~One should always wish for a prince, for you never know that you could be blessed with a knight~

At MruNi's

Shekhar stared at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes, with his heart so heavy. His daughter was getting seated beside Manik, by Nyonika and Anjali.

His little sunshine who used to walk around the garden wearing too little frocks had once turned into a teenager wearing jeans. And now she's turned into a woman who's ready to become someone's wife, wearing a saree.

How fast the night changes!

Nandini's brothers looked at their sister with a beating heart. They wished and hoped that she would remain happiest with Manik, and if not, they would just have to kill Manik.

"Pair choona hai, Shona!" Shamishti, who was busy admiring her daughter, advised when she got to see Harshvardhan approaching the couple to bless them.

"Uske zarurath nahi hai, Shamishti bitiya. Betiyon ko Dil choona hai, pair nahi." Staring back at Nandini smilingly, he forwarded his gifts to her. "Aur aapki iss amaanath ne wo pehle hi haasil kar chuki hain."

Shamishti and Shekhar smiled proudly on hearing him. Nandini let out a sigh, before nodding her head. "It's good that you're not as cheesy as your daadu." Nandini commented while looking at Manik, who let out a chuckle while Harsh pouted sadly.

"Shona!" Shekhar asked her not to disrespect Harsh through eye contact. "Arey ye chaltha hai Yaha. Don't worry about it, Shekhar." Harsh waved his hand at Shekhar dismissing the matter.

Soon they were done with the rituals, and before they knew it, Manik and Nandini were officially getting hitched soon.

***

"Arey nahi. Uss taraf ke hai wo table. Where's Cad? I need that guy here immediately." Shekhar held onto his head while dialing Cadbury's number on his phone. "Mohnish is also gayab. Hai kaha hai ye log. It's time for lunch already."

"Shekhar"

That voice.

It seemed so familiar to Shekhar. Yet that voice sounded so strange to his ears. It's been years since he's last heard him calling out for him.

He turned around to face the person, only to realize that there were two of them.

"Bhayya?" There stood Dayavant and Sohesh, with tears glistening in their eyes, while all Shekhar did is to stare at them wide eyed.

"Chote!" Dayavant rushed towards Shekhar and hugged him close to his heart. "Mujhe maaf karde chote. Maaf karde."

Dayavant cried his heart out while Shekhar pulled out from the hug and blinked his tears away. "Aap y-yaha? Kuch kaam hai Kya mujhse?"

Dayavant stared at Shekhar with his heart broken on hearing his little brother's words which are just filled with bitterness. "Chote? Ithna paraya math karo Hume." Sohesh moved towards Shekhar, who took a step back while showing his palm towards them.

"Jab aap logon ko saalon pehle mujhe paraya Karne mein koi dikhath nahi tho mujhe Kyu hona hai?" Shekhar voiced out; he sounded anything but calm. "Ch-chote hum Kya kar payenge? Appa ne kaha..." Dayavant started and Shekhar let out a laugh.

"Appa ne kaha aur aap maan gaye? Let's just cut off Shekhar from our lives. Aise Socha, Kyu? Then why are you here now?"

"Nandini ne message Kiya tha. Viren ne sunaaya and we couldn't help but come here." Sohesh stared at Shekhar, feeling hurt. "Uske roka hai aur Tumne bathaya hi nahi, Chote?"

"Kyu? Kya lagtha hai aap uskeliye? The Chachas who never accepted her mother? The Chachas who let their father throw her parents out of their home?"

Dayavant and Sohesh stood in guilt and shame, while Shekhar only stared at them emotionless. He was in pain but he wanted to let everything out today.

"Arey I know, galathi Meri thi. I got married to someone who my father doesn't approve of. And it's a child's fault to go against his father. Ye mere aur Papa ke beech ki baath hai. Hum dono sort out kare ya na kare, the future would tell. Shayad kabhi nahi bann payenge, because Papa will always follow his rules. Ya phir koi chamatkaar ke wajah se wo badal jaayega. Jo bhi ho, it would be a closed chapter now or in the future. Lekin aap logon ke Kya?" Shekhar stared at his brothers, throwing daggers of accusations towards them. "You could have been with me."

