A/N: Hello my delightful MaNan Readers! How are we doing today? All ready for today's chapter? Oh, just so you remember, we ended the last chapter with Manik pecking Nandini on her lips! Are you folks ready to know how that went? ;)

Well, firstly, thank you for all the love you continue to share upon this story & I promise I will do my best to not disappoint you! So, on that note, Happy Reading!

***

He pecked her softly on her full lips, once and waited for her response. None came. Manik could feel her freeze under him. He teased her again with another peck.

Still nothing...

He pulled back to gaze at her, dark and beautiful doe eyes, that were glassy right now. "This is not for the cameras, Nandu.." he whispered, before placing another soft peck on her lips. This time he felt her lips tremble. He gently sucked on her lower lips, and finally felt her softly peck his upper lip. A rush of pure adrenalin kicked in, and he bent forward, kissing her with a little more force this time. He heard her gasp and flushed her body closer still, softly nibbling on her lips. He had kissed many women on and off screen, yet nothing felt more exhilarating than this. He gently licked her lips with his tongue and Nandini gently sucked his tongue. He groaned in response and deepened the kiss, pushing himself over her. He was clutching her waist like she would disappear if he left her, and slowly pushed the lining of her lips with his tongue, seeking permission, but just before she could react, Manik's phone rang loudly.

The loud intrusive noise, broke their momentum, as Nandini hastily pulled back, looking at him aghast. Manik cursed in his mind, before pulling away and gazed at her shocked expression. He gently caressed her left jaw with the pad of his thumb, as he flicked his phone to answer the call with his other hand.

"Manik, the car is here & we're ready. We are right outside your vanity & the press is pushed away from here." Cabir spoke in a tensed voice.

"Right, we're coming now." Manik replied into the phone; his eyes were still holding hers, as he spoke. Then he shut the phone and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, as he smiled and beckoned her to come with him.

Nandini didn't move an inch. "Wh..what was that, Manik?" she whispered, softly, finally finding her voice.

"Thank-you, Nandini, for doing all that you're doing for me..& I promise, I won't let you get hurt again. Ever." he replied fervently, looking at her.

Then he gently pulled her by the arm & guided her out of the vanity to his car that was now being driven by Abhimanyu with Cabir beside him. They got in the car, and drove off.

It was one hell of a morning.

***

Manik paced around in the living room, with Abhimanyu & Cabir by his side. The doctor had come to check on Nandini. She didn't want it, but Manik insisted anyway. She looked too unwell. If the electromagnetic radiation from the stress detector in her belt made her so unwell, he'd get rid of the detector completely. However, looking at the feed from the stress detector from the morning, Manik felt perplexed. It recorded very manageable levels of stress; it didn't trigger much simulation anyway, then why'd Nandini feel so unwell?

As if to answer his question, the doctor came out after examining Nandini and informed him that it wasn't the belt, but some hormone inducing medication she was given, that led to her feeling of hot flushes, fatigues & behavioural agitation. Both Manik & Abhimanyu were surprised.

"..but what medicine did she take in the morning? Did she even take any?" Manik wondered aloud.

"No sir, she didn't take any medicines. In fact, she even skipped breakfast in the morning, the only thing she had since morning was the special water you sent her, to help with the dehydration, that's it." replied Abhimanyu immediately. After all, Manik sir had given him the responsibility of Nandu's safety!

Manik looked at him with a scowl. "What special water? I didn't send any!" he replied, immediately. Abhimanyu's eyes flashed with shock.

"Who gave it to her, Abhimanyu?" Cabir asked this time. His voice was grave.

"Zubin." Abhimanyu answered, with a curt voice.

"What?" Manik & Cabir exclaimed together.

"Let me go & talk to him" Cabir muttered, patting Manik on his shoulder. "No, don't tell him anything, get him here." Manik commanded, his voice was cold with fury. Cabir took a step back. He had almost overheard most of Manik & Nandini's conversation from the vanity van, while he was patrolling outside & had come to the conclusion that there were some unresolved feelings from Manik's side towards Nandini too; but seeing his expression, he realised, it was quite deep. He thought of having a conversation with Manik on this later.

