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At the entrance to her building, Manik was waiting for Nandini. She had lent him her car to run errands for the launch event, so he had come to pick her up. When she insisted that she would take a taxi to his new office for the pooja, Manik conveniently disregarded her. She was still in the recovery stage, so he didn't want her to travel alone. Although her elbow injury was almost fully healed, the other wounds would take longer. He was able to take some time for himself to pick her up because he had finished his fair share of work by getting to the location an hour earlier than necessary.
"You look beautiful, Nandini." Manik was awestruck by her beauty despite the bandages and bruises. As soon as she settled into the passenger seat of his car, he simply had to compliment her. She was his escape from a day filled with tasks and errands. He was happy that he came by to go with her because he only needed a brief interaction with her to help him relax.
Before Nandini could respond, he cupped her cheeks and placed a long kiss on her lips. "Thanks." She muttered when he pulled away. The flushed expression on her face floored him for the second time that day. She was the prettiest thing in his life and he felt grateful for having all of herself for just him.
The way she looked at the moment made him forget everything around him. He did not bother to withdraw his hands away from her face. She could not get herself to even look him in the eye given his intense gaze towards her. She shut her eyes when he leaned forward to place a soft yet long kiss on her forehead just near the crystal bindi which made her realise that he loved it when she wore them. She mentally made a note to wear them as much as possible only because she loved his reaction to her wearing it. She opened her eyes when he pulled away from the kiss and yet did not bother to tear his hand away from her cheek.
"Drive, Manik. You don't wanna be late to your own function." Nandini asked him to drive when he spent another two minutes staring at her and caressing her face with his fingers.
"Ptch... It is worth it." Manik shrugged. Nonetheless, he decided to drive towards his new office. Their staff, Sameer and Jeanette had already reached the venue. There was too much tension between the girls already so he did not wish to add to it by keeping them waiting for them.
"Why did you invite my parents, Manik? And were you even planning on telling me about it?" Nandini asked him with an irritated look after 10 minutes of driving silently. She was checking her phone's notifications because she was unsure if she would have time later. She was certainly happy she did. She received a message from Saeesha informing her that she and their parents would be attending the party that night.
"I'm sorry it slipped my mind with all the work. I actually invited them on the day I came by your place to apologize. Why? Are they really coming?" Manik rubbed the back of his neck as he explained his carelessness. It was not intentional that he hid it from her but amidst their fights, her accident, and all the work, it had actually slipped his mind.
"Yeah. Not now... They'll attend the party in the evening. Why? God! How am I going to explain all this?" Nandini updated him and then whined pointing at her injuries.
"It's okay, Nandini. They are not going to give you a hard time. I'm almost sure." Manik vocalized his intuition about her situation. He was sure that they are going to be worried when they see her but they'd calm down once they hear her out. Besides, she was getting the proper treatment and rest. How bad could it get?
"You better hope so... You are going to cover for me by saying that you haven't left my side since the time I was taken to the hospital, okay?" Nandini did not leave any wiggle room for Manik to argue or disobey. He shook his head in disbelief yet internally agreed to do what she was asking him to do for her.
"Okay. Now, relax, baby. We will deal with it when they get here. We are here so, let's focus on this pooja for now. Alright?" Manik reassured and then clicked his seatbelt open when he parked her TRoc in a parking space of his office that was reserved for him.
"Yeah, okay." Nandini mumbled and the two of them got down. Manik circled the vehicle to reach her side while she smoothened the creases in her saree.
"Listen..." Manik hesitated to ask what he was about to ask but he did not have much choice in it either.
"What?" Nandini asked him as she felt him intertwine their hands before they began walking towards the lift.
"Jeanette refused to sit in the pooja with Sameer because you know... I was wondering if you'd be willing to sit with me?" Manik asked Nandini in a very unsure tone. Even though he desperately wanted her to be there for him in every way, he did not want to force her to do such a big thing. He was aware of her strong religious beliefs and the significance of this for her. Even though he knew he wouldn't push her into it, he couldn't help but try it out once.
