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It was almost two months since their conversation at the beach and Manik stored the memory hidden from the world. The only other person who knew about it was Nandini and she acted as if she hadn't said the words. It was fine with Manik. Nandini and he were polar opposite and while at nineteen, Manik was still figuring out human interaction, he didn't want to get into relationships as of yet. He had seen enough relationships of Cabir to decide, it wasn't meant for him. Fortunately for him, Nandini has nothing to do with it too.

Hence, they ignored the day and went back to being the friends they were but sometimes, when Nandini was too angry to reply with her usual comebacks, the days when she felt more tired than usual and it took more than a chocolate to bring a genuine smile on her face, Manik wondered, would it be better if they were in a relationship. She could have another home to come too but for it to happen, his mom should agree for it and Manik never had a conversation with his mother about Nandini.

Tomorrow was the last semester exam for Cabir and during the vacations, he was planning for a safe adventure for the first weekend with their friends. His brother said he would inform Nyonika and it was better if they didn't explicitly mention Nandini's presence since they would be staying for two days but Manik felt otherwise. Nandini wasn't one of his bad habits that he needed to hide it from his mother. As Manik was already done with his exams and Cabir was doing some last-minute studying, he found himself knocking at his mother's door.

"Don't tell me you need new books for the vacations already", she teased as a greeting. "You were with your books till today."

Manik chuckled and took his seat on the couch. "I want to talk to you about our vacations if you are free."

Nyonika closed her laptop and set it aside. She abandoned her chair to sit beside Manik. "You look troubled", she told.

"Cabir is planning a weekend outing with our friends in some forest", he told with a smile on his face.

Nyonika chuckled. "I understand your need to be troubled", she said. "You don't want to go?"

"Last semester, he said I need to get out of my shell and play with my fears or something equally dramatic", he told and they laughed. It was exactly what Cabir would say to blackmail someone to go on a trip with him. "I am afraid of forests and I wanted to see if I could hold on myself for two days."

"You don't have to prove to someone but if you really want to go, go ahead. At least you will have an experience", said Nyonika.

Manik nodded. "I wanted to talk about something else, actually", he told and took a deep breath. "Nandini Murthy, she is my friend and she is coming on this trip too." Manik saw the moment the smile on his mother dropped and he waited for her to break the silence first.

"I feel better that you told me instead of hiding it", she said after some time.

"I never wanted to hide it from you. I never had any friends and she became my friend accidentally. I didn't know then about our companies not getting along. I was afraid of your reaction", he confessed.

"What has changed now?"

"I don't want you to feel, I am hiding our friendship from you. It's insulting both you and Nandini", he told. His mom nodded but otherwise didn't say anything. "I could convince Cabir to drop the plan if you don't want us to go."

Nyonika sighed. "No, Manik. You should go. God knows, I would always worry about you if it's up to me", she said. "Coming to Nandini, kid, I don't trust her family and I don't know her enough to differentiate her from them. You never had any friends and Cabir told me that the ones you have now make you feel safe and comfortable, including Nandini. That's enough for me as of now. I can't control your life based on society or our businesses but I am warning you. You have met her family. Hence, be careful. Okay? One scratch on you, I would burn their company. It's a simple deal."

Manik nodded. Even if it sounded scary, that's how Nyonika Malhotra dealt with people.

"You are nineteen and smart enough to differentiate the good from bad", said Nyonika. "You don't need my approval to choose your friends. It's your life and I would only interfere if you are in trouble."

She sounded different and Manik frowned. "Just because I have friends and I have started coming out of my shell, doesn't mean I don't want you in my life. I could have a hundred friends but you are my family and my best woman."

"You sweet talker", she teased and punched his arm. "Come here." She pulled him into a hug. "I am not going out of your life. It's just that, I am trusting you to take care of your life. I am always there whenever you need me, even if you have achieved everything in the world or if the whole world is against you, one word from you and I am there."

Manik nodded into her shoulder. "Thank you", he muttered faintly.

Half an hour later when Manik returned to his room, the first thing he did was to change the contact name of Nandakishore to Nandini.

XXX

The group had first checked in a hotel near the forest where the boys shared a room and girls another. After refreshing, they packed their bags and went for a trek. It took them half an hour for them to reach the place Cabir suggested. They had set up the tents. Manik, Nandini, and Mukti collected the wood for lighting up the fire and preparing their food since Abhimanyu was the only one who knew how to cook food after Cabir mysteriously disappeared. He came back after two hours, flaunting his pictures of the night sky.

"Okay, did you take us to use as your servants? All I did since coming here is cutting woods, vegetables and whatnot", complained Nandini.

"I hate cooking", whined Mukti.

"I don't know how to cook", told Manik.

"I am the only one who is cooking here", informed Abhimanyu.

Cabir smirked at everyone. "Do you think my work is easy? We do everything."

"Kid, you are the most hardworking person but I know for a fact that mom threatened you to throw you out of the house if you try cooking", said Manik.

