Manik paced in his room with Ananya in his arms , thinking some way to make Nandini confess to him.
Ananya was enjoying the ride in her father's arms.She giggled and pulled his hair sometimes or pinched his cheek .When Manik looked at her , she clapped her hands and laughed heartily.
"Baby let papa think na , right now I have a really challenging goal to accomplish"He said to her in somewhat annoying tone.
Manik made her sit on the chair and knelt down before her.
"See she is ready to get married" He said looking at Ananya and she listened to him gleefully , realising the importance of the conversation "That means she loves me ...right"
Manik asked and Ananya nodded as if she was getting what he was saying.
"Then why doesnt she want to confess"He pouted his lips and Ananya imitated him.
Manik pecked her lips and smiled.
"Baby , please suggest me something.What should I do?" he asked Ananya who pretended to think something" Should I take her on a date or should I pamper her ? How do I make her confess?"
Ananya didnt reply but made a grumpy face and Manik gauged her face to understand what she was trying to say.
"Papa doesn't understand what you are trying to say my love "Manik made an innocent face and kissed her forehead "oops , its time to get ready to office baby..papa has an important meeting in an hour"
Meanwhile someone knocked at the door.Manik opened and found Ramu kaka who had come to ask something.Manik handed over Ananya to Ramu kaka and bade her good bye so that he could get ready for office.
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Nandini sat in her room , her smile had not left her face for a single second since she came inside.
"I trust you manik...I trust you"She murmured to herself as she closed her eyes.
There was a knock on the door and her eyes shot up on hearing Ramu kaka's voice.
"Nandini bitiya ...Ananya baby aapke paas aana chahti hai" He called and Nandini opened towards the door.
Ananya hopped into her arms and started calling her Ma Ma.
Nandini kissed Ananya and asked Ramu kaka for Manik's whereabouts.He informed her that Manik was getting ready for office.Nandini told Ramu kaka to lay the breakfast table and walked inside her room to give bath to Ananya.
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She walked out of her room after dressing up Ananya hoping to see Manik waiting for her at the breakfast table but he wasnt there.
"Ma..Manik kahan hai?"She asked Stella who was cleaning the house .
"ma'am..Sir left for office hastily . He told me to inform you that he had some urgent work "
Nandini was taken aback on hearing her words. 'He left without seeing me?'She murmured to herself as she looked at the dining table .Everything lay untouched.
"Didnt he take his breakfast ?"She asked again.
"No ma am"Stella replied and got busy with her work.
Nandini gasped at she looked at the clock.It was almost 11am.
"He must be in a hurry..thats why he left"She tried to console herself while Ananya giggled.
Ramu kaka served her breakfast but she didnt eat even a single morsel.She fed Ananya and dialled Manik's number simultaneously.She called him up a several times but he didnt reply , and that made her more restless.
After feeding Ananya she made her sleep, while all the time her mind pondering over reasons for Manik's ignorance.
"I hope he isnt angry with me " She murmured as she dialled Cabir's number .
MANIK'S OFFICE
"Manik , I need to know what is going on between you and her"Cabir asked as soon as he entered Manik's office.
"me and who?"Manik pretended to be naive though he had very well understood what Cabir was talking about.
"Me and nandini" Cabir spoke and then shrugged his shoulders " I mean you and Nandini"He corrected.
"Pehle decide kar le ...me and nandini aur you and Nandini" Manik chuckled.
"Shut up yaar manik...Stop distracting me.Main ye sab silly jokes sunne ke mood me nahi hu" Cabir snapped.
"Achha to fir tu hi bata de ki tu kya sunne ke mood me hai" Manik winked
"Jaldi se bata what's the problem between Manik and Nandini" Cabir asked his to the point question.
"Problem....what problem are you talking about?" Manik creased his forehead in astonishment.
"Manik Malhotra , dont you even try to act over smart with me" Cabir tried to warn him " In the morning you said that she is your world and blah blah and now when she is trying to talk to you, you arent replying her call.Dude , just tell me what's cooking in your head?"
"Abhii to kuchh cook nahi ho raha hai" Manik sighed " But I hope ki kuchh ho jaye..."
"Kyaaa?"Cabir asked inquisitively.
"Cook...aur kya?"Manik replied in a matter fact of tone.
"Ohh Thank God , I thought you were talking about IT "cabir winked.
"Dirty minds always think about think about IT and only IT" Manik mocked at him"
Both of them laughed heartily at their poor joke for a few seconds .
"Achha ab bata , whats the problem?"Cabir asked in a serious tone as he sat beside Manik on the couch.
"Problem kya honi hai and by the way why are you asking this?"Manik asked
"I am asking because you didn't reply to her call and she called me up to ask if everything was O.K. with you.Moreover you came to office without informing her..what's the matter with you bro?"
Manik picked his phone and realised that it was on silent mode.
"Oh shit!" He said " My phone is on silent mode thats why I missed her calls.And as far as informing her is concerned , I was in a hurry because of the meeting...you know how important that meeting was"Manik clarified.
Cabir had been Manik's childhood friend and they had never needed words to understand each other's feelings.The way Manik was avoiding looking into his eyes while speaking , made Cabir dubious about the matter.
