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"She is so so so precious! Oh god, I just want to tuck her in a tiny stocking and cuddle with her forever." Nandini gushed at the little bundle of joy that Navya placed in her arms.
"She loves to cuddle as well. You are welcome to do that even in the middle of the night because I just want to get some sleep." Navya muttered between yawning.
"Aww... You poor little thing. Does Cabir not help at all?" Nandini asked her as she cuddled the baby close to her.
"He does... In fact, we both are doing our best but she is a handful." Navya commented and began fixing her saree.
"Will you bring her out in a few minutes? We have to start the ceremony soon. I'll just meet everyone and then we can begin." Navya asked her and then told her about why she needed to leave her with the baby for a few minutes.
"Like I said, I am happy to stay like this forever. You go, relax a bit and send Dhruv whenever you want me to get her out, okay?" Nandini reassured Navya that she was fine with it. Anyway, being around the little one had taken her mind off Manik and Aliya who she had not seen after leaving them at the doorstep.
Navya shut the door behind her as she left to greet the guests who she had not seen because she was occupied with her newborn. Nandini looked at the little girl's face who was looking up at her as if she was in awe with her big and beautiful eyes. She showered the baby's face with as many feather-like kisses as possible and then sighed in contentment. Being with a newborn was therapeutic for Nandini.
"You precious little thing... I'm gonna let you into a secret because I know that you won't tell anyone." Nandini whispered to her and she kept blinking at her as if she was actually listening to everything, carefully.
"I am terrified of losing your uncle who by the way hasn't had the decency to even come and meet you first. You don't worry, okay? It is his loss. Anyway... as I was saying... I am so rattled about the possibility of losing him to someone who used to be the love of his life. I don't want your uncle to forcefully stay with me if his happiness is with someone else but how should I let him go when he's become the love of my life, you tell me! No one knows yet but yes, I love him, baby girl. How should I tell him that if he's so occupied with Aliya? I, recently, discovered that he has doubts about us. I have them too but I know that I'd overcome it because it's mostly silly but if your uncle has them then it means that it is serious because he is the most sensible guy that I know. I want to tell him that I'd work through every issue that he has with me because I want us to work but what will I do if I don't get the chance to do so?" Nandini was shedding silent tears by this point. The little girl stretched her hand to touch Nandini's cheeks at which she just let out a small chortle.
"I'm making you sad, aren't I? But today is not a sad day... It is a happy day when you'd get your cutest little name that the world will call you from tonight but to me, you're going to be my little marshmallow because I could just gobble you up all at once." Nandini spoke to her in her baby voice and gently put her down to wipe away the tears on her face. She then kept talking gibberish with her for a little while when Dhruv knocked on the door.
"We're coming in 2!" Nandini announced to Dhruv.
"Let's go, my marshmallow. It's go time!" Nandini mumbled to the baby as she picked her up and nuzzled her nose on her soft face.
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"Years ago, I asked you to be my boyfriend in front of all our friends and the entire college. And I figured today would be the best occasion, in front of all our friends, to pop this question, Manik. I know that we parted ways but you giving me my space and not forcing me to end my career to follow you only made me realize what a great person you are and so, I do not want to miss out on you. I have been in love with you for years and ever since you left me back there, I've only grown to love you more. I wanna relocate here and be with you forever if this is where you want to be but as your wife, this time. Will you marry me, Manik?" Aliya's speech stunned every single person in the room.
The ceremony went on smoothly with baby 'Nia' in Nandini's arms most times, giving the new parents a little break from their constant worry. After the function winded up and the guests had their dinner, the couple went down to the gate to see them off. It was just the gang from college that remained, in the end.
Manik and Nandini had not spoken to each other since the moment Nandini had walked out. It wasn't like Manik did not try or that she ignored his attempts but with the baby in her arms all the time, it was either the baby fussing or there was someone or the other coming up to interrupt any sort of conversation.
All of them were seated in the living room seating area, right now. Manik and Nandini had occupied the sofa chairs that were exactly opposite to each other. Nandini still had Nia in her arms as Dhruv played with her by sitting on the handrest of the chair while Manik, simply, sat there adoring the sight of her with a baby.
Manik was so engrossed in his mind that he did not see Aliya even approach him after Cabir and Navya entered the house let alone her going down on her knee. He was, utterly, stumped at the unanticipated confession/proposal which explained why he was unable to utter a single word in response to her.
"I... uh..." Manik fumbled to speak. Aliya's face dropped at his inability to speak or the lack of happiness on his face.
"We should give them some space." Manik and Aliya heard Nandini say to everyone in the room.
Everybody seemed to agree with her suggestion and were more than willing to walk out of the room as the air had gotten too dense due to the tension. They vacated the living room, one by one and the last ones to walk out were Nandini and Mukti as Mukti helped to shut the door behind them. As she took those steps away from the house, Nandini's eyes met with Manik who seemed like wanted to, desperately, convey something to her. She had no choice but to turn a blind eye to it and follow suit of everyone because she knew that Manik and Aliya deserved to have this space.
