Current time: 5:30 PM
Manik:
We quickly collected our luggage. She was waiting at the exit and meanwhile I got my car there. Bhagwaan jaane how girls do so much packing! She came with two huge suitcases, a small cabin bag and a handbag. Ithni bhi kyaa cheezein hothe hain?
I stuffed everything in the trunk and we headed to home.
In the car:
"I still can't believe you are here" I said, she was busy in capturing the beauty of Mumbai, the traffic and every other thing.
"You want me to go back?" she asked.
"No! I didn't mean that" I said.
"From the moment you saw me, aisa hi kuch bol rahe ho and I don't see happiness in your face after seeing me" she said.
"Potato you can't imagine how happy I am" I said.
"ya ya I can see that" she said sarcastically.
"Arre I am serious baba" I said again as she wasn't believing.
"Okay baba" she replied and again got busy with the so called Mumbai dhekho program. I turned the windows with the controls from my side and she immediately looked at me, with a why did you do that expression.
"Mujhse baath karonaa, ghar jaane ke baadh there'll be too much competition" I said, probably with that sad pout. I realized that because I saw her smiling cutely.
"bolo" she said folding her legs on the seat and turned toward me. How did she do that?
"What do you want to do these two weeks?" I asked her.
"First thing would be too visit your mom's organization. I am waiting to go there. Uske baadh, some nice movies, thori shopping and spend so much time with friends" she replied.
"Oh so I am not even part of the list" I said in a low voice.
"Do you think I am going to do all those things alone?" she asked.
"you'll be there with me all the time, sab se chupke, chote chote MaNan moments create karenge" she said smilingly. I just smiled in reply. This girl knows how to win over me all the time.
Amidst our talks, we reached home.
"Oh hello bags" I shouted, but no use. She was running into the house.
"Tum le ke aa jao... I can't carry they are too heavy" she replied and disappeared into the house.
Paagal hain yeh larki, if she cannot carry them, then why does she have to bring so much luggage. I was unloading the suitcases with the watchman's help when I noticed a car in the garage. It was neither of my friends' car.
"Kaka yeh gaadi?" I asked the watchman.
"Aaj subah hi bade bhai saab aaye hain baba" he replied.
Chacha? Oh Shit Nandini! I left the bags there and ran to the door.
End of POV
Meanwhile inside, "I am here" Nandini shouted standing in the middle of the living room with her hands stretched.
Navya who was in the kitchen quickly rushed to her,
"Hi Navya!!!" Nandu again shouted hugging her.
"Sshhhh nandini aawaaz kam karo" navya said and pulled her into the kitchen. Meanwhile Manik also came in and at the same time, Chacha came downstairs.
"Manik" he said looking at Manik. Manik went to him, touched his feet and took his blessings.
"Kaha reh gaye the tum?" Chacha asked.
"Wohh mein baahar gaya tha, ek friend ko pick karne" Manik replied.
"Friend? Kaun friend? Kaha hain?" Chacha asked. Manik was looking around to find her, and then saw her in the kitchen with Navya.
"Nandini" he called her name and she walked to him.
"Chacha yeh hain Meri dhosth nandini" Manik said introducing her to Chacha.
"Namaste uncle" Nandini said.
"Naam kya hain tumhaara?" he asked.
"Nandini" she replied.
"Papa aur maa kya karthe hain?" he asked.
"Wohh Chacha Nandini ke mummy pappa nai hain, 10 saal pehle unki death ho gayi" Manik said.
"Hi Manik" Cabir said walking from behind.
"Manik mujhe abhi study room mein milo" Chacha said and walked away.
"Yaar ab yeh yaha kya kar rahe hain? Wasn't it a deal that he won't come here?" Manik asked.
Yes. Chacha agreed that he will let Fab5 live however they want and will never come to their place.
"tu jaa, he doesn't like people who are not punctual" Cabir said.
"Acha tum room mein jaao nandini I will be there" Manik said and went away. Cabir, Navya and Nandu were proceeding toward her room. They had to cross the study room to go to nandini's room.
Convo between chacha and Manik:
C: Wohh ladki kaun hain Manik?
M: Chacha, meine bathaya tha na, meri dhosth hain Nandini
C: Wohh yahaa kya kar rahi hain?
M: Chacha ab meri dhosth hain toh meri ghar aayegi na
C: Aisi kya khaas dhosthi hain ki tum use milne Abu Dhabi gaye the?
And now Manik was shocked as to how he knows about it.
C: tum soch rahe honge naa ki mujhe kaise patha chala? Yeh dhekho
Chacha switched on the TV and showed him the news where the song he sung in the aircraft was being telecasted with the headlines, that the lead singer of Fab5 being such a big business person, came into the economy class and sang in the air craft.
