I'd promised on twitter that I'll post the next chapter when Virat Kohli plays well in today's game. And he made an unbeaten 154. So proud of my boy. 🙌🏼💙
Okay enough of my taarefo ke pull.😂
So here is the chapter. Apologies for the delay. Do read the note towards the end.
Happy Reading! 💕

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A new morning, with new hopes had just begun with the two souls nestled close to each other on the couch itself under the sky window. Nandini was the first one to open her eyes as the bright sun rays kept piercing through the glass windows just to find Manik's head dug in her hair, maybe because of the sun rays, she thought. She moved a little away to straighten herself when she noticed him sleeping with his mouth open a little, like a baby making her chuckle lightly. She slowly sat up, careful enough not to break his slumber. She tied up her hair in a sloppy bun, just when she was about to step down, she heard his husky, hoarse sleepy voice making her shiver unconsciously.

" Matt jaao naa." A man's sleepy voice is literally the sexiest thing ever, her inner voice immediately prompted.

Shooing away all the thoughts, she sat back near him when he immediately kept shifted his head in her lap, making her gasp a little in shock. He adjusted himself comfortably with a small smile playing on his lips making Nandini smile a little to. She released the heavy breath she was holding onto lightly, and softly caressed his messy, soft hair making him sigh in contentment as he snuggled a little more in her warmth.

" Manik, utho." She said calmly as she brushed her fingers on his forehead.

" Five minutes, Nannuu." He cribbed like a school kid who's mother was waking him up. But what shocked her the most was the name he called her by. Only Navya knew about it as her parents used to call her that when she was a baby to which she mentally made a note to ask Navya about it. Her thoughts were broken when Manik held her hand and kept it back in his hair which she had unconsciously removed while thinking, making her smile a bit.

" Manik, yeh mark kya hai?" She asked as she caressed a small faded white patch of skin just above his left eyebrow.

" I was seven when I fell off the stairs while playing, so I'd got this stitch here. It's just a scar. It's okay." He replied in a low voice with his eyes still closed.

" Does it hurt?" She asked to which he nodded in negative after which she bent down a little to his level and softly kissed the mark making him smile brightly.

" Manik, chalo tumhare five minutes khatam. Ab utho." She said after a couple of minutes of silence as she patted his shoulder making him crib again.

" Manik Malhotra, tumne mujhe Liberty Island leke jana tha. Kaise guide ho tum? We just have two more days here. Come on, you lazy ass! Get up." She yelled making him sigh in defeat.

" Okay ma'am. As you say." He said dramatically as he shook his head making her scowl and climb down the stairs towards her room.

~~~

Nandini got ready in a plain grey coloured tee paired with distressed denims and white converse with her long tresses flowing down her shoulders. While Manik wore a light blue coloured shirt with white shorts.

" Let's gooooo." Nandini exclaimed as soon as they stepped out of the house making Manik laugh.

After nearly 45 minutes they reached the Liberty Island,

" So now, it's time for the ferry ride." Manik said as they moved towards the ferry port making Nandini jump in excitement.

They boarded the ferry, since the Liberty Island was surrounded by water on all the sides, this was the only way possible to travel through. Through the ferry, the distance was barely five minutes and there they were standing in front of the green beauty.

" Oh my god, this is so huge! " she said excitedly as she jumped a little making Manik laugh heartily.

" Nandini, tumhe pata hai tum kitni cute ho?" He said while laughing as he pulled her right chubby cheek a little.

" No. You're cute." Nandini said with a wide smile making him immediately stop laughing.

" Did you just call me with that "C" word?" He asked with a serious expression suddenly.

" You mean cute?" Nandini replied as she chuckled a little.

" Call me with whichever adjective but not this okay? It doesn't suit with my image man. Mein tumhe kis angle se cute lagta hoon yaar?" Manik cribbed like a baby.

" Acute angle se." She said while giggling as she pulled his cheeks a little.

" Mujhse masti haan?" He said as he got hold of her waist and pulled her close to him.

" Who's cute now?" He almost whispered in her ear.

" Still you." She said while laughing as she freed herself from his grip and ran a little away.

They roamed around for a while after having a double cheese pepperoni pizza for lunch and decided to head back home.

" Nandini, let's go home and rest for a while, then we'll go to the city in the evening. Okay?" Manik said as they sat in the car.

" Okay." She whispered and rested her head on his shoulder to which he leaned his head on top of hers.

" I will miss all this when we go back." She whispered.

" Me too. But jaana toh padega na. I promise we'll come back here again, this time with all our friends okay?" He said while cupping her cheeks to which she nodded with a smile.

" Accha Manik, meri na ek wish hai." Nandini said after a couple minutes.

" Kya?" He asked curiously.

" Mujhe na ek baar full on talli hona hai." She said excitedly.

" No way! Not possible! " He immediately retorted back.

" Manik, please na. Dekho tum bhi mere saath hoge. Nobody can do anything wrong too. Please na. India mein bhai never lets me." She said with a puppy dog face making him shake his head a little.

" Fine. But don't you dare move away from my sight for even a second." He said sternly.

" Yayaay! Promise. Thankyou Manik." She said happily and kissed his cheek tightly.

" I'm so going to regret this." He sighed.

" You won't. And even if you do, itna toh chalta hai na." She said while laughing earning a glare from him.

" Accha baba. Okay." She said and again kept her head back on his shoulder to which he just smiled a little.

