"I didn't know that you have called me to ask about Nandini, and I have offered to drop Alya home, that's it" Manik said to Mr. Murthy. "If you would have know it before, would you not bring Alya here?" he asked Manik in return. "I would have got her here" Manik's answer startled Mr. Murthy. "Dekho Shannoo ji kaisa ye ladka baat kar raha hai, he would have got her here even if he knew that we called him for getting our Nandu married to him" he said to her in low voice so as Nandini shouldn't hear him. "Yes, Alya coming with me last night was really unexpected, I had to drop her because her car broke down" he tried to explain. Mr. Murthy didn't talk anything.

"Agar main Alya ki jagah mera friend Abhimanyu ko le aata tho bhi aap yahi kehenge?" Manik asked him. "Nahi" he answered. "So, what's the difference between Alya and Abhimanyu?" he asked them. Mr. & Mrs. Murthy looked at each other. "Mere liye tho koi difference nahi hai, agar difference hai aap ke mann mein hai" he told them. Nandini came out. "Kya baatein chal raha hai?" she asked feeling the tension in the air. "Kuch nahi, we were asking Manik to have dinner with us" Shannoo said. "Yes, you should have dinner with us, please" Nandini asked. "Ok, in that case, chachi I would like help you in cooking" he said to her. "Yeah, I would like to" she smiled and Manik followed her to kitchen.

"Chachi, I'm sorry if I had hurt you yesterday. It was not intentional" he said. "I understand Manik, I wont say that hume bura nahi laga, yes, we felt bad, but on seeing how you handled this situation, I'm relieved. At least we got to know that you took a step to tell us this" she smiled. "Thank you for understanding chachi, Nandini and me, we aren't clear about this relationship, I know we liked each other's company, but shaadi ke liye sirf ye kaafi nahi hota, I need some time too" Manik said to her. "Take your time Manik" she smiled at him. He asked her if he could arrange the table for dinner. "No need, I will do it" she stopped him but he continued.

"Aap kyu taqleef le rahi hai chachi, main hu na, I will anyway help mom if I'm at home" Manik said setting the table. "Nandu, dekh lo isse, tum hi mujhe help karna" she said looking at Nandini who sat with her chacha scrolling through her phone. "Ha chachi, Nandini se zyada main aap ka help karunga" he said boasting about his nature to help others. Shannoo goes to get the dishes. Nandini comes towards the table. "Mujhe aise kyu dekh rahi ho?" he asked when he caught Nandini staring at him. "For making chachi scold me for not doing this?" she pointed to the table. "Kar lena chahiye tha" he said teasing her. Soon they all sat for dinner.

"Mmm...chachi, the food is so tasty" Manik complimented her while Nandini and her chacha ate in silence. "Don't you all chat while eating?" he asked them. "Aisa nahi hai Manik, bas ye log kabhi mujhe compliment nahi dete" she said looking at both of them. Mr. Murthy instantly replied, "Shannoo ji agar aap sach mein khaana swaadisht banayi tho hum compliment dete hai na". "Matlab, the food isn't tasty now?" she asked him who is busy in eating. She took his plate from him. "Shannoo ji, you shouldn't take plate while I'm eating" he said in a complaining tone. She didn't even spare a look at him. "Shannoo ji bas thodi salt zyada hui thi, baaki sab theek hai, please mera plate wapas do" he asked and she gave it.

"Chachi tum humesha achi khaana banati ho na, daily hum tumhare tarreef isliye nahi karte, Manik tho pehli baar khaa raha hai tho, he is just saying it out of courtesy" Nandini said to chachi so that she would end a fight with her chacha. "Acha, main jis kaam se yaha aaya tha bhul hi gaya!" Manik said and they looked on to him. "Me, mom and dad thought we should arrange a Sangeet and Mehndi party for Abhimanyu and Mukti, ab shaadi South Indian ho tho kuch gaane South Indian ki hona chahiye and Nandini, I need your help in that" Manik said. "South Indians ki shaadi mein ye sab naach gaana nahi hota hai, tho South Indian songs kyu" Mr. Murthy intervened.

"Ha, I know but Sangeet and Mehndi will light up the mood, Shaadi tho simple ho hi jayega, but we can at least celebrate the pre-wedding rituals" Manik said to him. "Ok I will arrange the songs" Nandini said readily. "Thank you" Manik replied. He bid them good night and started off from there. "Nandu, go drop him till the car" her chachi suggested and Nandini joined him. She stood beside him and smiled when he looked at her. "Khaana bahut acha tha, and its good that you haven't made it" he said and Nandini eyed at him. "Agar tum bana leti tho salt ki jagah sugar add karti hogi" he teased her. "You still seem to remember that carrot halwa I made" she said. "Of course how can I forget it?" Manik smiled and went home after bidding bye to her.

He reached home and said to Nyonika and Shrikant what had happened at Nandini's place. They were happy to know that Manik had taken a step to explain them. He also asked them to make necessary arrangements for Sangeet party. He excused himself when he saw Alya's call on his phone. "Hello Alya" he spoke. "I'm sorry Manik, I couldn't tell anything to Nihal's parents" she admitted. "I know how tough this can get but actually I shouldn't have asked you to do this" Manik said. "No Manik, I have tried my level best but I couldn't tell them seeing their concern for their son, its not my mistake Manik" she said crying. "Alya, why are you crying? I didn't say anything, I know its not your fault" Manik said.

"I have heard everything last night Manik" she told him. "I'm sorry for whatever mom said Alya" he said. "It's okay, I understand her but was she talking about Nandini!" she asked. "Ha she was quite disturbed that we both went there" Manik said and Alya understood everything. "Do you like Nandini?" she asked. "Of course, there's nothing to hate her, mom and dad want us to get married" Manik said to her. He decided against telling anything to Alya further. "Manik!" Nyonika called him while he found an excuse to cut her call. Alya is sad as she understood that Manik didn't tell anything to her.

