(A/N: Back again. Okay, now I know many of you might be disappointed with the fact that this story is gonna end. So here's good news for you all. I'm planning to continue the story, with a few excerpts and stuff to bridge the gap between the end track and the leap. Again, I'm not really sure about it. I might just go ahead and continue with this 🙈 so kindly excuse this confused mind for now.)

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"Ugh. Just stay here. I'll be back." I nodded and he walked out of the room. He paid the bill and slammed the door onto the delivery boy's face and I chuckled. He cursed him a couple of times as he came back to the room.

"Tumhe toh bahut hasi aa rahi hai?" He frowned and I made faces at him. I grabbed the carton box from him, and smelled the box.

"Pizza!" I spoke dreamily as I licked my lips in happiness. Manik smiled at me and pulled out a slice for me. He fed it to me and I fed him the same slice back. "Happy Birthday." I stuck my tongue out playfully to get some of the cheese from the pizza that got stuck just above my lip and he chuckled. Manik leaned closer, placed his thumb just above my lips, and pulled the cheese.

***

It was a few minutes past midnight and I was still sitting and reading my books. These days, I hardly studied at home and not to forget, I had a difficult subject to crack, unlike Manik and his Arts. So far, so good.

"Nandu, turn the lights off please? I wanna sleep. I'm shit tired." He whined for the 12th time in the past hour and I got irritated. I slapped him playfully.

"Manik... Padhne do. Vaise bhi tumhari vajah se class main toh main concentrate nahi karti and if you've forgotten, then let me remind you, my subject is Science. It's harder than yours." I looked back at my book after giving him a piece of my advice and he rolled to look at me.

"So what? It doesn't matter if you're a Science student or not. In fact, I'd be happier if you'd just stay home, take care of the house instead of working but yeah, you have your dreams. I'm not telling anything about that. Do that tomorrow na? Come sleep." He tried to get me to listen to him and as such, even I was a little tired. I closed my books, put them into my bag and came back. I turned the main light off, so now only the dim bed lights were on. I got into the duvet and sat up.

"Happy now?" He smiled and nodded. I reached to turn the light off but he insisted to leave them on for now. I snuggled into the bed and he pulled me to him.

"So Nandini..." He started and I smiled.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me... What do you feel about me?" He questioned and I turned towards him. I looked at him.

"What do I feel matlab? Tum acchhe ho. You're sweet. You care a lot about me. Tum ek acchhe dost ho. Aur bahut gussa karte ho." He frowned as I complained to him about himself and I smiled sheepishly.

"Aur kuch?"

"Aur kuch kya?" I made a cute face and he sighed. He turned the lights off.

"Kuch nahi. Good night." He turned to the other side and I seemed confused. I turned to the opposite side, and lost myself in thought.

What did he expect me to say? What was I going to say anyways, apart from this? Maybe I felt something for him, but it wasn't something I could put my finger on. It was a feeling far beyond what I felt for Madhyam and maybe that's why, it felt unfamiliar. I just sighed and closed my eyes, welcoming sleep to take over.

***

"Nandini... Nandini, utho na?" I heard a faint call and I murmured something and went back to sleep again.

"Nandu..." I got up and rubbed my eyes. I sat up against the headboard and looked at him with drowsy eyes. I signaled him a 'what' with my hands and he took my hand in both of his.

"Nandini..." He called again and I rubbed my eyes with my other hand and let out a small yawn. God! I was hell sleepy. He should've been glad he was still alive after waking me up in the middle of the night.

"Hmm..." I groaned in annoyance and he pouted. He looked adorable and my face twitched in awe as I looked at his cute face. "Acchha, bolo. Kya hai?"

"Mujhe tumse kuch kehna tha." He stated and I looked at him with an annoyed face. What was more important than sleep?

"Bahut zaruri hai? Kal nahi bata sakte?" I yawned again and he tugged my hand.

"Suno na? Come with me to the terrace na? Please Nandu..." He pleaded but I couldn't sacrifice sleep for anything. I shook my head negatively and pulled the duvet over me.

"Kal aaungi. Ab sone do mujhe." He frowned and tugged me like a nagging baby.

"Please. There's something there, Nandini. Please."

"Fine." I jumped out of bed, tied my hair into a bun and followed Manik. He took me out of the house, locked it and pointed to the elevator. I pressed the elevator button but realized it was out of order. Now we had to climb 4 floors to reach the terrace. I frowned at Manik and he smiled sheepishly. He lifted me in his arms and took me along, climbing the stairs. As soon as I felt the floor slip under me, I gasped and clutched his arm. Furthermore, as he took every step, I clutched onto him further until he stopped for a moment.

"Nandini... I won't drop you like that. Even by accident. Don't worry." He assured and I smiled at him. We climbed the four floors, after what felt like eternity and pushed the door open. I found a small arrangement made there, with one of our comforters, that appeared from nowhere all of a sudden and some cushions. He put me on the ground.

