Nandini:- Please baba Ji… MERE SHY BOY ko safe rakhna and thodi akal bhi dena. ( Please God, Keep MY SHY BOY safe and give him a little brain too. )
Manik pouts and looks at her with red eyes, but does she care about his anger? He knows the answer, that is a big No. While she ignores him totally and takes out a small pendant from her bag.
Nandini:- Shy boy, I also bought this for you. This is an evil eye reflector. ( Cutely ) Should I make you wear this?
Manik nods, hiding his moist eyes. Today, he has no words to describe how he feels when he sees these little gestures, whereas Nandini comes near him and makes him wear that pendant while saying.
Nandini:- I hope this pendant will keep you safe from every danger when I’m not beside you.
Suddenly, those last words of hers stirred something in his heart. He turns around in an instant and pulls her with a jerk, sticking their fronts with each other. For the first time, he used his stern tone with her, surprising her.
Manik:- Where were you going away from me? ( Pointing at the pendant ) I don’t want this if you won’t stay with me. I WANT YOU, NOT THIS PENDANT, TO KEEP THOSE EVIL EYES AWAY.
For a second, Nandini felt good and noticed different emotions in his eyes and in his tone, as well as his possessiveness for her! He can do anything for her, but the mere thought of her not staying with him killed him brutally.
Nandini:- ( Palmed her face ) uff… Where do I go, leaving my Shy boy all alone?
She asks cutely, but Manik doesn't melt and looks away to avoid her. Now she understood that her Shy boy was angry with her, but she didn’t know why. She looks at their position, which warms her heart with immense love.
Unknowingly, they are both standing so close to each other that their breath is mingling. Both are aware of their proximity, but no one is ready to break that touch of theirs, or Manik is not ready to let go of her. He is scared that if he leaves her, she will leave him, as others always do, because of her introverted nature.
But he is not aware of the fact that HIS FIREBALL is irrevocably in love with him. She won’t go anywhere because she is a hell of a possessive girl.
With a naughty smile, Nandini pulled him even closer through his elbow, and in an instant, his heartbeat increased when their chest collided with each other, giving him the feel of her bust. He looks down at her shorter frame, and time stops for him. He knows what he felt for her is real and beyond his expectations, but today he finds the same feelings in her eyes, too. ARE THOSE EMOTIONS FOR HIM? The same question is running through his mind.
Suddenly, he remembered that he was angry with her, and, like an innocent child, he turned his face away, moving a little back, showing his tantrums to her. Nowadays, he is showing a lot of tantrums to her as his heart knows that she will pamper him and will bear all his tantrums.
Nandini giggles beautifully, seeing Manik’s tantrums with that innocent pout intact on his lips. If she had time, then she would eat him raw right now. But now she is running out of time, she smiles slightly and moves ahead, cupping his cheeks. She placed her soft, petal-like lips on his rough cheek. The kiss was soft and full of emotions that anyone could read. In response, he closes his eyes in bliss while his cheeks turn red with blush.
Nandini moves back after a while and doesn’t know what comes over Manik that he forwards his other cheek for another kiss. He was never a boy who would share such romantic moments with anyone, but right now, this feels correct. THEIR KISS FEELS RIGHT, THEIR CLOSENESS FEELS RIGHT, THEIR INTIMACY FEELS RIGHT. In short, THEY FEEL RIGHT!
His move brings shock to Nandini. If she won't be a strong-headed girl, then her eyeballs will come out of their sockets seeing HER SHY BOY doing what he is not made for. Nevertheless, she kisses his other cheek with the same emotion, making his heart flutter with happiness.
Finally, she moved back after a minute, and both felt butterflies in their stomachs as they shared their FIRST-EVER CHEEK KISS.
Nandini:- Good luck, Shy boy. Go and rock the stage! Make me proud!
Manik nods, red cheeks not meeting her eyes from shyness, and looks down to hide his blush while Nandini notices a faint lipstick mark on his cheek that no one would notice until they come into his private space. But not everyone comes there, as it’s her territory.
She raised her hand to wipe the lipstick stain from his cheeks, which Manik caught in mid. He gives her a cute, innocent smile and says.
Manik:- Don’t!
