Chapter 28

Nandani let Manik pull her back to bed, grateful the girls were gone for the day. She had no idea what she would do if they walked in and found out. But she forced it out of her head.

"Can I tell you something? Promise you will not jump down my throat." Manik was propped up on his side, trailing his finger over her shoulder as she lay on her back beside him.

She looked at him, suspicion on her face. "Okay."

"I used to think about you sometimes," he began confessing. "While we were in high school. I would see you in the hall, or at my house with Mukti, and you were always so much... more than the girls your age." His smile grew smug. "I never pictured you naked until I was sixteen though."

"Seriously?" She hit him lightly on the shoulder, though a part of her warmed up thinking about it.

"Yeah. Teenaged guys are sick like that." He grinned, not looking apologetic in the least.

"But we never hung out, together," Nandani stated.

Manik shrugged. "Does not matter. I remember your eighteenth birthday, you were wearing these black leggings and those black boots with a spikey heel." His head tilted back like he was remembering. "I used to imagine you wrapping those legs around me, my fingers grabbing your hair." Manik drew out a strand of her hair while speaking. "Do you still have those boots?" His eyes glanced toward her closet and she laughed.

She would have hit him on the shoulder again but was too busy wondering what else he had imagined. As much as it should not have been hot, it was. "And now that you have had the reality to compare it to?" Nandani teased him.

The smile stayed on his face but his eyes lost some of their humor. "You are a thousand times better in real life, Nandani. Nothing compares to this."

Wow. Okay, She thought but did not utter a word.

"But it is not just... this." He trailed a finger down her arm gently. He returned his gaze to her. "It is you. You are so unlike the other girls here. Smart and funny and driven."

Nandani was still trying to drum up words. But she was speechless.

Manik sensed she did not have anything to say and continued. "Your ass is not half bad either."

This time she hit him. It seemed easier than trying to process his words.

"I guess growing up is not the worst thing in the world." He winked and dropped his mouth to her shoulder, trailing light kisses across to her collarbone. He was kissing at a sweet and leisurely pace, not as he had been hot and desperate minutes before.

"What else is better? Now that you are all grown up, and everything." Nandani asked casually, as her voice was sluggish.

"School's actually been pretty great," Manik replied.

Was he actually talking about school now? She tried to focus. "Is the new school, new image program working? Or is the preppy bad boy thing following you here?" she asked him.

"Preppy bad boy? Is that how you think of me?" He looked amused, though.

"Maybe. You have to admit, you give off those vibes. But in a very likable way," Nandani replied.

"Uh-huh. well, I don't know about this preppy bad boy thing, but I have made some pretty good friends." He pulled back and was quiet for a moment. Manik was getting that thoughtful look.

"So what about high school? The popularity and the parties and everything. Was that just you going along with it?" Nandani had been wanting to ask this for a while but was waiting for the right moment. She wasn't sure this was it but figured she would try.

He was silent for a moment, gazing up at the ceiling before he responded. There is something that you need to understand. I did not ask to be... whatever I was. It was like I woke up in someone else's life. In high school, everyone wanted to be my friend. I didn't know why, but for a while, it did not matter. It was what I thought I wanted." He then glanced over at her. "When you are sixteen what is better than being the center of attention, right? But after a while, the gloss wears off. You realize a lot of people that smile and laugh and pat you on the back really are not your friends. They will take what you say and twist it, use it against you. and there are all these expectations."

Manik paused for a moment and continued. "The parties got out of hand. One time I was busted for possessing drugs. I did not even use it but knew lots of people that did. Lots of my so-called friends." He shook his head. "The fine was not a big deal, but my dad made me do two hundred hours of volunteering to make up for it. By that time I was just going through with it because it was easier to keep up appearances than to get out of it. The kick on my ass was the thing with my dad. When I decided to cover for him, all my friends vanished. Then when I came back, it was like I was either a rock star or an outcast. That is when I knew I needed to start over."

It was possibly the most Manik had shared with her at a time. Nandani pondered it over while he continued.

"That is part of the reason I was looking forward to school. I just wanted to be me and the guy everyone thinks I am. I did not want to worry about what blowing four years of expectations out of the water might do. I have met some pretty cool people, too." He grinned to let her know the present company was included. "Even the guys at the house are great. And though I was not sure if my knee would hold up enough to play at the university level, I spoke to the coach and he is going to let me try."

Manik continued, "Classes are probably even better than at Houston. I have wanted to be an engineer since junior year, but it is like I can actually see it now."

"Why?" Nandani was intrigued by everything he said but latched onto the last part. She knew clearly that Manik was one of the smartest guys, she knew. She never knew that he had been thinking about a career that early. Plus she wanted to keep him talking. She loved hearing him, and his thoughts.

"I want to build things that matter. Things that connect people, and support people. To create something that lasts." Manik was sounding so earnest. She knew he was a behind-the-scenes guy. One who cared more about substance than flash them. One who kept his closest secrets guarded. Except, for some reason, he shared everything with her.

It felt strange hearing him talk this way. Until this year she had always thought of him as the guy with the charmed life who got everything and everyone he wanted without lifting a finger. But each revelation peeled back yet another layer, adding to what she had already learned of Manik. And the more she learned, the closer she felt to him.

"What are you thinking?" Manik's brow furrowed.

"I was wondering why you do all those things for your family. Even though it cost you?" It did not sound like they entirely deserved him.

"Family's not perfect, but you only get one, you know?" Manik said. Although Nandani knew she would not go to that extent for her family, the way he had for his.

"You are a pretty great guy, you know that?" She said. His eyes searched her face like he was looking for something more.

At that point, even Nandani realized that she actually wanted more. She wanted this, whatever this was, and the affection that came with it. She wanted not to have to banish thoughts of him. Wanted to be able to watch a movie, and have incredible sex in the shower, and do normal things a guy and a girl who liked each other did.

With that sudden surge of confidence, she wanted to blow his mind away.

Manik watched her devious expression. "What is that look, about?" He was both fascinated and suspicious.

Nandani then pushed him back and moved on top of him, their gazes locked. Her mouth then descended on his, and they both went wild with desire. There was no holding back. Their love was like hot molten lava, it had to flow or they both would get burnt due to its heat.

Manik's voice was rough. He loved what she did to him. "I like a woman who knows her mind," he said affectionately.

After their lovemaking, Manik pried his eyes open. His eyes were warm and satisfied as he gazed up at her.

"What is the verdict?" Nandani asked him.

"Oh, God! Nandani." He sounded exhausted. "That was like Christmas and a brand new Sportscar, and a giant chocolate cake all gift wrapped together, into one."

Nandani grinned. She teased him and took it lightly.

"No," Manik said firmly. It seemed he was at a loss for words. "Don't make light of this. You keep saying there is nothing between us, but there is something here. I may not be experienced, but I am not stupid."

Though it was hard to admit, Nandani knew he was right. She knew that it was not just sex. He was growing on her, in a way that was definitely more than friendly. She cared about him.