"Aankho ki gustakhiya maaf ho." Nandini sang in a mocking way looking at manik.
"She's hot man." He said while looking at a girl in mid 20s wearing a saree revealing her waist.
"You will scare her what the heck you are acting like a creep." Nandini scolded him and he ignored her.
It's the wedding day and now it's afternoon everyone is busy with haldi preparations. The house was full of guests and so much chaos whereas Manik was busy checking out nandini's cousins since the time she entered.
"Oh my god she's coming here what do I do now." Manik said freaked out.
"Just act cool." She said.
"Hey naina." Nandini wished her and she smiled.
"Hi nandini long time." Naina said hugging her.
"Yeah I know! Hey meet my best friend manik." Nandini introduced them and manik gave her a greatful smile.
"You are really gorgeous, would you mind going for a coffee?" Manik asked hopefully and naina was going to say yes when nandini interrupted.
"Manik you keep hitting on girls what about your girlfriend. It's been only a week you two are together. Even your last girlfriend broke up with you because you keep flirting with girls." Nandini said innocently and if looks could kill then nandini would be two feet under the ground.
"Naina listen I-----" manik tried to explain himself when naina barged out from there giving him a glare.
"Why do you do this all the time?" Manik whined.
"Because that's so much fun. Just look at your face." She said giggling.
"C'mon let's go." Nandini said pulling him and he made a bad face.
Nandini's outfit
"My turn." Nandini shouted as she saw her mother applying haldi to abhi.
She took some handful of haldi and before he can protest all the haldi was smudged on his face.
"No need to say thanks bhai What are sisters for?" Nandini joked and everyone laughed.
"I won't leave you nandu." Abhi said in a playful manner.
"We will see later bhai I love you." She gave a flying kiss to him and went away as she will get bore between the aunties. Her theory.
She was roaming in the entire house because there was nothing to do. Her cousins were really young so she can't talk to them and manik was busy looking after things.
She poked him in every ten minutes but he was too busy to give her attention. She had him enough.
She went to him who was giving instructions to someone.
"Manik" She called and he turned around before he knew the haldi was all over his face.
He absorbed what happened with him and saw her giving a smug smile.
"Why did you that?" He asked still shocked as the haldi was dripping from his face to his shirt.
"Because you were ignoring me from so long so I had to do something." She shrugged and manik just wanted to pull his hair at her tantrums.
"Just run nandini." Manik muttered and nandini knew what's coming so she ran as quickly as she can.
She was running and pushing people aside. She entered her room but before she can close it he entered inside.
"You were ignoring me alright." She reasoned while backing off as he was nearing towards her.
"So that doesn't mean you will revenge me like this." Manik said walking towards her.
"Manik listen I----" Before she can say anything she was trapped between the wall and him.
"Ab kaha jaaogi nandu." He whispered. He inched his face closer towards her and she closed her eyes in anticipation.
Nandini opened her eyes when she felt no movement from him. They both were looking at each other without blinking.
He leaned towards her ear and rubbed his cheek which was coloured in haldi with her's taking her by surprise.
"And that's how it's done." He said with a smirk looking at her flushed face.
Before she can face more embarrassment she pushed him and took a step to move when he stopped her by holding her hand.
Her breathing was erratic and he pulled her with a jerk hitting her back with his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Where are you running?" He whispered in her ear in a hoarse voice.
She kept her mouth shut unable to say anything. He put his hand around her stomach which was bare and slowly rubbed his hand on her stomach leaving haldi on her entire stomach.
Nandini realised what happened and gasped in shock. She turned around in a jiffy still in his arms. He had a smirk on his face and she gaped at him shocked.
"Manik what is this?" She said pointing towards her cheek and stomach.
"Revenge" He whispered in her ear and left her.
"From next time don't mess with me." He said before leaving the room and she was still standing shocked.
~~~
"Bhai you look so amazing just keep calm. You are looking as if you are going to have a panic attack." Nandini said while fixing abhi's collar.
"My my abhi you look so handsome." Sushmita said while coming inside the room.