Nandini:- Shy boy, there is my lip mark on your cheek. I have to erase it…
Manik:- I know but…Don’t rub it. ( Sweetly ) Let it be with me as your good luck wishes.
Nandini looks at him with wide eyes. Today, she is seeing a different Shy boy, a replica of her original Shy boy, but his behavior is totally against his nature.
Nandini:- Shy boy, anyone can see it, and it won’t look good.
Manik:- ( Cutely ) Are you scared of anyone?
Nandini:- No!
Manik:- Then, I don’t care. It’s your good luck, and it is too light. No one can see it.
Nandini nods, still lost in the moment, and he hears the announcement of his name. He has to leave right now, but he chose to complete one incomplete task before going onstage.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at his Fireball. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek while murmuring a thank you. He has the urge to bite her chubby cheek, but he stops his heart anyhow. In a second, he walks out of the room without meeting her eyes, his cheeks red, the deepest shade after his stunt.
Here, Nandini looks at his retreating figure with wide eyes and stumbles. She never expected that her shy boy would take this bold step.
Nandini:- HE FREAKING KISSED ME!... ( Looking at the ceiling with an adorable pout ) God, today I just asked you to give some brain to my Shy boy so that he can see my feelings… but… But what did you do to MY ORIGINAL SHY BOY?
It’s true that she went to the temple today and wished that HER SHY BOY would understand her feelings and love her as much as she does. She wished for his success and also wished to give them a happy future if they were meant to be. But she didn’t know that her god would fulfill her wish in an hour.
Practically god didn’t just fulfill her wish, he just changed her shy boy, which she couldn’t expect.
Nandini:- I understand that you want the best for me ( Cribs ), but… I want my ORIGINAL and OLD SHY BOY back.
The god was like, “What have I done?”
Nandini:- ( sheepishly ) But… I love this SHY BOY 2.0 too.
She squeals like a teenager looking at her reflection in the mirror. Unknowingly, her hand goes to the place where he kissed, and she could not stop herself from caressing the same cheek. After a second, the realization dawned upon her, making her laugh wholeheartedly.
Nandini:- Now my Shy boy will not meet my eyes for a week. ( Going aww on him ) Haye…. MY BLUSHY SHY BOY!
On the other hand, Manik too bites his lower lip and caresses his cheek while climbing the stairs to reach the stage. He is blushing and also thinking of an excuse to avoid her until he gets over his shyness, as expected by Nandini.
He heard the roar of the thousands of people as soon as he reached the stage, and all of a sudden, his calmness left him, but he composed himself for the sake of his parents and NANDINI, who invested her precious time into him.
Manik:- ( determined ) Manik, you have to do it! For Mumma-Papa and Fireball.
Giving a charming smile to the audience, he sits on the chair that is present in the middle of the stage and fixes mike according to his needs while adjusting his guitar in his lap. The audience is going crazy to hear a new voice, while Manik’s ex-friends are ready to throw tomatoes at him after hearing his crap song.
For a change, most of the girls are crushing over his looks and smile, which he didn’t care about.
He closed his eyes and opened them only to find the three most important people in his life standing in the front row, only for him. They are none other than his parents and Nandini. Seeing them, all the nervousness went down the drain, and a sudden confidence boosted him. He tunes his guitar and his fingers wander on the strings, making the auditorium silent.
Some of the girls were impressed by the way his fingers create music, while some were eager to hear his voice. The boys are also lost in the charm of his music and just swing their bodies according to the beats.
When Manik sings the first line of his song, the crowd freezes. It didn’t take much time for Manik to impress anyone except his ex-friend, who was looking at him in shock.
Alya:- How can he sing so well?
Her boyfriend:- I am thinking the same… He was a coward then… How can he sing beautifully in front of thousands of people?
They didn’t come out of the shock, but Manik completed his first song, which is based on friendship. The auditorium goes mad after hearing a song they can relate to 200 percent.
He opens his eyes and looks at his mother and Nandini, who are murmuring prayers silently, which makes him happy. He roams his eyes, and the loud squeals go higher, giving him his confidence back. He loved all the shouts and squeals which made him realize that HE IS NOT USELESS, HIS TALENT IS NOT USELESS.
Today, he understood that he will achieve his dream of becoming a rockstar because this time he has his lucky charm, HIS FIREBALL, with him, who will show him the right path.
To be continued…