8
Third Person’s POV
Nandini looks around in awe as she enters the mall with Manik.
She has never been to such a place in her life.
When she was a child, her parents used to buy clothes for her. They used to take Vivek with them for shopping, but never her.
And after she grew up, they used to give up just enough allowance to buy basics. So, she could only afford to buy things from the market. She never came to such a fancy place because she never had the budget.
Vivek used to tell her he would take her shopping after he gets the first salary from his first job after completing his MBA. But before that could happen....
Nandini shakes her head, blinking back the tears that come unbidden to her eyes at her brother's memory.
"What do you want to buy? Let's get this over with so we can return home," Manik says to her rudely, and Nandini sighs.
"Umm, it's ok. We can return now. I have clothes that I can wear to go to the office. I don't need anything now," she lies.
She does not have any formal clothes to wear, but she can buy them from the market at a lower price.
She had sold the jewelry given by her parents and had gotten about three lakhs from that.
She has left the major portion of that in her suitcase back at Manik's house and has brought only twenty thousand with her.
She had felt it would be enough for her to buy 3-4 formal dresses and two pairs of shoes.
'But all the shops here look so expensive. I don't think I can even buy one dress with twenty thousand rupees, let alone four dresses and two pairs of shoes.' She feels dismayed by that thought.
"Mom has specifically told me that you should have more shopping bags than we can carry when we return home. She would surely want to see what you bought. So, please, let's just go and do it soon. I don't have the whole day to roam around with you." Saying that, Manik turns and enters a shop, leaving no choice with Nandini other than to follow him.
Entering the shop, Nandini gasps as she sees a vast collection of beautiful dresses hanging around.
She slowly walks inside and touches the dresses, feeling their softness under her hands. Just by touching them, she realizes they must be of the best quality. So much so that she is almost hesitant to keep touching them, not wanting to cause any creases on them.
Manik looks at Nandini, exploring the shop, touching the dresses with a slight smile on her face.
He knew she liked the dresses because he could see how she looked at them. And the gentle way she was touching them.
He feels a pinch in his heart when she suddenly wipes her hands with her shawl before touching the dress the mannequin was wearing.
The soft, innocent smile and the awe on her face makes her look adorable. It is as if she is seeing and doing all this for the first time.
He has a meeting in about four hours, and he wants to reach home in about three hours so he can get ready for that, but now, looking at her explore with such subtle excitement which she is trying to hide, he does not have the heart to tell her to stop.
'Why the hell am I being thoughtful towards her?' Manik wonders, and shaking off that thought, he is about to walk toward Nandini to tell her to hurry, but he stops when a salesgirl approaches Nandini.
"Ma'am, I think you have come to the wrong place," the girl says, making him frown.
He also notices the way she is looking down at Nandini.
"What do you mean?" Nandini asks, confused by the girl's statement.
"Umm, nothing. By the way, can you tell me your budget so I can get the dresses of that price range or show you the way to the cheaper place if your budget is low," the girl replies, and Nandini feels her face go warm.
She wants to give a fitting reply to the girl, but what can she say? She indeed does not have the money to afford dresses from an expensive place like this.
Manik, however, feels his anger rise when he hears the salesgirl
Angrily striding to where she is standing, he starts speaking.
"Bring all your expensive dresses right now. Mind you, they should all be her size," he says, pointing toward Nandini. "We will take it all. By God's grace, we are so well off that we never felt the need to decide on the budget."
The salesgirl is shocked, seeing Manik Sisodiya in front of her. She has seen him on the cover of famous business magazines and in many interviews on prime channels.
"I am sorry, Sir, Ma'am. I should not have said that. I will bring the dresses right away." The girl is about to turn and bring the dresses, but Nandini stops her.
"Wait, please. And do tell me why you are sorry. Is it because you suddenly realized your mistake and felt remorseful, or because you saw I am accompanied by a rich businessman and got scared about losing your job for your insolent behavior?" Nandini folds her hands over her chest, watching the salesgirl squirm at her spot.
"No, Ma'am, I... didn't... I... mean..." the girl stutters, and Nandini shakes her head.
"Let it be. I won't be buying anything from here. And you need not worry about what happened here too because I won't complain about it. I just hope you try and learn from your mistake and stop measuring people according to their financial status," Nandini tells the girl and walks out of the shop.
Manik glares at the salesgirl for a few seconds, before following Nandini.
Once outside, Nandini turns to look at Manik. "Let's get out of here, please? I don't want to buy anything from this mall."
Manik frowns when he hears Nandini. "I thought you liked this place. I mean, the awed way you were looking at it before and the way you were exploring the dresses inside the shop. Don't you want to look around more and find something good to buy?"
He has no idea why he is offering her to look around more when he should be glad that she wants to go home.
Well, whatever the reason is, he cannot deny it anymore. He is impressed by this girl. She is straightforward with a calm demeanor.
After what happened back at the shop, she could have made a scene out of it. She could have announced that she is a billionaire's wife and demanded that the salesgirl be thrown out of her job.
But the calm way she handled it. She slapped that girl right in the face without even having to raise her hand.
'Had it been Myra in her place--' Manik stops the thought right away.
'Why am I comparing Nandini with Myra? What is happening to me?' Before he can ponder on that thought, Nandini starts speaking.
"I want to go because that girl was not wrong, Manik. I can't afford to buy anything from this place. Yes, I had been in awe before, exploring the dresses, wanting to find something that would fit my budget. But I guess I was just being whimsical.
"I cannot buy anything from here without having to regret spending so much later. At least not until I can become something and earn enough to afford some nice things. Until then, the cheaper markets are best for me," Nandini says, and Manik feels something stir within his chest.
It was what she said and how she said it. Her voice was laced with explicit acceptance as she said those things.
"Dad had said I should buy anything you want. So, you do not need to worry about budget," he says, but somewhere, he already knew she would not accept it.
By now, he has known at least a few things about her.
"No, I can't let you do that. Dad said it because he thinks we are like normal husbands and wives. He does not know ours is a marriage you never wanted in the first place.
"But I know it, so I would not want you to spend a penny on me. Because I would be obliged to return it later, and I do not have such a huge amount to pay for these expensive dresses.
"And by the way, when I work in your office, can you deduct some money from my monthly salary?" Nandini asks.
Manik furrows his brows at her. “Why would I deduct money from your salary?”
"It would be me paying the rent to stay at your house and eat your food. I feel awkward staying and eating there without contributing anything.
"It would have been different if ours had been a normal marriage, but since it is not, I need to do it so that it would be less awkward for me," Nandini answers him, and Manik is stunned, hearing her.
So much so that he continues to be quiet, standing there, just staring at Nandini.
"You can return home now. I had heard you speak on the phone earlier, and I know you have a meeting after a few hours.
"I do not have formal clothes to wear, but I will buy them from the market I usually visit. They are cheaper than here and would perfectly fit into my budget. You can tell Mom and Dad that you returned because of your meeting." Nandini tells him, while Manik is still at a loss for words.
"But how will you return?" He asks after a while.
"Don't worry about me. I have had the experience of being alone and independent all my life. I can manage."
Saying that, Nandini walks out of the mall, leaving a surprised and somewhat confused Manik behind.
