PLAYBOY[Manan's Ff]

chapter 50

Nandini's POV

After preparing Prasad, we both left to temple. He was a little distant. He didn't talk much , the playfulness was all gone. Pooja started while we entered the mandap. I went to Mom, and she ushered us to sit with them.We both sat behind them. At first, I was doing pranam saying mruntunjaya mantra watching abhishek for lord shiva. The space is filled with pleasant fragrances, and with the mantras chanting, it was like heaven.

Beside me, he was not adjusting to the temple's atmosphere. That's when he pulled out his mobile and started browsing. Seeing it , I glared at him and tried to take mobile. But it was no use as he held his hand higher.

That's when Mom said," Silent." Leaving him,I started watching pooja.I woke up suddenly from my sleep when the pandit sprinkled some water on me.All the three of them are laughing wide.I felt terribly embarrassed closing my face with my hands.

Then everyone got up to do pradakshina, but I was least interested in doing it .He was doing it with Mom and Aunt while I started doing slowly. After all, I felt sleepy all again.He asked me to come fast as I'm too slow like a snail. But then he opened his mobile and showed the photo while me sleeping in it. It's not me that makes me angry,the filter he used is ...I'm angry is not a statement, I 'm enraged.It's not a single photo. They're more with many filters. I glanced at sideways to see whether anyone saw it.One is defaming my face, and one photo was of large teeth, and another was of me like a horse....it was not a few but many. He was a few steps before me. Showing me he was moving forward. I shouted at him, Mr.Manik Malhotra, you'll be dead in my hands today.He ran before I could, held him.The temple was huge. He was touching all the idols while running. Seeing him, I, too, prayed all idols to make him surrender to me.

While Mom and Aunt came to stop, he too stopped and said, "Stop..stop.. I will give it to you,"and gave me his mobile. I glanced at him to open his mobile. Later, he unlocked the mobile and gave it to me.

I deleted all my photos that are bad. But it was a single photo that looked so cute in which I leaned on his shoulder peacefully sleeping,while he was smiling at camera.I wanted to save, but I knew later he will tease me for this too. So I deleted it, too.

That's when Aliyah called him ,I gave him his mobile. Even though I'm happy for both of them,but there was a slight pain regarding it.And I joined Aunt and Mom.That's when Aunt said to Mom, "Truly Manik is ..Manik..He have done what he said.He made Nandu run seven rounds around the temple, while we got tired with three rounds itself. "

"Seriously, he cheated,showing photos,he made me run, It can't be considered as pradakshina." I retorted.That's when he joined and questioned, " How can't it be considered as pradakshina , First, we have done seven rounds around the temple or not!?".

I replied," We've done but..."

"Second, you prayed all the lords around the temple or not!?"he questioned again.

I replied, "we've, but..."

" That's it , I won," he raised his eyebrows to aunt.

" No..." I, too, shouted disagreeing.Explaining them what we've done is not pradakshina, "Pradakshina means leaving all these emotions and baggage of life freeing the soul , we have to walk around the temple praying the divinity soulfully to attain positive energy. That will make your life more positive. What we've done is running around the temple filled with emotions like anger, which is not pradakshina."

That's when three of them stared at me.Someone clapped, and I heard many claps and got turned to see what is happening. While everyone is staring at me, that's when pandit says, " she really something, even us elders don't exactly know our traditions, while she being young understood our tradition and rituals."