~The beauty of a relationship, lies in there. Understanding!~

-Affu-

In India 

In Murthy House

"Manik bete!" Sujata exclaimed, happily, while staring at Manik, who was at their doorstep. "Hey Chachi!" Manik bent to touch her feet, who patted on his head, and welcomed him inside.

"How come you're here, in the early morning, when Mr. Perfect Malhotra is supposed to be in his office, working on something very important?" Sujata teased, while stretching the word 'very' and Manik stared at her, with a pout.

"Not fair, Chachi. I'm here to meet all of you, neglecting the very most important work I have, and here you're being mean to me. Chal, jaa raha hun mein." Manik turned to leave, when Sujata pulled at his ears, lightly.

"So Ma has lost the right to tease her son, now. Hain na?" She glared playfully at Manik, who grinned at her. "Of course not. Had you lost that right, we sons would never get pampered." he stated, and Sujata chuckled before Manik stared to drag her along.

"Where are Chachi number 2, 3 and 4?" asked Manik, wandering his eyes around. "They're in the kitchen." informed Sujata, while Manik nodded in understanding, muttering an OH.

"Alright! Chachis!" Manik screamed, gaining the ladies' attention, that they rushed outside, expecting Manik. "You'll never change, Malhotra." the ladies muttered, before engulfing Manik, in a hug.

"Kind of, ladies! Now, sabko bulao. Ek important message hain." Manik informed, gaining their attention. "What message?" enquired Vandana, frowning, while Manik just grinned.

"About my girlfriend." he announced, widening the ladies' eyes.

***

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Since when?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Who is it?"

"How does she look?"

"Where is she from? India, right?"

"What is she doing? Studying or working?"

"Wo sab chod! Why the hell didn't you tell us?"

And that came from Vandana, who glared down at Manik, and he gulped down, before..

Grinning!

"Yes! I have a girlfriend, for the past 2 months. She's beautiful, but a Lilliput, in front of me. She's an Indian, but born and brought up in London. She's working, in Manjeet lifecare hospital, as a Gynecologist. I didn't tell anyone, because, till a few weeks ago, we didn't have any plans to get married, but now we do." Manik explained, and all the ladies did were staring at him.

But there was one soul whose brain was calculating something. A girl born and brought up in London, and working in Manjeet, as a Gynecologist.

"It can't be." Vandana muttered to herself.

"Oh yeah! And her name is Nandini Murthy." Manik added, and Vandana slumped on the couch, in shock.

"Oh teri ki!" she muttered again, while palming her mouth, aghast.

"Na-Nandini Mu-Murthy?" Hema stuttered. "Um..Manu, tu kal aaja. Aaj tere dimaag teek nahi lag raha hain. (Um..Manu, come tomorrow. Today, your mind isn't working right.)" Mallika intervened, and Manik stared at her blankly.

"Of course, I'm well, Chachi. Do you guys think I'm joking about everything?" he squinted his eyes at them, whose eyes widened.

"Mathlab, you're not joking?" they asked, and Manik nodded in negative.

"You can't be serious. Nandini Murthy is your...girlfriend?" Sujata asked, while staring at the rest of the ladies, who looked equally horrified. Manik stared at them, quite confusedly.

"Yes! Why are you too shocked, Sujata bete?" they turned their heads towards the staircase, to see Yashjeet Murthy walking down the stairs, along with his sons. Sohesh was making shocked faces, while listening to whatever Dharmendhr saying, Dayavant having a disbelief expression on his face, while Sooraj was staring at Manik, with his jaws dropped down.

"Uh, Papa ji!" Sujata stuttered, while Hema stared at Yashjeet and Manik. "You knew about it, Papa ji?" Hema asked, and Yashjeet nodded.

"I've met Mann's future wife." said Yashjeet, and Manik slid down the couch, accidently though.

"F-future wife?" Vandana's eyes widened a little more.

"Shadi karne wale hai wo dono." Yashjeet informed, and Vandana had enough, that she moved towards Sooraj.

"Sooraj, mujhse aur nahi hoga. Tell me what exactly is going on! Please." she pleaded her frustration out, and Sooraj patted at her shoulders, as consoling his dear wife with a hug, in front of his father and elder brothers wouldn't be so appropriate.

"I'll do the explanation." Manik intervened.

"You should!" Sooraj squinted his eyes at Manik, who grinned nervously at him, before starting to explain his oh-so-real love story with Nandini.

