"Beta, I thought you came home because you were missing me. All you do is either you lock yourself in your bedroom and practise music or sulk alone. What is the matter beta?" asked daadi gently patting Manik's head.

"Just being around you calms my nerves daadi." He said with eyes shut, clearly enjoying her maternal caress.

"So your nerves weren't calm till you came here I assume, beta? What is it that is bugging my grandson so, you know you can tell me" she replied lovingly.

She was right Manik thought, even in the past daadi had always been a source of comfort and wise advice he thought. "Daadi it's my friend, I am protective of her; but she doesn't trust me. She trusts Aryaman; you remember him right? And he is playing with her feelings. I don't like it, but as I said, she doesn't trust me" he finished, already feeling lighter after sharing this.

Daadi looked thoughtfully at him, the only person her grandson was attached to, was her granddaughter Mukti; if Manik was protective of this girl, did it mean he had Cabireloped a soft corner for her? Daadi wondered quietly as started asking innocent questions about Nandini to Manik; to daadi's amazement, no more was Manik the gloomy, morose, child sulking in the corner; the way he relayed her stories to daadi and laughed remembering the fun times, daadi was sure where this was heading. Manik told daadi how Nandini helped him academically, as a friend and also with his music; this girl seems right thought daadi, and she smiled.

"Beta, if she is your best friend and you care for her; you have done your job by telling her the truth and thereby trying to protect her from getting hurt; now it's her call. You really shouldn't worry anymore; it's her life, she gets to decide." She said wisely and as she anticipated, Manik's shoulder dropped in sadness again.

But daadi continued, "However, if your friend, this Nandini; if she is special and you cannot see her hurt at any cost and you have decided you will be there to protect her from such people all your life; as her partner, and love and cherish her, then I must say coming home to sulk is a stupid decision, beta." she smiled.

Manik looked up at her face in surprise, daadi too understood this? Then why couldn't Nandini understand? He dropped all pretence before daadi and told her, "I love her daadi. I really do"

Daadi looked annoyed, "God beta, you are such a disgrace to the honourable name of Punjabi's! You love her and because she doesn't trust you, you came back running to daadi? Go back there and fight for her like a true 'ranjha'; fight for your love and win her back for me. Go now, khote de puttar." She said with charge. Manik didn't need to be told twice, his goofy grin was back and he gave daadi a rib-cracking hug, before running off to pack his bags; he was going back, to claim Nandini and make him rightfully his.

"I am coming, Nandu" he whispered to himself, as he waited for his flight back to her.

***

When Manik rang Nandini's doorbell, a surprised Mukku greeted him, "Bhai, I thought you were returning by the end of week right?" she asked surprised.

"Yes, but I am back; and I need to meet Nandini. Is she home? She isn't reachable by phone" he replied breatheless.

"Err..bhai..I don't know what happened that night after the movie, but by the time Abhimanyu dropped me, Nandini had gone leaving behind a note that she will be gone for some time. And ever since then she isn't reachable over phone." She replied eyeing Manik nervously. Manik stared at her; gone for some time? Where? He thought; but judging by Mukku's expression, he knew he wouldn't find his answers here. He dashed off from there before entering the house and leaving a surprised Mukku behind. Only one man could tell.

When he knocked his door, he was anxious. The last time he met him two weeks back, he had beaten him down to pulp, and today only he could help him. As the door opened, Aryaman peeped out.

"Yes?" he asked politely feigning to not recognize him.

"Aryaman, not now, this is serious" Manik replied quietly. Aryaman considered it for a moment and allowed him inside; to say the least, Aryaman was MAD at Manik. Manik enetered his house and before anything else first looked around, half hoping to find Nandini there; but the house was empty except Aryaman; in fact he seemed to be packing his bags.

"You're going somewhere?" Manik asked, trying to break the ice.

"Yes, Delhi" Aryaman replied curtly.

"Why? Random or.." asked Manik curiously.

"To attend my girl-friend's sister's roka" he replied.

Manik was surprised, Aliyaa's conversation regarding Dhruv postponing there roka came to his mind. Didn't she succeed in warding off Dhruv? She had agreed for the roka? Did that mean Nandini didn't belief him at all? Did she not choose to leave Aryaman even for Aliyaa's sake? Why was she doing this? Not only was she destroying Aliyaa's happiness, but also her own future and Manik's too; and as much as he hated Aryaman now; in a way she was destroying his life too, by allowing him to cheat on her and live with the guilt. No he had to stop this madness.

"Aryaman, Aliyaa loves you! I promised her not to tell you; but truth is she sacrificed her love for you because---"but he couldn't complete, as Aryaman spoke again.

