The Forbidden Fruit (MaNan FF)

xvi.

"You're back," he breathed out in shock. He wasn't really expecting her to come back. He wanted her to, but he didn't think he would. The voice in his head did a damn good job in convincing him that Nandini was no different from all the other people in his life. She, like everyone else, would be leaving him too.

But it was wrong. It was so, so wrong. Here she was, in front of his eyes, and back to him. His hope had proved the voice wrong and he couldn't be happier. At that moment, he began to hope more. Maybe she came back for good. Maybe she wouldn't leave him again. Maybe she'd stay forever.

"You didn't answer my question," she reminded him. "Why did you ask me not to leave?"

Manik knew this was coming. Clearly, she wouldn't let go of his words easily. But how could he explain them to her if he, himself, didn't have a clue as to why he said it? "I... don't know," he mumbled.

"What?" Nandini asked in disbelief. "Look, I don't have the time for your games."

"It's the truth," he admitted. "I really don't know. It just... came out."

She, however, was not satisfied with his answer. "Well then, do you know what cause it to just 'come out'?" she enquired further.

"No." His words annoyed her, but before she could say anything, he spoke again, "I just know that I really enjoyed talking to you earlier. I got used to your hatred and it was refreshing to see you act so different. I just... really liked that conversation with you, and I'd like to have more of such conversations."

For a moment, Manik thought that was the truth. Of course, he missed out on many details. He didn't tell her how her smile charmed him. He didn't tell her how her melodious voice soothed him. He didn't tell her how he felt like he could listen to her go on and on about something he had no interest in for hours, just to spend time with her. He didn't tell her any of that because he wasn't sure of them himself, and he thought it'd be better not to mention them. He didn't want to risk getting her angry again.

Nandini, on the other hand, was slightly surprised. She wasn't expecting that. Predicting it, yes, but definitely not expecting. She didn't know what she could do or say now. She had wanted to know about the reason behind his words but now that she did, she didn't know what she could do.

Instead of making her feel better, he made her all the more confused. If he really liked her company and cared for her as he liked to say and show, then why would he kidnap her and marry her by force?

"What do you want from me?" she questioned, her eyebrows cringed in confusion and annoyance. "I don't really get it. We had a proper conversation, so what? What do you want now? More of these conversations, you say? I guess then I should just ignore how you ruined my life. I should forget that you kidnapped me and married me against my will. I should forget that because of you, my biological family don't want me anymore. I should forget that you destroyed almost all of my hopes and dreams."

"I didn't say that," he tried to explain. "Look, Nandini, everyone makes mistakes, and you were giving me a chance, right? So why don't we do this properly?"

Nandini paused there. She didn't want to give him a chance, she just wanted to find out the truth. But she knew that he thought she was going to trust him and give him a second chance, so she had to keep up the act. Or, more like, what she wanted to believe was an act.

"How?" she asked quietly, not knowing that those words of hers gave him hope.

"Let's start by being friends," he proposed.

xx

"Why would she leave just like that?" Navya questioned. "Did she even say anything?"

"No," Dhruv told her over the phone and from the tone of his voice, Navya could make out that he was clearly depressed. At that moment, she really felt sad for him. He might be annoying at times but he was still a good guy. "She seemed so disturbed. She wasn't even paying attention to the movie or my attempts to strike a conversation. Then, out of a sudden, she just gets up and leaves. Like, she ran away."

Navya sat up straight at that exact moment. That behavior seemed too suspicious. "Are you sure she didn't say anything?"

"Not a word," Dhruv confirmed, "ever since she arrived."

"Hold on a second there," Navya stopped him, "you didn't pick her up?"

"No, she said she would be fine. I saw her get off from a private car and then it drove away. I couldn't see who was inside but it looked like a guy, so I assumed it was that brother of hers you told me about."

It was then that Navya started to realize just what was going on. There were things Nandini wasn't telling her and she was sure of it. Disturbed, absent-minded; this has to be something related to Manik, she decided, and I'm going to find out what's going on.

xx

"Do you want to go outside today?"

His sudden question caught her by surprise and she looked up at him, putting down the book she was reading. He was spreading butter on the bread in his hand, not even looking at her once. She started to wonder whether or not she had imagined it.

"For lunch, I mean," he explained, getting rid of her doubts. "Since I haven't gone grocery shopping yet, I was thinking that maybe we could just eat outside. But that's only if you want to."

As he stepped forward and put the plate in front of her, Nandini tried not to cringe. All it contained was a piece of bread with butter spread messily on top of it and one single banana. It wasn't like Nandini was used to the fancy English breakfast, but she'd grown up having her mother's homemade food. Her mother liked to experiment with food from time to time when they could afford it, and she loved it. Her mother always gave her yummy dishes for breakfast as she always said that a person should eat a lot in the morning in order to stay healthy. The food Manik had put in front of her tried to resemble healthy but it ruined her appetite. It was a small portion and incredibly bland, and Nandini knew then and there that she couldn't have it.

Just as Manik grabbed another piece of bread for himself, Nandini hastily said, "Let's go now."

He looked at her, a bit shocked. He wasn't even expecting her to say yes and there she was, suggesting that they leave now. This girl never failed to take him by surprise. "What?" he questioned, just to confirm that he heard her properly.

"Let's go out for breakfast," she suggested. "Any place is fine."

With a confused expression, Manik started to say, "Well... we'll have to get ready and..."

"It's not a date," Nandini said sharply, desperate to convince herself of the fact. She didn't want to go on a date with him.

"Right," Manik agreed but a slight smirk found its way on his lips anyway, "just breakfast between two friends."

The word friend struck a chord in her. She didn't put down his proposal when he mentioned it last night, but now she had started thinking about it. She didn't actually want to be his friend, she was sure that it was all an act, but she couldn't help but feel otherwise.

She knew she had to get rid of these stupid feelings before they messed things up for her and so, she said with her eyes closed, "That's right; friends."

Manik noticed how she attempted to deny even being friends with him and he found it quite amusing. Just friends, he thought to himself, for now.