Who knows the secret tomorrow will hold?
We don't really need to know
'Cause you're here with me now, I don't want you to go
Maybe we're perfect strangers
Maybe it's not forever

'",Can I Help you, sir "

"Please don't bother -," He insisted to no avail

"Please tell me the amount of cash needed," She paid no heed to him asking the bartender.

"52 bucks madameousille ," She paid him as looked at Manik

" Thats not a big deal sir. I helped you today, maybe tomorrow you could help someone else"She shrugged "Chill,its succour mechanism " She smiled at him And Manik couldn't avert his gaze.

That smile was the prettiest thing he had seen in a while, She had that kind of smile that extended  to her eyes  and deep into her soul. A human so beautiful, vibrant and free and the cherry on top were the defined dimples which appeared like pearls on the oyster.

"Thank You Ms-?

Nandini Murthy " She forwarded her hand, and he smiled in a gesture and shook his hand with her. Her touch on his hands spent a shiver down in his whole body.

And he whispered, " Manik Malhotra."

"Pleased to meet you Mr Malhotra,"

"Likewise Ms Murthy, "

Nandini s eyes flicked towards the table he previously was sitting to notice his date tapping her feet impatiently.

" Mr Malhotra, I think you need to leave," Nandini  said her eyes narrowing suggestively pointing towards the table while Manik shook his head in dismay  " Your date seems to be waiting, "

But Before Manik could walk away Alya came to the billing counter walking briskly and Nandini wondered where had she seen her before. She frowned at Manik and joined her hands startling Manik and Nandini both.

" Please don't get angry Manik," Alia began pleading Standing next to him, Nandini acting as a spectator .

"I wont get angry but what is It ?"

" I am sorry but I need to ditch you , I have something urgent to look after ,"Alya said while Manik nodded in understanding to be very honest he felt internally relieved because God knows he was getting roasted here  .

"Thats fine Alya , Common ill drop you home"

"Thanks.But don't bother my chauffeur is waiting for me in the parking " Alya added "Promise me Manik,"

"What exactly do I need to promise you now ?" Manik asked intrigued .

"You will not tell Mom that I ditched you  ,Divinity knows she will  all house on her head,"Manik nodded again complying to her wishes and Alya noticed a lady standing next to Manik and instantly recognised her

" Hey Nandini Right,?" Alya smiled at her "What a coincidence.  Long time yeah? How come you're here ? Got Bored of Vegas?,"

Nandini grinned  at her, reckoning the familiar face.

"Just for some work related things , just hanging out with some friends,"Nandini  chimed with a fond smile mischief evident in her eyes  ",How about  you ? Ditching your boyfriend for work? , "

"Manik,He is just a friend," Alia waved her off " Our families  are just trying their luck on us,"

" How come you're familiar to each other ?" Manik chimed in .

Alia shrugged   ", Long story short , we often run into each other at Habit for Humanity. It is a non profit organisation Manik."

Suddenly an idea hit Alia s mind as she squealed loudly garnering the attention of half of the club.

"Could I ask you for a favour? Nandini ?" Alia asked with her best puppy look.

"Sure. Anything. "

"Could you please keep Manik company for a while?Please Please Please ?"

" What?" her voice came out as perplexed.

"I know It is too much to ask for but it's for just an hour or two because if Manik returns Home right away it would look suspicious. Our whole family will find out and trust me I hate getting scolded,"

"Alright but you owe me big time, Ms Saxena" Nandini said in mock seriousness and Alya smiled gratefully.

Manik decided to intervene.

"Excuse me, ladies, if you are forgetting, the person you are talking about is me.. "Manik waved his hand in-front of them and Alya narrowed her eyes " Well, Manik, if you want to give answers  to both of our  families, then yeah, you can go home."

"I will just tell your mom that you walked away from our date," Alia added sneakily while Manik s eyes widened in horror.

"You won't,"

"I can Manik. So you better stay here " Manik sighed in defeat and Alia gave a small hug to Nandini " Thank you so much for agreeing Nandini,"

She grabbed her purse from the table "See you both later," Bidding bye to them she left.

Both Manik and Nandini grabbed a stool and sat at the deserted bar

"God she is something else isn't she," said Nandini stirring looked the lightening in the area looking straight, drink while Manik chuckled nodding away at her statement.

"Women do love to talk," He mused, watching Nandini out of the corner of her eyes as she frowned and then made a face. Her cartoonish actions prompted a smile to tug at the corners of his lips once again, but he held it back - Nandini still caught it, though.

"Talking isn't my thing to be very honest," Nandini responded simply shrugging her shoulders, "I prefer to listen and keep all my problems locked away. " Manik looked at her then, and the two locked eyes.

Manik was intrigued by the smile upon her face, and the sadness within her eyes as she took another sip of her drink.

Manik Clearly saw she didn't want to talk about it and so he decided not to push it.

