MaNan : Only Fools Fall For You

53. Scars leave beautiful trace

Tried my best to give an early update, looking forward to reading all of your comments :)

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A polite knock, a two-second wait by the door before a small talk on the couch over tea or chocolate milk was all Nandini had in mind throughout the journey to the heart of the city, to where she used to live. To see the man whom she loves dearly.

Oh, and then probably talk with him about his job. She had even scripted the entire conversation in her head, all sad and murmur-y but productively knocking some sense into the older without losing her own. 

But clearly that didn't happen. No one answered.

After constant knocks for about ten minutes and a persistent ache in the knuckles now, she ran out of the sack load of patience she carried. Nandini knows Manik is home but he is still not answering the door and she didn't wanted to barge in. She wants him to open the door for her.

A snarl passed on her lips, she held her phone to her ear for a few rings too long before it was finally answered. And oh thank heavens it wasn't Manik's neck in the place of the phone considering how the fist strangled it.

"MANIK FUCKING MALHOTRA. I GIVE YOU FIVE SECONDS TO OPEN THIS GODDAMNED DOOR OR I'LL KNOCK IT OFF!!"

She didn't wait to hear a 'hello' or an 'okay' but the moment her voice went through the closed door, the massive noises of things being shuffled and dropped and the running footsteps on the other side of the door proved that Nandini didn't even need to. Almost had to bite her lip to hold back a scoff. 

The door was opened like you open a can of condensed milk that you don't want to spill, just a slit. And then out peaked half a tilted face with hair standing in every direction and eyes half-lidded and swollen like he just woke up from 20000 days of sleep.

"N-Nandini hel-hello w-what.. you.. h-here. Why?" Manik's messy curls fall gauzily over his eyes, the T-shirt loose over him, and the sweat pants hang low enough for the waistband of his Calvin Kleins to peek out, with a blanket around his shoulders (Nandini is almost certain that was hers once).

She barely can see his face from the gap, "Let me in." 

The younger tried to push the door open only to have an equal force counteracted from the other side.

The door barely opened, "I-i c-can't" Manik grit his teeth to keep up with the force that Nandini tried to apply and seemed like he was doing terribly considering the other's quite stubborn mentality at getting what she wanted and his own give up one currently.

What kind of hide-and-seek game is this, "Why not!!" Nandini pushed the door from the entire left side of her body while Manik put all his force on his two palms.

"I just cannot!!" His feet dragged backward despite trying his best not to open the door. 

Nandini pushed the door with her body applying more strength and Manik suddenly missed the younger whom he used to carry around the house like a bride. "Why you-!!"

Nandini attempted one last time before sighing and letting go, she was not going to win against his brute strength like this. "Ugh fine!" The younger groaned giving up and from the sudden lack of force, Manik fell forward on the foot of the door causing a stifled laughter on the other side.

While Nandini cracked her neck and knuckles, Manik rubbed the impacted elbow and stood behind the slit-opened door. "Fine, Manik. Let's talk like this if that's what you want, through the door. Okay?" she said as she raised the white flag.