They say finding true love at nineteen is a blessing. Or so they thought until they believed in their love.
But some people are really unlucky without any apparent fault of theirs. Manik Malhotra came in a similar category.
Eight years later, when...
Note:'The story of this particular ss is a little twisted and complex and hence I request all of you to please read the 'past' carefully and understand how Manik and Nandini were, and what they have become after 8 years, or you will miss the details and clues. You should relate to how Manik was and what version he had turned into, and same goes with Nandini.
Happy reading.
~ Happiness comes from the feeling of being happy, truly, in your heart. And certain people evoke that feeling just by being there~
December, 2008, Mumbai.
Nandini Murthy knew how being lucky felt, being the pampered princess of her beloved Amma-Appa, but today the feeling surged through her in its truest meaning as she watched Manik who was talking on phone with his mother. She didn't know when her eyes welled up, and tears made their way out. Manik looked at her, and as soon as he saw her in tears, he cut the call and ran to her.
"Hey what's wrong?", The worry in his voice was so evident that it made her more emotional.
" How do you do this Manik?", She aksed, leaning into his arm.
" Do what?", He frowned, though holding her closer.
" How are you so good to everyone?Don't you feel bad about things?", She questioned and Manik smiled at her, pulling her cheeks. She pouted at him and all it did was make her look more adorable.
" You look so cute Nandu, all I want to do is gobble you up!", Manik wrapped his huge arms around her petite figure, and kissed the top of her head. Nandini fought the urge to smile and continued with her grumpy face.
" That's doesn't answer my question mister!", Her voice came out muffled, hidden in his chest and he let out a laugh.
" You know the answer Nandini, I don't like being sad, and wasting my precious moments. Life is small, and is ought to be lived happily!", He quoted his favorite lines, and Nandini giggled. Sometimes his ability to stay positive and laugh almost all the damn time irritated her, but most of the times she was proud of the person he was, and that only made her feel luckier.
She didn't know anything better than turning and hugging him tight making him smirk. Manik held her possessively, and nuzzled in her hairs, he was obsessed with her long flowy hairs anyway.
" Manik, you never feel hurt with Nyonika aunty's behaviour?", She asked all of a sudden, and because she was so intimately wrapped around him, she felt the transient pause and stiffness in him, which was just gone in the next moment.
" I do, but I have made my destiny my strength. I don't want to cry about it and let it overpower me, I want it to empower me", Nandini was speechless with his answer, though she had kind of expected a similar one. Manik was not the one to let circumstance bring him down, he always fought to overcome them, at any cost.
Factually, he was the son of music king, Raj Malhotra and the very famous style icon, Nyonika Malhotra, but very few people knew that Nyonika wasn't Manik's mother, who was actually Smriti Malhotra who died during his birth. Nyonika didn't love Manik, instead she envied him and always compared her own son Mahir Malhotra to him, taunting Manik about how he was over shadowing his brother. But Manik loved Mahir to the moon and back, and vice versa, and he always took it upon him to not let Mahir and his relation affected by Nyonika. It was one of his reasons why he respected her like a mother, talked to her even though she didn't and also do everything and anything a son would do for a mother, even if it was neither welcome, nor reciprocated.
Nandini didn't know about Nyonika not being his mother, nobody did, except Kabir. Manik never wanted to demean Nyonika, and he made sure everyday around him, respected her as his mother. He had tried hiding her displeasure for him, from Nandini too, but being his girlfriend, she spent too much time with him to not know that the equation between him and his mother was, not very pleasant.
Even at this moment she could see it in his eyes, that he felt bad. How happily had he called her to wish her a happpiy birthday, and it didn't take rocket science to understand that she answered something mean to him. But he won't tell it, she rolled her eyes at the thought. Nandini wanted to make him happy, let him forget about his mother, but she didn't know how to. Or wait, she knew but she was shy to do that.
" Manik!", Nandini spoke, sitting by his side, and Manik hummed in response, his lips smiling, but his attention on the window. Biting her lip, she gulped before kissing his cheek in a span of one second, and then sitting back to her earlier position. Manik's eyes dilated, he had clearly not anticipated this move from his ever shy girlfriend, but very soon, a cute blush adorned his face.
Nandini found it adorable, and it made her love him more.
" Aww, Manik! Come here!", She cooed before, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing his cheek again, which made the ever manly mighty Manik smile silly like a school girl.
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They strolled the beach in the evening, when Nandini asked him a question.
"Mountains or beach?", The question didn't seem new to him. This was something peculiar about Nandini, she wanted to know the tiniest little details about him, and she would throw random questions like this at him anytime, anywhere.
She was those kind, the philosophical loners, who read people by their choices and preferences. She believed that a person's taste always describes remote things about them.
" Depends you are taking me for deep-sea diving, or paragliding!", Manik laughed as she pouted at his answer. She had not expected it, but Manik loved to tease her, all the damn time.
"Manik! Seriously?", She stomped her feet at him, and looked the other way. It was also one of the Nandini things, she behaved like a Innocent child and mature lady, both together, in the same moment.
"I am serious. I love all adventure sports, it's so crazily exciting", Manik continued, laughing and Nandini twisted her lips to one side, frowning and making faces.
They sat down on the beech, with she still grumpy, when Manik leaned in and made a curve up of her lips with his hands.
"Beach! I love the serenity of the water across me!", This time the answer was sincere, and Nandini smiled, widely, excited with her theory.
They sat their for a while, discussing beaches and mountains, and life alongside. Manik laughed at her theories, and agreed to some, while declaring that she was too much into the fantasy world. Nandini hit him on the shoulder, disagreed with him, and declared that he was a monster.
"Monster Manik! Sound so apt, Aiyaapa!", Nandini grumbled, making Manik laugh like never ever, as he lay on the sand backwards, and rolled due to the waves of Laughter.
Watching him laugh made Nandini's heart flutter. It was so easy to make him smile, and easier to make him laugh. He was such an easy person to be with, relaxed and chilled, happy and his happiness spread from his heart.
Nandini didn't even realize when Manik got up and bought ice creams for them but when he did, she was more than joyous.
They enjoyed it, before finally going back to their hostels, happy with a day well spent.
That night, Nandini slept dreaming about her happy future with Manik, and Manik slept with a dreamy smile on his face, imagining Nandini lying in his arms.
A picture perfect story, because love was in the Pyaar.
