"papa please jaldi!! I am getting late...jaldi karo na..." complained nandini while her father tried to wear his footwear in hurry, so that his daughter does not get late for school.

"araha hun beta, ek toh tum khud late karti ho aur bus miss ho jati hai...fir mujh par chillati ho!!" replied her father, walking out of the door.

"car aram se chalana...der ho rahi hai ...iska matlab ye ni ki car ko rocket ki tarah urao!" warned nandini's mother , as the other two made their way inside the lift.

"ok madam!" replied nandini's father assuringly while nandini waved a bye to her mother and the lift door closed.

"papa main chilla ni rahi thi...aap jante ho na navya akeli ho jati hai agar main na rahun toh...i am her only friend na.." nandini explained.

"haa beta i understand...navya bahut achi larki hai ..tumhe hamesa uske sath rehna chahye...she looks quite vulnerable.." nandini's father spoke as they got out of the lift and made their way towards the car.

"yes papa, navya is very introvert, actually uske parents bahut orthodox soch rakhte hain...they don't give her any kind of freedom" nandini spoke sadly remembering someone else who too is suffering from family problem.

Navya is bogged down by orthodoxy, he is bogged down by family responsibilities.

"its ok beta...there are different kinds of people in this world..and we have to respect their opinions" he tried to explain to his teenage daughter.

Nandini nodded thoughtfully "hmmm" as she sat on the passenger seat of the car.

"wse beta , i think i earn enough that my daughter can buy a new uniform..." he said but nandini didn't get the point , so she cringed her eyebrow in confusion , so her papa spoke further "ye skirt kuch jyada choti ni ho gyi hai beta??"

"papa!!" nandini whined "ye fashion hai!, aap ni samjhenge!"

"haa fashion toh sirf tumhri mummy aur tum hi jante ho!" he spoke sarcastically. Nandini rolled her eyes.

"boyfriend toh ni hai tumhra??" her father asked scrutinising her face.

Nandini controlled her blush and answered confidently "i don't have a boyfriend, papa"

"that's good, padhai par dhyan do...ye fashion aur boyfriend k lye bahut time milega future mein"

"ok...now drive fast na papa!"

"ok ok"
...

20 minutes later.

Nandini was rushing towards her classroom thinking how angry navya will be today and how she will pacify her. She entered the classroom, there was still time for the morning assembly. Before her eyes could locate navya, nandini caught sight of her lover boy, who had his face dug in his book on the desk. Nandini knew that he is upset thinking that she might not come today. She smiled to herself and next looked at navya who was also lost in her book sitting at the corner of her regular bench. His friends were laughing and playing around him but he was not paying attention to them.

As nandini, being the hottest girl of the school and also beauty with brains' category girl,entered, some boys of her class whistled and hooted looking at her, that's when her lover boy's eyes shooted up at her and immediately a look of relief crossed his face. He signalled her to the seat beside him but nandini with a slight nod of her head conveyed the message that navya is her priority and walked past him, but his friends couldn't let her go this easily,

"hi nandini, " spoke the joker of the group and secret lover of navya.

"hi" replied nandini and then the hi was exchanged five times with others of the group except the lover boy, who chose to look elsewhere.

"arey manik ko bhi hi bolo" joker cabir spoke suggestively. Nandini had no other option

"hi manik" she said controlling her heartbeat and the blush. Manik just looked at her for a flicker of a second , muttered a hi and again looked down on his book. Even that was enough to make nandini blush.

"wse nandini tum aaj bus se ni ayi? We missed you a lot...you know" mukti spoke biting her lips in order to control her laugh and all of them looked at manik who was pretending to not listen to their conversation.

Nandini knew that his friends were teasing him, and it made her blush harder "umm ...ya, actually i missed the bus today" she informed.

"oh acha...next time be on time...punctuality is the best quality...hai na manik??" alia spoke deliberately poking manik to speak.

"aan what?? Did you ask something alia?" manik found it better to pretend than to get involved in the conversation and be a victim of teasing session of his friends. Alia and others rolled their eyes .

"tu rehne de bhai...tu padh le...ye books hi tere sab kuch hain!" cabir folded his hands as in prayer frustrated by manik's way of avoiding the topic. And as expected manik once looked at nandini's flushed face and then went back to his books.

"umm i have to go...navya is waiting" nandini said and walked ahead to sit beside navya. Cabir looked at navya for a long moment, before his friends poked him. His love towards navya was a different shade altogether.

Nandini had observed Manik's face but she knew he will understand.

Even though , it has been happening from forever, but even he doesn't know that why he always keeps a seat for her. Probably some day, navya would be absent and she would sit with him.

Navya looked up "nandini" and sighed in relief "thank god , tum agyi , mujhe laga aaj akele hi rehna parega"

"navya i am sorry, tum gussa toh ni ho naa, actually subah i got up late and i wanted to manage time but fir sab late late hota gya and i missed the bus..kal ..pakka...

"nandini, nandini, relax...main gussa q houngi..i know tum kabhi jante hue asa ni karogi..."

"thank you navya, acha suno tumhe pata hai na aaj maths me trigonometry ke formulas ka oral test hai..maine itna yaad kiya hai fir bhi lag raha hai sab bhul gyi hun.." nandini said in a panic mode.

"arey main hun na...relax...i will prompt you if you forget!" navya assured because she knew just this assurance was enough for nandini because she never forgets her lessons and their conversation continued.

Nandini looked in manik's direction and found him sitting a little tilted in her direction and when she looked, right at that moment he too looked at her. She smiled blushingly and he answered in a small smile , which was enough for her to understand that he wasn't mad at her.
...

The bell for lunch break rang. Nandini and navya walked out to wash their hands, but on the way nandini was stopped by a group senior boys and navya immediately ran back to her class to inform manik and others.

