The Nerd and The Brat (Sequel) ✔

Chapter-24

Hello Fam :)

Hey, early update. Blame the hours-long waiting to get my first dose of vaccination. I wrote this ignoring the whole world. Be proud of me. :P

Warning: Rollercoaster emotions. More stupidity on Manik's side but really not his fault. Also, it takes a storm before you get the rainbow. (The last one is a bit dramatic, don't take it seriously though.)

Happy Reading...

It was the evening of Abhimanyu and Mukti's engagement, the first event, and Nandini found herself helping Mukti to free her from the makeup and get her comfortable. All the wedding events were being held in Thakkar Mansion as Mukti had her own room and more pleasant memories growing up. The Vardhans were more than willing to do anything for their daughter, which, Nandini thought, was sweet. She always had a feeling that the Vardhans were fine and not like her parents. They never voiced out that they hated her as far she knew and there so much anger and assumptions on Mutki's part that ruined their relationship. At least, Mutki didn't have to lose them at the end, which Nandini was really happy about.

"If I had known weddings were this flashy, I would have called it off completely", muttered Mukti, looking at her reflection in the mirror, letting Nandini do the work for her.

"Yeah, of course. Says the one who was in love with an idiot since her high school", pointed out Nandini.

"Seriously, at this point, live-in sounds bliss. Even that Christian wedding. Remember the one we crashed?"

"How can I forget it? Dream wedding I have attended. My parents are mad."

"Your parents were always mad. Anyways, how is your married life going on?"

"Too good to be true", she muttered.

"What? I thought you were happy, Nandini."

"I am. Of course, I am. Nyonika mom treats me like her daughter and not like you-married-my-son-so-you-are-my-daughter kind but I-as-good-as-raised-you-hence-you-are-my-daughter kind. That's overwhelming sometimes. Cabir is a sibling I never asked. He pisses me off to the point of punching him yet he would be present when I need him. I got you guys, my best friends whom I thought I would never see again. I promise you, it broke my heart while parting ways with you. You were the only best thing of the better part of my childhood."

"And Manik?"

Something warm and pleasant crawls up inside her heart and Nandini slumps down on the bed beside Mukti, having finished with her work. "As perfect as ever. In simple words, my source of happiness and peace. He is always two steps ahead of me to make sure I am fine and comfortable. Knows when to push my boundaries and when to pull me back from my thoughts. It's scary sometimes how well he knows me. He has my whole life wrapped around his fingers, to control me, yet he treats me as if I am the one in charge of it, helps me to take it back under control, completely opposite of what I had to go through all my life and that itself builds a hope that I am okay. That he would be there if things go south."

"Do you love him?", asked Mukti.

Nandini rolled her eyes. "Who doesn't, Mukti?"

"You know what I mean?"

"I don't know how to describe it. If it's love or it's because he is the only one keeping me afloat. But I found a family with him and I am trusting him to keep it in my life. I have always believed that anchoring your life around one person is dangerous but Manik is the only one that makes sense to me. I lose him, I lose everything. I don't know if I have enough strength to lose everything this time."