So here goes your super duper long update of almost 4K words as a compensation. Phew. Do drop in your reviews. Ignore the mistakes,if any.
Happy Reading! 💖

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So since we didn't go out yesterday, let's make the most out of today." Manik said as they freshened up for the new day, settled in the dining hall, having breakfast.

" Really? Okay then. We'll visit Madame Tussaud's today and shop for everyone. Cool?" She said excitedly while munching the Nutella toast to which he nodded happily.

" Let me go and change, I can't go out in sweatpants. Give me a minute." She said as she dusted her hands, wiping off the crumbs with the back of her sweatpants. [ I do that a lot. Lol.]

" Nandini, if you come out in a minute then trust me, it's gonna be the eighth wonder of the world." He said cockily.

" Ha ha ha. Thoda aur hasu?" Nandini said with a fake smile and went off to her room.

After just a couple of minutes, she came out all dressed perfectly in a grey, fluffy sweater with dark blue ripped denims and her favourite white converse. While Manik on the other hand was all dressed in black. A black leather jacket, with a black tee inside and of course, black jeans and shoes too. That was when Nandini thought that was there any colour this man couldn't don with perfection?

After an unconscious drooling session, she plopped herself beside him on the plush sofa making him immediately snap his head towards her.

" Let's go?" She asked as she combed her hair with her fingers.

" Are you sure you're 25? I mean you look like an eighteen year old teenager." He said while looking at her.

" Compliment taken, Mr. Malhotra." She said with a small smirk. And obviously, which woman doesn't like being told that she looks younger than her age?

