Chapter 4

Nandini had never been so terrified and bewildered in her entire life. After sharing an intense moment with Manik, to be more precise making out with him, she was unable to erase his thoughts out of her mind, nor could she wipe out the flashes of the scene from her mind. She was still having a hard time to believe that she actually did it. 

The thought of leaving the job had crossed her mind. She froze at the thought. “What the fuck are you thinking, Nandini? It was Manik who initiated the kiss. So, he has no right to judge my character when I should be the one to judge him for kissing me without my permission.” She whispered to herself. 

Nandini’s mind again went back to think whether Manik would be thinking anything about her or not, if he would even do anything. In fact, she doubted he would even react. He probably wouldn't even mention it ever. As far as she knew him, she was sure that he would pretend like the entire thing had never happened, only to drive her more crazy. That particular creature had the ability to lead her to crack. 

“Jesus! Yes, it has to be one of his stupid plans. It was just a sick mind game of his to annoy me and drive me away. Now maybe he is expecting me to quit the job. He must be thinking that he has successfully annoyed the fuck out of me and won the game. But I won’t let it happen. There is no way he is going to win over me. I am not going to quit!" Nandini became determined to not let Manik win, if he was playing with her.

NEXT  MORNING 

After a restless night, the next day Nandini arrived on time, dressed in one of her best work outfits, heels clicking on the floor as she passed the corridor with confidence with a  coffee mug in her hand, completely prepared to tackle the day. 

Nandini was determined to face Manik with all her confidence. She was not going to quit till the end. She received looks from her colleagues the second she stepped out of the elevator and walked towards her desk. She was not surprised, to be honest she was expecting them.

Alya, who had arrived earlier than Nandini, walked near her, asking her why there was gossip floating around the office that she and Manik had gotten into a physical fight.

Nandini’s mind picked the word ‘physical’ separately and she remembered their different sort of ‘physical fight’ and she had to fight the same battle within herself that she hated his touch and she was not craving for it anymore. 

“Where are you lost, Nandini? Answer me.” Alya asked, narrowing her gaze. 

Nandini had simply lied, chucking Manik’s thoughts away. "We did get into a physical fight."

Alya sighed. "Nandini, let's talk about this during break, I think it’s more than what it seems."

Nandini was sure John and his mates had overheard the sound of the argument from Manik's office yesterday and it was obvious they had exaggerated their argument while telling others. It was surely a juicy topic for office gossip. It had spread  like wildfire throughout the entire office.  Some people speculated Manik had pulled Nandini's hair and some speculated Nandini had punched Manik and that it was a proper fistfight.

Nandini wished they had the least idea what type of physical 'action' had really been going on. The only thing they had witnessed was Nandini storming into Manik's office and heard her commence with the yelling.

Nevertheless, Nandini was very pleased with the rumor. After all, she was regarded as brave among everyone. She was the only one who had dared to challenge the Manik Malhotra as no one ever even dared to back answer him. 

As Nandini passed, all the heads turned to her and a few employees actually stood up from their desks to get a better look at her. They were probably hoping to see if the rumors of a fistfight were true, they were expecting to witness some proof of the infamous fight. 

Alya was the only one who looked at Nandini suspiciously. They couldn't talk across their desks as they had no privacy, so Alya had to wait until lunch time to find out the details.

When it was finally lunch break, Alya and Nandini headed to the cafe opposite to their office building. There was much noise and chatter around the tables. They took their seat at the furthest corner away from the crowd, there was no chance of being overheard. Alya had smartly sent Aryaman in line to go and order for everyone and had sent Dhruv to grab her hand sanitiser which she had left in her car. It was just the two of them at the table. 

“Now will you care to spill the beans?” Alya asked as soon as they were alone, determined to hear the truth. "You were breathing heavily when you called and you only breathe like that when you lie."

“Damn you, Alya, and your sixth sense!” Nandini mumbled under her breath, making sure she didn’t hear her. Slowly she started to narrate the whole scenario to her, knowing there was no escape from here. Within a few minutes, she had honestly described what had happened. Everything from her work reviewed by Manik and covered with nasty remarks, to her being pushed up against a wall with his thigh pressed between her legs.

“Fuck! I was only expecting it!” Alya almost screamed as her eyes lit up with understanding. "The moment I saw your swollen lips yesterday, I knew something heated up must have happened behind the closed door. You looked thoroughly kissed, not beat up!"

Nandini rolled her eyes, seeing her best friend all cheered up and not bothered about her state. "He's been a fucking asshole to me. Alya! He has been since we were kids!" She was busy glaring down at her hands, thinking of Manik. “I know why he is doing this. It's all his plan to kick me out of his company. He can’t force me directly to quit, that’s why he chose this way. You should've read those nasty comments he made about my work. He just can't see me succeed." Her eyes teared up at the end. 

Alya sighed in exasperation. She had something else in her mind which was totally contrast to what the girl in front of her was thinking. "Nandini, for the love of God believe me, that’s surely not what is happening. He is not out to trap you as far as I understand. Are you that blind not to see the evident?"

"If he's not out to trap me, then why did he kiss me? We hate each other, Alya. We fucking hate each other’s existance, we hate to breath in the same air. He has no reason to kiss me. None at all! A big no!" Nandini couldn’t help thinking of the rivalry since childhood. There was no way there could be anything else apart from his according to her. 

Alya nodded her head in disbelief, seeing the adamant girl. She wondered how she could make her understand that she felt. She was not blind to not witness the burning tension between the duo. Exhaling a sharp breath, she started. 

"There are only two reasons why one would do anything remotely intimate with someone who they hate." Alya said in a matter of fact tone, looking directly into Nandini’s eyes. 

Nandini looked at Alya in confusion while the latter one seemed to be confident about her thoughts.