Eternally Yours

Chapter 7

Nandini was working in the kitchen, chopping vegetables when Manik came in. He was massaging his wrist as he felt a headache from sitting in front of the laptop for so long. Nandini, who was lost in her thoughts, startled, her finger nearly missing the knife, as Manik called her, "Nandini."

"Hanji," Nandini asked, turning around to look at him. Her gaze involuntarily ran over him with his hair messed up, glasses on his face while the day's beard gave him a rugged look. To add to the charm, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone and his sleeves were rolled up, his muscular arms turning her into a mush.

"Ho gaya, baby?" Manik asked with a smirk, pulling Nandini out of her reverie. She looked at him, shrugging, about to speak but stopped as if realizing something. Manik frowned as she suddenly turned around and asked, "Aapko kuch chahiye, Manik?"

(*You done, baby? **You want something, Manik?)

"Haan. Woh chai bana de. Mera sar dukh raha hai," Manik said, not thinking much about her weird behaviour and went out of the kitchen. While Nandini was preparing the tea, again zoning out.

(Yes. Please make some tea. I'm having a headache.)

"Shit," Nandini cursed under her breath, turning off the stove hurriedly as the tea boiled out of the pan. She sighed, her eyes closing, her hands pressing against her forehead as she felt her head pounding at overthinking so much. She shook her head, assuring herself that it's nothing, while pouring tea for Manik and herself.

As she carried the tea in the living room, where her mother in law was shaking her head as Mukti and Dhruv were fighting like kids because Dhruv wanted to watch the IPL match being aired live while Mukti wanted to watch Bigg Boss, especially since it's a weekend and Salman Khan will be taking eveyone's class. Handing over the cup to him, she placed the container with biscuits on the table for him and took a seat beside him on the couch.

Mukti huffed when Dhruv managed to snatch the remote and turned on the match. Her eyes roamed around, staring at her Bhaiya and Bhabhi. Everyone looked at her when she suddenly let out a chuckle. She shook her head as everyone looked at her, not wanting to embarrass the couple. However, Nandini was quick to catch her gaze and turned to look at where Mukti was staring.

She cleared her throat in embarrassment, taking a sip of her tea, choking when Dhruv also noticed and started laughing loudly intentionally just to irritate and embarass his brother. Manik frowned as he asked, "Kya ho raha hai tum logo ko?" When both of them didn't speak, he turned to Nandini, "Tujhe pata hai?"

(*What happened to both of you? **Do you know?)

"Mujhe nahi pata," Nandini defended herself quickly.

(I don't know.)

"Arey, Bhabhi ko hi pata hoga," Dhruv teased Nandini, earning a glare from her to shut up. Before they could continue, their mother gasped loudly and touched the red mark on Manik's neck as she said worriedly, "Arey, Manik. Ye kaise hua bache?"

(No, sister in law will only know. **Oh my, Manik. How did this happen?)

Nandini quietly sipped her tea, conceling her burning face behind the mug as Mukti and Dhruv snickered beside them while her mother in law hovered over her husband in concern because of a hickey. Manik touched the mark, stiffling his grin as he teasingly said, "Arey kuch nahi, Maa. Woh machaar ne kaat liya tha."

(*Nothing Maa. A mosquito bite, maybe.)

"Itna bada machaar?" their mother asked, shocked, making Dhruv and Mukti roar in laughter and Manik couldn't help but chuckle while shrugging off his mother's question while Nandini wished the earth to swallow her whole. She was saved from her son's cries a few minutes later, getting up and deliberately throwing the cushion on Dhruv's face who had been indirectly teasing her the entire time.