~She left, but took away the most important part of me...My Sanity~

-Affu-

In India

Sinha's Home

"Titanic? Nope. The fault in our stars? Nah! Rome and Juliet? Too mushy!" and that broke Manik's thoughts which were only about killing a blabbering Abhimanyu Thakkar.

Mushy! That was the word she uses for Romance. She hated it so much, that she didn't like watching couples romancing.

Manik's lips twitched a little, into a smile, which was noticed by Cabir.

"Alright! Shut up, Abhi. That's not working." Cabir said to Abhimanyu, who was trying to cheer Manik with some movies, but ended up choosing only emotional movies.

"It would have, if these stupid guys had some good movies to watch? Why the hell do you have such emotional movies at home, dude?" Abhimanyu barked out, at Shravan and Arijit, who stared at him blankly.

"He has Loveobhia! You should have guessed it." Shravan said, pointing at his brother and then rolling his own eyes at it. "Damn right, you are!" Abhimanyu groaned, before falling on his b*tt and then staring at Manik.

"What? Stop staring like a creep." Manik looked at Abhimanyu, and then at others who were all busy staring at him. "I just wanted...some help." Manik looked elsewhere.

"Help in what?" Abhimanyu questioned, raising his eyebrows. "In who I love the most?" Cabir asked, and Manik glared up at him. "In why I'm feeling confused about her and Lilliput?" Shravan pointed out, and Manik turned his face to glare at him.

"Don't. Call. Her. That." Manik stated, gritting his teeth, and Shravan grinned. "You broke up with her, Bhai. You lost the right." Shravan shrugged, and Manik fought himself from yelling out loud.

"Wait...when did you two get in a relationship?" Cabir chimed in, faking confusion. "Shut up, guys!" Manik groaned, before throwing his head in his palms. "I'm a mess, right now. A mess." he mumbled, loud enough for the boys to hear.

"You got into this mess, right when your Lilliput walked in your life, Bhai." Cabir stated, and Manik looked up at him. "Trust me when I say it, Bhai. Your feelings for her was not just of a friend's. You always had a soft spot for her. You always wanted her attention. You always liked being with her. You always cared for her so much, that you had forgotten about the childhood love." Cabir added, and Manik gulped down the lump in his throat.

"Honestly speaking," Abhimanyu started, and looked up at Manik before continuing, "I don't know if it's possible to fall in love with two women, but it's possible to forget someone you don't have in your life for someone else, who you have in your life. If you had some contact, like at least through social media, with your childhood love, then you may not have felt anything with Nandini, but SHE hasn't been in your life for the past 15 years. It's more than enough time for you to move on, but you didn't because you didn't have that drive in you to move on, unlike now, when Nandini is that DRIVE." 

"I-I cannot forget...her, Abhi." Manik shook his head, and the boys sighed. "We cannot think about anything else now, Buddy. But one thing is clear." Arijit said, gaining Manik's attention.

"It's either you are falling for Nandini and falling out of love with your Childhood love," Manik shut his eyes tight on hearing Arijit. "Or...Nandini is just an infatuation." and Manik's eyes shot open to stare at Arijit, who looked impassive. "You know, those passing crushes, although, I'm still confused if you could crush on someone when you're already in love with someone else." Arijit added, and Manik's heart ached.

Nandini was just an infatuation? 

Or...

He fell out of love with Her?

None of them seemed possible, yet, he didn't know why but his heart ached when he thought of Nandini. How could someone call her an infatuation? Can he get over her?

He didn't know!

But for now, he was at least taken in between a group hug.

"All is going to be fine, Bhai." he looked up at Shravan, who was smiling faintly at him. "But remember to always listen to your heart. Because if you don't listen to it, you may not reach your goal." Shravan added, and Manik nodded, too grateful to have his friends around him.

At least, he felt a little better!

