He was nectar
She was honey
Mixed in bitter cocoa
To create a dessert called "attraction"

"All the students who are performing today, please reach to your respective green rooms and the non-participating students please take the seats assigned to your class." The announcement was repeated a few times on the loudspeaker of Swarnbhoomi High. It was the first day of the centenary year celebration and the entire school was bustling with students, teachers and organisers running around.
It was a big event and dignitaries from across the state were invited to witness the celebration of the hundredth year of the school. Everyone was happy but nervous at the same time.

"Shakti, calm down. You got this." Amber put his hand on the nervous Principal of the school, to calm her.

She breathed out and said, "I know. We have got everything in control but with so many guests coming I can't help but get nervous."

Amber laughed and pointed at a group of kids who were playing with decoration lights. "You have things in control? I doubt."

"Hey... You, over there, run to your classes." Shakti scolded the students and they disappeared like dinosaurs.

"Shakti, I will be around in case you need a helping hand." Amber offered help to his edgy friend.

"Sure, you will help! I know why you want to come on all three days. Amber, I don't want you to behave like a spy and carry your investigation on my school premises and if I see you anywhere near Rudra Singh, trust me I will warn him to stay alert." Shakti warned Amber about some investigation he intended to carry on.

Amber raised his brow and said, "You are not doing that. I won't investigate in my child's school. Don't worry."

"Sadly, Mr Khanna, I know you quite well. Please, Amber, trust me, Rudra is a nobleman. He may be on your list but I vouch for him." Shakti pressed Amber's forearm and left for greeting the guests. Amber typed something on his phone before going to the ground where the programme was organised.

"Nimrit," Nimrit halted on her spot when she heard Nivedya calling her out, softly. "Hey, where are you going? We have to sit there, where non-performing students are sitting."

"I volunteered to help the grade three teacher with dressing up the kids for their performance," Nimrit replied with an energetic smile.

"Oh! Need a helping hand?" Nivedya offered hopefully. He just wanted to be around her.

"Umm... you think you can handle kids?" Nimrit enquired with a tease in her tone.

Nivedya put his hands in his pockets to display confidence and said, "Try me!"

Entering inside the green room Nimrit warned him, "Be prepared for your toughest test."

Nivedya closed his ears the moment he entered the huge room. "Why are they shouting and running around?"

Nimrit laughed and suggested, "Why don't you ask them." Nimrit left Nivedya and went to help the teacher who was struggling to keep the kids behaving.

"Oh! Thank God! Nimrit you are here. I don't know what's wrong with these kids. These brownies in their refreshments have surely given them a sugar rush." The teacher rubbed her forehead looking at the chaos in her green room.

"Do not worry ma'am. I will try to tame them." Nimrit assured the teacher and used the table as a drum to gain the attention of the kids. "Listen up all of you." The students came near her and shegave them a challenging smile. "We have a competition with the fourth grade."

"What competition, didi?" One child asked.

"We have to dress up and get ready before them. Principal ma'am has said whichever class gets ready first will get a holiday tomorrow." Nimrit bribed the kids with something they were already going to get. Nivedya mentally applauded Nimrit for her brilliant plan. The kids shouted in glee and Nimrit made them sit on chairs.

"Nivi, you are also here?" The teacher took notice once the kids were settled.

"Yes ma'am. I am here to help. Tell me what should I do?" Nivedya asked confidently though he was not sure what he will be asked to do.

"Really? Okay! Send kids one by one to Nimrit and me while we dress them up. Also, please make sure once they are in their costume they don't run around and ruin them. Can you do that?" The teacher was sceptical and that made Nimrit giggle.

"Ma'am, I can handle teachers and spiders, these are just third graders," Nivedya replied with a smirk but the teacher left without listening to his reply.

"All the best, Mr Singh," Nimrit whisper wished Nivedya and he furrowed his brows in confusion. Was it that tough to handle kids? Or were Nimrit and the teacher just exaggerating?

Nivedya sent the kids one by one for dressing up. He was happy since the kids were behaving. He was observing Nimrit intently who was doing her task diligently. Her animated talk with the kids was quite amusing and he thought she looked super cute doing that.

