The Forbidden Fruit (MaNan FF)

xi.

"I found her," Manik informed Cabir over the phone. "She's fine."

"She's with you?"

"No, she's with her friend."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Cabir said, a little annoyed. "Aren't you going to-"

"I won't kidnap her," Manik snapped, saying it loud and clear. "I won't do that again. It was a mistake and I don't want to repeat such a terrible mistake. I've told her that it's her choice whether or not she chooses to come back."

"And what if she doesn't? Have you thought about that, Mister-Oh-I-Am-So-Selfless-And-Considerate?"

"That's my problem, not yours."

"You're wrong," Cabir told him. "This is my problem too. She's my sister, and this was my idea. I cannot afford to have her blabber everything to our parents. My secret is precious to me."

"Clearly it is, since you destroyed a life because of it," Manik scoffed.

"Don't act like a saint here, Manik. What did you do? You destroyed her life too just to try to make yours better. You want your parents' attention and you really went to every extent for that," Cabir reminded him.

"I regret it and I'm trying to fix it, so why don't you let me?" Now it was Manik's turn to be annoyed. He knew he was wrong, and he wanted to make it right. This time, he wouldn't let anything stop him from doing that. "Don't worry, though, I'll make sure your secret stays safe."

xx

When Nandini woke up, she wasn't entirely surprised to see Manik still waiting in the garden once she looked outside the window. A part of her expected him to be there, but there was also a part of her that thought he'd changed his mind and left. When she saw him there, she didn't exactly know what to feel.

As she tiptoed out of the room, she left a note near the bedside table of her friend who was sleeping. She knew Navya would worry, and she should've told her everything face-to-face, but she couldn't deal with all of that at the moment. She was determined to find out why Manik married her, and then she would leave him, no matter what.

I'm sorry, Navya, she thought sadly. You've done so much for me and I'm not doing a good thing at all right now. I know that, trust me, and I'll tell you everything later. Thank you, and sorry.

As she descended down the stairs and finally got out of the building, reaching Manik, he immediately got up. Clearly, he was sleep-deprived as it was evident in her eyes. However, she didn't have the time to care about him now. Why should he? After all he'd done, it was a miracle that she was giving him another chance.

"I have my conditions," she told him, her voice firm. "I'll only go with you if you accept them."

"Can I hear them out?" he asked, and she nodded to that.

"I'll need all my clothes and belongings, specially my cell phone. I can call anyone I like and go anywhere I want. I don't want to feel like a prisoner, you must give me some freedom. Also, I want to continue attending my college. No one there should know about what happened and I'll be acting normally with them."

Manik thought about it for a while. He guessed this would be coming, and he had to prepare himself for it. "Agreed, only if you don't tell anyone about this, not even your parents."

"My friend, Navya, already knows," she confessed.

"Then your friend shouldn't tell anyone. Can that be done?"

"Fine," Nandini agreed. "Then we have a deal?"

"We do."

"I want to go and get everything of mine from my house now," she somewhat ordered. "Last time I went there, however, Cabir seemed very... angry. I have a feeling they don't like me anymore. I don't think they like you any better but still, I want you to go get my things. I'll tell you where they're kept."

"Yeah, sure," he said while heading outside, getting his car keys out. Nandini stood frozen on her spot and as Manik turned to see her, he sensed her ordeal. Clearly, she didn't trust him as of yet, and he knew that it would take a lot of time for that to happen. Very softly, he asked, "Won't you give me a chance?"

Nandini looked at him then. His tone was soothing, and his expression seemed very genuine. She didn't want to trust him, and she couldn't, but there was a certain need in his voice that she couldn't understand. She didn't answer him, she just walked with him instead, but he smiled because he had gotten his answer anyway.

xx

"Where is she?" Cabir asked as Manik loaded Nandini's clothes in the suitcase which lay open on the bed. He had texted Cabir beforehand about the both of them arriving, and thus Cabir managed to convince his heartbroken parents to go to their office just in time. He couldn't afford for them to find out the truth, ever.

"She's in the car," Manik answered nonchalantly, too engrossed in what he was doing.

"Do you really think she trusts you?"

Manik sighed at that question, momentarily pausing. "Honestly, no, but she's giving me a chance and I'm grateful for that. I'll do it right this time. Whenever she wants to leave, I'll let her go."

"But-"

"After making sure that your secret is safe," Manik added, knowing that Cabir was going to ask that. His friend sighed a little. That was his top priority, but he also felt bad for doing this to his sister. He knew he had made a mistake and that he was being selfish, but he also cared.

"It's not that... I don't accept that I'm wrong. You know all that I've gone through before, right? I can't bear this again," Cabir confessed. "I regret this, I do but... I also don't. She was going to be a threat."

"I'm not the one you should be telling this to," Manik said as he finally zipped up the suitcase, ready to go, "its Nandini. She's the one who decides whether or not to forgive you, not me, buddy."

"Yeah," he said, closing his eyes, "but I also don't want to lose our friendship. I know I may seem very, very selfish but-"

He was cut off when Manik put his hand on his shoulder, giving him an assuring smile and saying, "I understand. You have me; you don't have to worry about that. Just let me try to make this right, yeah?"

xx

As the car came to halt, and Manik got out to get the suitcases, Nandini didn't budge. She stared at the building in front of her and gulped. She didn't feel too good about returning. What if she couldn't leave? She didn't trust Manik at all, but she wanted to find out the truth.

I'll contact Navya every day, she thought, determined, and it'll all be fine then, I hope.

"Are you ready?" Manik's voice disturbed her thoughts. She didn't know when he had opened the door beside her, but he was now waiting for her to get out, surprisingly very patiently. Gathering all her courage, Nandini stepped out, keeping faith in herself and only herself. She would make it through this if only she tried to, and she was sure of that.

As Manik walked beside her and led her inside the house, he was glad that she seemed in a better state now, but what he saw once he entered was something he wasn't prepared for. The familiar figure of a woman he knew very well made his eyes go wide in shock. What the hell was she doing here?

Stopping dead in his tracks, Manik could only utter her name, "Nyonika."