Next day

"Excuse me? You mean I don't look good every day?" Nandini squinted her eyes at the waiter in her Hospital's Restaurant. "Wh-No, Doctor. I just---" the waiter began only for Nandini to cut him off. 

"You just decided to pour your heart out. I get that." Nandini nodded at herself, and the poor waiter who complimented her for wearing an Indian attire to work, for the first time, stood dumbfounded and helpless.

"No, Doctor. You're wearing Indian attire, so I---" the waiter started to sweat, and Nandini blinked. "You mean I won't look good if I don't wear Indian? What kind of people do we have in this country?!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in air.

"Alright! Time up. I want a cup of water." Mrunal settled beside Nandini, and looked at the waiter, who beamed at her, before running away. "He's not the reason for that Malhotra pole to break up with you." Mrunal looked at Nandini, who opened her mouth to protest. "Though you weren't in any relationship." she added, shrugging.

"We did not break up, yet. It should be official. And yeah, I agree, though we aren't in any relationship." Nandini shrugged, taking a bite from her Burger. "And how do you make it official?" Mrunal questioned, confusingly.

"By informing his friends and family, that we are no more gonna do anything mushy that they would like us to do." Nandini replied, while munching on a fry, and Mrunal pondered over it. "Oh yeah, I forgot the part of being with some other guy soon after the breakup." Nandini added, and Mrunal rolled her eyes at it.

"You don't find a boy the next second you break up with your current boyfriend. What is this? Finding a boy machine to rest his hands on your waist?!" Mrunal questioned, and Nandini shrugged. "That's exactly why half the girls I met had a boyfriend for! Duh!" 

To which, Mrunal agreed the next second. Soon the waiter placed the cup of water that Mrunal ordered, on their table and left. And this time, it was a different waiter, to which none paid any heed.

Soon enough, there was sound of chairs getting dragged, and a few chairs taken from elsewhere and kept around their table.

"Oh!" Mrunal and Nandini looked up, both about to take a sip from their own glass of water, only to see a few boys. Certain known boys!

"Hi!" Shravan grinned at the girls, to which Mrunal squinted her eyes at him, and the rest. But Nandini's gaze was on a Malhotra guy. The great Manik Malhotra, whose gaze was on the floor.

"Hi." Mrunal greeted, plainly and got back to her food, but Nandini had no such plans.

"So...someone's looking so Indian today." Cabir pointed out, to break the awkward moment, to which Shravan nodded excitedly. "Yep! And guess what! That someone's looking so gorgeous that I found my heart beating twice the rate it usually does." Shravan grinned at Nandini, with his eyes dreamy.

"Dr. Aadit Sharma. Lead Cardiologist in here. He's also the head of the Hospital." Nandini moved her gaze at Shravan, who frowned at her. "I cannot refer him, sorry, cause I'm a Gynecologist, but I can always recommend your case to him. He'll know why the hell your heart is having a football match in there." Nandini added, and Shravan's face fell.

"Aw, come on! I thought you would at least fall for it." Shravan whined, while others preferred to chuckle at his condition. "I must say I'm impressed, Nandini." Abhimanyu commented, and Nandini looked back at Manik, who looked down the moment her gaze fell back to him.

"Wish I could say the same about you guys." said Nandini, and Abhimanyu cringed. "How many tiles, Malhotra?" Nandini asked, relaxing herself in her seat, and Manik's head snapped up at her.

"You were counting the tiles on floor. Weren't you?" she raised her eyebrows at him, who bit onto his lips and looked embarrassed. "Oh! You weren't. My bad! Well, how am I supposed to read you, though. Right?" her face was filled with sarcasm, and the boys stared on, moving their gazes from Manik to Nandini and back to him again.

While Mrunal still preferred to eat!

"N-Nandini, I--I don't k--" he got halted when Nandini's phone rang. He stared at it, but Nandini cancelled the call. "I don't divide my attention. You can speak. One minute is what you'll get." and Nandini looked at her mobile where the time was shown.

