Prithvi...(Vol. 6)

Chapter 169

"That's incredible, Nandini," Grishma exclaimed. "I'm seriously impressed."

"Yes, incredible...But also terrifying - for me," Anuj groaned. Looking genuinely worried, he told Nandini, "Look, even if I say something stupid, I don't mean anything by it. It's just a habit of sorts," he said with a sheepish air, scratching his head. "So please don't take me seriously at all," he requested nervously.

With a wry smile, Nandini said, "I'll try not to."

She disliked talking about those incidents. So, it had not been very easy to mention them, and especially to say all that as light-heartedly as she could. But she'd needed to do it so that Anuj would get the message. She'd found him to be funny and inoffensive so far, but he had to keep his distance and not get too friendly with her until she was comfortable around him. He was Prithvi's friend, and she wanted to be able to behave with him normally. Although she felt unusually certain that he wasn't anything like those men, her intolerance towards any kind of harassment, even if it was under the guise of "harmless" flirting, had skyrocketed over the years because of what she had endured. And there was no telling if her temper and words would remain in her control if he said anything that triggered her.

"You really did all that, Nandini?" Yamini said cautiously, trying not to reveal her scepticism. "Your family must be proud of you." She had nearly started to feel some kind of a liking towards the girl but now she was a bit irked again. There seemed to be very little chance that this walking-talking advertisement for rubbish Indian standards of the ideal feminine – sweet, naive and fragile looking - had done any of the things she'd listed just now, Yamini mulled. If this turned out to be all humbug, it would totally piss her off. But then again, Prithvi could see through anyone, and he would never like someone who made up stories to make themselves look great. So, she had to keep an open mind about the girl for now.

A shadow fell across Nandini's face at Yamini's statement. She offered a smile but said nothing.

Grishma grinned and said, "You were right, Nandini, your looks are very deceptive."

"You can say that again," Anuj mumbled with apparent glumness, but when Grishma and Yamini laughed, he joined in with a hearty chuckle.

Nandini smiled, then awkwardly said, "Listen...please don't tell Sumer uncle and Prithvi about all that I said now. They are close to my family, and we'd not told them about any of this, so they might feel bad about that."

Yamini looked at her doubtfully. The reason sounded genuine enough. But what if it was a way to stop them from finding out if she had actually done those impressive things...

"Done! Don't worry about that," Anuj spoke first. "I won't tell them, and I won't let these two tell him either. Now am I rising in your estimation?" he asked eagerly.

As Yamini and Grishma exchanged amused looks, Nandini chuckled, "A little." 

But she was genuinely worried, and was already regretting the impulse that had made her talk about those incidents. She hoped all of them would honour her request. It wouldn't really be a problem if Sumer Singh found out. But she couldn't let Prithvi hear anything about it...

Anuj grinned, and then declared, "Okay, okay, now let's keep aside all this talk. I'll show you girls the room that we're going to inhabit for most of the time we're going to be here."

As all four of them began to walk towards the interiors of the house, Nandini looked around surreptitiously. Prithvi was close but where...

They passed by corridors that branched out into more passageways, and the staff members whom they encountered on the way greeted them warmly. Just before they reached the door at the back of the house, Anuj opened a large door to the right with a flourish.