"There's definitely something more to it than you are telling Manik"He asked.
Manik pouted his lips and scratched his head , showing his embarassment.
"arrey mere sher , tu to ek newly wed bride ki tarah sharmaa raha hai." Cabir remarked and Manik bent his head in annoyance " Ab bata bhi de...kya hua?"
Despite of constantly asking Manik didnt tell Cabir the reason which upsetted him.
"Sach kehte hai log, pyaar doston ko bhi badal deta hai"Cabir spoke wryly and got up to leave but Manik held his hand and stopped him.
"Yaar she is not confessing" Manik spoke in a child like tone and Cabir smothered a laugh.
"Bas itni si baat" Cabir sat back and looked at him " Why fear when Cabir is here?"He winked as he thought of something.
"I have an idea" Cabir said and set forth his plans to make her confess.
Manik thought for a moment "Cabir, how will I make arrangements in such a short span" He asked sceptically.
"Why do you worry so much bro? You yourself are an established architect...Abhi lag jaa kaam par" Cabir spoke in a bossy tone as he sat on the table in front of Manik.
Manik furrowed his brows and let out a deep breath before nodding in agreement to what Cabir had said.
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Manik called up Harshad and asked him to apply for his registered marriage with Nandini in the court.Harshad was completely taken aback when he heard that Manik wanted to marry nandini but he didn't show his annoyance in front of Manik.
"Am sure this girl , Nandini Murthy , is trying to trap my boss " Harshad scratched his head "I'll find out what she is upto...chahe uske liye mujhe Mangalore hi kyu na jana pade" He said to himself and banged his fist on the table.
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"nandini bitiya , doctor madam aayi hai"Ramu kaka called.
"Doctor Madam" She shook her head as a web of confusion weaved in her mind " Did he mean a female doctor had come" She walked towards the door as hundred questions clouded her mind.Why had a female doctor come to the house!
She opened the door and found the lady doctor standing beside Ramu kaka.
She gazed at both of them alternately with a shocked expression hounding her face.
"Wo Manik baba ne bheja hai inhe" Rama kaka was the one to speak to first.
"Kisliye?" She asked in surprise .
"Pls let me in , I will explain" The doctor said .Nandini let her in and followed her with a perplxed state of mind.
"You dont need to worry Ms. Nandini. Mr. Malhotra called me up this morning to examine the wound on your shoulder.He was very worried for you "The doctor said after closing the door.
Nandini was rendered speechless.He cared so much for her.Tears blinded her vision as she gulped the lump in her throat and let out a tiny sigh that was barely audible.
"May I" The doctor 's voice pulled her out of her chain of thoughts and she nodded as she turned around to bolt the door before removing her dupatta.
Nandini winced in pain as the doctor carefully examined the wound .She instantly judged that it was an old wound that wasnt properly treated.She prescribed an ointment and a few medicines before she left.
"I should thank him" Nandini pursed her lips excietedly as she picked her phone and began dialling his number yet again.But to her annoyance he didn't reply again.Nandini hung her face gloomily as she looked at the clock.It was evening and she was expecting him in an hour.
Her spirits lit up again and she rushed towards the kitchen.She decided to prepare dinner for him to please him.She gave a leave to the kitchen staff except Ramu kaka who was supposed to take care of Ananya.Ramu kaka entertained Ananya and she began cooking Manik's favourite dishes.
"Aaj main aapse wo bhi keh dungi Manik , jo aap sunna chahte hain" She murmured to herself shyly as she transferred the prepared food into serving dishes.
She looked at the clock anxiously.Manik was supposed to be home anytime now.Her heart was racing rapidly as she changed into a fresh set of clothes.She folded her hands and prayed to Aiyappa to give her the courage to confess her feelings in front of him.
She picked up Ananya and swirled around holding her high.Ananya giggled as she looked down at her mother.
"Your papa will be here any moment now baby"Ananya was overjoyed with the attention she was getting.
And then the doorbell rang.Her eyes gleamed as she ran towards the main door to open it.
"Cabir..Navya" Nandini was surprised to see Cabir and navya instead of Manik at that time " Ma...Manik nahi aaye?" She asked instantly and Cabir chuckled at her statement.
"Laila majnu..romeo Juliet...heer raanjha" Cabir sighed dramatically " Iss pyaar ko main kya naam dooooo....."
Nandini averted her gaze shyly as her cheeks turned red on hearing Cabir's statement.
"My shy sister...take this and get ready. The driver is waiting outside..he will take you to Manik" Navya handed a packet to Nandini and took Ananya from her.
"Sorry Ananya baby...aaj fir aapko maasi ke paas rukna padega" Navya winked at Ananya and kissed her cheek.
"But where is Manik..." Nandini asked anxiously "I have cooked food for him"
"arrey my dear, you go and get ready" Cabir grinned sheepishly " You don't waste time and I promise you I wont let the food go waste.I will finish it all"
Cabir winked and navya smothered a laugh.
Nandini smiled back and rushed to her room with the packet in her hand.
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Nandini wore the pink knee length dress sent by Manik.She gave herself one final look in the mirror and left the house after bidding a good bye to Cabir , Navya and Ananya.
