Under the Mistletoe - MaNan

Part 4

Never had I imagined this would all be happening. Quite a Christmas miracle it seems. We all sat down on the bean bags that lay across the room, with Manik sitting beside me. They all were just talking about their exams and classes, when suddenly my stomach grumbled again.

I grabbed my stomach in an attempt to quieten down the sound, but this only aggravated it. They all looked at me and attempted to control their laughter, although it's important to note that they were terrible at doing so. To prevent any further embarrassment, I just ended up asking them if they had anything that I could eat.

"Manik, I forgot to bring the macaroni pie upstairs. Could you please get it from my car? I don't want to go out there again," Alya requested Manik.

"Nandini, do you mind coming along? I actually need someone to hold the door for me as I get the stuff." I agreed to his request, and we both left for the parking garage.

We went out to the corridor, once again waiting for the elevator to come. Silence encompassed the wait, as I anticipated what he could possibly ask me this time. Fortunately, there were no questions this time. But unluckily, there were some observations on his part.

"Cute sweater," he remarked. I blushed again. Aiyyappa!! Why am I blushing like an idiot here? He must be thinking of me as a loser. Gosh.

"Thanks," I muttered in response. "Waise Manik, how come you guys are celebrating Christmas here on campus?"

I looked at him, trying to decipher the look in his eyes. He seemed a bit hesitant to speak...

"It's okay if you don't want to answer... I was just...," but he interrupted me.

"Actually, this year has been a rough year for all of us. And so, we decided we would spend time with the people we care the most about. The ones who mean the most to us."

"Ohh, sorry for the intrusion then. I didn't mean to...," I trailed off, looking away to the side. I really didn't want to spoil their mood on such an occasion.

"Trust me Nandini; you're anything but an intrusion."

He had caught me by surprise with such a statement. I stood there, trying to comprehend what all this meant, not even realizing that the elevator had come. He grabbed my hand and led me inside the elevator; but the whole time, my gaze didn't shift from him.