C: Manik tumhaare papa bachpan mein Cabir ko le ke aye, meine kuch nai kaha, tum ne use MD banaa dhiya meine tab bhi kuch nai kaha.. kya wohh ek kam tha ki tum ab is ladki ko leke aaye? Yeh Ghar hain Manik koi Anaath aashram nai
M: Chacha
C: Mujhe bol ne dho Manik! Kal tak mujhe wohh ladki is ghar se baahar honi chahiye. Patha nai kahaa se aayi, upar se uske maa baap bhi nai hain aur tum ne uspe aise hi vishwaas kar liya
M: Bas kiijiye Chacha already bohoth kuch bol chuke hain aap
The two people inside didn't realize that there were two more pairs of ears listening to this conversation.
Nandini broke down after listening to Chacha's words and so was Cabir. But he was used to all this and that's why he acted strong and tried to console her.
M: Let me remind you Mr. Ashok Malhotra, Is company kaa chair person mein hoon, Manik Malhotra. Aur agar mere baadh dad ne kisi pe trust kiya toh wohh hain Cabir. MD toh kya agar chaahe toh mein use abhi ke abhi chair person bhi banaa saktha hoon, par wohh nai maanega kyun ki wohh kisi position ke liye Malhotra industries mein kaam nai kartha. That's his way of expressing is gratitude to dad. Ek baath sun leejiye, Cabir mera Bhai hain, aur wohh bhi badaa bhai. Toh mein apne Bade bhai ke khilaaf ek lafz bhi nai sunoonga
Cabir was taken aback by his words. He always considered Manik to be his brother, but today he knew what place he has in Manik's heart.
C: Aur wohh ladki?
Chacha was trying to speak, when Manik interrupted him.
M: Nandini! Uska naam Nandini hain. Aur mein usse pyaar kartha hoon. Graduation ke baadh us ke saath shaadhi bhi karne waala hoon
He said in a stern voice.
C: Shaadhi? Manik tumhaara dhimaak kharaab ho gaya hain? Tum ek aisi ladki se shaadhi karoge jiski khudh ki koi identity hi nai hain ? Tum jaanthe ho tumhaari mom aur tumhaari chachi kithni reputed families mein belong karthe hain? Aur tum us ladki ko is ghar ki bahoo banaana chahthe ho jiski family hi nai hain? Manik, apni manmaani karna bandh karo and tomorrow in the party, Mr. Ahuja is going to come with his family. I want you to make friends with his daughter. She would be the best match for you. Her name is Deepika.
"What? Who gave you the right to fix matches for me? meine aap ko bol dhiya hain ki I love nandini and only nandini will be my wife. So you better" he was talking when he heard Cabir taking Nandini's name. he immediately went out to see what it was.
"Kya hua? Why were you calling her?" Manik asked Cabir. He noticed that Cabir was also in tears and now he got the point.
"Did you guys hear our conversation?" Manik asked and Cabir immediately hugged him. That was the first time Manik saw Cabir breaking down. Even at the time of his parents' death, he hid his pain and was consoling Manik. But now it was different
"Cabir?" Manik said hugging him back.
"Cabir calm down" Manik said again and now, cabir was loosening his grip. He slowly broke the hug and was looking down.
"Usne bhi sab kuch sun liya Manik, I don't think she's fine. Bohoth ro rahi thi" Cabir said and Manik's heart was broken. It's just been a day that they sorted out differences, and now again.
He ran toward her room and knocked the door, there was no response. He tried to see if the door was unlocked and luckily it was.
He slowly opened the door and saw her crying sitting on the bed. He went to her, and sat on the floor holding her hands between his. She was still crying.
"Nandini please stop crying" he said looking at her but she was in no position to listen to him.
"I know it hurt you, but baby, please don't mind his words, he doesn't know anything about you, isliye aise bol rahe the" he said again and she nodded her head in a negative.
The gang joined them too, it was hurting them to see their angel crying, Cabir was also sad. The two pranksters' sadness was intolerable. Manik gestured towards Cabir to try talking to her. Cabir came to her and Manik moved aside.
"Behnaa listen, you need to feel sad or shed tears for someone you love, but not for someone whom you even don't know. Chacha ji se tumhaara kuch relation nai hain, toh unkee baathein tum seriously kyu le rahi ho? He doesn't know what you are to us, and ya even if he knew, he would still say the same. Ab mujhe hi dhekh lo, he has seen me growing alongside Manik but he still cannot accept me. Office mein bhi he always talks to Dhruv directly but never with me. He tried to create misunderstandings even between us, but we are Fab5 aur hum aise hii Kisi ke trap mein nai phasthe. Ab tum, Fab5 ki jaan ho, toh tum kaise unke baathon mein aa gayi?" he said.
It was not Cabir's style to say such senti things, but it was his brotherly love that made him say all those things. She rested her head on his shoulder and stopped crying. Cabir was patting her hair and the rest were just watching the bro-sis duo.
A servant entered the room and said that Chacha left. The gang took a deep breath, a sigh of relief.
After she was alright, the gang left leaving MaNan in the room.
"Want to sleep for some time? I will wake you up at dinner time" Manik asked and she just nodded her head.