After a 30 minute long drive , finally the car halted outside a posh farmhouse. Nandini's heart was pounding heavily as she stepped out of the car.Thewatchman escorted her inside the farmhouse and opened the door to a room that was completely dark inside.
Nandini let out a deep breath and stepped inside.She gasped as the watchman closed the door behind her.She gasped as it was pitch dark inside with not even a single source of light.The hair on her skin and arms had stood up and she felt scared as she rolled her eyes to adjust to darkness.
Suddenly she felt a pair of hands circle her waist from behind.She trembled as she recognised his touch.
"Manik" She whispered as she felt his warm breath fanning the nape of his neck.She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath to pacify her heart that was beating erratically inside her chest.
"You look beautiful" he whispered hoarsely as he place a few feather touch kisses along her neck.She felt her knees felt shaky and she shivered with delight as he bestowed her with sweet tortures.
She finally managed to gather herself and turned around in his hold to face him.Now that her eyes had got adjusted to the darkness , she could see him.
"Manik...aap kahan the and why didn't you reply...." She spoke in a complaining tone but Manik placed his index finger on her lips and made her quiet.
" Shhhh" He whispered and turned her back , so that she was facing the wall again " Look there, I wanna show you something" He said ,still standing behind her , and switched on the projector .
"The 3d plan for my dream house...a house that will be ours" He spoke.
The projector sheet popped up with the images of a house with a name plate.
"AASHIYANA"
MANIK MALHOTRA
NANDINI MALHOTRA
ANANYA MALHOTRA
Tears brimmed up in her eyes as she saw her name written beside his.She turned her head to look back at Manik who was unaware of her condition at that time.
"So we enter from here" Manik started explaining "This is the lawn area...and this is the swimming pool , a separate one for Ananya, Then this is the enterance to main house, we will place a huge aquarium here.."He kept speaking and Nandini smiled as tears of joy rolled down her eyes constantly.
"Here, this will be OUR room and the slider here will open into Ananya's room" The moment he spoke the word "OUR" Nandini lost all her self control.She turned around and crashed into his chest sobbing incoherently.
Manik was taken aback at her sudden gesture .He held her shoulder, careful enough not to hurt her, and pulled her apart to face him.
"Didnt you like it Nandini...arrey we can get it changed anytime" He spoke sincerely .
Nandini shook her head in a no and palmed his cheek with one hand.
"I love you Manik" She spoke instantaneously and Manik at first couldn't believe his ears .
"Wh..What did you say?"He asked .
"I love you Manik" She spoke again, a little louder.
Tears brimmed up in his eyes and he pulled nandini in a bone crushing hug.
"I love you too Nandini...I love you so much" He replied as he closed his eyes and tears spilled from his eyes too.
They stayed in the same position for a few minutes and then pulled apart .Manik kissed her forehead and rested his forehead on hers and they closed their eyes , feeling each other's proximity.
"This is what I was busy with since morning.Did you like it?" He asked softly.
"I loved it Manik" she replied in the same tone as his.
Manik pulled apart and Nandini opened her eyes to look at him.
"So now that you have confessed your love and our house is also finalised " he smirked " Only one thing is left"
"What" Nandini asked in amazement.
"Just wait" he winked and walked towards the wall to switch on the light.
Manik took out a small box from his pocket and opened it.It contained two diamond rings.
"This " he said looking into her eyes.
Nandini smiled excietedly as she took the box from his hand and caressed the rings with her hand.
"These are for us?" She asked innocently .
"No , for Cabir and Navya" Manik chuckled to which she made a grumpy face "Of course they are for us Nandini .Now would you please do the honours?" He asked.
She smiled and took out the ring from the box.Manik forwarded his hand and she slipped the ring into his ring finger.
There was a calmness , a serenity on his face as she looked at him.
"May I?" he sought her permission and she nodded with a huge grin.
Manik took out the ring from the box and held her hand .
He looked into her eyes before doing the needful.His eyes that were full of honesty and sincerity.
" I , Manik Malhotra , promise to be by your side always.To be true to you , in good times and in bad.I will love you , honour you and protect you all my life."
Once again tears formed in the corner of her eyes.He slipped the ring and kissed her forehead again.
"Can I kiss you?" He asked in a little voice and Nandini lowered her head shyly.
His eyes flickered to her lips and he pulled her closer with a jerk.
Manik nudged her chin up and leaned forward to place his lips on hers.The kiss was soft and gentle.He explored her mouth slowly and nandini was hesitant at first but eventually she started responding.She raised her hands to circle around his neck.Their tongues moved in unison and their breaths mingled. Nandini closed her eyes and tightened her hold on the colors of his shirt.
They pulled apart only when they were short of breath.
"I have another surprise for you" He spoke panting heavily .
Nandini rolled her eyes in astonishment but before she could ask anything she felt herself rising off the floor.Manik lifted her in his arms and walked ahead as they both looked into each other's eyes.
"Raaton ke jaage, subah milein hain
Resham ke dhaage , ye silsile hain..
Laazmi si lagne lagi hain
Do dilon ke ab Nazdeekiyaan"