"Okay" Cabir mouthed and he was leaving, but Abhimanyu stopped him. He looked livid too. "No Cabir, I will get him. Nandu's safety was my responsibility & he breached my security" he jeered, and Cabir looked at Manik for affirmation. Upon his nod, he agreed & soon Abhimanyu dashed out of the room.

Manik turned to the doctor again, and thankfully there was nothing majorly wrong with Nandini, she had only reacted to whatever crap Zubin fed her with.

Manik wondered why would Zubin do such a thing? From what he had noticed, he was a nice & hard working guy.

***

Nandini was lying down on her bed and resting. As much as she tried sleeping, sleep evaded her. Everytime she shut down her eyes, Manik's vulnerable face, moments before their kiss played before her eyes. Her mind warned her to not believe it, he was an impeccable actor, but her heart tugged her to trust him. Can eyes lie so shamelessly? Then the kiss? Nandini unconsciously licked her lips every time she remembered it. It was so soft, caring, and affectionate. It really felt like an honest shred of warmth coming from Manik. He even said, it wasn't for the cameras. Didn't he thank her for what she has been doing for him?

Oh wait, was that a reward by any chance? The kiss? A reward from an employer to his employee for impressive performance? Was it that? Nandini sighed, she had almost believed it, that maybe at a very subtle level, Manik was reciprocating to her feelings, but alas, he is Manik Malhotra. Stones can melt under extraordinary circumstances, but not Manik.

A notification on her phone grabbed her attention, the next moment. It was a text message from Aryamann.

[Take care Nandini, I just saw about what happened at the 'muhurat' shot of Pehla Pehla Pyaar. I wish you had taken more time to trust Manik. If you need anything, just know, I am a phone call away. Arya]

Nandini stared at the text. How'd Aryamann 'see' what happened? Does that mean the news has gone viral?! Aiyappa!

[What did you see, Aryamann??] she replied back furiously.

[It's all over Instagram, Nandini. The video of Manik & Innaya kissing. Social media is divided on this. One group is calling it a PR stunt, the other one is assuming Innaya & Manik are rekindling an old flame & how that is unfair towards you, since you're expecting his baby..I am sorry that you are going through all this again, Nandini..] Aryamann's reply teared Nandini up. So much for wanting to believe Manik's vulnerable face. Nandini wanted to slap herself for the foolery her heart was once again leading her into. She sighed, and typed a reply to Aryamann. No matter what, their charade cannot be compromised.

[Thanks for being there Aryamann..but it was a PR stunt. Manik & I are tight as ever & I am expecting our baby, not just mine.] she typed back and soon she saw her message getting delivered & read. She decided to put the phone away and try to rest, but Aryamann replied again.

[You are in delusion, Nandini. I hope you open your eyes to reality soon, and when you do, this friend of yours will be there by your side, don't worry!] Nandini narrowed her eyes while reading that text, but she was PR trained enough to not respond to it. Aryamann was consciously treading on controversial topics & it was best to let Navya deal with it hereon, she decided, before putting the phone away. Although she knew, he was right. Manik was playing with her of course. He was rewarding her, it wasn't affection. She really did miss Aryamann at this point, at least he was an honest friend, until he decided to ditch her. Nandini wished he hadn't put her under the bus before the media like that..had he not done that, they wouldn't need to play the whole pregnancy drama at all, and mostly by now, she'd be back in her own world, away from Manik, escaping this heartbreak.

***

Abhimanyu entered Manik's study with Zubin on his toes, who looked scared. Cabir, who was getting Manik's signature on a new advertisement deal, moved aside.

"Abhimanyu, you come in first. Zubin, give us a minute please." Cabir commanded, as Manik looked up at Abhimanyu with a frown. Both men complied, and Abhimanyu walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Did you ask him anything?" Manik asked, without beating around the bush. Abhimanyu nodded, in affirmation.

"What did he say?" Cabir asked, in a curious voice.

"Nothing." Abhimanyu mumbled in a frustrated tone, looking down. "Only if you gave me the permission to ruffle his feathers a bit.." Abhimanyu almost hissed, while cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"No." Manik curtly replied.

"Wait, so he denied telling you why he did it, or he denied replying?" Cabir asked, perplexed.

"He said, he will only talk to Manik sir." Abhimanyu replied, looking furiously at Manik. Manik looked at him in surprise. Why was Abhimanyu glaring at him?

