Tales of the Heart

Chapter 21

Ting! Tong!

The doorbell of Malhotra Mansion rang. 

"Nandini and Avneet is here maybe." Manik said, looking at the time.

"Go and open the door." Siddharth smiled. 

Manik walked to open the door. As soon as he opened the door, he found Nandini and Avneet were literally huffing standing outside.  

Manik was confused seeing them in that state. "Why are you both panting like this? What happened?"

Nandini and Avneet hurriedly came inside and closed the door. 

"Who's here, Manik?" Siddharth came out. He was also confused seeing them like that. He looked at Manik who shrugged his shoulders having no idea of what was happening. "Nandini! Avneet! What happened to both of you? Is there anything wrong?"

Avneet didn't say anything. She hugged Manik and started sobbing. Manik could feel her trembling too. He could see tears slipping from her eyes. Now he almost panicked seeing them in that state. "What happened, Avneet? Tell me." He softly caressed her hair.

"Manik bhai... I... We... Wh...." 

Avneet couldn't say anything. She was sobbing badly. Nandini was standing at one side quietly. She was scared too. She was thinking what if they couldn't run away from there, then what would have happened to both of them! The mere thought was enough to make her shiver like hell. 

"Bhai is here. Calm down." He patted her back trying to make her relax who was shivering till now.

Sid went close to Nandini. "Nandini, clear the matter. What's wrong? What happened? Why is Avneet so scared?"

"When we were coming here, we were crossing the road beside park, suddenly...." She narrated the whole incident to both of them.

"What!" Manik and Siddharth both shirked together hearing the whole scene. It was difficult for both of them to believe this.

"This happened in the road beside park! I can't believe this." Siddharth nodded not knowing what to say further.

Nandini sighed. "I know but it's the truth only. I also do not understand why such thing happened suddenly to a place like Windy Lane! There must be something huge behind this."

"Hmm!" Manik frowned. Whatever Nandini said, he was also thinking of the same matter. He had a feeling that all this didn't happen just like that, there must be someone behind this and the name he had in his mind, he didn't even want to think of it. "This same matter is making me think too and why would they want to kidnap you both all of a sudden in between thousand of girls around? On top of that they have dared to enter into a secured area like Windy Lane!"

"We'll think of this later. Now come inside and sit." Siddharth asked them to go inside. "Also I don't think we should say this to aunty right now. She would be worried."

They nodded and settled in the hall. 

"Nandini, go and meet mom else she would guess that there's something wrong that's why you didn't go to her."

Nandini nodded and inhaled a deep breath. She plastered a smile on her face after relaxing her nerves a little. "Mumma, we're here."

Neelima came out hearing Nandini's voice. "Finally you're here. The house feels empty without you." She kissed on Nandini's forehead who closed her eyes feeling the motherly warmth in the touch. "But why're you both so late?"