I Need You To be There.... For a little more than Always!!!

Part 66:

After leaving the Moorthy Mansion, Nandini directly went to the Nanz Villa, her house right next to the Mansion.

Though it was smaller than the Mansion, but it was still a lot lot beautiful and modern. Nandini entered the villa and looked around stopping the overflow of emotions going through her. This house was her first achievement to make something on her own and it was something which she knew her appa was proud of.

She walked up through the stairs towards her room and smiled looking around to find everything just as she had left. Though she tried not to think about the reasons to find it all the same.

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It was around 9:30 at night when she finally got out of her room willing to eat something. She moved downstairs and reached the kitchen to find the staff preparing for dinner. She nodded at the one known face and picked up an apple when she heard some voices from the living room.

Nandini frowned listening to the noise and walked outside to see Fab5 and Abhi sitting around in casual night wears as they ate the snacks being served to them.

Nandini: What the hell is happening out here???

Nandini said loudly gaining their attention.

Abhi: Nandu... Come, hv something here, leave that apple yr...

Nandini: Abhimanyu... I asked what is happening here. And most importantly what is Fab5 doing here....

Abhi shrugged his shoulders picking up a spoon as he said,

Abhi: Nothing... They r staying!!

Nandini: WHAT??

Aliya: Yeah Nandini... Actually ur Amms is not well na, so we didn't think it would be comfortable if we too add their troubles staying there.

Nandini sighed at it knowing they all r right and simply nodded taking a deep breath.

Cabir: Thats why we r here... Staying in ur house. By the way I must say, nice house...

Nandini: Thanks Cabir... I hope u all took up ur rooms and got settled down comfortably.

Nandini said slowly and simply walked towards them and took a seat still continuing with her apple.

Abhi: Yup... I did that and plus, my room is also filled up as I m also staying in.

Nandini nodded again at him as she asked,

Nandini: So now am I allowed to know what got u all to Vegas all of a sudden... And How long r u staying in??

Mukti: I don't know... A few days I guess, I really wanted to visit this city. After all it has all those amazing pubs and casinos waiting for me....

Mukti said as excitement showed over her face. Nandini nodded at her and smiled slightly which no where reached her eyes.

Nandini: But again, how come u all r here all of a sudden...

Nandini asked again.

Manik: Nandini actually-

Manik tried to say when Nandini immediately stopped him by pointing out her finger as she said slowly,

Nandini: Not U Mr. Malhotra..... Not You!!!

Nandini looked up at Manik for a brief second before again looking away and eating her apple.

Just then the cook came and announced.

Cook: Sir... The dinner is ready!!

Nandini: Finally...

Nandini muttered as she walked away towards the dinning area.

All of them got up as Cabir patted over Manik's back and they all followed her. They settled down for dinner when Abhi said,

Abhi: Since u r here after so long... I kinda got everything u like over the table.

Nandini looked around, to see the entire table filled up with her favorite dishes and a smile crept on her face, though a small one, but it still did.

Nandini: Thanks Abhi!!

Aliya: Wow Abhimanyu.... U really know all of Nandini's choices??

Abhi smiled broadly at it and passed Nandini a dish.

Abhi: Anything related to Nandini, and I forget it.... Not happening!! And anything related to me, well Nandini is the person u should go to...

Abhi turned towards Mukti as he said the last line and winked at her as a dark blush crept over Mukti's face.

Nandini hit Abhi over his hand, eyeing him sternly while the others smiled at Mukti.

They all started with their dinner with was quite amazing as they continued clearing off their plates. They were almost half way through the dinner when Cabir spoke up.

Cabir: Oh God now this is enough... I can't handle both of u now!!

Cabir said keeping his spoon down making Nandini shift over her chair thinking that he was referring to her and Manik....

Cabir: So plz now enlighten us.... What is going on with the two of u??

Nandini took a deep breath and looked up to see him pointing at Abhi and Mukti, making her sigh in relief.

She saw a blush over Mukti's face again as Abhi smiled.

Mukti: Umn... Guys actually!! Nothing is going on....