"Bhaiya, is she your wife?" Nivedya looked at the child with a horrified expression and nodded in a strong NO. "Then why are you looking at her like my Papa looks at my Mumma?"

Nivedya covered the mouth of the child before anyone else could hear it. "Aahhhh!" The child bit Nivedya's hand with his strong pre-molar teeth making him yelp in pain.

Nimrit came to see what made Nivedya shout but he dismissed her saying, "Umm... nothing we were just playing. You... continue." Nivedya was swinging the child to and fro to refrain him from speaking. Nimrit could see he was making up but she still had seven more kids to dress-up so she left from there.
"You will not say a word, got it?" Nivedya warned the child with a hard expression.

"I won't. I understand. These women scare men like that. Papa is also very scared of Mumma. I keep his secrets too but he gives me chocolate for that. You got one?" Nivedya looked at the "little" boy with amusement. Was he just eight years?

"I will give you one, but keep your mouth shut." Nivedya struck a deal with the boy and took out a chocolate from his bag to give to the boy. When other kids saw this they gathered around Nivedya and asked for chocolates. He didn't know how to come out of the situation. "I just had one. I- will get chocolates for all of you tomorrow. I promise."

"Tomorrow didi said is a holiday. You are lying or she is lying?" One of the children questioned Nivedya making him fist his palms. He doubted the kids belonged to Earth.

"No one is lying. You all want chocolates? I will get it from the canteen just wait. But no one will shout or misbehave." Nivedya told the teacher he had some important work and ran to the canteen. He didn't trust the kids, especially the boy who got him in trouble. He didn't know about Nimrit's feelings and did not want things to get awkward between them.

When he came back he saw the boy talking to Nimrit. His heart was beating fast in anticipation of "what if".

The kids took the packet from Nivedya's hand and shouted "yay" in glee. Nivedya took the packet back and distributed the chocolates evenly among the kids. He gave one to the teacher and one to Nimrit. Nimrit thanked him with a pleasant smile making him smile in return.

"My papa also gets chocolates for Mumma to pacify her." The boy whispered in Nivedya's ear and Nivedya could swear he saw the little devil smirk at his condition.

The boy kissed Nimrit's cheek thanking her. He turned around and kissed Nivedya too. It wasn't like Nivedya and Nimrit kissed each other but the same pair of lips kissed them made them blush hard. Nimrit found it hard to concentrate on painting the face of the girl who was supposed to play the part of a tree.

"Nimrit, take the darker shade of green. What are you doing?" The teacher pointed out and  Nimrit corrected herself immediately.

"Move, I will do it. You take a chocolate break." Nivedya suggested stressing the word 'chocolate'. Nimrit gave the brush to Nivedya who didn't know what was to be done.

"She is a tree. Make her look like one." Nimrit's tone sounded like a challenge and Nivedya wanted to win it. She unwrapped the chocolate but before she could take a bite Nivedya snatched it from her hand and pretended to eat.

Nimrit tried to take it back but Nivedya dodged her attempt. With a paintbrush in one hand, chocolate in the other and fun on his mind, Nivedya was multitasking like a pro.

It was the first time Nimrit was trying to fight for chocolate and to her astonishment, she was enjoying it.

"What are you doing?" The teacher looked at the girl with a horrified expression. She was supposed to be a green tree but looked like algae. "Even my eight-year-olds don't fight for chocolates and candies like that. Go outside, eat and then come." The teacher dabbed a piece of cloth in water to remove the colour from the girl's face.

Nivedya and Nimrit came out of the class and Nimrit said, "I have never been scolded by a teacher and because of you, I was asked to leave the class. If you didn't want me to eat the chocolate then why did you give it to me?"

Nivedya didn't reply because angry Nimrit was way cuter than normal Nimrit. He just laughed to suppress his urge to not pull her puffed red cheeks. Nimrit looked at him in disbelief and headed back to the class.