***

"What the heck are you wearing?" Manik exclaimed, while staring at Nandini, with his jaws dropped down in shock. "A dress, we could say!" Nandini replied, while straightening her outfit's mild creases.

"Well, I can say that!" he rolled his eyes, before marching towards her. "We are going to meet our family. Forget that. We're going to meet Mr. Yashjeet Murthy. King of traditions! And you're going to meet him in denim and crop top?" he squinted his eyes at her attire.

"FYI! I'm not traditional, so I wouldn't care about the King of Traditions' opinions. Secondly, there's noting wrong in my outfit, because I'm not showing off my beautiful skin to anyone. Not even to the pole, standing in front of me." Nandini remarked, before walking towards the entrance.

"Pole standing in front of you?" Manik frowned, before letting out a sigh of frustration. "Lilliput!" he bellowed, and marched towards Nandini, who was about to step out. "Saree! Yash Daadu ko Saree pasand hain." Manik said, and Nandini grinned.

"That's exactly why I'm not wearing it." she replied, and he stared at her confusedly. "You don't want to impress him?" he asked, and Nandini shrugged. "Once, a pain in butt told me that I never had to do anything to impress him, for he was whipped by my looks. Imagine, if a young guy behind whom girls run around, think I got looks to impress, then why should I worry about your Yash Daadu?!" she pointed out, and Manik stared at her blankly.

"Lilliput! This impression is different from the impression that the stupid guy had about you." Manik stated, and Nandini held onto his arm, before dragging him outside. "Nope! Nandini Murthy has only one impression to make." 

"And that is?" he asked, expectantly, while she shrugged. "To change the person's first impression about me, as that always happen to be something positive." she said, and he nodded.

"Quite convincing. Although, I was different from all the people you met till now. My first impression was purely negative." he remarked, before getting in the car, while she took the driving seat.

"You happen to fall in a different category, always, Grumpy coffee." she too pointed out, and for some reason, Manik felt happy hearing that from her.

***

"Grumpy coffee!" Nandini whispered, while walking inside the restaurant, sticking to Manik. "Yes? Although, I would ask you not to call me that when we're around our family." Manik replied, and she nodded.

"That depends upon your mood. Act humane, once." she said, and he glared up at her. 

"Now listen! Just, stop me before I lose my control, okay." she said, and his eyes widened. "You lose control around me? Wow! I didn't know you had it in you." he teased, and she threw a look to him. A sweet grin!

"How can I not! You're one fine sanskari drink." she said, and he felt his ears getting heated up. "Lilliput. Language." he warned her, and she rolled her eyes at him. "So be serious." she replied.

"Elaborate the meaning behind your 'lose my control'." he said, and she stared at him, with a pout. "I'm going to meet all my Ma, after a long span of time. I might go and hug them like how I always do." she said, and his eyes widened.

"They know about you?" he cried out, in shock, and Nandini palmed his mouth. "Shush coffee! You're going to let the entire clan know about my identity." she whisper-yelled, and he took her palm off his mouth, and held it in his hands, tightly. "They know? And you didn't even bother to tell me about it?" he copied her tone, and she sighed out loud. "Oh! Now, I understand the meaning behind their expressions that I got to see today morning." he added, and Nandini started to drag him along.

"Stop!" and he held onto her shoulders, halting her. "Tell me who all know about you. I don't want to get another panic attack." he said, and she stared at him. "You didn't have a panic attack, yet. For you to get panic attack, you should feel immense fear, something similar to like you're going to die. You will also have shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain, heart palpitations, dry mouth, swe--" and this time he palmed her mouth.

"Dr. Murthy! I have no interest in biology." and she pushed at his palm. "Yes, I can clearly see it. You don't even know what a panic attack is, and claiming that you just got hit with one." she said, and he sighed out loud. "Lilliput!" he whined, and she started to drag him along, again.

"Don't worry. None is left, anymore. Chote Papa, my Bhayyus and the four other Ma of mine, know about my identity." she said, and he sighed in relief.

"But I can't promise about the future, though." she said, and he stared at her, blankly. "We're going to unite Shekhar Uncle, Shamishti Aunty with Yash Daadu, without bothering to reveal your identity. Not at least now." he said, and took hold of her palm. "Now, act like a girlfriend." he said, and she narrowed her gaze at him.

"I'm not going to be mushy with you." she said, and he glanced at her way. "Not every couple in love act mushy. Some do everything in private." he said, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's relieving much." she said, and he chuckled.

And they entwined their fingers. Mind it! Just being in their characters!

