Happy Birthday in advance, MagicalStarrySky . Much love to you.❤️

And also, Happy Belated Birthday, Zeh.💜

Extremely sorry for the delay. I don't really know how bad is this update because I didn't know what to write. Writers block kills you big time. 😭
So here is a super long update of 5016 words. Phew. Will try and update the next one soon.💙

Also, do read siyapaqueenx 's new work - Not Just Another Fanboy. 😇

Happy Reading! ☺️

~*~*~*~*~*~

She was beautiful. Not like the girls in magazines or the ones he had ever worked with. She was beautiful, for the way she thought. She was beautiful, for the shine in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful, for her ability to make people smile. She was beautiful, for the way she loved food and her attitude of not caring what people think about her. She wasn't beautiful, for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul. She was delightfully chaotic. A beautiful mess in progress.

After a brief adoration session, for what seemed like eternity for him, Manik still didn't want to let go of the peace he was experiencing by just being near her. She had entered his life like a swift cold wind which made his life seem a better place. Manik Malhotra, as the world knew him was one arrogant person. But for his near and dear ones, he was the kindest and the most soft hearted person ever. And surprisingly, Nandini had very conveniently made her place in his list.

Since they had to join back office right after the colourful festival, they had to leave as soon as possible. Fab 4 along with Navya and Abhimanyu left the same day while Manik and Nandini stayed back, all thanks to her first ever experience of getting drunk. Though the amount of bhaang she drank wasn't much, but since she had it for the first time, the effect was quite a lot while Manik took care of her as she was sleeping most of the time. It was finally a new day. A new morning with a new horizon.

" Nandini, wake up." Manik said softly as he brushed her hair softly while she snuggled herself more into the furry duvet.

" Nandini, we need to leave. Chalo utho." He said as he placed a glass of lime water on the side table. And finally after a couple of tries, she was up.

" Aaaah. Manik. My head. It's hurting so bad." She wailed while holding her head between her palms.

" Obviously. Bhaang piyogi toh aise hi hoga na." He said and handed over the lime water glass to her along with a painkiller tablet.

" Bhaang? Meine bhaang kab pii?" She asked in a shocked tone.

" When you were roaming around in the garden. Feeling better now?" He asked as she emptied the glass in a go and kept it back as she nodded positively.

" Waise Nandini, I didn't know that you were so jealous of Kiara." He said in a teasing tone making her eyes widen in shock.

" Kiara who?" She asked as she diverted her gaze from him.

" Chipkali." He whispered in her ear with a smirk.

" I-I don't remember anything." She fumbled nervously.

" Oh really? " He asked with a smirk.

" Obviously. You only said that I was drunk. How will I remember? And you, tum kyun usse jealous ho rahe the? What was his name? Vivaan. Right. Ab batao? " Nandini said as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

" Abhi toh tum keh rahi thi ki tumhe kuch yaad nahi hai?" He said mockingly.

" Don't change the topic, Manik." Nandini said as she pointed her finger at him.

" Ohoo. I'm changing the topic. Kiara. Tiara. Fiara." He said as he mimicked her.

" Youuu." Nandini said as she started running behind him all around the room.

" Okay okay. Stop." She said while panting heavily as both of them fell back on the bed together and within a second bursted out laughing.

" Okay fine. Go get ready. We'll leave then." He said between his laugh.

" What time is it Manik?" She asked.

" 5.15 AM." He replied making her shocked.

" Why are we up so early?" She asked with her eyes wide open.

" Because Miss JMD, if you remember, you have to join back office today." He said making her groan in frustration.

" My boss is so bad. He always does this." She said in a mock-teasing tone.

" Your boss can do many more things, wanna see?" He said teasingly as he whispered in her ear making a light shiver pass down her spine.

" Shut up, Manik." She said as she lightly pushed him away while trying to hide her smile.

" But mein pehnungi kya?" She asked with a confused expression.

" Yahi, jo tumne pehna hua hai." He shrugged.

" Mr. Manik Malhotra, I'm in my nightsuit." She said with a fake smile.

" Toh? Tumhe konsa koi shaadi ke liye propose karne aa raha hai?" He said in an irritated tone.

