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She raked her bandaged fingers over his palm that he had extended to her.

"So you're not married, yet?" Her tone was sounding so excited and thrilled at the revelation.

"Are you serious? Look around you," She did, at the empty hospital room. Was she supposed to be seeing something in specific? He lifted her face again, to see those beautiful eyes that had tormented his soul for years. He was never going to give them a break now. "I've spent the last five weeks with you here, fighting for my own life every time you were unconscious for God knows how long! Do you really think tumhari behen toh choddo–anyone else–would want to marry me after this?"

"You're sounding like my mother right now, I remember hearing a similar dialogue very vaguely on this same bed, Nandini iss drama ke baad koi tumse shaadi kaise karega!"

"Haan maine already keh diya hai ki if they plan another roka for me, there is a 1 out of 1 chance, ya ni 100% success rate, ki usme bhi meri ex beechme aake suicide attempt karlegi so, I think they've learnt their lesson now," Nandini smiled despite the pull at her temple.

He put his warm lips on hers again, albeit briefly. "But I never pinned you to be the possessive type at all, ek roka ceremony tumse bardasht nahi hui? It's not like right after the engagement we were going to pounce on each other and..."

Nandini didn't want to hear the end of that sentence, whatever it may have been. "Shut up! If I really wanted to, I could also punish you for calling my sister your wife, and making me bawl my eyes out a while ago,"

Manik gulped, reminiscing the bile in his throat. "Just saying those sentences made me feel queasy,"

He closed the gap between them for a quick peck. Her cheeks were a faint shade of pink for the last hour as Manik peppered his love for her in a multitude of gestures, but especially when she smiled. 

"Tu sacchme ghar nahi gaya itne din?" He shook his head.

He had not even begun to confess how miserable his life had been over the last few weeks, how he had been afraid to even use the bathroom because he would have to leave her for those few moments–when anything could have happened had he not been around. And he would have regretted it terribly for the rest of his fucking life. 

Oh, she thought.

"Shaadi and all can wait, tu kahi bhaaga nahi jaa raha ab, tab tak I really need to sort out my life. I can't just be a stay-at-home partner to a doctor! Do you know how dumb that would seem to other people?"

"Of course, kyoonki almost killing yourself for your sister's fiance toh is a genius plan, hai na?" Nandini rolled her eyes, and continued to play with Manik's hands.

"Arre theek hai, mereko kya, loug tujhe hi aake poochenge ki tu doctor hoke ek useless good-for-nothing ladki ko choose kyoon kiya tha?" He grinned at those adjectives, which had seemed quite apt for her. But what to do, he'd fallen for that perfect-for-everything-in-his-life kind of woman only.

"Toh main unse pooch lunga ki—who are we to control fate—and main unko convince kar doonga ki God jo hai, he's real—sorry they, they are real, and naseeb main jo likha hai, wahi hoga..."

They had so much to talk about. Five years of news, gossip, and random inklings to tease each other on. So much to learn about each other, that even a lifetime would be insufficient.

"Waise mereko kabse poochna tha... agar main uss jump nahi maarti, toh tu kya shaadi kar leta meri behen se?"

Manik flashed his teeth. "To be honest, I thought you would crack like wayyyyy before. Mera backup plan tha ki agar mandap pe chaddne se pehle bhi tumne confess nahi ki, toh Alia would come in crying and complain about me knocking her up; but I'm glad I didn't have to embarrass myself like that," Oh well, Nandini thought, perhaps she had taken one for the team in that case.

"So basically you would have broken off the engagement anyways, and I jumped and broke my bones for nothing, that's good to know," She muttered with a fake smile, as Manik touched her fractured leg carefully, guilt-ridden. He didn't have to be, he didn't force her to jump–it was her own stupid brain that had found it incapacitating to see Anjali and Manik as a couple. Oh shit. "And what about Anjali Di? What did you tell her while I was in a mild coma? Do you think she would be mad at me?"

"Obvio! But it went down okay, I garnered some sympathy for you by replacing Alia's character with you and taking the blame for seducing you,"

"Aiyappa, she thinks I'm pregnant with your baby? She will complain to my Appa and he will skin you alive!" She gaped in horror. Then what would she do for the rest of her life, how would she live without him?

Manik slapped his thighs as he chuckled. "Wow, it's way too easy with you now!" As he laughed his heart out after what seems like ions of time, she was mesmerised. She could not remember the last time she had seen him beaming in this manner. It had just been way too long.

"But it's concerning that your first thought was your Appa's threats for getting you pregnant instead of you jumping and losing our baby in your womb. Have you actually considered therapy? I think you might have other issues," He suggested.

"Issues se yaad aaya, aaj ke baad 'tumhari' 'tujhe' 'tumhara' yeh sab bolna band kar... it's somehow become a horrendous pet peeve for me, aur ab toh haqq bhi banta hai tera to address me informally,"

Wrong, he had always had that right on her. Hamesha se.

"Tch, now I feel ki maine kuch zyaada hi easily maaf kardiya tereko, I hoped ki main paanch saal ke tortures ke badle at least paanch mahine toh chidhaunga!"

How had their lives become so wonderful, Nandini wondered. Why hadn't she just done all this earlier, and cherished those five years instead of killing herself softly?

"But I didn't think ki you could be so romantic, and change my plans like that midway through," He said very dramatically.

Nandini cringed, "I thought I was sappy,"

"I mean... Your crying was a good touch, very authentic," He added, making a 'superb' emoji with his fingers.

Nandini giggled and she confessed, "I love you,"

"Again,"

"I love you, Manik,"

"Again,"

"Idiot," she said, pushing his forehead lightly.

"I'll make you say it multiple times, until you're sick of saying it, and for all the universes you didn't trust us to be together in,"

"But I already told you, you were right all along," She mumbled, drawing a small heart in his palm.

And he will always be, until their last breaths.

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I felt ki yahi sahi, wrapped some loose ends, and this was my favourite part to write!

Their banter, it reminds me of PaNi and their bond now, with Parth always teasing Niti harr baat pe :")

Also Parth ki music video is a literal silver lining in my life, how much have I wanted to see him just enjoying himself!! No anger, no pain, just pure pure love 💕

Please share and support if you liked this series. Will keep posting more as I come up with new ideas.