"What?" Manik asked, in a slightly confused tone. Abhimanyu glared at him for a few seconds, before deciding to say what he actually felt. "Did you actually give her the pill to help in the act & make it look more real?" he asked with gritted teeth.

Manik was astonished to hear him. A part of him wanted to kill him for this audacious question, but another part could clearly see, it was coming from a place of utmost, honest love, concern & protectiveness for Nandini. He breathed out, deciding to let him go this time.

"How dare you?" He heard Cabir snarl & pull Abhimanyu by his collar.

"Easy, Cabira.." Manik mouthed and Cabir unwillingly let go of him.

"Mr. Abhimanyu Thakkar, let me remind you who the employer is here." Manik replied coldly, looking at him with hawk-like eyes. Abhimanyu took a step back.

"I ask the questions here. Remember that." Manik added, before dismissing him & gesturing for Cabir to call Zubin in now.

As Zubin walked in, he could see there was a shakiness in his gait. It wasn't the dishonest kind, but the nervous kind. Manik wondered what he was up to. Zubin walked in and looked at Manik and gulped, as Manik nodded his head at him.

"You said, you will only spill before me?" Manik enquired, and he slowly nodded, looking down.

"Shoot" Manik spoke coldly.

"Sir, this is very confidential. I cannot talk before Cabir." Zubin spoke cautiously, looking stubbornly at his feet. Cabir's head shot up at him, and there was cold fury in his eyes.

"Zubin, as you know, I trust Cabir" Manik replied curtly, looking at him with curious eyes.

"I'm afraid sir, I can't trust anybody other than you, with this news" Zubin kept his stand, despite looking terrified.

"What the fuck!?" Cabir snapped this time. Manik looked at him and motioned for him to leave the room. Cabir looked at him in shock. Manik assuringly nodded at him, and Cabir sighed before stomping out of the room, not before shoving Zubin by the shoulder with a knockout force.

"Ouch" Zubin mumbled, as he saw Cabir walk out.

"You were saying?" Manik's cold voice made him turn around and face Manik again. Manik could see, he had broken into cold sweat; for a moment, he felt threatened too. What could he possibly say that was this frightening?

"Manik sir..actually..the thing is..umm..firstly, sir, I am so sorry for feeding Nandini maám with that medicine. I didn't know what it was, or what it did. I was just told, it won't harm her in any severe way..I couldn't of course ask for more information, given that.." Zubin began rambling, and that made Manik impatient.

"Just spill it Zubin! Who asked you to give that medicine to Nandini using my name?" his voice came out strong and loud. Zubin whimpered, terrified before spilling his gut out."

"Manik sir, it was your father, Shrikant sir" he quipped, before wishing the floor to part and devour him.

There was still silence.

"Why?" Manik asked, after a minute. He realised, his voice was shaking.

Zubin gulped seeing Manik. In all his time working with Manik, he hadn't ever seen his boss this furious. "Sir, he didn't say much except for, this medicine is safe & will make Nandini maám a little sick & that would help in showcasing how much you care for her before the media".  He replied, as honestly as he could.

"You see sir, this was about Shrikant sir, and I didn't know if you would like for all to know, that's why I refused to talk before Cabir & Abhimanyu. I am really sorry sir, if I have offended anyone. Sir, how could I defy Shrikant sir's order, you tell me.." Zubin started explaining again, but Manik didn't need that. He of all people knew how intimidating his father & grandfather were.

"Why didn't you inform me before doing it?" he still asked, unable to control the fury, when he remembered Nandini's almost unconscious face.

"Shrikant sir asked me not to, sir." he mumbled the obvious. Manik sighed. His father & his games.

"Why does he want to rub how caring I am on the media's face? I thought he hated the MaNan reconciliation plan.." Manik wondered aloud.

"That I don't know, sir.." Zubin mumbled.

***

Abhimanyu walked out of Manik's study and saw Zubin walk in with baited breath. He sighed. Honestly, he had trusted this guy, despite knowing he was dating Mukti; despite hating the fact that Mukti looked happy around him. Years of experience as a personnel in security, he had learned to pick up body languages real fast; Zubin always displayed warmth and trust. He wondered how he went so wrong in judging him.