" Haww. Agar koi aagaya toh?" She said with a funny expression.

" Toh I will kill that person." Manik murmured inaudibly.

" Arrey Nandini, ghar hi toh jaana hai tumne. Let's go. You freshen up. I'm waiting outside." He said as he picked up their bags and left the room.

It was 5.30 AM and they had almost covered 1/4th of the distance already since the drive was just two hours long. The journey was silent with some soft songs playing on the music system with Manik humming them along making Nandini smile. Their silence was enough to communicate. As they say, silence isn't empty, it's full of answers.

" Manik. Rokoooo." Nandini screeched making Manik panic to no extent.

" Nandini, what happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Speak up, dammit! What happened?" He shouted.

" Manik, tum mujhe bolne toh do." She said innocently making him sigh.

" I stopped you because of the sunrise. See." Nandini said as she pointed towards the yellowish orange hue adorning the sky.

The yellow shining sun started rising from the ground, filling the sky with mighty colours of red and splashed the clouds with endless rays of pink. It was indeed a bright and mesmerizing view making then stare deep into the horizon.

" Oh god. Nandini, you scared me." He sighed as he covered his face with his palms.

" Sorry. I didn't mean to. But dekho na, the sunrise is so beautiful. Chalo, let's go out." She said making Manik smile.

" You know Manik, I love early mornings. It feels like the rest of the world is still fast asleep and you're the only one who's awake and everything feels like it's unreal and you kinda forget about all your problems because then, it's just you, the world and the sunrise. You know Manik, sun ko kuch farak nahi padta ki kon sunrise aur sunset dekhta hai. It will continue to be the same beautiful yellow light. That's how we should be. We shouldn't care ki log humare baare mein kya sochte kyunki agar hum sochenge ki log kya sochenge toh fir log kya sochenge? Just go with the flow. Thoda zyada hogaya na?" She said sheepishly after she finished an almost philosophical speech as they stood leaning on the car's bonnet leaving Manik's thoughts to run in all possible directions because he knew that she was right. And he was glad to have her in his life.

" Bilkul nahi." He said with a smile while they stood there looking at the birds coming out of their nests.

" Chalo, let's leave. It's 6 already. We're getting late." She said with a smile.

The rest of the ride was a peaceful one with Nandini unintentionally slipping into slumber and Manik pondering over what Nandini said. Today he had finally got to know that why did Cabir and Navya love her so much. He had heard about her many times from Navya or Cabir but he never really tried to find out and today, he got all his answers.

He pulled up his car in front of her building and turned his face just to find her sleeping peacefully like a baby with her head leaning on the window with her side bangs covering her forehead and eyes. He softly caressed and brushed away her locks with a smile. Over this short period of time, he had become fond of one thing a lot, her hair.

" Nandini, wake up. We're here." He said softly making her move a little.

" Come on, come on. Time to wake up, birdie." He said again to which she finally opened her eyes slowly and immediately gave a warm smile to him.

" Oh shit! Manik I'm so sorry. I don't know how I slept off. I'm really sorry." Nandini said in a panicky tone.

" Nandini. Relax. It's alright." Manik said calmly.

" Okay then. I'll pick you up later for office since you don't have your car. Take some rest." Manik said softly.

" You too." She said with a smile.

" Bye." He said with a smile and drove off.

Both of them directly crashed their beds and slipped off into deep slumber as they still had three hours more to sleep.

Nandini was sitting all ready dressed in a plain white top paired with blood red coloured pants and a grey overcoat looking elegant as always while reading the newspaper when she received a text from Manik - " Come down. Waiting."

And there he stood, leaning on the door of his black Audi, dressed up in a classy black suit over a snowhite shirt paired with a jet black tie, looking suave as ever. No prizes for guessing that why was he so popular amongst females.

" Good morning, Manik." Nandini said cheerfully.

" Good morning, Nandini. You look great today." He said with a warm smile making her smile even wider.

He then opened the passenger door for her asking her to sit to which she thanked him warmly with a smile. The real power of a man is in the size of the smile of the woman sitting next to him.

They reached office and immediately got back to work as the important presentation they had worked on together needed some final touches. Almost the entire day passed in a jiffy with Manik and Nandini busy with their own set of work.

