NEVER IN A FOREVER (Manan)

49

Nandini

We talked for almost two hours after lunch and everyone left. Dhruv said he’d drop Alia to her house and go with her while papa took maa on a movie date.

They made sure me and Manik gulped pain killers and I was so curious to know what happened between Mukti and Abhimanyu but we ended up studying for exams.

I’m going to hunt her all the way if she doesn't tell me what exactly is happening between them. I was still sitting in the living room as they left, my mind running around how Abhimanyu found it while my parents didn’t even mind coming to visit us.

“Nandini” Manik’s yell made me flinch. This guy.

“Ha Manik?” I yelled back.

“Can you come here once?” he yelled again. I better go before turning deaf. I chuckled as I got up and went to the room making sure to not to hurt my feet.

“Yeah Manik?” I asked and was surprised to see the room clean and new furniture and things replacing old ones.

“Come inside” he muttered as I was just standing by the door. I nodded my head and walked to him and sat beside him on the couch. He bent a bit and lifted my feet, keeping them on his lap carefully as I sat leaning my back to the arm rest.

I smiled at the way he was trying to make me feel comfortable and cosy. I wrapped my hands around his arm and kept my head on his shoulder. He tilted his head and pressed a kiss to my head that made me smile.

“Are you willing to trust me?” He asked slowly, which made me lift my head and looked at him. He looked at me with hope in his eyes.

“Manik, if I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have let you come close to me or told you my past if I didn’t trust you Manik. It might have been just three days that we got married, but I started trusting you after our engagement. Even if it was involuntary, I did Manik, the most vulnerable thing I can do is tell my past and I did” I admitted something I always tried to resist before our marriage.

“I trust you too Nandini, but there are some parts of our lives that we can’t speak ou easily, we need some time to let the emotions out, even you do have some parts to yourself which you may when you feel you are ready to say them, this ‘princess’ topic is something like that to me. Just give me sometime” He said so softly that I literally melted into a puddle.

I just nodded my head like I was in trance.

“This might make you insecure but you have nothing to feel insecure about me Nandini. My body, my mind, my heart, my soul, everything belongs to you and only you and I stick to my marriage vows” Manik said seriously.

“Before marriage, I could have been doing some silly things but I know the sacredness of marriage and I wouldn’t play with it Manik” I replied, my hand automatically went to my mangalsutra and I caressed it slowly.

“Thank you for giving our marriage a chance, you don’t know what it means to me” Manik murmured, kissing my forehead again. I smiled, forehead kisses are so assuring.

“Manik, I could wait and give you time, but don’t make me wait forever, I don’t have too much patience” I smiled sheepishly. Curiosity kills me.

“Ofcourse I know that,” he chuckled.

“Is this what you wanted to talk about?” I asked him, playing with his fingers as he ran his fingers in my hair.

“One more thing, how did you get hurt?” He asked and I turned still, stopped playing with his fingers.

“Don’t try to hide it, I know you didn't have that wound when you came inside our mansion yesterday” Manik said sternly.

“Promise me you are not going to blame yourself” I said, forwarding my hand to him. The way he had a nightmare, it made me doubt he had self blaming issues.

“Why would I blame myself-?” he frowned but I looked at him blankly. He huffed before keeping his palm in mine.

“I stepped on the glass pieces and that’s true, the ones you broke because you went out of control yesterday..” I trailed off hesitantly, not knowing how to react.

“I shouldn’t have break the things,” he muttered slowly, separating himself from me.

“Manik” I stood up as soon as he did. He was about to step forward when I grabbed his hand, stopping him instantly.

“Nandini, let me go please,” Manik muttered, fisting his hands.

“Manik, look at me” I pleaded and walked in front of him.

He looked down, not even glancing at me. I stepped closer to him, calming my heart that was beating so loud that I was sure that even he could hear it. Why the hell does my heart beat so loud whenever I’m near him?

I raised my hand slowly, rested it on his chest where his heart was beating, as loud and as fast as mine. My heart rate picked up.

I smiled as tears formed in my eyes. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly.

“Your heart beats as fast as mine does when I’m closer to you. Magic Manik, one more reason to love you” I muttered, snuggling in his arms as he wrapped his arms around me.

It took me a moment to realise what I said and my eyes snapped open and I felt him still.

“Nandini. What did you say now?” I could literally feel him smile as he asked it.

“Nothing, I said nothing,” I replied. Reason to “love” you? Damn you Nandini.

He chuckled, tightening his arms around me. “I’d wait until you repeat them yourself meri jaan” My heart fluttered as he addressed me as his life.

“I love it when you address me like that” I admitted him, a smile on my face when I felt him kiss my forehead again.

“Like what?” I felt mischief in his voice and broke the hug with a pout.

“Manik, don’t tease me” I frowned.

“Such a cute kitten you are” He flicked my nose making me roll my eyes.

“And you-” I was about to say something when I heard the yell.

“Nandini, where the hell are you?” I flinched hearing my mother’s voice. Murthy’s are here.