Hello Fam :)

Here's the double update. :)

Happy Reading...

As soon as Nandini sat in the car, Manik handed his mobile to her and asked her to enter her address. She said she could tell him the directions but he declined by saying he was more comfortable with the GPS. Nandini noticed he was more silent than usual, not that she knew much about him, but he was biting his lip and a frown was plastered on his forehead.

"Ask away", she said.

He smiled embarrassedly which at least took care of the frown. "Am I that obvious?"

"Very."

He took a deep breath as if preparing himself. "Mukti and Abhimanyu-"

She didn't let him finish his question and passed a glare in his direction. "They are in a relationship. Their parents know about them. So stop judging."

Manik shook his head, glanced at his mobile screen. It was a straight road ahead. "No, I am not judging them. I just thought you were in a relationship with Abhimanyu."

That made her laugh. He was probably the first one to think this about her. "Abhimanyu and I? Are you this bad at imagining? Listen, he is my best friend. He is crazy but he is love. The guy knows me since we were kids. And so does Mukti."

"Wow. Do friendships stay this long?", he mumbled.

"Didn't you have any long term friends?"

Manik looked at her, confusion written all over his face. "No. The only long term best friend is my brother. But sometimes I feel, he too is with me because he had to. Unlike others, he doesn't have an option right."

He smiled but Nandini felt the sadness in it. She frowned at him but didn't comment anything as it was his personal space. She couldn't imagine why would someone like Manik couldn't make a friend. It wasn't the first time she questioned the intentions of his mother. She brushed the thought away. Not all mothers are devils, she reminded herself. "What about back in England? I thought you liked that place."

"I do. They used to tell me they were my friends. I had many friends during exams and assignments but-", he said, casually.

"Friends don't inform you about being friends. They make you feel they are friends with you", she trailed off looking at his smile. It was sad. He knew and still. "Why do you help them when you know they were using you?"

"I can't force someone to be my friend but I wouldn't deny them help when they are in need. What type of a person would that make me if I am calculating my every move?", he said, his smile back to normal.

Nandini nodded. Her mind was working far ahead than its normal speed. Thoughts were forming. Manik was the exact opposite of someone she knew. Calculating their every move and acting only if they get profits out of it. She closed her eyes to close her mind. When it didn't happen, she snapped at him. "Can't we go faster than this speed?"

"I saw a speed limit sign. I suppose there's some school around here", he said, looking around.

"Which school stays open during the night, Manik?", she asked without hiding her sarcasm.

Manik shrugged. "But the rule still holds, right?"

They didn't speak after that. Manik got busy with the route and Nandini replayed his words in her head. He was different from everyone she had met earlier. She returned back to reality when Manik halted after reaching her place. Muttering a good night and a short thanks, she stepped out of the car but held the door open when she realized something and turned around. "Do you know the route to your house?"

Manik shook his head. "No, but I am good with the GPS."

Rolling her eyes, Nandini forwarded her hand. "Give me your mobile." In a heartbeat, when Manik's mobile was in her hands, Nandini scolded him lightly. "Idiot, before handing over your mobile to the first person who asks, try questioning them 'why', yeah?", she said, while scrolling through his mobile, "Brilliant, this doesn't even have a password on it." After successfully glaring at him and typing something on his mobile, she handed it back to him. "That's my number. Message me once you reach home."

Manik nods before taking off for his home. Shaking her head in disbelief, Nandini went to her room. She carelessly threw her bag on the bed and decided to have a shower. Half an hour later, when she returned, she was startled to find her head butler along with the security guard in chief in her room. They had a man in between them, his hands tied to back and his face covered with a black cloth. He looked suspiciously familiar to Nandini.

"What's going on?", she asked in a stern voice. She was tired and didn't want any drama to take place at that point of the night.

The guard stepped forward, his hold still on the person between them. "Ma'am, we were on the rounds when we heard the noises coming from the backside of your room. When we went to check what it is, we saw this boy climbing the pipe which was connected to the balcony of your room. We tied him up but he was pretending to be your friend. If he isn't, we would take care of the situation. We just need your word."

Nandini nodded before asking them to remove the cloth. She got surprised seeing Abhimanyu in front of her. Throwing a glare at them, she removed the tape on his mouth and wiped off the sweat on his face with the help of the towel in her hands.

Abhimanyu sighed in relief and rested his head on her shoulder. "Bro, help me. I don't want to die early."

