A slightly longer update...

-----

Navya was ready to give birth. On a Saturday morning, she started having contractions. Navya had moved in with Nandini in the last month so that the Murthy family could help her. Nandini and Chacha took her to the hospital in Manik's car because Manik had sent a car and driver to Nandini's place, for the emergency.

"Nandu! Bohot...pain!" Navya gasped, letting out stuttered breaths, holding Nandini's hand tightly.

"Shh...everything will be fine...think good thoughts and try to breathe," Nandini whispered. Navya rested her head back on the headrest and took deep breaths. Nandini called Manik with shivering hands.

"Hey, Nandu!" Manik greeted.

"Manik...hospital...Navya...labour..." Nandini spoke incoherently in panic but thankfully, Manik caught the words.

"Okay. I am reaching in 10." Manik said and called Cabir right away, knowing that the guy would surely want to be a part of this.

"Bol," Cabir said.

"Navya is in labour. Hurry up! Call Mukti and reach ASAP." Manik informed him and hung up.

-----

Nandini was pacing to and fro in the hospital corridor as Manik watched her. He looked at Chacha who was reading a newspaper.

"Psst. Distract Chachu if he notices us missing." Manik whispered in Cabir's ears.

"Yaar, abhi kya chumme ladaane hai tujhe?" Cabir got irritated because of Manik's Majnu behaviour.

"Shut up." Manik barked and got up, walking towards Nandini. She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"Come with me," Manik said.

"No Manik. Not the time." Nandini said sternly.

"Just come baba. Idhar, to the next corridor. Do you want Chacha to see us close?" Manik asked. Nandini looked at her Chacha and then at Manik.

"Fine. Just 5 minutes." Nandini warned.

"More than enough." Manik grinned. He held her hand and led her to an empty ward in the next corridor.

"Yahan kyu lekar aaye ho?" Nandini asked while sitting on the bed.

"I feel sick. This hospital makes me sick." Manik said, sitting beside her.

"Oh...I am sorry Manik!" The number of times one of them had landed up in the hospital was simply astounding.

"It's okay. It's just, can we have one good memory in a hospital? Pehle Cabir after Musicana, phir main khud, phir tum. Then me again." Manik sighed.

"This is a happy memory, right? A baby is being born!"

"A baby that we cannot play with," Manik said, reminding her of Navya's decision.

Nandini placed her hand on his and stroked it.

"We can't do anything in this situation na?" Nandini said.

"True."

"We barely get to meet nowadays," Nandini complained and placed her head on his shoulder.

"I know. How is Rishabh?"

"He's fine. In fact, he will be speaking in a month or two." Nandini chirped.

"That's great!" Manik kissed her hand.

"Manik, will you come for a date with me?" Nandini asked shyly, taking Manik for a surprise.

"Woah. Date and all?"

"Haan ki naa?" Nandini asked, angrily.

"Always a haan. Kab? Kahan?" Manik asked.

"This week. Navya needs me now. Let's go." Nandini pecked his lips and left him smiling.

----

It was 2 PM and the nurse finally came out, holding a baby boy. The couple, Mr and Mrs Mehta admired their child. Navya had taken the brave decision of letting a family adopt her child right after she gave birth because she knew how difficult things could get, and considering the fact that her family was not very...accepting, what's with her own college and career being at risk, she wouldn't be able to give the love and care the baby needs.

Nandini wiped her tears and so did Mukti. The baby was really beautiful. Nandini looked at Mukti who hugged her.

"Navya..." Nandini whispered.

"We have to be there for her," Mukti said.

The nurse took the baby inside for feeding. Nandini and Mukti entered and saw Navya holding her baby, and admiring him.

"Kitna pyaara hai na?" Navya asked. Mukti noticed her pale face and shivering hands.

"You don't need to be strong..." Nandini said.

Navya gave her a weak smile and didn't say anything.

"Cabir ko bhej doge?" Navya asked.

"Sure!" Nandini said and left with Mukti.

"Cabir, Navya wants to see you." Mukti conveyed.

"Hmm..." Cabir took a deep breath went inside. Just then Harshad entered the scene.

"I am so sorry! I couldn't get an earlier flight. How's Navya?" Harshad asked.

"She gave birth. Cabir is with her. Wait for your turn. Actually, come with me. Let's settle the hospital dues." Manik said and left with Harshad.

