In Dixit's Palace

Nandini's Bedroom

Since, it was late night and all of them were dead tired, they preferred to get some sleep, or precisely, they were ordered to get some sleep by their very own daughter/sister, Nandini Dixit.

Manik and Nandini were on the bed wrapped in each other's arms under the duvet. His grip on her was so tight that she could feel his inner turmoil..

Nandini: Mani..

Manik ( worriedly ): Haa..tujhe kuch chahiye..PaNi chahiye kya, ya phir kuch..

Nandini ( interrupted ): Oho, Mani..pehle mere bath tho sunn..

Manik ( nodded ): Haa tho bolo na..PaNi nahi chahiye tho kuch khana hai kya..Um, ya phir kissise milna hai, Dad ya Dadda ya Bhai k....

And this time, he was silenced by her lips who was more than irritated with his non-stop interrogation. While, he was shocked. He was too shocked to even respond to the kiss that she had to break it within some seconds..

Nandini ( sarcastically ): Ab tho chup rahe sakthe ho na tum..??

Manik ( still shocked ): Huh...??

Nandini ( giggled ): Stupid, I just kissed you aur kuch nahi kiya mene..

He was brought out of his trance and he smirked and pulled her on him and she simply kept her head on his chest which brought a smile on his lips..

Nandini ( softly ): Mani..I'm fine..

She looked up at him to see him lying on the bed with closed eyes and his hold on her waist became more tight..She stroked his cheeks gently which made him open his eyes..

Manik ( softly ): I thought, I lost you..

Nandini ( smiled ): You would never lose me. I'm so selfish that I can't live without you..

He smiled and joined his forehead with her's and sighed..

Manik: When I met you in Mumbai, I never thought that you were a girl who has already gone through a lot. You were shot..I..I didn't..know how to react..when that man..confessed about his attempts to kill you..

Nandini ( smiled ): Wo sab tho kuch nahi hai Mani. I couldn't feel any pain in it. Mujhe dard tab hua jab Dad apne aapko blame karna shuru kiya tha. Mom and Dad's love story is something I've always adored. Unke beech ithna pyar tha ki hum jab bache the thab bhi unhe tease karnekeliye nahi balki admire karne ka maan tha..Aur Dad started blaming himself for marrying Mom, for falling for her, that was too painful..

He caressed her hairs and kissed her head..

Manik: I do understand it, Love. Jaise mene unke barein mein suna mujhe ek aisa mehsoos hua ki kaash, kaash mein bhi wo pyar ke kahani dekh patha. Dad would have been so lucky to have them. I even thought that, why did Dad fall for Nyonika when he have seen such true love stories happening in front of his eyes..

Nandini ( sighed ): Mani, Pops fell in love with the wrong person. Jab kisike dil pyar karthe hai tho ye nahi sochega ki kisse pyar ho rahe hai, bas hojatha hai. Jaise ki, why did we fall for each other. We were poles apart, phir bhi humara beech bhi pyar hua. Wahi hua Pops ke sath bhi. He didn't know she was pretending to be a sweet girl. You won't believe it, but Pops is exactly like you. A baby at heart, kisi pe bhi bharosa karthe hai, isiliye jab Nyonika ne dokha diya hai, he was broken, he couldn't even trust anyone easily. Kabhi kabhi mein sochthi hoon ki why is that none of my Paps have wives with them in their lives, apart from Ravi Papa and Rohit Papa..

Manik ( muttered ): Dad hamesha kehthe the, jab kuch bura hojatha hai tho ek achai bhi hotha hai. Isiliye, jaise wo apne love ko kho diya waise hi unhe ek beti mili jo usse beintehaa pyar de sakthe..

She smiled at him and he too smiled at her. He took her lips in his for a soft kiss and left them and she started doodling on his chest..While, he was still scared for her and she knew it. She thought for something that could change his mind..

Nandini ( bit her lips ): Waise Mani..

Manik: Hmm..

Nandini ( pouted ): You won..

Manik ( frowned ): Won..??

Nandini ( nodded ): Yess....

Manik ( confused ): Won in what..??

