Three months later

"Is this recording?" Nandini asked fiddling with the camera.

"The red dot Nandini look for it!" Dhruv said from across her.

"Yeah it is" She gave him cheeky smile.

"So wedding next month are you nervous?" Nandini bumped her shoulders with Alya who stood besides her checking the decors and food table.

"No just really busy no time for pre wedding jitters." She chuckled and put a pink macaroon in her mouth.

"Weren't you going to record or something?" Dhruv reminded nandini and kissed Alya's cheek from behind.

"Oops" Nandini looked at her camera which recorded their whole conversation. She looked around her to see whom she should go first.

She spotted manik in a salmon tshirt and faded blue jeans. She tip toed from behind and almost scared him when his voice stopped her.

"I know it's you sugarplum." He said in a bored tone and turned around his hands in his pockets.

"How do you always know?" She whined stomping her foot.

"Maybe because I know how you smell." He took a step forward and leaned in close to her ear. "Really well! We've been up close and personal. That well." He whispered and she shivered, closed her eyes for a second but then pushed him away.

"Or maybe you've really good dog skills" She challenged and he smiled his tongue in his jaw.

"So manik do you think it's a girl or a boy?" She finally remembered why she came to him.

"Didn't my tshirt just answered for me?"

It's Navya and Cabir's gender reveal party hosted by Nandini and Manik in their rented house in New York.

Gender reveal is banned in India so they decided to get an ultrasound in New York because Nandini had a  month of internship here so why not just throw a party.

They all decided to make this experience extra special for them and so they all flew in.

Everyone really bonded with the both of them at Mukti and Abhi's wedding so here they are.

They were all gathered in the open backyard where all the decor was done by the entire gang.

"You should take that hideous thing off!" Cabir suggested looking at the royal blue plastic ring which was a little uplifted in the middle on manik's left pinky.

"Heyyyyy that's his engagement ring you're talking about!" Nandini flicked Cabir's head and locked her arm with manik.

"But that is ugly " Cabir made a point.

"It's not my fault that I happened to eat crax at the airport and got a ring toy---"

"And made me her fiance from her best friend." He pulled her in his arms and kissed her head. "Plus its unique "

"Yes Nandini we were there only sharing that crax ka packet." Cabir rolled his eyes and she hit his arm again.

"We never thought we would get to see this day." Dhruv wipes a fake tear.

Nandini rolled her eyes and searched for Navya.

"Where's your wife?" She asked.

"Oh she's getting ready will be here any minute." Cabir mentioned and on the cue she came out of the sliding glass doors to the backyard.

She's dressed in a white net dress below her knee with flowy sleeves. She held her baby bump which is very much visible now.

"Hey wifey you alright there?" Cabir asked kissing the back of her hand .

"Just tired" She smiled.

They had a short gun wedding like two months ago. Their parents were on aboard with this whole baby and marriage thing. A little dissapointed but still on aboard.

"Why do you have this camera?" Manik asked pointing at the camera nandini's holding.

"Ohhhh yeahhhh I was recording. I get distracted easily." She grinned and immediately turned towards the future parents.

"So Cabir what do you think the gender of the baby is?"

"I think it's a girl " Cabir's lips curved.

"No it will be a boy" Navya smiled caressing her bump.

They started bickering and she shook her head leaving them alone. She turned towards Alya, Dhruv and manik.

"Okay what team?"

"Boy, girl, boy" mixed voices came.

"It's getting late shall me start?" Navya's mother approached them.

"Yes let's go" Cabir said and ushered his wife in the centre for the reveal.

They all gathered in the area makinh a semi-circle each holding a confetti stick.

The countdown started.

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

Shoot

They all shot the sticks and the entire backyard rained with blue confetti.

"It's a boy" Cabir's father yelled in excitement.

Cabir and Navya jumped on their places and hugged each other. Navya teared up a little.

"We are having a baby boy." Cabir whispered and kissed her forehead.

"Let's make one of our own too." Manik whispered in nandini's ear and blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Later" She replied, her cheeks deep red.  His smile widened because she's open about the idea of getting married and start a family with him.

                          
                       *******

"Where are we going?" Nandini yelped as she stumbled on the step as they step out in the backyard.

"Careful"

It's eight in the evening everyone just cleared out like an hour ago so manik decided to surprise Nandini.

"Can you atleast tell me it's not like we are going out because we are in our minion pyjamas." She sighed as she's been asking him but he says it's a surprise.

"Okay open your eyes" He said as they came to a halt.

She opened her eyes and squealed.

"Sleepover tent" Her eyes shined and looked at manik who's lips curved in a smile.

"It's been so long so I thought why not" He shrugged and took her hand and escorted her in the tent.

They were staying in a house which manik rented in New York and others were staying in nandini's old  apartment given by the company to give them privacy.

Manik came here to attend Cabir and Navya's gender reveal party and obviously to meet Nandini as they were away for three months.

"This is beautiful" She said in awe taking a note of the surroundings.

Fairy lights, a wooden table on top of that wine glasses and pasta to devour.

"What are we watching?" She asked as her eyes landed on the laptop.

"The faut in our stars" She grinned and pecked his cheeks.

"It's been a while so-----wine?" She asked already pouring and he nodded.

He threw his hands around her shoulders and she put her head on his chest.

