(A/N: Guys, koi toh mujhe bhula toh nahi? 🙈 Sorry for that lame joke. I am sorry for suddenly disappearing but I actually don't have an option. All I can say is your writer will continue writing until and unless she declares she can't, further. Thanks for your patience. You may read now. Thanks for the votes and comments you guys.)

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"What are... Navya told me your grandma wasn't well and you went to check on her and here... you bunked my class today to play with..." Raghav Sir went about scolding me. After all, I was a good student and bunking and enjoying was not something he expected me to do. I stammered and struggled to speak, to make excuses.

"Nahi Sir voh..." I was cut mid-sentence with his pathetic accusations. I agree, I was guilty but were it not for Manik, I wouldn't have come.

"I can't believe this, Nandini. This was not expected from you. You bunk classes to spend time with your boyfriend? Don't you feel..." Manik grabbed my arm, stood before me protectively and silenced Raghav Sir with his words.

"Mr. Raghav, mind your words alright? She's my wife. Don't you dare utter another word about her, do you get me?" Of course. He was so possessive. He couldn't tolerate a teacher even scolding me for something that was hismistake.

"Of course, it's because of your mistake that she's suffering. Because of people like you, girls get pregnant and stuck in complications." What the hell? Why do people have to think marriages at early ages happen only because the girl gets pregnant? How judgmental and stupid? Manik screamed louder than before, almost growling into Raghav Sir's ears.

"I said, don't you dare say another word about her. You are her teacher. You are nobody to comment on my wife. Do you get me, or do I explain in a different way?" He pulled Raghav Sir's collar in aggression and I knew he was crossing the line. I stood between the two of them, panicked and protested for Manik to let go. However, I didn't think Raghav thought otherwise.

"Excuse me, she could be your wife, the mother of your child, or any other lie you wanna cook up, but she's my student." He claimed a right on me, that had more priority on professional grounds than Manik and that he raged in fury.

"I said, shut up." He growled and I pushed him away from my teacher, trying to resolve their argument. I knew it was of no use fighting with him. So I got into emotional blackmail mode.

"Manik, Manik please... Let's go. Sab dekh rahe hai. Please." I made sad, puppy faces and he softened looking at me. But Raghav Sir wasn't helping one bit.

"Perhaps you're guilty and cannot stand me accusing her for her mistake. Sick..." And he suffered from a huge blow on his right jaw. By then, a crowd assembled around us to watch the scene that was being created. They were fighting like cats and dogs and I was helplessly stuck between the two.

"Ugh. Slut. Look at the way she is playing the two of them. She's sick... Sick in her head. God!" I heard someone from the crowd whisper and Manik immediately punched that guy hard. It was like a massive battle, where none of them would listen to me. The crowd too, passed shrewd comments which offended me.

"Manik, please." I cried and he punched the guys a couple of times and then turned to me. I was crying bitterly, out of humiliation and helplessness. Manik grabbed my arm and pulled me to the bike, not caring about how I felt nor how he was treating me.

"Hop on, Nandini. We're leaving home." I just listened to him and got inside. Again the hatred for him in me raged out. Back to square one. He zoomed away silently, and I hardly cared. His phone pinged but I was too frustrated and depressed to bother.

We reached and I jumped down and just walked away. I walked upstairs without saying anything. I was hell angry with him. He can't go on harming my teachers just because they scold me. That's unacceptable behavior. I unlocked the door and walked inside. I took a shower, changed my clothes and went to the kitchen to cook something. His friends arrived, with a few bottles of alcohol and I just smiled faintly to greet them. Manik too, took a shower too and came out. He was shocked to see me like that.

"Aaj kya special hai? Madam saree pehen rahi hai." He addressed me in third and I rolled my eyes. I was dressed in a saree, my pallu tucked into my waist, revealing it further, my wet hair was loosely gathered in a clip, to keep it from disturbing me.

He came closer to me, resisted himself and went to the refrigerator to grab some cold water. He eyed me while gulping the water and I made no sign of eye-contact.

"Bro, why you drinking such cold water now? Just after showering?" Cabir tried to ask a genuine question this time but how could it be that his friends would ask genuine questions without a reply to tease him?

"Actually Cabir, it is to cool down the heat in the room, hai na Manik?" Mukti shot a statement and Manik rolled his eyes at them. He chucked the bottle in the refrigerator again and walked away.

"Isse kya ho gaya ab?" Alya asked and all of them shrugged their shoulders in dismissal. The girls got up and came over.

"Nandini, you need any help?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks." I smiled and even upon insistence, they helped prepare dinner.

"Is everything fine between the two of you?" Mukti asked casually and my facial expressions changed. Do I trust them? Is this such a big issue that I need to involve his friends into?

