After the encounter in the washroom..the way he left her there..she was really hurt.. how badly she wants to hug him and cry her heart out but all the time she hold herself back from falling down.. She is acting all strong..living on one small hope..that any day...any day he will recognize her..but every time she just get nothing in her hands..just a big nothing..

He don't even react ..but when they both are close..they actually forget everything..and just live in that one moment..leaving their messy life behind..they just melt like wax in each other's embrace..

She came back In her room..totally drenched in water..while coming back..she noticed Manik wasn't there..and thankfully it was time for Maria aunty praying so she wasn't at home.. So no one sees her drenching condition..

She closed the door and walked towards her closet.. Cabir had already sent her all things..which she uses on daily basis.. she opened her closet..and from the drawer she picked out the diary..

"MaNan world" was beautifully engraved on it...she caressed the cover of her diary..

(Hope it's looking real)

She sat down on the bed..she picked the pen..placed a pillow on her lap..and then she opened the diary..she closed her eyes and recalled their beautiful memories..

A smile crept on her lips..but then Manik's behavior faded that smile..she opened her eyes and looked at diary..and started writing..

Anjane se khwabo ke peeche bhaga karte the..

Khamoshiyan bhi ek dusre ki hum samjha karte the..

Mukammal thi mohabbat humari..

Mukammal jahan mei jiya karte the..

Fir na jaane kahan se woh sailab aa gaya..

Tabah humara aashiyana kar gaya..

Bichar kar unse fir roya bahut karte the..

Unki yaadon mei hum jeeya karte the..

Taras aaya shayad khuda ko kuch hum pe..

Lautaya Usne pyaar humara Hume..

Par shayad Abhi kuch imtihaan baaki the..

Anjane se khwabo ke peeche bhaga karte the..

Khamoshiyan bhi ek dusre ki hum samjha karte the..

(Poem by me ..after a very long time..hope it was nice)

She closed the diary and then she reminisced all the moments she spent with him..a warm smile appeared on her face but then it faded away with the flashes of that accident and then their separation..

"Nandini what are you doing?.. you are loosing hope?".. she heard the sound..and when she looked in her right side..she found her own silhouette..she looked puzzled..

"Am your own shadow Nandini..your heart's shadow..".. the image told and now Nandini looked at her ..while the image asked again..

"Bolo Nandini..itni jaldi tumne haar maan li?" .. Her image asked and Nandini instantly denied..

"Nahi maine haar nahi Maani hai..I am not loosing hope..".. she answered looking at the shadow..

"Then why these tears? ..tum bhool gayi ..how Manik supported you throughout..he never lost his hope..he never gave up on you..then how can you behave like this Nandini?" ....her image scold her and made her recall the past time.. Nandini instantly wiped off her tears..

there was dedication in her voice..a new strength build up inside her...her silhouette smiled to her and vanished..

Nandini : "Manik..I won't give up on you ever.."..she said and a smile spread all over her face..making her more strong..

****

In the lawn..

Manik was sitting in the lawn..lost In his own thoughts..he was recalling the past incidents...how he loose in front of her..

"No! Manik..you can't do this..this is so not right..how can you get close to her..agar aaj...".. he was fighting a battle between his heart And mind..in which every time his mind is loosing..but now here he is thinking all the possibilities which may happen if he wouldn't realized ..

He face palmed himself and start recalling their washroom encounter..he then removed his palm from his face..and recalled her glowing smiling face..

"But uske face pe Jo smile thi..woh smile ...use kese ignore karu?...uska glowing face use kese ignore karu? ...jab woh Kareeb hoti hai toh mai sab bhul jata hoon..bas uska ho jata hoon..".... He thought while a smile played on his lips..but soon it faded away..

"Manik..No! You can't do all this..get a grip on yourself.." ..He then composed himself and made his mind..

"Yes! I will maintain distance from her..Neither I will go close to her nor I will let her close to me.." ...he made his mind..but deep down even he knows that when she is around him..all his rational thoughts goes Straight into the bin..

While he was lost in his thoughts..he got a call...and he received it ..

"Yes! Good morning..say it..okay! But why Shimla?.. are you sure?.. nahi nahi..main khud Jaunga..do one thing..make everything ready..and email me all the details..".. he then cut the call..and walked inside the house again..he was using his phone while walking when suddenly he collided with someone ..

Manik : "what the...".. he said in anger when suddenly his eyes fell on Nandini..who was standing in very simple yet so elegant dress ..looking ethereal..

Nandini : "am sorry sir..Maine Dekha nahi..".. she genuinely said and walked out before Manik could say anything..she left out.. He was stunned by her behavior..she didn't passed any cheesy line..she didn't smiled..she simply walked out...this irritated him..

Manik : "ise kya hua? ..".. he thought while looking at her ..who was walking in the lawn..back facing her..

Irony! ..sometimes back..this man was thinking to maintain apt distance from her..and now her simple one ignorance is making him crazy..

****

After sometime ..Manik was in his room..done with his packing..just when he got the call from Aliya..

Manik : "hey! How's you?".. he asked while zipping his bag..

"Am good Manik..just missing home..so thinking to go California..".. she told him in a little sad tone..

