4. Jealousy

Nandini had never felt any sort of craving for sucking human blood. The tablets had been acting as a great remedy and she thought she would be absolutely fine living amidst humans but now after meeting Manik, she was having second thoughts. His blood had this strong sweet scent and it made her lose her calm.

Even the tablets she took could only calm her down to some extent for maximum three hours. The more time she spent with him, briefing and arranging his schedule and accompanying him to meetings, the more her desire got stronger and that was what scared her.

Just a week of working with him and she could feel her self control losing to her desire.

"Nandini." a familiar voice hit her ears and that seemed to have broken her trance.

"Oh, hi Sia." she waved her right hand up in the air on noticing a skinny tall figure approaching her. In a week time, she had grown quite comfortable with Sia, the head of the planning department and also her arrogant boss's childhood friend.

"What a surprise! You aren't late today."

"Yeah, actually Aisha had an early morning flight and she woke me up." Nandini frowned, remembering how Aisha had banged on her door at 6 am early in the morning.

"Aisha?!"

"Oh, Aisha's my roommate. She woke me up at six this morning. A really really bad start to my morning." she complained, adjusting her handbag.

"At least you aren't late today and you wouldn't have to listen to Manik's 'You are late Miss Taylor.' "

"Yeah that's the only good thing I suppose."

"You know, I actually really envy you."

"Envy me?"

"Yeah." Sia nodded. "You get to work near Manik and he is so considerate to you."

"Oh no. He is anything but considerate. He is always ordering me around. Miss Taylor get me this. Miss Taylor get me that." she huffed. "I mean I am okay with all that. It's my duty but does he really have to call me Miss Taylor? It sounds so-" she trailed off trying to find an appropriate word.

"So what?!" she heard a voice from behind her.

"so so I don't know. I just know he is the most inconsiderate person out there." she said, turning to look at the voice source only to freeze on seeing Manik.

"Good morning Miss Taylor." he wished with a sly smile.

She smiled, at least tried smiling. "Good morning sir."

"Surprisingly you aren't late today." he looked at his wrist watch and then back at her face.

"I won't be late from now on sir." she said, maintaining the smile on her face, internally praying he wasn't offended by whatever nonsense she had just spouted.

"I can't trust your words anymore. You have been saying that to me every single day but you are always late."

"But I am not today."

"Hi Manik." Sia waved her hand in between him and Nandini, finally managing to capture his attention. He mumbled a hasty ' hi ' before again getting back to Nandini.

"Ah right. Miss Taylor did I hear you calling me inconsiderate?"

She frantically shook her head in no. "No, I didn't. You must have heard it wrong sir. I was in fact saying that you are the most considerate person out there."

"Am I?" he walked past her. Hastily tossing a capsule in her mouth, she followed behind him.

"You are. You really are sir."

"You don't need to lie Miss Taylor."

"I am not lying sir."

Sia caught up to them. "Manik the draft that we planned for the next update-" she began only to be cut by Manik.

"Later Sia. Let's not talk about that now."

"Okay later." she faked a smile, tightening her hold on her bag. "Manik, do you wanna grab lunch together?" Sia offered as all three of them stepped inside the elevator.

"Could you please for once not call me Miss Taylor sir?"

"No. Miss Taylor sounds good anyway."

In a week time, they both had grown closer, anyone who had noticed them would say that except for they themselves.

"If you say so sir." she huffed and that made his lips curve into a small smile which didn't go unnoticed by Sia.

"Manik!" Sia nudged him to get his attention.

"Huh?" he looked at Sia, who now had been trying her best to not show how irked she was. "Do you want to grab lunch together?" she offered yet again.

"Maybe some other day." he instantly refused and Sia just forced a smile. It had been kind of a routine for him to have lunch with Nandini and a part of him didn't want that time to be interrupted by anyone but of course he wouldn't admit it that easily, would he?

"How about you Nandini? Would you like to join me for lunch?" Sia asked, turning her attention to Nandini.

Manik's face scrunched on the sudden offer to Nandini. Even just the thought of Nandini accepting the arrangement made him frown and he really wished for her to refuse but to his dismay she gladly accepted.

"I'll join you too." he said, turning to look at Sia. Right then the elevator door dinged and opened on the twentieth floor.

"But just a while ago you refused."

"I just changed my mind." he shrugged, getting out of the elevator.

"I am surprised you did." Sia said that more to herself. The churning feeling in her stomach just intensified as she watched Manik and Nandini walk away.

She had been friends with Manik for more than ten years now. In ten years of their friendship, Manik had never looked at her the way he had now been looking at Nandini. Those eyes of adoration that would pop out every time he looked at Nandini was something she really craved for from him but she never managed to make him see her in that light. She knew jealousy would only hamper her but she couldn't help it.