New delhi

"Here's your coffee manik." Nyonica put the cup on the study table and he gave her a grateful smile.

"Take some rest manik you look like an addict just get some sleep you're tiring yourself." She stroked his hair.

"I'm fine mom is dad asleep?" He asked with droopy eyes.

"Yes he is and just don't worry about him or the company or me you need a break from everything."

"I can't take a break after dad---- I just don't want to burden him maa." He kept his point and tears glistened in her eyes seeing him like this.

"He is fine now and it's high time that you should start thinking about yourself too. Off to bed." He was going to object but she glared at him. "Now" He sighed and packed his files.

~~~~~~~

"So finally you decided to grace us with your presence? Lucky us!" Mukti mocked manik as he took a seat besides her.

"Please tell me why you all decided to meet out of the blue, in the middle of the day? I'm busy you know." Manik boasted and alya flicked his head upside down muttering a shut up.

"Because we have a wedding to plan" dhruv yawned bored with the situation.

Mukti, dhruv ,alya and manik decided to meet in a cafe. It's an emergency meeting as alya like to call it.

"And what's up with you I haven't seen you in months!" Mukti sipped her coffee directing the question at manik.

"After dad suffered the heart attack I've been really busy- dad's responsibilities, merger. I'm sorry for being a really bad friend." He said sheepishly.

"It's okay well you're not the only one who's being a shitty friend." Alya smirked folding her hands on the table and he averted his gaze down.

"Whoah! Alya is going to spill some hot piping tea!" Dhruv chimed in whistling a little.

"Yes you and Nandini both are just busy in your own worlds I mean can someone ask me how my life is going on? How was my coffee this morning? How did my nail appointment go?" Mukti glared at him.

"Well forget about that weren't you seeing some guy for a month now?" He asked and her eyes widened in surprise. She's speechless.

"Wait you know the guy?" Alya asked confused and mukti gulped looking here and there.

"Nah! I just heard her talking to someone in hushed tones. She was being all sweet, in love and all that gag worthy bullshit." Manik shook his head and when no reply came he looked up to see everyone staring at him.

"What?" He asked shifting on his place consciously.

"Did you just call love bullshit? The person who obsessively talked about this concept called it bullshit?" Dhruv was the one to speak.

"Ah! Not really I mean yeah kinda? I don't know." He didn't know what to say because he wasn't that person anymore he was eight months ago.

He learnt that nothing is constant. Love and friendships just don't matter when you're weighing under so many responsibilities.

"Maybe this is the day when the world ends." Mukti uttered quietly.

"So about the wedding?" Alya shifted the topic efficiently and mukti was glad for that.

"Yeah so when's the date?" Manik asked wiping his mouth with the napkin.

"2nd November manik 2nd you know two weeks from now?" Dhruv mocked him and he glared at dhruv.

"We sent the invitations like a week back did you even open it?" Alya raised her brows crossing her arms which made him gulp.

"So what can I help with?" He changed the topic quickly and she sighed.

"Just be there manik that's the only thing we are asking." Dhruv patted his shoulder and manik felt a little bad for not being there for them.

"You should say that to Nandini too. Did someone talk to her?" Mukti asked looking at them expectantly.

"I did last week. She's homesick, can't wait to come back and her boss is a pain in her arse." Alya summarised and manik sighed.

He should really talk to her. He thought to himself.

''''''''''''''

"So tell us what's going on? Any updates on life?" Navya asked folding laundry in the living room.

"Nothing just work stuff and yeah Jake asked me out for the third time?" Nandini grumbled holding her head.

"Then go out what's the problem?" Cabir shrugged and she didn't know what to say.

"I don't know I think I'm not ready."

"You won't know until you go out and meet new people." She chimed in and went to keep the clothes in their rooms.

"And you didn't come across the country to be in your own company, to socialise with those same people and for some stupid job which I don't think pay much. Do they?" Cabir exclaimed thoughtfully.

"Shut up I'm very well paid thanks for your concern." She threw a pillow at him.

"Call him it's Saturday you can go out?" Navya suggested and took a seat besides her on the couch.

"Yeah whatever I will it's not like he will come at such a short notice anyway." She mumbled and got up to call him.

When she went away Cabir turned towards navya.

"Do you think we should tell her?" He asked seriously and she looked down fiddling with her fingers.

"Ah! No she has a lot on her plate I don't think---"

"Shit shit shit shit shit" nandini came in running panicking.

"What?" Navya asked.

"He said yes? I mean is he that free that he said yes on a weekend to go out with some boring girl?"

"Stop putting yourself down let's get you ready. You've good three hours to get ready." Navya rubbed her shoulders calming her down and she nodded running to her room to decide what to wear.

After few hours she got ready in a royal blue short dress with lace work on the arms. She just wore liner, lipgloss and hair down. Her heels were beige and making the click clack sound on the concrete.

Navya was last minute starightening her hair when the bell rang and cabir immediately ran to open the door.

"Hey I'm Cabir nandini's friend slash ex roommate slash brother and if you ever hurt her I'm gonna whoop your ass." He said that in one breath as soon as he opened the door and jake was dumbfounded not knowing what to say.

"It's just a date move Cabir lemme go" Nandini yelled at him coming from behind along with navya. "Sorry about him he keep having psychotic episodes." She apologised pushing him aside.

"Hey and no it's absolutely fine. By the way you look gorgeous nanz" Jake gave her a toothy smile and she grinned.

"Thanks! you look great too!" She appreciated his appearance. Dressed in a red plaid shirt and dark blue jeans.

"And thanks for calling me I almost thought that you're not interested." He said cheekily.

"No she just needed a push." Navya exclaimed and bumped her shoulders with her's. Silently telling her to be nice to him. Nandini rolled her eyes getting her message.

"Shall we leave?" Jake asked uncomfortable under two stranger's gazes.

"Yeah sure" She nodded and he held his hand out for her to take. She was hesitant for a second but kept her hand on his.

He grinned and pulled her towards him making her gasp. Cabir whistled a little and she glared at him.

"Bye kids be good" He yelled from behind and jake escorted her out with their hands entwined.

Sometimes giving people a chance is the right thing to do.

______________

The response was so bad in the last chapter that no motivation came to me to write.

I get it y'all were bored because there were no manan scenes but they both have their own identities, separate journeys and struggles without each other. I just want them to have growth and character development.

I'm sorry if you got bored with the previous and current update but there will definitely be manan in the next update. (Kinda)