Hustle For Love |COMPLETE| MaNan Fiction

3. The One Where We Talked Heart To Heart

A/N : Hello peeps, I am literally heartbroken here to see such low readership to a story that I am writing with so much love! I almost didn't have the heart to continue, but then I saw some of you commenting and really appreciating it - this post is just for you guys! I love you :) and I am still hoping more readers will give this a chance :)

Happy Reading! :)

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S.P.A.C.E. Academy, New York circa 2011

(Nandini's bedroom, S.P.A.C.E. Residency)

Nandini Murthy

It was way past midnight and out and beyond my bedtime; yes right, I have a bedtime too, I mean of course, I need at least nine hours of sleep every night to keep the skin healthy and glowing and keep away from dark circles forming around my eyes. I'm particular that way. Okay, before I digress further, like always, let's get to the why part of things; like, why am I up this late. So, since I just got to know I am leaving for India, anybody heard of the word packing? You hate it, but you gotta do it!

I was thinking of all the possible explanations I was going to give 'chacha', 'chachi' for my sudden return, after shoving my professional ethics story on everyones' face a few days back, when I got startled hearing a knock on my door. That was strange, ever since the holidays, no one ever knocked on my door, especially at two thirty in the morning? I tiptoed towards the door and peeped through the eye-hole. Manik? I thought he'd still be hanging out with his uber cool friends or lying wasted on his bed, what was he doing here, at the doorstep of conservative commoners? Dramatic much, good. He deserves it. Jerk.

Exhaling deeply, I opened the door to find him standing outside, arms locked across his chest, with a frown on his face.

"What's up?" I tried to sound casual, but there was this intense desire, to shake him by the shoulders, inside me. Why one may ask, but my answer to that is, I have no clue. Just the memory of him with other more happening friends, having a great time seemed to irk be in a crazy dysfunctional way. He completely ignored the greetings and continued to stare into my eyes for a few moments more, before replying.

"What's with the sudden change of plans?" he asked me darkly, as I stepped aside and let him enter my room. Eeks, he's here for the first time! Shut-up Nandu, this is no time for butterflies.

"Just. Guess I want to go home now" I mumbled, not meeting his eyes. Trust this strange man, to turn my excitement of going home to mud, in just one freaking sentence.

"Just like that?" he asked, with his back facing me, as he was now busy running his eyes over the mess that was my room right now. There were clothes all around, on the bed, hanging on the chair, on my study table, some packed inside my giant suitcase that lay sprawled open on my bed.

"Hmm" I replied, watching him, as his eyes froze at one particular corner of my bed; my gaze followed him, to find a few of my lingeries lying around in that corner! I shut my eyes in embarrassment before I quickly made a dash and shoved my towel on them to hide them from his vision!

"Hey, that's personal!" I called out in indignation, only to find the corner of his lips twitch into a small smirk for a moment before it went back to its default settings of a frown. I rolled my eyes and sighed, my packing needed to wait; I came near him and grabbed his wrist, as he looked down at our hands in confusion. I ignored his questioning look, as I pulled him out of my room and we headed to the kitchen. It was much better here, away from my lingeries! Hmph.

Manik let me pull him to the kitchen without complaining, only staring at me in a strange way all the time; and as we reached the kitchen, and I automatically moved to make the coffee, he spoke again. I may be wrong, but I think he sounded a bit vulnerable.