• PRESENT •

One And A Half Years Later
Udaipur Palace, India.

N A N D I N I

It's sad, but it's the truth, that in every girls life, there comes a boy or a phase which changes you completely, so much that you'd never be the same again.

And that happened to me, one a half years back.

I am not the same girl anymore. My hair are no more in curls, they are straight and they fall to my waist. And I love singing. As weird as it sounds, Manik did not break me, he just made me stronger.

"Oh my god Nandini, you look so......", Aliya stopped midway as I flipped myself to greet their shock faces.

I wore light blue shorts with a full sleeve black plain fitted tee and my hair open. The make up I once despised was caked over my face.

"...different", Dhruv completes with an open mouth. Cabir just stands there with an open mouth as I, Aryamman and Abhimanyu got down of the car, back from London.

And here I was, back to India, back to my best friends, for Navya's wedding. But you know what's the worst about it? I don't even know whom Navya is getting married to.

I was so busy for the past year in building myself stronger, in hating Manik Malhotra, that I forgot I had a world except this. I and Navya drew so distant that I didn't even know whom she was getting married to.

"Earth To Nandini....", Aryamman shouted in my ears.

"Sorry, Sorry!" I flushed. My eyes involuntary searched if that monster was there but he was not and I thanked god for that.

I came off and hugged Cabir. "Thanks for coming", he whispered in my ears.

"Tum kyu thanks bol rahe ho?" I said, confused.

I was glad that no one was angry at me for disappearing for a year and still wished me in the same, old warm way.

"Ab shaadi Cabir ki hai, toh wahi thanks bolega na...", Dhruv said in a duh tone.

"Cabir ki shaadi?" I shouted in shock. "Yeh Navya ki shaadi hai!"

Alya, Dhruv looked at me horrified along with Aryamman and my gotten-up-from coma brother Abhimanyu. The fact that Aryamman and Cabir were hiding from me was that Abhimanyu was alive, he was in coma. Abhimanyu and Aryamman were childhood friends and Aryamman and Fab5 were college friends. So that's how Aryamman introduced a sleeping from six years Abhimanyu to Fab4 and Cabir promised to protect me just like a sister. They never told me that Abhimanyu was alive because there were no hopes of him surviving and they didn't want to give me false hopes. But here he is, on his feet, fit and fine with me.

"Nahi Nandini, yeh Cabir ki shaadi hai!" Aliya argued, bringing me back from my thoughts of the past.

"No, this is Navya's wedding. She came all the way to our house in London to invite us, haina?" Abhimanyu asked looking at me and I nodded. I was still not used to calling him Bhai like older times.

"Cabir ki shaadi!" Aliya gritted her teeth.

"Navya ki shaadi!" I argued.

"Cabir!"

"Navya!"

"GUYS SHUT UP!" Cabir shouted, fed up.

"Tu hi bata, yeh shaadi kiski hai?" Dhruv asked, as we all faced Cabir.

"Yeh shaadi meri aur Navya dono ki hai!" He announced.

"Oh. But tum do saath mein kyu shaadi kar rahe ho? Paise bachane hai kya?" Aliya asked and Cabir rolled his eyes.

"Guys! Guys! Wait. He means Navya Cabir se shaadi kar rahi hai!" Aryamman squeaked.

"Einstein, yeh kabhi nahi ho sakta! Ek baar dinosaurs phir se zinda ho sakte hai.... but Cabir and Navya, nah impossible!" Dhruv said and I agreed.

"I'm very happy to announce that Aryamman is right and nahi Dhruv, dinosaurs phir se nahi aa rahe....", Cabir rolled his eyes and we all gasped at him as him he was alien.

"Saaaaalle!" Dhruv was the first to shout as I ran into his arms and hugged.

"Fuck! You're getting married. You!" I shouted in disbelief.

"Haa ab meri jaane-mann mujhe chod ke joh chali gayi...", he said pouting and I frowned.

The atmosphere turned gloomy again.

"Sorry guys!" I said slowly and Cabir side hugged me.

And then Aliya, and then Dhruv and then Aryamman and then Abhimanyu and it turned out to be a group hug.