Abhi: Hey... I object lady.... Nothing is going on from ur side, hum to yahan apna dil apke liye lekar khade h iss umeed me ki jald hi aap ise accept kr lengi!!

"Woah" came out a reaction from all the others accept Nandini and Mukti.

Manik: Mukti... U didn't tell us anything, whats happening yr...

Manik teased Mukti when she said,

Mukti: Again guys... Nothing is happening. Its just that Abhi here doesn't seem to accept rejection well bcoz of which he just didn't keep his ass away from me since the first time we all met him.

Mukti noticed Nandini was about to say something when she again stopped her and said,

Mukti: Yes... I know about all those numerous warnings that u gave him to stay away from me and back off. But I guess u know him enough to realise that he has done everything but listened to what u asked him to do. And as a result here I m giving explanations bcoz of this idiotic friend of mine...

All of them smiled at her while Nandini shook her head knowing nothing can change abhi. When they saw Abhi having both his hands over his heart...

Abhi: FRIEND?? Really!!! Finally... Like finally u accepted me as a friend, and this gives me hope that someday u might wish to add a 'boy' to this 'friend' title of mine.

All of them laughed at it while Mukti gave him a in_ur_dreams look.

Aliya: Ohk so now this finally explains how it was u out of all of us that had his contact that day.

Abhi: Absolutely.....

Abhi nodded when suddenly the glass of water slipped off from Nandini's hand and crashed into pieces on the ground. All of them got up from their seats to check if she was hurt or not while Nandini's eyes stayed fixed at her plate.

Manik: Nandini r u fine??

Cabir: Nandini u alright?

Nandini didn't reply to either of them as she looked up directly at Abhi. Abhi noticed her expressions and held her hand,

Abhi: Kiddo r u fine?? Why r u looking so tensed?

Nandini jerked off his hand away from her as she got up from her seat and moved away moving her fingers through her hair trying to calm herself down.

Abhi: Nandu what happened?? Tell me....

Nandini: YOU.... YOU HAPPENED!!! How could u Abhi...

Nandini shouted finally looking at him.

Abhi: What??

Abhi asked confused when Nandini folded her hands over her chest, As she asked

Nandini: U told them??? U told them everything??

Abhi: What r u trying to say, told them what I-

Abhi said confused but stopped in between as he realised what she was trying to say. He looked at her once and then looked down knowing that she was right.

Nandini understood that she was right and moved from left to right saying,

Nandini: I m so stupid na.... How did I not think of this?? All of them r here, in vegas, they met Amms, they met Anjali.... They know this is my house.... Of course u told them everything.... How could I just not think about this??? So stupid of me...

Abhi: Kiddo listen....

Abhi said moving closer to her.

Nandini: LISTEN WHAT ABHI......

Nandini shouted moving away from him.

Nandini: U knew I always wanted to tell everything to Him.... U knew it!!

Nandini said as her eyes flicked over to Manik. As her eyes met his, tears automatically started making way into them. Manik could feel the pain in her eyes when she turned away turning her back towards him.

Nandini: And U told it all to them when this was the last thing that I wanted.

She again said angrily.

Abhi: But Nandu I-

Nandini: Not a word.... Not a word more now!!!

Nandini snapped at him and stormed out of their

moving straight up to her room, banging the door behind her.

Manik moved forward and kept his hand on Abhi's shoulder,

Manik: I m sorry abhi.... She isn't mad at u, it's just her guilt, of not being able to tell me that is coming out in the form of anger.

Abhi smiled at him and looked towards her room.

Abhi: I know Manik... I know her well, but I m happy that it was not just me that saw the pain in her eyes. U saw it too!!!

Manik smiled at him and nodded,

Manik: I wish I saw it earlier at the right time....

Abhi: She will come around Manik... She loves u!! And to the place where her anger is concerned, well that's something which I can change in just a few minutes.

Mukti: How??

Abhi simply winked at her with his eyes fixed over the stairs....

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"Lal Lal gaal jese tamatar,

Nandu ka gussa chad gya chhat pr....

Kese manau mujhe lagta h darr,

Kahun kuch to royegi wo baalti bhar bhar...."