~~~

" I'm so sleepy." Nandini said as she plopped onto the bed lazily after freshening up.

" Me too." Manik said as he lied down beside her.

" Sleep for sometime, we'll go around 6 to the city." He said with a smile to which she nodded and snuggled more into the duvet.

After an hour and a half of sleeping, they woke up had the most delicious snacks from the street vendors of New York and decided to get ready. Nandini got read in a navy blue colored dress reaching till her mid thighs with embroider net sleeves and black pumps. While Manik got dressed up in a polka dotted black shirt with a black blazer over it paired with a washed pair or cut denims and white sneakers looking dapper as always.

" Do I look okay?" Nandini asked as she stood infront of him fiddling with her hair strands nervously.

" You look hot." He whispered in her ear making her blush and close her eyes in response.

" Let's go." He said as he lightly brushed his lips over her right cheek to which she shyly nodded.

After traveling for half an hour, they reached the poshest night clubs in New York, The Marquee.

" Are you sure you want to do this?" Manik asked her again.

" Come on, Manik. Don't be such a spoiler yaar. Aur tum ho na. Nothing will happen to me." Nandini said cutely with a small smile.

" Itna trust hai mujhpe?" He asked softly.

" Khud se zyada." She replied with a smile an held his hand in hers as they entered the club with all sorts of colored lights, loud music, drunk and dancing people, to which Manik instantly wrapped his arm around her.

They danced like crazy on the loud beats. Since Manik was pretty immune to hard drinks, he was all well even after having three glasses of whisky while the vodka martini Nandini had started affecting a little, but she was still sane.

" Huff. Ghar chalein?" He almost shouted in her ear due to the loud music.

" Ghar? Noooo. Mujhe ghar nahi jaana. Abhi toh party shuru hui hai. Wohoooo." She shouted and jumped around crazily while dancing.

Just when Manik turned around, she was gone which panicked him. He looked around for her, just when he saw a familiar tiny figure during the bar counter  surrounded by a punch of people. He went towards her and saw her gulping down tequila shots one after another which shocked as well as scared him, because he just knew that it was going to be a long night for him. He tried stopping him but well, no use. Just when she was about to stumble down after gulping down some fifteen odd shots, he scooped her in his arms and immediately exited the club.

" Manik, I'm a birdie. Yaaaaay." She shouted in her drunk voice.

" Kya zarurat thii vo shots peene ki?" He asked her calmly while she kept shaking her legs.

" What do you mean by kya zarurat thii?" He suddenly shouted.

" Okay okay. Shuusshh. We are going home." He said as he placed her on the passenger seat as he hooked the seat belt.

" Hum India wapas jaa rahe hain?" She said with a crying face.

" Nahi baba. Hum na, new house mein jaa rahe hain." He said as he treated her like a baby, knowing how high her emotions were right now.

" New house? Wow. Chalo Manik, jaldi chalo. Fast fast fast." She excitedly screamed as she patted his shoulder.