"Mere bina....!!" There was a shout from behind and we looked behind to see Mukti. She came running into the hug.

It was a group hug just like old times, except that Manik was replaced by Abhimanyu.

Manik

"guys, Manik kaha hai?" I asked them and they all immediately left the hug and stared at me with an open mouth and I just rolled my eyes at my dramatic friends.

"Bhukhaar hai kya tujhe?" Aryamman asked checking my forehead.

"Mein ambulance bulata hu...", Cabir said as he took out his phone, waiting for a reaction from me.

"Ho gaya?" I said in a bored tone.

Yes, he did wrong to me. But for one year, one fucking year I have been thinking about what I did that he threatened to destroy me, that he broke me, that he insulted me in such a way.

About Aryamman, yes it was him who had slept with Soha. But later it was proved that Aryamman didn't know about Manik and Soha and that it was she who was two timing them. So there's no chance about the revenge logic that Cabir and Aryamman had drawed out.

"Manik is inside, getting ready for the party now...", aliya said with a small smile.

"Oh"

"Guys, talking about what had happened one and a half year back, let's not get back into it. We are here just for three days, uske baad pata nahi humein Nandini vapis milegi bhi yaa nahi?" Mukti said and I could sense the hurt in her voice.

"Muk-...", Aryamman tried explaining her but was stopped.

"No Aru, let her speak...", I said and Mukti frowned.

"How could you ignore us Nandini? Manik is a Bastard but-......", she was cut off by Aliya.

"I am not hearing anything against Manik guys!" She declared in a strict tone.

"Even after whatever he did Aliya, how can you always take his side?" Mukti questioned.

"I am not saying that Manik is at no fault guys. All I am saying is that every coin has two sides. We know what he did, but we didn't know why. And we never bothered to ask him, we all just ignored it. We even ignored the fact that agar voh scandal Manik ne phehelaya tha, toh he was the one who made day and night one to make sure that not even a word is there anymore against Nandini. Yes, that post was his, but that doesn't mean that he had called the media to Nandini's house, he insulted her. Yes, we don't know why he purposely put that post, but we can't even judge him on that bases. We can't always blame him without knowing his side of the story", Aliya completed.

By the time she did, everyone was quiet. Their eyes were stuck at me, and well, I was numb.

That's why I thought coming back to India was a bad option. That's why I didn't want to come back, I knew new drama would come up.

"Nandini. I'm not saying that you did anything wrong. Definitely, he is in the wrong. But all I'm saying is, please don't hate him for what we don't know. Please...", she said hugging me but I didn't.

Did they just tell me that one and a half year of my life that I spent in trying to hate the man I loved the most was a lie?

"Can I got to my room, please?" I said slowly, looking at Cabir.

"Sure, come!" Cabir said dragging us to the rooms he had booked.

Udaipur palace was the most beautiful hotel, and I loved it ever since I saw it in YJHD. But now that I was finally here, I didn't even feel like looking at it. I was very preoccupied by my own thoughts.

"Nandini...", Cabir halted when we reached my room and I weakly smiled. It was his wedding, and I didn't want my drama to spoilt it.

I will stay strong, I will tolerate Manik for Cabir. After all, it's just for three days. And then I'd be going away forever again.

"You're okay?" He asked gently holding my hand.

"Yes!" I said chirping, fake smiling.

"I know you want to cry it out, and it's okay sweetheart...", he said and my smile faded.

"Don't be so selfless, it's okay to be selfish sometimes....", he whispered before kissing my forehead and leaving me pre occupied with my own thoughts.

I turned back into the room and absent minded, unpacked the bag and removed a plain blue dress that I'd wear.

If this was one year ago, I wouldn't have even thought of wearing something like this. But time heals, and time changes.

And I've become the everything no one thought I could be. And I am that everything that everyone wishes to be.

No matter what, I couldn't push Manik away from my thoughts. What if it was me who had actually misunderstood everything?

Then there was so much injustice done to him, to me and to us.

But whatever it was, I'd behave with him just like any other person. I have to do this, for Cabir. And for Navya.