Nandini: Arey, in our challenge..?? You remember that I gave you a punishment for not to touch me for 24 hrs and you won because everything happened before it could be 24 hours and I was the one to touch you first..

She pouted sadly and his lips twisted into a smile..He pulled her more into him and touched his nose with her's..

Manik: So..I won...??

Nandini ( sadly ): Unfortunately, yep..

Manik ( smirked ): Kya milega mujhe..??

Nandini: Kuch dena chahiye..??

Manik ( glared ): Mathlab, mene challenge jeeth liya par badle mein kuch milega bhi nahi..Ye kaise bath hui Miss Dixit..

Nandini ( sighed ): Fine, kya chahiye aapko Mr. Malhotra..??

Manik ( mischievously ): Kuch bhi milega..??

Nandini ( furrowed her eyebrows ): Tumhara chehre dekhe tho mujhe sirf gadbad lagthi hai, phir bhi..ab jeeth liya hai tho dena bhi chahiye..bolo, jo chahiye milega..

Manik ( smirked ): So, give a night of your's..

Nandini ( confused ): Hain..?? Mathlab..??

Manik ( smiled ): Mathlab yahi ki mujhe tumhara ek raath chahiye aur uss raath mein sirf hum dhono honge, mein jaha chahoon waha tumhe leke jaa saktha hoon, jo karna chahtha hoon wo tum bhi karoge, one full night with me, aur haan..point to be noted..sone keliye nahi bula raha hoon..aur mujhe Nandini Dixit ya Nanz nahi, balki sirf Meri Nandini chahiye..Milega kya..

She smiled widely and kissed his cheeks taking him in surprise..

Nandini: Done..agar mujhe Monster Manik nahi balki sirf mera Mani milegi tho tumhari Nandini tumhare saath ek poori rath bina soye apna time spend karoge..

He smiled widely and kissed her forehead and she snuggled in his neck.

She kept on snuggling in him making him restless..

Manik: If you're trying to awaken the monster in me, then congrats, its working.

She snaked her arms around his neck and shifted her face to the other side of his neck and snuggled more..

Nandini ( pouted ): I'm not getting it..I want your warmth..!!

He shook his head with a smile and hid her more into his neck and he inserted his hand under her shirt..

Nandini ( gasped ): Mani..

Manik: Shh..Just trust me..

Nandini: I do..

He smiled and caressed her bare waist making her sigh..She moved her fingers into his hair and caressed them..And finally, they were at peace.

Nandini: I love you, Mani..I love you so much..

Manik ( smiled ): I know, Love. And I love you more..Sleep, you need some rest..

Nandini ( nodded ): Can I check on baby..??

Manik ( sighed ): Ritesh so raha hoga..

Nandini ( softly ): Nahi..Please Mani..

He looked at her to see frowns on her forehead and pleading eyes. He smiled and kissed her cheeks and nodded..

Manik: But, I'm going to take you there..No ifs and buts..

Nandini ( pouted ): Fine..

He pecked her pout and got up fromm the bed while carrying her in his arms and walked out of the room..

In Ritesh's Bedroom

Nandini walked inside the bedroom while Manik preferred to stand at the door step. She looked at Ritesh who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed tightly..She bent and kissed his forehead making him sigh..

Nandini ( whispered ): I've never seen a better actor than you, Mr. Dixit..

Ritesh didn't open his eyes, instead forwarded his hand to her and she gave her hand to him who pulled her on the bed and kept his head on her lap, while Manik looked at them with an amused face. He didn't expect him to be awake.

Nandini started caressing Ritesh's hairs who snuggled more into her stomach and soon, she felt her shirt getting wet. Letting out a sigh, she bent to him and kissed his head again.

Nandini ( softly ): It wasn't your fault, baby..

But, she could hear his sniffs and hearing it, Manik too got inside the room and settled on a couch while looking at them curiously.

Nandini: If it was about blaming oneself, I should have done the same. Aakhir, mere birth ke baad hi tho Mom ke womb fragile hogayi thi..

Ritesh looked above with teary eyes which did pierce her heart, she immediately wiped them and nodded in No..