As he was walking out of the penthouse, he decided to check on Nandini once. He knew she was okay now & most probably resting, but his protective instinct towards her knew no bounds, and needed validation. He softly knocked at her door, but it wasn't locked, so it opened ajar, leading him into her bedroom.

Nandini wasn't on her bed. He looked around to find her sitting by the window of the cushioned sill and staring at the rain that was pouring heavily outside right now. Abhimanyu knew how much Nandini loved the rains from the past, but today there was an aura of melancholy around her.

"Nandu?.." he called out to her, softly.

Nandini slowly turned around from her place to face Abhimanyu. Even though she smiled seeing him, upon coming closer, Abhimanyu noticed traces of dried tears on her cheeks. Abhimanyu's insides churned seeing her crying silently. It felt like a knife inside his chest. Abhimanyu had been with Nandini from the time she was this shy young girl, who had entered the Malhotra kingdom as the bride, without knowing what a hurricane her life would take shape of, from then on. He had seen her fall, try, fight, beg, give up, run away, come back, grow stronger, turn indifferent & smarter too, but never had he seen her weep. Has she reached that low today?

"Nandu, why are you crying, love?" he asked her affectionately, as he sat by her on the sill and rubbed off the remains of her dried tears from her cheek, with the pad of his thumb. This was a long time rule between them. When not in public doing his job, or around other people, Abhimanyu wasn't just her security in-charge, he was in many ways the brother, the guardian, the safe keeper of her innocence.

"I don't know, Abhimanyu..I feel very lonely today." she murmured, looking down.

"Why?" he asked, cupping her face gently.

"..don't know. Maybe I am missing Aams? After her, I really don't have anyone to call my own, nah, Abhimanyu?" she whispered, and how much ever she tried, two drops of tears rolled out of her eyes. It was the truth. Her Aams had married her off to the Malhotra's thinking she'd never be family-less, she'd always have someone to call her own person. It was supposed to be her husband, Manik & his family. However, when did that ever happen? Manik never accepted her, although she did get love from her mother-in-law Nyonica Malhotra; but her part in Nandini's life was limited to Manik's presence in her life. When there was no Manik, she couldn't afford to have Nyonica either. She had adjusted with life after moving to Mangalore. Smaran & Navya were her new support system, after having to let go of Nyonica & Abhimanyu, but where were they now? Smaran had plainly abandoned her & Navya? Well, she didn't seem like the Navya she knew either. She always kept some distance from her; she was focused on her job of course & she knew she was settling in, but sometimes it felt, Navya only saw her as a brand first nowadays. It was not like Nandini wasn't dealing with all this, but sometimes you have bad days, right? Manik's vulnerable face and his kiss for a reward had shaken her badly, it opened a floodgate of emotions she was pushing under the rug, but now when they came out, all at one go, she felt all over the place and alone.

This was her own dark castle, she was trapped in it.

"I'm sorry that I failed you so badly, Nandu.." Abhimanyu's voice cracked and that jerked her out of her reverie.

"What are you saying, Abhimanyu?" she whispered, alarmed, holding his hand. His eyes were red & teary.

"Nandu, I was always supposed to be there with you. Had I been there, you'd not feel this way.." he choked.

"Are you mad, Abhimanyu? You are my only ray of sunshine in my eternally dark life."she mumbled. "You are my support system, you are my emotional gateway...you are my brother damn it!" Nandini chided him lovingly, before hugging him tight.

"Then why'd you say, you have no one to call your own, anymore?" he asked with a childish pout and Nandini chuckled seeing him.

"You are mad!" she whisper-laughed & he smiled seeing her mood improve. He caressed her hair away from her face and placed a soft peck on her forehead. She felt pacified, as she jumped into his arms, hugging him tight. She always felt safe, protected and loved in his embrace.

"Acha, now tell me, what is really bothering you, my drama queen?" Abhimanyu coaxed gently. Nandini sighed before telling him what transpired between her & Manik, leading to the kiss and then Manik justifying it by saying it was his way of saying thank-you. She further told him about her banter with Aryamann, wherein he expressed pity on her state and asked her to be cautious of Manik; how she missed Aryamann the friend, yet could not trust him and hated herself for missing him.

