10:30 pm, 21st February, Galaxy Villa, Madh Island, Mumbai.

Brilliant! This was just fucking brilliant! I didn't want to take part in this silly reality show in the first place! Now on top of being sent here forcefully, I had to live in a room which was the size of a shoe box!

Ugh! Nandini! Your day just keeps getting worse and worse!

I had been in a horrible mood throughout the day! I had tried to convince Chachi one last time in the morning, but she was adamant about me participating! Why was she being so stubborn?! I couldn't put my finger on it!

When I'd grudgingly told Aryaman yesterday, about Chachi's decision to send me on the show, he lost his cool completely! And honestly speaking, which guy would allow their girlfriend to be a contestant on such a reality show?! It was absolutely ridiculous! I'd tried my best to convince him that I'd be back in no time! After all, I was planning on getting myself eliminated on the first day itself! However, he was still very upset with me! Things were definitely rocky between us and I felt absolutely terrible for hurting him like this! I'd tried to call him multiple times since morning, but he hadn't received my calls...

So naturally, when I reached the shoot location at four o clock, I was in an awful mood! I was in no frame of mind to shoot for the introduction sequence!

All the girls were ready with their hair, make-up and styling by five o clock, but obviously there had to be a further delay!

Manik Malhotra! Just, what did he think of himself?! He thought that he could do whatever the hell he wanted, and no one would raise a voice against him?!

He came an entire hour late on set, and got a free pass just because he was the suitor! It wasn't fair!

And the way he behaved...it felt like he thought he was God's gift to earth! It definitely didn't help that half the contestants were behaving like silly fan-girls and doing their level best to please him! This was making his already bloated ego inflate further!

When he greeted me for the first time with that obnoxious smirk, I wanted to punch him right then and there...but I somehow controlled my temper!

However, what puzzled me a little was his reaction upon seeing Alya. When I saw Manik storm off after her entry, his eyes held a deep despair that I couldn't quite understand...

It was fairly obvious that they knew each other from before...had they been friends? Or did their relationship go beyond that? Did they have a falling out? Why was he so hostile towards her?

Nandini! Stop thinking about this! It doesn't concern you!

Whatever may have happened between them-was definitely none of my business, but Manik still had no right to be so rude to Alya on national television!

The brief interaction that I'd had with her during our break, gave me the impression that she was a sweet person. She didn't deserve to be humiliated like that!

Watching Manik's behaviour just increased my anger towards him! The remark about the crab was the last straw! Did he really think that he could impress me with such cheesy lines?!

I experienced immense satisfaction after I poured the sauce on his shoes to get back at him! Someone needed to teach that brat a lesson! After all, my main aim was to make him dislike me so that he eliminated me in the first round itself! So I thought-why not do something effective in the process and teach him some manners?!

However, my actions seemed to enrage him to another level, entirely! A part of me felt frightened when he looked at me with those fiery eyes and grabbed my wrist all of a sudden.

But I wasn't going to give up that easily!

"Clean. It. Up." He had said!

Did he really think I was his maid?!

My refusal seemed to make his temper flare even more!

What took place after that, had alarmed me slightly...it all seemed like a blur...

I caressed my wrists, which were hurting because he had twisted them behind my back so ferociously. However, there was a sinking feeling in my stomach due to this, since it meant that what I'd felt then-had been real.

As he had brought his face close to mine making our noses touch, I'd felt a distinct burning sensation at the contact. When he set his eyes on my lips, my breathing had quickened a great deal...I felt like I wasn't entirely myself anymore.

His proximity seemed to make me somehow...nervous.

I'd had a pretty good idea about what he was intending on doing if I continued to oppose him, so why didn't I just push him away? I could have stomped on his foot, bitten his hand...or something of the sort! I wasn't a defenseless puppy dog...

Did I actually want him to kiss me?!

No! Nandini! Put these silly thoughts out of your head immediately! You have to get back to Aryaman as soon as possible!

I was so relieved when the director had finally intervened! Otherwise, I didn't know what would have happened!

My plan to instill some decency in him had escalated to another level altogether!

And after going through all of that, at the end of the party, he chose to save Inaaya out of all the girls?! There were so many sweet girls he could've saved from elimination! Jeff was such a warm and friendly person, and Vibha seemed to be so mature and composed...so why the hell did he choose someone like Inaaya? The girl had 'gold-digger' written all over her! Did he not realize that?!

