"Ye shaadi nahi ho skti"

Nandini yelled with a dramatic tone and everyone's eyes snapped to the trio who just interrupted the marriage.

"Nand--" Sushmita whispered her eyes widened.

"Go get your man!" Navya leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Nandini nodded and advanced her steps towards the pavilion where the bride and the groom were sitting.

Twenty people's eyes were on her but she didn't care at that time.

She bent towards the bride and removed her veil and gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth.

"Mukti?" Nandini was speechless her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Manik is marrying Mukti?" Cabir said from behind. Nandini didn't know when navya and Cabir stood either sides of her.

"Eww no" Mukti chided and completely removed her veil.

"She's marrying me you dumbasses." Abhi removed his cover clearly annoyed.

"Wait is this some sort of community marriage where manik and abhi both are getting married? Are they saving money or something? Where's food anyway?" Cabir's eyes scanned the area.

"Shut up cabir" Girls said in unison.

"He's annoying as Nandini mentioned." Mukti frowned and curled her lips. Navya chuckled and he looked at her betrayed.

"Can you please stop this non sense I mean my own sister is ruining my marriage. Talk about betrayal." Abhi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Second marriage" She corrected pointing her index finger at him.

"Nandini get down" Sushmita glared at her and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm busy mom try to understand the severity of the situation." She frowned and sushmita rolled her eyes.

"What's going on?" Manik stood at the bottom of the staircase taking in the scene. His eyes landed on a very shook Nandini and he grinned.

"Man of the hour is here thank god." Abhi muttered under his breath.

Nandini snapped out of her trance and charged at him.

"Yo--- You---" She could not comprehend words and flicked his head hard.

"Heyyyy that hurts." He rubbed his head.

"You said YOU were getting married." She pushed him a little by his chest and he immediately caught her hands enfolding them in his.

"Our son is getting married?" Nyonica gleed but confused at the same time.

"Oh I wish" Raj replied in a hopeless tone.

"Who's the bride?" Sushmita leaned in from behind and whispered in a hushed tone. Nyonica and Raj jumped on their places after they heard the intruder in their conversation.

"Maybe that chick from his office." Dhruv pitched in biting his nails as the guests started to whisper.

"Maira?" Mukti scrunched her brows in disgust and he nodded.

At this point wedding was a long forgotten business. They all were standing in a group speculating about the potential bride for manik.

Even Abhi and Mukti got up to pitch in because they know they are not getting married until manik and Nandini solve their petty issues like Manik's fake marriage.

"No Dhruv aunty hates her." Alya said.

"You do?" Raj asked moving his towards her.

"Yeah she's fake" Nyonica and Suhsmita said in unison looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Can you all stop talking about my marriage for one second? You're not very discreet we can hear you from here." Manik chided irritated.

"You said you were getting married?" Nandini asked as calmly as possible.

"Nah! I was just pranking so you can witness the unison of two lovers and you came faster didn't you?" Manik smirked and nandini's color changed from pale to deep red. She closed her fists to control her anger.

"I publicly humiliated myself by wearing ducky shoes all the way from New York because of some prank. We are over." Cabir scrutined manik and turned away from him.

Manik decided to ignore his comment because he has his "maybe girlfriend" to handle.

"Abhi is getting married. Again. I thought Dhruv and Alya were getting married?" She snapped him out of his trance squinting her eyes.

"I thought Navya was getting married." Cabir pitched in and navya flicked his head. "To you" She glared.

"Why everyone's getting married?" Nandini yelled pulling her hair frustrated.

She turned towards her family especially Abhi and Mukti for some answers.

They looked at each other scared of her wrath but abhi decided to explain.
He cleared his throat.

"After five months of our divorce I wasn't coping well when Mukti came into my life as my friend. It was like school days again. We hung out and talked for hours."

"I was suspicious for months." Manik whispered in her ear and she jabbed his chest with her elbow still boiling.

