"how can I not remember?"
"then tell me.."
"what?"
"What is so special about this day?.."
"with you every day is special.."
"stop buttering and tell me manik..do you remember or not?"
Manik Malhotra as usual squeezed his eyes shut ,waiting for Nandini to hit him on head , confessed..
"well you know,these days I keep forgetting things.."
"I knew it..you are just empty words."
"that hurts.."
"it doesn't..you don't care anymore.."
"that is not true..all I care about is you.."
"coz you don't have any other option"
"isn't the feeling mutual?"
He teased her to get riled up and roll her big eyes at him..
But this time,Nandini didn't react as per his wish,.she gave her best naughty smile and winked at him.
"options are still plenty for me..the new neighbor,the one who returned from US?He likes me.."
That poked the jealous bone in manik..his nostrils flared and teeth clenched while he mentally killed the poor guy a hundred times..
Nandini watched him through side eyes enjoying the pretty sight of jealous manik..his nose adorned the brightest shade of pink.. his teeth were clenched and fists were closed..
Her manik..always in character..
He went on to be more shameless around them and they just went on to be more accomadating and liberal..she may have denied it all the time,but she loves when he puts his arm around her,and kiss her hair,whenever they bestow flowers on newly weds;it was as if him telling her for the nth time,see I have you-today,tommorrow and forever..she loves when he keeps their hand etwined when they sit down to chat with her clan members..it was his way of telling her;see i'm not gonna leave you-today tomorrow and forever..
Twenty years later she saw her princecharming doing that without her asking..he went down on his knees and gave her a ring which he bought with his first income.."Nandini,I am relinquishing everything except my sirname..i want to walk on this path with you..will you be there to hold me when I stumble?.."that day she took the ring from his hand and wrote an yes with it on his palm..she could still remember how his brows furrowed in confusion and then straightened on understanding her answer...she wanted to engrave that moment of togetherness there forever..