Ritesh ( sniffed ):Nahi Di, you weren't at fault..But..I..I..shouldn't have..been born..warna Mom..zinda hothi..Aur aap safe..reh pathi..

She didn't know how to console him. Since the past 7.5 years, he was blaming himself for being the reason of Chhavi's death. He thought, hadn't she got pregnant with him, she would have been alive happy with his Dad and siblings and his Di's life wouldn't have been in danger..

While for Manik, he has palmed his face in irritation. He looked at the duo and stared at them with " seriously " look on his face..

Manik ( murmured ): Mathlab, pehle Dadda aur ab Ritesh, Nandini bhi khud ki blaming karthe rehthi thi kabhi na kabhi, ye Dixit's ki khandani beemari hai kya..!!

Nandini ( sighed ): Baby, listen. You're taking everything wrong. Mom was always a fragile woman, not just by heart but by body too. Isiliye, after giving birth to me, her womb lost it's tenacity to hold anymore babies. But that doesn't mean she can't conceive again so she got pregnant with you aur Mom hum sabse ithna pyar karthe the ki wo hamare aane se pehle hi hamareliye kamra thak design karke rakhe the, which means she loved you a lot so you shouldn't speak like this, it would hurt her. Aur rahi bath uss ghatiya insan ke tho, he's behind my life because he wants to destroy our family. Ab tum bathao, if he wasn't a psycho who was obsessed with Mom but some business rival of Dad, won't he also try to kill me. Jo bhi ho, harm tho Dad ko hi karna hai..kyu..??

Ritesh looked at her and nodded like a baby making her smile..

Ritesh: Phir bhi..Di..I can't stop thinking like that..

Manik: You should grow up, now baby Dixit..

And that was when Ritesh noticed Manik in his room, he was about to get up from his sister's lap when she made him lie again..

Nandini: He's family so you don't need to become formal in front of him..

He gave a sheepish grin and Manik smiled at it. He got and moved to the duo and sat beside Nandini..

Manik: Mujhe ek bath batha, ye tum Dixits ko koi beemari hai kya..??

Nandini and Ritesh frowned at him..

Manik: Nahi samjhe..?? Arey tum log aise ho ki jo bhi wajah ho hamesha khud ko blame karthe ho. Dadda was blaming himself some hours back and now you, aur tumhari Di bhi aisi thi. College me aise bohath sare incidents the jismein your Di was like blaming herself for something that has happened even when she wasn't there in that scene..tho, ye koi beemari hai kya..Waise, Vishal Bhai aur Abhi Bhai bhi victims hai kya..??

Nandini and Ritesh glared at Manik who was chuckling by now..He held Ritesh's hand in his and smiled at him lovingly..

Manik: Ek sawal poochoon..Tumhe, tumhari Mumma se zyada pyar hai ya tumhara Dad se..??

Ritesh ( frowned ): Ye kaisa sawal hai Bhai..? Mein tho un dhono ko pyar kartha hoon, kabhi alag nahi samjha..

Manik: Tho phir, how could you say that you wish you were never born..??

Ritesh looked confused and so Nandini..

Manik: Jab tum apne Dad se bhi uthna pyar karthe ho jithna apni Mom se karthe hai tho tum aise wish nahi kar sakthe ho..Patha hai kyu..?? Kyunki, iss dunya mein, when a baby is born, then its either because of love or attraction/lust. Aur tum, apne Mom and Dad ke pyar ki nishani ho and if you think that you shouldn't have been born then it means you're not accepting your parent's love. Wo dhono ek dusre se bohath pyar karthe the aur uske results hai The Dixit Siblings, aur tum ho ki unke pyar ko hi neglect kar rahe ho. It was fate that your Mom had to leave you guys, tum badal nahi sakthe ho wo sab, if you weren't born then it wouldn't leave any changes in your life kyunki fate kilhna God ke kaam hai, tumhara nahi.

And Nandini looked shocked after seeing the much matured Manik in front of her while Ritesh was smiling at him.

Manik ( playfully ): Aur waise bhi, your Dad was head over heels for your Mom that he couldn't control his hormones dude..

He immediately got a slap on his arms by Nandini while Ritesh was giggling..