"Because she wanted Nandini to have a chance to be with the man she loved. I know. Had you told me this earlier, a lot of madness could be stopped; but now this news fails to make any impact" Aryaman replied coldly.

Manik was shocked, why was Aryaman acting thus? "Aryaman, you love Aliyaa and she loves you; her intentions weren't wrong; then why do you want to avenge her by wronging Nandini? Aryaman she doesn't believe me; so, you stop it please; you don't even have a motive anymore. Just, stop Aliyaa and Dhruv's roka!!" Manik tried explaining in vain, to a visibly unperturbed Aryaman.

"Manik, who told you Aliyaa and Dhruv are having a roka? They are not together anymore." He replied calmly.

"You said your girlfriend sister's roka nah?" asked Manik agitated, losing his patience now.

"And Aliyaa isn't my girlfriend's sister" Aryaman replied.

"Oh, so Nandini broke up with you?" he asked relief draining him from inside, he had not a worry in the world now.

"Yes, we broke up" he replied curtly.

"Oh. But where is she? I tried calling her all day, her phone isn't reachable" Manik mumbled, in fact he didn't hate Aryaman anymore; the deep-seated anger he felt for Aryaman seemed to sublime the moment it was confirmed that Nandini wasn't with him anymore.

"In Delhi" he replied looking at Manik with pure hate in his eyes.

"Why is Nandini in Delhi?" Manik asked confused.

"Because the roka is happening in her home-town" he replied.

"Who's roka? Wait what is happening? Aryaman, I know you are upset with me, but right now, please don't talk in circles; please explain!" Manik gave in.

"Nandini's roka; my girlfriend Aliyaa's sister Nandini." He finished through gritted teeth.

Manik's world collapsed. Nandini's roka? if not Aryaman, then whom? He wondered aloud in shock and Cabirastation.

"Cabir; Cabir Dhawan" replied Aryaman, "he is her Aams' friend's grandson. It's an arranged marriage."

"Aryaman, but why did Nandini agree? She loved you right?" asked Manik aghast, his vision was blurred, and he had silly, stupid tears blocking both his vision and concentration, as his heart clenched from inside at this new found information.

Aryaman looked at him in the eye and took a deep breathe, "As much as I don't care enough to explain this to you Manik, I still want you to know; so that in future when you repent, you know exactly how big a loser you are."

"Aryaman, just tell me" Manik pleaded.

"When you told Nandini the truth about Aliyaa that night, she had confronted her and demanded to know why Aliyaa did such a thing; why she assumed Nandini loved me when she never said such a thing to Aliyaa; turned out Soha had told her about Nandini liking me; and Aliyaa already knew Nandini hopelessly loved someone, so she wrongly assumed that was me; but on clarification, Aliyaa and Nandini hugged each other and cried till they made peace; then Aliyaa and I got back together." he finished.

"So Nandini never loved you? And she does love someone hopelessly? Who is it? And Aliyaa took you back just like that? Didn't she have a problem with the fact that you used her di?" asked Manik, the revelation had left him more confused than ever.

"So the thing is, Nandini and I were never together; it was an arrangement we made; I wanted to make the man who she loves, feel jealous seeing her with me; so that he realized that he loves her too; but I told her that my girl broke up with me, and we were doing this to make her jealous; that's why she agreed to be a part of the charade." He replied, and continued packing his bag.

"What?" that was all he could gasp, he felt weak and crashed on Aryaman's couch. How many more twists were there in his life? It felt like life kept thowing Yorkers at him and he was standing there in the pitch like an idiot with a badminton raquet instead of a bat!

"But wait, if she loved someone and you did so much to get them together, then why is she marrying this Cabir guy? Didn't you say it's an arranged marriage?" Manik asked further perplexed.

"Yes, it is - because the fool she loved doesn't seem to know the difference between love and a crush. He doesn't love her, he is a DICK. I truly pity him and I hate him from the core." he said with hate spewing from his mouth and choler in his eyes.

"Who did Nandini love so dearly Aryaman?" he asked, he was feeling revolted from inside, guess he never stood a chance anyway; she loved this unlucky bas***d who never saw her for who she really was; and now she was marrying a stranger. He had managed to be in her wrong books anyway, so he still didn't stand a chance. Manik was feeling sorry to be disappointing daadi too.

"How does it matter who that loser is" asked Aryaman with a rebellious voice.

"I want to know" Manik said dejectedly, true it didn't matter, but he wanted to know that lucky bas***d was.

"You" Aryaman replied quietly, as Manik's head shot up in shock.

***

A/N: Hello!! Finally the bulb in Manik's brain goes 'TING' !! So now? Gear up for another 'DHAMAKA' before we bid goodbye!

Stay tuned for more!

Do let me know how you feel about this story and don't forget to vote, love, share :)

WORD COUNT : 1,825