"Does your PR know that Aryamann is pinning you like this?" Abhimanyu asked, frowning. Nandini nodded in affirmation saying, they knew most of it.

"..and the kiss? Nandini, do you trust Manik?" Abhimanyu asked, a clear frown etched on his forehead.

"I want to, but he never gives me a reason to.." replied Nandini honestly.

"Do you still love him, Nandini?" Abhimanyu whispered, this time. Nandini stared at him & realised he could possibly be the only non-judgemental self reflecting mirror around her, and he, her soul brother, deserved the truth if he had asked for it.

"It breaks my heart, Abhimanyu, but even after all this, I still do love him. Although I don't want him anymore...I learnt that he will ruin me, if I keep him close. Manik is my beautiful poison.." she whispered.

"Manik sir won't ever harm you, Nandini. That I can tell you for sure. Although I am much less amused with what Aryamann had to say.." he replied after a while, looking thoughtful.

"I don't trust him, either." Nandini voiced her opinion.

"Good. Meanwhile, I will have a word with him." he whispered to himself.

"Please don't get into trouble for me, Abhimanyu.." Nandini pleaded, suddenly not sure what impact Abhimanyu's word with Aryamann might bring onto them. In showbiz, every tiny action seemed to have a massive, out of proportion reaction!

"If not for you, then who, dear sister? Who else do I have?"Abhimanyu whispered back, his eyes still on her. She smiled at him & pecked him on the cheek in a child-like way.

"Who else do you need?" Nandini teased.

"No one" Abhimayu quipped, smiling back.

"I don't think that's entirely true, though." Nandini smirked.

"Excuse me?" Abhimanyu asked, amused.

"I think you need a teeny little bit of Mukti too! There is definitely potential there!" she teased and Abhimanyu's face froze.

"Never" he replied curtly, looking away. Nandini's smile stopped. She could see that he loved her, and Mukti wasn't completely over him either, then what was stopping them?

"Why, Abhimanyu? I know you love her." she asked, softly.

"..because, sometimes, love is not enough. You know it too, right Nandini?" he whispered, looking down.

Nandini stayed quiet. He was right. Wasn't that exactly where she stood with Manik? However, she doubted Abhimanyu's case was similar. She didn't pursue the conversation further, but she knew there was more to it.

After a while of genially chatting, when Abhimanyu saw that Nandini was in a good mood, he left.

***

Manik sat on the couch of his study & looked at the three men sitting before him. All three looked at him with rapt attention. Cabir was looking at him expectantly, hoping to hear what Zubin had confided in him; Abhimanyu was waiting for his next orders from him, but by his looks, it looked like he was wishing Manik would allow him to rip Zubin apart & Zubin, well he was looking at Manik with nervous eyes, unsure how Manik was going to hold fort for him before the other two.

Manik eyed each one of them before talking. "Guys, I trust Zubin."

Both Abhimanyu and Cabir looked at him disbelievingly before exchanging dark looks with each other.

"His reason for not disclosing this specific information before you guys; it's legit. I know why he did what he did & I assure you, it wasn't intended to harm Nandini. Having said that, I assure you, he will do no such thing again. Now I want you guys to put this behind you & work together as a team to firstly ensure the pregnancy act looks convincing as long as it lasts & secondly to keep your eyes & ears open for any immediate danger you see, coming from Soha Khurana or Aryamann Khanna! Okay?"

Manik's monologue was met with a half hearted nod from Cabir & Abhimanyu, but he knew they'd agree to him or not, they'd always listen to his orders.

"Manik sir, a gentle reminder, you and Nandini maám have to attend Nyonica maám's friend, Sanam Kapoor's designer jewellery boutique opening tomorrow. Mutki will get the dresses tomorrow, and we leave at twelve noon. It is a meet & greet, you need to be there for about forty minutes. As you know, Sanam's maám's husband is an eminent playback singer, so half the industry & press will be there, including Soha, Innaya, Aryamann, Jeff, Dhruv sir and the likes, so we will do a little bit of PR for Pehla Pehla Pyaar over there. I will share the bytes with you by night." Zubin went back to being professional again, as he got up to leave. Manik nodded in agreement.