Shekhar blinked his tears away, and stared at Dayavant. " Koi bhi mere Saath de ya nahi, you could have been on my side, Bhayya." He rubbed at his nose to wipe the redness away. "I'm not asking you to leave Appa, your house, your job and everything for me. Lekin mere Saath de sakthe the na?"

"Hum-hum Appa ke khilaaf kaise yaar?" Sohesh questioned, while blinking his own tears away. "Kyu? Ghar se nikaalega wo? Tho phir teek hai. Apne Bhai ke Liye hain na?" Shekhar stared at his brother, with a questioning look on his face. "Nahi kar payega na? Kyunki sab Kuch chodke iss Bhai ke Liye Kyu aaun? Jab Appa ke paas daulat, power, Ghar, family sab Kuch hai aur mere paas ek job thak nahi. Kyun?"

"Aisa nahi hai,Chote. Tu galath samaj rahe hai humko." Dayavant tried to hold onto Shekhar, who refused to be touched by him, which only increased the hurt in him. "Raj ne Mera Saath diya. Aap nahi. Aur ye kaafi hai mere Liye jaane keliye kaun apna aur kaun nahi."

"Chote?" Shekhar ignored the pleas coming from Dayavant and Sohesh, and started to walk away. But he got halted in his tracks and turned around to face them again. "Aajkal mein ye bhi sochtha Hun Bhai, ki jab Aapke Bache Meri beti se chupke mil sakthe the. Uske Saath rishtha nibha sakthe the. Uske Bada Bhai banke usse Sahi aur galath ke baare mein guide kar sakthe tho, aap Kyu nahi kar paaye?" Shekhar's this question halted the pleas coming from his brothers. "Maybe we don't love each other like they do. Yeah?"

And he left the place, leaving heartbroken Sohesh and Dayavant.

"He doesn't love us anymore, Sohesh. He doesn't." Dayavant let out a whimper, and Sohesh consoled his brother.

They turned around to leave, when they came across Dharmendr and Yashjeet who were silent spectators of the drama unfolded.

"Appa!" Dayavant muttered out loud and Yashjeet only walked towards the bungalow where Shekhar went. "Nandini se milna hai mujhe. Agar tumhein se kisiko aane hai tho aa sakthe hain."

"Appa! Chote naraaz the." Dharmendr rushed towards Yashjeet,who did not stop walking. "And so was Nandini. Lekin mein phir bhi jaa raha Hun na."

"Let's not fuel it again, Papa. We need to leave." Sohesh and Dayavant too paced with the rest of the two. "Mera decision nahi badalne wala. Lekin haan..." Yashjeet halted and turned around to face his sons. "If any of you have got a problem with it, you can do whatever you want. Neither will I force you, nor am I gonna be upset with your decision."

And he sped away, while the rest three of them gaped at their father.

"OMG!" They heard a shriek like voice and the four of them turned their attention towards the voice. "How come the Narnia Witch and army here?"

It was Mrunal, obviously!

They stared at her confused.

"Uh yeah, not the witch in this case. Let it be Wizard and army." She said while staring at Yashjeet,and walked forward. "Any job here? Ya phir, any invitation?"

"Nandini invited us." Mrunal rolled her eyes at Yashjeet's answer. "Yeah so, Mr tall and rude looking old man, you need to prove that to me. Show me the invitation card."

"Excuse me? Tameez se baath karo. Bade hai wo tumse." Dharmendr argued, and she looked at him. "And I'm a woman. So aap apne tameez, respect, dignity and wagera wagera mujhse aage math rakho. You're supposed to listen to what I say. Ye Murthy mansion nahi hain."

"What do you want, ladki? Viren ko bulao. He has the voicemail which has Nandini's invitation."