Why was I getting perturbed anyway? I was now certain that Manik was a very shallow person, so why was I surprised that he had chosen to save the most physically attractive girl among the contestants?! Of course, other sensibilities didn't matter to him! Besides, that girl seemed like a flirt of the first order! Well, maybe Manik chose her because he figured that she was a kindred spirit!

Either way, I was definitely going to get eliminated the next day due to the stunt I pulled! An egoistic guy like Manik would definitely want me gone because of what I did, right? So I didn't have to worry anymore...

All these thoughts ran through my head as I was setting up my room to make it at least half habitable for a human being. I didn't unpack many things because I was pretty sure that I wouldn't be staying here for long.

The room could barely fit my suit case and I presumed that the other contestants had been allotted rooms of similar sizes. However, Manik had been assigned the master bedroom overlooking the swimming pool! His room was three times the size of mine along with an attached bathroom! The spaciousness had been apparent just by looking at it from outside! And us girls...we had to struggle to fit all our belongings in our rooms! And don't even get me started on the common washroom...

Well, now that I was done unpacking I knew I'd die of suffocation if I stayed in this shoe box for too long, so I decided to go outside to find some company.

I stepped out of my room and made my way to the common room for all the girls. When I reached it, I saw nearly all the girls there sitting on the couches and having a chat.

When Jeff saw me, she immediately said. "Nandini, we were waiting for you! Come and join us!"

I gave her a warm smile as I sat down on a stool beside her. I received smiles from Rose and Vibha as well. However, Inaaya seemed completely indifferent to my existence and continued to twiddle her thumbs. Soha on the other hand, gave me a nasty expression as if I'd done something to offend her!

Riddhima seemed to be lost in her own world. Why was she so hesitant and quiet all the time?

My curiosity got the better of me as I extended my hand to Riddhima and said. "Hi. I'm Nandini. I don't think I introduced myself to you earlier, explicitly..."

She looked a little dazed at first but slowly placed her hand in mine and shook it, as she said. "Hi. I'm Riddhima."

"And it speaks! I thought she was on a-what do you call it? Maun Vrath-that's right! I thought she was on a maun vrath!" Inaaya remarked in a snarky voice.

Riddhima immediately fell silent again, and Inaaya earned disapproving looks from me as well as Vibha for her statement.

Anyway, I thought it best to change the subject, so I asked. "So guys, what are we talking about?"

"Actually Nandini, we were talking about you! What you did to Manik was so funny! I would've never had the guts to do something like that!" Jeff exclaimed as she giggled.

I went a little pale upon hearing their topic of conversation, but I put up a stoic expression as I said. "Well, someone had to call him out on his bullshit!"

"OMG! I still remember Manik's face when you poured the sauce on his shoes! I thought he was toh going to kill you! He was so angry!" Rose said, in a slightly animated voice.

"Well, he wasn't the only one who was angry..." I said firmly.

Vibha immediately turned towards me and said smiling. "Waise...hats off to you! In all the time I've known Manik, I've never seen anyone stand up to him the way you did!"

"I'm surprised no one hasn't! Am I the only one who sees him as the epitome of male ego that he is?" I asked, irritated.

"Honestly speaking, I know that he comes off as obnoxious and conceited, but that's just his outward behaviour. He has a very pure heart...and he protects his friends as if they were his family. I know him very well...since we were quite close in school..." She said brightly.

So Manik knew Vibha from before as well? The plot thickens!

"Well, if he's really your childhood friend, maybe I shouldn't discard your opinion of him immediately..." I said, in a slightly amused voice and earned a smile from her in return.

"You shouldn't have done that, Nandini! Manik was just trying to be nice to you!" Soha declared all of a sudden.

Ugh! Soha seemed to be absolutely obsessed with Manik, for some reason! So obviously-she supported him, no matter what he did!

"Soha, calm down...it was just a prank..."Vibha said coolly.

I realized that Vibha was definitely the mother of the group. She seemed to be such a genuine and calm person...how the hell was she friends with that monster?!

"You...stop talking! It's not fair that you're here anyway! It's not fair that you and Manik are already acquainted! It gives you an unfair advantage over the rest of us! Anyway...you might not matter, but Alya? I heard a rumour that Manik used to date her earlier. If she truly is his ex-girlfriend, it's definitely unfair!" She yelled at Vibha.

Vibha suddenly looked a little alarmed as Soha brought up Alya. It was then that I realized that Alya wasn't in the room. All the girls were here...so where had she gone?

So I was right! They did date each other at some point! But the question was...why did they break up? The Manik Malhotra I'd read about in the media didn't really do relationships...

