3 years later

N A N D I N I

"Nandinii",  he shouted from outside once again to irritate me and I sighed slowly, keeping my hand on my eight months old belly, gritting my teeth in irritation as we- I and my bump walked out from the kitchen to the six feet big monster sitting on the couch, working on his laptop.

"What is it Manik?" I was tired, and out of breath in just walking a few steps and I hated that. Being a mother had to be the best feeling in the world, but the side effects of pregnancy were torondeous. I had a talk to Navya last night, but she told me that she never experienced such tiredness, fatigue and sudden change of moods like me, which had to make her luckier- very luckier. But at the same time- it bothered me. If not her, then why me? Was I okay? Was my kid okay?

"Nandini, can I get a cup of coffee...," he showed his cheeky smile and I felt angry for a sudden reason as I settled besides him, hitting his chest. "This is the fourth cup of coffee you're asking me in the last one hour, who makes their pregnant wife do so much work?" I gritted and he giggled, taking my chubby face in his hands.

"Baby, it's the doctor who's asked you to do as much physical work as you can right, not me. If this would have been in my hands, I would have never ever made you do so much physical work, in fact I would have never even allowed you to get up from the bed for even going to the loo. That fucking old doctor-......," he gritted his teeth and I immediately held his ear, twisting it while he screamed in pain. "No cursing near my baby, how many times should I tell you Manik?" I screamed in his ear while he murmered uncountable sorries as i left him.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain down my spine and back uterus and I kept my hand on my belly, as the pain slowly vanished again. This happens with me quite often and makes me out of breath and tired and no one seems to understand, not this monster, and not that fucking doctor.

"hey baby, why're you crying? Are you okay?", he asked and I nodded as he wiped away the small tears that came into my eyes before I could even realise, his thumb caressing my face and I smiled weakly.

"This makes me tired, so tired!" I whispered being out of breath. "I wish I could do something to share the pain Nandini, I love you for doing all of this alone, my strong girl!" he whispered holding me tight as he kissed my foreahead andi kept my heavy head on his chest, closing my eyes.

"But you're not working anymore, okay? I ain't letting you! Let's go up and rest, hmm?" he asked and I nodded slowly as he held my hand, helping me to walk up and laid me on the bed comfortabley, with my feet straight and stretched as he lightly pressed it, massaging it and I smiled.

"Manik...," I whispered and he hmmed in return, "I miss our friends so much! Even I want to be in London with them!" I crunched my nose thinking of all the fun they must be having together.

"I wish that too baby, but you know we cant't risk travelling since it's not good for the baby!", he kissed my hand entwining it with his and I suddenly felt so bad for him! He couldn't even go to his friends and enjoy with them becauser of me and my stupid tantrums, I don't know the last time when he slept peacefully because of me, owing to my tantrums and stupidities. I was such a horribe wife, I didn't even deserve to be his wife, the bearer of his family.

" I'm sorry Manik, I know how must it feel sometime, that because of me, you can't even go to any parties, with your friends, you even work from home! I am troubling you a lot na? I am horrible at this but I promise I am trying my best. Its just not in my hands, this makes me so tired. I- I... don't want tu burden you, I-I....," and before I knew all the words faded and slowly turned into tears that he kissed away.

"burden? how can you ever be a burden for me? this baby is our responsibility, not yours alone! If you can't go to work because of this, even I will not go, I will work from home too! If you are not well, even I will take care of you just as you deserve. You aren't pregnant alone, its we who are pregnant, okay?" he smiled and i laughed admist my tears and it felt beautiful- to laugh and cry together while having the most important person of your life beside you and inside you, while living the purest and the best phase of a girl's life.

Just then Manik's phone rang breaking our trance and I wiped my tears as he went to pick up his phone. "Yaa, hi.... no I wouldn't come.... I told you earlier, didn't I?.... no, bye.. yes yes!" he kept the phone and turned back to me with that same charming smile,  and I raised my eyebrows as if asking him- what?. "Aaah nothing, its just a success party of a co-singer!" he rubbed his hand through his hair, battling his eye lashes innocently and I squeezed my eyebrows at the weird expressions he was making.

"you should really go Manik! Fab5 bhi nahi hai India mein, tum bhi nahi jaoge toh it wouldn't look good, right? I think you should go!" I smiled convincing him and he nodded negatively. "Are you sure?" he asked and I nodded positively. I wanted to be his strength, not his weakness. In never wanted to come in the wasy of his work, I wanted to be the reasdon he worked more.

"but doctor ka sonography appointment?" he asked stopping suddenly from removing his clothes from the drawer and I smiled at his concern all the time. "Kal hai na, aaj raat ho gyi hai!" I laughed at my obnoxious husband and he laughed too, walking into the loo.

"paapaa's stupid!" I whispered to my baby holding my belly as I giggled. "and paapaa loves her the most also!" he screamed from inside and I laughed.