"I think its wise to keep your mouth shut now." Navya stated and Cabir agreed bobbing his head.

"Its like our differences never existed and we realised we were always meant to be." Mukti finished with a smile and held his hand.

"So you're saying I lost my chance to be with Manik for nothing?" Nandini scowled and he glanced her, his heart leaped at her statement.

Mukti and Abhi had no answers to it, they had no idea it will effect her so much.

Nandini nibbled her lip raw. His hands found her's to comfort her and she looked at him. Her eyes glistening.

"Let's go" Nandini grabbed his arm and pulled him upstairs.

"Nandini your brother is getting married come down!" Sushmita yelled.

"I was present in the first one and it's not like someone's gonna strip in this one. So I'll pass." She replied in the midst of the staircase without looking at her and the guest's whispering increased.

Sushmita hid her face in her hands embarrassed.

She saw the first room and pulled him inside.

"What's going on?" She asked putting her right hand on her waist.

"Abhi and Mukti----" Manik started to explain when she stopped him showing her hand.

"Us manik us" She said looking straight in eyes

"Do you want an 'us' nandini?" His eyes flashed with something. Hope.

She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed and he followed her lead.

"When I saw your text I almost died. The thought of you spending your entire life with another person just boiled my insides. I took you for granted for the longest time. You were always there, showed me in every possible way that you love me.
My dad walked out on me I couldn't stop him but I can stop you." Manik listened to her patiently and his lips curved in a small smile.

Nandini got up from the bed and he stood with her too. She kneeled down on her right knee in front of him.

"Nand-" He gasped but she shushed him and held his hand.

"You can score any hot girl" She whispered and he rolled his eyes.
"Shut up I mean it" She grumbled and he put his hands in the air in surrender.

"I didn't say anything"

"You can score any hot, smart, sensible and a mature girl unlike me who's immature, handsy and have a truck load of insecurities---" She stopped and zoned out a little in her thoughts.
"nah like a box of them now because you took care of them." He chuckled and tapped her forehead with his fingers.

"You were there when I failed my maths exam, you were there when I had my first beer and you even kept me above your favourite cheesecakes but most importantly you are my every first. My first best friend, my first kiss, my first maybe boyfriend." He chuckled at her statement. "I know sometimes I'm too much and you're there to handle me but now I want to be there for you."

She closed her eyes and  took a deep breath.

"I lost my chance once but I don't want to lose it again. Manik aka Meenakumari I want to book you for an eternity." She grinned never more sure about anything in her life.

It's like something warm spilled on his chest. He couldn't stop smiling.

She took a breath and fiddled in her jeans pocket. He was having a hard time not to skip this and kiss her.
She took a small wooden box out of her pocket and opened it.

"I love you" He gasped. He wasn't even sure if he heard it.
Three words, Eight letters. She said it. To the only person she knows deserves it.
"Will you marry me?"

Manik was speechless he didn't know what to say. It's like he's in a dream which he never wants to end.

Nandini just sat there on her knees patiently waiting for him to decide.

"Not to ruin the moment Nandini but um---" He stopped and took a long stare at the ring which sat in the box.

"What?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Its a plastic ring" He finally let it out and chuckled.

"Its not my fault that I was snacky and got a crax on the way and got this toy ring." She explained in one breath and narrowed her eyes. "Forget Nandini and her proposal let's comment on the ring right? So materialistic of you"

"Okay fine sorry" He drew his lower lip between his teeth.

"Are you sure?" He asked scared because he didn't know if she really means it or just scared to lose him to someone else.

"I just need to know that its possible, that two people can stay happy together. Forever." She whispered, her hands shaking.

"Are you willing to know and take a chance with me?" She forced a smile to hide the tears building up in her eyes. Scared of what he might answer.

           •••••••|||•••••••

I got so emo while writing this because it hit me that it's almost the end.

Annnd it was super long.

Can you guys recommend me some good books I really need to read something good. Teen fiction and romance preferably.

Do drop your comments.