Kaisi yeh Yaariyan Season 3

Chapter 134

Outside, it was still raining away furiously. Nandini had somehow managed to get into an auto, which was luckily coming towards this part of the city.

Yes, Manik had told her, to call him an hour before she thought she would be done, but she had not wanted to trouble him, especially in this inclement weather. Despite having an umbrella, she was dripping from waist down.

As soon as she entered the building, she saw the staircase overflowing with people, returning to their flats. For a brief moment, her heart shrunk with fear, till she approached a girl in school uniform and asked her, if she knew what was going on.

"Haan wo 6th floor ke bhaiyya hain na, wo gaanaa ga rahe the. You missed it didi. Kya gaate hain bhaiyya!!!" Shee gleefully answered before skittering away.

Who was she talking about, Nandini wondered. Did they have another musician on the sixth floor? How come they didn't know ? But then how on earth would they know, if they stayed put in their flat. And then again, it hadn't been too long they had moved in here, just a couple of days..thats it. It didn't strike her, even remotely that it could be Manik as well. Going by his track record, one couldn't blame her. He would never sing in a place and ambience like this.

Nandini shrugged aside her thoughts and sped up the stairs against the flow of the departing crowd. Manik had a point, even she didn't like the frequent power outages. Who in his right frame of mind, would feel like climbing 6 floors after a tiring day at work. By the time she crossed the fourth floor, Nandini was literally gasping for air. She stopped, supporting herself against the cemented railing with one hand, and holding her tummy with the other. As she lifted her head to look up, she saw Manik at the landing of the fifth floor, chatting with a bunch of old ladies, laughing away in gay abandon. He was dressed in a casual red blazer and his guitar was strapped across his back. Nandini, stood motionless for a whole minute, blinking in disbelief. Were her eyes playing a trick or had someone mixed weed in her lunch. This couldn't be Manik right, entertaining a building full of people and now chatting with old aunties. She tiptoed up the remaining flight of stairs to reach where he had been standing, amidst the ladies.

"Manik.." She nudged at his arm from behind.

"Nandini ?!!!!" Manik turned around, his eyes blazing with a long lost passion, like old times, like they used to in college. But then he appraised her from head to tow, how she was dripping and shivering in a sleeveless kurti and his smile fizzled out. His eyes grew cold. But even that one second was enough for Nandini to fall in love yet again. That glimpse of his carefree smile, she had caught in time, damn! it sent her heart fluttering . But before she could linger in the moment any longer, and utter a note of thanks to Aiyappa, Manik stepped back & left in a huff, without a word, leaving everyone, including Nandini , confused.

Nandini fighting her own embarrassment, had to make up for Manik's sudden exit. She greeted everyone, though she barely knew their names or faces and then quickly excusing herself, ran upstairs.

"Nandu miss!!!" Chirag came running to her, even before she put her first step in. The house was dark, barring a freshly lit candle on the table. Even as she hugged Chirag, her eyes sought him. He was standing, besides the glass door of the balcony, looking outside, away from her. Won't he come and hug her too, now that she was home after her first day of work?

The house as it was, was a mess, but in the impending darkness, she couldn't see the extent of mayhem on the floor. As she skittered towards Manik, Nandini tipped on something, and fell right into the strong arms of her husband. How, like how, did he always know in adbance, that she was about to tumble over. How did he always manage to rescue her, no matter how big or small the fall was. Chirag started clapping. For him, it was a scene straight out of a movie. Nandini, on her part, was thoroughly enjoying. The only sore face in the house was that of Manik's.