"Mrunal. Mrunal is my name. Jis Nandini ke baath kar rahe hai aap, uske best friend. So I hold more power here than you, who didn't have the guts to accept his son's choice."

Yashjeet stood there wordlessly while others could only gape at her.

"Ab drama hogaya tho, let's get into business." She dusted at her hands and spoke. "If Viren Bhai is having the invitation, then pick your phone and dial his number. Ask him to come out with your invitation. If you cannot, you may leave. And let me tell you, Aapke shor machana ya bacho jaise whine Karna Yaha nahi chalega. This is Mrunal Singhania, and not Shamishti Murthy."

Yashjeet stared at Mrunal with his single eyebrow raised, while she stared back at him challengingly.

"Viren!" Yashjeet called up Viren, and Mrunal smirked at the old man. "And the woman card works. Always!"

***

"Ye Kya hain?" Nandini questioned while looking at the gift box in her hand. "Gift box hain. Iske andhar Kuch na Kuch hoga Jo mein Tere Liya laaya. And since it's in a gift box, it must be a gift. Right?" Manik mocked, while looking at her.

"Mr. Mocky coffee!" Nandini took his hands and kept the gift box in his hands. "I know I'm such an inspiration. And you try a lot to speak like me. Lekin, tummein na, wo baath nahi hain. That lazy and I freaking don't care even if you're some Yashjeet Murthy wala expression? Wo tummein nahi aayega. Guts hona chahiye na uskeliye, Jo tumhare paas hai hi nahi."

He narrowed his eyes at her, who looked at the gift. "Ab kholo. I don't like gift boxes. Seedha mere haath mein dho." She forwarded her hand towards him, and he heaved a sigh while unwrapping the box.

"Should have expected this reaction." He muttered out loud and she dusted her hand at his biceps. "I know right?"

"Here, madam." And he kept it in her hands, while she stared at it wordlessly. "You know," she started and traced her fingers on the thing in her hands. "My Appa is handsome, and he's one lucky guy to have my Ma. And they're both lucky to have given birth to a daughter like me, and obviously you're lucky to have all of us for yourself. Lekin, I didn't know you would take this luck so seriously. Ithni obsession Kyu, Grumpy coffee?"

Manik held onto her and pulled her close to his heart. "Because I want you to know that I'm never getting tired of this obsession." She looked at him questioningly, with her eyebrows raised. "I decided to gift this portrait to you because I want you to include me with your Appa and Ma, kyunki wohi tumhari dunya hai." She smiled hearing him. "And I also want you to know that, we're going to get married. You'll be coming home with me. To my home, which you could call your home too. Lekin tum apne ye Ghar, tumhara chota sa khubsurath Ghar nahi chod Rahi ho and that you'll always belong to your parents. I'm never going to ask you to choose between me and your parents. Kisko chunna hai aur Kiske paas rehna hai, wo tumhari choice rahegi. Hamesha!"

It was a portrait of her and Manik with her parents standing behind them, hugging them.

Nandini stared at him for a while. She could hear the sincerity in his words and the honesty in his eyes. He meant each and every word, and that stirred something in her heart.

Being a girl, losing the importance and love of parents will always be a fear post marriage. To choose between the parents and your better half is something nobody could do, and painful at the same time.

Hence having a partner like Manik Malhotra will always be a blessing!

She stood on her toes, holding onto the hem of his kurta, planted a soft kiss on his cheeks, taking him by surprise.

"Will you marry me, Grumpy coffee?"

He stood there surprised with the question, for it was the first time she took the initiative in proposing to him for marriage.

"If you don't, I'm just gonna ask my bhayyus to kidnap you. Baath khatam." And he laughed out hearing her.

Touching her forehead with his, he rubbed his nose with hers. "Yes, soon to be Mrs. Grumpy coffee."

"Eww, Lilliput is fine by me."

And this time, both shared a laugh with each other.

***

Hey guys,

How's the chapter?

I've been going through certain situations in life. It hasn't been so easy and happy for me lately, hence why, I've been not active on Wattpad. Forgive me!

With love,
Affu.