Hello Fam :)

Sorry, I totally forgot I didn't post this chapter and was trying to write the next one. I just saw this today. 

Happy Reading...

Manik sighed looking at the closed door of his apartment. It's close to six in the evening. After the news of the nationwide lockdown, Abhimanyu sent a group text asking people to wrap their heads around and use work as their distraction if they need any instead of worrying about finishing any task and also to take care of their families while they are at it. It was one of the sweetest things he could imagine a boss could do. Manik talked to his parents, assuring them that he was fine and asking them to take care of themselves. He showered, had his breakfast, and sat down on the couch with his laptop working on his project. Not like he has much to do outside work. Although, he decided to stick to work timings and relax after work hours. This way, he could keep himself entertained during this weird lockdown.

Nandini hadn't opened the door since morning, not even for lunch, and he didn't think she would answer to his knock. The girl had a knack for giving him a headache with or without her presence in the room.

Shutting his laptop, he prepared some dinner and ate while watching the news to get any more updates about the lockdown, before giving up and going to his room and shutting the door.

XXX

It was day four and the owner had sent the groceries enough to last for two weeks for two people and a promise to be back by the next week. He hasn't seen Nandini in the past three days. Sure, the girl was still alive given the noise she made inside her room and she came out of the room when she heard Manik shutting the door. After the first day, it was an experiment when Manik shut his door during lunch and heard the girl coming out of the room before doing whatever she wanted to do and taking inside her room before shutting herself in. She hasn't done much work either, given she was supposed to talk to him to start on her work and Abhimanyu still hasn't her added to their WhatsApp group. Speaking of him, he was still encouraging and asking everyone if they were fine or not and if they were not, to reach out to him for any kind of help.

During lunch, Manik noticed the pile of cuppa noodles packets in his trash can and he searched for anything else being kept haphazardly, any container or ingredient, that he didn't remember and horrifyingly realized the girl was surviving on instant cuppa noodles throughout the day for four days as of now.

Manik thought he should reach out to Abhimanyu about Nandini since they were friends and he was sweet but then the girl asked him not to mention anything to his boss about them being housemates. Which left only one person who could help him. Hence, Manik abandoned his work and shut himself inside his room before dialing his one true love.

"Mom, I need your help?"

"Are you fine, kid?", asked Nyonika.

"Yeah, I am alright. But remember I told you about Nandini, my housemate?"

"The one who prefers locking herself inside her room than seeing your handsome face? Yeah, about three times a day."

"Mom, I am serious", he almost whined.

"Yeah. Tell me", she said, laughing.

"Mom, I saw the packets of cuppa noodles and I think she is surviving on only that. And she has locked herself up in the room since she came here."

"Since she saw your face but yeah, I get your point", said Nyonika, all teasing gone. "I think you should force her to eat something. I don't know if she is doing it out of sheer stubbornness or that she doesn't know how to cook but it's high time you should check on her. And if she is not well, talk to your boss. This isn't the way to live healthily, especially in this stupid pandemic."

"Sure."

"Kid, if you need any help, I could talk to her even. It's not your fault, okay?"

"Yeah", said Manik. "Thanks, mom."

After his call, instead of knocking on her door, Manik went to the kitchen and made Khichdi for the both of them. If all the girl was stuffing instant noodles inside her body, it would be better to start with something light. Once the food was prepared, Manik made a huge show of shutting the door and waited for Nandini to come outside as he stuck his ear to the door. Once he guessed she was in the kitchen, he opened the door quietly and caught her boiling the water, probably for her cuppa noodles.

"How long do you think you could survive on cuppa noodles without any nutritious food?", asked Manik, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. His sudden voice startled her but she composed and switched off the half-boiled water before storming towards her room. Manik was fast when he grabbed her arm, making her struggle to free herself from his hold.

"Leave me unless you want me to throw the hot water on your face before filing a case for manhandling", she said, gritting her teeth.

Manik rolled his eyes. "The water isn't hot enough to cause me any burns and you need to stay alive to file a case. Listen, just, I made khichdi for both of us. Eat that instead of the cuppa noodles and then I will not disturb you."

"Why should I believe you that you didn't poison my food?"

"If you have ever stepped into the kitchen, you should know that Khichdi is prepared in one container. If you don't trust me, I will eat along with you."

The girl stared him down for several minutes before giving a nod. Manik sighed in relief and let her go before grabbing two plates and putting the food in them. He half expected her to throw the food at him, wouldn't be the first time, but surprisingly she did eat without any further tantrums. When they were close to finishing their food, Manik cleared his throat to gain her attention but the girl kept on ignoring him.

"Nandini, we don't have a choice but to live together for the next fifteen or some days until this lockdown is lifted. Until then, you don't have to lock yourself inside the room. You know the kitchen is for you too. You can make your food and if my presence makes you feel uncomfortable, I will stay in my room when you want to use the kitchen."

"Not required", she said.

Manik raised his eyebrow in question. "Not required as in I don't need to go to my room or you would keep on trying to stuff instant noodles?"

"No need as in I am fine eating cuppa noodles, Malhotra", said the girl finally looking up from her plate.

"You would die eating those foods before the virus could even kill you", he said, slightly irritated. "Listen, I know I agreed not to say anything to Abhimanyu Sir but if you keep on eating only those instant noodles, I will complain to him and he will deal with you however he wants."

Nandini glared at him. "I have other ready-to-eat food packets except cuppa noodles."

"Sure, but that's not an option for you either."

Nandini crossed her arms and if looks could he would have died a long time ago. "Fine. I don't know how to cook."

"What?", he exclaimed. "And your brilliant idea is to survive on instant food packets? Are you serious?"

"Don't be stupid. I didn't plan this lockdown. I bought so many because I could eat when I wouldn't be there at the Thakkar house. Abhimanyu would bring be breakfast from home and we would have lunch together."

Manik rubbed his head before sighing. "Fine. I will cook food for both of us from now on. You can eat with me if you want otherwise, you could eat whenever you want. But if you are skipping food or touching those instant packets again, I am bringing Abhimanyu Sir again."

"Why do you care?", she asked with a glare.

"Because I don't want you to end up being dead in a lockdown and make me a prime suspect", said Manik, somewhat sarcastically but the girl just smirked and nodded in agreement and Manik wanted to bang his head somewhere. 

A/N: As I already said, I have a rough storyline but I am not sure how I would proceed with this book. Hence, if you have anything in mind that you want to read about with these two crazy heads, you are free to drop in the ideas. :P