MaNan SS : The Incomplete Song (Part 10 - Pg 62 - 13th April) - Page 43

"Chalo mere saath, my surprise is waiting for you" Nandini dragged him with her. Manik was impressed with her romantic surprise. The terrace was arranged with candles, cozy quilt and pillows and the glittering sky made the night even special. "Wow Nandini, you never fail to impress me but don't you think this setup is a bit inapt for Dehradun's weather" Nandini bit her lips realizing her mistake as Manik pointed out the chillness of the weather. "Oh Manik, I was being so silly. How can I forget that this is not Mumbai." she realized her mistake. "I'm so sorry Manik.." Nandini apologized for her blunder as she was about to remove her settings. "Arey Arey... what are planning to do?" he stopped her. "Such a perfect setup, we just need to bring in some heat and it will be perfect." he smirked and Nandini blushed. "I know you are HOT but we just need a bit more than you darling. So just hang on here, I will be back" he disappeared into the house. Within minutes, Manik built a small bonfire while Nandini came back with extra quilts. Both of them cuddled under the quilt as they enjoyed the starry night. "Manik, I knew that you would accept Virat just as you have accepted everyone else in my family for me. But today when I saw both of you walking through the door; I knew that you have embraced him whole heartedly for who he is and not because of me" she told him. "There was indeed something special about him that attracted me towards him from the first day I met Virat; even before I knew about your relationship with him. The intriguing question was answered when I realize that it was you that I saw in him Nandini. I saw my tigress Nandini Moorthy in him on the first day I bumped into him. The way he demanded for an apology at the corridor just as you demanded from me in college. The smile on his face worked the same magic as your smile always does to me. You have literally groomed him just the way you are" he told her. "But today, I not only saw you but also saw myself in those little eyes, it had the same yearning that I had as a kid." he confessed. "It was that very pairs of eyes that pulled me towards him. I saw you in him Manik, and I couldn't bring myself to let him go at any cost" she added.

"So Nandini, tell me what's the occasion for this special surprise. Itna romantic ambiance, what's cooking in your head" Manik teased her as he pulled her closer to him. "I spoke to Chacha and Chachi today. Told them about us and the plans to relocate myself to Mumbai and they were so happy. You know Chachi was so upset with me when I left Mumbai but today she was on cloud 9 when I told her about the wedding. Given a choice, she would have flown down today itself to take me away with her." she shared her joy. "Chachi has always been a rockstar for me from day one... Somehow I felt that she saw something between us even before we both realized it" Manik told her. "I clearly remember how she hugged me when I wanted to spend some time in your room for the last time after you left. "Is ghar mein tum mere Nandu ki saath wapas zaror avongi" were the last words she told me when I bid her goodbye for the last time" he shared with her. That night I didn't walk out of your place with just our HOPE but also with Chachi's hope and confidence in US and our love. Now I can't wait to walk back through those doors again with you and straight to Chachi's arms to tell her that she was so right that night" he added. "Be also prepared to be stuffed with lots of chole" she joked. "Actually I would eat anything for Chachi and her love" he told. "Are you sure about eating anything? Including Chachi's famous bindi pasta?" she quizzed him. "Ah... Bindi pasta" his face cringed as if he could still taste it in his mouth. "That would definitely go into my exception list along with a few of her other experimental dishes" he corrected himself and they both burst out laughing. "What about Amms aur Rishab" he asked. "Rishab has always adored you; he even wanted to grow up like you. He once told me that I could never find anyone like you in my life" she told him. "He is having his exams now, so I will talk to him once his papers are over this weekend else he won't be able to concentrate" she explained. "Looks like Manik Malhotra's fan club is now officially lead by your family. So what did you answer Rishab" Manik was touched by Rishab's words. "You seemed to have my whole family wrapped around your fingers with your charm Mr Malhotra" she complimented him. "I told Rishab that I have no intention of replacing your place with anyone else in my life hamesha ki liye" she told him what he wanted to hear. Manik kissed her cheeks as he whispered "Impressing your family was so much easier than impressing you Ms Nandini"."Aur Amms... you want me to talk to her?" he asked on a serious note as she was avoiding it."No Manik, I will talk to Amms. Woh mujhse todi upset hain, so I will handle her my way. She wasn't happy with my decisions with Virat then with me staying in Dehradun along with some other things but I will make her understand." Nandini assured him. "You know that she is not only angry with you but also with me. You know that she will not be happy with the wedding or my presence in your life again? You want to protect me from her wrath, which is why you want to handle her alone?" Manik questioned her.