Nandini rubbed his back and glared at the guard. "Abhimanyu is my best friend. How dare you to tie him up without checking your facts?"

"Ma'am, it's our duty. If he's your friend, he should come using the door. And it's too late in the night. It isn't a time for this visit", the guard spoke.

Nandu gritted her teeth. "Who the hell are you to inform me of the time? This is my bloody house and he is my friend. Either check who you are accusing or you can happily resign and leave."

The guard paled. "Sorry, Ma'am, I didn't mean it that way. It isn't safe and that's what we are paid for. To keep you safe. Henceforth, we will check before repeating our mistakes."

"Leave", she said and dismissed them. As soon as the room was free from unwanted people, she untied Abhimanyu's hand and slapped his head.

"Ouch", he winced, "why did you save me if your intentions are to kill me?"

"You brainless creature, is this adventure necessary? Can't you come straight from the door?"

"Oi. I had brought you this," he protested, showing her a small bottle of wine. "Had I knocked on the door, they would have created a bigger drama."

Nandini crossed her arms across her chest. "Now they didn't?"

"Trust me, babydoll. You are giving more credit to your security than they deserve. They didn't even check my backpack before tying me up which was technically the first thing one should do", he explained.

"And pray tell, why do you think any person working for 'The Murthys' will have even an ounce of the brain in them?", she said and walked to get the glasses for the two of them.

"How come you are late? Didn't you guys leave earlier than us? And I even dropped Mukti home", he asked.

Nandini sighed. "Don't even ask me. I came with the traffic police himself. Speed in limit and following all the rules even when there was no one on the road." Her mobile chose that time to buzz and she asked Abhimanyu to check it while she poured down the wine in their glasses.

He raised an eyebrow, unlocking her mobile. "Since when did you start getting secret messages?"

"Oi. Einstein. If it were a secret message, why would I ask you to check?", she said. She was checking out the movies to go with their drinks.

"Then who's this? 'Reached home' with a smiley'"

She had put the movie on pause. "Save the number. That's Manik. The guy was in England before, I don't know for how many years but he is bad with the directions." She settled down beside him and passed the drink. "Anyways, why did you ditch your girlfriend to come to this hell hole?"

He wrapped an arm around her. "I am here to give you a shoulder to lean on."

Nandini raised an eyebrow. "A shoulder to lean on? I don't remember telling you, I need one?"

He smirked. "Best friend, mujhe woh bhi pata chalta hai jo tu nahi bolti." [I even know things that you don't say]

She slapped his arm. "Abey, Kartik Aryan ka duplicate. I am superb and I don't need any shoulder." She rested her back with the bed. Abhimanyu sat beside her.

"Really? Let's discuss Manik then", he asked.

She twirled her drink before gulping it down. "What about him?"

"How come you are so comfortable around him when it took you years to trust me?"

"It didn't take me years to trust you. For God's sake, you took your admission to my school in fifth grade. How would I even know what trust meant?", she retorted.

Abhimanyu knew perfectly well but he bit back his words. He didn't want to ruin his best friend's already foul mood. "You are avoiding the original question."

"And you are running your brain more than necessary. There's some innocence about Manik that makes me want to protect him", she confessed before narrowing her gaze. "Even you felt the same, and hence, you invited him to your place."

"I agree. But you believe people hide behind the facade of being innocent", he stated.

"Why wouldn't I believe someone who respects even his butler. I met him before he took admission in our college, Abhimanyu. It was an accident. He said sorry even when I was at fault." All her conversations about Manik from her drive an hour back surfaced through her mind. Nandini shook her head. "There's something fishy about him, Abhi."

"Fishy?"

"He lets people use him for their own selfish reasons. He doesn't have any friends. He didn't question his mom when she asked him to move to India without giving him a reason. People go there to study and he came back to Mumbai. I bet, she wanted to keep an eye on him. Otherwise-", she was cut off when Abhimanyu shook her.

"We aren't going there, yeah? We don't know who his mom is. We can't jump to conclusions about unknown people, right, Nandu?", he said as if explaining to a child.

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. A smile made its way when he ran his hand through her hair. "Why is everything about Manik today. Let's watch the movie", she muttered into his shoulder.

Between watching movies and trolling the logics of Bollywood, they managed a few hours of sleep. 

A/N - Answers will be revealed. People are going to make entry. We are just on chapter 6, things will make sense as we further go deeper into the story. :)

Spoiler - A few new entries in the next chapter. Guess who? 🙈