Harshad had left all the scheming and plotting life behind and moved to Delhi. He turned 21, so his late father's company was handed over to him. He changed his ways and was trying to become a better person. He was forgiven by the people he wronged only on one condition. He had to financially support Navya till her delivery.

-----

Cabir sat beside Navya and looked at the baby.

"Hum bohot miss karenge isse...yeh mera dil ka tukda hai Cabir? Kaise jaane doon isse?" Navya started sobbing.

"Himmat rakhni padegi Navya...agar itna pyaar hai toh jaane do. You know he will get the best of everything. He deserves a good life, Navya." Cabir caressed her hand.

"Pata hai...lekin..."

"You can cry, as much as you want," Cabir said.

"Nahi...main mere bachhe ke saath ke aakhri pal rokar nahi bitaana chahti hu." Navya wiped her tears and smiled.

"Tum bohot mature ho...pata hai?" Cabir asked.

"Situations, Cabir. Khair, tum nahi dekhoge tumhare bete ko?" Navya asked.

"Zaroor!" Cabir delicately held the newborn. The baby opened his eyes and looked at Cabir.

"Dekh raha hai vo mujhe." Cabir whispered. Navya leaned in to look at him.

"I will miss him," Cabir said.

"Me too..." Navya sighed.

"Navya, .kuch situations ne hum dono ka relationship badla hai. But yeh yaad rakhna, I will always be there for you." Cabir assured her.

"Pata hai..." Navya rested her head on his shoulder. Nandini, who peeped inside, clicked a picture of the best friend duo.

Harshad and the others saw the baby and the sad moment arrived. Navya appeared very strong throughout, but when the elders left, she broke down, completely. Nandini, Mukti and Alya took care of her throughout the night, while Chachi and Cabir's mother offered to come early the next day.

Nandini was sleeping on the couch with her head on Mukti's lap while Alya had dozed off on the single sofa.

Navya woke up in the middle of the night and opened her phone. She had requested the nurse to click one picture with her baby so that she still has some traces of him with her.

"Mera pyaara bachha...Mataji, kabhi mere bachhe ka saath mat chhodna..." She prayed and slept, holding her phone.

-----

As Nandini said, they did plan a date. They planned a whole day, just both of them and nobody else.

Nandini was getting ready at Alya's with the girls.

"Manik wanted you to wear comfortable clothes. Don't wear a dress." Alya said.

"Yeah, I think I will go with this dungaree." Nandini pouted, looking at her limited options.

"That is cute. Wear that." Mukti said. She noticed Alya texting with a blush.

She snatched the phone from Alya and looked at the name.

"Varun? Wait, he is your boss na?" Mukti asked.

"Yeh kab hua?" Navya asked next.

"Mukti! Next time don't snatch my phone!" Alya took it back.

"Avoiding questions, hmmm..." Nandini smiled.

"Shut up you three! It's nothing!" Alya's attempt to control her smile was poor.

"Kab se chal raha hai?"

"A month? I mean, nothing's official.....we flirt with each other...he said we shouldn't commit so soon though."

"You mean, an open relationship?" Mukti asked.

"No, it is exclusive, we are just not calling it that."

"Alya, that doesn't make sense." Nandini said.

"Uh..."

"Babe, be careful." Mukti said.

----

Nandini came out of Alya's mansion and looked for Manik.

"Oh my god! A Vespa?!" Nandini exclaimed, as she saw Manik leaning against a yellow, shiny, Vespa.

"Yes. How is it?"

"It's amazing! How do you know I like it?!"

"I might have seen you getting excited while watching Gossip Girl, when Serena got excited about the Vespa."

Nandini bit her tongue, realizing that Manik observes her very sharply.

"Anyway, this date just got awesome!" Manik laughed as she jumped in excitement. She wore her helmet and sat behind Manik.

Tere dar pe aake tham gaye

Naina namaazi bann gaye

Ek dooje mein yun dhal ke

Aashiqana aayat ban gaye Main aur Tum

Manik started the scooter and they rode along the surprisingly free lanes of the Mumbai streets. Manik had planned a few stuffs, something which was different.

Kaisi dil lagaai kar gaye

Rooh ki rubaai ban gaye

Khaali khaali dono the jo

Thoda sa dono bhar gaye Main aur Tum

Manik entered a mall and Nandini frowned. What would they possibly do in a mall? Manik gave her an assuring nod and held her hand.

