FOR ALL THAT IS LEFT - A MaNan ff

1. THE RUNAWAY COUPLE?

"That's exactly what scares me, Vatsal. What is that 'issue'? I know my son. I don't doubt him. But where are they? Where is Nandu? He didn't even give us a glimpse of her. Are they even safe? I'm worried now", Samarth said holding his head. It was too much to take for him. Being clueless is something a man like Samarth Malhotra hated. He had always been a man of power. He despises the thought of his family being in danger. Also, he knew the mentality of community both the families belonged to. He didn't want the Murthys to face the whiplash.

"Samarth, I trust both Nandini and Manik. If Manik said they'd be safe, they will be. I wouldn't have decided to give her hand in his, if I didn't trust him. He said he'd be in touch. Let's believe the kids", Raghu explained his pov. Though he was worried for both of them, he didn't repeat the mistake he did years ago. He gave them the freedom to take their decisions.

"But Raghu, Nandu and Manik... Alone?", Shalini put forth her qualms. She was brought up in a very conservative environment and hence, her soch was like that as well. Yes, she showered her daughter with freedom of thought and speech, but she always kept a tab on it. To her, the idea of her daughter being away from home with a potential 'friend' is a disturbing thought.

Her question made everyone uncomfortable and shift in their places. They knew her quite well to guess her train of thoughts. Raghu shook his head at his wife. She would always think about the society at large, not just her family and their happiness.

But, he felt it is not wise to discuss those at this point of time. There are so many why's to think rather than her societal norms. He gave her a brief glare mixed with his own worry, which she seemed unaware of lost in her own world.

"He would have been my son in law, Shalini, Nandini's husband. Even now, he is no less than my son. I was going to make him her life partner. There's no question of anything else other than their safety. I believe they have better thinking and understanding than we do", he said sternly as flash backs played in his mind, enough to make his wife shut up. He mentally sighed at his wife's inability to learn lessons. The Malhotra family relaxed after witnessing his actions and words.

Though they were relieved to know that both of them were fine, but they couldn't be at peace. Family, you see!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Manik Malhotra looked at his fiancée sleeping with her head on his shoulder, as he drove his car on the Bengaluru highway. She looked ethereal in her rich red and golden colored saree, with her simple gold and stones jewellery. Her face had a certain calm, that gave him peace.

Nandini Murthy is a name that changed his life. For better. If her presence gave him strength to fight, her essence made him feel the world's most complex emotion - love. Yes, he was deeply, madly and irrevocably in love with the petite girl on his side who was sleeping without a care of the world.

Though he neither told her what she meant to him nor that he loved her, he knew her importance in his life very well. Maybe, if he had confessed earlier, things would not be like this. He was not certain about this thought of his either.

He pressed his thin, cold lips against her forehead softly with all the love he had for her. He missed her so much in those four years that he was away from her, from them all. He went back to the memory of the day where he recieved the biggest shock as well as best surprise.

Six months passed after Neeyan and Mansi's wedding.

Presently, they were heading to some place the youngsters were unaware of. Mansi was texting Nandini, but got no reply in return. She sighed and put her phone aside, looking out of the window at the highway. Mangalore... The sign board read. Manik too noticed this. He was about to ask his parents for the purpose of this visit, when he found them sleeping and dropped his interrogation. He laid back on his seat, relaxing his mind after the hectic week. He slipped into sleep.