Hello Fam :)

Here's the next chap. This is one of the major point in Manik's development/transformation. Hence, please be patient. As I said, I don't remember properly but this might be the last chapter where you could hate him. After that he is trading only hearts. ❤️

Happy Reading...

Cabir was furious when he found Nandini pinned against the wall at the backside of their college building, the abandoned cabin which was her place of isolation.

After explaining the situation to Abhimanyu and Mukti, he followed Manik, fearing about the safety of his brother. He traced Manik's location on his mobile and raced to the place. The head boy was whispering something in her ear while holding her in place against him as she struggled to get herself free.

Cabir's brain filled with rage as he threw himself at the head boy, bodily throwing him away from Nandini. He threw the punches, making sure to let some of the blows land on his face. If he can't kill him, he could definitely disorient his face. There were another two guys attached to his back, stopping him but they were pretty easy to deal with. Within a few minutes, the three boys were scrambling across the floor before running away for their life.

Cabir saw his brother kneeling on the floor but he had other priorities. He went to the head girl, who was rooted in her place and shook her gently, afraid of touching her. "Nandini?", he whispered, "you are fine. They are gone."

She hugged him tightly, burying her head on his chest. "Cabir..he..tried to"

He shook her again, taking her face in a gentle hold. "No, you aren't going there. They are gone. You are my fighter, right? Calm down, yeah?" He tightened his hold on her and pulled out his mobile from his pocket before sending his location to Abhimanyu in a quick text, asking him to reach asap.

He whispered assurances in her ear, soothing her with his voice as he threw worried glances at his brother. The boy was crying, his head hung low and his whole frame was trembling. Cabir's heart clenched seeing him, he was angry at Manik's helplessness and he wanted to punch something. He concentrated on the girl in his arms to keep him sane. It was another few minutes when Abhimanyu reached the place along with Mukti and ushered Nandini in his arms.

"We can talk later. Take her home", he told Abhimanyu when he saw the questions in his eyes. He brushed the tears from Nandini's eyes and looked straight through them. "You aren't letting them affect you, yeah? You are bouncing back as my fighter again. Take care." He caressed her hair before giving a small smile when Nandini nodded at him.

Cabir waited till they disappeared before rushing to Manik. He knelt down in front of his brother and drew him to his arms. "Manik, it's fine. She will be fine. Breath, now."

He rubbed his back in soothing circles as Manik babbled apologies. He broke the hug when he heard him calming down slightly. "Manik", he trailed off after seeing the bruises on his face. "Did they hurt you?"

"Nandini. They hurt Nandini. Harshad."

Manik wasn't coherent enough to form full sentences and he was breathing hard. Cabir drew him into a hug again. "Nandini is strong. She is our head girl, remember. She is stronger than letting herself be affected by a few idiots. We will take care of Harshad later. Properly. But for now concentrate on breathing, Manik and then we are going to the hospital. Is anywhere else hurting you?"

Cabir lightly ran his hand along his body and noted the places where Manik hissed. The rest of them could take a moment but the bruise on his face was turning bad. He brushed his finger to check but withdrew his hand when Manik winced. "I am going to kill them before it heals", he muttered as he helped Manik to stand up and reach their car. Some of his anger evaporated seeing his brother struggling to walk.

XXX

They bought the medicines before going home. Luckily, Manik didn't have to go through stitches. He didn't want his brother to go through that pain on top of everything that's going on. Even more fortunate was the fact that Nyonika was out for two weeks again, visiting England as the branch had some internal issues.

When the butlers gasped, looking at Manik, Cabir glared at them. "No one is going to speak a word about this to mom." They were obedient and Cabir was grateful. He brought Manik to his room and helped him to get into a warm bath before applying the ointments. He gave the painkillers and carded his hand through Manik's hair. "Go to sleep."

"Nandini. I need to talk to her", he whispered.

Cabir was astonished. It was one thing to concentrate on the book, ignoring the dance with her but going after her after getting beaten up was another thing. He shook his head. "Baby, listen. She needs some time to calm down, right? Let that head of yours get some rest and we will talk about it later, okay? I promise she will be fine. I promise things will be okay. Stop hurting yourself." He brushed the tear on Manik's face before placing a kiss on top of his head. He sat there till the painkillers took the effect and Manik drifted to sleep.

Making sure he was fine, Cabir closed the door, asked a butler to keep an eye on Manik, and call him if there's any problem. He went to the gym, changed into a pair of sweatpants, and punched the bags till his knuckles hurt, letting all his anger and frustration out of his system.

XXX

Nandini had calmed down enough since the incident. Now, all that left was anger which was bursting to be released out. She wanted to punch the lights out of the head boy. She was mad at herself for showing a vulnerable side of hers to Cabir but she was also thankful for the younger twin. As far as Manik was concerned, she would rather avoid his whole existence. It was difficult when he kept on calling her. It was already the fourth call she had rejected and the ringtone now started irritating her.