" Let's go." He said with a smile as they moved towards their car.

~~~

They visited the Madame Tussaud's museum and clicked heaps of pictures of course made many new memories to put into the bag of their "New York Trip" , with Nandini partially drooling over Shah Rukh Khan and Tom Cruise's wax statues and Manik making a scowl every time she praised them. They came out happily while munching popcorn.

" You know this is the best part about foreign countries that you can roam around freely. India mein toh fans mob you like crazy." Manik said as they walked together.

" That's true, in your case obviously. But then Manik, your fans, they love you. They admire you. Isiliye this happens. Everything in this world comes with its perks. So I guess it's alright no?" She said softly to which he just smiled.

" Accha Nandini, phone do apna?" Manik asked.

" Mere phone mein kuch nahi hai." She said with a sheepish smile as she handed over her phone to him.

" Let's post a picture on your Instagram." He said while looking at her phone.

" Manik, I..uh.. am not on Instagram." She said in a low voice making him shot his head up to her.

" Seriously? Chalo doesn't matter, we'll post it on Facebook." He said.

" I'm not on Facebook too." She replied softly again.

" You can't be serious. I mean, really?" He said with a weird expression to which she nodded a little shyly.

" Nandini Murthy, tumhe na social media darshan karana padega ab." He said while laughing as he immediately downloaded the Instagram app from the App Store.

" So, put in your details here." He said as he opened the sign up option for her.

" Manik, it's not needed. Seriously." She said with a helpless expression.

" Nandini." He said sternly to which she made a bad face.

" Hogaya." She said as she completed the sign up process and handed her phone back to him.

" So let's see." He said as he immediately followed himself and the rest of their friends from her account.

" Look here." He told her and click! The picture was taken. He immediately posted the picture on her account : @nandini.murthy : New York City Vibes with @manikmalhotra .

" And done!" He exclaimed as he posted the picture and followed her back from his account.

" Waise Nandini, why didn't you have any social media account before?" He asked as they continued walking.

" I don't know. Kabhi zarurat nahi lagi." She said plainly with a smile to which he nodded.

" Manik, let's go for ice skating." She said suddenly.

" Nandini, ice skating? No yaaar." He cribbed.

" Manik, shut up and move. We are going and that's final. Chalo." She said as she pulled him along with her while he still kept cribbing like a baby.

After walking a little, they reached The Rink at the Rockefeller Centre. They entered and luckily got the tickets, wore the over coats and ice skates, and they were all ready.

" Manik, mujhe ice skating nahi aati." She said as they stepped together, holding hands - preventing each other from falling, mostly Nandini though, on the frozen ice platform.

" Haan haan. Aur karo ice skating." He said sarcastically.

" Manik." She said as she made a crying face.

" Relax. Mein hoon na." He said with a smile to which she clutched his hand tightly with a smile.

" Now slowly keep your right foot forward, steady okay? Don't move. It's all about balance." He said and she did the way he told.

" Good. Now, slowly keep your left foot forward. And stand." He said as he slowly left her hand.

" Oh my god." She said excitedly.

" Okay now, you're not supposed to walk. You're supposed to glide okay? Glide your right foot forward followed by the left one. Slowly." He said as she started gliding a little and within a second, she was on the ground with a thud making Manik laugh like crazy.

" Ouch." She said while trying to get up to which he gave her his hand to hold. And suddenly, he was crashed on the ground beside her to which both of them started laughing crazily.

" Okay now, let's do it together." He said as they got up from the ice floor with great difficulty.

They started skating a slow pace initially, with Manik guiding Nandini properly at every step and soon they were enjoying. There were instances when sometimes Manik fell down and Nandini laughed and sometimes the other way around. They had the best time ice skating, with the cold ice floor beneath their feet and warmth in their hearts and eyes. The most beautiful things in life are not just things . They're people, and places and memories. They're feelings, moments, smiles and laughter altogether.

They exited The Rink towards the shopping complex which was a little away from the place they were at. They reached the shopping complex and shopped heaps of gifts for their families and friends with Manik and Nandini arguing over who's gonna pay, him encouraging Nandini to buy all the things she laid her eyes on, and almost buying the whole shopping complex for her with teeny bits of cute fights. That's how things were. They walked towards their car, with Manik Malhotra carrying all the shopping bags with Nandini cribbing behind him for all the unnecessary money he spent on her for the things she didn't even need. Just when they were walking aimlessly, with Nandini walking in front of him, blabbering something. When she suddenly turned around, just to see Manik standing like a statue with his mouth slightly open in front of 'some' store. She quickly moved towards him ~

" Manik.. Manik. Let's go naa." She nudged his shoulder, but he was plainly unresponsive to which she averted her gaze from him to the store, which instantly left her flustered. VICTORIA'S SECRET, the huge pink coloured, shiny board said with mannequins dressed in exquisite and luxury lingerie across the glass, at which apparently The Manik Malhotra was staring at.

" Manik Malhotra!" She shouted and huffed like an angry bull making him snap out of his dreamy trance. Just when he faced towards her side, the sight made him audibly gulp. Nandini Murthy and anger is definitely not a good combination. Oh boy!

" You bloody pervert!" She shouted and immediately pulled him along with her, while still spitting anger.

" Ek kaam karo, mein unke store manager ko contact karti hoon to appoint you as a salesman in their store, then you can fucking spend your entire day gawking at those fucking mannequins! Bloody moron!" She shouted angrily and moved away from him and started walking. While our very own, Mr. Malhotra stood bewildered. Nandini Murthy using the same cuss word, that too twice in a single sentence was definitely trouble. He quickly ran a little to match her fast pace when he softly hugged her from behind, clutching her waist tightly - leaving no possible escape. He softly kept his head against hers, resting his head slightly on her shoulders.

" What Manik? " she said in a calmer tone this time.

" Nothing." He whispered with smile, still in the same position.

" Please go stand in front of that store again, and let me go back home." She said with a sigh.

" Arrey baba. I was kidding and pretending. Because I knew that this is going to be your reaction. I swear! " he said as he slightly pinched his throat with his thumb and forefinger.

" It's okay." She sighed and started walking again.

" Nope. Not like this. Like this." He said and immediately pulled her in his warm embrace making her smile a little.

" You go near that store again and trust me, I'm gonna chop you into pieces and feed you to the vultures. And I mean it." She said in a low voice, directly looking through his eyes.

" Whatever you say." He said with a wide grin as he bussed her forehead softly. He simply just loved the way she got jealous. Cookie points here, y'all!

~~~

" Nandini ruko. I'll hand these bags over to Robert. Is it okay?" He asked as they walked.

" Who's Robert now?" Nandini asked with a perplexed expression to which he chuckled.

" Him." Manik said as he pointed his finger towards a man with black aviators behind them. Manik handed over all the bags to him after a brief thanking session.

" But ye hai kon? " she finally asked as she saw him leaving.

" He's one of the helpers. So I asked him to take all the bags home." Manik explained patiently as he encircled his arms warmly around her shoulder to which she made an 'oh' expression.

" Aur ghumna hai?" He asked to which she nodded immediately making him laugh.

" Chalo, let's go then." He said as they kept walking further.

After walking for a while, with Manik telling her about all the interesting things he and the others have done in New York. Just when he turned around while talking to her, he found her missing which panicked him. He immediately after a few steps noticed her. There she was, standing outside a huge candy store with her nose pressed against the pink decorative glass and her mouth slightly open in awe to which he released a sigh in relief. He immediately pulled her in his chest, not giving her enough time to even figure out what had happened.

" Thank god you're safe." He breathed as he hugged her tightly.

" I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But then I saw this shop and I got lost." She apologized as she pointed her finger at the shop cutely, like a little baby making him chuckle heartily.

