F L A S H B A C KNandini was scared for a moment but her hold tightened around him. She clutched her shirt more tightly and hid her face in his chest, making Manik’s heart skip a beat. Her lips were just above his heart and he could feel the warmth of her lips even over his shirt. Manik closed his eyes and inhaled a long breath. He needed to calm his increasing heart beats. He couldn’t lose himself in her once again. He was here for something else and he needed to leave as soon as possible.  Getting frustrated with herself, Nandini sobbed again, hiding her face in Manik’s chest. She fisted his shirt tightly. Her sobs made her warm breaths fan on Manik’s chest. Her soft lips were pressed on his chest as she nuzzled in his chest while crying, making him close his eyes. He softly car

F L A S H B A C K NEXT DAY It was almost past 12 in the morning and Manik hadn't seen Nandini even once since last night. Zoya and Rudra were getting engaged the next day, so he thought Nandini might have gone there. But it couldn’t stop him from checking his phone from time to time, hoping she might call or text him like other days. “What happened to her today? Did she take my words seriously last night? She didn’t send a single text yet. What shall I do now? I think last night I went a little overboard. I should control my anger and make people understand things calmly. For now, let me call Zoya and ask about her. I just hope Nandini is doing fine.” Manik thought to himself and dialed Zoya’s number. She picked up the call after a few rings. “Hello, Manik.” “Hi… Hi, Zoya.” He didn’t think twice before calling Zoya but now he was feeling nervous to ask her about Nandini. “Manik, are you there?” Zoya asked not hearing anything from the other side for a long time. “Yeah, I’m

NEXT   MORNINGI stirred as the morning sun rays hit my face. I tried hiding my face in my pillow and going back to my peaceful slumber. But I found it becoming harder and harder to do. I was feeling unusually cold as the breeze passed through me.  I felt I was sleeping without a blanket, to be more precise naked and that's when it hit me. Last night flashed behind my closed eyes and the smile curved in the corner of my lips like always.  My hand began reaching the other side of my bed in order to spot Manik so that I could get into his arms and grab some more sleep which seemed almost impossible without him. I frowned before opening my eyes because my hand didn’t touch any skin or abs which means the place beside me was empty.  

I stirred a little in my sleep as light started to flash on my face. Urghh… It was morning again. I tried to move and hide my face in my pillow so that I could grab some more sleep, I felt an arm tightly wrapped around my waist. It was firm but didn’t hurt me. I didn’t have to think much to figure out that it was Manik. It was rare when I found him on my bed after waking up. A smile appeared on my face and I moved closer to him. I opened my eyes and stared at Manik’s face for a while. He looked more handsome while sleeping. I couldn’t stop the urge to peck on the mole above his lip. This mole of him was damn tempting. Only I knew how I controlled myself all the time to kiss it. It was not only sexy but a huge turn on too. Every single thing about this guy was tempting……. I was busy checking Manik out when the realization hit me that Manik was still in bed with me and it wasn't a sight that I wanted mom or dad to find out. At least, not till the time, Manik and I were ready to rev

Manik kept Nandini’s phone in her pocket and waited for Nandini to order. Once the waiter left, he looked at Nandini. He knew Nandini wanted to say something to him. “What is it, Nandini?” When Manik asked this, Nandini was not much surprised. She knew Manik would realize that she wanted to ask something. "I know this flat was your birthday gift to me. But... Um... Can I ask something else too?" Manik held Nandini's hand that was on the table and caressed it lovingly. "You never have to hesitate to ask anything from me. Just say it. I can't get the moon or stars for you. But if it is in my reach, I'll try my best." Nandini smiled. She tightened the grip on his hand