~Somehow someone who knows how much of a mess you can be, how moody you can get and how difficult you are to handle, and still doesn't think about leaving you is the one you deserve to be with~

" Manik?", She asked again, standing within his embrace, happy and yet worried at his behaviour.

" Hmmm...", He kept nuzzling in her neck, soaking in her warmth, holding her close, not letting her loose for a split second.

"Something's wrong?", She asked concerned and he pulled apart at her question.

" I missed you...", He pouted at her and she stood with wide eyes before chuckling.

" It was just a few hours manik. I didn't leave you or disappeared somewhere...", She rolled her eyes at him.

"Eight hours. Fourty seven minutes. Thirty six seconds...", Manik emphasized at each point and Nandini looked at him bewildered.

"Seriously?", She questioned before running a small calculation in her head to which Manik burst out laughing.

"Jeez nandini. Its intended to sound romantic that your hubby missed you so freaking much. You don't need to cross check that. Such a romance spoiler!", Manik teased her and she bit her lip embarrassed.

" Ohh...!", She looked down fighting the urge to smile at her own stupidity.

Manik took two more steps towards her and held her close to himself. So close that even air struggled to pass between them and in a jerk, held her hands and crossed them over his neck before bending a little down, his eyes not leaving hers all this while! He continued to stare at her and then moved his gaze towards her pouty, luscious pinkish lips. And as he bent in to finally savour the taste of them, a sound called him.

A distant sound.

It seemed like Nandini's voice.

And boom!

He wasn't near her anymore, going to almost have the kiss of his life. He was still standing afar and Nandini wasn't even in the room. He was daydreaming her. Holy shit! He mentally facepalmed himself though a small blush adorned his cheeks.

"Manik...?", Nandini called again and then he finally realized that she was in the washroom, calling him to pass her the towel while he was busy in his dream sequence.

" Yeah coming...", He hurriedly gave her what she needed and ushered out of the room only to bump into Kabir and his dad, who were actually coming to meet Nandini upstairs.

"Woah woah bro! What's wrong?", Kabir raised an eyebrow and Manik looked at both of them, embarrassed, blushing and nervous all at once.

"Nothing. Just like that...", He stammered and walked past them to downstairs where Nyonika was setting the table for the dinner.

"Mumma...", He nagged Nyonika as he sat on one of the chairs while she continued doing her work. Now, if you were Mrs Nyonika Malhotra, mother of the great Manik Malhotra, you would know that he seldom called out 'mumma'. He rather sticked to mom or maa or something. But whenever he was confused or emotional or embarrassed, it turned out to be 'Mumma', perks of a mother-child relationship.

" Manik? What happened?", Nyonika cupped his face asking him. But the irony of the situation was, he had no idea what to answer. He came to his mother, as per his habit but he couldn't share that he wanted to kiss his lawfully wedded wife.

Could he?

"Umm...Nothing...", He said getting up when Nyonika laughed and held his wrist.

"Manik Malhotra, no matter what you do or how much older you grow, you are still going to be my son. Remember?", She smiled sarcastically and Manik whinned making faces.

" Manik see. There is ice cream in the fridge. I could go and have a scoop right now. Or I can have a scoop with all of you after dinner. Both options are right. But sometimes we don't choose an option that is right. We go with the option that seems worth it. Got it?", She explained him in a twisted way but Manik's face broke into a huge smile.

" You know always the right things to say. Thank you mumma...", Manik hugged his mom tight and Nyonika laughed at his antics. At certain times, it doesn't matter how old you are, how reserved you seem! Mothers are the only and best remedy but yes, mothers can play pranks too!

"So what's up with this mother and son love?", Raj asked as he emerged from behind, Nandini and Kabir following him, giggling. Apparently, upstairs too, the gossip was about Manik, the mumma's boy when he became confused or emotional, and a few childhood tales, that had left Nandini giggling holding her stomach.

"Nothing. The cranky mumma's boy is back", Nyonika shrugged and Manik looked at them with wide eyes.

" MOMMM!", He shrieked and Nyonika seemed unaffected while Kabir and Nandini again burst into splits of laughter.

" What mom! You are 'maa ka chamcha anyways", Raj commented as he took his seat while others followed him and Manik made a grumpy face.

" Yeah Nandini , so I was telling you how this husband of yours came crying one day since some children were teasing him about something and", Raj continued with the teasing when Nyonika and Manik shouted in horror.

"Raj!"

"Daddd!"

Nyonika glared at her husband as Kabir and Nandini tried to contain their laughter. "How could you be so mean Raj Malhotra?"

"Exactly dad, that was a long,long time ago..", Manik literally cried and Nyonika rubbed his back.

"Exactly..That was a long time ago and still it doesn't allow you to forget the explicit details. He was being teased because he had peed in his pants", Nyonika mentioned as casually as she could, shrugging off her shoulders.

Shock.

Mouth wide open.

Eyes dilated.

"MOMMM", Manik literally shouted as he grasped what she said while others burst into laughter holding their tummy's and literally falling on the floor.

" But I just gave the details. She could have imagined anything otherwise. ANYTHING...", Nyonika explained and Manik felt like to bang his head somewhere. He felt humiliated enough and left the dining table, raging like a mad bull. Only he wasn't angry. Just embarrassed. Because he could simply die for these people, letting them laugh at his expense was a really petty issue.

Manik came inside his bedroom and sat cross-legged on the bed. His stomach was grumbling in hunger but Mr. Ego was not letting him go down and have something. Just then, the door opened and Nandini walked in with a plate full of food.

Food.

His eyes were already sparkling at the sight.

"Manik, have something. You would be hungry na", Nandini pleaded in her sugary voice and Manik looked up at her.

" Yes please. I am dying of hunger", his heart wanted to shout but mr. Ego shut him up.

"No. I am fine", he mumbled but at the same time his stomach grumbled so loudly that he was afraid it was audible even outside the room. He looked up at her and found her trying hard to hide the smile that was threatening to capture her face. But somehow she managed to dodge the mischeif raising in her eyes, sat beside him and forwarded him a bite of the chapati dipped in his favorite kind of panner gravy. And no point denying he was hungry. Moreover it was panner she was offering him. So he ate in silence, trying to show how he isn't intrested to eat but still is, because she is feeding him but the eagerness in his body language was apparent as he waited for the next bite and Nandini couldn't help but adore her man, or child, whatever fits better.

As he finished the glass of water she offered him, he took the plate from her hands, made her sit on the bed, disappeared for a few minutes, came back with food, made her eat sufficient, which was way more than her diet though and then went back to keep the plate in the sink. He didnt even ask her if she had food. She didn't even tell him she was hungry too. But then sometimes words seem useless. This was one of those times.

Manik returned with two bowls of chocolate ice-cream with extra choco-chips. Gazing the stars, they had their ice-cream in the balcony of their room,happily in silence. Comfortable silence. But as she turned to go and dispose the bowls and spoons and stuff, she turned and hesitated before, pecking his cheeks. And running away downstairs.

And he stood there, dazed. Well, shooting stars do grant you wishes, he hoped he would have asked for something more. But for now even this was heaven!