MaNan : Only Fools Fall For You

11. The Longing Dance

As he informed Navya, Manik resumed his work and took the night shift as he told. His team including Nandini, everyone followed the same timetable and as they were no surgeries scheduled, they all checked and examined the patients that are admitted. 

Dr. Manik gave his team a little break as they all worked in the morning shift too except for his junior assistant.

Nandini assisted him when he went through all the records and quickly worked with other cases that he missed in the last two days.

Somehow every staff got to know that Dr. Manik fell sick and that's why he took leave suddenly. So, whenever a staff walked past Manik in corridors, they stopped in tracks and enquired about his well-being. And her senior also politely responded to them all by saying that he is absolutely fine now, and he gave them his signature prince smile.

Nandini just followed him silently and wondered how does he act that naturally? 

Like just before he got suspicious of her just because she took care of him and confronted her rudely. But now here, he is smiling and saying thanks for worrying about his health to the people he barely knows. 

Also, if he smiles at everyone politely then why can't he treat her the same?

Why is he living like this? In reality, he is pure evil hiding under that prince behavior. And why there is no one taking care of him? He fell sick yet he didn't call anyone and didn't get any calls from anyone else. What about his friends? And that girl whom she saw on that day?

Also, why can't Nandini just stop thinking about him?

At last, they went into her senior's office room and Nandini followed him with the reports, Manik placed his stethoscope on the table as he settled into the chair tiredly. Apparently taking a leave for two days suddenly leaves you with so much work to catch up with.

After a minute or so, Manik noticed Nandini just standing there and staring at him blankly with a file in her hands. She is awfully silent, today. And that means only one thing, she has something in her mind, and she is unsure of asking it.

"If you want to ask something, ask. Or else you're free to leave", Manik said knocking out from her deep thoughts. She has so many questions in her mind to ask him. But she didn't know how he knew that she indeed has something to ask him. 

Is she that transparent?

Nandini looked at the chair before him but didn't settle in that instead she choose to stand near that chair, "I'm just wondering why there is no one else to look after you when you were sick?", she asked feeling nervous. Because she doesn't know how he will take this as Manik hates when someone tries to pry into his private life. No one really knows about him that much.

But looks like Manik did not get that offended by her question nor he got annoyed and dismissed her. He answered, "I live alone",  he casually shrugged.

Yes, Nandini knew that by now that he lives alone, it is pretty clear when she visited his house. And this is not the answer she wants, she asked him that question to know about whether there is someone in his life, like is he with anyone now?

Nandini licked her lips as she felt even more nervous in asking the second question but there are no signs of irritation on her senior's face yet and that encouraged her to ask him, might ask now when he is in a good mood. "I mean, you're not seeing anyone?", there she asked him.

Manik stared at her in confusion as like where she got that idea and why is she asking him about his personal life status suddenly, "No, I am single", he answered as he stared at her face.