"Amms has been pretty upset with me Manik for quite a number of things. She didn't want me to leave to States for my studies but I was immovable in my decision. She was scared that she would lose me just like Appa. Even though I denied but she believes that you are the reason why I wanted to leave India and everything else behind. She was against of me becoming the legal guardian of Virat and worst still when he started calling me Mama but I was again adamant. She wasn't convinced that I could raise a child on my own and it would definitely be a hindrance with my future. I told her that Virat is sufficient for me to live the rest of my life subtlety telling her that marriage was out of the question. When she knew I wanted to come back to India for my sabbatical, she insisted I came back to Mangalore. I decided to stay Dehradun instead of Mangalore or Mumbai for that matter. I visited her once I was back but she was still angry with me and cold towards Virat. So I told her that I will only return when she is ready to accept me along with Virat. I don't want her to take her anger on either you or Virat. That is why I want to deal with her myself Manik" Nandini justified. Manik cupped her face; he saw her eyes getting glazy as she spoke about Amms. "Nandini, I'm guilty as accused by Amms. If only I was adamant enough not to let you go, then nothing of this would have happened. I promised her that I will always be there for you yet I let you go. Indirectly I'm the reason her favorite granddaughter went against her decision, I'm a reason for her to stay away from you for all these years. It is not fair for you to face her wrath. We will face Amms together, we will convince her just as how I convinced her years back." he convinced her. "We will make her understand that we have not only matured in our age but also in our relationship. We will make her understand that Virat will never be a hindrance in our lives, we will raise him up as our own just like how Amms, Chachi & Chachi raised you and Rishab up. Trust me, Amms is much easier to convince than you" Manik added. "Are you telling me that I'm difficult?" she pretended to be offended. "Difficult toh hai tum, that is something you can't deny but don't worry, I know how crack the nut." he smirked. "Anyways, it is my duty to convince Amms that I will never let you slip away from me again, I will not fail the responsible that she once entrusted on me. I will never let the smile fade away from her granddaughter's face again." he assured her and she nodded in agreement. "Let me guess, you choose Dehradun instead of other places because you knew this place was close to my heart. Am I right?" Her smile gave him the answer he needed.

"Once we settle Virat's school in Mumbai and sort out your research, then both of us will drive down to Mangalore together. Virat can either stay with your Chachi or even Navya." he suggested. "I'm sure Cabir and the rest are already working on their designated task, so everything will be wrapped up really soon. I wanted everything to be settled with 6 months" he informed her. "Manik, we can sort the school and my research much sooner than that. I already spoke to the dean in Mumbai University" she told him. "When I said everything in 6 months, it was inclusive of the wedding my dear" he whispered in her ears. "6 months... It's impossible Manik!!!" she cried out in disbelief. "Kyun, you wanted it much sooner? I don't mind... I just thought you wanted a proper Indian wedding else if I had it my way, we would be getting married tomorrow" he smirked. "Manik, you are just impossible!! 6 months is too soon for the wedding. I mean how would Chacha & Chachi manage all the preparation and everything " she rebutted. "Sorry to spoil the fun Ms Moorthy, I have already spoken to Chachi; she is totally cool with 6 months. Chachi was confident that she could even manage all the preparation within 3 months but I told her that I could wait for 6 months because I want everything perfect for you. Mukti, Alya and Navya will be assisting her with all the preparation. So you just relax, I have everything taken care off. You just need to focus of Virat and finishing off your thesis." he calmed her down. "How do you do it Manik? You always make everything perfect for me" she asked. "Well Ms Nandini Moorthy, learn to live with it. We are perfect for each other, so everything for us will be perfect too"