" Manik dekho, moon hume follow kar raha hai. Haww. Bad moon." She said with her hand on her mouth, with her eyes open wide.

" Manik, tum na moon ko punish karna aur usse .. usse na sun ke paas holidays pe bhej dena." She said cutely making him laugh.

" Accha dekho, new house aagaya. Ab hum house mein jaayenge, change karenge aur fir soyenge." He said as he picked her up again and moved inside.

" Pii paa, pii paa hogayaaaa." She kept singing some hindi party number while still in his arms.

" Now, you sit here. I will get your clothes okay?" He said to which she bobbed her head cutely while he went off to her room to fetch her clothes. After a couple of minutes of searching he came back to his room just to find Nandini jumping on his bed.

" Manik dekho. Bouncy bouncy. Wowwww." She said while still jumping on the fluffy mattress while Manik shook his head in dismay.

" Okay okay. Bass. Ab bed ko bhi rest chahiye na. Here, take your clothes and change." He said as he handed her over her clothes.

" Manik, yeh pink hai. Mujhe black wali chahiye." She said naggingly as she held up her bra in front of him from one of its strings.

" Vo, vooo.." he stuttered being embarrassed because firstly, he had to pick up one from a bunch and now she was asking him to do the same again to which he just covered his face with his palm.

" Tum na bohot sweet ho. Mere sweetuu." She said while giggling as she pulled his cheek and walked in an almost stumbling manner towards her room.

" Nandini, aaram se." He shouted as he walked behind her.

" Okay now, let's change." She said as she partly opened the zip of her dress, while still standing in the room with Manik.

" Noooo." He shouted, making her stop.

" Kya huaa, Manik." She said with her eyes almost closing.

" Bathroom mein change karo. Yahan.. yahan bohot saare invisible mosquitos hain. Tumhe kha gaye toh?" He said with a fake "o" face as he made the silliest excuse ever making her nod understandingly. Just when she entered the bathroom, he released a heavy sigh.

" Bohot fursat se banaya hoga bhagwaan ne isse." He said to himself and moved towards his room to change. He came back to her room with a bowl of frozen strawberry yogurt just to find her searching the entire room for something.

" Nandini, kya dhundh rahi ho?" He asked.

" Manik, tumne Dory ko dekha?" She asked him.

" Dory? Vo kon hai ab?" He said with a defeated face.

" Arrey vahii, Nemo ki best friend." She said irritatedly as she continued looking for 'Dory' under the bed making him sigh in disbelief.

" Accha hum Dory ko saath mein dhundhenge, par abhi yeh yummy yogurt khaao." He said as he pushed a spoon full of yogurt in her mouth. While he was feeding her yogurt, she kept blabbering about the things which she didn't even know.

" Haha. Manik. Tumhare cheek ne bhi yogurt khayaa." She said while laughing as his cheek had a little stain of yogurt. Just when he was about to wipe it off, she held his hand telling him that she'll do it. She moved close to his cheek, just when she was about to wipe off the stain, she withdrew her hand, confusing him.

" Aise nahi, aise." She said as she licked off the yogurt softly with his tongue leaving him gobsmacked.

" Umm.. ab let's sleep." He said as he recovered from the shock to which she sleepily nodded.

" Manik, tum toh mujhe nahi chorh ke jaaoge na, Dory ki tarah?" She asked in her sleepy voice while he kept caressing her hair.

" Tumhe chodh ke kahan jaaunga?" He said just to find her fast asleep, snuggled in his arms making him smile. He softly kissed her forehead.

" I can not even think of leaving you, Nandini. You're just too precious to me." He whispered in her ear as he gathered her close to him in his arms.

~~~

She was drawn to him. The way his eyes danced with her in darkness. Like two shooting stars on the same path in the night sky. It was almost as if they were meant to be. If she could name something as love, this would be it.

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[A/N ~ Okay so, the thing is that my MBA coaching has just begun, and it's very difficult for me to give regular updates since I don't have that kind of free time now. Studies always come first. I'm sorry if anyone felt bad but I'm helpless here. So you guys have to decide whether you're okay with slow updates or you want me to discontinue the story. ]

Thanks for reading.💛
~Vx.