"how do you know that it is a her? what if it is a him?", I asked caressing my belly as he walked out all changed and looking dapper and hot and now I suddenly felt weak about the fact that I was allowing him to go when I didn't want to, I wanted him all for myself. Quickly pushing those thoughts away, I looked towards him with a smile again.

"I am confident about this! It's a princess waiting to come out to her paapaa who's going to love her the most in the world!" he smiled cheekily after calling himself paapaa and I wanted to actually giggle. He was so excited to be a father and i felt like pulling his cheek everytime.

Sticking out my tongue at him, "its not a princess, okay? its a prince and I being the mother, know it! its a boy!", I smiled as he leaned near me, kissing my forehead.

"whatever gender this baby is, we're gonna give it all the happiness in the world, hmm?" he asked and i nodded emotionally, biting my lower lip.Still looking at me, he got up as he set his hair in the huge mirror. Getting up from the bed, I slowly walked towards the dresser and picked up his tie. Smilingly, he bent forward, careful not to hurt my huge baby bump as I tied his tie around his neck.

"I love when you do this!" he whispered snuggling his head into my messy hair which were tied in a bun above my head. "I love when you smile!" he whispered rubbing his thumb against my lips, rubbing the balm off. "I love when you wear such cute stuff, it makes you look like a baby!" he smiled and I gave a rough look to my loose maternity cotton frock that I had worn.

"a baby who is going to have a baby?" I giggled and he giggled too, holding my face in his hands as he left a long kiss there.

"and I love the little things you do to make sure i'm smiling!," I smiled in content leaning on him. I hated how this huge bump wouldn't allow me to even hug my husband properly.

Slowly putting me back to my bed, he covered me with the blanket as he passed me the book I was reading last night from the side table about pregnancy itself.

"sleep on time, okay? I'd be back within two hours, and I want you to be sleeping, hmm?" he asked and I nodded as he passed me the medicines, keeping it on my side table as he set the temperature of AC to make sure I don't feel cold, and then opened the curtains to allow me to see the stars.

Paapaa knew that his baby didn't like too much of cold and loved the stars and even the smallest details about him/her and I loved how my baby's paapaa loved him/her so much before even entering the world.

"I love you!" he whispered kissing my forehead and I kissed his hand that cupped my face.

"And I love you too!" he whispered kissing my belly and I giggled. "paapaa, we love you too!" I answered on behalf of me and my baby and he smiled, the happiness dancing in his eyes and I could already feel how desperate he was  to listen to the baby saying this in real to him.

Staring at his disappearing figure, I smiled throwing my heavy head back at the pillow, feeling content. I felt so blessed, so much happiness. When I saw my family distort in front of my eyes, I never thought I could be happy again, I never thought that I will have my own family. And now that I do, I feel beyonf blessed, I feel like the happiest person in this planet.

Taking my phone, I re downloaded Instagram. When I was three months pregnant, I left Ig. Being a celebrity meant always being in gossips, and I did not want any news and hossips to affect the happiness of me, my baby, and my family.

My inbox was filled and overloaded with messages, and I felt so overwhelmed with so much love. But one picture cought my attention, which was me, having no idea I was being clicked, a month old.

@manikmalhotra : My baby love made me the happiest and the luckiest man in the world seven months before today, breaking out the news that I was going to be the father of that small life which was living inside her; and I remembered, I had just stared at her for a minute before screaming loud and picking her up in my arms. I was excited, happy, nervous, anxious and so much back then, at the thought of having my own family. But what excirted me more was that I was going to start my family with the lady who got me back with my own distorted family- my own parents.

It's a privilege to be able to love you and to be loved by you. I cannot, cannot imagine life without you.

You still aspire me to be a better human for you, a better version of myself.

You are what my heart is made of, and this baby will be what our world will be made of.

You make me sane and insane at the same time, you make me what I am. Thank you for beinf who you are, making me who I am.

Thank you for gifting me a new version of us.

Words are short to explain how insanely I am in love with you.  @nandinimurthymalhotra

By the end of this, there were tears in my eyes with that constant smile lingering on my lips. He loved me so much, he loved us so much. Caressing my belly, I cried tewars of happiuness. "He loves us so much, he's waiting to hold you in his arms!", I whispered.

One month from now, I will be holding my own baby in my hands, kissing it, hugging it and giving it all the love in the world.

"Baby, I promise, I will never repeat the mistake my parents did, neither will I let Manik do that. We will be the best parents in the world, giving you all the happinness," I smiled and suddenly, I felt a small pain.

It kicked!

It kicked! Oh my God! My baby kicked! It listens to me!

I love you baby, and I know it was your way of telling us you love us too.

We love you so much.

Daddy loves you.

Mamma loves you.

And it kicked again, as giggles filled the room.

Want to read ahead? Link in my account.

Love,
Heer