Sitting by the drinks counter, alone, she tried to calm down the storm which was creating a massacre deep inside her heart.

"I like Manik!"

Nandini herself couldn't believe what she spoke back then and why she said so.

She didn't know how to react, what to say more to make some sense in front of Aryaman, to gather the trash she had spilled that time.

Baffled at her own statement, she hurriedly ran out of that place.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice the very same guy who happened to be sitting on the stool beside her, when she walked in and took a seat.

Manik saw her lost somewhere, her confused, lost eyes were shouting it out that she was worried of something. He had last seen her going out with Aryaman, and now this state of hers made him worried too.

"Uhm-", Manik cleared his throat audibly, loudly.

She quickly turned her head to the source of the sound.

The same, familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes entwined with hers. Unknowingly, something about those eyes made her heart fuzzy every time it met her ones.

He casually raised his brows as he found her staring at him since then.

Maybe she was too lost to notice that slight movement of his brows. Waiting for a few more moments, he waved his hands in front of her eyes, as if trying to get some dazed, hypnotized person out of the spell.

Again getting a negative result, he said sarcastically, "Hello?! Nandini?! Can you see me.. hellooo?!!"

Nandini slightly shook her head, blinked her eyes a few times and then looked at him again.

"What happened? Where are you lost??", he said.

Before she could reply, the DJ called upon the couples to join the dance floor..

Officers with their better-halves, the navy kids who were dating their fellows and even few children went to the dance floor to show some steps.

Her eyes felt on Aryaman who was approaching her. Reason? Oh she knew that. She and Aryaman always used to pair up for this couple dance, since rest of her friends had partners and they didn't want her to be left alone. So they tagged her with Aryaman. If it was any of the previous years, she would've readily accepted to go with him, for she didn't know about his actual feelings back then. She thought they were just friends and his sudden confession had made things awkward now.

She quickly held Manik's hand and directed him towards the dance floor and literally ordered, "Dance with me!" She could've taken Cabir too, but she saw him with Navya and thought not to intrude them.

Manik's eyes widened at her clear-cut command.

Pink lighting was illuminating the dance floor to create a romantic atmosphere, slow music started in the background. She kept her hands on his broad chest. He, whereas was still dazed.

"Are you a girl?",she joked.

He finally came out of his trance when his gender was questioned, he almost whisper yelled cringing his brows, "Whattt?"

She giggled, hands still on him. His knotted brows vanished and a small smile adorned his face. He was lost admiring her, when she giggled saying, "What what? Arre you're giving expressions like I asked you to kiss me in front of everyone here."

His eyes almost bulged out sockets and she laughed at his reaction and questioned, "Why are you so shy??"

He straightened himself sparing a glance at his surrounding couples if anyone heard them and returned back on her and said, "I'm not shy."

"Yaa right. Is this the way you do a couple dance?", she questioned pointing at the two of them.

He raised his brows not getting what she tried to mean. She simply left his blazer, held his hands, placed them on her upper waist and returned back to rest her hands on his chest.

Manik was way too much bemused to react.

The song started and they started to match steps with each other.

He didn't withdraw his hands, nor did his eyes. He felt himself to be hypnotized by her. As if his legs were automatically working on their own, to be in sync with hers.

She was so lost in his eyes, that it felt to be a crime to even divert her gaze from his perfectly featured, handsome face.

His arms wrapped around her so delicately, so protectively, that she was feeling so warm and fuzzy to be in there.

It was the first time they were looking at each other unabashedly, so closely. Their eyes held pure admiration for the other.

Her beautiful almond shaped eyes, which sparkles like twinkling stars, her pouty lips, her chubby cheeks which now had a hint of redness under his feverish gaze, he didn't know if it was the lighting and he was just imagining or not.

His hands on her and hers on him, the closeness felt so right, as if they were meant to be like this, forever.

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A/N: 14K story readers? 2.3K+ likes? 800+ comments??!😭
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