"hey nandini" spoke one of the boy in his thick voice and nandini didn't let her get bogged down by their overimposing presence, "yes" she answered crisply.

"after school we are going to a place to picnic and have fun. Wanna join us?"

"no thanks" nandini answered straightforwardly.

"arey why not? how long will you be a mumma's girl. Come'on yar you are in std 11 , not in pre-school. Let's have some fun!" he tried to convince her forcefully.

"i will always be a mumma's girl...and thanks for your invitation" nandini answered and turned to walk away but stopped when the boy held her wrist. She turned with a jerk and freed her wrist from his hold "be in your limits!" she scolded and glared. But the boy smiled slyly.

"come with us" his words seemed like a order and he once again held her wrist.

"what if she doesn't??" came the booming voice of manik from behind and the next moment he was in front of nandini and held the palm of the boy on nandini's hand. Manik's grip was so hard that the boy had to leave nandini's wrist. Manik pushed nandini a little to move her out of the way but she stumbled and had not cabir stopped her by holding her arms, she would have crashed against cabir's chest.

"its ok...its just me..." cabir assured nandini. When she stood properly he grinned and said "ye manik bhi na , gusse mein ye ni dekhta hai ki apni girlfriend' ko kisi aur k bahon me push kar raha hai!"

Although the word girlfriend felt nice to hear but nandini had to counter him "i am not his girlfriend" she said but couldn't control the blush.

"yeah and i am not cabir" cabir replied in irony coloured tone. Just then navya came in front and saved nandini "nandini tum theek ho??" navya asked worriedly!

"of course wo theek hai...main jo tha" cabir spoke pulling his shirt's collar up and navya just smiled faintly, covering her feelings.

Manik had settled the matter with just his glares. Those senior boys walked away muttering abuses and threats. Manik turned and looked at nandini for a moment, assuring himself that she was fine. Nandini too looked back at him and smiled in assurance. But he didn't smile back and walked away. Nandini thought that was because, so many students were around. So everyone resumed their usual chores.
...

In the bus ,after school.

Nandini sat on the three seater with navya beside her and mukti on the third seat. While manik came and sat on the seat just behind nandini. Cabir and abhimanyu beside him. Dhruv and alia sat on the two seater beside them.

As the bus started, nandini leaned back on her seat and manik leaned forward keeping his head closer to nandini's. Nandini had noticed that he had been unusually quiet the whole time after the lunch fiasco. She wanted to talk to him but could not find an opportunity. Even now, he was just keeping his head down and saying nothing. Their friends were busy in their own banter or probably they were pretending so.

Nandini shifted in her seat uncomfortably, she wanted to talk, but how? Manik noticed her restlessness and passed his hand from the side of his seat , secretly , and nandini held it secretly under her folded arms. She intertwined their fingers and laid back on the seat peacefully and manik smiled but no one noticed as he had his face covered with the other free hand and was leaning forward on the seat.

Everybody thought that he is sleeping, but no one knew that manik and nandini are engaged in their secret romance. Manik rubbed her palm with his thumb slowly and soothingly.

"nandini, i have reached my stop...bye" navya spoke after waking up nandini. Manik had left her hand when she fell asleep.

"ok bye! See you tomorrow" nandini spoke still dazed. Rest of the group had also left , only manik and her were left.

"cabir kaha gya?" nandini asked turning to manik.

"he got down at dhruv's stop. He had some work" manik informed.

"oh ok..." she said and hesitated before speaking further "tum thk ho?"

"hmmm" he said and looked out of the window.

Nandini got up from her seat and sat beside him. "kya hua? Mujhe ni bataoge?" she asked lovingly.

"kuch ni..." he said looking at her face

"bas mujhe acha ni laga aaj jo bhi hua lunch break mein"

"i swear...maine kuch ni kiya tha..wo log..." nandini spoke to justify herself but manik sushed her in mid itself by putting his finger on her parted lips. She immediately closed her mouth.

"sssh...i know tumhri galti ni hai...i was just angry on the boys...mann toh kar raha tha ki unke face tor dun...but i had to control myself...you know na...wh"

"sssh" this time nandini didn't let him complete "choro na ye saari baatein...kuch aur bolo" nandini changed the topic " uncle aunty kse hain?? Aur arzoo ke exams kese rahe?? Aur arisha ki life mein kya chal raha hai??" manik always shared his family moments with nandini, so she knew pretty much about his family, about his sisters arzoo and arisha. Manik was eldest of them all.

Manik smiled "arey arzoo, her exams are over and wo puri masti ki mood mein rehti hai...main bolta rehta hun ki next year 10th boards hain, padho , padho but wo sunti hi ni hai...and arisha , uska toh pucho hi mat, av usey naya shauk chadha hai drawing classes ka. Pura din halla karti rehti hai ki drawing classes join kara do. But you know na we don't have so much money to spend on these things! First these school fees , my tuition classes and ab drawing classes. So mom refuse kar rahi hai..pata ni agey kya hoga" manik started on a happy note but in the end he was sad.

Nandini kept her palm on his " its ok manik...jab tum job karne lagoge toh ye saari problems solve ho jaengi...islye now you should concentrate on your studies"

Manik smiled "thank you" he said.

"thank you?? For what?" nandini asked

"for understanding me"

"ok ok , now please ab start mat ho jana with your praises of me" nandini chuckled.

"can i hug you?" manik asked all of a sudden.

"but manik..ermm ...we are in bus" nandini replied looking around.

Manik slung his school bag on his arms looking at her mischievously and hugged her tightly and whispered "i will see you in the coaching class, bye" and then got up quickly and got down from the bus as it stopped on his spot.

Nandini blushed thinking about the hug. How good it had felt to be in his arms. She was looking forward to the coaching class now.