"I-I get it. You-You're mad. But I-I don't know what to say. I really don't know how to--tell you everything. I mean, it's my--obviously it's my fault, but I--" and Nandini kept her mobile on the table, and showed her palm to him. "Time's up." she said, and his eyes widened.

"What? You can't be serious, Lilliput." he exclaimed, and her gaze turned a bit more impassive. "Serious? Really Manik? You're saying it?" and he winced at the way his name sounded, coming from her. He didn't like it. He preferred that stupid nickname over his own beautiful name.

How weird!

"It should have been coming from me, Manik. Like how the hell can you hide something so important from me?" she was anything but calm, yet she wasn't loud. "You hid about your girl from me, Manik." she stared at him, right through his eyes to his soul, and Manik looked taken aback.

"I thought you were single. I thought you didn't have anyone in your life. I thought you weren't liable to answer to any girl in your life. That's why I chose you to get back at DJ. Heck! I proposed the idea of contract marriage, only because I thought you didn't have a love life, and what I hear now!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in air, drawing patterns, while Manik gulped seeing her too angry.

"Now who am I? A girl who's the reason for the trouble in paradise. What am I gonna tell your girl to comfort her now, Malhotra. Speak up, will you?" she hissed out, angrily, and all he did was to stare at her.

So...she's mad just because she thinks she has hurt his love? She's not mad because he has feelings for someone but not her?

Ouch!

That kinda hurts!

"I-It's...complicated." Manik managed to mutter, and Nandini stared at him aghast. "And that makes you hide about her to me?" she asked, and he sat speechless.

"Damn the hell you came from!" Nandini ran her hands through her hairs. "I don't care how complicated your love story could get, Manik. I freaking am not here for escalating the love that you share with your girlfriend. I'm here for my Appa and Ma. You were supposed to tell that you did have a girl in your life, so that we shouldn't have to be in this condition. Do you even realize that you have introduced me to your family as your girlfriend when you have a girl in your life who's waiting for the same to happen with her?" Nandini questioned, sounding helpless, and Mrunal held onto her hand, squeezing it to calm her down.

While Manik stared at her wordlessly. She didn't look like she minded that he had a girl in his life. She didn't care if she didn't have a chance with him. She looked more worried about his love and he feared if whatever he developed for Nandini Murthy was only one-sided.

Did she even consider developing a crush for him, at the least?

He doubts, now!

"Ahem!" Arijit pushed the glass of water to Nandini, on seeing her worked up. Something inside told him, that she needed it, which she accepted the next second. Arijit nodded at her 'thanks', when his gaze fell on a worried Mrunal, who was rubbing at Nandini's back trying to get her calm.

She looked worried for her friend. She was wiping something unseen for his eyes, away from Nandini's cheeks, like some mother of hers, and he couldn't help, but to smile at the sight.

She cares for her loved ones! Too badly!

"Okay!" Nandini breathed out, before looking at Manik, who looked equally worried at Nandini's anger, though it was directed at him, he wanted to see her calm, and not agitated. "I'm talking to Grandpa." she announced, and there was a chorus of 'what'.

"No way." Cabir exclaimed.

"You cannot do this to us." Shravan cried out.

"Not that, Nandini. Let's think more." Abhimanyu too looked horrified.

"That's risky!" Arijit sighed out, exasperated.

But Manik just stared on.

"Shut up" Nandini glared at the boys, while Mrunal apologized to the people around, as some of them were patients and not just onlookers. "I know its called asking a lot, but yeah, try to act mature. Will you?" Mrunal threw her glares at the boys, who looked around sheepishly.

"I'm talking to Grandpa, and none is gonna stop me. Oh yeah, try doing so, and I'm gonna take you to my operation theater even if you're not a woman." and Nandini stood up and left, but not before Manik rushing behind her.

