MaNan- 5 Years Later...

20• |Inane premonitions|

"I told them last night that Randhir and I broke up when they were expecting that I'd announce our engagement." Nandini informed with a sigh. Arjun and Avni did not take that news well. In fact, they all got into this huge argument about why did Nandini invest so many years into this relationship if it wasn't going to last. Nandini tried to maintain her calm and explain how she did not suspect that this could happen but they pushed her buttons to great extent and she ended up fighting with them. She stormed out of her parents' room and hasn't spoken to them ever since.

"Ooh... That sounds rough." Mukti responded alongside applying her lipstick.

"I know. I'll talk to them again tonight. I just hope they understand." Nandini said, hopefully and finished setting Mukti's hairdo.

"They're the coolest people, I know. I'm sure they'll come around." Mukti said to which Nandini simply smiled.

"Enough about my trivial issues. Look at you, girl. You look beautiful. Excited for this?" Nandini quizzed and hugged Mukti from behind who smiled at her gesture.

"Honestly, I'm more nervous than excited. I mean reaching till marriage was easy because it was just Abhi and me but from now on it'll all change to family. That scares me a little." Mukti breathed after saying that. Abhimanyu and she had been together for a long time and every step in their relationship till date felt uncomplicated but after tonight, their families would get involved and moreover Abhimanyu and Mukti will also become a family. And that was a commitment for a lifetime. Mukti did not know how will she do and so she was a nervous-wreck.

"Let me tell you something. Abhi and you struck everyone as a married couple since college so believe me, you guys are going to be better than fine. Wait till you see him waiting for you at the end of the aisle, everything will fall into its place after that." Nandini kissed Mukti's cheek after that short speech and Mukti pat Nandini's cheeks with a gentle smile.

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"Have any of you seen Nandini around?" Avni asked out loud to Nandini's friends who were sitting on a round table, not far from the stage.

Almost all the guests had gathered in the hall for the ceremony including Abhimanyu who stood on the stage, eagerly waiting for his bride to grace him with her presence. Avni knew that Nandini wasn't with Mukti since she walked away when Mukti's brother and sister-in-law went into her room to escort the bride till the stage. But, where Nandini went after that, was unclear to her.

"I bumped into her in the hallway, about an hour ago, Auntie. She said that was heading out to the temple because Tejaswini auntie asked her to do something for the Chunri ceremony." Dhruv answered Avni but it also calmed Manik's senses who hadn't seen her since last night. Manik came down at the buffet, way past breakfast timing because he had to wait for his siblings to join him which was why he did not get to meet Nandini but he overheard Saeesha, who was having a late breakfast as well, telling her cousin Rohit about what had happened, the other night, with Nandini and her parents. Since then, Manik was worried for Nandini but he could not get a hold of her, throughout the day.

"God! I cannot believe, Teja sent Nandini by herself. Anyway, thank you, Dhruv." Avni mumbled the initial part to herself and then later thanked Dhruv for letting her know about Nandini's whereabouts.

"No problem, Auntie." Dhruv uttered to which Avni responded with a smile following which, they watched Avni walk back to her table, where Arjun, Saeesha, Rohit and Harshita were seated.

"What's wrong if she went alone? I don't understand." Cabir asked them and made sure that his voice wasn't blaring for anyone else to hear.