The Nerd and The Brat ✔️

33. Vacations II

Hello Fam :)

Here's a double update. Check the previous chapter if you have missed it. :)

Happy Reading...

Manik was folding his clothes neatly into his cupboard, his brain racing with a million thoughts but neither was it giving him enough time to process nor did Manik want to stop them.

Manik

He almost jumped on his place when someone yelled his name. It was Cabir. Of course. Who else?

Cabir squeezed his arm and took the shirt out of his hand before throwing out on the bed haphazardly. Manik scrunched his nose at the deliberate mess he was making but before he could protest, Cabir was already talking. "I have been calling you for the past five minutes. What are you even thinking about?", he asked.

Manik sighed heavily. "Nandini", he said and sat down on the bed with his head on his hands. "She is the only one on my mind since yesterday."

Cabir kneeled in front of him and wrapped his hands around Manik's wrists, pulling it away from his head. "What about Nandini?"

"I can't explain. There are so many thoughts and all my emotions are jumping like some tidal waves."

Cabir sighed. He pulled a chair to sit down in front of Manik. "If you are thinking about Nandini's parents in precise, Manik, we can't help it unless she comes out of her home. From her words, it's when she takes over the company."

"It's not fair", muttered Manik. "Cabir, she is Nandini. The girl who fights for every right thing. The one who protects the weak and she is struggling inside her house with no one to protect her. Her grandfather's will. It doesn't work. They will easily manipulate it and I have at least ten ways on how it could happen."

"Manik, calm down. Which genre are you on?", asked Cabir.

Manik passed on a glare. "Mystery which isn't related to the topic I am talking about."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? You tend to be a bit more suspicious after reading a mystery or thriller. What you need right now is a good romance novel."

"Cabir, I am serious." Manik thought his brother has gone mad. There are things which are more important than novels. He scrunched his nose at his thought.

"You know", Cabir started, his voice unusually soft, "I don't trust them but Nandini? She has been handling them almost all her life and she is fine. She might not be on cloud nine right now but she is safe. As safe as she can be and there are her friends who know her since her childhood. Do you think if it was unsafe, they would be sitting quietly?"

"She once told me that for some, everything is business. I never understood it before but now...", he trailed off but felt Cabir's hands around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I am sorry you had to meet them, baby", whispered Cabir into his hair.

XXX

Manik didn't bring up the topic of Nandini again because it was dampening Cabir's mood. She was still at the back of his mind and he concentrated on the plan Cabir gave him. He felt a smile when he saw his baby brother had included a couple of reading hours into their 'let's build some brains and brawns' workout, as he termed it.

"Stop doing that", scolded Cabir, who was snooping in Manik's cupboard.

"What?", asked Manik.

"Don't think I didn't notice you grinning more at your reading schedule than the actual workout. You need muscles to kick someone", he told.

Manik frowned. "I don't want to kick someone, kid."