MaNan : Aching Smiles|| COMPLETED

1. A decade after!

~ some relations are not about blood. They are about affection, care and love, unconditional love~

As Nandini came out of the airport, she breathed in lung full of the evening air with an idiotic smile, like as if she was smelling her favourite stargazers and not the polluted air of the city of dreams- Mumbai.

Humming to herself, she walked towards the ola stand, where the one she had booked was waiting for her. Ten years and yet, it felt home to her. New York was pretty awesome too, no doubt at that, but Mumbai has its own charm. Excited to surprise her Pakhi maa, she was already day-dreaming her reaction. Even though she had called her to inform about her coming back, she had not disclosed the dates and hence she was too excited for the same. One person that she had missed more than him, was definately his mother, whom she lovingly called Pakhi maa.

Nandini Murthy was a bright kid since her school days. The only competition she had, was her best friend Manik Malhotra. But neither of them cared about it. It was a healthy competition and usually they were the first ones to help each other out whether in studies or in extra-curriculum. Manik was very passionate about sketching, since his school days, and even though Nandini didn't sketch, she had a very creative mind when it came to being artistic. She used to point out minute details in his work that he used to improve without a counter question. How they became that good friends was no hidden secret. They went to the same school, the same tution, and their houses were just three houses apart. Nandini's was a upper middle class family, her father worked in an MNC and her mother worked in a bank. They both loved her to moon and back, but they didn't have enough time for her. They wanted her to have the best of everything and that needed money. On the other hand, Manik's mother Pakhi Malhotra was an cheif editor in Penguin publishers and her office hours were 9 am to 3 pm. Also, they had another apartment on lease and the money which came from there was also huge. After all, a 3 BHK in Mumbai was not anything meagre. So anyhow, it was Manik's house that both came to, from school, and it was Pakhi who would take care of their food, homework, and everything else. Nandini would go home only after 7:30 pm, when her mother would call that she was home. Hence, undoubtedly Nandini loved Pakhi like her own mother, and vice-versa.

And hence, when after ten long years, Nandini rang the doorbell of the house which she had spent her entire childhood in, she had fluttering feelings, in the pit of her stomach. The house helped opened the door and Nandini saw Pakhi sitting on the sofa, with some novel, unaware of her surroundings.