The Girl He Was Paid to Forget
Drunk confessions
The evening air was thick, not with heat—but with something unspoken.
Manav sat by the window, his eyes locked on the garden below. She was there again—Nidhi. Laughing. Her head tilted slightly back, the sunlight kissing her cheek. And right next to her stood Wade, arms crossed, grinning too confidently.
Something in Manav’s chest burned.
He didn’t even understand why it mattered. Why seeing her with him made his stomach twist. She was his maid, right? His caretaker. Just… Nidhi.
Still, he couldn’t look away. His hand clenched unconsciously around the window’s frame.
That night, as Nidhi placed his dinner tray on the table and handed him his medicine, he noticed the way her lips moved when she spoke. The way they parted slightly as she explained something about the medication. It was subtle, but Manav found himself staring at them longer than he should have. He forced his attention back to her eyes, but her lips lingered in his mind.
The heat in his chest flared up again, as if she’d unknowingly touched a part of him that he didn’t recognize.
everyone in the mansion was doing there respective work
expect for one who was staring someone like it was his job
He stood at the far end of the corridor, leaning on the cold wall, watching from a distance. His eyes followed Nidhi as she spoke to one of the sirens—a lower-rank one, just a helper, really. She was laughing lightly, nodding, explaining something on a data pad.
manav kapoor
"Why does that annoy me so much?"
He didn’t understand it. He couldn’t understand it. But his chest was heavy, and something inside him kept twisting uncomfortably. He wanted her to look at him like that. Not at anyone else.
manav kapoor
“Izzy,” he called sharply.
Herdis
“Yes, Master Manav?”
manav kapoor
“I need a drink.”
manav kapoor
he blinked, his expression unreadable. “You’re still recovering and on medication. That would be highly—”
manav kapoor
“I said I need a drink, Izzy. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Herdis
“I cannot allow that.”
manav kapoor
He exhaled, jaw clenching. “Fine.”
manav kapoor
Ten minutes later, Manav held a flask of strong liquid. He’d offered a good chunk of credits to a desperate helper who didn’t care much for rules.
manav kapoor
He downed it all in a single swig.
Hours passed.
The lights in his room were dim. His eyes were half-closed, his mind spinning—not just from the alcohol, but from her. That laugh. That softness. The way she talked to others but avoided him.
There was a knock at the door.
It was Nidhi.
nidhi shrma
Her expression was pure thunder. “You drank?”
manav kapoor
“Obviously.” He didn’t even try to hide it.
nidhi shrma
“Are you out of your mind? You’re still healing! What if something happens to you?”
manav kapoor
He gave her a slow smirk. “Why do you care?”
manav kapoor
“Because I—because you’re my responsibility, and you shouldn’t act like a spoiled child!”
manav kapoor
He stood, swaying slightly but holding himself upright. “Then maybe stop talking to everyone else and pay attention to your so-called responsibility.”
nidhi shrma
She froze. “What?”
manav kapoor
“You heard me. That guy you were chatting with... was he helping with your duties, or just entertaining you?”
nidhi shrma
Her eyes widened, fury flashing through them. “You don’t get to control who I talk to.”
manav kapoor
“I do,” he snapped. “I may not remember everything, but I do know this—seeing you with someone else makes my blood boil. And I don’t know why.”
nidhi shrma
Nidhi’s voice dropped low. “Because you’re being ridiculous. It doesn’t give you the right to act like this.”
manav kapoor
He took a slow step forward. “You don’t listen to me anymore. Do you even care what I think? Or feel?”
nidhi shrma
“Don’t turn this on me. You’re drunk.”
manav kapoor
He chuckled bitterly. “Drunk enough to admit the things I won’t say when I’m sober.”
nidhi shrma
She hesitated. “Like what?”
manav kapoor
His voice was barely a whisper. “Like how much I hate it when someone else makes you smile.”
She looked at him, stunned.
manav kapoor
“I don’t want to share you, Nidhi. I don’t want to guess what you’re thinking when you’re not around. I want to know what you feel when you look at me.”
She blinked, unsure of what to say, her heart thudding in her chest.
And before either of them could stop it—
Not gently. Not like a fairytale. But like someone who had been holding something in for too long. Desperate. Fiery. Wild.
She froze for a second. Then slowly, her hands touched his chest—but not to push him away. Just to steady herself.
When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathing hard.
nidhi shrma
Nidhi whispered, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
manav kapoor
His voice was hoarse. “Then why didn’t you stop me?”
She didn’t answer. Her eyes searched his face. Her lips were still tingling. And though her heart was screaming with a thousand questions, she turned and walked out—without another word.
Manav stood there, dazed, his fingers brushing his lips.
What had he just done?
And why did it feel… right?
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