Nandini was busy completing the file when her cabin door was knocked and as a usual response she said "come in" - but the person who entered was someone she never expected. Vivaan Khurrana.

She looked up at him when he deliberately cleared his throat to grab her attention making her shocked.

" Hello, Mr. Khurrana." Nandini said politely.

" Hello, Nandini. How are you doing?" He asked.

" Very well. Thank you. How come you're here?" Nandini asked softly, not trying to indulge herself into unnecessary conversation because she remembered how angry Manik for when he saw Vivaan with her the previous day and she very well knew that Manik would definitely come to know about this sudden visit of an "unwanted element".

" I was just passing by, so I thought I'd visit you. And what is Mr.Khurrana? It's Vivaan for you." He said with an almost mischievous expression.

" Well, We are in my office. And I believe in having a professional relationship." Nandini said with a forced smile unaware of a pair of eyes which were blazing with fury when suddenly the door flew open, with Manik entering with an unfathomable expression making Nandini sigh a little in relief but at the same time, make her worried about the consequences. By looking at his face, she knew that she was in trouble.

" Hello Mr. Khuranna, would you please excuse us, we are in our working hours and we chose not to socialize and I have an important presentation to discuss with Miss. Murthy. So please excuse us." Manik said with a forced smile while gritting his teeth in anger.

" Okay dude. You can go." Vivaan said making Manik's mental temperature rise a degree higher. Ouch! Poor Vivaan.

" Mr. Vivaan Khurrana. You are standing in my office. And I clearly do not require any permission or whatsoever from you or any other person in this office. You are kindly requested to leave." Manik said while laying special emphasis on the words 'my office' and left the cabin while dragging an almost bewildered Nandini along with him.

"I had asked you to stay away from him. Tumhe samajh mein kyu nahi aata hai? Lekin nahi. Tumne toh meri baat sunni hi nahi hai. Stay away from him. I'm telling you this for the last time,Nandini!" He said in a dangerous tone as he pinned her to his cabin's wooden finished wall.

" Manik...you're hurting me." She said as his grip on her arms tightened. She tried explaining but was cut by his voice.

" And why were you smiling so much haan? Bohot hassi aa rahi thi na tumhe. Aisa kya joke maara tha usne haan? I'm sure tumne hi bulaya hoga usse haina? After all, he is your new friend. Bloody douche." He said in an angry tone as he ignored her plea.

" Manik Malhotra, ab tum sunoge aur mein bolungi. First of all, meine usse yahan nahi bulaya, vo khud aaya. Aur mujhe usse baat karne mein koi interest nahi hai, for your kind information! And second of all, there is something called work ethics, if you know. You cannot be always right! So keep your assumptions to yourself because I bloody don't need them. Tum humesha sahi nahi ho sakte ho! And from now on, I will do all that you want me do, Manik sir. After all, I'm just a mere employee right?" Nandini screamed in an equally angry tone as she pushed him away and stormed out of his cabin murmuring abuses to him oblivious of Cabir's presence on the door who had thought to pay "The Angry Birds" a visit. Thankfully, the cabins were soundproof because otherwise the hundred plus employees would've definitely got to know that someone dared to shout back on their angry boss which wouldn't be a delightful sight to see.
[ Pro Tip#1 : Don't ever try to calm down an angry woman, it will make her ever more angry at that time.]

" Damn it! " Manik said as he angrily punched his fist over his Italian glass desk.

" Wohooo. Temperature kaafi high hai." Cabir said teasingly.

" Shut up, Cabir. Abhi nahi." Manik said angrily while trying to calm himself down.

" Ooookaaay. But hua kya?" Cabir asked.

" Apni over smart behen se puch le jaake." Manik said sarcastically just to receive a tight punch on his back.

" Cabir, withdraw all my funds from Khurrana's. Right away! I don't want this jerk anywhere near my office." Manik said angrily.