Just as Manik promised her, within weeks she and Virat moved to Mumbai and got themselves comfortably settled before she left to Mangalore with Manik. Over the years, many things have changed but Amms was still the same. She may have aged but yet neither her charisma nor her strictness has mellowed, she still gave Manik jitters. He could feel the daggers hanging in the air as the two strong headed women exchanged their words. It amazed Manik on how much Nandini has changed over the years, gone was the timid and naive Nandini, the women who stood in front of him was a strong and feisty Nandini. Years back, the same Nandini who was so scared about revealing their relationship to Amms is now so confidently talking about them, their relationship, their Love. There wasn't a slightest uncertainty in her eyes or her voice as she spoke about their marriage yet Amms wasn't an easy woman to convince especially after the fiasco that happened 6 years back. Neither Nandini nor Amms was ready to give in and that was when Aiyappa came to Manik's rescue in the form of Virat's call. Nandini stepped out to speak to Virat while Manik made use of the opportunity to speak to Amms on his own. "Amms, you have all the right to be angry with me but I just need a moment. I just need you to hear me out, I'm not going to justify my actions nor Nandini's but please hear what drove us in making our decisions. Please Amms" Manik pleaded and she reluctantly agreed. Manik's words and the sincerity in his eye not only manage to mellow down Amms but also made her see the other part of the coin. He also made her understand the predicament Nandini was when she stepped in as Virat's guardian and Mama. "Amms, who would have understood Virat's need better if not for Nandini. She lost her Appa and Amma the same way Virat lost his. Nandini was lucky she had you, Chacha and Chachi but Virat was all alone. Anyways it was you who taught her to reach out those in need. She was just upholding your upbringing." he explained to Amms. "Aiyappa, how could I fail to understand her even after so many years? Maine itni bade galti kya" Amms realized her mistake. "Kanna, I don't think mera Nandu will get a better guy in her life than you. Even at this age, I couldn't accept Virat whole heartedly just as you accepted him. I was always under the impression that the younger generations were very immature and irrational in their actions but you have once again proved how wrong my perception was. Manik, I'm sure mera Nandu tumara saath bohut khush rahongi" Amms hugged Manik and gave him her blessing.

Nandini still couldn't believe her eyes when Amms walked in to her room, and not only she gave her blessing for their wedding but also apologized for not being for her when she needed her support the most. Nandini finally saw the warmth in her eyes as she embraced her; she knew Manik has given her back her old Amms. After so many years, it was an emotional reunion for Nandini as she slept on Amms's lap just as she did when she was a kid and shared the years that she missed with Amms. "Manik, I still can't believe you managed to convince Amms so easily. What did you tell her?" Nandini pestered Manik as they walked down the beach in Mangalore admiring the sunset. "I told you nah, she is much easier than you are. Anyways what is important, she has given us her blessing. So let's celebrate it" he told her."Manik, I know the best place to celebrate tonight" she announced. Nandini took Manik to her favorite place in Mangalore, a place filled with love, a place where her fireflies glows all the time celebrating the true love in the world."Nandini, you definitely have a weird choice of places." Manik freaked as she made him walk through the dark woods. "Manik, we are almost there. You will love the place. Trust me." she promised him. "Yeah, I trust you" he said skeptically. "We are here... Manik..." she announced. Manik looked around, the place was dark and cold, surrounded with trees, there was an old ruin nearby and definitely no other soul where there besides both of them. "Nandini Moorthy, this is your favorite place? You like spending your time with ghost? There is nothing here" he looked puzzled. Nandini went down on her knees, "Mr Manik Malhotra, I can't wait for the day when I will become Mrs Manik Malhotra. I love you so much Manik... I can't imagine spending another day without you in my life." she confessed. "I love you too Nandini..." he told her as he pulled her up to his arms forgetting the eerie surrounding. Suddenly the whole place was illuminated up with hundreds of fireflies. The fireflies appeared from nowhere, making the whole place glow. His favorite star stood there happily embracing their glow, she was the brightest among them. "Manik... look at how they are glowing for us... they are celebrating our love...they are celebrating our joy... The night is so perfect for us... The stars are shinning ... The fireflies are glowing... It feels as if Appa and Amma are showering their blessing on us" she cried happily.

