Apologies for the delay. So here's a long update for y'all! Do tell me how it was.❤️

P.S - There's some error due to which the GIF's aren't working. Hope you get the idea with the stills. :)

Happy reading! 😌

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" Manik, how did we reach here?" Nandini asked in a sleepy voice after she woke up, just to find herself in Manik's room.

" Because, we had slept on the terrace itself. So when I woke up in the morning, I got you here." He explained to which she mouthed an 'oh'.

" Come on, it's the first day of the Business Summit. I'm so excited." He said gleefully.

" Manik, tum ek 16 years ki ladki jaise behave kar rahe ho jisse uska celebrity crush dikh gaya ho." Nandini remarked cheekily.

" Like seriously, Nandini? Aur koi example nahi mila tumhe?" Manik said with an -are you serious- expression.

" Yeah yeah." Nandini said in a funny tone as she got down the bed to get ready.

~~~

" Manik, how do I look?" Nandini asked him as she twirled around a little, dressed in a white shirt with a peach coloured high waisted skirt, looking elegant as always.

" Perfect." He whispered making her smile widely.

" Vaise, you look no less." She said as she moved forward and fixed his tie a little making him grin sheepishly. He looked charming enough to make girls swoon over him in a dark blue suit with a soft blue shaded shirt and a black tie with his favourite Rado watch adorning his left wrist.

" So, shall we?" He asked as he forwarded his arm to her to which she nodded with a smile.

~~~

The drive was a short one with Manik and Nandini discussing the pin pointers of their presentation, after about fifteen minutes, they entered the huge New York City Hall with perfect american architecture. They entered inside, after greeting and introducing each other, they settled on the place allotted to them in the first row, beside the other two companies representing India.

Manik and Nandini's presentation lasted for 45 minutes, talking about the company's achievements, strategies, future projects and so on, leaving the jury members in awe once again, like every year. After a brief appreciation session, day 1 of the summit finally came to an end making both Manik and Nandini glee with happiness on their achievement.

" Manik, I can't believe this. This was just so amazing!" Nandini exclaimed in a low voice as they proceeded to the refreshments corner.

" This is just the beginning, Nandini. Tomorrow will be huge." Manik said with a smile.

" I'm so proud of you, Manik." Nandini said with a wide smile.

" I'm proud of you too." He said as he gave a feather kiss oh her hair making her all happy.

" I need to use the bathroom, I'll be right back." Nandini said.

" Be careful." He said to which she nodded.

~~~

" May I have a drink with this beautiful lady?" A tall man asked Nandini as he saw her standing in a corner.

" I.." Nandini was just about to reply when she was cut in between by the most expected person.

" No. She's with me. Please excuse us." Manik said with a forced smile as his hand rested on her waist.

" Manik, what was that?" Nandini said as she bursted out laughing looking at his possessive nature.

" It's not funny." Manik said as he rolled his eyes.

" Accha okay okay. Let's go home. We'll have lunch there only." She said as they moved out of the building.

~~~

After a delicious and satisfying lunch, they settled in Manik's room -

" Manik, I'm connecting to bhai on Skype." Nandini said as she connected her laptop.

" Tum aur tumhara bhai." Manik said teasingly.

" Shut up." Nandini said while narrowing her eyes.

" Hi bhaiii. Hi Navyaaa. Hello everyone." Nandini exclaimed as soon as she saw Cabir and Navya along with others on the screen.

" Hi chotiiiii." Mukti jumped in between to which she replied with equal enthusiasm.

" Waah. Matlab humare bina get togethers haan? Well done beta. Aane do hume vaapas." Manik said as he virtually sent a punch to Cabir making him laugh.

" Okay so guys, we have two good news'. Batao konsi pehle bataein?" Alya said chirpily.

" Koi bhi batado." Nandini and Manik said while others laughed.

" Okay so, the first one, Mukti and Abhimanyu are getting married in two months." Alya exclaimed making both Manik and Nandini gape at the screen in shock.

" Guys, kahan kho gaye?" Dhruv said while chuckling.

" Oh my god, Mukku! I'm so happy for you. God bless you with loads of happiness kiddo. And Abhi, a single tear from her eyes, and trust me, I'm gonna knock you down." Manik said with a wide smile making everyone laugh.

" Congratulations guys. I'm so happy for you. Finally the first wedding of our group. I'm so excited." Nandini chirped happily making Manik chortle.

" But guys, this is cheating. Hum log nahi hain vahan isiliye tum sab yeh kar rahe ho. Two days pehle bata de yeh news at least I would've been able to hug you. Bohot gande ho sab. I'm not talking to you all." Nandini said as she puffed her red cheeks in annoyance and turned her face away.

" Matlab tu mujhe congratulate bhi nahi karegi, Nandu?" Cabir said.

" Congratulate? For what? " Manik asked in a confused tone just to see everyone smiling.

" Guys, what's going on?" Nandini asked.

" Navya is expecting a baby." Cabir finally broke the news making both Manik and Nandini numb in an instant.

After a couple of minutes, all of them noticed Nandini crying silently.