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Manik had woke up in the morning and went for a jog. After 2 rounds of jogging, he sat on a bench in the joggers park. "Hi, good morning" Nandini wished him. "You? here!" Manik is surprised to see Nandini there. "Kyu? Main nahi aa sakti idhar?" she asked. "No, but I have never seen you here before" Manik said clearing her question. "That might be because you were not regular here" Manik looked suspiciously at her. "Ok, we were coming here since a week, but saw you here today" Nandini said. "We?" Manik raised his brows. "Chacha also came with me, he is there" she showed chacha to Manik. They both went and meet him. "Good morning chachu" Manik said. "Good morning, you also come here!" he asked Manik. "Ha, my place is just a street away from here chachu and I was busy since few days so couldn't come here. Come I will take you home" Manik offered to take them home.

"No Manik, we'll go, maybe some other time" he denied initially but had to agree on Manik's insistence and Nandini didn't mind going there. Manik took both of them home while Nyonika served lemon honey water to them after their jog. "Thanks aunty" Nandini said taking her glass from Nyonika. "Its very good that you are jogging Murthy ji, Shrikant always makes some excuse" Nyonika complained on her husband. "Please, no! I'm just here for few days and you want me to be disciplined here also" he whined. "Shrikant ji ko tho jog karne ki zarurat hi nahi hai" Mr. Murthy smiled. "Nandini, humare liye tumne kuch songs select kiya?" Nyonika asked her. "Yes aunty, I will send you the playlist" she said. Nyonika and Shrikant were happy to see that Manik and Nandini's story has finally progressed.

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Navya prepared breakfast for her father. "Papa, I'm leaving to hospital, please have breakfast and I have packed lunch in the hot carriage" she said. "Aur dinner ka bhi intezaam karke jao kyunki tum raat ko yaha aati hi nahi, oh I'm sorry raat ko pata nahi tum kidar hogi even you don't know yourself" he scolded her. "Papa aaj night duty nahi hai main dinner time tak aa jaungi" she said in tears.

"No need to return here, you can take your damn luggage and leave from here" he said and Navya continued to plead him. "Agar mere ghar mein rehna hai tho mere rules ke hisaab se raho, you should be in the house by 8 pm. "My shift completes at 8 pm but how will I reach home by that time?" she thought to herself but accepted as she had no choice. She came out and he passed out having drunk.

"Tho ye hai tumhare pujy pitashri, I mean who the hell gets drunk in the morning? And you how will you reach home by 8 o clock, dimaag karab ho gaya?" Cabir said standing at the gate at Navya's home. "Cabir, tum idhar kyu aaye ho?" she was tensed and afraid of her father seeing Cabir. "Don't worry he won't come" he said. "But what are you doing here?" she asked him. "I know what I'm doing Navya, come out" he said and pulled by her hand. "Cabir, agar papa ne dekh liya tho bahut bada problem ho jayega, jao" she said. "Wo nahi dekhega Navya, so chuka hai wo" he was able to convince Navya and took her to hospital with him. "Tu pagal hai kya?" he asked her. "Why don't you just leave him and go to your in-laws" Navya did not reply him.

Navya went away from him. "I know tum aise mere baat nahi sunogi and I know how to put your drunk dad on track too" he smiled. He went to check on Sanju and saw Rakesh there. "Sanju dekho ye saree, you will wear this tomorrow for our wedding, lehenga zyada ho jayega, you will not able to carry it" he said to her. She took the saree, "this is beautiful Rakesh, its ok agar lehenga nahi hai tho kya?" she said. "I know you will love it baby" he said and Cabir couldn't meet them. He was worried about Aryaman and met him. "Aryaman, tu idhar kya kar raha hai" he asked. "Aaj raat Mukti ma'am ki sangeet hai na, so usne mujhe bhi invite kiya, by the way even you got invitation I think, Nandini, Navya aur Alya ko mila kya? Do you know about it?" he asked.

"Aryaman, kal Sanju aur Rakesh ki shaadi hai" Cabir looked at him. "Yes, I know but I'm not invited bro, I'm sure neither of us had been invited" he said. "Mr. Sharma ne kya kaha Rakesh aur Sanju ke baare mein?" Cabir asked enthusiastically. "That Rakesh wont harm her" he sighed. "Wo Sharma bhagawan tho nahi hai na, wo eh diya aur tum ne maan liya, you should try to get her bro" Cabir said. "Wo bhagawan tho nahi hai par uske baat sach hota hai humesha" Aryaman said. "God might have thought I don't deserve Sanju, wo kaha aur main kaha, may be I'm mistaken in identifying Rakesh, chod de Cabir" he left from there.

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Manik was busy in looking arrangements for Sangeet. He saw Alya coming near him. "Hi Alya" he wished her. "Sorry Manik, you did not invite me, phir bhi main yaha aayi" she said. "Alya, this is not my function and I didn't invite anyone, Mukti and Abhimanyu are inviting the guests" he said. "But Nandini ko tumne ghar jaa kar invite kiya tha na!" she said. "Ha that is because I asked her to select songs for sangeet" he said without looking at her. Nandini and her chachi came there, Nyonika invited them in. "Sorry Nyonika ji hum jaldi aa gaye, we thought we should help you" Shannoo said. "Of course its a pleasure to have you, kaam ho hi jayega, Manik is looking after the music system and stage, come lets go". Nyonika had no idea that Alya is there with Manik.

"Why don't you ever answer me directly Manik? Whenever I ask about Nandini, you say that Mom likes Nandini, will you marry her? And is it just for your mom?" Alya asked Manik while Nyonika, Nandini and chachi were at the door.