The Bachelor

Chapter 7 : Denial?

11:00 am, 23rd February, Galaxy Villa, Madh Island, Mumbai.

Shit! Fuck! Manik- What the hell went wrong with you last night?!!

I swore to myself, as I entered the gym room and started running on the treadmill to complete my daily workout. I'd been up for hours because I hadn't slept well last night. The same thoughts had bothered me all night long!

I'd replayed the scene in my head a bunch of times, but I still couldn't figure out what exactly had compelled me to kiss Nandini's hands like that!

Everything was going according to plan...

Alya seemed pretty broken when I'd kissed Nandini- just how I'd wanted it! And Nandini's shock and bewilderment was just an added bonus!

It gave me a sort of perverse pleasure to know that I'd probably screwed up her relationship with her boyfriend!

Her outburst at me was fairly expected! What surprised me slightly was that she had figured out my motivation for kissing her quite quickly! I couldn't understand why she was being so protective of Alya anyway! After all, they barely knew each other!

Kissing her again was the best way to shut her up! Well...that was one reason, but I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit that I did so just because a part of me wanted to...

That light peck for the cameras...had just made me hungry for more...I had to taste her again...I just had to...

I wiped a bit of sweat on my forehead and smiled to myself when I remembered Nandini's response to the second kiss.

She had tried to resist me quite fiercely, and had put up a better fight than most...but ultimately she had caved as well...

I could still feel her hands caressing my neck and her tongue enticing me to continue exploring her mouth...

However, much to my disappointment, she had broken off the kiss with a sharp bite that still stung a little bit even now. However, the entire incident had given me immense satisfaction, because it meant that she was physically attracted to me in spite of having a boyfriend!

I had given her an excellent nickname-'Doll'! And subconsciously, I knew that she liked it, even though she wouldn't accept it! She seemed like she was developing a soft spot for me, just like I'd wanted...

It was all fine until I had that argument with Mr. Malhotra about helping Vibha out! It had spoiled my mood instantly! He had a specific knack for setting me off and discounting everything I said! But I wasn't going to back down this time! Besides, he owed me one for tricking me about Alya's presence on the show!

I was about to storm off from the poolside when I'd heard that familiar jangling sound again and realised that Nandini had been eavesdropping on my conversation once more.

I only called her out on it, because I was sick of her lurking in the shadows like that...

When I proposed a truce, she didn't seem to dislike the idea altogether. I immediately sensed that there was something bothering her...her usual zing was missing...

The conversation that followed was so different from all the confrontations we'd had so far, it almost seemed alien to me...

It was the first honest talk we'd had since we'd gotten here, and it felt good...good to finally let my guard down and relax for a bit...

When I noticed that she'd been crying, an unfamiliar feeling of concern had engulfed me. I was soon relieved as she revealed that I wasn't the reason she was upset.