manik sat. They were both in their football jerseys and dirty shoes, probably just back from football practice.

"How was your day?" Manik asked both of us. "Amazing," Mukti said with wide eyes, "And guess what? Nandini hates Mean Girls too! I'm never going to leave her, I swear."

And just as she said it, Manik's eyes turned to me, and our eyes met. He gave me a smile, and I smiled back, then drinking my coffee.

"Manik," I said, "I have to talk to you."

"Yes?" He asked, and I looked around the cafeteria incase things got out of hand. We were almost alone, except a few other people.

"Have you been talking to my father?" I asked directly.

My question clearly caught him by surprise, as he coughed on the water he was drinking. "Not really, why?" He asked.

"Because there's no other reason why y'all are patrolling me today and being my bodyguards," I snapped.

"Bodyguards?" He laughed nervously, then gave Mukti and Cabir a glare. "Who told her?" He deadpanned while the evil twins kept staring away.

"No no!" I turned his face towards me. "Talk to me, not them. What's happening?"

"That's a very good thank you for repairing your phone," he diverted.

"On the topic, Malhotra," I deadpanned. "Why?"

"Okay!" He said, taking a deep breath. "So this is just a theory, okay. Not sure, just a theory. What if... the accident that happened, it wasn't an accident but planned... like a murder." He says.

I stare at him like he was a dumb alien. "What--" I breathed in disbelief, "--makes you think this?"

"Nothing! Like I said, it's just a theory that was bothering your father last evening when I was leaving your home, and I caught up in a conversation with him, and when he told me, to make him more assured, I said one of us would always be with you for a few days. That's about it," he explained.

"That's about it?" I raised my eyebrows. "Truly, yes," He said.

"Then why didn't you want me to know?" I ask.

"Because you've already been though a lot and we didn't want to trouble you more--" he says but stops when he sees my annoyed face.

"That's the thing guys!" I banged my hand on the table lightly, "I know what happened with me was crazy bad and a lot of things have changed in my life because of it. But the last thing I want is people I know-- you all-- to change. I don't want you guys to change your behaviour towards me just because this happened with me. I don't need the sympathy stares or the pity looks. So if you want to be with me, let it be only because you're interested in who I am, and not the sudden sympathy in your hearts towards me. Please!" I say.

"And Manik... I have no idea why're you doing this... being so kind and good towards me. Really. I hate seeing the new found sympathy in your eyes for me. If that's what you're going to greet me with next time, you rather not talk to me. I'm still the same person that I was before the accident, please don't treat me any different. Please." I requested, getting up.

"Mukti, are you coming to the book store?" I say, and she quietly gets up, following me to the parking lot and into her car. She drives while I sit in the passenger seat.

"Nandini--" Mukti tries. "No!" I say, wiping the silent tears that I didn't know flowed off.

The way everyone kept looking at me all through the day was honestly alright because they didn't know me. They knew nothing about me.

But Cabir, Aliya... were the ones who knew me more than as an acquaintance. And I have seen something shift in all their eyes for me. They don't look at me normally, it's full of sympathy and care.

And then Manik. All these years, I went unnoticed. He didn't have anything to do with me except that I was his girlfriend's bestfriend. And then suddenly, I meet with a life altering accident, and he wants to be my friend? He wants to spend time with me, he wants to know me more and do things for my happiness that no one has ever done.

Why?

Was I just a charity case for everyone now?

Honestly, Mukti was the only one who didn't give me the vibes that she was with me because of the accident. She liked the way I was, and if I was a bitch to her, she wouldn't mind beating my ass with no sympathy. And that's just what I wanted.

"We've reached," Mukti said as both got out and into the book store.

"Mukti, I'm sorry," I murmur guiltily. "I know Manik's your best friend and he was just looking out for me and I shouldn't have shouted at him that way--" I was cut off when Mukti's hands wrapped around me into a hug.

"I get it," she whispered. "I really do. I'm an orphan, and when my parents died, I went through the same thing. I hated how people treated me differently. Like if I break school property? It's okay because her parents died. If I steal someone's tiffin? It's okay because her parents died. It made me sick.. the sympathy and being treated that way. And that's when I met Manik and Cabir. They wanted to play football with me and I thought it was because of the sympathy and I was so done that I beat both of them up. We've been best friends since that day."

"What I mean is... I know what you're going through. It's okay," she broke the hug, "Ans trust me, Manik and Cabir do too. Manik shouldn't have invaded your space by asking us to guard you. But he did that 'cause he cares. And it's alright, it's not your fault okay? He'll come around."