" Come." He said as he held her hand and lead her inside the candy shop making her mouth open even wider in awe seeing the plethora of candies in front of her.

" Buy whatever you want." He said with a smile as he gently pushed her towards the candy racks.

" Seriously?" She asked as she turned back towards him with an 'o' face to which he laughed and nodded.

After roaming about thirty minutes in the huge candy shop with Manik following her everywhere. Seeing her confused face when she got confused between the cranberry and strawberry candies, on which gummy bear color she wanted, and all this while he kept on capturing all her expressions and sweeter than candies talk inside his head, because one thing was for sure - he never wanted to such a precious memory.

" Manik, basss. I can't walk more." She said as she sat on the hard ground outside the store after they had paid the bill and bought heaps of candies.

" Come." He said softly making her shocked.

" What? " she said in shock.

" I said come, I'll give you a piggy back ride." He said with a smile.

" Oh my god. Are you serious?" She said excitedly to which he nodded.

" But Manik, your back will hurt na?" She asked putting forth her concerns.

" Stop being such a spoiler yaar. Don't worry. Kuch nahi hoga mujhe. Hop on! Tumhare weight se zyada weights mein gym mein uthata hoon, just by the way." he said to which Nandini hopped on his back with her hands around his neck and legs around his waist while Manik held on to her ankles.

" Manik this is so amazing!" She exclaimed happily.

" So Nandini, how's the weather up there?" He asked making her laugh.

" It's cold up here." She replied in the same way, while laughing.

They were almost about to reach their car when Nandini stopped him suddenly,

" Manik, stoppp!" Nandini almost shouted.

" What's wrong?" He asked as he unmounted her from his back.

" Manik, look." She said as she pointed her finger towards something. He looked at what she was pointing at and saw a baby girl, almost on the verge of crying, lost in a vast, tall cloud. They immediately moved towards that little one,

" Hey baby." Nandini said softly as she kneeled down in front of her. She was a little girl of barely four years old with dark brown hair.

" You've got pretty eyes." Manik cooed the little one as he played with her tiny fingers, finally putting a stop to her sobs.

" Where's your mommy?" Manik asked as he picked up the little girl in his arms and kept moving so that she doesn't start crying again, to which the cute little baby softly kept her head on Manik's broad shoulder with her little thumb inside her mouth making Nandini go all 'aww' at the sight.

" She had gone to buy chocolates for Lilly." The little one said in her babyish voice, but with proper English.

" So your name is Lilly?" Manik asked as he softly poked her nose making her giggle a little.

" Don't worry, baby. Mommy will be here soon." Manik said softly as he held Lilly close to his chest murmuring sweet nothings to her, sometimes tickling her to distract her, which made her laugh. And all this while, Nandini just stood there in the corner enjoying the little, adorable show in front of her. She never knew that Manik was so fond of kids and somewhere down the line she thought that how would Manik be as father for their babies. She chucked her thoughts away and saw Lilly telling Manik about her play school and all the friends she's had, to talking about her favorite episode of SpongeBob Squarepants.

" Oh my god. Lillyyy." A woman said from behind as she paced towards them.

" Thankyou so much. I was so scared. I thought I lost her." The woman said in a soft voice as she held Lilly close to her chest.

" It's completely alright. She was lost, so we thought we'd help this cute little one." Manik said as he softly caressed Lilly's hair.

" I'm Sam." She said in her American accent as she shook hands with him.

" Manik." He replied with a smile.

" Nandini." Nandini replied as she warmly greeted her.

