Kaisi yeh Yaariyan Season 3

Chapter 16

As soon as the saline entered her veins, she started regaining consciousness. She was just about to open her eyes when she heard Manik call Neel. She kept her eyes shut, pretending to be still unconscious. She strained her ears to hear their conversation. From whatever little she could understand, Manik didn't recognize her. At least for now, at least at this moment he was innocent & was only trying to help out Neel and her.

Her mind right now was a whirlpool of emotions, her prayers and her nightmares were both confronting her at the same time in the form of Manik Malhotra. Should she scream out of joy at having finally found him , burst out of anger at his betrayal or die out of sadness for being engaged to Neel.

For as long as long as she remembered, she had never hurt anyone. Whose karma was she repaying then? She mustered all her strength, she had to get her bearings and act normal. She would have to act so well that neither Neel nor Manik got the slightest hint of her inner storm.

She opened her eyes to see both the men standing infront of her.

"Thank God!! How are you feeling Nandu?" Neel almost jumped on her.

"Better, but weak." She answered to Neel , but looking at Manik.

"You are going to be better, now have some food. Manik has got you some dessert."

Nandini had to think fast. She had to do something. "Have you called anyone from my family?"

Neel knodded.

Nandini: "Good. They will be worried. Can you please bring Navya. I am not feeling very comfortable here and ask her to get me a change of clothes please?"

Neel: "Let me call her."

Nandini: "Neel.... U will call a girl at this hour to come on her own? She doesn't even have her own car. Besides she must be at the radio station. Please go and pick her up. Enough of trouble for one night, I don't want my best friend to land up into something nasty."

Manik was listening intently. Her voice fell like beads of pearl on his ears. Moments ago she was so lifeless and now she beamed like a rainbow. She was a talking, blinking doll.

Neel realized there was no point arguing with her, not in front of Manik. He knodded like an obidient boyfriend. "Ok let me quickly go fetch Navya. Manik, you should go home and take rest. Nandini is stable now and we owe u a treat. Had it not been for you, we would have been in trouble today."

Before Manik could say anything Neel added "I am sure even Nandini would want to thank you."

Neel knew exactly what to speak and when. He knew no gentleman would refuse such a request. And he dashed out.

Nandini knew her fiance well enough to know that he never did anything out of etiquette or gratitude. But whatever it was that he had in mind was working in her favour. She had deliberately sent him off, she knew he wouldn't be back anytime soon for she was well aware that Navya was on air now and wouldn't be done before the next two hours. She had to take this chance. She deserved to know the answers to the questions that had killed her for three years.

She looked at Manik.

"You are ok, right?" Manik asked.

She was finding it difficult to breathe, to accept that Manik was right before her eyes..after what had seemed like an eternity, her love, her life, her everything was standing infront of her. And boy, did he look handsome....much much more than the last time she had seen him. Perhaps it was his hair that he now wore differently than before. All she wanted to do was to hug him with all her strength and cry, but her mind hated him with a toxic fierceness. She ended up smiling at him.. She could as well try her hand at acting, she thought.

"You are.." She feigned ignorance, as if she too didn't know him.

"Manik, sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself. I am Manik Malhotra. Pleased to meet you miss tipsy."

She was stressed. He should try to be funny and make her laugh perhaps.

"Miss tipsy?" Nandini frowned.

"Yeah u fainted the moment u saw me, what else should I call u? Heard u have been starving all day. See I got some chocolate cake for you."

Nandini: "Mujhe bhook nahi hai."

Manik: "Seriously? Soch lo kyun ki I am damn hungry."

They both smiled. Manik helped her sit up and fed her some cake. Something was crumbling inside Nandini. It was so hard to keep up the pretense.

Nandini: "See my luck. Who gets to spend an engagement night in a hospital."

Manik got thoughtful. He remembered his days in Switzerland. "I know it sucks. Who would know better. Three years of hell." He stopped abruptly realizing he had spoken more than he intended to.

That caught Nandini's attention : "Three years!! Y what happened?" Only if he would start speaking out.

Manik: "Nothing Miss Tipsy. But the bright side is I am better now and you too will be."

He was guarded. It wouldn't be so easy to get the truth out of him. She would have to be patient with him. But she would do it anyway and at any cost. At least she had a purpose now. Her life was screwed big time but at least she would take his answers to her grave.

Nandini: "Naye ho Mumbai mein? "

Manik: "Yes u can say so. Naya hi hun."

Nandini: "To fir friends banaye koi?"

Manik: "No, not yet."

Nandini: "Koi nai, I will be your first friend in Mumbai." She extended her hand for a handshake.

Manik smiled. "Done Miss tipsy." He felt his baby soft hand in his.

Nandini: "Acha Manik, have you seen my phone? I need to call home. They must be worried."

Manik: " I havent seen but I can ring. Tell me your number."

The last thing Nandini wanted was to call her family at this time. Till she figured out the whole truth, she would have to hide this from everyone, her family ,friends and even fab 5. But she lied to Manik to get his number.

When they found the phone she pretended to talk to her family and assured him that they would be at the hospital in no time. She asked him to leave and promised to meet him soon as both she and her fiance were supposed to treat him.

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