Manik saw his men file out. He sat there contemplating the events of the whole day. It was quite a day. He frowned, remembering Innaya's forced kiss in public and mentally made a note to talk to her about it. He wasn't going to allow it. He remembered Nandini's angry jibe, reminding him how many times he kissed Innaya that day & strangely that brought a lopsided grin on his face. He vividly remembered their kiss, and it brought a warmth in his chest. Kissing Nandini felt comfortable. It felt like home. How did his perception of Nandini change so drastically? But then he also remembered how unwell she had gotten and Zubin's answer floated in his head. Were his father & grandfather trying to harm Nandini, or was it that they just wanted some head snapping PR? He knew his father & grandfather didn't like Nandini's return to his life & they preferred Alia over her, but that was purely from an investment point of view. They wouldn't ever harm her, he assured himself. However, it did seem like he needed to have a conversation with them regarding this, to understand why they wanted to give the pregnancy engagement so much limelight, when they all knew it would have to end soon.

Manik decided to pay his ancestral home a visit the next day after Sanam Kapoor's event, to have a word with his father & grandfather. He was sure his mother wouldn't be around then, because she'd hang out with Sanam Kapoor right into the launch after party & he preferred it that way. He knew how possessive his mother was of Nandini & didn't want to put a seed of doubt in her head about Nandini being in any danger. She would fight with his father unnecessarily, then.

***

Having planned his next day, Manik slowly got up, scratching the back of his head. It was late into the night now; he walked towards his bedroom. Something made him stop right outside Nandini's bedroom, as he slowly peered through the door to see her angelic face glowing from the beam of moonlight that was falling on her from the window. The sky had cleared after heavy showers of rain throughout the evening. He sighed seeing her serene face, embracing sleep, without a worry in the world. His lips twitched into a wishful smile.

A part of him couldn't help dwelling back into earlier today, when he kissed her. Had Cabir not called, he didn't know how far he was willing to go with it. Strangely, he wasn't regretting it. Earlier, the mere idea of ever kissing her never popped in his mind, but that had changed today. Not only had he enjoyed kissing her, damn it, he wanted more.

He wanted to kiss her again. Right now. Her soft, luscious, delicate lips. It felt like the feel of them were imprinted on him.

He wanted to go near her, and hold her in his embrace. He had hugged her once earlier, back when they had floated her pregnancy news in the media, it felt oddly comforting, it felt oddly familiar. He wanted to go and slip into the bed beside her and hug her to sleep.

Was this normal? Shit, no, it wasn't.

Manik berated himself, but soon realised he had walked into her room and was standing beside her bed, seeing her sleep. Fuck, when did he walk in?

Manik stood there for a few minutes wondering if he should listen to his heart and slide into the bed, next to her. He just wanted to hold her and maybe one kiss?

No Manik. He scolded himself. Nandini had made it amply clear that she was helping him, but she didn't want anything more. He hated to think how he'd feel, if he made an intimate gesture & she refused him. So sighing out softly, he bent down and placed a feathery light peck on her temple, and before his lips found other places to explore, he quickly got up and left from her room, gently shutting the door behind him.

As Manik went inside his room, he retired for the night, dozing off, wondering what had changed between him and Nandini now, and how?

***

Word Count: 4,704

A/N: What, like what your read? :D

So much has happened in this chapter, do you guys wonder, what's going to happen next? Try guessing, I am all ears! :)

So, as usual I have a lot of questions to ask, I seek your thoughts on them:

1. So, about the MaNan kiss, what are your takes? What do you think of it? What's up with Manik & Nandini?

2. Why do you think the Malhotra's orchestrated all this drama? Any thoughts? Do you think Manik is correct in trusting Zubin again?

3. What do you think of Nandini's interpretation of MaNan's kiss? Do you agree or you'd like to give Manik a benefit of doubt?

4. Your thoughts on Abhimanyu & Nandini, aren't they pure love? I personally love their bond :)

5. What do you make of Manik's thoughts about Nandini in the last part of the chapter? Your thought are?

I hope you all try and answer the above qns as I literally look forward to them every single week! That and the votes & the inline comments! So, I have done my share of the job for this week, here's hoping you guys would do yours and keep the love flowing!

Next chapter will be published on 29th Jan (Sunday),

Until then, keep reading this chapter & enjoy the MaNan kiss many many times :P

Your writer,

A.