" Nandu, I'm sorry. Yeh sab iss joker ki vajah se hua hai. Hum tumhe pehle batana chahte the par yeh Cabir. Sorry Nandu. Maaf kardo hume." Navya apologised in a single breath.

" Navya. Relax. I'm so happy for you. I can't believe that you're going to be a mother. Congratulations. I love you both so much." Nandini said emotionally as she virtually sent them a flying kiss.

" Manik, aansu ponch de iske. Nahi toh New York mein floods aajenge." Cabir joked making both Manik and Nandini laugh to which Manik softly wiped away her tears.

" Buddy, I'm so happy for you and Navya. May god give you all the happiness in the world. Aur saaley, mujhe vapas aane de. Mujhe party chahiye." Manik said making Cabir laugh out loud.

" Oh wait, but what will angel call me?" Nandini asked.

" How do you know it's going to be a girl?" Navya asked in a shocked tone.

" Bass. Pata hai. Yeh Nandini Murthy ki bhavishyavani hai. Zaroor sach hogi." She said dramatically.

" She will call you maasi." Navya said happily.

" No, she'll call her Bua." Cabir said.

" Maasi."

" Bua."

" Maasi."

" Bua."

And their argument had no end.

" Stop it guys! Chhote bacche ho kya?" Nandini shouted putting an end to their unreasonable argument.

" Angel will call me maasi. And Cabir, tumhari side pe Manik hai na. She'll call him Chaachu. Bass . Problem solved. No more discussions now." Nandini said sternly making them nod their heads obediently.

" So aaj first day kaisa tha? " Cabir asked.

" It was amazing bhai. Out of four Indian teams, ours was the best." Nandini exclaimed making both Cabir and Manik smile.

" Voh toh hona hi tha. Second day ka certificate bhi hume hi milega." Cabir said to which Nandini nodded with a smile.

" Toh abhi ka kya plan hai?" Navya asked while munching an apple.

" Abhi, we're going to the mall in a while." Nandini said with a wide grin.

" We are?" Manik asked while raising his eyebrows.

" Yes." Nandini said with a wide grin.

" Madam hume apne plans batati hi nahi hain. Kya karein?" Manik said dramatically making both Cabir and Navya laugh like crazy and Nandini blow up her cheeks, while the others had left for their respective works.

The video call soon ended while Nandini was roaming around looking for her phone's charger, when she noticed Manik sitting with his eyes closed,

" Mukti ke baare mein soch rahe ho?" Nandini asked making him opened his eyes as she settled beside him, to which he gave a small smile.

" Nandini, Mukti has suffered a lot in her life. Her parents disowned her when they got to know about her being addicted to drugs. Since that time she stayed with us in Malhotra Mansion. My parents have always considered her their daughter. I just hope that she's fine and Navya.." Manik talked out his worries making Nandini smile.

" Manik, Mukti is your sister. Pyaar karti hai voh tumse. Nothing in this world can take your place and your love in her life. Nothing. Pata hai Manik, harr ladki sirf yahi chahti hai ki usse ek aisa life partner mile jo usse pyaar karta ho. Mukti has suffered a lot in her life, she has faced many problems and I'm sure she'll face them in future too, but this time - Mukti ke saath unn problems ko baant ne wala Abhimanyu hoga. Abhi does love Mukti a lot. Don't worry. She will be fine. She has to be. Tum bhai uske. I understand. And as far as Navya is concerned, she has Cabir with her. Navya and Cabir, both of them have suffered a lot and now I'm happy that God has showed his own way to bless them. They will be okay. Just have faith. And think about how amazing would it be for you to hold that little angel in your arms." Nandini said with a smile as she clutched his right hand in hers.

" Thankyou." Manik said softly and lightly kissed her forehead making her smile.

"By the way, how are you so sure that it's going to be a girl only?" Manik asked.

" You know honestly, I don't know. I've always had this feeling that whenever Navya will have a baby, it will be a girl only." She said softly making him smile.

" Ab mall chalein?" Nandini asked to which he nodded happily.

~~~

Soon after the talk, they changed themselves into comfortable casuals and left for the Manhattan Mall. They reached the mall in about an hour-

" This is so huge." Nandini said in awe as she looked at the multi-storey mall with shining glass windows and brand posters hanging everywhere.

" Andar se aur bhi accha hai. Come. Let's go." Manik said as he held her hand and walked towards the entrance.

After a long argument about Manik asking Nandini to shop using his golden forex card, they finally decided to shop for Nandini first, with Nandini's mood still off - thinking of the fact that Manik would be spending for her, but deep down she knew that it was plainly his care and concern which he had for her which was the only reason why she accepted it.

" Manik, you don't need to do this. I can pay." Nandini nudged him for the hundredth time after they proceeded to the billing counter for the payment of the dresses 'he' had bought for Nandini.

" Nandini, I'm not listening to you. Enough yaar. Listen to me very carefully, you are a very important part of my life, and trust me, I don't mind spending any amount on you. So please, no arguments now." He said sternly to which she made an angry pout.

" You always have your ways. But after this we are going to shop for you." She said, pointing a finger at him.

" Yes ma'am. As you wish." He said making Nandini smack his shoulder.

After they had got the billing done, they moved towards some other store to shop for Manik, when he received a call,

" Nandini, I'll be back. It's from office." He said as he excused himself to which she nodded understandingly.