Abhi smiled at her in return and she applied kohle behind his ear.
"Let's go peeps baarat is ready." Manik said coming through the door and slinged his arm on sushmita's shoulder.
"Matlab harr baar ghus jao family moment mein." Nandini chided.
"Because he's family." Sushmita scolded and manik smirked at nandini who was gaping at her mother with disbelief.
"Fine adopt him or whatever because I have uncle and aunty." She beamed with happiness as she saw nyonica any raj entering the room.
She hugged them tightly making everyone smile.
"Don't trouble my daughter." Raj said side hugging nandini and now it was her turn to smirk.
"You have spoilt her bhai sahab." Sushmita said and nyonica came to her defence.
"Arre she's our only daughter and why shouldn't we pamper her?"
"Haa haa aur main toh mandir se uthaya hua hoo na." Manik said sarcastically but they ignored him.
"Alright enough it's my wedding day so tryin' to don't spoil it." Abhi said cautiously and nandini rolled her eyes.
"Baarat is ready shall we move?" Dhruv said coming along with alya.
"Yes let's get goin' people because it's my brother's marriage." Nandini cheered and all hooted making abhi blush.
They all made their way outside and abhi sat on the horse with the help of manik and dhruv.
Nandini's outfit
Manik's outfit
"Waise aaj toh bijliya gira rahi ho tum kya baat hai." He whispered in her brushing his lips on her ear.
She shivered by his touch but ignored the sensation.
"Finally you got your vision back because main hamesha hi bijliya giraati hoo." She said smirking.
"Waise tum bhi theek hi lag rahe ho." She said shrugging and he rolled his eyes.
"Miss Murthy I'm so glad you complimented me." He said sarcastically and she ignored him.
The baarat started moving that means beginning of all kinds of dance. Nandini took that saying so seriously 'dance like nobody's watching' which lead to immense embarrassment.
"Nandini I get that you are excited but will you just lessen your chhichora dance a little." Manik whispered in her ear making her glare.
Nandini was the person who never listen to anybody so she did the exact opposite. She started her naagin dance making everyone having a split of laughter.
Manik couldn't do much so he joined her and in no time it became India's first ever naagin baarat dance.
"That was so much fun." Alya said huffing puffing.
"I know right. See that's the life's fun you were missing out." Nandini boasted.
They entered inside the banquet hall after giving a huge amount to mukti's cousins as entrance fees.
As soon as nandini entered she pounced on food.
"Nandini they are bad manners. You should go and greet your relatives first." Manik said to nandini who was tasting manchurian.
"Sorry mom." Nandini said and manik rolled his eyes. "And marriages are all about free food who even comes to bless the couple." She continued while eating and he just wanted to pull his hair.
Sometimes having nandini as a best friend comes with lots of disadvantages like hearing her nonsensical rambling until your ears bleed out. Or her eating disorder or her late night cravings.
Her food fest came to an end when mukti was coming down in the blood red bridal attire with golden work on it looking extremely ethereal.
Mukti sat down besides abhi in the mandap and manan joined the others.
Abhi whispered something in mukti's ear and she blushed.
"They are so cute." Alya gushed besides nandini.
The rituals started and nandini was looking at them with a straight face. Manik observed her expressions but chose not to ask her.
Mukbhi started taking the vows when nandini broke the silence.
"Does forever really exist? Is it possible that two people can be together for a lifetime?" Nandini asked quietly and manik knew what she was thinking.
From a very young age girls always tend to wonder how their prince charming will come and how she will have a perfect wedding but nandini wasn't one of them.
She hated the idea of relationships and marriage. She thought they didn't last forever and in her case that's true because there is a live example in front of her - Her mother who she has seen struggling day and night to raise her children alone. And she did a great job.
"It depends how you manage your relationship and if two people decide that they want to be together then sure forever exists." Manik explained quitely.
Abhi filled mukti's partition with vermilion and made her wear the nuptial chain and with that they were pronounced married.
