Bade Acche Lagte Hain | MaNan

Kashmir Diaries - IIIa

"Pyaar hua, ikraar hua!"

The sound of the chair next to her pulled out, broke into her uplifting reverie. Like a scalded cat, Nandini hid the rose back in her purse that was on her lap and smiled gauchely at Manik.

"You came back in no time," she mumbled, keeping her purse aside on the table. Weirdly, she felt shy to make any eye contact with him.

Manik kept back the glass on the table he was drinking water from and frowned at her odd statement. The occupied stalls made him take longer than usual. With great marketing and the striking ambience, the restaurant has gathered quite a number tonight.

"Do you want to use the restroom?" He asked tentatively.

"No, I'm fine," she said breathlessly, wringing her hands and trying to calm down her erratic heartbeat.

The furrow between his brows deepened. Why wouldn't she look at him? And experience told him that it happens whenever she tries very hard to hide something from him.

"What did you order?"

"I - nothing," looking at him apologetically for a brief second, she whispered embarrassedly.

"Sir, order please?" The waiter approached them with a small notepad in his hands.

Manik glanced at an unnerved Nandini and flipped open the menu book. "Two soups, one creamy carrot and tomato and one chicken mushroom soup. I'll let you know the rest later." He placed the order and the waiter went away after nodding at them.

"What else do you want to order?" He asked softly, trying to gauge the reason behind her edgy countenance.

To distract herself from her own overwrought condition, she took the menu book and started skimming through it with strained attention. However her gaze lingered longer at the cost mentioned ahead of every dish making her more uncomfortable. The insane amount he'd spend on buying an extravagant shawl because she liked it, still made her feel repentant. She should have kept her enthusiasm in check.

"I am confused," she fibbed stiffly, passing back the menu to him.

"You won't be if you pay less attention to the cost," he retorted indignantly. The rigid expressions on her spotless visage that were replaced by penitence revealed the degree of torture she was putting herself through, unnecessarily.

Her mortified gaze snapped at him, guilt-stricken and aghast. She didn't want him to misunderstand the reason behind her perturbation to be limited funds. An acquisitive part of her was delighted to get what she wanted on her first word, from her husband but a realistic and practical part of her mind knew they could have avoided buying that shawl.

"The food here is overpriced," she reasoned morosely.

"We haven't eaten anything from here to conclude that, have we? The truth is you don't want me to spend on something you like," he said, suppressing his dismay that she has to worry so much before ordering her favourites. She wouldn't have been like that in her maternal home. He was responsible for this change in her and it didn't make him feel any better.

Nandini remained silent, hiding her remorseful eyes.

"I am aware of what you are thinking but you don't have to stress over it. I postponed our vacations so that we can enjoy here without thinking about the tight budget and if I feel things are going beyond my capacity, I'll let you know honestly. Hiding won't do any good to us, would it?" He adjoined passively, his eyes dropping to the water jar on the table.