"Along with Amms, we have their blessings too. So are you happy now?" he asked her. "Happy would be understatement Manik, there is no words to define my joy but..." She hesitated. "But what Nandini?" Manik asked her. "It's ok Manik, aach nahi. We will talk about it some other day" she tried to avoid the topic and mentally smacking her head for blurting out the wrong thing. "No, I want to know what is bothering you. And I want to know it tonight itself" he demanded for his answer. Manik wanted everything to be perfect for her, perfect for them, no room for qualms or regrets and her hesitation was bothering him. "Only if you promise that you will not get angry and you will listen to what I have to say calmly" she set her conditions and Manik nodded in agreement. Nandini sat facing him; she took his hands in hers as she mentally rehearsed how she is going to broach the topic that he has been avoiding for years. "Dekho Nandini, you're scaring me. I promise you that I won't get angry but your actions and suspense is killing me" he told her. "Manik, what about your parents?" she dropped the bombshell. His jaws tightened and his grip hardened as if her question struck the very chord that instantly brings him nothing but pain and anger yet he stood by his words. "What about them, Nandini?" he asked trying very hard to keep in anger and pain under control. Nandini, caressed his hand hoping it will ease him as she spoke "What about their blessings for our wedding Manik? Don't you think we need their blessings too? This wedding is not only about me and my family but also yours Manik". "Do you think it will make any difference for them? Do you think Nyonika gives a damn about it? She doesn't even know the value of marriage nor love, let alone blessings. And even after all this years, you seriously think she would give us her blessings???The only thing that would she would be concerned about is how to make the best deal out of this wedding and I have no intention of making our wedding her publicity campaign." Manik told her. Despite the sarcasm, she could feel the pain in his voice. "Manik, Nyonika doesn't care about you but what about your dad? Don't you think he deserves to know about the wedding from us instead of someone else? Even if you don't speak about him but you can't deny that you love him as much as he loves you." Nandini told him. "Love!!" Manik sneered. "Unfortunately his business commitments, his priorities and his hatred for Nyonika weigh out his love for me. We will have his blessing, no doubt in that just that his blessing will come in a form of his of wealth. "Manik's voice cracked as he spoke about his dad. "I don't need his wealth because I have acquired enough for us, but what I need is his presence unfortunately he will never understand that. Nandini, there have nothing but disappointment all my life whenever I wanted dad to be there for me. There was always an expensive gift to congratulate me for every achievement in my life but he was never there. I may have gotten accustomed of not having him in my life but unfortunately I have not grown numb to the disappointment that he gives me. I don't want our new beginning to start with disappointment Nandini" he finally opened up.

Nandini's eyes became glazy as she saw him tearing, "I'm sorry Manik" she whispered as she hugged and cradled him in her arms hoping she could take away his pain. "Pagal, what are you apologizing for? I should be the one apologizing as you need to handle my twisted and complicated family" he told her once he got a grip of himself. "I just wanted our wedding to be perfect for both of us, not only me." She explained. "Nandini, there are some things in life that can never change no matter how hard you try and my family falls into that category. If you want our wedding to be perfect for us, then you need to ensure that you smile will never fades from your face. My happiness lies in your smile. About dad's blessing, we will go down to Pune after our wedding if that is what makes you happy" Manik comforted her. That night, Nandini made up her mind that by hook or crook, she would make Manik's dad attend their wedding. If there is one opportunity that could wipe out all the disappointment that Manik has endured, that would be their wedding. "If Manik could go against all odds for her happiness, Nandini Moorthy can face anyone in the world for his happiness." Nandini told herself.

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