"Yeh sab kya hai?" I questioned as I looked at him and he passed a faint smile. He slid his hand into mine and led me to the arrangement he made.

"Baito." He signaled and I sat cross-legged on the comforter. He sat down beside me, with his knees against his chest, and looked at the sky. "You know, when my dad passed away, I wasn't even born. This same day, 21 years ago, I lost him. But phir bhi, every year, this day, he appears right there." I looked at him as I found a small smile play along his lips. "Abhi wait karo, 4 minutes baaki hai." He said as he looked at the sky intently. I observed those little gestures of his impatience that brought a smile to my face.

"Look, right there." He pointed as he leaned towards me and I rested my head on his shoulder as I looked at what he was pointing at. He gazed at me, as I rested on his shoulder and I snuggled.

"Say 'hi'. He'll reply." I smiled and waved and it twinkled. I giggled and Manik admired me. "He can understand whatever we speak. He can communicate too. Even now he told me something." I kept blinking and was a little lost in the beauty of nature. I casually asked him.

"Hehe... What is it, Manik?" I smiled at the star again and blinked as I saw it twinkle along. He looked at me ardently.

"He said I should tell you that I love you." I was smiling and acting childish until I heard the word 'love'. My happiness immediately subsided as I looked into his eyes, leaning back away from him.

"Nandini, I don't know. Ever since you came into my life, I am not the same. I'm possessive about you, I care a lot about you, I can't see you in pain. I want to share every single detail of my life with you. I feel you deserve to know everything about me. I want to tell you things I've never told even my friends. I have never felt like this for anyone. I have literally fallen for you Nandini. I really love you." I looked at him for a while as I registered his words in my head and blinked at him. I looked at him with a blank expression and he looked deeply into my eyes.

"Now what do you expect me to say?" I said, as I broke eye contact and his face fell. I could hear his heart shatter into a million pieces and I closed my eyes tight. No, please don't take me wrong. Manik... A tiny tear slipped off my eye. I knew I'd hurt the most beautiful heart I'd known. I agreed that was all I could say. I couldn't believe he'd surprise me like that and before I took any judgements, I had to think not just twice, but thrice. He took me all by surprise and I didn't know what to say to him, yet I knew I'd done the worst possible thing to him.

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you. I don't expect a reply." He said with a straight face and I knew he was hurt inside. I did the worst thing I could've by turning him down with that sentence. It seemed like I wasn't ready to accept his feelings for me and at the same time, I assured him I didn't feel anything for him. Even I knew I was wrong but I couldn't help. "I think I've kept you awake for long. I'm sorry. I think you should sleep now. Let's go back." He whispered and I looked at him with teary eyes but he didn't make eye contact. Manik... I didn't mean that. Please don't go away from me. Please.

He began to bundle the comforter in his arms and I just stood there, glancing at him with tears. He was avoiding me. I began to sob as he walked away, expecting me to follow him. I wanted to do something, anything to make him feel better. I knew I didn't mean what I sounded like I meant. I just... I was confused.

Part-2:
I followed him quietly back home, weeping. He unlocked the door, went straight to bed and I stood by the door, waiting. I had to say something. I didn't mean to say what I said. Mistakes happen sometimes. I didn't like him being this way with me. I locked the door and stepped into the room carefully to see him turning the other side, and the lights off.

I silently crept into bed and turned the other side as I began sobbing. He turned to look at me as he felt me beside him, but did nothing much to console me. I wept quietly as I heard him snore. I quickly wiped my tears, turned to his side, held his hand that was shoved into the pillow case and caressed it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I just didn't know what to say. I'm sorry Manik." I whispered and a teardrop fell on his hand. He immediately twitched in reflex and I slowly withdrew my hands from his. I admired him for a long time and then closed my eyes, drifting into a nice slumber.

***

The next morning, I was surprised to see nothing gripping me. Usually, whenever Manik sleeps, he's all over the place; his arm on my face, his leg around my waist. I turned to look at him, curled into half his size, his arms between his legs and cuddling under the duvet.

I sat up and looked at that beautiful soul, who'd found a special place in my heart after the previous night. I hate to admit but when you learn about someone's feelings for you, you start feeling for them, if not love, at least some sort of feeling. For me, it was guilt. Generally, you start finding ways to prove to yourself that nothing's changing, yet you know it is. You start learning things about yourself that make you special for them. You learn to observe their gestures more carefully. That's what was happening to me. Seeing Manik like that, hurt my heart.

He was as such a territorial person and it must've really affected him, to such an extent that he couldn't let himself touch me even in his sleep. Somewhere, it hurt me for doing that to him. It was true I didn't feel anything for Madhyam like how I felt around Manik but I wouldn't call it love. I had respect for Manik, I liked the way he cared for me, I loved the way he protected me, handled me when I couldn't, myself. Maybe respect was an understatement. Maybe I had immense respect for him but not love.