He set the bed, spread the blanket and got in.
"Aa jao princess" he said sitting on the bed.
"I need to change" she said looking at her dress.
"Okay! Change kar ke aao" he said and she went into the restroom with her clothes. She was back in a minute after changing and hopped on the bed next to him.
"I know you are hurt by his words. But he is like that nandini, so please don't think about it" he said hugging her. She snuggled more into him.
"Manik I don't think I am correct for you. Listen to your chacha, I don't want any issues because of me. mein kal chalee jaungi" she said in a low voice, trying hard not to cry.
Manik knew she was upset, but he didn't know it was to this level.
"Shut up Nandini! What are you talking?" he said.
"I think this is right. I need to go..go away from you" she said again.
"Nandini just because I am not getting angry with you, it doesn't mean I am going to entertain your talks. Now that you started all this, let me show you something"
He got up, made her sit and sat opposite to her.
"Okay! I have a small surprise for you. I knew something like this would happen. So I have taken a decision for us. You'll find it behind that curtain you see there" he said pointing towards a curtain that was covering little portion of the wall opposite to them.
"Let me tell you in advance, don't panic after seeing that. I am open for whatever your decision is" he said and gestured her to pull the curtain off.
There was a poster that said, Will you marry me?
And under that was a small box that had a beautiful diamond ring. Her eyes were glowing at the shine of the ring. She turned back and looked at him. He was standing with his arms open, waiting for her hug. She immediately ran to him and hugged him tight.
"Don't worry, this will just be a formal engagement. There's a party tomorrow. We have invited our concert sponsors and a few friends, just to announce our comeback. I would like to introduce you to the world, I would like them to know the reason for my happiness. But still, I would love to know if you would like to do me the biggest honor of my life, if you would like to marry me?" he asked. He was sure her answer would be a yes, but still he had that nervousness.
"Marrying you would be an honor to me, and now I don't think I can even imagine my life without you. I will marry you Manik!" she replied.
"You like the ring?" he asked.
"I love it! How I wish I could wear this now" she replied.
"What about the ring you'll wear?" she asked.
"That's in my room. Kal dhekh lena" he replied.
"Will you sleep now?" he asked.
"Yes! But only if you sing for me..." she replied.
"Okay madam as you say" he said and lift her in his arms. He laid her down on the bed and slept next to her.
"This song should answer all your questions, erase all your doubts" he said kissing her forehead and started singing looking at her.
Aashiyaana mera saath tere hai na
Dhoondte teri gali mujhko ghar mila
Aab-o-daana mera haath tere hai na
Dhoondte tera Khuda mujhko Rab mila
Tu jo mila lo ho gaya main qaabil
Tu jo mila to ho gaya sab haasil haan!
Mushqil sahi aasaan hui manzil
Kyunki Tu.. Dhadkan.. Main Dil...
He sang putting her hand on his heart. He wanted her to know that she resides in his heart and no one can change that fact.
Rooth jaana tera...Maan jaana mera
Dhoondhte teri hansi..Mill gayi khushi
Raah hoon main teri...Rooh hai tu meri
Dhoondhte tere nishaan...Mill gayi khudi
Tu jo mila lo ho gaya main qaabil
Tu jo mila to ho gaya sab haasil haan!
Mushqil sahi aasaan hui manzil
Kyunki Tu.. Dhadkan.. Main Dil...
After making sure that she slept, he sneaked out of the room and joined his friends who were busy planning for tomorrow's party. They were getting ready with the answers for the questions media is going to ask about their comeback, about Mukti, about Manik's stay in India and many more.
Manik joined them, "Guys, there's another event as well, for which we need to plan" he said.
"Another one?" Mukti asked.
"Yes! It's my engagement with nandini" he said.
Everyone were shocked.
"Engagement? Ithni jaldhee?" Cabir asked.
"Haan Cabir, it's like a formal event. I tried my best to get her out of those insecurity issues and after all what happened today, I think everyone should come to know what place she holds in my life" he said.
"Manik are you sure? This is a big decision" Cabir said sitting next to him.
"Yes! Nandini is also okay with this. Guys it's just a formal engagement. And yeah, the rings are ready as well. I was planning for this and I don't think we can get any better occasion" Manik replied.
"Girls, you just help Nandini with her dress and stuff" he said to the girls and they happily agreed.
"You guys sit, mein dinner ready karke aathi hoon" Navya said and went into the kitchen.
What next:
Party...peeps...and engagement...
So yes!!!! Happy news again... We hit 150000 views (I just wanted to feel how big the number is) ... guys 150K.... Isn't it super awesome...
Thank you so much for loving the story, for the wonderful suggestions you give, for the lovely comments....appreciating every single thing you like and dislike.. I am so happy to have such honest readers... keep reading and supporting me...
Hope you enjoyed reading this update... I know it's an unexpected twist, let me know if you didn't like it the way it was done.
Also, just started writing another part :) back to regular updates !
Lots of love,
Priya!