"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Dhruv questioned Randhir as he felt irritated by the happenings as it is and to add to that Randhir seemed ecstatic about it. If Dhruv had any idea that Aliya might end up proposing to Manik then he might have never brought her here, plainly, because he could never do that to Nandini. He was that kind of a friend who did not need her to tell him what was happening with her, he'd just understand. He was unaware of them dating each other but he did catch the energy between them, aptly.
"Nothing, just happy for my friends." Randhir replied with a smile intact on his face.
"You..." Dhruv was about to respond in his anger only to be cut off by Nandini.
"Navya, I think she is hungry." Nandini informed Navya who just made a few sounds out of frustration because they were locked out of her own apartment and she had no decent place to sit and feed her infant child.
"We'll take her downstairs to your parents... come on, babe..." Cabir coerced Navya into something she did not want to do but they did not have much of an option in this matter. Nandini handed Nia over to Cabir following which the small family left the floor to get to Navya's parents' house which was just two floors beneath theirs.
"Should we just leave then?" Abhimanyu quizzed after two minutes of silence passed between them.
"You guys can if you want... I'm gonna have to stay back because I left my phone, wallet, and keys inside so I have no choice but to wait." Dhruv declared with a sigh.
"I do have a meeting tomorrow so I have to leave now." Mukti told them with an apologetic smile for leaving him there.
"No problem, here. Will meet you later." Dhruv said to them and gave them a hug.
Randhir was ecstatic about the possibility of Manik reuniting with Alya as it opened up the gates for him to be with Nandini, at least according to him. But, he was not a fool to jump right back at it. He decided to give Nandini some space before approaching her again because the stunt he had pulled the last time was inexcusable and he needed to seek redemption for that before asking for any chance from her. Thus, he thought that it was smart to leave with Mukti and Abhimanyu when they offered him a ride back home.
"I'll see you later, okay?" Mukti hugged Nandini as she muttered that to her. And, soon the three of them disappeared behind the closed doors of the elevator leaving Nandini and Dhruv all by themselves at the door.
"Do you wanna go home?" Dhruv knew that she did not want to leave because the uncertainty of what could happen, visibly, ate her brain but he still wanted her to make the call.
"Yes and no... I do wanna get far away from here, more than anything but I also want to know from Manik if things are over... you know!" Nandini had not told Dhruv about their dating but she was aware that he knew more than what she had shared with him. She, absolutely, had no one other than him to talk to so, she did not hold back.
"What do you, exactly, mean by things? Are you guys like in a relationship?" Dhruv asked her in surprise.
"We started dating like two weeks ago but I don't know anymore if he still is in this relationship..." Nandini confessed and then pointed at the closed door indicating that her current relationship status depended on whatever was happening inside.
"Fuck! That makes this so much worse! Come here, you poor thing..." Dhruv sympathized with her and pulled her in for a bear hug. She needed that so she readily gave in. Although, she could not find the comfort that she was looking for which is why she realized that she only needed Manik to hug her close and tell her that they were fine.
"I know that I am being a selfish and bad person but, I, genuinely, do not want him to get back together with her, Dhruv. I don't think that I have the strength to sit back and watch it happen again. I...." Nandini whispered that but Dhruv heard every word of it, carefully. He was happy for his friend that she found this kind of love, again after such a long time but at the same time, it was painful to see her crying for the same love, this way.
"Sh. Sh. Sh... I get it! It is not wrong to want someone you love, right? So, you aren't, entirely, wrong here. Just, give Manik the benefit of doubt that he'd come to you for you or at least for the sake of this relationship that you both have built together." Dhruv tried to comfort her once, he made her sit on the stairs and he himself settled beside her. She laced her hand around his elbow and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I am a lot more messed up than Aliya... I won't blame him if he accepted her proposal because that relationship is natural cum easy and not to forget, a constant in his life for the past five years. I am so much harder to deal with which is why I know, for a matter of fact that he would be better off with her..." Nandini's heart broke as she said those words out loud which was going on inside her head for quite some time, now.
"You are the best person that I've ever known and I'm so glad to have you in my life. So, no! No Aliya stands a chance in front of you. If Manik is a wise man which I think he is, he'll not throw away this thing that he has with you at any cost." Dhruv was not saying all that just to console her because he, genuinely, never had a friend like Nandini. Even with all of her flaws, she managed to come through, every time, and just be there for her people. Who, with a sane mind, could possibly just kick all that out of their life for anything else?
"You're just saying that because you love me but..." Nandini mumbled only to be cut off again.
"I love you for a reason, you doof. Just stop doubting yourself, will you? No one's perfect so people don't just keep leaving people for a few shortcomings." Dhruv said that to her but was surprised with himself on the inside about their role reversal. It was, usually, the other way around with Nandini knocking sense into him while he'd be all skeptical about himself. He never could have anticipated that he'd also have to do this someday.
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Rate the chapter between 1-10.
How did you find the moment between Nandini and the baby?
Did you expect that Aliya would propose Manik for marriage?
Few words for Nandini and Dhruv's friendship.
What do you think Manik will do in this situation?