that night,9 pm.
Manik was finally home. He kept his laptop bag on the sofa and went to their room finding no one in the living room. His parents had gone to London this morning for a week.
He saw Nandini sitting on their study table with her laptop being really engrossed in whatever she was doing.
She looked well. After 2 full days,she finally looked well. He saw that she had her hand on her stomach. His eyes were cringed as he saw that. He went behind her chair and kept his hands on her shoulder.
"Hey" He mumbled softly and Nandini jumped at the touch. She quickly shut her laptop screen,which Manik noticed.
"Dara diya tumne mujhe,hi" Nandini smiled and held his hands which were over her shoulders. She brought his one hand towards her lips and kissed it softly. Manik smiled at it.
"Pet mein dard hai?" He asked as he had seen her keeping her hand on her stomach.
"Nahi" She looked at him questioningly.
"Woh tumhara haath wahan tha na,so I thought" He said and bent down to kiss her forehead.
"Terrace pe chaloge?" Nandini asked. Tears pooled her eyes. She couldn't wait to tell him.
"Thand hai baba bahar,mushkil se toh tum thik huyi ho" He said as he turned around not noticing her tears. He removed his blazer and started folding up the sleeves of his shirt.
"Chalo na,sirf 5 minutes mein wapas aa jayenge" She said. He couldn't deny her anymore.
"Chalo,shawl lelo tum" He said as he folded the sleeves of his other hand walking towards the exit of the room to go to the terrace.
Nandini followed him with glistening eyes. It was finally happening. She wanted this to be simple. She didn't want over the top decor or thousand of selfies. She wanted to live this moment with him and only him. And terrace had seen all their phases,might as well this one.
-
"Maine bola na bohot thand hai" Manik said as they entered the terrace. He wrapped Nandini's shawl around her properly.
"Coffee piyoge?" She asked. She knew what she was doing. Her eyes filled with tears again.
"Yes. Laai ho toh piyunga hi na" He said and looked at her. He saw her tears.
"Nandini,ro kyun rahi ho?" He panicked. He cupped her cheeks. She nodded in a no and passed his coffee glass to him.
"Kya hua? Reshma aunty ke wahan kuch hua? Kuch hua hai tumhe?" He kept his glass aside.
"Kuch nahi hua. Tum coffee piyo na. Maine banayi,after so long" She gave him the glass again. He took it with a confused face.
He drank coffee looking up thinking it was one of those days when she just wanted to cry for no reason. He looked up at his favourite thing in the world,stars. He looked to his side and Nandini scooped closer to him and wrapped her arms around him from the side looking up as well.
He took the last sip of the coffee and was about to keep the mug aside when he saw something that shook him to the core.
Nandini smiled as she looked at his widened eyes. He looked at her and looked back at his cup again as if making himself believe that what he saw was true.
"Nan-" He couldn't get himself to speak. He looked back at the cup again. If this was some joke he was going to be so angry,he thought to himself.
"This is-" He looked at Nandini as tears rolled down her face again. She kept her hand on her stomach and nodded in a yes.
"Tum mazaak nahi kar rahi ho na?" His tone was serious.
She took out the pregnancy test from her pocket and gave it to him. He took it and saw 2 red lines signifying she was pregnant.
"Nandini" He said. This time without the doubt. This 'Nandini' was full of love, overwhelmness,joy and Euphoria. He didn't know how to react.
They were pregnant. He was going to be a father. Why did it feel so unbelievable to him? He felt so much love in his heart that he didn't know how to express it.
"Tum" He said to her.
"Mein?" He pointed towards himself.
"You're going to be a dad, actual bacche ka dad" She said multiplying his happiness. His eyes finally glistened with tears. It felt unreal to him. He didn't know feeling so much love for a person who isn't even born was possible.
"You're going to be a Mom? Everyone calls you my child and you're going to have your own child?" Manik exclaimed. His eyes had never shined so bright before.
"Come here" He whispered pulling Nandini into his arms. They were going to have a child,he kept telling himself. He smiled in the hug. He wrapped his arms around her petite figure tighter.
"My baby" He said again. Nandini smiled through tears. He was so happy.
"Your baby" She agreed making him smile even harder.
"Tum thik ho,kuch ho raha hai tumhe?" He asked worriedly. Nandini closed her eyes. It starts. The overprotectiveness.
"Mein thik huh" Nandini said wiping her tears.
"We're going to have a child man? What the fuck" He exclaimed. He picked Nandini up in his arms and twirled her around making her giggle.
"I know! Itna surreal feel ho raha tha jab mujhe pata chala" She said,with shining eyes.
"Kisi aur ko bataya?" Manik asked wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Navya knows obviously. Baki koi nahi" She said.
"Cabir ko bulaye? Usko bataye?" Manik asked. His face was expressing how happy he was and this was without a doubt happiest he'd been. Nandini nodded in a yes and kept adoring him as he called Cabir.
