Nandini was thinking of what had happened.

Nandini : "I assumed that it was him and accused him without thinking. How would he know that I am claustrophobic?"

Nandini : "If it's not him, then who else could it be? No one here knows that I am claustrophobic .. except Mukti. Could she? .. She is angry .. but she wouldn't do that to me."

Nandini : "Just because I met two people who weren't trust worthy in the past, I can't doubt everyone. There are chances that someone else would have played a prank."

Nandini : "He was rude, but he helped me. I have to thank him and apologize to him."

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Alya, Mukti and Cabir had already started planning their next step.

Alya : "We will target her other weakness this time."

They were discussing how to implement it. Since Manik was present there, he heard them and figured out in which direction their discussion was going.

Manik : "It looks like another rescue plan."

Cabir : "It is."

Manik : "Then drop that idea."

Alya : "This is the quickest way to create a good impression on her. You want to, we all want to get done with it soon, right?"

Manik : "I don't think so. If we implement this plan and I save her from drowning, she might think that I am behind it and blame me again for it. If something goes wrong like it did today, things can get complicated."

Manik : "We want to avenge her the same way she hurt Mukti, but such plans can land her in the hospital, and worst case even kill her. It can complicate our lives too. I wanted to get done with it fast, but let's not be in a hurry and come up with plans that are risky."

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Next when Nandini saw Manik, she went to him. He ignored her and tried to walk away, but stopped after hearing her words.

Nandini : "I will just take a minute. I wanted to apologize for the other day. I misunderstood and spoke rudely to you because of the past incidents. Sorry!"

Nandini : "Thank you for helping me out! If not for you, I don't know what would have happened."

Manik : "It's alright. You are welcome!"

Nandini was ready to leave immediately, but Manik stopped her. Now that their idea had worked, he had to make use of the opportunity to further their plan. He hadn't expected her to apologize or thank him, so he wasn't prepared for that meet. He wouldn't have bothered to explain his actions to an outsider, but he did so now, to clear the unpleasantness between them.

Manik : "That day, when I ended up splashing the muddy water on you, I had to drive off the road, to avoid hitting a person who had crossed the road all of a sudden. I didn't notice that there was a ditch there and you were walking by."

Nandini : "Oh.. if you would have mentioned about this that day, then none of these things would have happened. It definitely was more important to save a person from getting hurt. I shouldn't have deflated your Jeep's tires. I was upset that my first day here hadn't gone well. I am sorry."

Manik : "That's true .. none of this would have happened. But then I wouldn't have come to know that you are a musician too. Why did you hesitate to perform that day, when you are so good at it?"

Nandini : "I had stopped playing music and wanted to stay away from it."

Manik wasn't able to comprehend why someone would want to stay away from music.

Manik : "May I know why?"

Nandini : "It has lost it's importance in my life."

Nandini didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she excused herself and left. Manik also had a tough time pretending to be polite to her, so he didn't stop her.

Manik (to himself) : "I agreed for Mukti's sake, but how am I going to carry out their plan, when I am finding it difficult to pretend for just a few minutes. But now that I have agreed, I can't back out. Mukti believes that this will help her move on, so I will have to bear with this unpleasantness for her well-being."

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Cabir and Alya took turns and kept a watch on Nandini's daily activities. Mukti wasn't a part of it since Nandini knew her. Also, they made sure that Alya and Mukti weren't seen with Manik when Nandini was around.

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A week passed by. It was time for everyone to leave college. It was very cloudy and it looked like it would start pouring heavily very soon.

Manik was driving home and he saw Nandini. She was looking for an auto, but in vain. The auto drivers were looking for long distance rides so that they can get hefty fares, and she stayed close to the college. Manik wouldn't have offered a ride to anyone just like that, especially Nandini, but he thought of this as an opportunity to advance their plan.

Manik : "Are you waiting for someone?"

Nandini : "Yes, for an auto."

Manik : "It looks like it is going to pour heavily and the chances that you will find an auto is very less. I can drop you home if it is okay with you."

Nandini : "No thanks. I will manage."

Nandini had apologized and thanked him, but she didn't know him well enough to trust him, so she refused politely.

Manik : "As you wish, but let me warn you that you will get caught in the rain and you want be able to find any transportation."

Nandini knew that he was right, but she wasn't ready.

Nandini : "I don't want to trouble you."

Manik : "It won't be a problem for me, I am not going to carry you, my car will and it wouldn't mind either."

Nandini : "I don't know you well enough to accept your favor."

Manik : "Hmm.. so you are okay with going with an auto driver who is a stranger, but not with me. Let me remind you that if I wanted to take advantage of you, I could have done so when you were unconscious that day. If you still don't trust me, it is fine by me."

After that, Nandini didn't refuse and she agreed to go with him. Manik knew a lot about her already because of Mukti and the details he had collected from the office. He was least interested in talking to her, but he continued to converse with her just for the betterment of their plan. He knew where she stayed as well, but he didn't want her to know that.

Manik : "Where do you stay?"

Nandini gave him the directions to her house.

Manik : "It is very close to the college."

Nandini : "Yes, that's the reason I am staying there."

Manik : "Oh.. so where were you staying earlier?"

Nandini mentioned about the city she was staying earlier.

Manik : "You are staying away from your family then?"

Nandini : "No .. I have no family."

Manik asked a few questions now and then and Nandini responded, but she didn't speak anything else on her own.

Manik : "Do you plan to settle in Mumbai after studies then?"

Nandini : "No.. I am not planning to stay here till I complete my studies. I am here only temporarily."

They reached Nandini's house. She thanked him and went home. Manik left from there.

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When he met his friends he updated them about their meet as usual.

Alya : "See, I was right. She isn't here to study, she has some other plan. Manik, be careful with her. Now that, you yourself are approaching her, she might try to trap you too."

Cabir : "Yes Manik. You shouldn't get trapped in her web, you have to trap her in ours. Also, we don't know how long she is going to be here, so we will have to speed up on our plan."