"You want me to?" Nandini questioned him back feeling a tad overwhelmed about the importance he was giving her and their relationship. Manik pulled them inside the elevator and took her in a side hug after pushing the button for the eleventh floor.
"Only if you have no problem with it. I know how much these things mean to you so I don't want to force you. But I'd be the happiest man if you agree to share this moment with me, baby." Manik mumbled softly and placed a chaste kiss on her temple. She looked up at him with an ear-splitting grin conveying her answer.
"I will sit with you." Nandini told him her answer in words as well making him smile widely.
"I love you, baby." Manik confessed happily and the doors of the elevator opened right on cue.
Jeanette and Sameer were standing right there and by the looks on their faces, they had witnessed the moment between Manik and Nandini. Manik and Nandini couldn't care less though. Nandini had severed the ties, so no one was entitled to an explanation. Even though Manik and Sameer would have been better off as merely business partners, their friendship persisted. However, Manik had his limits. What he did personally wasn't anyone's business, and he was going to make sure Sameer and Jeanette were treated the same way.
"Nandini and I can do the pooja." Manik declared as they walked hand in hand toward Sameer and Jeanette.
"Sure." Sameer muttered unable to decide what could he say to his shocked girlfriend. He was the one subject to Jeanette's incoherent cries and breakdowns over losing her best friend. This sudden revelation would hurt Jeanette more and he did not know how to handle the upcoming hysteria.
"Come, let's go in." Manik nodded at Sameer and then pulled Nandini with him. The couple headed where all the arrangements for the pooja had been done leaving Jeanette and Sameer agape.
How chaotic could one day get? Manik and Nandini would learn about it by the end of this day.
Manik and Nandini were seated facing the holy fire also known as havan-kund. The priest chanted the shlokas while occasionally instructing them to drop some things like flowers, ghee, etc., into the fire together. Manik had tied a napkin on his head and Nandini had covered her head with her saree's pallu. The staff was seated around the set-up and were mute spectators to the pooja at hand. Sameer stood at the back with Jeanette because she did not want to sit closer and he did not wish to force her into going against her beliefs.
Since Sameer and Jeanette were standing a little far from the set-up and were closer to the entrance in the lobby, they were the first ones to notice Manik's family walk into the space which included Nyonica, Rajveer, Daivik, and Dakshika. Sameer was surprised to see them there because Manik had told him they were busy and would not attend the event.
Manik's family did not wish to interrupt or disturb anything which is why they decided to mask their surprise at Manik and Nandini doing the pooja together. What was happening? They kept wondering if Manik was hiding something significant from all of them and if yes then they could not understand the reason behind it. They might not be much vocal about his dating life but that did not mean that they weren't supportive of his decisions then why was he hiding this from them? Nyonica gestured for them to keep quiet for now and just join the pooja because that preceded everything else in the priority levels for them. Daivik passed a small smile to Sameer before sitting down on one of the mats because he was the only one who knew Manik's business partner personally.
The rituals went on for around another half hour after which the pandit handed Manik a coconut not before applying turmeric and vermillion to it. He asked them to go outside and break the coconut at once. Manik and Nandini got up on their feet and turned. She clutched his elbow in shock at seeing his family sitting in the last row. He was confused as to why was she holding onto him so tightly but the confusion vanished into thin air when he followed her gaze back to his family.
Manik could not even let himself feel happy that his family had flown down to be there for him on his special day given that his mind was comprehending how to explain him and Nandini doing this pooja together. He did not want them to find out about him and Nandini in such a manner. He wanted to tell them personally before introducing her to them formally as his girlfriend. Now, they were going to eat him alive for hiding such a big thing from them, especially his siblings.
"Manik! Let's finish this off first." Nandini nudged him a little because he was frozen on his spot and all the eyes in the room were on them.
