Adorable Heart

Steps to each other

Murthy Mansion: 9:30 p.m.

NANDINI:

Flipping the pages from time to time, I stared at the photos, their only memories. She looked pretty and he had beautiful eyes. My Mom and Dad seemed like a really perfect couple in all those pictures from the album.

"I wonder how life would have been if you were there," I whispered almost inaudibly and a lone tear trailed down my left cheek.

"It would have been beautiful and I'm sure Venkatesh and Triveni would have loved to see their daughter growing up in a gorgeous woman with such a pure heart," Dadu sat beside me on the bed glancing at the album while I looked at him with teary eyes.

"I miss them," I said with a painful smile.

"It's okay, cupcake. We are there for each other, three of us. You know, your eyes always remind me of Venkatesh and your nature is just like Triveni. I remember how she had come running to me after my son had proposed her, saying she wanted to share this happiness with the elders first," Dadu chuckled softly caressing mom's photo while I just smiled.

"Now, you tell me what happened at Malhotra mansion. You were so lost during dinner," Dadu asked with concerned expressions.

"Well, we watched a movie and talked for some time," I said looking here and there.

"When you were just four years old, once we were walking through a park, smiling at a couple sitting on a nearby bench you had asked me 'At what age people get married?' and I had answered 'You will get married after some twenty years.' I still remember the look on your face and the way you hid it with those tiny hands asking 'How did you know I was thinking about this, Dadu?' I can read your mind since the time you could barely think, Cupcake. And I strongly feel there is much more to what you just told me," Dadu urged me to tell him about my visit to Manik's home.

"He asked me that if I feel the connection between us," I said in a low voice.

"Manik?" Dadu looked at me while I nodded my head in yes.

"What did you answer?" Dadu listened calmly as I told him everything that happened between me and Manik.

"You think he might change his mind, don't you? Cupcake, sometimes things are not in our hands. Perhaps, I have been noticing that you both already affect each other more than just friends. Manik is a good guy," Dadu assured me and I smiled knowing he could understand my insecurities without even mentioning.

"How I wish him to be just like you!" I exclaimed dreamily comparing Dadu and Manik.

"At the same time, I don't want you to be completely overpowered by your feelings, Nandini," He said and frown lines appeared on my forehead hearing the word 'Nandini' from him for the first time in a while.

My phone buzzed but I was too engrossed in the conversation with Dadu.

"Knowing you, I can surely say, it's going to be really difficult for Manik. You want it all to be too idealistic and he is...Well, let's not comment on that. All I can say is don't ask for something extremely deep because love is beautiful even if it is simple, Cupcake. Expectations might ruin that pure connection," Dadu explained to me and I nodded hugging the pillow.

"Love?!" I looked at him perplexed after a second.

"Don't look at me like that. My cupcake doesn't go on kissing every second guy's cheek. Moreover, I have a lot more experience than you," Dadu said and I whined hiding my face while he laughed loudly.

My phone buzzed back-to-back with messages and Dadu laughed more before leaving my room saying, "Must be your lover-boy."

I stared at my phone screen being astonished to see twenty messages from Manik.