I smiled, nodding. "I feel it's really weird for two girls to be standing in a book store and hugging for no reason, and my Percy Jackson's new series are really calling me bad. Chalein?" She said and I nodded, laughing.

She picked her books while I found mine. I wanted Thirteen Reasons Why, but I ended up buying three more books anyway. I preferred reading to watching the same story in a series or a movie.

I was proceeding for the billing when I bumped into a familiar face.

"Aliya?" I said, surprised. In a bookstore?

"Hey," her eyes widened as she smiled and hugged me. "How're you feeling now?" She has to ask. I smiled, nodding. "What're you doing here?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Actually, Manik wanted to pick up a few books for him on the way back from my piano," she said. "Since you're the nerdy one, which book can I take for him?"

"Try this," I say, handing my copy of Thirteen Reasons Why after putting in my bookmark. "It's a limited edition," I lie, "I'm sure he'd like it."

"Great," she smiled, "You're a saviour. Thank you." And then soon, she was on her way.

"Hey you done?" Mukti came to me. I nodded as she squeezed her eyebrows, "You kept ranting of how much you want Thirteen Reasons Why and now you're taking two books except that one?"

"Yeah," I smiled, "I have a feeling I'll get it anyways."

"What?" She was confused.

"Nothing," I say, biting my lower lip, "I'll tell you later. Let's pay now."

From the bookstore, I and Mukti went out for lunch. I and Mukti got along well. She was an easy person, loved food, and a big drama queen. It would be safe to say she was the girl version of Cabir.

It was early evening when I reached home, and found my father in the living room, working on the laptop, probably doing office work. It had been ten years since I came back home from School to see my father, and I couldn't help that even now my heart leapt a little. This was all I wanted in all those years, but not at the cost of losing my Mom.

I went upstairs and took a shower, got changed, and came down again.

"How was school?" Dad asked like it was the most normal thing in this world.

"Just like it was for the past ten years," I snapped, immediately feeling guilty a second later although I shouldn't. This man deserved my hatred.

"Dad..." I say. He looks up at me. "Please stop putting ideas into my friend's head. Whatever happened... it was an accident. Not a murder."

"I know I know," he said in defence, "I was just looking out for my daughter. I was worried."

I was tempted to say he shouldn't. If he really wanted to look out for me, he wouldn't have left ten years ago. And if he really was worried, he would have bothered calling to ask me how was I, or even if I was still alive. But I let it go.

My mind was preoccupied by a lot of things, and I was helpless how each one revolved around Manik Malhotra.

Why was he doing this?

If not for sympathy, then did he know he was giving me all the wrong signals?

A guy doesn't sneak you out of your hospital breaking a few laws for you, or brings you favourite food, or draws you into a painting, or remembers every thing you told him and tells how you're perfect for him for nothing.

But he was my best friend's boyfriend.

Or maybe I was just overthinking it. I was born an overthinker after all. I could keep thinking and jumping onto my own conclusions instead of confronting people and being the introvert I am.

Sucks.

I was busy in this mind war when the door bell rang. Despite my Dad's protest to take rest, I got up to open the door to see the person I least expected.

Manik Malhotra.

He was still in his foot ball jersey, just in jogger's now with a jacket on top. He'd worn his black nerd glasses and his hair looked freshly washed and set, but there was something about his eyes that were tired as if holding so much back.

I realised I was just staring at him in surprise with parted lips as I finally moved, as if making way for him to get in but he didn't move.

He forwarded a bunch of flowers in his hand to me as he murmured, "I'm sorry."

I was about to reply when my eyes fell on what he had in his second hand.

That copy of Thirteen Reasons Why.

He never liked books,
She knew he didn't,
But both pretended the unknown
That's how they fell,
A little pretence, some rainy days,
The unspoken words
Small smiles, little eyes,
And a lot of love.

[ a/n: any writer who wishes to be paid to upload your stories on Inkitt, please PM ]

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( Cliffhanger! Don't kill me. )

Questions:

1. Early Update! Happy?

2. What do you think about Manik? Creepy or cute?

3. Liked the update?

4. Fav part of the chapter?

5. Do you think Nandini is being too mean with her father?

6. I love Mukti! Do you want to see her more?

7. Few words on this chapter's Manik and Nandini?

8. What do you think is Manik hiding?

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Please do vote, comment and love.

Thank you! xx

Love, love and love,
-Hx.