-
"Bata bhai. Itna jaldi kyun bulaya tune mujhe,aesa kya ho gaya?" Cabir entered their terrace and saw Manik's hand on Nandini's stomach.
Cabir looked at Navya with his eyes raised. She went towards Nandini and hugged her who was smiling. They wanted the boys to have their moment.
Manik and Cabir had grown up together and now one of them was having a child,was going to be a father. It was going to be so special to tell him.
"Aaj yeh Navya bhi weird behave kar rahi subah se. Baat kya hai?" Cabir asked as Manik approached him.
"Nandini and Navya went to the doctor today like you know" Manik started telling him.
"Ya? Are you guys expecting?" Cabir laughed. If only he knew.
"Yes" Manik said nonchalantly. Cabir's eyes widened.
"What the fuck. WHAT THE FUCK?" Cabir yelled. His eyes were wide. His mouth was open in shock.
Someone he knew since they were kids was going to have a kid. Someone from Fab5 was going to have a child.
Cabir looked at Manik with all the phases of their lives together flowing in front of his eyes. He couldn't believe it. The man who waa claimed to be a monster by the world who people thought was good for nothing was first of all madly in love with a girl who changed him completely 7 years back and is now going to have a child. It had been quite a journey. And Cabir had been a close spectator of it.
"Congratulations buddy" Cabir said looking at Manik. He came forward and they hugged, tightly.
NavNi couldn't help but gush at the sight of how their two boys had turned out to be such wonderful men.
"Congratulations" Cabir whispered in the hug. He could feel his eyes water at the thought of it all. Manik felt his heart feel a happiness he'd never seen before. He was going to be a father.
6 years,7 years back- had someone told Manik that a girl was going to love him selflessly,they're going to get married and he's going to have a child, he'd have laughed at the thought of it but here he was; hugging his bestfriend as it all has come true.
Nandini was on a different high altogether. This was scary for her. She was nervous. But most of all,she was so so happy and overwhelmed. She was going to be a mother. She'd not felt what a mother's love felt like for a long time now and she was going to be one. It felt like she grew up too fast. She had been a mother to Rishabh. She had known what it felt like to help a 7 year old grow up to be a wonderful grown up boy but to have an actual child,to be a mother of a child from day one- it was like feeling something very new but knowing that you wanted it all this while. She was so ready for this new experience.
They were going to have a child. Her and Manik. MaNan. It felt surreal to say that least.
"Tu baap banne wala hai bey?" Cabir broke the hug wiping his tears. He cupped Manik's face. Manik was the most loved boy in their group of friends,there was no doubt about it.
"I know, it's- I don't know how to feel" Manik smiled,wiping the corner of his eyes that had been watery since Nandini broke the news to him.
"Congratulations Rakshas" Navya came forward and hugged Manik. Manik hugged her tight.
"Congratulations sautan" Cabir whispered as he hugged Nandini tight. Nandini chuckled and hugged him tight, smiling through her tears.
"Thanks Chachu" Nandini smiled. Cabir smiled to his fullest hearing that. Cabir kissed Nandini's forehead and side hugged her as they stood looking at their dramatic duo.
"Thanks Masi" Manik told Navya. Navya smiled as he kissed her forehead.
Nandini missed her parents today. She missed them so much. If they were here,she would run to tell them that they were going to be Nana Nani. She missed them,terribly. She looked up at the stars where she usually had to find them. She left Cabir and walked towards the railing of their terrace wanting to be as close to the stars as possible.
Cabir went towards Manik and told him that Nandini was crying. These weren't happy tears, they knew. In the way she looked up at the sky and cried,these were tears of helplessness.
Cabir and Navya left giving the couple some alone time.
"Hey,Mumma" He whispered hugging her from back,his hands rested on the railing Nandini was leaning on caging her between his arms. Nandini smiled wiping her tears. Manik kissed the back of her head.
"Hi" She smiled in response. Hearing Mumma felt magical to her already.
"You okay?" He asked. He knew she was missing her parents.
"Ya" She smiled. He knew she wouldn't share it and he didn't want to force her.
"I love you" He kissed her hair. "Both" He added.
"We love you" She responded. Manik smiled.
They weren't just Manik and Nandini anymore. They were 3 people. Their little family.
"MANIK BEEEERRRR" Cabir screamed with a beer bottle in his hand. Navya stood their with the biggest smile on her face.
Manik looked at Nandini. He knew she didn't like him drinking alcohol.
"Have a good night" He heard Nandini whisper when he was about to say no to Cabir. She kissed his cheek and walked away as Cabir ran inside.
The boys were going to have a good night with the drinks,the girls decided to video call Mukti and Aliya and just discuss anything and everything.
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Next chapter will be about MaNan breaking the news to their fellow friends,Chacha chachi, Rishabh and Manik's parents!🤍🌻