Nandini: Seriously..He's still a kid aur tum aise bathein kar rahe ho uske samne..

Manik: Kya Love..He's not a kid, not at least when he changes his girlfriends week by week..kyu chote Dixit saab..??

Ritesh ( smirked ): Absolutely. Di, mein hormones ke barein mein jantha hoon..

She twisted his ears and Manik freed him from her hold..

Manik: Oye, saala hai mera, tho haqq bantha hai, future Mrs. Malhotra..

Nandini ( glared ): Mathlab..kisiko mera parwa hi nahi..jaa, mujhse bath math kar..

She kept Ritesh's head on the bed and tried to get up when she was pulled on the bed and both Manik and Ritesh hugged her from sideways..

Ritesh ( pouted ): Sorry na Di..

Manik: Sorry, Love..

Nandini ( grinned ): Its okay..

Ritesh kissed her cheeks and taking it as a cue, even Manik kissed her cheeks making her shock and Ritesh smirk..

Ritesh: Seriously..get a room guys..

Manik ( shrugged his shoulders ): What's wrong in it..? Meri honewali beewi hai tho obviously I can kiss her whenever I want and if you're talking about room, hum tho isse bhi zyada karthe hai kamre ke andhar..

Ritesh looked at him with widened eyes while Nandini tried to hide her face somewhere..

Ritesh ( fake glared ): Meri Di bohath naazook hai so tang math karna, Mr. Malhotra..

Manik: Nah..teri Di tho wild tigress bhi ban sakthi hai..

And the duo broke into fits of laughter while Nandini slapped their backs..

Nandini: Hadd hai..mera baby ko corrupt kar rahe ho tum..and you Mr. Dixit, kisi ladki ke sath agar aise kuch kiya na tho you're grounded for your whole life..

Ritesh ( horrified ): What...No way Di, kiss ke aage kuch bhi nahi kiya mene..I swear, that's the place reserved for my Lady love..

Manik ( chuckled ): And he kiss each and every girl he meets..

Ritesh: Oh hello, har ek ladki nahi, bas girlfriend ko hai..And I was always a loyal boyfriend par mujhe tho sirf chipku ladkiya milthe hain, ye mere problem kaise bann gaya..

Nandini: Acha chod..sirf dirty stuffs hi muh se nikalthe hai..ab soja..

Ritesh kept his head on her lap..

Ritesh: Make me sleep Di..

She smiled and nodded..

Nandini: Mani, tum jao, I'll come after making him sleep..

Manik: It's fine..I can wait..

He rested his head on the headboard and took her in his arms while she smiled and turned to Ritrsh who was looking at them with a smile on his face..She made him close his eyes and ruffled his hairs while humming a soft melody and soon he was slipping into a deep slumber when they heard him..

Ritesh: Never give up on each other Di and Bhai..

And they smiled and she continued with her work, soon he was drifted into a deep slumber with his one hand gripped onto her's, she kissed his forehead and turned to Manik who was also sleeping. She never let Ritesh sleep alone whenever he's upset with something but then now, her responsibility has increased, Manik won't be able to sleep alone so she can't be selfish here.

Nandini ( smiled ): Mani..Wake up..

Manik took her into his arms..

Manik ( whispered ): Let's sleep here, Love..

Nandini: Tumhe back pain hojayega Manik..get up, now.

Manik opened his eyes and kissed her forehead..

Manik: He just slept now, let's not break it, Tum mere paas ho na, wahi kaafi hai..I'm comfortable..

And, he just knew how to make her feel special. She smiled widely and kissed his lips and muttered..

Nandini: I can never get someone who could be better than you..never..

Manik: Compliment is accepted, Love. Ab thareef ko full stop dho aur so jaa, Love..

She snuggled in his arms with Ritesh still lying on her lap and they both drifted into their slumber..

Next Morning

Each and every member of the family were running through the corridors of the Mansion like some crazy animals. They searched their entire Mansion for THEM..

Viren ( scared ): Patha nahi kaha gaye dhono..

Raj: Par Manik bhi kaise gayab ho sakthe hai..

Ravi: Humara security tho ithni tight hai phir bhi kisi bhi guard ko princess ke barein mein kuch bhi nahi patha..