He glared. "Bhai, where are you getting all the wrong information from?"

Before Manik could either feel bad on behalf of his brother and pacify him, Nandini picked up a pebble and threw it at the younger twin. "Did you plan anything else except cooking and flaunting your experience of spending your days in the forests?"

Cabir rolled his eyes and threw back the pebble at her. "Yes, I did. We are stargazing as it's already getting dark. I have found an area nearby. We can set up the telescope and take a few photographs. Tomorrow morning, I will show you the glorious fauna of the forest, we will spend time here and return to respective houses by the end of the day."

"Glad", she told.

XXX

Surprisingly, it was Cabir who knew the names of random stars in the sky as he pointed them out. It was the first time when Nandini saw the most passionate side of his. She finally understood why Manik had fiercely argued to allow Cabir to go for his internship with his mother. Cabir had mentioned it to her once.

"Why can't we see them in the city?", asked Nandini.

"The light pollution in the city is too much and only a handful of stars are visible. Here the artificial illumination is less, hence more number of stars", explained Cabir.

"Right", muttered Nandini and rubbed her forehead.

While Cabir was busy explaining about some moons of Jupiter to Mukti and Abhimanyu, Nandini pulled Manik beside her. "Do you agree with your brother's need to have these dark night adventures in this forest?", she asked him.

"But the stars are beautiful", protested Manik. "Even if they are only hot balls of gases, they are sending us the photons from so many light-years away. How cool is that?"

"Malhotra, don't go all nerd on me after your brother's lecture", she told.

When it was her turn to look at the moons, the clouds had overshadowed them. Instead of getting disappointed, Cabir pointed the telescope towards Saturn and showed her the rings of the planet. If Nandini felt it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen, Cabir didn't have to know. She was just helping him keep his ego in check.

When Manik burst out laughing all of a sudden, she shushed him. Really, the boy's observation skills were amazingly stupid.

XXX

Cabir was waiting for a constellation to rise which was scheduled to be in an hour. Since the activities throughout the day had tired the rest of them, they had decided to wrap up. Leaving him with the telescope, the rest of the four returned to the place where they had set up their tents.

Abhimanyu wrapped an arm around her. "Why don't you and Mukti share this one? The boys can bunk in together."

Nandini thought for a minute and bit her lip. "Why don't you bunk in with Mukti? I can share the tent with Cabir and Manik. She will be visiting her cousins after this and you wouldn't meet her till college."

"Nandini, it's fine. We were all together since morning, right?", he told.

She hugged him sideways, avoiding his eyes pointedly. "I don't want to be the person to keep you apart. I am sorry for rubbing my opinions on you."

"Nandini", he scolded but then sighed. "Does that mean you have changed your opinion on love?", he said, smirking.

She elbowed him in the ribs. "No. But I can be considerate. I am sorry I haven't believed in your love for Mukti even if I know you are one of my best persons. It's not my place to question it."

He wrapped her into his arms. "Stop getting emotional on me. I understand why it's tough for you to believe it and let's not ruin our vacation by talking about them."

They stayed like that for some time and when Manik and Mukti returned after setting up the other tent, she had joined the group hug as per tradition. Abhimanyu and Nandini together reached for Manik blindly to pull him into the hug.

XXX

"We can stay here until Cabir comes", suggested Manik.

They were standing in front of the bigger tent. Mukti and Abhimanyu had called it a day. It was a tiring day. "Manik, I am sorry", said Nandini.

"You don't have to feel sorry for the things you aren't comfortable with."

"No, you idiot. Listen to me", she scolded him. "I shouldn't have behaved like the way I did on that day. It wasn't your fault and you were just helping me."

"But I did exactly the same thing that you asked me not to. You had to confess your fears in front of everyone."

"And I realized it wouldn't change how my friends look at me. Even if I did, they are my friends and I chose them. They have made me smile a lot of times, so, I guess it's okay if I share it with them, yeah?", she told. She felt the awkwardness in her words. It was uncomfortable talking about trust and love and feelings out loud. Thankfully, Manik understood without her having to explain to him further.

He smiled at her. "Sometimes, the memories they provide are worth every pain they might cause you in the future. It's a big 'might'. If they are defeating every fate to stay with you, instead of the pain, you would earn them for a lifetime", said Manik.

Nandini was taken aback by his words. She realized she wouldn't want any other way with her friends and she didn't care about the pain. Who would even get her another set of friends, the ones who would be a major part of her life? Who would even bring another Manik, pure and untouched by cruel miseries of life? She sighed. The boy had done it again. Putting her inhibitions into a new light and breaking them into simpler pieces that were easy to accept than when they were inside her head. "Are these your lines?", she teased and was thrilled as his face turned red in an instant. Manik looked like a precious gemstone under the full moonlight, the one which she wanted to preserve.