"Oh well! That went well. Damn, that rhymed too." and Mrunal started to drink from her cup. "How the hell can you call it well and be chilled out? They're fighting. Nandini is gonna tell everything to Raj uncle, who doesn't even know about buddy's love for the girl." Arijit cried out, horrified, staring at Mrunal's composure.

"And? What's your point though?" Mrunal looked at Arijit, leaning forward in her seat. "Have a girl in life, whom you're supposed to give the best that you can, yet, you get another girl to be your fake girlfriend for the sake of her family reunion. You think that sounds heartwarming?" Mrunal barked out, and scowled at Arijit. "That sounds like a betrayal that a cat would do to it's mate, after getting her pregnant and then wandering away to make kids with others." Mrunal answered instead of Arijit, who stared at her blankly.

"Uh...I mean, animals just mate and...don't marry. Yeah?" Shravan asked, unsure of Mrunal's point, who scowled at him. "You're too good for biology, kid." Mrunal deadpanned, and Shravan grinned before widening his eyes. "For the nth time to you and your best friend. I.AM.NOT.A.KID." Shravan cried out, before giving her a grin. "But I'm good with any kind of endearment, though." he winked at Mrunal, who could only stare at him, while Arijit smacked in his head.

"Ow, Bhai!" Shravan whined, while rubbing at his head, and Mrunal just rolled her eyes. "Let him date and get a kiss. He's too horny for the ladies around." she stood up to leave, when Arijit's phone rang, and her gaze fell on the caller ID.

"Not bad!" she grinned reading the caller ID, while Arijit was gaping at it. "What the f***!" he cried out, in disbelief. "BABY?" the boys questioned, with their pupils dilated, and Mrunal just whistled. "So the loud Time bomb has a baby. I mean, girlfriend." Mrunal smirked, while Arijit scowled at her.

"I don't have a baby." and he scrunched up his nose. "Wait, that sounds absurd. I mean, I don't have a girlfriend." he corrected himself, and Mrunal laughed out before leaving. "Aw, sweet bomb!" she sang until she left the restaurant, while Arijit scowled at her retreating figure, before looking back at his friends.

"I freaking swear!" he shouted, before it started ringing again. "I don't have a baby." he shouted after picking up the call, only for it to be a dead end, and the people around staring at him, weirdly.

And Mrunal laughed out loud, who was standing at the door, and staring at an exasperated Arijit.

***

"Manik! What the heck?!" Nandini widened her eyes at Manik, who has pulled her to his chest, stopping her from walking away. "And what the hell happened to Grumpy coffee?" Manik scowled at her, who frowned at him.

"What?" she questioned, confusedly and the intensity of his glares just got increased. "You don't call me Manik, or did you forget that?" Manik exclaimed, angrily and she stared at him blankly before rolling her eyes at it.

"You here to remind me that? Honestly Manik, get a brain. Waist, you may not get it in a Supermarket, though." and she shrugged him off, walking away.

"Why don't you listen to me, Lilliput. F***! Give me a chance, Lilliput." Manik blocked her way, and she squinted her eyes at him. "It's a hospital." she reminded him about using fowl language in there, and he sighed out loud, before running his hands through his hair.

"Manik!" she let out a sigh, and he turned towards her to shoot glares. "You're at fault, you know that?" she questioned, softly, and he bit onto his lips before nodding his head. "Good that you accept it. Now, do you regret?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, and Manik stared on.

"Regret doing what? Hiding about it from you? Or hurting you?" he asked, and she looked taken aback, for the first time in her life. "H-hurting me?" she asked, and he stepped closer towards her.

"I did hurt you. Last night. When I said that I couldn't do it, I saw it in your eyes." He looked in her eyes, and she looked in his, without blinking. "Why? Am I wrong there?" he gulped, fearing he was wrong.

What's wrong with him? Is he trying to avoid her and get back with her?