"And look at us we have been together for ten years so you should have faith on eternal and stuff no?" Manik said the last part funnily.
Nandini grinned ear to ear and manik entwined his fingers with hers as they saw another love story getting what they deserve.
After crazy pictures everyone had their dinner and of course with nandini eating anything and everything to compensate all the money given to the caterers.
A wedding is incomplete without pictures. All the girls were behind mukti and boys were behind abhi.
The family pictures were taken in crazy poses which were decided by our very own nandini. The best part about weddings are pictures and beautiful memories which it beholds.
"Manik come here let's take a picture." Nandini gleamed in excitement.
"But we have clicked enough pictures." He said tiredly and she glared at him. Yeah as if he's scared of her.
"Hold this." She said giving him the prop.
"But we hate each other nandini." He said as a matter of fact.
"For once you are right but who cares!" She shrugged and posed to the camera.
It was finally the bidai time and everyone's water tanks broke. Mukti was crying hugging her parents. It was an emotional aura.
"Umm! Exactly why Mukti is crying?" Nandini said in a hushed tone to manik.
"Because she's leaving her parents and house that's why nandini are you that dumb or today is a special occasion?" Manik asked in a sarcastic way.
"She just lives across the street for cryin' out loud." She said flapping her hands.
"Just calm down people will hear you." Manik said.
"Whatever" she muttered.
After the bidai it was time for mukti to enter her new home.
"Welcome to the family beta." Sushmita said lovingly caressing her hair and she smiled in response.
"We are gonna make a great team together because now we are living in the same house. I'm so excited." Nandini's eyes shined while she was saying.
"Make your evil plans tomorrow mukti is tired so let us go." Abhi said.
"We know why are you in a rush." Manik said teasingly and abhi glared at him as elders were giving them teasing smiles.
"Aren't we going to play those games where it is decided that who will rule each other's lives?" Alya asked.
"We don't do cliches alya grow up." Dhruv said.
"Yeah and who cares who will rule whom. We love each other and these things doesn't matter." Abhi shrugged.
"Yes and I'm so tired as the wedding thing was so draining." Nandini said yawning.
"Yeah as if you did all the work no?" Manik said sarcastically.
"Seriously nandini you just complaint every time that how tired you are after waking up from your naps." Dhruv supported and everyone burst out laughing.
"Hey don't say that to her." Mukti said side hugging nandini and she smiled.
"See that's why I love my bhabhi." Nandini said proudly.
"Okay enough abhi and mukti go to your room to get some rest." Sushmita said.
"Finally" abhi muttered making mukti blush.
"Kids stay here tonight and off to your beds." Sushmita ordered and everyone retired to their rooms without a word.
Well manik went to nandini's room after changing and entered without knocking.
"You always prove that you can't stay away from me even for a second." Nandini joked as she was removing her earings.
"Look who's here funny's cousin not funny." Manik said sarcastically and she ignored his remark.
"I swear I'm never ever gonna wear traditional it's so annoyingly tiring." She said irritated.
Manik walked behind her and hugged her from behind keeping his head on her shoulder.
"You looked gorgeous tonight. You should wear traditional more often." He said softly.
"I just earned a compliment from my chica not bad." She said turning around his hands still on her waist.
"Well you deserved it putting makeup for two hours would have lead to a lot of hard work so I appreciate that." He said seriously and the words registered her mind.
"And manik is back." She said coming out of his grasp but he pulled her back. Her back hitting his chest.
"Just kidding you were really looking beautiful." He said kissing her cheek from behind and her cheeks turned pink.
It's not like he never complimented her before but sometimes their intimate positions really made her blush.
Manik knew how much his words effects her sometimes but chose to ignore it so that she doesn't feel embarrassed.
"I know, almost every boy was gaping at me." She said flipping her hair in attitude and came out of his arms.
"Yeah because they never saw a unique piece like you." He said rolling his eyes.
"I know right." She said playing along.
That's how two best friends spend their time together insulting each other on daily basis. It's like important part of the day.
Without seeing each other their day is complete. They are so in love but too blind to see.