"Yeah." Manik muttered and the two of them began walking towards the entrance. The rest of them rose and followed their trail.
Manik hit the coconut on the first of the stairs after making a small prayer for the success of their start-up. Their staff erupted into cheers and claps as the coconut broke at once which was a sign of good luck. He then sprinkled a little of the coconut water on the entrance and then on everyone. Then the priest motioned them to come back in. They moved back in but this time his family was right behind him and Sameer was on Manik's other side.
"Beta, ab is moorthi ki sthaapna kar do aur beti tum aarti kar lena uske baad." The priest handed over a small Ganesh idol to Manik and asked him to place it on the small shelf they had installed in the lobby for it. He then forwarded a plate with an earthen lamp, flowers, turmeric, and vermillion to Nandini and asked her to do a small ritual for the idol once Manik would place it.
Manik was feeling restless with every second passing. These prolonged rituals were giving him some time to contemplate what to say to his family but he could not focus on that part. This was a new beginning for him; he wanted to seek all sorts of blessings from the universe. He just felt bad for feeling distracted by these personal problems.
"Go on, Manik." He heard his father instruct him which made him realize that he was lost in his own thoughts and hadn't moved an inch from where he was standing. He nodded and looked down at Nandini who eyed him to go towards the shelf. He decided to block out other thoughts and get fully indulged in this ritual. Nandini followed his trail and the two of them finished everything based on the priest's instructions.
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"Oh my god! Go to them! Why are you standing with me?" Nandini poked his bicep when Manik refused to go and greet his family even after the rituals were done. The people in the room had begun conversing with each other in small groups. Sameer and Jeanette went away to check the arrangements for lunch. Manik's family on the other hand were seated on some chairs and were patiently waiting for him to go to them.
"It's not rocket science, genius. I'm rightfully terrified to face them..." Manik mumbled in frustration. What was he even supposed to say to them now? They had practically seen him perform customs with her that probably married couples do together. How was he supposed to explain that?
"YOU are scared? Think about me... You are their son/brother. They will understand you. Imagine my nerves to face my potential in-laws without any prior warning." Nandini had caught his parents pass her looks that did not exactly seem welcoming. Even Daivik and Dakshika looked somewhat disappointed. She was worried they had already gotten off the wrong foot with them.
"Thanks. I feel a little better." Manik thanked her for making him realize that she was in a much worse situation than him. Nandini swatted his hand in vexation to which he just chuckled and then walked away to meet his family.
"Hey! Why didn't you all tell me that you are coming here?" Manik greeted his family who stood up on their feet when they saw him approach them and then asked while taking the twins in a side hug.
"We wanted to surprise you but you beat us in our own game, son. Well played!" Rajveer commented sarcastically and pat Manik on his shoulder.
"God! This is not how I wanted you guys to find out about us..." Manik expressed and moved to hug Nyonica.
"How did you wanna tell us then?" Nyonica questioned him pointedly yet reciprocated his hug. It had been almost four months since she had seen him and she had missed her son like anything.
"Seriously, bhai! How could you not tell us that you are dating Nandini dii? Eww... I should not be calling her that..." Dakshika hit Manik on his bicep as she complained and realized the fault in her addressing Nandini midway so she stopped herself.
"I wanted to tell you guys in person..." Manik began saying but his mother cut him off.
"I call nonsense! Don't you think it's important to tell us about your relationship before you go around doing rituals with her that generally married couples do together?" Nyonica grit her teeth when she expressed her irritation with Manik.
"Maa... We had not planned on doing this together until today morning. Sameer's girlfriend is a Christian so she denied sitting for it. I ju..." Manik was explaining when his father cut him off again. 'Can a guy finish his sentence here?'- He thought to himself and did not dare to utter that out loud.
"What is it with you and dating girls who have been friends with you at some point? Is it a thing?" Rajveer's question made Manik roll his eyes at him.