"I was." she admitted, and the hope in his eyes were seen. "Because you hid something so precious to you, from me, and I looked like a selfish bi*ch who cares only about herself." she added, and his face fell. The hope in his eyes diminished.

"I'm not that, Manik. I'm really not that selfish." she shook her head in denial, and he mirrored her actions before cupping her cheeks in his large palms, in reflex. "I do look selfish for only thinking about my Appa and Ma, and dragging you in this plan, but that's only a part of me. I cannot break another girl's heart. I never will. That's now how I was brought up, Manik." she explained, calmly, yet sounding strained.

"Of course not, Lilliput. You should never say that again. I would never think like that. Yes, I agree our first meeting did give me that impression, but the more time I spent with you, the more I realized how good of a person you are. You're such a beautiful person, Lilliput." he babbled, caressing her cheeks, and she would have loved to drown in the warmth his skin was providing her, but she stepped back.

"Then you should have talked about her." she said, and he sighed. "I would have...if she was here." he said, and she frowned. "I don't even know where she's now. Heck! I don't even know if she remembers me." he explained, and she looked a lot more confused than before.

"I met her 15 years ago." he confessed, and she stared on, blankly. "It was a childhood friendship, which became a crush, and then gradually love. At least from my side. For her, I was just a friend she met in a park, like how she meet different kids everyday in the park." he chuckled to himself, before looking up at her. "And I'm still holding onto that feeling, even though I have no contact with her for the past 15 years." he ended, while all she did was to stare at him.

"You mean---you're in love with your childhood friend, who might have forgotten about your existence?" she asked, sounding odd, and he nodded at it. "Really?" she asked, and he let out a sigh.

He knew she would find it weird. She would find him weird.

"Wow!" she breathed out, and she felt her chest tightening a little more, with pain. "That sounds like...some deep love." she said, and looked up at him, who was staring at her aghast. "What?" he questioned, dumbfounded.

"Your love story--I mean, how is it possible to love someone for half your life, when you didn't even have a relationship with them? And knowing you, I know you would have stayed loyal to your love all this while. Well, being my fake boyfriend doesn't count though." and she shook her head, before smiling faintly at him. "She's one lucky girl, you know." 

"L-lilliput! You don't find me...weird? I mean, that's what I've been hearing from my friends because they think I might be hurt at the end if I don't find her ever." Manik said, unsure of her acceptance to his love story.

"Weird is your brain which listens to what others say," she said, rolling her eyes. "You should always do what you want to. That makes you happy. I've seen guys switching from one girl to other in a blink, and here you are in love with a girl for the past 15 years of your life. That's something not everyone could do, Manik. Be proud for once, will you?" she smiled at him, and he didn't know why but he pulled her in for a hug.

For a tight-bone crushing-hug!

"Thank you," he whispered in her ears. "For understanding me so well, Lilliput." he breathed out, tightening his hold on her, and she hugged him back, though her heart was breaking again. 

How she wished he could love her the way he does this mystery girl!

"Anytime, Grumpy coffee!" and he had the widest grin on his face, hearing her. His head went deep in her neck, inhaling her scent, crushing her to himself, while she caressed his nape, relishing the warmth he's providing her body.

"Ahem!" and that hug and spell were broken by an intruder. Nandini broke the hug, and Manik winced at the lack of body contact that he was having with Nandini a while ago. Nevertheless, he turned around, with his arms still wrapped around her waist, to the intruder.

"Aadit?" he looked at the Intruder, smiling, but that just wasn't the case for Aadit, whose gaze was on Manik's arms wrapped around Nandini's waist.

"Manik!" Aadit acknowledged his presence, before looking down at Nandini, who stared at the duo, puzzled.

How do they know each other?

***

Hey guys!

Sorry for the late update, but this has something to do with my arrival in UAE. Yeah! I'm back home. Alhamdulillah. So I was a little busy with everything going around. So damn sorry!

P.S: The chapter is unedited!

With love,

Affu.