Suddenly, Nandini got an idea and it's nothing wrong to take his help in sorting her out. She stepped into the tent. It was larger than the other one and Cabir would be joining them soon but before that Nandini sat comfortably on her side as Manik took his place, cross-legged and facing her. She would be glad to have Manik's perspective because he made things simpler.

"Will you sort something out for me?", asked Nandini. When Manik nodded, she continued. "I have followed your advice about learning a new hobby and tried various things. Yoga was refreshing. Martial arts were relaxing. I tried painting but even if I couldn't turn my hand around meaningfully, the splashing of colors is fun. I am not touching books. Whatever I do, I have learned something new but I haven't enjoyed it to the fullest. I have seen you reading books or Cabir after he comes from an assignment. I have seen Mukti coding. All you guys glow with happiness when you do something you love and I couldn't find anything for me."

Manik brows furrowed. "I had expected this", he muttered to himself. "You are good at many things but you have to choose that one thing which you love the most."

Nandini felt the hope bubble inside her. Could Manik provide her an idea to give her some parent-free hours inside her head?

"Can you give me some time, please?", he asked.

She nodded and when Manik took out his novel, she knew the discussion was over and scrolled through her mobile until Cabir returned. The younger boy flopped beside Manik and rested his head on his brother's shoulder. Manik didn't wander his gaze from his book but there was a hand in Cabir's hair. Nandini thought they were cute and squashed the thought away when Cabir smirked at her. If they had argued after that, Manik didn't notice anything.

XXX

The next day, Cabir took them to a small trek. When they reached their final destination, there were trees all around but the clearing in the middle had a small lake. He positioned his camera around his neck. "Okay, guys", he whispered, "remember the instructions. Play dead and enjoy the treasure before you. Dead do not move or make noise."

"Thank you for telling us for the 1064th time, kid", retorted Manik.

For the first time in the history of their meeting together, Nandini saw Cabir backing off from an argument with just a roll of his eyes. She patted Manik's back silently.

The birds flew to the lake, probably for water. The variety of them was blowing her mind. More than half of them were some species of the alien kind. Nandini hadn't ever known such species existed. But then, she wasn't someone to keep a track of all the fauna of the forests in and around the city. She peered a glance at Cabir. He had the utmost concentration as he 'played dead' without moving. The occasional faint shutter of his camera was the only sound as they held their breaths to witness something so simple yet captivating.

Once, they were done, the swarm flew one by one and then all together to wherever they wanted to go.

"Great going guys", said Cabir, once he stopped clicking the pictures. "I never knew you could sit quietly at least for a moment."

"Look who's talking?", muttered Mukti and threw a dried twig at him.

Abhimanyu pulled out the packaged food they had brought with them.

"You said there would be animals around", said Manik. There was a frown on his head.

Cabir grinned, all teeth. "I wouldn't be throwing you out in the King's den on your first outing, bhai."

"Dude, did you seriously address the lion as King?", asked Nandini. When Cabir's grin got wider, she looked at Manik. "There's seriously something wrong with your brother's head." None of them could hold back their laughter when Manik nodded grimly as if he believed it wholeheartedly.

XXX

It was in the evening when everyone went to their hotel rooms. Since they didn't plan to stay for long, they were sharing it, boys and girls. Mukti was taking a shower and Nandini was packing her things when there was a knock on her door. She found Manik on the other side. "Hey", she greeted him.

"I thought about what you said", he said, "about the hobby."

Nandini crossed her fingers. Manik said he needed some time but she didn't think he would actually think about it.

"Since we have established you are good at everything you do, we have to find something that makes you happy, accomplished, or that you are doing work."

Nandini didn't think she was good at everything she did but didn't interrupt him.

"I have an idea", continued Manik. "How about you study your prospective business partners?"

"What?", she asked.

"You don't love anything more than you love your company. You keep tabs of people who could be harming your business or potential threats. How about you study them willingly? The companies that are in the same line as yours and different ones, if you are interested. This way, you can have them at your fingertips, their businesses, their profits, and all the underground scam", he explained.

Nandini thought about it. It was nice. It would also be useful when she takes over the company and she could keep a tab on the companies associated with Murthy Industries for long, especially the ones that came after her grandfather's death. "This is brilliant, Manik."

He blushed and shifted his weight from one foot to another. "This can be temporary until you find something else."

She nodded but Nandini already had a few names to start with. "Thank you", she told him. 

So, I have noticed something. Manik doesn't compliment Nandini. He talks as if the compliments are a part of her personality. As if he genuinely believes it. :)

There's a glimpse of Nyonika as Manik and Cabir's mother. You will find her more in the sequel. After Manik, she too had grown out of her shell along with him. She had started opening up to her kids. 

The rest is just a filler because I can't put only Nyonika in here. 

We are at the end of Manik's 2nd year and Cabir's first. One more chapter to go before the epilogue and I haven't written it yet. Once that's written, I will post it along with the epilogue. Epilogue is done already. Next update might be tomorrow or Saturday, whenever I could finish the next one. :P