"So tell us, what happened between them? We deserve to know!" Soha spat at Vibha.

"Listen, I don't know much about Alya...and Manik and I never discussed her anyway...so I can't say much..." Vibha said, hesitantly.

Her expression clearly said that she knew more than she was letting on...

However, I hated gossiping about others, and this talk was turning into just that!

I immediately stood up from my seat and said. "Excuse me guys...I'll just be back...I need some fresh air."

After they bid me goodbye, I went downstairs, and stepped out of the house.

I immediately made my way to the garden to take a stroll in order to clear my head.

The weather was perfect for a late night walk! There was a beautiful breeze since we were really close to the beach side.

Suddenly, as I was walking, I heard a guitar melody out of nowhere! At first I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, but then I heard it again...and this time, there was a beautiful voice that accompanied the melody. That voice...it was soul stirring...

I immediately made my way towards the sound, and found myself close to the pool area.

When I moved a few steps closer, that's when I saw him...

Manik. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be completely lost in his own universe as he played the guitar. His voice...it was the closest thing to perfection I'd ever heard. However, there seemed to be an innate anguish and suffering buried underneath its beauty.

How could someone who seemed so outwardly frivolous, have such depth in his voice?

I continued to stare at him for a few more seconds, almost as if I were in a trance.

When he finally ended the song, I heard another voice in the distance say. "Manik, that was amazing...I thought you'd given up music altogether..."

Shit! How had Alya shown up all of a sudden?!

What if Manik or Alya saw me?!

I immediately hid behind a tree, in order to make myself inconspicuous to them.

I heard him stand up, and put the guitar back in its case. Then I heard footsteps, as he tried to walk away.

I peeked slightly when I heard Alya say. "Manik. Stop! I'm talking to you..."

She seemed really upset that he was entirely ignoring her existence.

I watched as he tried to leave by moving around her, but she caught his hand at the last moment.

"Leave. My. Hand." Manik, said with his back turned to her.

His tone was so frosty, that it even sent chills down my spine! There was immense anger and frustration beneath his words. If I could feel it...I wondered how daunting it was for Alya to face him at such a time.

"Manik, I'm not going to let you leave before you talk to me...I can't take this anymore!" She said in a slightly choked voice.

As soon as she let out the words, Manik turned around violently and grabbed her harshly by the shoulders.

"What the fuck do you want to talk about?! I thought you had cleared everything up when I last spoke to you two years ago...when you walked out on me!!" He screamed at her angrily.

Shit! Alya dumped Manik?! No wonder he was so angry with her! I couldn't imagine a guy like Manik being dumped by anyone!

"Manik...listen please..." Alya said as she let out a sob and tears started streaming down her cheeks.

"No, you listen! I didn't talk to you for a few hours, and you are making a fuss because of it?! Do you know what I went through after you left?! I loved you with all my heart, and you stomped all over it! I spent days hating myself-wondering, what I had done wrong...why wasn't I good enough for you...why you chose to cheat on me and hurt me in the worst way possible..."

I gasped involuntarily as I heard the last line escape Manik's lips.

Alya had cheated on Manik?! I thought Manik was supposed to be the playboy...

What was I even doing eavesdropping on a duo's private conversation?!

But after the recent revelation that Manik had made, I couldn't resist, so I continued peeping...

"Manik, I'm sorry..."She said as she let out another sob, and struggled to free herself from his grip.

Manik laughed sarcastically and screamed. "Sorry?! Wow! That doesn't solve jack shit, Alya! Can your 'sorry' take away all the haunting memories of the nights I drank myself to sleep, because I couldn't bear the pain anymore? Can it make me the same jovial Manik I once was? Can it get Fab Five back together? Can it?!"

"Manik please just listen to what I have to say..." Alya tried yet again.

"Just shut up! I don't want to listen to anything you have to say! Why have you come here anyway? To get some sadistic pleasure out of tormenting me? Then let me tell you-I won't give you the satisfaction! You're dead to me!!" He yelled, as he finally freed her shoulders.

"Manik, I came here to apologise...I'm so sorry...I know I hurt you...and I regret it deeply! I made a huge mistake leaving you, Manik..." She said, in broken words as she wiped her tears.

"Ha Ha Ha..." Manik continued laughing at her mockingly, for several seconds before he said. "Are you serious?! You're actually trying to tell me that you've come here to get back with me?! What bullshit! How much money did they offer you? A girl as heartless and selfish as you could only be interested in these things..."

