MaNan: The Kasauli Diaries|| COMPLETED

14. Too many Facades!

~sometimes you already know the answer to the questions that you think haunt you. Just introspect~

Nandini stared at him, as he made faces while going through the menu, and ordering breakfast. He looked droolworthy and well, yummy! Manik turned when he felt a gaze at him and found her staring, and she instantly blushed making him smirk.

"Take a picture yaar, staring like that makes me feel shy!", Manik spoke as he walked towards her and Nandini flipped her hairs back and turned, back facing him.

"Soooo cheesy man, and I", she turned again and gave him a dramatic smile, "hate cheese!", Her voice was laced with a fake accent, as she blew air on her nail polish and smiled again.

Manik shook his head as he took a few steps back.

"Drama queen", he spoke under his breath and Nandini bit her lips, to suppress her giggle.

"Well Manik, just so that you know, I have Bugs Bunny's ears", she said, tongue in check and Manik was well, bowled over. This girl and her responses. Nandini was chuckling at him when her phone rang and picked it up, walking a little away from him.

"Good morning, Dr Sinha!", She greeted. Mnaik looked up, okay so the call was from her work place.

" Yes. Sure. Just pass on to her!", Nandini spoke again but Manik was impressed by the formal yet sweet tone she was using.

" Hello amma. Why am I hearing your complains?", She aksed on the phone and Manik continued to listen with attention.

" That's wrong na amma. We have to follow certain rules and regulations, and don't you want to get better soon?  Then? Promise me you won't repeat it, and remember promises are meant to be kept. Okay?", Nandini fake scolded on phone, but Manik travelled back in memory to the day when he sang and she complimented him for the first time. Even that day she had said the same thing, promises are not meant to be broken. A serene smile could be seen on her face, and he concluded that whomsoever she was talking to, had accepted her wish. Manik could not help but try decoding her with his eyes, and even though she was nothing complex, he failed.

Walking a few steps towards her, he stood just beside her and Nandini who turned as soon as she cut the call, bumped into him being her clumsy self. Manik held her in place, and Nandini let out an embarrassed laugh, trying to free herself from his hold. But as soon as she raised her lashes to look at him, his gaze hypnotized her. Both stood still, as if everything around them had frozen and Manik looked into her eyes as if he wanted to read her soul through them. Nandini felt like she could see so much in her favorite pair of black orbs today, all the emotions she wanted to and only when she felt him tracing her bare arms through his palms that she let out the breath she was holding.

"You confuse me, Nandini", Manik's voice was coming from some faraway hole, so deep and vulnerable.

"Who are you? The girl who openly talks about her Victoria Street collection or the girl who still believes that promises are to be kept? You are the bold one who drank all that shots with me, or the innocent one who felt shy when I teased you about it?", His voice was laced with adoration but the comparison felt like a punch in her guts. And why not? Here he was thinking her to be a fairy while actually she was playing with him like a devil. How could she tell him that both of the above were facades-  neither did she drink with him nor was she that innocent. But then sometimes life is about priorities and she had her list checked accordingly.

"Really?", She raised her eyebrows, masking everything inside her and took a step closer as her index finger trailed down his shirt clad chest.

" You are a musician right? So well, sing a song that aptly describes this confusion, and maybe I will help you answer it!", She giggled moving away and Manik blushed. Yes, you read it right. The Manik malhotra blushed.