" Near your office or near Nandini?" Cabir said with a smirk and received yet another death glare from Monster Manik of which he clearly wasn't afraid of.

~~~

Manik kept calling Nandini continuously but she was a tough nut to crack. After Cabir knocked some senses in him, he realised that he shouldn't have shouted on her for something she hadn't done. After fifteen calls, finally she picked up his call -

" What Manik?" She said in an irritated tone.

" Come down." He said curtly.

" I'm not coming anywhere. Please leave, Manik." She said calmly and moved towards her balcony to check whether he was there or not. Though she knew that he wouldn't bluff. She peeked through, and there he was standing in a white t-shirt which clearly showed his well toned biceps and black sweatpants.

" Tum neeche aa rahi ho, ya mein upar aaun?" He replied.

" Fine. I'm coming." She said as she wore her slippers and moved out after locking the house.

" What Manik?" She said in a low tone as he stood in front of her when his eyes went on her upper arms which were lightly red in colour which were visible due to the tank top she was wearing.

" Nandini, I-I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have shouted on you but I just couldn't control myself. I-I don't like the way he looks at you which is why I was asking you to stay away from him. I care for you." He said softly while caressing her arms making her shift her gaze from her hands to him with the only words ringing in her ears - " I care for you."

" I'm sorry. Please." He said as he held her hands in his and softly caressed them with his thumbs. She didn't know why she wanted to forgive him. She knew that it wasn't a big deal, but she was feeling bad. She could see the sincerity in his eyes. She knew that he was genuinely sorry.

" It's alright, Manik." Nandini said softly with a smile making him smile lightly.

" Wait a second." He said and came back with a small lotion bottle from his car.

" Dikhti itni chotu si ho, itna saara gussa kahan se laati ho haan?" He asked teasingly while he gently put the lotion on her arms and she stood looking at him with a small smile playing on her lips.

" Chalo, let's go." He said as he opened the door for her.

" But kahan?" She asked in a confused tone.

" Pata nahi." He said with a smile while driving.

" Manik, let's go to the beach?" She asked hesitantly.

" Nandini, it's 8 in the evening. Beach at this time? Seriously?" He asked with an "are-you-serious" expression.

" Manik, chalo naa. It will be fun. Let's go." Nandini said making him sigh in defeat as he turned his car towards Juhu Beach which was just twenty minutes away from her place.

They reached the beach to find it almost empty. They settled themselves on a wooden bench and sat enjoying the rhythm of the waves. That's the thing about beaches, they calm you down and give you a sense of satisfaction, almost immediately.

" Nandini, I have something for you." Manik said.

" Really? What is it?" She said excitedly.

" Wait. I'll just be back." He said and jogged off.

After about five minutes, he came back with a broad blue cone of cotton candy ice cream with multi colored sweet sprinkles which he had specially got it made from the head cook at Malhotra Mansion keeping in mind Nandini's never ending love for ice creams. He always had his own ways. Be it impressing people, convincing people or apologising to people in the best and the most unique ways possible.

" Here you go." Manik said as he handed over the ice cream to her from behind.

" Manik, yeh kya hai?" She asked confusingly.

" Pizza." He replied sarcastically.

" Ohoo Manik. But Manik, this ice cream. It's sooooo beautiful." She said in awe as she kept looking at the ice cream from every angle possible.

