(A/N: Hey! Here you go with today's update. I understand if you guys can't vote/comment but I really would appreciate if you could ❤️ Thanks!)

Status: Edited

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"Nandini... Nandini... Nandini..." I heard a familiar voice calling me and I put a fluffy frog cushion over my head.

"Shut up. Mujhe sone do." (Let me sleep.) I put the pillow over my head and covered my ears with it.

"Nandu..." He ran his fingers along my arm and I realised I wasn't dreaming anymore. Shit! I jumped up. Manik was sitting next to me, smirking.

"Tum yahan kya kar rahe ho?" (What are you doing here?) I looked at the window again to see if I had left it open. I sighed.

"Chalo. Get ready fast. You need to go shopping with Mom. And yeah, what's your number, love?" I cringed my eyebrows in disgust. He knew exactly what to say to tick me off. His chuckles filled the room. Ayyappa... He composed himself after a couple of moments and tilted his head for an answer.

"Wh-why... do you... need... my number?" I asked, moving backwards as he leaned closer to my lips. A smirk unfolded on his lips and he bent closer to me.

"Because..." He whispered, in a seductive tone, leaning closer to me while I crawled backwards on the bed.

"Because?" I muttered.

"I..." He said against my lips and the door began to throb.

"Nandini... Nandini, wake up. Darwaza kholo." It was Amma shouting. I immediately pushed Manik away. Shit, I had to hide him somewhere. Amma would kill me if she figured Manik sneaked in through the window. I ran around the room with him, searching for any place big enough to accommodate a six foot tall, well-built man. 

"Manik, come here." He protested. I opened the window and made him stand where he usually stood.

"Stay here aur jab tak main na bolun, hilna mat." (Stay here and don't move, until I tell you.) 

He grasped my wrist. "What will I get in return?" Raising his eyebrows, he leaned in. 

"What do you want?" 

"Come on Nandu... You can't be so innocent." He said, running his fingers through my hair. I'm so done with this man, I swear.

"Yeah okay. I'll give you my number. Now shut up for a few minutes." I closed the window and covered his frame up with the curtains.

"Nandu..." 

I went to the door, stretching my arms like I'd just woken up. "Haan..." Amma barged inside and went straight to my dresser. Thank God I didn't think of hiding him in my closet. She was dressed in a beautiful royal blue saree. She wore some of my jewellery while I kept glancing at the window every few seconds.

"How does this look?" She asked, showing me a necklace and I sighed.

"Nice. But what's so special?" Amma smiled and held my hand.

"Appa is taking me for a date today. And you know na his favourite color is blue? That's why I am getting ready." Even after 25 years of marriage, Amma and Appa had the same love they once had for each other. They still went to romantic movies together, went on dates, surprised each other with gifts and never hesitated to express their love. I, on the other hand, was stuck with Manik, who hated me. My life was gonna suck in a few more days.

"Okay chalo. I am going. Just make breakfast for Rishu aur tum bhi khao. Manik would be coming soon. Jaldi ready ho ja. Shopping jaana hai. Rishabh ko bhi leke jao." (Just make breakfast for Rishu and make sure you eat too. Manik would be coming soon. Get ready quick. We've to shop too. Take Rishabh with you.) Her hand pressed into mine before she left with a beaming smile. 

I brushed my teeth, took a shower, changed into my kurti and leggings and came out to see Manik on the bed with my phone. "What are you doing?" I grabbed it off his hands, checking if he fiddled with something.

"Checking your contacts. Looks like you talk to a lot of men, eh?" He reclined on the bed. It wasn't leisure time. 

"That's none of your business. Why did you come inside? I told you to stay out till I call you in." He was getting on my nerves.

"That was only until I got your number. Why don't you have a password?" Can I please dislocate his jaw?! 

He saw Amma's phone lying on the bed. He sneaked in carefully, unlocked it and searched for my contact. 'Nandu'. He copied the number to his phone and then kept her phone back. As soon as Amma left the room, he sat on my bed, looking at my phone on the bedside table.

"What the hell do you think of yourself? Ek baat nahi sunte ho meri. Jab chahe, room main ghuste ho, possessive hote ho, bully bhi tum hi karte ho and you think I won't tell you anything, hai na? Then let me tell you Mr. Manik Malhotra, you're highly mistaken. Okay? You cannot be..." (You don't listen to anything I say. Whenever you want, you sneak in, you get possessive, you bully me and you think I won't tell you anything, right?) He grabbed me by my waist and pulled me closer to him while a finger fell over my lips. I gasped at the proximity our bodies were in. 

"Kitna baat karti ho? Just shush, for some time." He bent closer, covering the distance between us. I felt suddenly conscious. My chest was barely touching his. My breath quickened. I looked into his eyes. He leaned in; Ayyappa... he was so attractive... and his lips brushed against my nose.

"Manik..." He stood on his feet and awkwardly walked out of the room. Was he trying to kiss me? I mean there was no doubt about it but still, I found it hard to believe a man so damn hot would find me even the slightest attractive. I headed downstairs to make breakfast for Rishabh, dismissing any other thoughts.

***

"Which of these do you like, Nandini?" Nyonika asked and I took a glance at each of them.

"Aunty, all of them are pretty but this grand?" I asked, a little worried.