"You know you can tell us. Manik is a brother to all of us. You're our sister-in-law. Anything between the two of you concerns us too."

"You guys never liked me, right?" I looked at them with sheer doubt and they let a sarcastic laugh.

"Nope. Even now we don't. But nothing can be done. Manik will never leave you for anyone else. He cares a lot about you. So you're basically stuck with him forever." The thought brought a smile to my face and a giggle escaped my lips.

"Hehehe..." They looked at me, and then smiled along.

"But on a serious note, you're a very lucky girl. Manik is the best guy anyone can ask for, in terms of looks and in terms of character. You know, he got 7 proposals in school, and he rejected all of them saying it wasn't love. He might seem mean and rude initially but that's because he's scared to fall too deep. His heart breaks easily. He doesn't want to get that vulnerable. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about you." They put their hands on my shoulders and I smiled.

"I know."

***

He gulped another bottle in one shot and Cabir scrutinized to see his friend boiling.

"I've never seen you like this. What's wrong bro?" He slapped Manik hard, sarcastically passing comments.

"That bloody Raghav... He scolded Nandini and... I got angry and hit him and... Ab Madam baat nahi kar rahi hai mujhse." Manik said in a fit of arrogance, helplessness and impatience. Cabir clicked his lips is disapproval.

"Yaar, that's such a small issue. Tu humesha chotte-chotte cheezo ko lekar gussa ho jaata hai." Cabir dramatically moved his hands in the air to enact a pathetic scenario featuring Manik and I, in a mono-act.

"Nahi Cabir, baat voh..." Manik tried to justify but was shut with another mind blowing and perhaps, genuine remark from his best friend.

"Mujhe pata hai baat voh nahi hai. Tu usse pyaar karta hai. I can see that, in the way you behave." Cabir smirked and Manik rolled his eyes and shook his head to express his extreme annoyance.

"Nuts. Pyaar nahi karta hun kisise."

"Oh come on Manik. Tujhe kya lagta hai? I am blind? Mujhe kuch dikhayi nahi de raha? Kamine, bhai hu tera. Tujhe bhi pata hai tu badal gaya. Ab yeh drama band kar. You were never possessive about anyone. Nobody dared to go against you. She did. Your heart melted."

"Cabir, just shut up okay? You are not making sense. How can you ever think, I, Manik Malhotra, will fall for a girl like her? Man, she's damn pissing off. Humesha ladti rehti hai. Har cheez ke liye gussa karna."

"Tu bhi toh vaisa hi tha. Now because someone else is doing that to you, your ego is hurt. You are not able to tolerate the fact that a girl, is actually twisting you around her fingers."

"Cabir, for the last time, I am not falling for her. We're just trying to be friends. We're living together and there are certain commitments that cannot be fulfilled unless we aren't friends. That's it."

"Tu kuch bhi bol do. You know you have started falling in love. I know you have started falling in love. You won't accept it, that's for sure but that doesn't change the fact." "Main jaa raha hun. Kuch chahiye toh call kar."

***

I was sitting in my room, crying bitterly, while writing the notes I'd missed when I was out with Manik. It wasn't often that I cried for anything. I was a strong girl. However, there was an element in my life that meant almost everything to me and that's self-respect. When that element gets questioned, I can't hold myself together.

There are people in this world who don't bother much about what people say but I was a social girl and I was always keen in building healthy relations with people around me. All that humiliation I faced because of Manik, was heartbreaking. Though I knew it wasn't entirely his fault, but he knew too, had he listened to me, I wouldn't have had to listen to such shrewd comments.

Manik burst the door open and smirked at me, still leaning against the door for support. I turned my face away from him, and wiped my tears.

"Nanduuuu..." He called out for me and I turned further away. He struggled to walk to me. When he was close, unable to balance, he was going to put his hands on my shoulders but he was hesitant. Even when he was out of his senses, he couldn't think of doing anything that would offend me. At least physically. He lost balance and fell on the bed, with me under him.

"Tum gusshha hoo?" He whispered in a cute tone but I wasn't reacting. He whispered something, smiled and played around with my hair. Somewhere between his childish attitude, I saw a spark of guilt. Perhaps, for hurting me. I turned my head away from him and his trembling fingers touched my face. He turned me to face him again and his eyes softened further, seeing the trails of teardrops on my cheeks.

"Tu ro kyun rahi thi?" I was a little surprised. It was probably the first time he addressed me with 'tu'. Not that it was wrong or anything. It just made me feel a little different. His fingers ran along my cheek and he shook his head slowly. "You know na, mujhe tumhari aasoon pasand nahi hai. Bahut gussha ho? Baat nahi karogi?" He moved a strand of my hair behind my ear and leaned towards me. I shrugged his body away and reached out for my notes. Obviously, my dismissal pissed him off.

