Reality Ever After

Part 43. The First Compromise

Hello People,

How are all of you? One again, thank you so so much for your comments on the previous chapters and apologies for not replying to all individually. I will definitely be try and reply to all of you this week. But I'm always overwhelmed to see all of you so involved in the story and feel for every character. Please keep the comments, debates and the opinions coming. I love reading them all.

Here's one more chapter. I hope you all like it!
-SV

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The hospital visiting hours were just over and Mukti had offered to stay with Navya for the night. The rest of them were dispersing back to their homes, deciding on meeting the next day. Manik had also shared Nandini's plan of getting all baby things with Mukti, Alya and Dhruv and all of them had decided to meet up the next morning to shop before they got the baby home.

After bidding a goodbye to everyone, Manik and Nandini were on their way home in the car. There was silence in the car, both not knowing how to broach the topic. Nandini wanted to ask him his version of the story. But again, she wasn't in the right state of mind herself currently. She had too much going on in her head to think straight. She was a little disappointed, a little angry, a little worried and a little protective, all at the same time and she didn't want to land up saying something she'd regret later or hurt Manik in any way. But she also knew that the sooner she had this conversation with Manik, the better. They wouldn't get any time to discuss this tomorrow as they first had to go shopping with everyone and then decorate Cabir's apartment to welcome the new born baby. Hence, she decided against procrastination and asked him upfront.

Nandini - Are we going to talk about it?

Manik knew what she was referring to but he didn't want to talk about it right now. Hence, he was trying to avoid the topic.

Manik - About what?

Nandini - You know what.

Manik - No. I don't.

Nandini - You can just say if you don't want to talk about it. I won't ask again.

Manik mentally smacked his head. Who was he kidding. He knew pretending in front of Nandini was a lost cause. She could see right through him.

Manik - Nandini... it's not like that. There's nothing really to discuss. I just decided to do the album. There was a penalty of 50 lakh rupees if we didn't. And it'll be very difficult for everyone to get that kind of money if we don't do the album. Especially Cabir. You know that.

Nandini - So are you saying that you looked at each and every clause of the contract and then confirmed there was no way out? And that's why you decided to do it?

Manik - No. I haven't looked at it yet. But I will look at it and see if we can do anything about those clauses that they've put in.

Nandini - And Harshad had nothing to do with the decision you made?

Manik - What? No. Why would Harshad have anything to do with it?

Nandini - Because we discussed this thing in the morning. And you were not willing to do the album that time. So the only thing that changed between this morning and now is your conversation with Harshad.

Manik - No. you're getting it all wrong. Yes, Harshad and I argued. But we always do that. He's not the reason I agreed.

Nandini - Then what made you agree to do this album?

Manik - My friends. What else? You know Cabir and Mukti needed it. But once I said yes, Dhruv and Alya also came around. Tumhe pata hai, Dhruv actually stepped up towards resolving the whole thing between us.