Chalo ji aaj saaf saaf kehta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Yunhi nahi main tumpe jaan deta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Chalo ji aaj saaf saaf kehta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Mujhe tumse pyaar hai..

Nandini's eyes widened as she saw a game centre. Famous for its paintball arena. She got very pumped and dragged Manik around excitedly. Manik watched her behave like a kid and became happy. That's what he wanted.

Lage na yeh dhoop zaroori

Lage na yeh chaanv zaroori

Milte hain ishq zameen par

Ab do hi naam zaroori Main aur Tum

After two hours, both of them came out of the arena, thoroughly exhausted. They went to a restaurant to have their lunch. With some casual flirting, teasing, jokes and good food, they discovered different sides of each other.

Apna khuda bhi hoga

Apna hi Rab le lenge

Khud ki banaake duniya

Ye zindagi jeelenge main aur tum

This time, Nandini asked him where they should go and Manik just pointed to the ice skating rink. She nervously slipped into her rollerblades and helmet with the necessary equipment. Manik turned out to be excellent at ice skating. With a few embarrassing falls and small injuries, Nandini managed to skate well and they glided across the floor smoothly, their hands held.

Chalo ji aaj saaf saaf kehta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Yunhi nahi main tumpe jaan deta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Mujhe tumse pyaar hai..

While coming out of the mall, Nandini spotted a chaat stall and begged Manik. He had to give in and ended up eating more than Nandini.

Ek tum, ek main, teeja mangu kya khuda se

Dil doon, jaan doon, kya doon itna bata de

Tera mera rishta hai saanson se bhi naazuk

Tum sa, hum sa, koi duja na hoga na hua re

It was almost 6 and Manik took her to the last thing planned for the day. Nandini almost lost her sanity when she saw big Ferris wheels, cotton candy stalls, balloon shooting stalls. It was a freaking fair!

Do dil sa ik seene mein hai jaise Main aur Tum

Ab dono hum ik jeene mein hai

jaise Main aur Tum

Nandini noticed that Manik had let go of his 'The Manik Malhotra' façade and he was being himself. He had a big grin on his face whenever he won a silly game, or when Nandini had food all over her mouth.

Jaan se zyada chaha tumko piya re

Harpal, hardum, humdum tumko jiya re

On top of the Ferris wheel, they watched the sunset and Manik held her hands, entwining their fingers. Nandini smiled and placed her head on his shoulder.

Aaj saaf saaf kehta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Yunhi nahi main tumpe jaan deta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Chalo ji aaj saaf saaf kehta hoon

Itni si baat hai mujhe tumse pyar hai

Mujhe tumse pyaar hai..

Finally, Manik dropped her off at 8 PM sharp, as he promised Chachi. Nandini waited at the door until he left, with a content smile. They finally had a happy date.

-----

Mukti, Navya and Cabir met up in a restaurant for a casual dinner.

"What are your plans now?" Cabir asked.

"Cabir, hum soch rahe the ki hum hostel chale jaayenge. Aur koi reason nahi hai tumhaare saath rehne ka."

"Yeah, it would only make things worse for her. But I don't think hostel is the right choice either." Mukti said.

"Toh phir yeh rahegi kahan?" Cabir asked and Navya looked at Mukti too.

"Mere saath. Navya mere saath rahegi. Dad owns the building. No one will question anything." Mukti pointed out the fact.

"Yeah...kal hi shift karte hai phir." Cabir said. He hid his sadness because Navya became a very important part of his life in the few months that they lived together. Navya also ended up loving him, the kind of love he can never reciprocate, even if he wanted to. Maybe, it was for the best.

They came out of the restaurant and Navya craved to have paan so she got one for her, leaving Cabir and Mukti behind.

"Kya hua? Sad lag raha hai tu." Mukti pulled his cheek.

Cabir moved her hand away with a laugh.

"Andhi hai tu phir. I am happy Madhubala will be out of my hair." Cabir lied, trying to look convincing.

"Don't be mean yaa!" Mukti said and watched Cabir slap Navya's cheek playfully and them mocking each other.

"In an alternate universe, they would be an amazing couple." She said to herself and joined them.

----

Manik, Nandini, Mukti and Dhruv were in a cafe hanging out. Manik was busy with lyrics for a new song, which he didn't tell anyone. It was only for Nandini.

