(A/N: Aha. So I am back! So this was written in early 2016 when I was a stupid kid, so most of it is immature, don't judge! ;) The person in the media box is Manik Malhotra, THE male protagonist of the book! Go read and lemme know how's this going up! Okaythanksbye. Love you all.)

Status : Edited

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"Mom, I cannot marry her." Manik said, shaking his head in disbelief. Of course, he wanted to marry a girl he loved. He wanted a love marriage. He didn't believe in an arranged marriage. Forget him believing, I didn't believe in it either.

"Why Manik? They accepted you as their son-in-law already. Why are you being so difficult? This is the fourth girl you're rejecting and I don't know why you're doing this. Don't you respect us, Manik?" His mother, Nyonika Malhotra, tried to convince him. In a way, I wouldn't blame her.

"It's high time you get married, son. You're 21 and you have great career options in your hands. Why don't you take the next important step in life?" His dad asked him. Every parent wants their child to live a happy life but it is a fact that they know very little of how to keep a child happy.

"Bhai, bol raha hun tujhe. You're in deep shit now. Arranged Marriage is a pain. Especially now, since you're still young." (Bro, I'm telling you. You're in deep shit now. Arranged Marriage is a pain. Especially now, since you're still young.) Cabir, his best friend, advised him from behind. Manik knew he was in trouble.

His parents didn't like love. Love was a word they hated and even if he ever fell in love, they would never accept his girl, or so he thought.

"Mom, I cannot marry her." He said, sternly again. He was way too stubborn to give in so easily. He was Manik Malhotra after all.

"Manik, tell us. What's the matter?" His parents asked, worried.

"Dad, I... love someone else." He made up an excuse and Cabir rose his eyebrows and tilted his head in surprise. His parents froze at their places. They had a lot of things to ask him but they just needed to know one important thing.

"Naam kya hai uska?" (What is her name?) His mother asked him. It was something to be considered seriously. He thought for a while and came up with a lame name, which was supposedly my name out of all the names he could find in the world.

"Nandini. Nandini Murthy." He said and hung his head down, like he was guilty. He grinned evilly in his mind as he saw his parents in deep thought, through his lashes. His lie was working. Little did he know that lie was going to twist our lives.

Cabir was looking at him as if Manik was his role model. He was such a great actor. Manik changed his expressions and further began to justify what he said, to make it sound true and anyone who knew him knew he was very good at hiding things; most things, at least. His feelings were an exception.

"She's in my college. We're dating for a year now." He said and pressed his lips, to supress a laugh. Cabir was rubbing his finger on his chin, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"Bring her home." His mother suggested and he looked up at them, with wide eyes. What would he do?

"Both of you don't believe in love. Believe kya? You guys hate love na? Ab achanak kya hua?" (Both of you don't believe in love. Forget believing, you guys hate love right? What happened all of a sudden?) He tried to divert them from the topic.

"Your happiness is our happiness." They said in unison. Manik's face dropped. How could he escape now? Who could he bring in place of 'fake' Nandini?

"If that's the case, if you really want to see me happy, then please go find her yourself and bring her to me." He said sarcastically and his parents were confused. However, they had to make their point clear: marriage was decided.

"If we find her and get you married to her, will you be okay with it?" Manik smiled to himself and then looked up with a smile.

Hahahaha... You can try but you won't succeed because there is no girl called Nandini Murthy in college, he said to himself.

"Hmm..." He nodded and Cabir let out a gasp. He surely wasn't expecting such shocks from his best friend.

"Okay then. We'll find her and get you married to her; and if we find her, she will be your wife. Okay?" His parents countered an offer.

"Sure." He winked secretly at Cabir and hopped happily into his room. Cabir followed him and bolted the door.

"What was that? Who is this Nandini?" Cabir asked, completely taken aback. He thought he knew everything about Manik but this revelation got him astonished.

"My fake girlfriend." He chuckled and Cabir's eyes widened further.

"What?" He made a ridiculous expression and Manik pressed his smile. He held Cabir's shoulders and smiled.

"Bro, relax. There is no such girl called Nandini Murthy in our college. They'll never find someone like her and hell, they can't get me married to her." He said confidently. Cabir sighed a breath of relief.