"Manik! You're crossing the line! I'm not here for the money! I've a successful clothing line of my own! I don't need money...I'm here, so that I can apologise and patch up with you..." She said, regaining her earlier determination.

"Well, in that case you can just pack your bags and go home, before I eliminate you tomorrow, because that's never going to happen!" Manik shouted venomously.

"Manik, I know I've hurt you! And I'm willing to do anything to pay for it! I want you to forgive me, whatever the cost may be..." She said, rather firmly.

I had to admit-she had guts! Provoking Manik, when he was so livid, seemed like playing with fire!

Manik walked closer to Alya and I had to strain my ears to hear his words as he whispered them to her coldly.

"I will never forgive you..." He said coldly.

"Manik please, I'm willing to do anything! Even if you can't get back with me, I have to earn your forgiveness, for wronging you! I won't be able to live with myself, otherwise..." She said, as tears threatened to fall down her cheeks yet again.

Manik just ignored her completely, and started walking away from there, when she blocked his path and pleaded once again.

"Manik, please, just tell me what I can do to make it up to you...please..." She sobbed.

Manik seemed utterly frustrated as she repeatedly held him back from moving away from the spot.

A few seconds later, he yanked her hand and shouted. "You won't get the simplest thing, right?! Fine! Let's have it your way! You said you're willing to do anything, right?!"

"Yes!" She said, firmly.

An evil smile cropped up on his face as he said. "I thought that embarrassing you by eliminating you on day one would be enough to get back at you! But guess what, Alya?! Now I'm not going to do that! I'll keep you around for longer...I won't eliminate you myself! Because now you yourself have given me the license to torture you! Starting from tomorrow, every moment you're here, you'll experience the same pain that I've felt these past two years! And you will leave from here yourself...because you won't be able to take it anymore!"

"And if I don't leave?" Alya asked eagerly.

"Trust me- you will!" Manik spat at her.

"But if I don't, then you'll forgive me?" She asked, her eyes filled with hope.

"Yes..." Manik replied grudgingly.

"Fine Manik, do whatever you have to do...I'm ready for the challenge..." She said, in a neutral voice.

"Good! Now get out of face! Seeing your face for this long already makes me want to puke!" He said harshly as he started moving from there.

As he walked away, she said."Manik, I know that the old you is still in there somewhere...you're just hiding yourself behind that hatred..."

Manik walked back to her and said in a menacing voice. "That Manik doesn't exist anymore...he's dead! And you can't imagine the pleasure 'the new me' is going to experience seeing you in pain!"

With this last statement, he finally left her side and walked away from there.

Shit! He was coming in my direction! I watched as he came close to the tree behind which I was hiding and stopped short in his tracks.

As soon as he turned his head towards my side, I ducked in order to avoid being spotted.

A few seconds later he continued walking and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Had he seen me? I guessed that the possibility was remote...

I got up from my place and saw that Alya had left the poolside.

My head swirled with a myriad of thoughts as I walked back to the house.

I now had nearly all the details about Manik and Alya's relationship!

However one thought stood out in my mind compared to others...had I been too quick to judge Manik? Was Vibha right about him?

Granted he was an arrogant and impertinent brat, but did he become like that because of Alya's infidelity?

No! Just because he was dumped by someone didn't give him the right to misbehave with people as he pleased!

And the whole 'challenge' he proposed? I knew Alya was at fault here, but he seemed to be taking undue advantage of her desperation...

No! Manik wasn't a figure to be sympathized with! In fact, I was more worried about what he'd do to Alya! He certainly seemed to have quite a temper...and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the monster's long suppressed fury...

I walked up the stairs, to the washroom and tried to open the door. It seemed to be occupied.

A few seconds later, I heard the door open and Alya stepped out of the washroom.

I was a little taken aback, but when I saw Alya's disheveled hair, tear-stained cheeks and damp kohl, I felt an inherent need to comfort her.

The pallor on her face made it seem like she was ill...

I placed my hand on her shoulder and asked gently. "Alya, are you okay? Did something happen? Do you want to talk about it?"

I certainly knew what had happened but I couldn't let her know that!

She stared at me for a few seconds before there was a hardness in her eyes.

"It's none of your business! Just stay away!" She spat as she walked away.

I stared at her in disbelief as she took quick strides to her room and locked the door.

Wow! That was rude! Maybe I was too quick to judge her as well!

Both Manik and Alya seemed rude, arrogant and short tempered!

I guess they really did deserve each other!