Nandini, Mukti and Dhruv were checking out some posts on Dhruv's Instagram when Alya's post popped up. It was with Varun, her unofficial boss-turned-boyfriend, and they looked quite cosy.

Dhruv wished he could unfollow Alya but Album contract forced all of them to follow each other on social media so as to let people think that there is no bad blood.

Nandini passed a look to Mukti who was looking at her too. They watched him hastily like the post and scroll through it like nothing happened.

"Okay, it's time," Mukti said. She gained Manik's attention who frowned.

"Time for what?!" All the three asked together.

"I am creating an account for Dhruv on a dating app. He needs to meet new people." Mukti said and snatched the phone from Dhruv's hands.

"Oh yes! That is great. Wait, let me do this. I love filling account details." Nandini said excitedly.

"You're a nerd." Manik teased. She passed him a fake smile and helped Mukti create an account.

"So dating app huh?" Manik asked Dhruv.

"I don't have a choice. Hijack kar liya dono ne." Dhruv said.

"I think this is for the best," Manik said and patted Dhruv's shoulder. It was about time they moved on from the past.

-----

Aryaman and Soha reached the college for Soha's admission formalities. They had threatened their dad to make the arrangements as repayment for whatever he's done.

They entered a cafe and ordered food for themselves. Soha went to the washroom of the cafe and was washing her hands when she saw the person she had tried to kill, The Nandini Murthy.

"So-soha?!" Nandini stuttered. She knew Soha would enter at one point in life, but it was too soon. Too. Soon.

"Nandini! Hi." Soha smiled, trying to not make Nandini feel intimidated.

"I need to get out of here. Suff-suffocation." Nandini gasped and rushed to the door.

Soha held her hand to calm her down.

"No! Don't touch me!" Nandini said and started sweating. She was a very strong person but after the Soha incident, the Pandit incident, the Car bomb incident, she was left emotionally and mentally scarred.

"Nandini! Calm down!" Soha exclaimed.

"Phone! Manik!" Nandini said incoherently.

Soha remembered something. The bathroom and her presence had affected Nandini and triggered the past memory.

"Okay, okay. Manik, right! I'll get him here." Soha said and made Nandini sit on the floor and told her to breathe. She rushed outside and found Mukti, Dhruv and Manik talking.

"Manik! Soha!" Mukti pointed out.

"Manik! Nandini..bathroom...fainting!" Soha stammered and ran behind Manik. As soon as he reached Nandini, he tried to slap her cheek lightly to let her regain her sanity.

"Manik! Tum thik ho? Kuch hua nahi na tumhe?" Nandini asked, cupping his cheek.

"Mujhe kya hoga?! Tum thik ho? What happened baby?" Manik asked, wiping Nandini's sweat. Soha raised her eyebrows, looking at their open display of affection. A lot has changed after that incident.

"I am fine...ghar le jao mujhe." Nandini said weakly and left, not looking at Soha or anyone else.

Manik agreed and lifted her up, reluctantly allowing Nandini to walk after her request. Mukti, Dhruv and Aryaman watched them leave and then looked at Soha.

"What?! I didn't do anything!" Soha said.

"Yeah right! Nandini ki toh aise hi panic attack aagaya!" Mukti snapped.

"Aryaman, tune kuch bola kyu nahi Soha ke baare main. Bata deta toh Nandini prepare toh karleti." Dhruv asked.

"I am sorry, mujhe nahi pata tha aisa hoga." Aryaman apologized genuinely.

"Well, she did try to kill her in a fire. Do you think she'll get over it? Don't you know what she's been through?" Mukti asked.

"Listen. It's my fault for popping up out of nowhere. Not his. Don't destroy your friendship with Aryaman because of me." Soha defended her brother.

"Whatever. Aryaman, just because we're friends, we will be fine. But it's better for her to maintain a distance from Manik and Nandini. They don't need this now." Dhruv said and left with Mukti.

-----

Author's note -

So, what do you think, will Soha come between MaNan again? Or does she know better?

Also, I have seen a lot of fanfics here in the past few years where Cabir and Navya get paired up but...Cabir is gay, so I don't know why that's a thing. Personally, I feel that Cabir and Navya are platonic soulmates and will always be.

Anyway! Next up, Manik and his future plans...and a very necessary flashback!