"Yeah, dad! That's my problem. I cannot just not date all my friends. Come on, dad!" Manik remarked sarcastically and then dramatically urged him to stop being irrational.
"He has a point though! First Rinni, then Aliya, and now Nandini. It all adds up!" Daivik exclaimed like something huge dawned upon him.
"Shut up, dude. Rinni was like a sister to me and about the other two... Ugh... Why are we discussing my dating life right now?" Manik started explaining himself but then realized that it was not relevant to the current situation thus interrupting his own speech.
"Because your current one is nervously glancing our way from the corner of this room..." Rajveer mentioned and shrugged at which all of their heads shot up in Nandini's direction which made her jolt and scurry away from there in fear.
"Stop scaring her, guys!" Manik palmed his forehead as he watched Nandini go inside the building away from the lobby where everyone was situated.
"Why is she nervous? It's not like she's meeting us for the first time right?" Dakshika remarked in curiosity.
"She has met you all as my dorky little friend, not as my girlfriend. And it is almost pretty evident that we could end up married down the road which makes you all her future in-laws. She's obviously going to be paranoid." Manik said in a duh tone surprising all of them.
"What?" Manik snapped when nobody said anything for two minutes straight. They just kept staring at him without any expression.
"You want to marry her?" Nyonica asked him to reconfirm. They all were obviously shocked because Manik had never broached the subject of settling down in the five years he was dating Aliya. All of his family was convinced that Manik and Aliya were endgame and there could be an engagement announcement anytime. But here he was, less than a year later to his breakup with Aliya, talking about marrying his long-lost best friend with who he was not even in touch for over four years.
If only they knew the whole picture...
"No! I mean I'm not saying that I wanna marry her right now but yeah... I can see myself married to her down the road somewhere." Manik responded to his mother without much thought. All this was coming from him naturally. He did not need to think about it much because for him they were it. They had many issues but he was sure that none of them would give up on each other no matter the circumstances.
It was true that he had broken up with Aliya less than a year ago but that relationship had run its course way before it. His transferring to a different city had executed the break-up but he and Aliya stopped working long before that point. It was not a bad relationship. It was just stuck at a point from which he could not see them moving ahead. The spark and love had faded and none of them made any efforts to change it. It was probably why he moved on so quickly. Aliya had not moved on but he did not feel accountable for it as well.
"Since when did you and dii... Nandini become so tight?" Dakshika asked him and all of them cringed in the middle when she referred to Manik's girlfriend as her sister.
"Nobody knows about it but things between us are not as new as you think of them to be..." Manik trailed off unable to find words to narrate the longer version of their story.
"Eww, son! I did not raise you to be a cheater!" Rajveer shrieked dramatically at which Manik rolled his eyes again.
"This family is a circus! Dad, no! I never cheated. It is a bit complicated and a long story. I do not think we have the time to discuss all that right now because look around." Manik pointed out his office as he finished his sentence. They were here for his company's launch event and their conversations were nowhere close to that at that moment.
"Oh sorry! Congratulations big bro! We are so proud of you." Dakshika launched herself on Manik for a happy hug. A hug that Daivik joined as well. Rajveer and Nyonica smiled at their children and thanked god for that moment. Given the fact that Manik lived so far away from home and barely visited them, this was a rare sight to watch.
"Thank you so much for coming down here. I cannot tell you how happy I am because I get to celebrate this day with all of you." Manik proclaimed his state of mind on having his family with him on his big day. He then hugged his parents together who smilingly reciprocated the hug.
"Manik! We're moving this to the cafeteria. Lunch buffet is served." Sameer called out from inside the office to inform Manik about lunch being served.
"Come on, you guys. Let's meet my super shy girlfriend, have lunch, and then I can give you a tour of the office." Manik laid out his short plan and put his arm around Dakshika. He led them toward the elevator so that they can go to the cafeteria.
