An Arranged Journey To Forever

115

Nandini!" Manik called out, his voice echoing through the hallway as he wandered around, looking for her.

"Yes, Manik?" Nandini responded from downstairs, her voice warm and familiar. Manik leaned over the railing, peering down to find her sitting in the living room with her cousins, engaged in laughter and conversation.

He gestured for her to come upstairs before retreating back into their bedroom.

"Excuse me," Nandini said, excusing herself as she got up from the couch.

"Amayra, sweetheart, it's time for bed now," she gently urged, holding her daughter's tiny hand as they made their way up the stairs.

"Mamma, but I wanted to play a little longer," Amayra pouted, her big, innocent eyes filled with hope.

"Baby, your friends are getting sleepy too. You can play again tomorrow, alright?" Nandini reassured her, leading her into the room where Manik sat on the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the headboard with a grumpy expression.

Nandini furrowed her brows in confusion. What was he upset about now?

"Amayra, go change into your nightwear," Nandini said, handing her the tiny folded clothes. Amayra grabbed them excitedly and skipped towards the closet to change.

Once they were alone, Nandini turned to Manik. "Alright, what's wrong now?"

Manik let out an exaggerated sigh before looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Oh, so you finally remember you have a husband?" he quipped, his tone dramatic.

Nandini chuckled at his antics. "What are you even talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Manik huffed. "You've been so busy the entire day, barely even looked at me, and then you refused to leave your little gossip session downstairs. I'm beginning to wonder if you even missed me at all."

Nandini couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked when he was sulking. Eight years of marriage, and while so many things had changed, the essence of their relationship remained untouched. She remembered the initial days of their marriage when she feared that Manik's demanding work schedule in London would create distance between them. But he had proved her wrong time and again. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for her. Their daily ritual of him dropping her off and picking her up from the hospital had been their special time together. Even after Amayra was diagnosed with a heart condition and Nandini chose to stay home more often, Manik never once complained. Instead, he started working from home whenever possible, making sure he was there for both of them.

And yet, here he was, pouting like a child over a few hours of separation.

She was lost in thought when his voice broke her reverie.

"Look at you, Murthy," he said incredulously. "I'm here complaining, and you're off in some other world, thinking about god-knows-what!"

Manik got up from the bed and made a move towards the door, clearly playing up his tantrum. But before he could walk away, Nandini swiftly wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him in place.

"Go back to your cousins," he muttered stubbornly, though he made no effort to break free from her embrace.

"Oh, shut up," she whispered, hugging him tighter. "Now that I'm giving you attention, you want to act all dramatic?"

"As if I'm desperate for your attention," he grumbled, refusing to turn around.

Nandini smirked and turned him towards her. "Yes, you are," she teased, gazing into his eyes.

"No, I am not," he argued, though the small smile creeping onto his lips betrayed him.

"Yes, you are, Manik," she whispered before placing a soft kiss on his nose.

And just like that, his annoyance melted away. She knew him too well. She knew exactly what would make him smile, what would make him forget every little tantrum he had planned.

Manik let out a deep breath before pulling her even closer, his forehead resting against hers. "I love you,Nandini," he murmured, his voice softer now.

"I love you too," she replied, feeling the warmth of his embrace.

"And I love you both!" Amayra suddenly screamed, jumping onto them, making them burst into laughter.

"Ow! Careful, baby girl," Manik chuckled, catching Amayra and pulling her onto his lap. She giggled and kissed his cheek before settling against his chest, her tiny arms wrapped around him.

Nandini watched them, her heart swelling with love. This was her home, her happiness.

After a while, she pulled away. "Alright. I need to go upstairs—Suman has planned something. Manik you want to come?"

Manik groaned, already pulling the blankets up to his face. "Nope, I love my sleep more."

Nandini smiled knowingly. She knew he didn't particularly enjoy the company of her cousins. They were a little too open and frank, sometimes making things awkward for him.

She turned off the lights, adjusted the temperature, and then quietly stepped out to join the rest of the family on the terrace.

"Hello, Nandini," Sujata greeted her as she approached with a water bottle in hand.

Nandini smiled and settled down beside Abhimanyu.

"Bhai, Shanaya called me. Why haven't you been answering her calls?" she asked.

"I called her back, Nandini. I was just busy," Abhimanyu replied.

"Okay, everyone, attention please!" Ravi clapped his hands, bringing everyone's focus to him. "Since we're all together after what feels like a lifetime, let's have some fun!" He held up a bottle of whiskey with a grin.

"Woohoo, yes! I think the last time we were all together like this was during some family wedding when we were seventeen or eighteen," Sujata reminisced.

"Guys, I won't drink today," Abhimanyu announced.

"Oh, come on! No saints allowed tonight," Ravi groaned.

"Relax, I'll just have my Appy Fizz," Abhimanyu chuckled, reaching for a bottle.

"Brother, get me one too," Nandini added. She had never been interested in drinking; it just wasn't her thing.

"Alright, so instead of playing anything, we're just going to talk tonight," Sujata declared. "We have so much to catch up on."

"Great, let's start with Abhi! How did you and Shanaya meet?" Ravi asked, grinning mischievously.

Abhimanyu sighed, expecting this question but still slightly caught off guard. "Well, I was going through a really rough phase. The girl I was dating back then—Nia—she wanted different things in life. She wanted to travel, explore, live freely, while I wanted to settle down. We were just too different, and we realized it too late. So we ended things on good terms, but of course, I still had feelings for her. Then Shanaya joined our office as a PR Manager. It wasn't love at first sight or anything—she was actually dating someone else back then. But somehow, we found our way to each other."

While talking about Nia, Abhimanyu couldn't help but wonder where she was now. But at the same time, he felt grateful for Shanaya—the woman he couldn't imagine his life without.

"Wow, that's some destiny right there," Ravi mused, taking a sip of his whiskey.

Suman turned to Nandini with a smile. "Okay, so moving on... you and Manik look so perfect together. Do you guys even fight?" she asked curiously.

Nandini laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, you have no idea..."