Rohit: Koi dekha bhi nahi unn dono ko kahi bhi..

Vishal: Dad, we gotta search with Ritu too..

Abhi: He would be sleeping, Bhai. How will he know about doll..

Rishab: Bhai, he was stressed, ab zyada tension nahi dena chahiye..

Soha ( crying ): Let's check upon him, bas dekhne se koi usse tension nahi denge..kya patha, soulie uske kamre mein hogi..

They nodded at her and moved to Ritesh's bedroom and opened the door only to see the most beautiful sight..

Manik has wrapped his right arm around Nandini who was sleeping on his chest with Ritesh still lying on her lap and her hand gripped in his fist. They looked so peaceful and it brought a small smile on others' lips. They entered inside the room without making noise and stared at the trio.

Abhi ( smiled ): This looks so..beautiful.

Rishab ( smiled ): I agree with it, Bhai. Ritu was upset yesterday because of that Psycho Khanna but since Di was with Manik Bhai, he didn't intrude in between her space par kabhi socha nahi ki Bhai bhi Di ki tarah niklega. He should have been into this family long before.

And the rest smiled at it. Vishal bent and ruffled Manik's hairs and smiled..

Vishal: We just got another gem in our family. Bohath purana hai par hum thak pohanchne mein thoda time liya..

Viren kissed all 3 of them and asked others not to disturb them for which they obliged and moved out of the room..

Right after 15 minutes, Manik woke up and rubbed his eyes and his gaze fell on Nandini who was clutching onto the hem of his T-shirt. He smiled and kissed her forehead and then his gaze moved to Ritesh. He kissed his head too and turned to Nandini and caressed her cheeks making her to snuggle more into him..

Manik: Wake up, Love..Up..up.

She opened her eyes slowly to see Manik's smiling face. She smiled sleepily at him..

Nandini: Morning Mani..

Manik ( smiled ): Its obviously a good morning for me..

She smiled and her gaze fell on Ritesh who was still sleeping..

Nandini: He's still sleeping..

Manik: Yeah, he's tired. Let him sleep..

Nandini ( apologetically ): Mani, meri wajah se tumhe back pain hoga na, I'm so..

Before she could continue, he took her lips in his for a soul searing kiss. Though, she was shocked first but soon she responded to it with equal intensity. They broke the kiss when they went breathless..

Manik: Never apologize to me..I hate it..I simply hate it, got it..??

She nodded at him with a smile and he too smiled in return..

Manik: Chalo, let him sleep and you need to get freshen up..tumhe breakfast bhi karna hai..

She nodded and shifted Ritesh's head on a pillow while Manik got up and picked her up in his arms..

Nandini: Mani, I'm fine. Uthane ke zaroorath nahi..

But, she had to shut her mouth when he glared at her. Making a bad face at him, she looked away while he walked out of the room with her in his arms and entered Nandini's bedroom ..

In Nandini's Bedroom

Manik walked to the washroom and entered inside and kept her on the bathroom counter.

Nandini: Baaki ka kaam tum nahi akr sakthe ho..

She folded her hands against her chest while he took her toothbrush and paste but she took it from him..

Nandini: Mujhe fever thak nahi hai aur tum tho aise behave kar rahe ho jaise ki mere delivery ho chuke hai..

And she bit her tongue while he stood there with an amused face but then soon changed into a smirk..He pulled her elbow and he bent to her..

Manik: Delivery..hmm, wo tho hai, tumhare delivery ke baad tho mein bilkul bhi akela nahi chodoonga, waise thoda time tho hamara baby ke sath bhi spend karna hai, tum jealous math hona. Waise, baby girl ya baby boy hoga hamara..huh..

She bit her lips and looked here and there while hiding her flushed face..He smirked at her and caressed her cheeks..

Manik: What..?? Nahi bathaoge..mujhe lagtha hai choti Nandini hi chahiye, kya kehthe ho..

Nandini ( glared ): Shut up, Manik. Aajkal sirf yahi kehthe ho tum..

