A Part, Yet Apart

Chapter 112- Happily Ever After?

Nandini's POV:

This house had been empty for so long while I lived in my cramped apartment, unable to afford the mortgage payments. Every time I'd visited, the silence had felt deafening, the absence of my parents' voices echoing in every room. But today was different. Everything was set just like it used to be, carrying the warmth of our home. Amma, Nanna and me! I remember having coffee with them in the evenings, watching our favorite matches in the drawing room while Amma made snacks in the kitchen and the garden! My god its the favorite place in the house. I think every nook and corner of this place is mine and reminds me of something. If Amma Nanna had been here today, they would be proud. I walked slowly through the living room, my fingers trailing along the back of Nanna's favorite armchair, the one where he used to read his evening newspaper while Amma hummed in the kitchen. The side table still kepy in place, exactly where it should be. I thought I'd breakdown seeing all this but strangely this is so overwhelming and soul-satisfying.

I'm not alone anymore. Aisa lag raha hai ki Amma Nanna are watching me, but will they accept Manik back in my life again! I don't know. What might he be doing? Call karu! Nahi, koi dekhega tho! Forget about my parents, what would his parents might be thinking? Aryaman, Mukti, Tara and Abhimanyu! What will they be thinking of us? To push away these thoughts, I decided to stay busy for the day. I changed into old clothes and gathered the gardening tools from the shed, tools that still bore traces of Mama's careful hands. As I knelt in the soil, I felt her presence not as a ghost haunting empty spaces, but as a living legacy in every plant she'd nurtured, every corner of beauty she'd created. "I'm home, Amma," I whispered to the roses as I began to prune away the dead growth. "I saved our house, just like I promised. And I'm not alone anymore". I worked steadily through the morning, clearing weeds and separating plants that had grown too crowded. With each handful of weeds I pulled, I felt like I was making space—not just in the garden, but in my heart. Space for new growth, new possibilities, new joy to grow alongside the old love that would always be there.

The physical work felt therapeutic, grounding me in the present moment while honoring the past. I remembered being a small child, following Mama around this garden as she taught me the names of flowers and the difference between plants and weeds. I'd been impatient then, wanting instant results, but she'd always reminded me that the best things took time to grow. "You can't rush a garden, Nandu," she used to say. "Plants grow in their own time, in their own way. You just have to provide the right conditions and trust the process". Now, as an adult kneeling in the same soil, I understood she hadn't just been talking about plants. Around noon, my phone buzzed with a text from Manik: "How's the homecoming going?" with a wink. "Therapeutic" I typed and instantly got his reply, "Ah too deep! Now like a good girlfriend send your picture". "How are you feeling going back home?" I asked him. "Feels like home" he sent text. "Glad that we went to our respective homes finally" I typed back and heard the knock on the door. "Who might have come now!" I wondered and went to open the door. 

As I opened the door, Navya greeted me along with Cabir. She didn't speak anything but hugged tighter. "I missed your home so much, I used to spend half of my day here" Navya said as her childhood is also here. Navya was with me in every step of my life. "So should I consider this as official announcement of your relationship?" I asked Cabir and Navya. "Her dad didn't yet decide the marriage date Nandini" Cabir said eyeing her. "What? Did you actually speak to her parents?" I was surprised to hear that. "He had to!" Navya said. "My parents will come over next week to fix the marriage date" Cabir said. "Ok, it calls for a celebration, I'll cook something" I said as I'm almost famished. "No, I'll cook for now" Navya said making a face as she is aware of my culinary skills. I gave up and went to help her in the kitchen. 

"How is Manik?" she asked. "Fine, good that he is back home finally" I said. "And what's your relationship status?" she asked me. "Pata nahi ye relationship hai bi ya nahi" I was still in shock that I've accepted his proposal. "Did he speak to his family about you?" she asked. "No, isn't it too fast to act on anything, we're still struggling to figure out ourselves" I said. "Nandu, itna mat socho! Remember what you used to say, love is not when two people stay together but when they can't stay apart" she reminded. "Seriously Navya, when you're in love, it doesn't matter if you stay together or not, the hearts are meant to bound together forever! Look at us! We were always a part of each other but always stayed apart".