" Nandini, what are you doing?" Manik said as he looked at her playing around with the ice cream.

" Shussh. I'm analysing." She replied making Manik sigh and chuckle at the same time.

" Nandini, ice cream melt ho rahi hai. I got this cotton candy ice cream specially made for you. Ab toh khaa lo." He said calmly.

" Khaau ki nahi khaau? Manik, mera mann nahi kar raha. Yeh sundar ice cream kharaab hojayegi." She said with a sad pout stating her unreasonable excuse.

" Nandini, stop behaving like a kid." He said softly.

" I'll eat on only one condition. Tum mujhe yeh ice cream firse khilaoge?" She said cutely while pointing her finger at him.

" Promise. Anytime you wish." he replied with a smile.

" No. First say, Nandini Promise." She said with a pout.

" Nandini Promise, Nandini. Now eat." He sighed with a small smile.

" Okay thankyouuuu." She squealed happily and started eating the delicious ice cream while making all sorts of cute faces.

" So, am I forgiven?" He asked with his lips twitching into a small smile while she was completely engrossed in eating.

" Yes, Manik Malhotra, you are forgiven. Tum bhi kya yaad rakhoge." She said dramatically.

" Nandini, look at you. Such a kid you are." He said while chuckling, looking at her mouth which was smeared with ice cream which she had just finished.

" What do you mean? Mein bacchi nahi hoon okay?" She said with a pout.

" Yes. Sure. Look at your face." He said sarcastically to which she started rubbing her mouth with the tissue paper and failed miserably to wipe off the stains making him laugh even more.

" Mujhe do. I'll do it." He said with a smile as she handed her over the tissue paper to which he patiently wiped off all the ice cream from her mouth while she kept looking deep into his eyes. There was something unique about his eyes. He had beautiful eyes. The kind anyone would get lost into, and she did.

" And it's done." Her trance was broken by his voice. He was one of a kind. And that's how she realized that no matter what, she should never let go of a person like Manik.

" Chalo. Let's leave." He said as he stood up from the bench to which she nodded with a smile as they moved towards his car.

The journey was a silent one. The silence which is blissful and not awkward. All this while Nandini kept on thinking that how did in such a short span of time Manik came so close to her. She had never let any man except her brothers come near her  and with Manik, the case was entirely different. He had patiently sneaked into her comfort zone and now, without any qualms, she was the most comfortable with him. She trusted him. She knew that even when she was drunk, he would've not even thought of doing anything wrong with her. Why didn't she doubt him? Why didn't his insecurity trouble her? The answer lied inside her. The time when he is close to her, she feels safe, safe from all the bad eyes because somewhere she knew that he would be the one who's gonna save her, after all. He was her wonderwall.

Her thoughts were given a halt when Manik clicked his fingers in front of her eyes,

" Oh hello? Kahan kho gayi? I've been calling you from the past five minutes." He said.

" Vo.. I'm sorry. Kuch soch rahi thi. Kya hua?" She asked embarrassingly.

" We're here." He said with a smile while pointing at her apartment building.

" Thank you, for both the delicious ice cream and the ride." She said with a smile.

" The pleasure is all mine. And I'll come to pick you up in the morning." He said.

" Why? I mean, now I have my car." She said softly.

" Bas yun hi. Bye. Good night." He said with a smile as he rolled up the window and drove away.

" Good night, Manik." She murmured to herself with a wide smile playing on her lips remembering the events from the day.