" So, the Eligible Bachelor, Sole heir and CEO to the Malhotra Empire is Having an arranged marriage? Damn Sounds likea fairytale " She tilted her head in his side her mouth curved into a Mischievous smile, dimples showing and sparkling eyes While Manik felt momentarily lost trying to speak something.

"So how's she as a person  ? Why her?"

"Alya? Manik asked as he pretended to think "Alia she is  sweet, she's nice, she is ambitious," Manik said, expression serious."  We know each other for quite a while decades even and I guess things become easy if arranged by your family ..." He whispered sipping his drink, Nandini could read people, the hollowness in his voice couldn't be camouflaged.  She smiled thinking not to prick his nerve.

".The old age feud . Arranged Marriages VS Love Marriages," Nandini sighed as she rested her hand on her cheek as she looked at Manik "What about you? Mr Malhotra.  Which one of the either would you prefer ? ,"

"I would go for love marriages to be very honest," Manik said surprising Nandini

"Really ?" Nandini questioned surprised " Don't you have those typical traditions of marrying because of business relations or Family pressure,? Nandini teased and Manik was close to laughing out aloud

", You've been watching too much of American Dramas Ms Murthy, I suggest you to stop" Nandini raised her hands dramatically in the air  "Guilty as charged Mr Malhotra," Nandini s ears were filled with melodious laughter forcing her to glance at his face. His laughter was so free and pure, so childish despite his adult years. It came to her ears as a tickle and bounce - something which she hadn't experienced in a while. If Nandini wasn't caught off guard that would be an understatement 

"What's that smile for Ms Murthy? , "He looked her dead in the eye and Nandini felt goosebumps cover her arms. Holy shit he was hot.

"Nothing .." Nandini voiced out without breaking eye contact..." You should laugh often. It suits you," She added after a moment; she stared into his eyes with an intrigue Manik s flicked back to her gorgeous face, and Nandini  held his gaze for a moment and shook her head in amusement  before a call came on the phone

Ritvik  Raichand

17 missed calls, 30+ messages were there.

Nandini sighed that was the last thing she ever wanted in her life . Ditching her fiance was the most good thing she did but his constant calls and messages were suffocating. Manik didn't miss the sorrowful sigh on her face as she saw her phone but choose not to interfere. As they headed towards the counter Nandini paid for both of their drinks.

"Are you hungry Ms Murthy ?," Manik questioned breaking her out of the reverie as they walked out of the hotel.

"Oh Yeah, I could eat an elephant. I would head home and eat," She exclaimed folding her arms across her shirt .

"I could treat you to dinner Ms Murthy," seeing the surprised expression on her face he continued ", Don't say no, You paid for both My Alia  s drinks and it's only fair ,if I pay you back ."

"You don't need to-"

"I Insist, "Manik said with a dead-serious expression and Nandini knew there was no room for argument.

"Fine Mr Malhotra have it your way then," Nandini said defeated there is no way in hell she could win over the biggest business tycoon of Seattle.

As Nandini walked aside Manik. The first thing she saw was the name in elegant handwriting " The Baccarat Hotel " The silence with the tunes of violin in the background definitely made your heart flustered.

A well-dressed waitress walked up to them ."Good evening sir madam, welcome to Baccarat, can I help you?"

Manik nodded continuing " Can we have a table for two, please."

Nandini sighed yet again mentally as she entered

Alas Blast from the past.

The hotel was constructed with grey stones, mosaics of humble rocks palleted with velvet curtains of shades of mustard that covered the tall, glass windows from the prying eyes of the outsiders.

In the grand entranceway, to greet the visitors; was the most monumental of chandeliers, the girth of a giant evergreen alight with a flame. It invited the eye upward by virtue of its sparkle as it caught the light acting as a miniature sun, and Nandini felt mesmerised by the chandelier whose origin from a time of opulence and emotional indifference, now shone its beauty for all in the hotel, With musicians weaving music through sonnets on the background.

There were tables as golden as daylight pushed against the walls.

Nandini observed a few others in the room while Manik set up for a reserved table near the window facing the greenhouse. She sighed as she took a seat and glanced at the

For all, she knew they all had one thing in common with the majority of the people that occupied the room wasn't their affluent lifestyles. Rather, it was the fake niceties that they exchanged, sweet sugar like words with venomous voices.

Nandini personally loathed such kind of people because family meetings were some sort of platform for them to build connections -unfortunately, her own family back in India was one of such

to converse meaninglessly with others who were like-minded,to form business and political alliances, to brag about their innate superiority,to show off their privilege and wealth.It was also so freaking fake .

Nandini Murthy hated fake .

Ironically,she could fake it well.It was a role that she had been trained to encapsulate since she inhaled her breath. Her father had been the Chief Minister of one of the most prominent Union Territories of India ever since she was 5 .And it was his 4th Term in his office That is almost two decades .While her mother was the sore child of The Khanna Group of Industries,in which her father owned 71 per cent shares in .