" Goodbye, sweetheart." Manik said affectionately as he kissed Lilly's baby soft hands to which she just smiled and waved her hand back at him cutely.

~~~

" Let's hog now! " Manik said excitedly as they reached the best hot dog street vendor in Times Square.

" This looks so delicious." She said in awe as they received their order.

" This is the best hot dog I've ever had in my life." She said while eating.

" Nandini, pehle eat. Uske baad baat karlena." He said to which she obediently nodded her head and continued eating.

" Why do you have to be such a baby always?" He said while chuckling as they were done with the food, while Nandini still had ketchup and mustard sauce smeared around her lips. He softly wiped off the remains from her mouth while she had a cute pout on her lips making him smile too.

" Let's go. We've got the last thing to do in New York. I'll show you the best sunset. It's almost time." He said as he held her hand.

" But kahan? " she asked in a confused tone.

" Brooklyn Bridge." He said with a wide smile. They hopped into their car and left for Brooklyn Bridge, which was just a couple of kilometers away from where they were.

They reached right on time, to witness the gorgeously enchanting sunset, with dark clouds floating all around and yellow and orange light spread all over with a pinch of purple and blue along with the water under the bridge gushing at its own harmony, which made them sigh in content.

They sat on the nearby bench, looking deep through the sky with their minds wandering at the same wavelength.

"Manik, jaana zaruri hai?" She finally asked.

" Hmm. I would've extended the trip, but office mein everyone needs us naa. Cabir isn't there too. I promise that we'll come here again. Very soon." He said with a smile as he pecked her hair softly to which she nodded understandingly.

" Tumhe darr nahi lagta?" He asked all of a sudden.

" Kisse? Tumse?" She replied as she chuckled a little.

" Akelepan se. Akele Mumbai jaise bade sheher mein rehna koi aasaan baat nahi hai." He said as he faced her and sat holding her hands in his.

" Manik you've no idea. It.. it just feels so empty." She said with a cracked voice.

" Let it out. I promise to hold you tight." He said while kissing her forehead lightly, giving the needed assurance.

" You know Manik, kitna bhi try karlo, there's nothing which can match a person's physical presence. I keep talking to my family on Skype and everything but then there comes a time, when I start to feel...hollow." She stopped in between while Manik kept listening to her patiently.

"Koi ye puchne wala nahi hota ki meine khaana khaya nai ya nahi, ya fir mein raat ko late kyun aayi, koi mujhe kaada banake dene wala nahi hota jab meri tabiyat kharab hoti hai, koi daantne wala nahi hota. Koi yeh batane wala nahi hota ki kya galat hai aur kya sahi. Koi yeh.." she choked while crying when Manik engulfed her in a warm hug with him caressing her hair softly and kissing her hair after every second. That's what she needed the most right now. Solace.

" Shhh. Bass. No more crying. I'm right here with you." He softly said, while her head still rested on his chest.

" I miss them." She sniffed.

" Talk to them. Right now." He said as he lovingly wiped off the tear stains from her cheeks and rubbed her eyes softly.

" But.." she said.

" No buts. Please, just talk to them. I want you to." He said as he gently stroked her right cheek with his thumb to which she nodded and immediately called them.

" Better? " he asked as he rubbed her shoulders affectionately after she ended the call, to which she nodded with a small smile.

" Nandini. They're your parents. They love you a lot. A lot more than you think. Never forget that. Ever." He softly explained her to which she nodded positively, when all of a sudden she felt something cold, metal like on her left wrist. A double infinity bracelet.

" I know thoda simple hai. But Nandini, I've said this before and I'm saying this again. Never feel that you're alone. I'm right by your side, whatever may come. You're safe with me. I promise to never leave you alone. Ever. No matter how irritating or unreasonable you become. Never forget that. All you've to do is come to me, and trust me, by hook or by crook - I will fix it! I promise to support you in whatever you chose for yourself. I even promise to laugh on all your not-so-funny jokes. I just want you to believe me and know that I'm never gonna leave your side. You have me, until every star in the galaxy dies. You will have me." He said while cupping her cheeks as streams of tears decided to flow down her hazel orbs.

" Arrey Nandini, I'm sorry baba. I didn't want to make you cry. I'm so sorry." He apologised almost immediately, noticing her tears.

" Shut up, you idiot! " she said and hugged him with her tightest force, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, while sniffing a little.

" Thankyou for always holding on to me." She said as she gently kissed kissed his cheek.

" Always." He replied in the same tone with a warm smile.

" This is so beautiful." She said with a smile while playing with the bracelet.

" Glad you liked it." He said as he pulled her right cheek a little.

" Ghar chalein?" Nandini asked after a couple of minutes of their beautiful silence.

" Chalo." He said as he held her tiny hand in his.

" The car is waiting for us. All the packing and everything has been done. So now, we'll directly leave for the airport." Manik informed.

" I'm gonna miss this place." She sighed.

" Me too. But jaana toh padega naa." He said with a smile as they stood beside each other, to which she nodded with an understanding smile.

" Goodbye, New York. Till we see you again." They said together with a smile as the dusk decided to take over, with the city glistening with bright lights.

Love is friendship that is burning in yellow fire.

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Hola everyone! First of all, thank you so much for loving this story so much and showering the previous chapter with 100+ comments. It means a lot to me. I might not be able to reply to each and every comment, but trust me, I don't even miss out reading a single one! Loveyou all so much.❤️

And the second thing, a lot of people asked me whether they're actually "FRIENDS", so the answer is that they're simply unaware of their feelings. Their minds have given FRIENDSHIP as the name to their relationship, but actually it's much much much more than that.

So, this marks the end of the much loved New York trip. But I promise that there's a lot more coming up when they reach back Mumbai.
Hope you enjoyed this update. Much love.
~Vx.💕