~~~

" Breakfast mein kya khaaoge?" Nandini texted him as she changed herself in her night suit and settled comfortably.

" Breakfast? It's alright Nandini. There's no need. Don't bother please." His expected reply came after a minute.

" I'm telling you to have breakfast with me. Not asking you. So shut up. Be there.😒" She replied.

" You're ordering your boss? Haww! And also, I don't wanna die so soon, Nandini. 🙊" He texted.

" I promise that it will be the best breakfast you'll ever have. Good night.😉" She said.

" Let's see. Good night.😉" Manik texted back making her smile to the fullest.

~~~

Another bright morning had begun with Nandini happy enough with the turn of events and Manik, well, was happy with how his relationship with Nandini was slowly progressing. Because as they say, one step at a time. And their first step was friendship. Manik got ready in white printed shirt and a navy blue blazer paired with beige colored pants looking stunning as always.

" Mom, don't make my breakfast. I need to leave." Manik told Nyonika while moving down the stairs.

" But beta, abhi toh office mein time hai. It's barely 8.30 AM." Nyonika enquired.

" Voh Mom...I have some work with Cabir. I'll see you later, beautiful. Take care." Manik made an excuse as he kissed Nyonika's cheek and went off.

He drove off and reached Nandini's place in another fifteen minutes. After a lot of self convincing and almost fixing his perfect hair over five times in his car's rear view mirror, he finally decided to step out and go to her house with a bouquet of fresh lilies along - not that he was visiting his girlfriend, but going to a lady's house empty handed? Nah.

" 704. Nandini Murthy" ~ The wooden nameplate said and finally after calming his breaths he finally rung the doorbell.

The door clicked open in a minute and there she stood, looking fresh like a daisy in black A-lined dress with white thin stripes on it.

"Good morning, Manik." She said in her every chirpy voice with a wide smile.

" Good morning, Nandini." He said with a smile as he handed her over the flowers to which she thanked him with a beautiful smile and invited him in.

" My house isn't as big as yours, I'm sure but I hope you're comfortable here." She said in a low voice.

" A house doesn't necessarily have to be big to be comfortable. Home is comfort. And yes, I like your place. Its simple and unique." He said with a smile as he looked around her living room to which she just smiled back.

" A well maintained kitchen, you have." He said as he looked around her kitchen.

" Well, that's because I love cooking. Kitchen is my favourite hideout. Be it happiness or sadness, I share it with food." She said as they settled on the couch.

" Similar feelings, I must say! Food is my life. And as they say, the people who love are the best people." He said excitedly to which she just chuckled lightly.

" So, ready for the breakfast, sir?" She said with a smile making him alert again.

" Nandini, I think we should drop the plan." Manik said in a meek tone.

" Oh no no. We're not. Please settle yourself on the kitchen table. The food is almost ready." She said with a smirk and moved towards the kitchen.

"Okay." He softly obeyed and took off his blazer and sat on the high chair. [Pro Tip#2 : Never offend a woman especially when she's too adamant onto doing something.]

A couple of minutes later Nandini arrived with a huge plate and placed it in front of him making him look at her in astonishment.

" Chef Nandini Murthy, at your service, sir." She said dramatically while bowing down a little.

" Pancakes with vanilla and chocolate syrup, poached eggs, potato shreds and chicken sausages along with orange juice. Hope you like it." She said with a smile as she settled beside him with her plate.

" Nandini, is this breakfast or lunch?" He asked hesitantly looking at the number of dishes.

" Breakfast. Come on, come on. Taste it already! Tell me how it is." She said excitedly as Manik picked up the fork and knife.

" Does this have pepper in it? Because I'm allergic to pepper." He said in a soft tone.

" Don't worry. It's just salt and chilli. And I'll keep in mind about your allergy from now on." She said with a smile.

He took a small bite from the pancakes and which immediately made his eyes widen in delight.

" Uhmmm." He took out a happy sound from his mouth while chewing the small piece.

" This is the most delicious thing I've ever had!" He exclaimed while eating.

"Yay! I told you. I'm so glad that you liked it!" Nandini replied in the same tone.

" Loved it! Especially these pancakes. Just too delicious! I can have this for my entire life! " he said while chewing making Nandini smile.

" You know, I thought you were a vegetarian." He said.

" Well, actually. It's just me and my brother who eat non vegetarian in our family. Rest everyone is pure vegetarian." She replied with a smile.

" Oh. That's nice." He said.

" You know Nandini, you should shift to my house so that I can get such amazing food everyday! Not that the food I eat isn't good, but this is superb! Or even I can shift here with you, I'm okay in both the situations. You know, I'm too adjustable." He said with a smirk while teasing her making her blush.

" Shut up, Manik and eat your food." Nandini said in a low tone making him laugh.

" But seriously, your hands have some magic." He said as he took both her hands and kissed them lightly making the entire zoo explode in her stomach.

" Thank you." She said with a warm smile after 'trying' to calm herself down. (Keyword : Trying)

" Let's go. We're getting late." She said as she put the plates in the washbasin and wore her black heels.

" Nandini yaaaaar, your boss is standing in front of you and here you're talking about getting late? Seriously?" He said dramatically while pointing at himself with an -are you serious- expression.

" Because you're the boss, it means that you should follow the rules so that the others follow them too." She said.

" Haven't you heard, that the rules don't apply on the ones who made them?" He said with a smirk as they moved down the stairs towards his car.

" Okay Manik. I rest my case. Let's leave now." She said while laughing as he opened the passenger door for her. She always had beloved that chivalric men are the best at heart. And today, she experienced it. The journey to the office went by with Manik continuously praising her cooking skills and teasing her time and again, making her blush and making her laugh. As they say, the best relationships start off as friendships. The root of every relationship is trust because if you don't have trust, the relationship is nothing. Every relationship is like a seed, either it grows to become a perennial tree or a nanoid or stays buried and never sees light. And this was the phase their relationship was on, growing.

~*~*~*~*~

Thanks for reading! Hope the wait was worth it. 😘
~V.