I got ready, wore my heels, applied make up, and kept my hair open.

Just then, there was a knock on my door.

"You look hot baby!" Aryamman said winking at me and I smiled.

"So Miss Nandini Murthy, will you be my date for the party tonight?" He asked forwarding his hand.

"As if I have another choice!" I giggled as he pouted and we left.

The party was just a normal welcome party at a local bar in the Udaipur Palace.

Abhimanyu was already present there with his date, Mukti.

We exchanged pleasantries.

"I don't believe Nandini, you look so hot!" Mukti said hitting me her elbow.

"Aaj toh har ladke ki nazar tumpe hai, shaadi humari hai, but you won the show..." Navya said winking at me.

"Kisi ladke ki nazar tumpe honi bhi nahi chahiye...", Cabir said wrapping his hand around her.

They were always fighting, and now it's so weird to see them crazy in love. But whatever it is, I'm happy for them. They both are the purest souls you could come across, and they deserve to be happy.

I wish even I had someone like Cabir, so possessive, so caring, so loving.

This immediately reminds of Manik. He wasn't there even here, and I'm not ashamed to say that now, a small part of me wanted to see him.

The DJ changed the song to a romantic number and all the couples hit the floor. I and Aryamman sucked at this so we didn't even give it a try.

I was standing aloof, when I suddenly heard a hiss. Something like a moan.

Just as much as I should leave it, I wanted to check and I followed the noise.

It came from an isolated part of the bar, what if someone was in problem?

I was just about to open the room door and my hand was at the nob when I stopped at my place.

"Oh Manik... Manik...." the girl moaned.

My hands practically left the nob and my eyes closed. He was right there, at the other end of the door.

We were so close yet so apart.

"Manik.....", the girl moaned again and I decided to leave.

I didn't want to hurt myself more and I felt suffocated.

I left the place and outside, there was a small artificial pond and beautiful domes lifted with diyas, where I sat, dipping my feet in water.

What was wrong with me?

I really, really was thinking that Manik was at no fault in this. There was a small part of me happy, that maybe, just maybe everything that happened was an illusion and everything wasn't Manik's fault at all; and maybe, just maybe, we could get back together.

The hopes came and shattered once again. This time, I didn't feel the pain. I felt used to it.

And the warm waters, lighted Diya's all around and the sky full of stars kept me calm.

Just when I thought that I could find happiness without Manik, I heard a scowl.

"Aww, Baby Murthy is alone tonight?", he growled as he settled himself near me uninvited, dipping his feet in water too.

"What the fuck do you want again, Manik Malhotra?" I growled back without looking at him.

I didn't look at him but I could feel his lips carving into the devil smile that had given me nightmares for a year.

"You!" He said and I closed my eyes, absorbing his presence around me again.

Just as much as I hated to admit this, my stomach flinched and my heart again skipped a beat.

~we're at a point in life where everything is falling apart, and everything is coming back together, both at the same time~

~•~

Some of the questions I'd answer:

q1. Who is Abhimanyu?

Abhimanyu is Nandini's brother whom she considered to have died in the blast with her parents. But he was alive, in coma, and only Aryamman knew about it since they were childhood friends but he didn't inform Nandini because Abhis chances of survival were very less and he didn't want to break her heart by giving her anymore false hopes. This is the only connection Aryamman and Nandini have.

q2. Why is Manik doing this?

Well, this is something I can't tell now. But yes, I promise you'd get to know everything in Manik's POV within a chapter or two :)

q3. Does Manik love Nandini?

Yes. (maybe)

q4. Is Manik innocent?

No, he's a monster and that's an unchangable fact.

q5. Why was Nandini in London?

It was her court hearing. I had already told that Nandini's fathers property will be given to her after she is twenty, before she is twenty-one. So that we're the court procedures for which she had to be in London.

q6. Is Manik doing this to revenge Aryamman?

As already mentioned in the chapter, Nandini's doesn't think so. Manik's POV will be revealed soon.

q7. Does this story have a happy end?

Ofcourse it does!

~•~