"Nanduuu, please na? Accha fine. I'm shorry." He held his ears with his fingers and pouted. I didn't know why he was trying to be cute but I felt a small smile mold my lips. To hide it, I immediately grabbed the bottle of alcohol he was holding and shoved the liquid into my mouth.

"Nandini, noo. Don't." He tried stopping me but I somehow got away from him. I gulped the whole bottle down and slammed the bottle onto the dresser. I felt the world blur around me and my vision began to double. I scrutinized but it didn't help. I felt airy, I felt carefree. Perhaps that's why people drink.

I slowly walked towards Manik and lost balance and fell into his arms. He took support of the bed, and wrapped one arm around my body. I huffed with rage and looked at him with angry eyes.

"I hate you so much Manik. I hate you. Tumhare wajah se mujhe voh log..." I sobbed as I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stay without talking. It was just something out of my bounds. He held me tighter as I cried and I gained some strength to express my feelings. "Mujhe bardasht nahi hota yeh sab. Aur yeh sab sirf tumhare wajah se. I hate you. I hate you." I poked his chest and hit him a couple of times but his protective grip made me give in. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me towards him.

"I know words mean... Mean a lot to you. That's why I am not... I can't... I don't... I don't know what to say and what not to. Look, I'm sorry okay? I really am." He pleaded and I met eyes with him. They were filled with guilt and regret and I felt terrible for making him feel like that.

"Mujhe promise karo ki dubara aise nahi karoge. Meri baat manoge." I raised my index finger, broke eye contact and scolded him like he was a child. He pouted as I imposed my rules and regulations on him and had authority over him but eventually accepted.

"I promise." He pulled the skin under his neck and I scrutinized to see what he was doing, clearly.

"Manik promise?" I blinked at him twice and then fluttered my eyes rapidly, hoping my vision would recover. He thought for a while and then pulled me closer to him, to get my attention.

"Manik and Nandini promise. Khush ab?" He smiled and I smiled wider. I pat his head playfully and leaned closer to him for support. His hand went from my upper back and accidentally brushed against my skin, and he uncomfortably withdrew, though he knew I didn't bother to care.

"Manik..." I touched his cheek and poked random spots on his face to get his attention and I could feel his heart pounding against mine. His breaths were slow and sometimes even hitched.

"Hmm..." Was all he managed to say and I cringed my eyebrows.

"Jab bhi main tumhare paas aa jaati hun, tohh..." I stopped mid-sentence as I could feel his body reacting already. I locked my arms around him and stood straight and this time, his hand slipped from my upper back to my waist and I clasped it there, with both my hands.

"Toh kya?" He whispered and blew against my face, struggling to make sense when he had lost his senses. I pushed my body further into his, as I tried to put forth my observations.

"Toh tumhari saansein... Your breaths, your heartbeat, it feels disturbed. Tum normal nahi rehte mere aas paas." He trembled and stood, not knowing how to react, or what to say.

"Par jab main tumhare saath rehti hun, tum mujhe tumse nafrat karwate ho." I stated and let my hands free from his. I pulled back, and stepped away from him. Something struck him and he immediately responded.

"Tum sachh main mujhse nafrat karti ho?" He look horrified and I looked at him with a blank expression. Did I actually hate him? Could I? I was lost in thought. I could no longer realize Manik's presence in the room. I fought with myself and argued with myself in my head. Not getting a reply from me, Manik retorted.

"Teek hai phir. Main chala jaata hun. Tum sambhal lena khudko. Vaise bhi nafrat karti na?" He looked around and then went away. After a few moments of self-analysis, I turned up to see no one around. Where was Manik?

"Manik..." I called out and walked out of the room with support. "Manik suno." I called again, as I searched for him in the dim living room. "Manik... Tum kahan ho?" I opened the bathroom, to see if he was there. I went back to the living room. "Dekho agar tum chale gaye na toh main phir kabhi tumse baat nahi karungi." I tried to emotionally blackmail him but I realized it didn't work that well. Perhaps I'd hurt him. "Manik... Acchha main tumse nafrat nahi karti. Manik?" I called out and felt a breeze of chill wind at the nape of my neck.

"Then tell me, what do you feel about me?" He blew and I turned slowly to face him. Though I couldn't see him clearly, I knew it was him. His scent. I knew it too well to think otherwise. One of his hands ran along my waist and pulled me closer. I fell on him with a jerk. His other hand trailed behind my neck, to my hair and undid my clips. My damp hair fell on my face and he looked mesmerized.

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(Thats all for now guys. Sorry for the LOOOOONG wait but yeah, it's hard to write an interesting part. Perhaps this shit is boring but as mentioned earlier, this is a slow-progressing love story. Vote aur comment karlo agar pasand aaye toh? Loads of love.)