A bar of unwrapped chocolate came in front of Nimrit from behind. She ignored it and opened the room. Nivedya again offered it to her and after thinking for a while Nimrit took the chocolate but Nivedya gestured for her to eat from his hand. Nimrit's eyes widened and she could not decide whether she should eat it or not.

"Come on, eat. I am making up for my goof up." Nivedya eyed her to take a bite and as if in a strong trance Nimrit took a small bite and the bitter cocoa tasted like nectar.
Standing in the corridor of the school Nivedya and Nimrit were looking into each other's eyes, sharing chocolate.

When Nivedya ate the chocolate which was touched by Nimrit's lips he felt lucky. Not everyone got to eat the leftover of an angel.

"Nimrit," the teacher called Nimrit breaking the strong trance that captivated her. Blinking her eyes twice before reacting to the teacher's voice Nimrit was amused by what just happened. She shared chocolate with a "boy"? Not turning behind Nimrit hid her face with her loose tresses and walked inside the green room.

"Shit!" Nivedya muttered to himself. Sure he had shared chocolates with other girls of his class but not like he shared with his dancing partner. He wiped his lips where chocolate was smudged and licked his finger. Nivedya ruffled his hair and breathed out before entering the green room again.

"Papa also shares chocolate with Mumma but then they kiss. Why didn't you kiss didi?" The same boy questioned Nivedya making his desire to clean the chocolate on the corner of Nimrit's lower lip rise.
As if, Nimrit heard Nivedya's thoughts she rolled her tongue and bit the side of her lip with her teeth to clean the chocolate.
Nivedya was lost in observing the movement of her lips, tongue, and teeth but what made him aware of himself was something inside his pant getting hard. A weird kind of vibration by his male member made him scared and conscious so, he left the room without saying anything.

Nimrit was trying to solve the puzzle of what happened to Nivedya? She wanted to go behind him and ask because the little sweet chocolaty bubble that engulfed her and Nivedya was threatening to burst.

While Nivedya and Nimrit were trying to sink in their feelings, their parents were mingling with each other in a different way.

"Mr Khanna, this is my husband Rudra R. Singh." Nandini introduced Amber to Rudra.

"It's a pleasure meeting you Mr Khanna. Your daughter is wonderful." Rudra shook hands with Amber appreciating Nimrit.

"I wish I could say the same for your son," Amber replied curtly to Rudra.

"Amber, that was so rude." Nimrit's mother scowled at Amber. "I am sorry Mr Singh. Amber has a problem with every boy Nimrit is in contact with. Nivi is an amazing boy."

"I can completely understand why. With a daughter as fantastic as Nimrit, any father will feel protective. But, Mr Khanna, trust me, your daughter is self-reliant. I am speaking from personal experience. If she can stand up for my son in front of his father, she can definitely take care and stand up for herself." Rudra appreciated Nimrit revealing the little encounter he had with her at their home.

"All the guests, parents and students are requested to take seats. We are about to begin the programme." The announcement by the MC halted the conversation abruptly and they were escorted to their seats.

"Is Nimrit that friendly with that boy?" Amber questioned Reet.

"You know Nimrit, if she decides to be friends with someone she can go to any lengths to save and protect them." Reet defended her daughter and sat on the assigned seats.

"I don't like that boy or his father," Amber expressed his dislike with gritted teeth.

"Let Nimrit decide. Besides, I think Nivi is a great boy and so is his father." Nimrit's mother put her point of view and Amber raised his brow at her statement. "Don't give that look." She whispered in his ear, "don't you think Rudra Singh is very smart?"

"In terms of hiding his true self, yes. In terms of looks, not a bit." Amber whispered back to his wife brushing his lips slightly on her ear making her go crimson.

The Principal gave the opening speech and welcomed the chief guest for the evening Mr Randeep Raichand the Chief of defence of Swarnbhoomi.

"He is next on my list," Amber told his wife but he looked in Rudra's direction. "A smart bunch of liars shall soon be unveiled."
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Dear Readers
Nivedya and Nimrit shared some cute and bitter moments but how will this shape their relationship only time will tell.
So, stay hooked!

Lots of love