Adorable Heart

Absurdity of hearts

NANDINI:

My debilitated nerves calmed a bit as I drank the frozen fruit shake from the huge glass with a pink decorated straw. The icy blend of apple juice with blueberries, cherries, and raspberries was a perfect solace despite the not-so-comfortable surroundings.

Manik chuckled looking at my flustered face as I raised my head only to stare back at the glass of juice within a second.

"I warned you but Nandini is Nandini, right? What should I do with your innocency nerves?" He teased me with an I-so-told-you type of expression and I just sighed.

For the first time, I felt my choice was wrong and Manik Malhotra was right as my obstinate nature landed me in a place full of madly-in-love couples who were keen to show their public display of affection.

What was with people romancing in cafes?

The waiter did ask us to sit on the ground floor tables, even Manik understood what he meant but I insisted on going upstairs.

Only if I knew about the live shows going on there.

It was all because of him. Despite spending hours and hours together in the detention room, Manik Malhotra was behaving like a cry-baby complaining 'I couldn't have enough of you' and much to my absurdity I gave in to his demand of having some juice and brownies together in a random cafe.

"Wow! Damn! So hot! Nandini, just look at them, the way they are smooching each other. You might not get to see something like this in movies, too," Manik said glazing somewhere behind my back only to get a mocking look from me.

Clearing his throat, he concentrated on his pineapple shake mumbling a sorry. Awkward silence engulfed us accompanied by momentary moans from the couples sitting around. I didn't utter a single word nor did Manik. After some five minutes, once again, the shameless Malhotra was back when I heard him sucking a sharp inward breath, his eyes dancing in amusement and mouth wide open. He said something like 'fuc-' in an extremely low tone; stopping abruptly and gulping hard as his eyes fell on me.

"You know, the couple in the right corner behind you-," He whispered forwarding his face closer as if disclosing some secret but I raised my hand signaling him to stop saying whatever juicy information he was about to tell.

My eyes and ears had enough of adult content.

"Let's just finish the brownie and leave from here as soon as possible," I said making sure that the strictness in my tone didn't go unnoticed by Manik.

We were almost done. As I stuffed the last piece of brownie in my mouth with the spoon; I heard someone gasp over my shoulder and a voice said, "What are you two doing here?"

Suddenly, waves of anxiety hit my conscience, face gave a terrified expression, insides crumbled and I felt like crying.

I knew that voice, very, very, very well.

Why?

Why you had to appear in the same café out of hundreds of cafes in Shimla?

Why Navya?

"Is it what I'm thinking?" Cabir questioned with a curious face while scrutinizing Manik from head to toe making him cough vigorously.

"You were right, Cabir. We are definitely missing something about them," Navya gaped at me searching for answers and I shook my head in No.

"Why are you hiding it from me, Nandini? You both bunked along with us but didn't come for the movie, just for spending all your time with each other here? Well, I still don't mind. Just tell me the truth," Navya said in a bit mocking tone and I furrowed my eyebrows trying to contemplate what she exactly meant.