Nandini was out of her office building waiting for the mechanic. It was about lunch time.

"Nandiniii..!!" Someone called her name and she tried to look from where the voice came.

"Hey Nandini.. Hi .. How are you." A girl approached her with a wide smile.

"Hiii Mukti..!! Soo good to see you after soo long. How've you been..?" (Mukti was Nandini's college friend)

"I am superb yaar..!! You say what's up with you..? It's been really long" said Mukti.
"I am fine too and yaa it's been really long . After college I guess this is the first time" Nandini questioned her.

"Yup.. First time. So you are working here.?" Mukti looked at her ID Card and then at the office building.

"Yes.. I am working here. Tum batao..? Yahan kaise..?" Nandini questioned her sudden appearance.

"Wo actually I came to the city on an official trip toh Socha professional ke saath saath kuch personal Kaam bhi ho jaye." Mukti replied to her smilingly.

"Personal.?" Nandini asked raising her eyebrows.

Mukti got her intensions to which she rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Wo actually mera bhai ; cousin ; he works here. I was in the city to Socha usse bhi mil loon. As it is we don't get time from our jobs."

Mukti cleared Nandini's doubt.
"That's nice.. Kya naam hai tumhare bhai ka..?" Nandini enquired her.

Just when she was about to answer ; Nandini's phone rang.
"I am sorry ; just 1 min" she said to Mukti and answered the call.
"Jii aap aa Gaye hain..? Theek hai main 2 min mein aati hoon..?" Nandini had a small talk on the phone.

"I am sorry Mukti ; I need to go. Wo kal Meri car parking me hi kharab ho gayi thi to mechanic aaya hai ; I need to go" Nandini said to her as she needed to go.

"Ya ya Please carry on ; no problem" Mukti told her to leave. Nandini had a pen in her hand. She quickly took Mukti's palm and wrote her number on it.

"Call me ok.. If you have time we'll catch up.." Nandini said to her after writing the number.

"Sure..!!" Mukti replied with a smile and Nandini after saying bye to her went from there.
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Mukti turned around to look for her brother as he told her to wait for him there. She was looking for him here and there when she felt a pat on her shoulder. She turned around but found no one there. She again turned around and finally saw her brother standing in front of her with a smile.

"Wasss up.." He asked with a broad smile.

"Manikkk...!! You won't stop behaving like a kid na..?" She said to his brother and hugged him.
It was Manik who was Mukti's cousin.

Mukti was Manik's first cousin but actually was his life. Being the only girl in the family she was loved by all. Though younger to Manik in age ; Manik never let her call Bhai .. He preferred being called Manik . The bond between the two was commendable. Interior designer by profession , she's working in Bangalore.
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Manik broke the hug and pulled her cheeks. "So how are you.?" Manik asked her .

"I am super fine." Mukti answered with all joy.

"Really..?? Wow..! I am soo gald to see you happy." Manik wrapped his arms around her.

"Waise Mukti ; tum abhi kisse baat kar Rahi thi.?" Manik saw her talking to Nandini.

"Woo.. Nandini.. She is my friend , we were classmates in college." Mukti cleared Manik's doubt.

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Something struck to Manik's mind and he smirked. "Friend...!! Nice.!!" He murmured.

"What..?" Mukti asked him.

"Ahhh.. Naaah nothing..!! Come let's go." Manik wrapped his arms around her and went to the near by eating joint. They both met in their lunch hours so could not spend much time together. So they decided to meet up in the evening after office and then have a proper talk. After half an hour , Mukti left for her work and Manik came back to the office.

When he came up to his desk he saw Nandini had emerged herself into the work. She was not at all concerned with the happenings around her. He was staring her for a while and then he too got back to his work.
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In the evening , Manik picked up Mukti from her workplace and then they both went to a lavish restaurant to have a proper dinner and talks over it. They ordered their food and were sipping their respective drinks. After the talk of few minutes of their families ; work ; life and every other stuff ; Manik tried to find a point to come up with Nandini's topic but was finding it difficult to talk about her. Nandini was an irrelevant topic at that time and he did not wanted that Mukti should get any false idea about him and her.
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When destiny wants something to happen ; it happens by itself. We need not do much to make it happen. Same happened with Manik.
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Manik was trying hard to come up with Nandini's topic just then Mukti spoke up ; "Manik ; wo tum Nandini ko to Jante hoge na..? Wo bhi tere hi office mein hai."

Manik was stunned when he heard Nandini's name from Mukti's mouth. His heart was pumping with joy as she herself came up with Nandini's topic and he was safe.

"Haan woh.. Yaa we are in the same team .. Gabbar..!" Manik made face while taking about her as he wanted to portray his disliking towards her so that he could hear the truth which he thought must be known to Mukti.
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"What ; Kya kaha tumne..?? Gabbar..,? Are you mad..? She is the sweetest person I have ever known. Meri friend hai wo I know " Mukti reacted on Manik calling Nandini "Gabbar.."