Manik : "yes.. you should go..actually mai bhi bahar ja raha hoon..so take Maria aunty with you..".. he told her after coming towards his cupboard ..

"Bahar?.. where you are going?".. she asked in little confusion..

Manik : "Han..actually thoda kaam ki wajah se jana par raha hai..a new tender..and it's a big project..so I have to go..".. he told after picking out some files from his drawer and then he locked it safely..

"Oh okay! Theek hai..I will take Maria aunty with me..then jab tum wapas aaoge ..I will send her back..I cant leave you alone ..".. she said with concern dripping from her voice..

Manik : "I know you can't leave me alone..".. he said with a small smile..and she too smiled back..

"Wese woh nandini?.. is she going with you?".. she suddenly asked and this made Manik ponder on something..but then he answered..

Manik : "Han aliya..am taking her with me..waha jarurat paregi uski..".. he said in a stern tone..

"Yes! Take her..tumhe bhi help mil jayegi.." .. she said with a smile..

Manik : "hmm! ..Mai baad mei bat karta hoon..take care..".. he then hung up the call..as he had noticed Nandini passing by his room..

"Yeh itna ajeeb sa kyu behave karhi hai?.. it's been 3 hours..washroom incident ke baad ..she didn't came in front of me.. is she is trying to make distance?".. he thought with little hurt.. Well! Mr. Malhotra who himself decided to make distance from her ..is now getting hurt when she herself is not coming close to him...

It's a saying..the more you run behind something..it will run away from you..and the more you run away from something..it start chasing you..and same is happening with him..when she was close..he was going away and now when she is going away ..he wants to be close..

"Manik..some thinking all this..just go and tell her that we have to leave..that's all..nothing more than that..".. he once again shut his heart And set his mind.. he went outside..and walked towards her room..

When he reached her room..he saw that she was adjusting her clothes..he knocked on the door..

Manik : "can I come in?".. he asked in his manner filled voice ..she looked in her right side..and he was standing there..

Nandini : "you don't need to ask sir..come in.."...she said in a very stern voice ..which shocked him..she didn't smiled..she very coldly replied to him..and then she continued her work..

He walked inside ..and noticed that she wasn't paying attention to him..

"Wese toh pure din mere aage peeche bhagti rehti hai..aur ab Jab mai khud aaya hoon..toh mujhe he ignore karhi hai..".. his mind said with a grumpy face..

"But see..kitne cute lag rahi hai..Is blue dress mei..bilkul angel..".. his heart said while dreamingly looking at him..

"Manik! Don't come in your mind's words..it's stupid..".. his mind warned him..

"Am not stupid..you are stupid..that you are ignoring such beautiful angel..".. his heart chided his mind..

"No you are stupid" ..his mind shouted..

"No..you are".. his heart shouted ..

"You" ...his mind answered angrily..

"You" ..his heart too said angrily..no one is less ..

"Shut up! You both ..".. Manik himself shouted now ..under his breath...making both shush..

Now he looked at Nandini..who was busy in her work..behaving like..he isn't present in the room..

"Manik! This girl will surely make you insane..".. he thought to himself..and looked at her carefully..

He cleared his throat ..and now she looked at him..

Nandini : "kuch kehna hai sir?"..

She asked him with a stern face..

Manik : "Han..Hume shaam ko shimla ke liye nikalna hai.."..he said and what he got in answer made him baffled..

Nandini : "sorry sir I can't come..aap chale jaiye..".. her answer left him shock..

Manik : "but Nan....".. before he could say..she cut him in mid..

Nandini : "I don't wanna disturb you sir..you can peacefully do your work..I won't buzz you from now on..".. she said with her head down..and then she walked towards her cupboard..and placed her clothes in her cupboard..

He was really in shock..well! This would be understatement..he was beyond shock right now..but suddenly ..he composed himself...

Manik : "I haven't asked you..am telling you..you are coming with him..and that's final..".. he said strictly and walked out from there without hearing her answer..

After he walked out ..she turned around..she didn't found him..and soon her gloomy face started shining ..the face with had no smile till yet..suddenly a broad smile formed on it..

Nandini : "patidev this is called reverse psychology..jab tak mai peeche thi ..tum door de..ab jab mai door hoon..toh tum peeche.." ...she sniggered..and soon she started dancing in her room..she was really happy..as all this was her plan..to make Manik come around..

She was twirling around..doing weird dance steps..she seems to be extremely happy..she then fell straight on the bed..legs touching the floor..there was a content smile on her face..

Nandini : "tum mere peeche..main tumhare peeche..aur humari yaadein humare peeche..too much fun!" ... she said with a big grin...

Nandini : "soon this chasing game will end..and we will be together like before.. Humesha!.... Nandini promise!".. she said with determined tone and a grin on her face..

Screen freezes on her smiling face....

So! How's the chapter?.. Mr. Malhotra can't be away from Mrs. Malhotra.. hehehe..hai na!.. he just can't.. and Nandini..uffff! She is cunning..😂😂 ..

Hope you all liked the chapter..don't forget to leave your views..and hit the star icon...

Loads of love..

Kajal 😍😘😘