Manan:To kill or not to kill{Mafia Love Story}

Chapter 9

Manik POV:

I had seen many people change over the course of my life; both for the better, and the worse, but I had never seen anyone as transformed as I had been by a single person. She had made me what I am now, reminded me of things that I had forgotten in my bid to become a powerful enough mafia member to leave this life of crime and had brought me out of the self-loathing state of mind I had been imprisoned in. I looked at her angelic face as she slept, marvelling at its beauty. She didn't know I was there of course, but after our kiss, I couldn't sleep and the pull I felt coming from her was too strong to ignore. I was sitting on the floor beside her bed, and I knew that if she woke up, there would be hell to pay for my stalker-like activities. She smiled in her sleep and mumbled incoherently, while I tried to stop myself from laughing out loud. Then she said something, so loud and clear that at first I thought she was awake. A smile stretched across my face as I heard her say it again. My name. She wasn't dreaming about that poor excuse of a man Aryaman Khurana, she was dreaming about me, and she was smiling too. It took all of my self-control to walk out of her room and to my own. I had given up on sleep, but settled on lying in bed and thinking of her like the love-crazed, blind fool I had become.

The next morning:

A light knock on my door woke me up, and despite having just three hours of sleep, I jumped out of bed to open it thinking that it might be Nandu. But instead of the deep black eyes of my beautiful girl, I was staring at an over-hyper pixie along with the a statuesque blonde who made Lily Donaldson look like a gargoyle. They came wielding garment bags, so I let out a groan and climbed back into bed.

"Oh no you don't Manik Malhotra," Navya said. "You have to try on these tuxedos and see if they fit. I'm not going to have the best man at my wedding wear something that doesn't fit properly."

She tried to pull the comforter off my face but I wouldn't let her. "Go away Navu, I need to sleep!"

"Manik Malhotra if you don't get off that bed right now, so help me I will call your lady-love and tell her about your escapades in Brazil last summer."

I froze. "You wouldn't," I said, peeking at her from under the covers. She raised an eyebrow at me as if to say 'Try me'. I sighed in defeat and dragged myself off the bed, pulling the garment bag from Alia's hand and going the bathroom to change into the monkey suit. It fit perfectly, thank God, and once my sisters had blessed me with their approval, I showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a blue collared shirt quickly. Alia had told me that Nandu was awake and I was anxious to see her and determine if that one kiss had affected her as much as it had me.

I went to the living room and waited for her to come downstairs as she wasn't confined to her room anymore. Minutes went by but seemed like hours; 3 minutes...5 minutes...7 minutes...10 minutes. That's it, I thought, I'm not going to sit here and do nothing while I wait for her to come down. My guess was my sisters had gotten to her before I had. I took out my first cigarette of the day and lit it, inhaling deeply and relishing the feel of it entering my lungs. My eyes fell on the bottle of cognac that Cabir had brought as a last minute 'Congrats on finally being whipped like I am' present. I poured myself a glass and sat back on the couch. Unfortunately, drinking and smoking weren't things that kept me occupied enough so I searched for another distraction. I avoided looking at the clock, knowing from experience that my desire to make it go faster wouldn't actually make it go faster. My eyes fell on my gun, so I picked it up and started dismantling it. Cleaning a gun was essential for its proper functioning, so I meticulously took apart every piece and cleaned it with a piece of flannel. I was absorbed in my work, and didn't notice how much time had past. I had succeeded in my endeavor.

NANDINI POV:

When I woke up, everything seemed brighter; the colours, the lights, even my own face. Everything seemed to have been painted by a magician's paintbrush, and I knew there was only one reason for my sudden bright outlook. And his name was Manik Malhotra . We hadn't said anything after our kiss, but the enormous smiles on our faces left no need for words. I jumped out of bed, anxious to see him and make my morning a good one. I showered and put on a beige sweater dress, along with gold chandelier earrings and a chunky golden ring that had a black stone in it. The outfit looked perfect, and before I could start my make-up, Alia barged into the room along with a black-haired beauty. I smiled at them, and waited for Alia to make the necessary introductions.