"Acchha chal. Aaj party hai. Teri shaadi ke chakkar mein main bhul hi gaya." (Okay let's go. There's a party today. I almost forgot about it with all the wedding planning.) He palmed his face and Manik smirked.

"Vaise bhi, ek aur reason bhi hai party karne ki." (By the way, there's just another reason why we got to party.) He winked and they both laughed. They went to the bar to party with their friends, the Fab 5.

***

It was a sunny day in mid-July. It was our second month in second year of college but life had already become so complicated. I got dressed and went down for breakfast.

"Nandu, tum kal raat kuch bolne wali thi na? You love someone? M se kuch?" (Nandu, you were going to say something last night? You love someone? Someone's name that starts from M?) Amma asked and I felt my heart tear into pieces. Well, if anyone must be wondering which daughter tells her mother about her love, I do.

I tell my mother everything. My mother deserved to know about it, or so I believed. 

"Umm... Kuch nahi. I'll tell you once I come back." (Umm... nothing. I'll tell you once I come back.) I said, without making eye contact. I had been thinking about it the whole day yesterday and I had finally come to a conclusion.

"Kanna, it's late. Chalo. Leave now." (My child, it's late. Go. Leave now.) I nodded and took my things. I left to college in a cab. Incidents from last night flashed.

I was with Amma, in the kitchen. We were talking about Amma and Appa's story and just when I was about to tell her about us, my phone rang.

"Nandini, suno. I have to meet you. Please. Your terrace now. It's urgent." (Nandini, listen. I have to meet you. Please. Your terrace now. It's urgent.)
"Navya, are you fine?"
"Kuch baat karni hai Nandu." (There's something I need to talk to you about.)
"Okay, main aa rahi hun." (Okay, I'm coming.)

"Amma, I'll be back in a minute." I ran upstairs and unlocked my terrace door. She was already standing there. She must've hopped off some terraces and reached or something but I didn't care. We lived close by.

"Navya, kya hua?" (Navya, what happened?) She was in such a disheveled state. I had never seen her that disturbed ever.

"Nandini, I think I love Madhyam." It came as a shock to me and I stepped back, literally and metaphorically. "Actually, I have loved him since school and until yesterday I didn't realize. I really do, Nandu and I need your help."

"Navya, are you serious?" I asked her just to confirm.

"Kyun? Nahi lagta?" (Why? It doesn't look like that?) She asked with pain in her eyes. Was she scared I wouldn't help? I smiled and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Nahi. Don't worry. Main hun na? I'll help you tell him." (Nothing like that. Don't worry. I'm here, right? I'll help you tell him.) She smiled and hugged me tight. I closed my eyes and wiped the little tears as quickly as I could.

"Thank you so much Nandu! I love you." I smiled and hugged her again.

I reached college and searched for Madhyam. He was in our classroom, writing something down.

"Maddy..." I said, bending over his desk to see what he was doing.

"Nandu! Come sit." He moved away and pulled me onto his seat. "I am writing a song. Tell me how it is na?" He said, completely engrossed in his work. I put my elbow on the table and cupped my chin with my palm. I looked at him painfully.

"Maddy, I had to tell you something before that." I told, to stop myself from admiring him. I looked down and fidgeted with my kurti top.

"Hmm..."

"N... Navya... She loves you." I said and looked away. He dropped his pen and turned me towards him.

"Navya?" I nodded without looking at him.

"But how? How can I? She's just my friend Nandini. My best friend. That's it. I don't feel anything more for her." He confessed. He never had a clue about her feelings for him either.

"I know but she is our best friend and I think you should accept her, for our friendship's sake at least. Like you could consider. What do you think?" Only I knew how much it hurt me to say those words. She was my best friend but so was he, or maybe a little more than that. He stood up and went to the window.

"I don't know." That's all he said.

That was the hardest thing I'd done in my life. He knew I loved him. Maybe I didn't tell him on his face but he did know. It was just really obvious. He was my best friend and he was way closer to me than Navya. If only life was much simpler.

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(A/N: This ain't pathetic, right? Be honest, do you guys like it? 🙈 Thanks for all the support, sugarplums. Love you guys! <3)