~ Everyone deserves someone who is terrified to loose them~
Nandini arched her eyebrows at her husband. Something else too meant what? Manik smiled sheepishly before taking out the blue box out of his coat pocket. Nandini gaped in confusion at her hubby dearest who was acting all nervous, which well, didn't suit him.
" I bought this to gift you on our wedding night but you slept early...", He pouted sadly and Nandini curbed a strong urge to pull his cheeks. And then he opened the box to reveal a beautiful M laced in N ring.
"Manik's Nandini and Nandini's Manik...", He whispered before taking the ring out and placing it in the ring finger of her right hand. She, on the other hand, was clean bowled by the deep thinking possessed by this man standing in front of her. He was nothing like the fairy tale prince and yet the happiest fairy tale was hers.
Manik was looking at her expecting to see a response and she lifted her eyes up to his, looked at him for a second longer than the usual and then bent to kiss the ring. A wide smile could be seen on his face that mirrored on hers. Manik encircled his arms around her once again, taking her in his soft embrace and she happily melted in his arms.
Nandini was confused about her own behaviour but she was definitely sure that she liked being around him. His presence calmed her inner storm and helped her to be at peace. When she was in college, people around her, basically the love birds, used to claim how they are the complementary parts of the same puzzle. She used to laugh at them and their diabetic claims. But today she felt the exact same thing.
She realized that in life you don't need someone to complete you. You just need someone to accept you completely. And he did that, for her. He really loved her, she could see that in his orbs.
After their intimate hug, Nandini and Manik had their dinner since she was waiting for him and had not eaten anything and then went to sleep.
"I will just come checking mom-dad and Kabir...", Manik said to Nandini as she was making the bed and left. Nandini smiled to herself, praising in her heart the perfect son as well as the perfect brother. It made her crave to talk to her own family and she immediately took her phone and video- called Navya and Rishab, talking to them about their studies and other things. She talked to Padmini daily anyway but sometimes these kiddos were left out for they were busy and at times she was busy. But today talking to them, she felt happy.
Manik, on the other hand, checked on Kabir and found him in deep sleep. Covering him with the duvet, he came out and went in to check on Raj and Nyonika. Raj was sound asleep but Nyonika was missing. Manik sighed and went to terrace and as expected Nyonika was sitting there with her hot chocolate.
" Mom, its late. You should sleep..", he spoke sitting beside her on the swing and she smiled embarrassed.
"Haan I am going, after finishing this...", She said and Manik shook his head at his baby mother.
"So Romeo seems happy. Juliet forgave you?", Nyonika teased and Manik laughed at her companion.
"Yes but I know all credit goes to the fairy godmother...", He said squeezing her mother's shoulder and both laughed together, before dropping her back to her room and eventually even Manik and Nandini slept off, tired.
The next day was sunday. Hence everyone woke up late except Nandini who rose at her usual time and when everyone came down after a long sleep the breakfast table was already ready and set. Everyone sat down and Nandini opened the lids of the container only to shock everyone. Before they could come out of the delightful shock, Nandini stood beside Raj serving him the Delicious cupcake.
" Happy Father's day papa...", She wished him and unknowingly two tear drops slid out of her doe shaped eyes. Raj stood up, hugging his daughter and five seconds later, it turned into a family hug with Nyonika and Manik-Kabir pouncing on them. A hearty breakfast was followed by one more gift, this time from the sons. A huge, family photo frame, Raj and Nyonika standing in the middle and Manik-Nandini on one side and Kabir on the other. It was a snap from MaNan's reception night. Raj was overwhelmed with the gestures but before he could give an emotional Thanku speech, Kabir picked up a leftover cupcake and smashed it completely on his dad's face. And while the malhotra women stood hiding by the kitchen, the malhotra men destroyed the whole living room running around like monkeys and throwing cake over each other.
"I am not baking iced cup cakes ever...", Nandini muttered while Nyonika laughed at her words.
An hour later, when the chaos settled, Raj called Manik for an important confrence call with some US based client. Before Manik could Collect the files and leave for the study room, Nandini came and stood in front of him.
"Manik, may I please go to amma's place today? ", She asked politely and he laughed.
"Sure. Go ahead. And next time don't ask me, just inform okay? But before coming back, call me. I will pick you up so that even I get to meet them..", he instructed and she nodded smiling.
After a three hour hectic but successful confrence call, the Malhotras banged the deal and celebrated it with a special lunch. Family time is always the best, no matter what. They had lunch, cracking jokes here and there and then watched a movie together.
Ye jawani hai deewani.
Though it was Nandini's favorite on loop movie, the Malhotras watched it together enjoying it to the core. And by the time it ended, it was already 6 pm in the evening. Needless to mention, Romeo was already missing his Juliet terribly.
"Offo, call her instead of making a poker face...", Nyonika teased forwarding him his coffee while he still sat sulking.
"But I have told her to call me when she would be leaving. I don't want to come up as a chipku husband...", He answered with a grumpy face and Kabir laughed at his brother. Seconds rolled into hours and it was already 8 pm. Though the two hours seemed like two decades to him, now he was getting worried. He could not understand why but he was feeling restless. His heart was beating eratically. It was getting cloudy outside. The winds had increased their pace and the clouds had started screaming outside breaking the silence. Occasional lightening could be heard too. In all the climate outside was not at all good. He tried calling her but her phone was switched off. Irritated and worried, he called her mother who also didn't pick up. By then, it had started raining cats and dogs outside. He tried calling her again but it was out of reach. Mnaik was now not in his control. He was annoyed and concerned for her at the same time. Suddenly his phone rang. Navya calling.
" Hello, Navya?", He asked.
"Hi jeeju. Didu reached na? I mean it's so terrible outside so amma and we were just concerned?", She asked and a bomb dropped on him. Nandini was not in her house. She had not reached here either. His breathing became heavy as his mind processed her being missing.
" Jeeju? What happened?", Navya's panicked voice brought him out of the the reverie and he came back to his senses, partially.
"Yeah. Nothing. Nandini reached here. Relax. I will talk later", he spoke hurriedly and cut the phone running downstairs.
"Manik what happened..?", Nyonika saw him running madly towards the door and stopped him.
" Maa...Nandini....She is missing. She left her house but didn't reach here. Mom...Nandini....Rain...", Nyonika made sense out of his broken words and first gave him a glass of water.
"Mnaik. Calm down. We will find Nandini....", She tried to calm him while rohit and Kabir too came down with their car keys.
Kabir and Manik in one car and Raj in another, ushered out, hoping to find Nandini somewhere in the way back to Malhotra house.
Only if they knew, what fate held....!