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"Did you see Nandini around?" Manik finally asked Jeanette since he was left with no choice because no one else in the room had seen Nandini.
He had hooked up his family with lunch plates and got them seated on one of the bigger tables and then moved around to call Nandini. She was not in the room and she had left her phone with him because she did not carry a purse and thus wanted him to keep it in his pocket for her. Where was this girl now? He did not want to worry unnecessarily but she had developed this new tendency to land herself in trouble which was hard to look past.
"You've got some nerve asking me about her huh?" Jeanette commented and took a sip from her glass of juice.
"Jen, please! Can we be civil to each other for one day?" Manik sighed in defeat. He could not afford to spend even an ounce of energy on Jeanette and her drama.
"You tell me! Why the hell did you not tell us that you two were dating?" Jeanette ended up blurting the only question going through her mind ever since she witnessed them getting out of the elevator.
"God! Can we do this later? I need to look for Nandini." Manik spoke and was about to walk away when Jeanette stopped him by holding his elbow.
"No! I want to know. Why wouldn't you just tell us? Don't you think it is a little hypocritic of her to keep this a secret after giving me and Sameer such a hard time for hiding things from you?" Jeanette's question managed to aggravate Manik more.
"Do you have like no sense of time and place? You cannot possibly think that this is your perfect opportunity, can you?" Manik articulated with an are-you-ridiculous expression.
"Lay off her a little, Manik. She's clearly hurting." Sameer entered their space and said in a low voice.
"Fine! Sorry, Jen, I was being rude. Look there's no point in talking about all this now. Nandini clearly doesn't want to be friends with you anymore so can we let this go? What good is going to happen even if we sit and chat about things that have happened already?" Manik gave Jeanette a short hug as a gesture of apology and tried to explain his point of view.
"It's okay but she cannot just walk out on me as she did. I did not even get to say anything. But I understand that today should be about you and Sam so, I promise I won't talk about this today. But it is due." Jeanette declared what she would do for that day. Manik sighed but took her up on the offer of a momentary truce. He did not need more drama for the day. Period.
"Go! There she is..." Jeanette pointed towards the door to the cafeteria from where Nandini was walking in.
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"Where have you been, baby?" Manik asked Nandini after dragging her out with him and then standing in a secluded space.
"I was in the ladies' room. I needed to fix my saree. The pleats were all messed up. I might have accidentally stepped on it." Nandini answered him. She still appeared a little rattled. He found that cute and thus pushed her chin a little up before placing a long kiss on her nose.
"Shoo! What are you doing? What if someone from your family sees us?" Nandini swatted him away almost on reflex worried that they could get caught by one of the Malhotras. She had already had one dramatic face-off with them. She did not need them catching her in some compromising position with their son.
"You are so darn cute! So what if they see us? They know that we are dating now. Hell, they just saw us perform a pooja together like some married couple. That was nothing... But this could be something." Manik pulled her close by wrapping his hand around her waist ignoring all of her futile attempts to resist him. By the end of his speech, he ducked his head down to her level and smooched her softly.
"You are trying to give me a heart attack, aren't you? Why do you wanna become a widower so soon?" Nandini asked him once he left her lips. Although she did not try to break away from his hold.
"For the nonsense, you spew, I should never stop kissing you. At least that way you'll shut up." Manik's tone was threatening and his words had an underlying warning to them.
"Sorry!" Nandini held her ear to apologize and then rose on her toes to give him a sweet kiss on his cheek.
"It looks like today is going to be a long day. You realize today our families are going to meet each other?" Manik reflected on what the following evening held for them.
"Yeah. It just occurred to me too. God!" Nandini sighed and let Manik hug her close to his chest. She was nervous as hell now. What all was in store for the two of them? Only time would tell...
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Rate the chapter between 1-10.
One word to describe Manik and Nandini in this chapter.
Do you think Manik's family will accept Nandini with open arms?
Both of their families are going to be face-to-face in the next chapter. What do you suspect will happen?