MaNan- 5 Years Later...

60• |Domestic gratitude|

"Won't he say at least a 'hi'? Is that how much we have annoyed him already?" Avni asked with a fake hurt look at which Nandini just rolled her eyes.

"He just got in, mumma! At least let the guy freshen up and change..." Nandini shrugged and watched Manik enter the living room. He had made sure to school his expression before coming closer to where she was sitting.

"Hi uncle! Hi auntie! Hey Saeesha!" Manik greeted all of them with a smile after settling down beside Nandini on the couch.

"Hi, Manik! How are you?" Avni greeted him back sweetly and asked him about his wellbeing.

"I am good, Auntie!" Manik responded.

"Why won't you be? After all you are living with my daughter and by the way, I do not appreciate this arrangement. You could have waited till you got married or at least engaged, right?" Arjun did not bother to mask his disappointment about them moving together. He could never stop being an overprotective girl-dad to his girls. Avni rolled her eyes at it while Saeesha giggled mutely amused by her father's words.

"Yeah... We should have waited like you guys did, right? I'm sorry that I'm forgetting but when exactly did you marry mumma after which you guys moved in, had me and then adopted my baby-sister?" Nandini asked her father sarcastically but with an extremely cheeky grin on her face.

"Do you want me disown you, little devil?" Arjun questioned Nandini with a frown.

"I don't exactly depend on you, Appa. So that is actually a null threat." Nandini replied and flashed a tight-lipped smile. Manik shook his head at their never-ending banter with a chortle. He knew better than getting worked up for such kind of quarrels between them. He had gotten used to the dynamics that Nandini shared with her family given that three months had passed with them living together.

Nandini had informed her family about living with him even before he actually moved into her apartment. They had taken it well and these weekly video calls had become a routine. Manik took some time after their talk nonetheless informed his family about the same. His family surprisingly took it well although they had begun pestering him to consider marrying Nandini ever since. He knew how to handle them so he did that effectively without letting Nandini get irritated by the pressure. Overall, living together had been way less chaotic than both of them had expected. It almost seemed like the distance between them both mental and physical was only what was creating problems for them. They could give each other quality time while making sure that they weren't neglecting their careers. Looking at each other deal with things from such close quarters even encouraged them to become each other's support system in the manner that the other person needed. All in all, it was much easier for them to fall into a pattern and comfortable space of understanding and love now that they lived under the same roof.

"That reminds me... Tell them about your big news, guys!" Saeesha nudged her parents to tell Manik and Nandini about something.

"What?" Nandini quizzed with a clueless expression.

"Your mother and I are thinking about getting married..." Arjun told his daughter nervously as if he was telling his parents about his girlfriend for the first time ever.

"Oh my god! Are you serious?" Nandini exclaimed. Manik did not know how to react because this was a potentially unique scenario that is not common at all and so he decided to just stay quiet.

"Yeah... We were thinking about retirement plans and not being married just seemed wrong so we are thinking we can get married in like a small ceremony or at least get registered. But we also realize that it is too weird so we won't do it if you and Saeesha think that this is a bad idea." Avni told Nandini about what brought this on their mind.