"You changed your perfume?" She asked looking upto him.

"Yeah how do you know?" His brows puckered together and took a sip of his wine.

"Because you always smelled like apple cinnamon it's comforting and you're not the only one aware of how the other one smell." She boasted and he gave her a noisy kiss on the cheek.

Half an hour later they devoured their pasta and their wine bottle was almost empty.

"I've something to give you" Manik said fidgeting his fingers. They were sitting side by side.

She took her eyes away from the screen and turned towards him. "What?"

He removed a wooden box from his pocket and he ushered her to take it.

She took the box hesitant and scrutinised it.

"It's locked" She looked at him and he grinned.

"I gave you the key"

"No you didn't"

"Yes I did"

"No yo----" Realisation dawned upon her and she looked down at the pendant he gave it to her before she went to New York. She never took it off.

It dangled down with three charms- a half moon enclosed in a sun, a drop of water, a weird shape and a removable  golden key enclosed in a heart.

She removed her pendant from her neck and took the key placing it in the wooden box lock.

She heard a click and it immediately opened. A gasp escaped from her mouth.

"This?" She asked her eyed still wide.

"This is the official proposal so Nandini Murthy will you be my Hazel Grace minus the tragedy part? Will you Marry Me?" His eyes shining and a wide smile played on her lips.

"Yes yes A thousand times yes" She squealed and jumped on him straddling his hips.

She placed her lips on his and he reverted back immediately. He pulled back much to her disappointment and took the box which fell down when she jumped on him.

He pulled the ring out of the box and slid it on her ring finger. It's a three stone ring which the middle stone's a tiffany.

She gazed at the ring admiringly and chuckled.

"What's funny?" He pulled her closer holding her waist to close the non existing distance.

"Wait a minute I'll be back" She got off from his lap and ran inside the house leaving him confused.

She came back in a minute and took a seat besides him. She held closed fist for him to open.

He looked confused but opened it and threw his head back laughing.

"I wanted to replace your crax ring but you beat me to it." She smiled and it heart swelled up.

It's like yesterday he was hoping that his feelings will go away so their friendship stays intact but now they are engaged.

"Are you going to cry now meenakumari?" She teased and bumped her shoulder with his.

"Shut up and put the ring already" He said with a straight face but they both knew he almost teared up.

She chuckled and took his hand put the ring in his ring finger.

"We are engaged" She squealed and made herself comfortable in his arms.

"I still can't believe it but yes we are" He confessed in a daze but the girl in his arms confirmed that it's not a dream.

"Wait so you're saying I've been carrying this key for a year now and you have that ring for so long? I'm confused and what is that weird shape charm means you didn't tell that time too." She said softly but deep down she knew the answer.

"It's a sign of unconditional love and my heart- it's always been your's I cannot find another person for whom this heart will beat for." He whispered and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes, an ache in her chest due to so many emotions.

She cannot fathom before if someone can love someone else so much but manik proved her wrong. He always did.

"I love you" She stifled her tears back and he made her look at him holding her chin.

"Say that again" His eyes bore in her's and she had to look down because of the intensity of his gaze.

"I love you" She whispered again like a prayer. He took her hand and put it on his chest to feel his heartbeat which was beating fast.

"That's what you do to me sugarplum" He confessed earnestly and pulled her holding the side of her head and kissed her because she's finally his.

                          :::::::::::

"Why can't I feel the kicks?" Manik whined and stomped his feet on the floor.

"I hate it when everyone keeps touching me without any warning." Navya muttered under her breath tired of everyone constantly touching her belly.

They all were gathered in the house where manik and Nandini were staying and felt the kicks of the baby which just started.

It's the first baby in the group so they all just excited about the new member.

"Because the baby hates you baby" Nandini smiled sarcastically and manik showed his tongue in mockery.

"You two are being romantic, can't take your hands off each other and coupley and disgusting." Cabir made a disgusted face at their constant endearments.

"And weird aren't you supposed to fight all the time?" Dhruv agreed.

"Let them be it's their honeymoon phase" Alya defended them and Nandini gave her a flying kiss in return.

"And for your information she's my fiance so why not." Manik pulled her to his side and kissed the side of her head.

Manik always say it because he still can't believe they are so close to being together forever.

Dhruv and Cabir made barfing sounds so nandini threw a pillow at them.

She was going to hit them more when her phone rang pulling her out of her violent zone.

She excused herself to attend the call and everyone started chattering again.
She came back after twenty minutes her forehead creased. Everyone were settled on the floor playing cards and had a bag of crisps.

"Um Manik" She called out and everyone's eyes snapped to her.

The tension was radiating from her so he immediately got up sensing something serious. Before he can ask anything she pulled him inside a room. Her grip steel hard on his.

He closed the door behind and looked at her.

"Is everything okay?" He asked carefully.

She finally glanced at him and a tired sigh escaped from her.

"They offered me a permanent job here and they forced me to accept it or I am fired."

》》》》》》》》》》

I wanted to binge watch gossip girl so bad but I've been busting my ass for three hours straight. It took me three hours to write this super long update so y'all better comment okay.

I've been writing constantly so I can update the epilogue on Saturday. So this was the last update.

Que: What is your favourite scene from this book? If you do remember.
- Mine is "Chaos" because I had so fun writing it for some reason.