"What...?? Are you serious ..? Friend..?? Aur wo bhi woh ..?? N sweet..? Kis angle se tumhe wo sweet Lagti hai..? She's the most rude and arrogant girl i have ever met in my life. Aur friend to chodo , wo kisi se seedhe muhh baat tak nahi karti hai and you are calling her a friend that too sweet ...??? Come on Mukti , you must be kidding." Manik mocked laughing and started eating the starters that were served till then.

He wanted Mukti to come up with the actual side of hers. How was she and mainly he was interested to know what made Nandini like this that she is today.
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Mukti fixed her gaze on the food as if she was trying to remember something.

"Not her fault Manik , some incidences change you forever. If today she is like the way you are saying , it's all because of her past." Mukti looking at Manik replied.

Manik's shot had hit the bullseye. There she came up with the thing that Manik was eager to listen to. Her past that had made her soo different ; that doesn't allows her to smile , to laugh ; a past that she had buried deep inside her heart so that no one could see it but she goes through the storm of it everyday.

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"Past..?? What past..?? What happened to her..? Manik now slowly came to his point.
But he sensed that Mukti was not in the mood to reveal the secret.

"It's ok if you don't want to tell but then it's just me..! You can count on me.." Manik did not wanted to sound eager to know about Nandini but then he was sacred if Mukti would actually tell him the truth or not.

"I know Manik I can count on you but ; it's about someone else so..." Mukti was hesitant to tell him the truth.

"Ok fine.. But You need to promise me that you won't ever let this come out of your mouth. Not even in front of her... Never ever." Mukti was now ready to come up with the whole thing.

"Yaaa yaa don't worry.. And why should I tell it to anybody or even to herself . You don't worry , her secret will be safe . I promise." Manik very calmly promised her not to reveal Nandini's secret to anyone but inside , his heartbeats were racing with each other as he wanted to know the truth as soon as possible.
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"Nandini was never the way you are describing her Manik. She was very sweet, bubbly. Chirpy, caring and the most loving person I have ever known in my life. She cared for everyone. All she wanted that everyone around her should smile ; they should be happy. She was ready to do anything for her friends just to make them happy. "

Mukti described the real Nandini to Manik and he was just listening to her with a shock look as the girl she was talking about and the girl he knew were poles apart. No one could say that today's Nandini was once someone that Mukti is describing.
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"But she paid a really heavy price of her kindness and caring nature." Mukti continued which increased the curiosity level of Manik.

"She had a friend ; best friend ; whom she loved a lot. Even real sisters would not do so much for each other what Nandini used to do for her. She loved her to the core. I toh just always wish for a friend like her in my life. I shouldn't have thanked GOD enough if she by any chance was in my life as my best friend.

And then there was this guy ; her boyfriend ; for whom she was mad. Those two were her lifeline. After her family , those two were the ones who meant the world to her and on whom she trusted blindly.

Whole college knew about her friendship and love towards them. But then it's always the good ones that suffer the most. That stupid jerk and that frivolous bimbo ; they did something that not only Nandini , we never expected from them. They both cheated her. Both were betraying her. Two special bonds of friendship and love ; they were breaking it day by day. Both were in relationship but didn't let her know about this.

This continued for one year when one day she finally got to know the truth. But you know what Manik ; even then too that pure soul didn't blamed anyone of them . Neither her friend nor her boyfriend. She quietly moved out of their lives because I told you na all she wanted was that people around her should be happy. She saw them happy with each other and she was ready to sacrifice her friendship and her love ; both ; just for their happiness. But those two were still not satisfied with what they did.

They both bad-mouthed her to an extent where no girl can even think of. Even our enemies won't say all those things what they said for her. It was the biggest shock of her life.

All this Coming from the two people she loved and trusted the most ; devastated her. I even heard that she was hospitalised because of the trauma that hit her soo hard.

If today she's this way like you are saying ; then I am not shocked. She paid a really heavy price for her caring and loving attitude. She always wanted to spread happiness and that people should keep smiling but her happiness was snatched by her own people only.

Don't know why such things happen with such good people only. Why they only need to suffer everytime. I really don't know how GOD plans everything."

Mukti finished reading those pages of Nandini's life in front of Manik that she herself didn't wished to read.
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Manik was stunned and shocked after listening to what all she just narrated about Nandini. He was not able to decide how to react. He felt suffocated. Nandini's past was affecting him. Manik ended Nandini's topic there only as he felt weird talking about her anymore.
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Manik and Mukti after discussing about Nandini shifted their talks on themselves and by then dinner was also served. Manik was all disturbed in his mind but he tried to behave normal. After their dinner ; Manik took her to an ice-cream parlour and from there he dropped her to her hotel were she was staying with her colleagues. He then drove towards his place. Although His eyes were on the roads but his Mind was occupied with whatever he heard in the evening. Moments of Nandini's rude behaviour ; those empty photo frames ; her dislike towards the rain and then her strange behaviour towards him in the morning ; were flashing in front of his eyes. He didn't realise when he actually reached his place. He went to his flat and just landed on the couch lifelessly.