Thank you all for your votes and comments! It always motivates me to continue writing. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

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Manik was present with his friends physically, but he was in deep thoughts. Cabir had to tap Manik to get his attention.

Cabir : "What are you thinking so deeply that you didn't respond?"

Manik : "I tried all I could think of to find where Nandini is, but to no avail. I am not able to figure out how to proceed further."

Alya : "She came and left according to her will. Now, you don't have to apologize to her too. Then why are you looking for her?"

Manik : "She came looking for you two and she left because you both accused her of snatching Harshad from you. She is alone somewhere, and isn't keeping good health too. What if something happens to her? .."

Alya : "She did a big drama and made everyone feel guilty for no reason. My brother isn't ready to forgive Mukti and me because of her. Still you are giving importance to her instead of helping us?"

Manik : "Even after knowing everything, you are still trying to find fault in her, though we were all at fault. We made a revenge plan based on assumptions, I pretended to make her fall for me, and you kept the fact that Mukti's boyfriend is your brother hidden, so how does her telling one lie become a big issue."

Manik : "Nandini lied to find why Mukti hated her, and that lie cleared all the misunderstandings and also brought all the other truths to the forefront. It saved us from harming her further and feeling guilty forever. It showed everyone's true colors, including yours. The plan you came up with was not just for Mukti's well-being. You had your own hidden motive."

Manik : "What does she have to do with your brother not forgiving you? You both didn't trust him, and she left without trace because of your accusations. So you both have to figure out how to gain forgiveness, I can't help you with it."

Alya had tried to hit two birds at once. She wanted to get her revenge on Nandini as well as get into Manik's good books by showing her concern for Mukti. Her plan had backfired. Alya didn't succeed in her revenge plan and she fell in Manik's eyes too. Instead, Manik's concern for Nandini was growing and he supported Nandini's actions even if they didn't seem right to her.

Alya's thoughts : "There Bhai (brother) and here Manik, both are giving too much importance to her. She left from here, but she is still on their minds. They aren't ready to listen to anything against her. How do I get her out of our lives completely?"

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Sunaina took Nandini to a function at her work place. When Nandini saw the decorative banners, she remembered one of the days at the orphanage, when they were putting up the decorations for the charity event.

Two volunteers were putting up decorative banners. One of the banners wasn't fastened properly and it fell on Nandini. Since it fell suddenly on her, she tried to yank it away from her without realizing what it is. That force was sufficient to pull a few more banners which were attached to it, and they fell on Nandini. Nandini was trying to take it off, but it got more tangled, and Manik chuckled seeing it.

Nandini : "Am I looking like a clown to you?"

Manik nodded his head indicating a no.

Nandini : "Then why are you chuckling?"

Manik : "Seeing you like this, something came to my mind."

Nandini : "What?"

Manik : "The colors also got fed up of you ignoring them. That's why of everyone here, it chose to fall on you, and it looks like it's not going to leave you soon."

Nandini : "Will you keep watching me struggle with this or will you help me out?"

Manik went up to her and started helping her to remove the banners off her.

Manik : "There is something special about today. You are all decked up like this. Also you .. are asking me.. for help, I thought you can manage this too on your own like everything else."

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Manik and Cabir were in Manik's jeep. Cabir was looking for chewing gum in the jeep's storage compartment. He found a piece of paper and opened it.

Cabir : "Why do you still have this?"

Cabir crumpled the paper and threw it.

Manik : "What was that?"

Cabir : "The note which Nandini left when she flattened your Jeep's tires."

Manik stopped the jeep immediately and ran back to where Cabir had thrown the paper. He found it, uncrumpled it, and put it in his pocket.

Cabir : "What has happened to you? You stopped suddenly and ran into the traffic for that piece of paper. What if some vehicle would have hit you or banged into the jeep?"

Manik : "Why are you overreacting Cabir? Nothing happened to me, or to you, or to the jeep now."

Cabir : "Why have you been holding onto this paper for so long?"

Manik : "I kept it thinking that one day I will make her pay for it, and then forgot that it was there."

Cabir : "Neither there is anger to take revenge nor is there a reason for you to feel guilty now, then why did you rush like that to get this small piece of paper? Why do you still want to keep it?"

Manik : "She is no longer here, there are only a few things that I have left in her memory."

Cabir : "So there is more? .. What is she to you that you want to keep things in her memory?"

Manik didn't have an answer. Nandini was his partner for a short time and now even that relationship didn't hold good.

Manik's act had confirmed Cabir's doubts.

Cabir : "I am not able to figure out if you haven't realized or you don't want to accept that she has made a special place in your mind as well as your heart. .. I think you have fallen in love with her."

Manik : "You started off with it again. You know that I don't believe in it. There is no way I will ever fall in love."

Cabir : "It is very clear that she is special to you. She is on your mind most of the time and you are concerned for her well-being."

Cabir : "Now don't start with 'However special she may be, there is no place for any girl in my life..'. You know her for a very short time and you have no idea what she is to you now, still you are holding onto things related to her, though those things are from the days you hated her. Why?"

Cabir : "Only crazy people run into the traffic without thinking of the consequences for a small piece of paper, and you aren't crazy. Then why did you do so?"

Cabir : "Love doesn't knock at the door of your heart, take your permission and then enter your life. Whether you like it or not, it manages to find a way to your heart. All your actions, especially today's, are indicating that you are in love, but looks like you haven't realized it yet. Take some time to analyze your feelings and figure out what she really means to you."

Manik never thought about that aspect and Cabir's words set him thinking about it.

Manik's thoughts : "I can't take his words seriously. Cabir's thoughts are influenced by movies, and real life is lot different from reel. .. I am concerned for her well-being, that's all. It's not love, and I will never fall into that trap and spoil my life."

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At Sunaina's place, Nandini was humming a tune. After she stopped,

Sunaina : "Is that your favorite tune?"

Nandini : "Huh .. which tune?"

Sunaina : "The one you were humming just now."

It was only then Nandini realized that she was humming unconsciously.

Nandini : "Nothing like that."

Sunaina : "That's the only tune I have heard you humming always, so I thought it was your favorite."

Nandini had been humming the tune without realizing it herself.

Sunaina : "It is a nice tune. It's been long since I heard you singing too, can you sing that now?"

Nandini : "I have never heard the song, so I don't know the lyrics for it."

Sunaina : "Then how .. Oh you must have heard the instrumental."

Nandini : "I haven't heard that too .. my partner used to whistle that tune often, may be it was his favorite."

Sunaina : "Partner? What sort of partner?"

Nandini was telling Sunaina about Manik.

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Manik began to cough all of a sudden.

Mukti : "May be someone is thinking of you."

Manik : "I spoke to mom and dad, left from home and reached here, and you are all here. Then who else will think of me?"

Cabir (whispering to Manik) : "May be the one who you are thinking of always."

Manik's thoughts : "She has her own issues to deal with. .. Would she think of me like how I think of her?"