When it rang again, she answered it in the first ring. "Don't you understand a simple fact that if I am cutting your call, I don't want to speak to you?"

"Give me a chance, please?"

She heard the eagerness in his voice and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Manik?"

"I am outside your house. Can I come in?"

"What", screamed Nandini. She rushed to her windows and found Manik pacing outside the Murthy premises. "Are you mad? Stay right there. I am coming." She ended the call and groaned. Can't this boy use his brain for once? She shook her head, pulled out her hoodie, and sneaked out of her house, making sure to avoid any human. The last thing she needed was unnecessary drama.

Manik was leaning against his car, tapping his foot impatiently. He straightened up on seeing Nandini.

"Car keys?", she asked.

"Inside", he replied.

"Not a word. Get in", she warned. He nodded and slid inside the passenger seat as Nandini drove the car. As soon as she hit the main road, she raced the car until her mind cleared enough for her to think straight. She didn't look beside her because she didn't want to stop if at all he felt afraid of the speed. She needed to be reckless to release the fumes ready to burst within her. So she just did that. Once the adrenaline decreased, she parked the car beside a children's park.

Nandini walked inside and took a moment to breathe, ignoring the sound of the footsteps behind her, ignored when Manik called her name but then she felt him closing her and she lost it. "Don't you dare touch me", she screamed on his face and felt a tiny bit of satisfaction when he flinched.

"Do you think this as a joke? That you would fail to recognize a girl in front of your mom, you would leave a girl right there when she needed your help and then force your way into her house. Do you think your stupid apology would fix everything you have done? I would have died hours ago if Cabir hadn't made it on time but no. All you care about is yourself. Are you some freaking superior male homo sapien that you would treat every other girl untouchable even during emergencies? Why the hell did you even come to my home?"

She knew she was exaggerating. She would kill the person who tried to abuse her and go to jail rather than dying but right now, she didn't care if she was yelling, there was no one around till miles who could hear them. She didn't care if she was scaring him as he cowered under her glare.

"I am not superior. Mom scares me. She asked. Not to talk. And you came. She saw. Didn't know. How to react. I apologize. My fault. Everything is. Hate myself. Please don't die. Please", he was pleading. Manik slumped down against a tree somewhere between hiccuping his apologies.

Nandini didn't know how to be mad at him anymore. She knelt in front of him and caressed his hair. "Manik, calm down. It's okay", she said, softly. When he didn't look up, Nandini put a tentative hand on his back and started rubbing it in soothing circles.

"Please don't die", he repeated.

Nandini frowned. He sounded frightened. "I am not going anywhere. See, I am fine, here, Manik."

"Dad died too. He never returned back."

This is where the fear is from. Nandini shook her head before wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him into a loose hug. "Manik, I am not leaving you. Breathe now." She whispered soothing words in his ears as he further slumped in her embrace. Nandini didn't know if he was aware of their proximity and she held him for until he needed it.

It was after several minutes when Manik broke the hug and wiped his tears frantically, bringing Nandini's attention to his face. There were bruises on his face. She scrunched her eyebrows and touched his face near them. "Shit, did they do this to you?"

"Doesn't matter", he waved off.

She grabbed his hand. "It does. Tell me."

Manik nodded. She closed her eyes. Harshad and his two cronies were so gone, she promised herself. She let the thoughts form in the back of her mind and sat beside Manik against the tree. Surprisingly, he rested his head on her shoulder and she stroked his hair.

"I am sorry. I couldn't save you. I couldn't free myself from them. I can't do anything. I am so bad, I hate myself", he whispered.

Manik doesn't hate anyone.

She remembered Cabir's voice in her head. "Manik, don't. Listen, it's not about saving me or helping me today. It's about defending yourself. You should be capable enough to protect yourself. You should be strong for that. Physically and mentally. No one will be there to help you always. Today it was Cabir. What if he is busy tomorrow. What happens then? Remember, you have to take on the responsibility of the whole Malhotra Industries someday and the people there are counting on you. You can't afford to disappoint them."

"Nandini"

"Shh..you are safe till the time you are among your loved ones. We are your friends and we would always protect you but at some or the other point, you need to stand for yourself. You can't depend on others always", she explained.

She let him sink her words inside his head and closed her eyes. Nandini believed always that if you let someone see your weakest side, you would lose their respect for you yet, here was Manik at one of his weakest points and she still wanted to protect him. Who was this boy? How could he make her believe him with just a pair of vulnerable eyes?

When she didn't find answers to her questions, she brushed them away. "Shall we go home?", she asked him.

He nodded before following her quietly. They didn't say a word on their way to Murthy house. When she reached the place, Manik switched his place. "Can you go home safely? Do you want me to call my driver?", she asked him.

"No, I am fine. I can manage", he replied.

The small smile on his face gave her hope that things will be okay. She didn't know how and why. She waited till he disappeared in the dark when she got a call from Cabir. "Look who called me. Mr. Overprotective brother."

