Nandini Reddy, a wedding planner who restarts her event management company after a two year break. She struggles to make her career in the competitive field. While on the other side, Manik Malhotra is an architect turned business man meets Nandini a...
Nandini and Isha returned after what their 5 minute coffee break turned into a good half an hour break. I'm not here to micromanage Isha as her boss but I feel she worked less and wanted to take more breaks. I mean this isn't a corporate office but everyone should contribute their part. What stunned me was Isha returning in a saree. It was the same red saree I got for Nandini. Not just the saree, it had many memories, that night in Mysore, how I always wanted to see her in a red saree and when I finally got one, she had simply given it to Isha! I've already lost a red saree to mom when I bought it for Nandini, now Isha! Seriously Nandini! Looking at this saree now, rekindled all those moments now, but I never thought Nandini itni easily Isha ko ye saree de diya. When I looked at her, she looked as if I made a grave mistake.
"I think I can get good photos while sunset" Isha said pointing her selfies to Nandini. I can't believe Nandini iski silly photoshoot ke liye isko saree de diya. Just 2 minutes back, Nandini was staring at me and now she is like so happy that Isha liked her saree. She stopped reading this stupid love novels now, of course, she'd become practical now. So practical that she doesn't even care about those gifts I gave her. Everything with Nandini was supposed to be practical. I know she's a changed person now, but itni drastic change? How could she just... hand it over to someone she barely knows? For Nandini, it's just fabric, just threads and dye. She has every right to do what she wants with her belongings. But hadn't she always kept it for special occasions, wrapped in a white cloth bag to avoid any creases. I tried to be normal but I can't! All I can feel is just hurt! Betrayal! When did they both became so close! The worst part is that I really had no right to feel this way. But seeing that saree on someone else's body felt like Nandini betraying me, just like how she ended up with Daksh. It felt like a personal betrayal.
It was suffocating to breathe the same air as her, when she easily decided to let go off me. I don't know if it was coincidental or intention but we kept staring at each other but like stealing glances. I came out for some fresh air but couldn't brush off the thought as I can clearly see Nandini from this distance. Her emerald green chudidhar and the contrast red dupatta, her hair loosely put together with a clutch, her doe shaped eyes looked bigger than usual because of the kajal she applied. And not to miss her much practiced winged eyeliner! She was always like this simply dressed but looked like an ethereal beauty. Her cheeks look perfectly chiseled as her nose. Her black bindi like a dot on the moon. As my eyes travelled down, I gulped as those beads of sweat, shimmering quietly in the hollow of her neck. What caught my eyes next was something I couldn't justify! Nandini still wore the mangalsutra.
Even when I caught her wearing it on Srinivasa Kalyanam, I couldn't ask her. Now that we're divorced and she's trying to move on, why did she still wore it? I looked after the painting works in the honeymoon suite rooms. Nandini didn't approve of the last image I wanted to get it painted here at one of the walls that has more visibility, I came up with a Wallpaper idea that is as intense as the last one.
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It gives the same vibe as a couple kissing but it's a more natural one. I'll see how she is going to deny it now. I was getting more restless as I thought of Nandini. While I tried to talk with her during lunch, she just avoided me as always. I waited for an opportunity to talk with her and finally got it when Cabir went out. Isha and Nandini went out obviously for a photoshoot Isha had requested for! As I went out Nandini gave Isha's phone to me. "I think you should take her photos" she said. "Main kyu?" Nandini is again trying to avoid me. "Manik, please take a few snaps of me and Nandini" Isha asked and I obliged. Nandini handed over the phone to me and when I looked through the lens of a camera, it looked like Nandini's red dupatta is almost mixed up with her saree, creating a uneven disturbance in the portrait.
"Your red dupatta and the red saree looks overlapped in the photo" I said. "Tho main kya karu isse nikaal du?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm. Well, I don't mind if she takes out too, so I extended my hand to take dupatta. "What?" she asked not understanding. "I'll hold your dupatta, anyway dress achi hai, dupatta ki zarurat hai hi nahi" I said being honest. "Ha Nandini, dupatta is not needed, give it to Manik" Isha said. Nandini had to take off her dupatta on Isha's insistence and I took it from her. I wore her dupatta around my neck so that it won't fall. I could see her eyes getting burnt up as I did that. Girls generally look beautiful when they smile, but Nandini looked gorgeous when her eyes are burning with anger. Isha took her mobile from me, "Thank you so much, I'll take a few snaps" she said and went away in excitement.
Nandini stomped her feet towards me to take her dupatta. "Give it back" she asked. But if I give it back so easily, she would never stop avoiding me. "Itni bhi kya jaldi hai" I decided to play stubborn. "What rubbish!" she said trying to take it forcefully, so I threw the dupatta on to a tree and Hola, what a perfect move, Manik Malhotra!! "Now you have to climb the tree to take it" I smiled but I know that annoyed her. "Manik, don't play games with me, give it back" she asked trying to mask her helplessness with anger. "No, not until you talk to me" I said, finally my plan in action. "Kya baat karu tumse! You didn't take photos when I gave you the phone, but when Isha asked you, you were ready!!" she said turning away. "Seriously Nandini! Is this really a problem to you? I can't deny her like that. Iss stage pe mujhe lagta hai ki tumhe sirf reasons chahiye mujhse naraaz rehne ke liye, baat na karne ke liye!" I can't believe Nandini is accusing me for no reason. "Tho kya baat karna hai tumhe mujhse, batao?" she asked.
I tried to voice out my reasons but I didn't know if I can ask her about the saree she gave to Isha. "Manik, I really don't have all day for you" she snapped at me. "Tum ab tak mangalsutra kyu pehn rakha hai, you don't have to wear it after divorce" I asked. Her expressions softened a bit but then the dupatta fell on her from the tree. "See, even God doesn't want me to speak with you" she quickly took her dupatta and almost left from there when Tara came there. What's she doing here? Tara was panting and Nandini asked her to calm down. "Nandini, this is important" she said. "Tara, kya tum akeli aayi ho?" I asked her. "Hi bava, there's no one with me" she said. "Tara, par hua kya hai! Why did you come here like this! You should take a deep breathe" Nandini made her sit. "I'll calm down but your house it's getting demolished" she said. "Demolition?" Nandini asked clueless. "Nandini, someone has booked dad's crushers for some building demolition and he happened to go to the building location in stead of workers and its your house!" she said.
Nandini sank to the ground when she heard it. "Jaise hi unko pata chala, he called Aryaman and me" she said. Nandini couldn't process it still. "Matlab Nandini ki ghar" I was terrified to ask it even. That home was Nandini's last memory of her parents. Navya mentioned that she took up this job only to get that home again. "Not yet bava, dad said that there's some problem in the crusher and he would return after 5 days. All you have is just 5 days to save it" Tara said. "Par maine already 40 lakhs pay kiya hai usko. I've sold all other properties just to save the house" Nandini said. "You should go and ask him Nandini, it's urgent" Tara urged her to go and confront the owner who bought Nandini's home. She had quickly wiped off her tears before setting out to confront him.
"Tara, what's all this?" I asked her. "Bava, I really don't have enough time now. Aryaman knows I'm here. As soon as dad called me, I've come here to inform Nandini. I was with Aryaman when he called and he didn't like me coming here. I should go and see Aryaman at home" she said, frown lines evident on her forehead. "Ok then, should I drop you?" I asked accompanying her. "No, there's a driver with me. Bye, will talk to you some other time" she said and left from there.