"Nandu... It's your wedding. Choose which one you like. No, actually try these on." I was shoved with a few altered lehengas; an assistant directed me to the changing room. One of them had sheer sleeves, which I really loved though it was brown. Its dupatta was pink though, a gorgeous pink. My phone pinged. 

Manik: So shopping eh? Take a picture of your outfit and show me.

No way. I was not gonna take any picture of myself to show anyone. I silenced the phone and put it on the rack above me. I dressed myself and showed Nyonika. She loved it just as much as I did. Then I tried on an heavy embroidered purple chiffon lehenga. I didn't like the back cut of the blouse but they said they could stitch me a new one according to what I wanted. Perks of being a Malhotra, or in my case, a to-be Malhotra. 

God, this feels weird. I was going to be part of his family. His family, Manik's family. I was going to be... Nandini Malhotra? OH. 

"Bhaiyya, yeh sab pack karlena." (Brother, pack all of these.) Nyonika told the salesperson and he was more than happy to make hefty sales. I felt beyond guilty for spending so much of their money, but it was also a matter of pride for them that they got to sponsor their daughter-in-law her wedding lehengas. Another way of them expressing their acceptance of me. 

Next, she took me to a jewellery store. She got me some jewellery to match the lehengas. After we were done, she called Manik.

"Manik, are you done?"
"Mom, I don't know which of these to select."
"Tumse ek kaam nahi kiya jaata. Chal. Main aa rahi hun." (You can't do ANYTHING. Okay, I'm coming.)

She honestly wasn't wrong! 

"Nandini, I'll come back in 10 minutes. Till then you just look around, okay? Stay here only." I nodded, eyeing a string of gorgeous black pearls. 

***

Manik felt a hand on his shoulder. "Haan. Kya hai?" (Yeah. What's wrong?) Manik was sitting on one of the stools, trying to eliminate chains.

"Which one do I select?" He asked for the fifteenth time in the past half an hour while Cabir and Dhruv sat on the chairs beside him, bored and sipping their glasses.

Cabir shook his head, highly disappointed. "Aunty, this idiot has been saying the same thing since the last 30 minutes. This is my third drink here." Manik kicked his leg.

"Take that one. It looks good." Nyonika pointed and Manik nodded.

"Fine. Bhaiyya, bill this na? Mom, main abhi aa raha hun." (Mom, I'll be back.)

"Aap pehle kyun nahi aaye? This waiter has been giving me glares ever since I've been here. 30 minutes ka kaam 3 seconds main hua hota. They would've saved some booze." (Why didn't you come earlier? A 30 minutes job would've taken just 3 seconds.) Nyonika pat his head playfully.

"Guys, she isn't picking my call. Try her number na?" He tried my line thrice and I didn't pick up. Cabir gave him the eye.

"Whoa bro! What's cooking?" He lifted his eyebrows and smiled. Manik ran his fingers through his hair.

"Dude, just try na? Please?" 

Cabir cut his jokes and took my number from Manik. No answer. "Tch. Nope. She isn't picking." He said, playing the tone on speaker before hanging up.

Manik's face had countless frowns. "Try again. Buddy, you also try na?" He nudged Dhruv and Dhruv nodded.

"Na-ah. Not available to take calls right now." He mimicked the message.

"Goddamnit. Mom, where is Nandini? Why isn't she picking the call?" He held his mother's arms and asked her carefully.

"Wait, what? Nandini is in the jewellery store across the street. Why? What happened?" Nyonika got all the more worried. Manik heaved a light sigh and walked fast.

"I'll be right back." He said and ran downstairs. He crossed the street and looked for me in the jewellery store.

"Nandini..." He called but he couldn't hear any response from my end.

"Did you see a short girl around? She had some shopping bags." He asked the salespersons but all in vain. Of course, who would be able to identify someone with such ridiculous descriptions?

"Nandini..." He ran his fingers through his hair again and took a deep breath. Where the hell could I have gone? He searched the entire store and then hunted for me outside.

"Nandini?" He called as he ran through the streets. He finally spotted me at a cotton candy stall, paying the vendor happily. He finally felt his soul come to rest. He pulled me into his arms tightly, in public, forcing me to drop my dearest cotton candy. When I didn't hug him back, he held me closer to give in. I wrapped one arm around his waist and he gripped me tight.

"Manik, it's hurting." I whispered and he broke the hug, still ensuring he was close to me.

"Why aren't you picking your call? Do you have any idea how scared I was? When Mom told you to stay there, why did you come here?" He startled me with questions and gripped my arms. There was a sort of fear in his eyes. I had scared him.

"Manik... Relax. I am fine. I just felt bored there." I said, looking into his eyes, assuring him.

"Where is your phone? Why weren't you picking my call?" He asked a little louder than intended and people smiled at us. We already looked like a couple, especially me–an absentminded wife who loves to shop–thanks to my zillion bags. 

"I... I don't know. I don't know where I left my phone." I really didn't remember where I'd left it. He sighed and held my arms again.

"Never do that to me ever again, do you understand me?" He asked and I nodded gently. He pulled me into his arms again and this time I hugged him back. No matter how rude and insensitive he was to me, the fear in his eyes said that he cared. I had frightened him and I felt genuinely sorry. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

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(Thanks for being supportive, babies! Loads of love to you all.)