Nandini:- If you are uncomfortable telling me what is bothering you, then it is good for us to take more time to get comfortable with each other. We can’t take this relationship further like this.
Manik doesn’t hear anything except comfort and can’t take this forward, which triggers his fear of losing his loved ones.
Manik:- ( Scaredly ) Are you not comfortable with me?
Nandini:- ( Rolling her eyes, hearing his stupid question ) I was almost half naked back in front of you in the car, and here you are asking me this question. If I ever had a little doubt about you, then I would never have let you climb the ladder in the first place.
Manik understood her, but still, the fear was alive in him. He wanted to stay close to her and cherish her forever. Whereas she struggles and lies down beside him, triggering his insecurities further.
Manik:- ( On the verge of crying ) Don’t go!
Nandini looks at him instantly, hearing his choking voice and caressing his cheek, softly.
Nandini:- I am not going anywhere, Shyboy.
Manik:- (Complaints) Then, why did you come down?
Nandini:- ( Chuckles, hearing his complaining tone ) I thought you would feel uncomfortable under my weight.
Manik:- ( Pouts cutely ) No!... Come back.
Nandini laughs and pecks his lips, shutting his mouth and making his cheeks go red as usual. She giggles seeing her effects on him while he snuggles in her chest like a toddler who seeks his mother’s love. She wrapped her hands around his waist and head, caressing his hair alternatively while he dug his face completely between her breast valley. His hands caged her in his hold as if he was scared to let her go.
Nandini:- If you think that I will forget about the topic of our conversation, then you are highly mistaken, Mr. Malhotra.
Manik pouts cutely because she caught him red-handed again. He looks up to get a clear view of her face, who is adamant to know the other half of the story.
Nandini:- Are you going to say, or I will directly ask your EX?
Manik:- ( Exclaimed scaredly ) No… Don’t go to her, or else she will also snatch you from me.
Nandini:- Shyboy, get this straight in your mind: I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU FOR ANYONE. NOT EVEN WHEN YOU ASK ME.
Manik:- I will not ever ask you to leave me.
Nandini:- ( Sarcastically ) Really? If I was correct, then you are the one who pushed me away, saying I deserve someone rich.
Manik looks down, embarrassed, while she is happy seeing his condition. But she gave him enough time to open up in front of her, and the same happened. He looks at her after 5 minutes with insecurities.
Manik:- Everyone left me alone and called me names. No one asked my side of the story. They believed her only… only because she was rich and a girl.
Nandini:- Trust me, I won’t judge you. I will always stand beside you like your strong pillar to give you strength and love.
With the way he is behaving, Nandini understands that he is traumatized by his past till now. She also knows that it will take some time for her to bring her Shyboy back to life like before. He clutched her hand and kept it on his chest to keep her close to himself.
Manik:- Everything was not right from the time I came into a relationship with her. She keeps showing me the financial differences between us. She never introduced me to her friends or ever cared about the small things I did for her. She wants luxury gifts that I can’t buy. ( Chuckles at his stupidity ) And why would she even care? I was just a boy who would help her to score good marks so that her father wouldn’t send her to Chennai. ( After a pause ) I, being a foolish person, ignored her behavior towards me. I always let it go whenever she makes fun of my clothes or the way I look.
Nandini:- I am sure she is blind because there is nothing in you that anyone doesn’t like.
Manik:- Only you are the one who says this after my mother.
Nandini:- Oh… then, it’s clear, only we have good eyesight.
Manik laughs while she admires his smile.
Nandini:- ( With narrowed eyes ) Hey, don’t distract me by showing your killer smile.
Manik bites his lower lip because of shyness, and she goes all aww on him. She bites his cheek out of love.
Nandini:- I will eat you completely one day.
Manik:- ( Blushingly ) Now, you don’t have to flirt with me. I am already your boyfriend.
Nandini:- Where is it written that you can’t flirt with your boyfriend? ( Sternly ) And you can’t stop me from flirting with my one and only boyfriend. Now, continue your ADHURI PREM GATHA. ( Incomplete love story )
Manik pouts but continues after seeing her stern eyes.
Manik:- After a few months, I… ( Closed his eyes remembering the scene ) I…
Flashback
Manik is walking in the corridor to find his girlfriend to give her a rose, as today they have completed 6 months of their relationship. Suddenly, he stopped in front of an empty classroom, hearing her voice. He is unaware that this day is going to be terrible for him. He opens the door slowly and sees the view that shakes his soul.
His girlfriend is fu*king another guy, who is none other than the talk of the college because of his looks. They stopped seeing him standing there and covered themselves, but no one had any guilt, whereas he was a crying mess.
Manik:- ( Crying ) You… you… cheated me! How could you do that?
The boy:- ( With a smirk ) There are many reasons to cheat on you. So, what do you want to hear first?
Manik didn’t even glance at him as his heart was shattered by the girl whom he claimed to love.
Manik:- ( Looking at Alya ) Why did you do that to me? Where did I lack?
Alya:- ( While rolling her eyes ) Please, get out. I am in no mood to answer your questions right now.
Manik:- But I need my answers.
Flashback end
Nandini:- ( Angrily ) She is the one who was cheating on you, and they are calling you a cheater. Bl**dy bastar*s.
Manik:- ( Surprisingly ) Do you believe me?
Nandini:- Why don’t I? Your eyes convey your emotions better than your words.
He looks at her lovingly and kisses her hand, making her smile.
Manik:- They were dating for the last five months behind my back.
Nandini:- ( Angrily ) That two-timer girl! I will kill her if she comes in front of me.
Manik:- ( Cutely ) Why are you angry?
Nandini:- Why don’t I? She did hurt you and made fun of your emotions.
He felt so blessed to have a girl who believed him without a second thought.
Nandini:- Tell me one thing, didn’t you take a stand for yourself?
Manik:- I was in a state of shock that I skipped college for straight two weeks. And when I reached the college to get the answers from her…
Flashback
Manik is waiting for Alya in the same classroom where he saw her last time with the boy. Testing his patience, she enters with a devilish smile, giving proper negative vibes.
Alya:- I AM PREGNANT.
Manik’s senses stopped working, and just a question came out.
Manik:- What?
Alya:- And, this is your baby.
Manik:- What rubbish! ( Shockingly ) How can this happen when we haven’t…
Alya:- ( With fake tears ) Won’t you accept the baby?
Manik:- Why would I, when we have nothing between us?
Alya:- ( Crying hysterically ) How can you say that? You… You love me, right?
Before Manik could reply, her group of friends entered as per Alya’s master plan and also heard their conversation. They took the whole situation wrongly and blamed him.
Friend 1:- ( Aggressively ) You impregnated her, and now you're saying this is not yours, ridiculous.
Flashback ends
Manik:- She made everyone believe that… that the baby was mine, but it was not. The boy who impregnated her refused to accept the baby. So, she thought to put that on me to save her dignity as everyone came to know that she was pregnant. She didn’t want the child, so she tricked me, showing everyone that I didn't want a baby. She proved herself as a victim and presented me as guilty. I tried everything to prove myself, but no one believed me. Everyone in the college looked at me with disgust, which made me drop my studies after my second year.
Nandini:- Didn’t you file a complaint against her?
Manik:- She is the daughter of a big industrialist. How can I win against her? ( After a pause ) She also blackmailed me that if I ever opened my mouth in front of anyone, then she wouldn’t hesitate and would harm my mother. Now, I have you also. So, I can’t take risks. She can do anything to keep her head high in society.
He looks at her to see her reaction, but she is normal while he continues.
Manik:- After that incident, I lost faith in the word LOVE. But…
To be continued…