~MaNan FF~Benaam Rishta...The Ill-Fated Souls💔

8. Darr (Fear)

5 a.m.

Manik woke up to the shrilling sound of the alarm. He lazily opened his eyes and was about to turn when he felt something resting on his left arm. That is when he realised that he and Nandini had shared the bed together. He stared at her and a small smile curved up his lips as he noted how perfectly she fitted in his arms. His trance broke when he felt her squirming and making faces while sleeping. He then remembered that he forgot to shut off his alarm which was probably disturbing her sleep. He again observed her face and chuckled when he saw her smiling lightly in her sleep. He smoothed her hair and kissed them. Taking his gym clothes and making minimal noise, he exited the room after softly closing the door. After a rigorous workout of about an hour, he freshened up and joined her in the bed as it was still time for the sun to rise. Pulling her in his arms, he wrapped his hand around her waist while she snuggled more into him. Manik's heart raced at her naive and natural action. He tucked the loose strands of hair falling on her face at the back of her ear and gazed at her lovingly.

"Kaise chain se so paaunga, agar roz aise hi tu mhaare baaho mei rahegi toh" (How am I supposed to sleep peacefully, if everyday you stay in my arms like this)...he murmured lovingly.

Taking few deep breaths, he closed his eyes in a hope to get some sleep...

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7 a.m.

The alarm rang again but this time it was Nandini's turn to wake up. She frantically moved her hands on the nightstand in a bid to shut off the annoying clock with her eyes still closed. Opening her hooded eyes, she rubbed them to clear her vision and was about to get up when she felt something heavy on her waist. Confused, she looked down only to find a male hand holding her tightly and securely by her waist. She turned swiftly and was about to shout when she saw Manik's face which was just millimetres apart. And then the flashes of their last night's talk reeled in her mind and she blushed hard thinking about their sleeping arrangements and again turned a deeper shade of red realising their sleeping position. Her hand shivered as she ran it through his white see through shirt cladded arm and ended on his stubble. She giggled when she heard him snoring softly. She rubbed the pad of her thumb on his right cheek and played with his beard just the way he does. Her gaze fell on his lightly haired chest which was exposed since he had kept the first two buttons of his shirt open. She gulped in nervousness and immediately tore away her gaze. She tried to pry his hands off her but he was too strong for her.

"Agar yeh mujhe aise hi pakde rahenge, toh mera subah mei uthna mushkil ho jaayega" (If he continues to hold me like this, it will become difficult for me to get up in the morning) ... she turned crimson at her own words.

After much efforts, she freed herself from his strong clutches and went to the bathroom to start her day.

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8 a.m.

Nandini entered the room with a glass of hot milk which Manik consumes before taking bath. She found him standing near the cupboard and shook her head seeing his usual struggle to search his uniform. She pushed him aside a little and stretching out her hand on the top right corner pulled out his neatly ironed uniform. She gave him a warm smile while he grinned sheepishly. He finished the glass of milk and handed her the empty glass. Manik put the towel around his neck and kept his uniform, gun and belt on the bed. He was about to ask Nandini to move aside when he saw her whole body shaking badly. At once his gaze fell on her face and found that she was growing paler with each passing second. He saw her eyes fixed on something and followed her line of vision. He was a sharp man and could make out as to what object was scaring her. His thoughts broke when he heard the sound of breaking glass. She was so petrified that the glass slipped from her hands. Manik realised that he needed to divert her attention and therefore he placed a hand on her shoulder to which she  jerk hard. Nandini could sense how confused he was at her behaviour. She mumbled an apology and bent down to pick up the broken pieces.

Manik (bending down to her level) -
Chhod isse... (Leave it)

Nandini - Par... (But)

Manik (softly) - Mai kar dunga (I will clean it)

Nandini - Nahi...woh... (No..)

Manik - Mai kar dunga. Tu jaa. Jaake naashta bana. Bohot bhookh lagi hai...(I will do it. You go and make the breakfast. I am famished)

She went to the kitchen and made his breakfast with extra carefulness. At the table, he again saw her lost, her face still drained of colour but he chose not to bother her with his questions unless he thinks of a proper way to coax her to tell him the truth. With a reluctant heart, he bade her a goodbye and kissed her forehead. She smiled at his gesture and told him to come soon.

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At office

He banged the file on the table as it was probably happening for the first time in his career that he wasn't able to concentrate on his work. Rather it was happening because before her there was no one else in his life whom he had to bother about or think of.  His mind was still clouded with the morning events. Every time he closed his eyes, her frightened face appeared and made him restless. His mind worked to find the ways to make her confess the truth though he was sure and ready with his own conclusions. Today, he left the office quite early stating some personal work.

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At home

Manik reached home taking hurried steps and impatiently rang the doorbell. Nandini opened the door after 4-5 rings. The moment she opened the door, he heaved a sigh of relief just by taking in her sight. His eyes roamed on her face and then he saw her eyes which were swollen. He was quick enough to understand that she was crying. He tightened his fists seeing her red face and immediately went to the room to execute his plan. He unbuckled his belt and placed it on the drawer. Giving it a last look, he moved out and asked Nandini to search a particular file as he was unable to find it. He went to the kitchen on the pretext of fetching himself a glass of water.

Nandini entered the room and began searching for his file in the cupboard, his study table and when she neared the drawers she stumbled back seeing the belt kept on it. It had been 10 minutes since Nandini had gone in the room, he had expected her to shout and scream but no such noise came. When he himself went to check on her, he was shocked at the sight in front of him. Nandini sat in the farthest corner of the room continuously staring at the belt. Her knees touching her face and streams of tears flowing from her eyes. His heart pained and cried seeing her vulnerable state. He immediately rushed to her side and took her in his arms. Manik kept patting her back while Nandini hid her face in his chest and continuously murmured some words which he couldn't understand. He pulled her in his lap and hugged her tight to calm her down.

Manik - (brushing her hair and kissing them) - Sshhh... shaant... shaant (Sshhh...relax...relax...)

Nandini - (pointing her finger at the belt and in a panicking voice)
Woh..woh... (That...that...)

Manik - (trying to act confused) Kya woh... (What?)

Nandini (in a cracking voice)
Woh..woh...patta..bacha lo mujhe...
(That belt... Please save me)

Manik - (cupping her face and looking directly in her eyes) Dekh mhaari taraf...Saaf saaf bata...kisse bachau...(Look at me and say clearly. From whom should I face you)

Nandini - (more tears flowing from her eyes and her face turning paler due to fear) Bacha lo mujhe... warna woh mujhe firse maarenge (Please save me. Otherwise they will again hit me with the belt)

With that she embraced him tightly and hid her face in the crook of his neck sobbing really hard while Manik was aghast at the revelation.

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Precap - Nandini's past...

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