The Girl He Was Paid to Forget The tention between us

The evening was quiet, the soft sound of the wind rustling through the garden’s flowers filling the air. Nidhi had spent most of the day tending to the plants, her mind drifting between the vibrant colors of the flowers and the unsettling emotions she couldn’t quite shake off. Every time she glanced toward the house, her heart seemed to tighten.

She wasn’t sure what had changed, but lately, everything felt more complicated than it had before. Manav’s presence in the house had been the center of her attention, but now… there was something different. It wasn’t just the fact that he had been hurt or that she had been responsible for his care. It was the strange tug in her chest whenever she saw him—or rather, whenever she didn’t.

Today had been a quiet one, without the usual interruptions from Manav’s demands, but the garden seemed to remind her of him. Everything here was growing and blossoming, just as she wished he would. But something felt… stuck. The feeling of being stuck wasn’t just in the garden, it was in her heart.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Nidhi made her way to Manav’s room, medicine in hand. She paused in front of his door, her fingers gripping the handle. It was strange, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why she was so anxious tonight. Maybe it was just the lingering silence, or maybe it was the way his presence seemed to loom over everything these days.

She knocked lightly, her voice barely above a whisper

nidhi shrma

"Manav? It’s time for your medicine."

There was no answer. She knocked again, a little louder this time. Still, nothing.

She hesitated before entering, her eyes scanning the room as she stepped inside. The bed was empty. She breathed a sigh of relief, almost involuntarily. He wasn’t here, which meant she had a moment to think, a moment to breathe without the pressure of his eyes on her.

Slight noise from the bathroom caught her attention. Manav’s voice—low and tired—drifted through the door.

manav kapoor

"Just a minute."

Nidhi shifted on her feet, feeling an inexplicable flutter in her chest. She told herself it was just the tiredness from the long day, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. She looked around the room. Everything was still, as if frozen in time, yet her heart was anything but still.

Minutes passed before the bathroom door creaked open. Manav stepped out, wearing only a loose pair of pants, his shirt unbuttoned. His eyes met hers for the first time that evening, and in that split second, Nidhi felt a shift—a tension between them that hadn’t been there before.

manav kapoor

He looked at her, his face expressionless, and said softly, "Can you button my shirt for me?"

The words hung in the air, unexpected. She blinked, unsure if she’d heard him right. She could feel her heart rate quicken, the suddenness of the request leaving her at a loss for words.

nidhi shrma

"I… What?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, a mix of surprise and curiosity.

His eyes softened for a moment, a fleeting vulnerability crossing his features.

manav kapoor

"I can’t do it myself… the cut on my finger, it hurts."

Nidhi hesitated, but the moment passed, and she moved toward him without thinking. As her fingers brushed against his skin, she felt the warmth of his body beneath the fabric of his shirt, the closeness that seemed to spark something unspoken between them. She fumbled with the buttons, her hands trembling slightly—not from the task, but from the electric pull of the moment. The silence between them was heavy, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was as if the world had narrowed down to just the two of them, alone At this moment.

Manav’s gaze didn’t leave hers as she worked. There was something in his eyes—something soft, but masked by the usual indifference he tried to project. It was a strange mixture of longing and confusion, and Nidhi couldn’t help but wonder if he, too, was feeling the same sense of uncertainty.

nidhi shrma

"Done," Nidhi said quietly, taking a small step back.

Manav nodded, but he didn’t speak right away. Instead, he looked at her for a long moment, the silence stretching between them like a thin, fragile thread.

manav kapoor

"I don’t know what this is between us,"

He finally said, his voice rough.

manav kapoor

"I don’t know why I feel… like this. I don’t even know if this is something I should feel."

manav kapoor

Nidhi felt her breath catch. His words, though hesitant, echoed in her chest. She hadn’t expected him to say anything like this. And yet, here he was—admitting the very thing she had been trying to ignore.