Manik ( pouted ): Ab kya kare, tum tho waise kuch keh bhi nahi rahe ho tho mene socha mein khud hi planning karoon..Ismein bhi tumhe problem hai..kaisi Ma hogi tum mere bachon ke..

Nandini ( annoyed ): Ugh...Manik Malhotra, if you don't get out of my washroom then you obviously will be punished and this time, it would be 1 week instead of 1 day..

He made a horrified face and ran away not before muttering " take care " while she giggled seeing the baby in him..

Manik, went to his room and got freshen up and came back after 15 minutes, but she was still inside the washroom..

Manik: Nandini, ithni der kya kar rahe ho..

Nandini ( from inside the washroom ): I'm bathing..

Manik ( mischievously ): Should I help..??

Nandini ( shouted ): Go to hell..

And he started laughing. Right after 10 more minutes, she came out while wiping her hair to see Manik reading the business magazines..

Nandini: Business mein tho bohath interested lag rahe ho..

Manik: Boss tho tum ho, tho kaha thak pohanch gaye mere training..

Nandini ( smiled ): I don't think you need anymore training, you were always a good businessman but you never realized it because of your passion towards Music..

He smiled and looked up at her to get lost in her, who was still wiping her towel. He got up and walked to her and stood behind her and held her by waist and nuzzled in her wet hair..

Nandini ( giggled ): Mani..tum thakthe nahi ho..?

Manik ( still busy in her ): Nope..meri energy drink tho milthe hai na har roze..

Nandini ( frowned ): Kaunse energy drink..??

He turned her to him and smashed his lips with her's making her shock. He held her waist in his tight grip and pushed her on the wall and deepened his kiss making her moan in pleasure. He bit her lips and pushed his tongue in her mouth and tasted each and every corner of her mouth and left her when they went breathless..

Manik ( panted heavily ): This is my energy drink..

Nandini ( blushed ): Got it..

He smirked and dipped his head in her neck and bit there hardly and she held his hair in her fist and moaned in pain and pleasure. He licked the bite to soothe it's pain. He placed wet kisses on her neck and shoulder while she stood there surrendered. He roamed his hands on her bare arms and pulled the strap and kissed her shoulder making her shudder. He was about to kiss her again when they were DISTURBED..

" Bhai, stop..please..." and they turned to see Rishab who has entered inside their bedroom but has palmed his eyes with his hands..They both separated from each other quickly and Nandini adjusted her dress..

Manik: Um..tum..yaha..

Rishab peeked from his fingers to see both of them looking here and there. He sighed in relief and glared at them..

Rishab ( dramatically ): Mathlab kahi bhi shuru hojathe ho..Aur Bhai, aap apne aapko control kyu nahi karthe ho, India mein bhi mujhe ye sab dikhaya aur ab yaha bhi, thank god I'm experienced to your PDA, agar Pops ya koi Papas aaye tho or worse, Vishal Bhai aya tho, Manik Malhotra chapter hi Nandini Dixit ke book se delete hojayega phir..

Manik and Nandini glared at him which didn't affect him even a bit..He turned his back towards them and started walking..

Rishab: Ab jaldhi aao, sab wait kar rahe hai pooja keliye, Bhai, wipe your lips, lipstick tho aap pehenthe hi nahi na..

Manik looked in the mirror to see Nandini's lipstick while she has already started wiping it..

Nandini: Damn, Manik..tum raath thak wait nahi kar sakthe ho kya..ab Ri se kis muh se bath karoon..

He shrugged his choulders and held her waist and adjusted her hair strands..

Manik: Issee muh se bath karna..khoobsurath dikhthi ho..waise bhi, he's habitual to it, so don't take tension. Ab chalo, agar pooja keliye late hogaya tho Rishab se nahi, tumhara Bhai aur best friend Sid and Arya aur mere pyare best friend Cabir se bachne keliye kuch sochna padega phir..

She shook her head and muttered " sudhrega bhi nahi "..

Manik: Suna mene..badalna chahtha tha par phir kya banoon, wo tho doubt ban gaya..

She smiled and kissed his cheeks..

Nandini: Aise hi raho, because I love this Manik Malhotra..

And this made him Blush. Soon, they both moved to downstairs with entwined fingers..

To be continued..