Abhi sang as he slowly walked towards Nandini as she sat on the balcony in her room. Nandini looked up at him listening to the song anger still flaring through her face.

"Lal Lal gaal jese tamatar,

Nandu ka gussa chad gya chhat pr....

Kese manau mujhe lagta h darr,

Kahun kuch to royegi wo baalti bhar bhar...."

Abhi sang again holding both his ears with a pout over his face. Nandini batted her eyes at him a few times before a smile crept over his face as she rushed towards him.

Abhi laughed out loud at her and lifted her up in his arms taking her into the hug.

Abhi: Hahahah....

Nandini: U r very bad.... I hate u!!

Abhi laughed at it again and dropped her down.

Abhi: And u r still a kiddo....

Nandini pouted at him listening to that with a fake glare.

Abhi: Ohk ohk don't kill me with these fake glares madam... See what I got for u!!

Abhi pointed the side table, Nandini looked at him confused at followed his gaze as a broad smile crept over her face.

Nandini: Chocolate moose..... U know u r the best!!

Abhi: I know....

Abhi teased her as both of them burst out laughing and before he knew Nandini was busy digging into the chocolate moose like a 5 year old. She finished hers when Abhi was just half way through his and snatched his bowl from him as she ran away.

Abhi: Nandu yr its mine...

Nandu: But u got it for me na!!

Nandini shouted as she ran around the balcony with abhi following her as she continued eating even while running.

Abhi: Nandini give me mine right now!!

Nandini: Take it urself.... Catch me if u cannnn...

Nandini shouted taking another bite as they ran.

Cabir: I hv never seen this side of Nandini's.... Now I know why Abhi calls her Kiddo!!

Cabir said as he chuckled along with the rest who stood in Nandini's room watching the duo.

Manik: She was always like this only Cabir.... Its just that she hid it behind someone else, I hv seen this part of her overpower her quite a lot of times...

Mukti: Coz she showed it just to u Manik.... Just U!! She loved u and she trusted u to let her guards off in front of u...

Mukti said smiling at him when Manik's smile dropped away.

Manik: Yes... Right!! She trusted me, when I failed to show my trust towards her....

Dhruv: Buddy... Give her some time she'll be alright!!

Dhruv patted over Manik's back. Manik looked at Nandini again who was now sitting and teasing abhi after she finished off his entire bowl. He shook his head in a No and turned to move out of her room.

Manik: What should I do guys??? I seriously don't know!!!

All of them followed him out of the room as they all went to his room which was on the other side of Nandini's.

Manik: Honestly, I don't even know what am I doing here.... I know I hv hurt her a lot and I want to do anything I can to make it up to her. But at this point, now we all know she is fighting with herself. With her past, her family. And in all this mess, I don't know if me being here is helping her or increasing her problems....

Manik sat on the bed digging her head into his palms when he felt a hand on his back.

Cabir: Manik just ask ur heart one simple thing!! Do u love her??

Manik: Of course I do Cabir!!

Cabir: And as Nandini asks.... Do u trust her??

Cabir asked again to which Manik instantly replied.

Manik: I trust her more than I trust myself...

Cabir: Does she love u??

Manik: Yes she does....

Cabir: Then where do u think u should be?? The girl u love, is probably going through the most toughest phases of her life, should u be back there in ur life or should be right where she is... Standing by her side to support her if she falls weak??

Manik: Here... I could do anything to be here!!

Mukti: Then be it Manik.... U can't afford to doubt urself or ur love at this point. U r here to win her back!! And u will do anything to do so right??

Manik nodded at her and got up from the bed shaking off his head for all the negative thoughts when he turned towards his friends.

Manik: Thanks guys.... I don't even know where would I be if not for u all!!

Dhruv: Come guys... Group hug?

All of them got up and moved towards him as they engulfed each other into a tight hug celebrating their bond of together.... Their bond of love.... Their bond of friendship!!!

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So that was it guys.....

How was the part??

I had to remove the Manan face off for now as I got some new ideas but other than thag Hope u all liked it!!

Do share ur views and keep on with ur love...

Navya