~~~

" Urghh. Where is this guy?" Nandini groaned as she was still waiting for him inside the store from the past twenty minutes. She angrily moved outside the store just to see the most unexpected sight, Manik Malhotra surrounded by a bunch of crazy girls, jumping and gushing over him and it didn't take a second for her to realize that they were his fangirls. She knew that he had way too many fans in India, because of their Fab 5 fame and his individual success, but seeing his fans in New York was just something different. She sighed with a smile and settled on a nearby bench along with her strawberry milkshake which she had ordered.

" I'm so sorry, Nandini. I don't know how they popped up." Manik sighed as he sat beside her.

" No it's okay. Your fangirls are important." Nandini said with a blank expression, without looking at him, while making funny sounds with the straw which immediately made him realise her jealousy for a bunch of girls, who he wasn't even sure he would meet again making him chuckle lightly.

" But there is someone who's even more important right now." Manik said with a smile.

" Who?" Nandini said as she finally averted her gaze from the milkshake glass to him.

" You. Come let's go now, we need to complete the left over shopping and get back home." He said as he pulled her along with him making her blush a little.

~~~

After hours of roaming around, laughing, giggling, they finally reached home way after dinner time, with a bunch of shopping bags carried along with a butler. Thanks to their "always ready for food" bug, they entered a huge food festival and ate like no tomorrow, be it boiled broccoli or fried scorpions.

" Still hungry?" Manik asked as they fell on the bed.

" I don't even have the space to gulp down a sip of water. I'm so full. This was just so tiring.." Nandini said in a low voice.

" And good too. Snails in shells. Yuck." Manik laughed making her laugh too.

" That was disgusting." Nandini laughed remembering the sight.

" I'm so sleepy now." Manik said as he moved towards his pillow.

" Me too." Nandini said as she lied down beside him.

" Oh shit! " Nandini said as she say up with a jerk, startling Manik.

"' Nandini, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Manik asked in a worried tone.

" Manik relax. I'm okay. I'll be right back. I have something for you." Nandini said as she got down the bed.

" For me?" Manik asked.

" Yes Manik. For you. Now wait." Nandini said as she moved towards her room.

~~~

" Tadaaaa." Nandini said as she kept forward a neatly gift wrapped box in front of him.

" What is this? " he asked while looking at the box from all sides.

" Khol ke dekho." Nandini said with a grin.

After he opened the box carefully, the contents left him stunned, he didn't know how to react. Because it was something nobody has ever gifted him.

" Nandini, a giraffe stuffed toy? Are you serious? Do I look like a kid to you who plays with stuffed toys?" Manik asked with his mouth open.

" No. This is you. You are a giraffe. As soon as I saw this, I was reminded of you." Nandini said sheepishly.

" You think I'm a giraffe? And what are you?" Manik asked while chuckling.

" Nandini." She said in a but obvious tone as she shrugged her shoulders.

" No. This is you." Manik said as he pointed at the panda stuffed toy.

" Oh this. I bought this because I found it cute." Nandini said with a huge 32 teeth smile.

" Yes, because this is you." Manik said as he caressed the soft surface of both the toys with a smile.

" So, I'll go sleep now." Nandini said with a smile.

" Nandini." He said as he pulled her hand making her look at him.

" Stay, please." He almost whispered making her smile a little. She slowly lied down beside him after covering themselves with the warm duvet and switching off the bedside lamps.

" Good night Manik." Nandini said.

" Good night, panda." He whispered back making her laugh.

~~~

After a while of twisting and turning, she finally sighed and moved a little away from him. He was awake all this while. Just waiting for her next move.

" Knock knock." She said as she lightly knocked his chest to which he moved a little making her know that he was awake.

" Who's there?" He finally whispered back.

" Monster." Nandini said with a smile.

" Monster who?" He said and she could feel that grin forming on his face.

" Monster Manik." She whispered in his ear  and bursted out laughing.

" Monster Manik haan? You're so gone, Nandini Murthy." He said as he ran behind her around the room, chasing her and tickling her.

" Okay okay. Stop. Manik mein mazak kar rahi thi." She said while laughing.

" Hahaha." He laughed sarcastically and tickled her again making her laugh and shout at the same time.

" Manik, sorry naaa. Please." She said breathing heavily as they fell on the bed together, with her head over his chest with his arm around her.

" Chalo, let's sleep now. Finally." He said making her smile to which they finally decided to slip into the land of nod as she snuggled more into his chest, making him buss her forehead lightly with a smile.

If people were rain, he was the drizzle and she was a hurricane in his life. Maybe now he knew why storms were named after women - she was perhaps, the most beautiful storm destroying him bit by bit, in the most beautiful way possible.

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Thanks for reading!💖
~V.