So naturally, she had been trained and she would be lying if it didn't help her in her job

She could play the part she had been born to play , of the dutiful heiress of a renowned political and business family. She could pretend that she cared about their stupid ideologies,that she exactly believed what her family paraded around with pride.

She could, if she wanted to, pretend that all of their bigotry, the blatant corruption didn't disgust her, or for the fact that she was a kid born with a silver spoon who ran away from her country in hope of a new life away from all that bullshit.

She sighed

Personally, it was suffocating but why would she complain, her own fiancee didn't know her choice nor did her so-called family back home so why would a mere acquaintance would be aware  Nandin decided not to comment on the choice of the place because what else she would have expected from The Manik Bharat Malhotra.

Mank had watched Nand-Ms Murthy s expression change from nostalgiac -to suffocation -to mischief in a matter of seconds. Call it an instinct or the years of study on human behaviour back in business school but he knew this goddess-like woman in front of him was up to no good.

As he looked at her eyes they were startling, like dark storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to commit a robbery and get away it ."

And  No matter how he would deny it later it was hell attractive

They say an empty mind is a devil s workshop and immediately the idea struck Nandini as she Observed the place.

No Guards at the entrance -check

Guards near the counter -check

Seated near the exit - check

Was Mr Malhotra willing - doubtful?

", What is going on Ms Murthy," He questioned clearly aware of my mischievous intentions. He was one of the prominent people in the finance field for half a decade now and it would be a shame if he couldn't pick on the expressions of people

So yeah she was crossing one of the major things outta her bucket list today right now . Call her childish but it had been a wish since childhood to walk right outta a prim proper restaurant without paying for food.

She gulped in anticipation

"I have a question for you Mr Malhotra "Nandini whipped her head looking deep into his eyes. Manik gulped  Why does she have such an unnerving effect on me? Her over-whelming good looks maybe? The way her eyes blaze at me? The way she bites her lower lip when she is plotting something.

"Yeah ask right away " Manik replied curiously

"Are you a good runner ?," She asked placing both of her arms on the table in anticipation and Manik s eyes comically widened at her question wondering what exactly was she getting at.

" I am Sorry-?"

"I asked are you a good runner, Mr Malhotra ?"

Manik folded his arms and pretended to think, "Well, I don't know if it is a suitable answer for you but  I do dab upon Soccer and Basketball occasionally," He answered And she clasped her hand in glee, grinning.

"Perfect," Manik raised her eyebrows at her cheerfully expression.

"Ms Murthy Would you like to have a go first," Manik forwarded the menu book towards her and she nodded intentionally choose the most expensive dish of the restaurant with the oldest wine while the waiter gleefully nodded...

Manik had an inkling she was up to something but Her order confirmed it.

Nandini knew he was looking at her as if she was planning something (which she was ). Manik finally let out the question.

"You're up to something aren't you," He questioned

"You can bet on it Mr Malhotra, You can bet on it" Her eyes shined with playfulness as the waiter headed towards them with the big tray.

"Grab your things Mr Malhotra "She whispered to him "We are about to cause some havoc,"

Manik Malhotra was not someone who took blatant risks or was reckless. Being born and brought up in a business family, He had learned to be on his guard always. He was not at all spontaneous and believed in calculating his every move before taking any sort of action.

But Here A Woman who had just met him about one and half hour ago was turning and twisting his rigid ways with the back of her hand and he didn't mind at all ?

The Waiter placed the dishes on the the table and walked away . Nandini kept a lookout on the entrance sparing not a single glance at the exbortiant dishes .

No Guards . Bingo

" Mr Malhotra, Get Up , we are leaving ."

"I'm sorry did I hear you correct ?" He said startled

" Pardon my imprudence Mr Malhotra "she said gritting her teeth "But are you hard of hearing ? Walk a A bit faster would you "

Manik instantly got up at the commanding tone scarcely reminding him of his own mother

" Wait a second let me pay the bill-?"

"You aren't paying " Nandini said expaserated

"Why not ? ." He murmured loudly as they walked gradually stood near the exit . Nandini watched a group of guards walking briskly towards them

"Give me your hand " she commanded

"I'm sorry-"

She didn't wait for his permission as she intertwined her cold hands into his warm long fingers

As her hand glided down my arm, folds over my hand and her fingers laced with mine,
His heart thumped joyfully at her nearness. The shape of her hand fit his as if every joint and fine muscle and soft ligament had been designed for perfect alignment.

And Manik Malhotra felt his heart skipping several beats for the first time in his entire life

She looked at him tightening her grasp on her hand as they reached the exit of the hotel

"On my cue , Run as fast as you ever would "

***

Word count - 2922 words
Publishing date - 21-06-2021 "