***

"Bhabi! Meet my two other Bhabis. Navya Bhabi and Alya Bhabi." Mukti introduced Navya and Alya, two energetic girls, who stared at Nandini and then Mukti, with big expectant eyes.

"Um..Hi!" Nandini waved her hand at them, trying not to look at the teary eyes of her mothers. "Can we, now?" and that was the reply to Nandini's greeting, which wasn't even directed to her.

"Maybe, we should ask Manik Bhai!" Mukti replied, with a teasing glint in her eyes. The three girls turned to Manik, who stared at them confusedly.

"Ask what?" he asked. "For a hug!" they said, jumping lightly in their places. "Well, what's there to ask. Of course, you c--" his words went into gutter, when he saw the two girls pouncing on Nandini, for a big tight hug. "Can't!" he muttered to himself, widening his eyes.

"Uff!" Nandini whimpered, in Navya's and Alya's arms, who were literally squeezing her to death. "Finally, Bhabi mill gayii!" they cheered, like little girls, at which Cabir and Dhruv palmed their faces, in distress.

"Girls! She's here to meet you, not to get chocked to death." Manik intervened, while separating Nandini from their hold. "Ahem! That was--life squeezing. I intend to have conversations with you in the future, as well, so yeah, let's keep it humane." Nandini said, while massaging her neck and hands.

"Awe, she's such a cute doll, Bhai!" Alya gushed, while staring at Nandini, and then at Manik. "I'm going to take her with me, for all my fashion shows. She'll make one gorgeous model." Alya stated, and Nandini stared at Alya, with her eyes squinted.

"What? Oh no, no. Lil--Nandini is not doing any such a thing." Manik held onto Nandini, and then glared at Dhruv. "Awe, Bhai is possessive." Navya commented, and Alya stared at the couple, with big puppy eyes.

"You guys are so cute, together, Bhai and Bhabi." Navya added. "Wait! I thought it's just Mukti who's gonna call me that." Nandini deadpanned, and Mukti chuckled. "Oh no! You're Bhabi to all three of us. Rishthe mein aap badi Bhabi hai inke." Mukti said, and Nandini looked up at Manik, gulping down.

"I wasn't prepared for this." she glared up at him, who pressed onto his forehead, for a headache was knocking at it. "Neither did I." he supported.

"Let the child sit, now." Yashjeet announced, and that grabbed Alya's and Navya's attention. Gulping down, they took their seats, and so did Manik and Nandini. But what widened Manik's eyes, were the words muttered by Nandini.

"Khadoos Murthy!"

***

"Aap London se hain?" Dayavant asked, while leaning forward, to have a look at Nandini's face. Beside him, Rudr and Sidharth rubbed at their foreheads. 

"Aise lagtha hai mere dil ki dhadkan bandh hone wala hain." Rudr muttered to Sidharth, who looked down at Rudr. "But I can still see your chest fine. It's not dripping with blood." Sidharth remarked, and Rudr pouted.

"Bhai! You have to have some reham on this poor guy." Rudr pointed out.

"Um. Yes! I was born and brought up, in London." Nandini replied, to which Sidharth and Rudr nodded, as if someone was asking for their comments. 

"I don't know any Reham. So how will I have him for you? Waise, what do you want him for?" Sidharth questioned, and on hearing it, Om smacked in both Rudr's and Sidharth's heads.

"Shut up! Will you?" Om glared at them, who was about to pout, when they saw Asad's murdering gaze at them. "Alright! AI is switched on." Rudr muttered sadly, and Sidharth nodded.

"She's also a Doctor. Isn't it, Manu?" Dharmendhr asked, and Nandini nodded. "Yes, I am." Nandini replied, instead of Manik and Dharam did notice the way Nandini's face twitched when the question about herself was directed at Manik, and not at her.

"I am a Gynecologist. I was pursuing my career in London, but then, I met G--Manik, and we fell in love. We decided to get married after dating for 2 months." Nandini elaborated, and Manik coughed lightly, on seeing the discomfort on Murthy brothers' faces.

"2 months! Isn't it uncommon? Yaani, nowadays people date for an year, at least, before thinking about marriage." Sohesh pointed out. Yashjeet's gazes went up to Cabir-Navya and Dhruv-Alya, who squirmed in their places.

"Of course, it is. Actually, I was uncertain too. But Manik wanted the marriage." Nandini dropped the bomb, and Manik's eyes widened. "He said that his Yash Daadu wouldn't encourage him to be in a relationship." she added, and Manik stared at her, blankly.

