Parineeta

Better Than The Best?

A bright morning filtered through the windows of our room after a long night. I opened my eyes to an empty bed opposite me. He left. It did hurt but i had to get used to it. This was how i was wanting it to be. I got up from the bed and took a few of my clothes and barged into the washroom.
"what the hell Nandini!"i heard his hoarse voice and opened my sleepy eyes to a disgusting view that instantly made me close my eyes. He was just wrapping a towel around his bottom half while admiring his wet frame in the mirror.
I turned around and my facial muscles twitched.
"you're asking me what the hell! Like seriously.. Who takes bath with the door open Manik.."i said irritated.
"i do! You gotta problem with that! You couldn't knock before walking in like that!"he argued. Like very seriously.
"Manik are you sure you did not hit your head to something hard this morning.. I mean who knocks on an open door!"i said totally frustrated.
"you should! Stop being so desperate to look at me!"he said and i could feel him smirk. Desperate and me... That too to look at him.. Highly mistaken.. Monkey.. Those days have long gone..
"really desperate! Desperate be your girlfriend who clings to you like the fevicol ka jod.."i said turning to him. I checked him out showing off my shameless side to him and he looked at me baffled.
"naah.. You're not that good a piece to look at.. Maddy has a better body than yours!"i said getting closer to him.
"Maddy? And how do you know that!" he asked quite dumbstruck as i reached real close to him.
"I've seen him! Just like this!"i said pointing to his condition. And he held me closer.
"what do you mean!"he asked inching closer. I could feel a certain kind of anger seeping into him.
"what does your dirty brain think, i mean!"i said and pushed him away but that did nothing good to me. Instead, we both slipped on the wet marble floor of the washroom and hit the floor with Manik atop me. His one hand on the floor and the other protecting my head from hitting the floor. And.. The moment froze. Just like a movie scene but the only difference was that though we were indeed lost in each other's eyes but we had various things in our heads too. He was still stuck on the Maddy part and i was still stuck on trying my best to hate him.
"when did you meet him like that!"he said after almost five odd minutes of us staring at each other unblinking.
"that is none of your concern.."i said softly pressing my hands against his chest in order to move him away. He got the hint and lifted himself away from me. We stood up and looked at what we had made of ourselves.
"I'm not yet done! With everything.. But for now.. You get ready.."he said plainly walking out of the washroom and i smirked.
Indeed going to Navya's place early that day had done me some good and now this monster was getting tamed. I smiled as i remembered the awkward meet with Maddy that day. Maddy, as i did not mention earlier, was Navya's cousin, a playboy. He had tried his luck on almost every girl including me. No body knows.. Except Manik. But earlier never did this issue matter to him. Instead he always asked me to give Maddy a chance but today I saw a different side of him.
The Day when Navya and Maddy had just returned and we had planned for that party,i had left home alot earlier and buying those drinks wasn't much of a pain and thus i reached Navya's place at seven. Navya was in tge kitchen making some snack when she asked me to get her her mobile from her room. The only thing that she had forgotten to tell was thst Maddy was taking a shower in her room's washroom because of some issues in his.
Being highly confident about knowing things around Navya's room i barged in and to my shock and embarrassment there stood Maddy gelling up his hair. Yet there was never a comparison between Manik, the Greek god and Maddy.
He stood in the same condition. His wet frame shining against the rooms lighting while his bottom half wrapped in Navya's pink towel.
"shit! I'm so sorry.. I didn't know you were in here!"i had said turning away.
"oh its okay.. i don't mind!"he had said giggling and i cringed.
"shut up Madhyam.. Wear something and come.. We're waiting.. And get Navya's phone along.."i had said snubbing his naughty attitude.
I took a peaceful fifteen minutes of shower. Somehow i felt utmost relaxed today.
"you plan to sleep in there only or what?"i heard his stern voice.
"maybe.. I'll get better in my dreams atleast!"i said turning the shower off and draping myself into my bath gown and towel drying my hair.
"shut up and come out! You're going to the college with me today!"he said more like ordered.
"and what makes you think so!"i said not concerned about whatever he wad saying. I put on my baby pink printed jumpsuit on and set my wet hair to one side of my shoulder.
"I'm not asking you Mrs. Malhotra.."he said and i came out.
"ms. Murthy.."i corrected him and he rolled his eyes. His front towards the mirror and i slipped past his vision and stood beside him.
"listen you look very beautiful.. now get away and let me get ready!"i said pushing him away while he was trying hard to out on his strapped watch. He had never liked the strapped watches. Hard to tie with one hand you see.
"Nandini yaar.. Ek toh yeh watch nhi bamdh rhi aur tum.."he said loosing his patience.
"tumse kabhi kuch hota hai jo aaj ho jaega! Apni watch se side mein baithke lado let me get ready."i sat on the dressing table wearing my new watch that Navya had gotten for me from Paris.
"tum kabse watch pehenne lagi!"he asked suddenly looking at my wrist and another idea struck me.
"jabse Maddy ne mujhe yej laa kar di! He's really sweet you know.. Amd i guess you were always right.. I should give him atleast one chance! He toh still doesn't mind and hasn't yet given up on me.."i smirked putting on my usual make up and the gloss.
"Nandini.. Whatever happened to you and Aryaman's wedding!"he asked.
"Manik! Arya is a best friend.. I don't wanna ruin that! But Maddy.. He toh has always loved me so much.."i said getting up.
"love! Nandini he is a playboy.."he said looking at me irritated.
"stop it Manik.. You shouldn't judge him like that.. And people do change don't they!"i said wearing my heels and pulling the sling over my shoulder.
"anyways you still did not answer me!"he said holding me back by my wrist.
"how did you see him in that condition.."he asked and i smiled dreamily.
"moments do happen Manik! It was just one of those moments.. By the way why are you so inquisitive.. As if Alya ne tumhe kabhi aise nhi dekha hoga!"bull's eye!
"nhi! And even if dekha ho.. Alya and i are different.. You guys toh are just friends.."he said.
"abhi we are just friends.. Who knows after a year what happens!" i said and walked out of the room leaving an irritated Manik.
He had no idea what was troubling him so much yet he felt out of place. The mere thought of me with Maddy in that condition was giving him jitters. A feeling he had though felt even before when for the first i had mentioned about Maddy's proposal to him but then he had ignored, but today it was stronger than before. He felt something pinching him.
"I'm in love with Alya!"he said aloud more like reminding himself.
"yes.. I love her!" he repeated again and came out of the room.