"I can see you are back to normal", he said.

"Leave about my being normal. Do you have any idea if your brother is normal or not?", asked Nandini.

"Manik? What happened to him?"

Nandini rolled her eyes. "He came here. He is blaming himself for everything that has happened. He just left for your place but he was messed up, crying badly."

"He came to your place?"

"Where are you sleeping, idiot?"

"In my room. He didn't tell me. Wait, I guess he reached home. Let me talk to him."

"Cabir", she called. Make sure he is fine. The words were on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't bring herself to say them out loud. "Goodnight." It was easier to talk to Manik.

XXX

Cabir was waiting for him when Manik went to his room. "You went to Nandini's house?", he asked.

Manik nodded and slumped on the bed. He was so tired that every part of him was aching, both external and internal.

"Manik, she is fine. Forget about the morning", told Cabir. "Do you want to check out my new album?" He didn't wait and started explaining the pictures.

Manik couldn't care less. It all went on top of his head. There was someone who wanted to die because of him. The thought of losing a person forever again terrified him. "Cabir, I want to be strong", he whispered, afraid that the inanimate objects in the room would turn on their ears.

Cabir halted in the middle of turning a page. "What?", he asked.

"I want to be strong. Physically and Mentally. I don't want today to repeat again", he told, this time with a determination in his voice.

"Bhai, did Nandini say something to you?"

Manik nodded. "But she is right", he said, hurriedly. "She said she would have died if not for you and I was just standing there like an idiot."

Cabir raised an eyebrow. "And getting beaten up", he pointed out.

Manik snorted. "That isn't an excuse, Cabir. What if, what if I have caused permanent damage for some temporary fear?" He looked at his brother. "Please, help me."

Cabir wrapped his arms around Manik's neck. "Bhai, I love you. I would do anything for you. This is nothing." He broke the hug and brushed Manik's hair away. "Just look how tired you are looking. Take some rest. Go to sleep. We will do this together, yeah? Do you want me to sleep with you?"

"No, I am fine", he said. "Goodnight, Cabir."

XXX

Manik took a shower to relax his head but Nandini's words kept on repeating inside his head. He took out his mobile and scrolled through his contact list. He wanted to change Nandakishore to Nandini but all the what if's in his brain were attacking his sanity and he ended up sending a blank text to the head girl. What he didn't expect was her call within minutes.

"Why didn't you sleep yet?", he asked. She should be sleeping, taking rest.

"You are asking me this after sending me a blank text. What is that message for?", asked Nandini.

"I didn't know what to send."

"Why aren't you asleep yet?", asked Nandini again.

"I apologize for everything that happened today and on that day", he said. He wanted to write it down a million times on a paper or carve it a hundred times on a wood and give it to her. It wouldn't be enough.

"Manik, forget it. Let it go", she told.

"I should be the one telling you that but I guess, I am not even good at this", he chuckled tiredly.

"Manik, you are good at a million things and better than mostly all the people in my life. Stop overthinking things", she said.

Manik didn't quite believe her but didn't argue further. He didn't want to tire her than he already did. He must have zoned out because she confirmed if he was still there on the line. "Yeah. Is it too much to ask if you would be back to normal by tomorrow?", he asked. He knew he was being selfish but everything since the past few days was taking a downhill and he was almost desperate for things to be back to normal.

"Why are you always bothered about me being normal?", she asked. "I found you opening up  more when I am not normal."

Manik sighed. "You are less scary when you aren't normal but I feel as if I am talking to a whole different person. It's not you and it feels as if you are hurting yourself."

He heard Nandini chuckle. "Stop analyzing everything, Einstein. Feelings hurt you badly."

"Are you hurt?", he asked.

"Everyone is hurt, Manik, in this world. You, Cabir, your mom, Mukti, Abhimanyu. Every single person is struggling in life. We live our own lives and we fight our own battles. You know the funniest part of all this? A human always gets hurt by his fellow human. So, never ever blindly trust anyone in life. And stop bothering about me. I have been through worse than this. I will be fine by tomorrow."

He ended the call and drifted to sleep, the head girl's words and voice the last thing on his mind. 

I want to make a point here. You might feel as if Nandini had forgiven him easily but she has her reasons. Next chapter.

I know this isn't a light situation and a girl would never be normal as fast as Nandini did but think, Nandini has seen people worse than this, have been through situations worse than this. (There can't be a greater suffering than knowing and constantly living with fact that your parents hate you. Living through the careless humiliation they assert on her character.) So, yes Nandini would be back to normal sooner than an average girl.

Whereas Manik would take this incident to heart because he hasn't even heard of anything like this. Not being able to save Nandini and unable to fight the people off is part of Manik's character. So, you can't hate him for that. But as I have mentioned, this is a real blow to him and it would help him become our favorite Manik.

Are you up for a question answer session tomorrow on Sunday? You can ask me about the story or the characters or any questions or doubts you have in this regard.