Raj stifled a laugh.

"So..you don't want to marry Manik?" Yashjeet leaned to have a look at Nandini, trying to intimidate her with his gaze. "I never said that. Yaani, Manik is a good person, so having him as my life partner will only do me good. Lekin kehthe hai na, insaan galathiyan kar sakthe hain. So what if we weren't meant to be! And we never realized until we start a married life." Nandini explained, without flinching, and to say that the men were shocked with her bravery, would be an understatement.

"When a mariage doesn't work well, divorce is an option. It's always better to divorce than being in a relationship before marriage." Yashjeet stated, and Nandini looked in his eyes. "So that means...every other couple who had an arrange marriage will end up being divorced?" she asked, and Yashjeet's gaze didn't waver. "I mean..in an arrange marriage too, the couples never got time to understand each other." she shrugged, and Manik held her hand, under the table.

"Lilliput." his whisper was enough for her to bring a fake smile on her face. "Well, that's my opinion. I've always believed in sharing opinion with family." she said, and looked at Raj, who smiled at her. "Of course beta. You're family, after all." he said, and she grinned at him.

Nyonika stared at Raj, with her gaze narrowed. Since when did her husband start to mingle with strangers easily?

"Ahem! She has it, in her." Alya whispered, and the Malhotra youngsters, except for Manik, and Navya raised their eyebrows. "Courage!" Alya added, and they nodded at her.

"So you're ready to get married to Manik, just because he wants it?" Rishi asked, staring at the duo, concerned. "It's your life too, Nandini." he added, and Nandini smiled at it. "Someone taught me once..live your life like you're going to lose it tomorrow." Nandini replied, and the Murthys stiffened in their places.

"And I thought of giving a try to this relationship. If it's going to make Manik happy, then it might make me happy as well, in the future." Nandini added, and Manik bobbed his head, silently conveying that at least now, she didn't give him a heart attack.

"God bless you, bete." Rishi smiled at her, who returned the favor. 

The rest of the lunch went well, except for one person throwing glances at Nandini and the way she eats.

***

"That was hectic." Nandini leaned on her car's door, and Manik stood beside her, copying her posture.

"It was dramatic." Manik threw his head backwards, and let out a sigh. "Remind me to never initiate a dining with family, in the future." he added, and Nandini gave him a thumbs up.

"Sure thing!" she replied. "How exactly are you going to impress Murthys if you're going to be yourself, Lilliput?" He asked, while turning towards her, and she just shrugged.

"I don't plan to impress them. They're going to accept me, however I am. In fact, I don't intend to have their acceptance. I just want my Appa to be back home. I just want my parents to have a family." she stated, and he smiled faintly. "That's going to be hard." he said, and she nodded.

"Where's fun, if it's easy?" she raised her eyebrows, and Manik chuckled. "Lilliput!" he held her palms in his, gaining her attention. "I know you don't like to lie and impress someone. But you know, sometimes, we have to sacrifice a lot, to gain a little bit of benefit we crave for. That's for our own good." he explained, while stroking her cheeks softly, and she stared at him.

"I've never done that before." she said, and he raised her eyebrows. "Didn't you lie to your Appa and come all the way to India from London?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes. "That's not sacrifice, but my love for him." she said, and he chuckled. "Well, you can give names to sacrifices, if you want." he said, and she glared up at him.

"Come on! You should listen to some of my ideas too. You may not see it, but today, you have brought a suspicion in Yash Daadu's eyes. Whether you'll be good enough for me or not. We don't need such suspicions. We want him to accept you as my better half, already, so that he may listen to you, in future, when it comes to accepting Shekhar Uncle and Shamishti Aunty. Kehthe hain na, pyar marham hotha hain. The affection for you might change his thinking." Manik had his palms on her cheeks, stroking them, and she thought about his words, before nodding in positive.

"Alright. I'll try." she said. He smiled down at her, and for once, Nandini felt happy and different on seeing that contentment on his face.

"Hands off her, Mister!" Manik and Nandini turned to the voice, only for the altter to widen her eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Manik pushed Nandini behind him, protectively, while staring at the stranger, who was still seething in fury.

"Oh God! Cad looks volcanic, now." Nandini muttered to herself!

***

Hey guys,

I'm sorry again, but I don't think I'll be able to keep my word. I'm super busy. Hope you're all doing good. Alhamdulillah, I'm good too. 

P.S: Chapter is unedited. Excuse the errors, please!

With love,

Affu.