I ruffled his hair with a faint smile on my face, and tears in my eyes and he cringed and moved in reflex. I kissed his forehead and whispered a 'sorry' and got off the bed without waking him up. I dressed myself and went to make breakfast and found him sitting on the couch, sipping coffee and watching television. I saw another coffee cup on the dining table and I picked it.

"Thanks." I said in an audible tone, for him to hear but he paid no heed. I sipped the coffee quickly and while browsing my phone. After I was done, I went to the kitchen, cracked a few eggs, whisked them with a few veggies and cheese, tossed the batter on a pan and served him, while he came out of the room. 

"Cheese omelette. Your favourite." I said and he just looked at me, and stealthily grabbed the plate from my hand. It was surprising how even when he was upset, he would never sacrifice it for food. I smiled to myself and walked into the room, tying my hair in a bun. I sat before the dresser, brushed my hair and braided it and then huffed.

"Manik? Mera hairband kahan hai? I can't find my hairband and my pins." I shouted helplessly as I stared at the empty dresser. I was 100% sure I kept it here last evening. I was also pretty sure he had taken them when he snuck into the room. I called again but got no response. I turned back to find him, when I saw him walking into the room with a plate. Maybe he just tried to return the favor. It had breakfast. I gaped at him at the total irrelevancy of his entry.

"Manik, mera hairband." I sighed and he just walked away. Alright, now I had even apologized. He couldn't be behaving like that. I knew I was wrong and I apologized. Aur kya chahta hai yeh ladka? If I was angry at him, he would apologize and I would just give in, even when he did the most terrible things he could. He was getting on my nerves. His silence was paining me. I stormed out of the room, turned the Hulk around and just said the words.

"Manik, I am sorry." I pleaded and he just gaped at me. He put his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a band and 4 pins. He held them before me and I looked at him with utter confusion. He dropped them into my hand and walked away.

"Manik!" I called out and ran behind him. I stood in front of him, blocking him from entering the room.

"Nandini, please. Enough now. Mil gaya na jo tumhe chahiye tha? Ab hatto. I need to get ready." I didn't say 'sorry' to just get what I wanted. However, if I got angry at that moment, the situation would go out of control. He needed to be calmed down first. That was on priority. I took a deep breath.

"Manik, main 'sorry' bol rahi hu na?" I tried to be as composed as I could. He looked at me in disbelief.

"Tumhe bolne ki zarurat nahi hai. Main gussa bhi nahi hun." He retorted in a depressed yet annoyed tone.

"Toh phir baat kyun nahi kar rahe ho?"

"Because I'm bloody hurt. But tumhe kya samajh mein aayega. Rehne do. Baat hi karna hai na? Fine. 'Hey Nandini. How are you? Ghar main sab kaise hai? Bhai, Mom, Dad, sab? Acchha'." He dramatically acted out a scene and I frowned.

"Manik, meri baat sunlo ek baar." I pleaded yet he didn't listen. He paid no heed to me. He wasn't wrong either. He might've had a lot to say. He just couldn't or rather chose not to.

"When someone tells you how they feel, you say that? You say 'what do you expect me to say'? Seriously?" I shook my head to disapprove of his assumption. I knew I was wrong, but I meant nothing like he thought.

"Manik, tumne aise hi bol diya. Mujhe kuch samajh mein nahi aaya." I spoke the truth. I honestly didn't know what to say and he just took it all wrong. I agree I was wrong, but he too, was creating a scene for a small reason.

"Really? Like a guy tells you his feelings for you, you don't understand? I was right. I shouldn't have said anything to you. My stupid heart just can't shut up." He spat and I could see the pain in his eyes.

"Manik, tum gussa kyun kar rahe ho?" I spoke in guilt-ridden tone. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"If you can't see anyone beyond Madhyam, why the fuck did you..." I put my hand on his mouth and shook my head negatively, implying that he shouldn't be saying those words.

"Don't ever talk to me about Madhyam and I. We were nothing. We are nothing. We won't be anything. He's not a part of our lives. If at all, you want to talk to me about him, it's better you stay quiet." He stepped away from me to speak clearer.

"Vahi toh kar raha tha." He muttered and I just walked away, snatched my bag, grabbed my phone and keys and walked out of the house. I picked an auto-rickshaw and went to college.

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(Guys, before you all start freaking, this is nothing major, okay? Such moments happen in everyone's life and sometimes, knowing we are wrong, at that moment, we don't correct ourselves. I don't think I can give you all a good explanation for this but I've been through the same situation and it happens. Don't panic, fellow readers 🙈 Remember everything happens for a reason. Loads of love to you all. Please keep supporting. Until the next part, bubyee.)