*comes out from under a rock*
Yes, I know that I'm extremely late but I'm very, very sorry. My hectic schedule doesn't allow me to write.😩

So as a compensation ~ here's a super duper long update of 10K WORDS also because this is the 25th chapter of this book.💛

Also, this update wouldn't have been possible without ~ Gulshan_14 and thenoynicaahuja 💗
And I honestly don't know how bad or good or whatever this update is.🙄

Happy Reading! ✨

_____

It had almost been a week and Manik was finally fit and fine, like always - thanks to Nandini's tender love and care, despite of his constant cranky behaviour and tantrums, she still chose to handle him with care and patience ~ something which she loved to do for him. He had resumed going to office already and his parents were back too, which meant extra care and pampering for him from all the sides. It was finally the day for which Manik and Nandini had decided to fulfil Manik's first wish – enjoying a day like a common man. It was Friday and Manik had left his place only to land up at Nandini's to pick her up. He rang the bell and waited, after a couple of minutes the door stretched open and there she was. Well, still in her minion night suit with an open jar of Nutella in one hand and a spoon sticking out of her mouth, with her eyes wide which made him chuckle audibly to which she took the spoon out of her mouth and glared at him. She moved inside while Manik followed her with a grin on his face.

" Why aren't you ready yet?" He asked as he enveloped her in his arms from behind as she cleaned up the shelf.

" Manik, aaj jaana zaruri hai kya? I'm so lazyyyy." She slurred with a bad face.

" Nope. Not happening. Hum aaj hi jaa rahe hain and that's final. Tumne promise kiya hai. And today is the day. Dekho meine apne saare bodyguards ko bhi instructions dedi to not follow me." He said with a puppy dog face while she sighed and moved towards her bedroom and fell flat on the bed with her eyes closed making Manik laugh out loud.

" Manik, I've not even had my bath." She cribbed making him laugh again.

" Toh go and have your bath. Yahin hun mein." He said simply to which she made a bad face.

" Manikkkkk." She whined.

" It's not gonna work on me this time, baby." He said as he kissed her temple and scooped her up in his arms making her squeal. He placed her on the washbasin slab while she still had an angry face to which he smooched her puffed up cheek making her blush, finally.

" I'm waiting for you." He said as he kissed her hair and moved out making her sigh with a smile. She was indeed blessed to have him in her life.

~•~

After about twenty minutes, Nandini came out of the bathroom with a black coloured towel wrapped around her slender frame, which reached till her mid thighs while she rubbed rubbed her wet hair with a smaller towel as she stood in front of the mirror of her room unaware of someone's presence. His presence.

While Nandini was in the bathroom, Manik chose to laze around on the bed when he got a call from Cabir and moved towards the tiny balcony attached to her room. Just after the call got disconnected, he started typing an email while moving back inside. He looked up for a second and looked back at his phone, just to look up again ~ in a daze. There she was standing, unaware of his presence. He noticed how the dark colour contrasted with her smooth, milky white skin and how the towel perfectly hugged her frame from all sides. How the wet droplets were sliding from the tips of her hair slid down to her neck reaching her shoulders. He felt like he was possessed by some spell. Some magic which stopped his brain from thinking about anything or anyone at that moment but her. He felt bewitched due to the aura which was spread. His mind and heart wandered at all the places thinking that she was a perfect creation of god. Someone who was made just for him. Unaware of his actions himself, he slowly moved towards her and stood right behind her, looking intensely at her through the mirror. His nostrils were blessed with her body fragrance and the smell of peaches and strawberries coming from her hair to which he unknowingly nuzzled his nose in her hair and rested his hand firmly around her waist from behind making her gasp.

" Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" He huskily whispered making her breath hitch.

" Manik.." she whispered his name with her eyes closed as her one hand rested at the knot of the towel.

"Shh..don't spoil it." He said as he kissed her ear making her shiver a little and turned her around, making her face him while her eyes were still shut tight, the red hue had shamelessly leaked upon her delicate cheeks while her hand still clutched the knot tight. If gods are real, he told himself then his woman was their masterpiece.

" Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai, ki jaise tujhko banaya gaya hai mere liye." He sung in his husky voice as he murmured in her ear making her clutch onto his shoulder. He gently caressed her damp cheek with the pad of his thumb making her open her eyes softly as she observed his every movement. He twirled the front wet lock of her hair around his finger and gently tucked it behind her ear. He yanked her body close to his ~ the wild beats of their hearts thudding loudly, their eyes having a language of their own. How every pore of her skin felt alive when he touched her, she thought making her release a satisfied sigh. His hand reached her neck while she still kept gazing right into his eyes – he bent his head a little and before she knew, he had placed a deep,wet kiss making her body erupt with a streak of unknown pleasure which took away all her senses. He looked up in to his eyes just see an ocean of emotions ~ the same ones he had in his eyes. He was still holding her in his arms, caging her slender, petite frame in his strong, muscular arms ~ and then he did the simplest thing in the world, he leaned over, kissed her forehead tenderly and the world cracked open. She had just shut down her eyes, to absorb every touch of his lips on her, a feeling she didn't want to lose, ever. He gave her a small smile and moved out of the room, leaving her standing there~ panting and blushing.

~•~

She got dressed in a simple black shirt paired with deep blue denims and her sneakers, with her hair flowing down her shoulder , earrings dangling in her ears and, the best accessory rested on her face, her beautiful smile.

She moved out of the room just to see Manik standing with his eyes closed and hands resting on the chair with a grim expression on his face. She slowly moved towards him and patted his shoulder a little making him open his eyes ~

" Nandini, I'm really sorry. I don't know how I lost control. I swear I didn't intend to make you feel uncomfortable at all..I'm sorry please forgive me.." he kept ranting continuously making her giggle a little.

" Shusshhh." She said and palmed his mouth.

" Bohot bolte ho tum." She said softly and lightly kissed his cheek making him give her a happydent smile.

" Chalna nahi hai ab?" She asked with a smile to which he slightly nodded with a smile.

" Rukkoooo." She shouted making him startled.

" Kya hua?" He reflexively shouted back.

" Aise jaaoge tum? Your fans are gonna mob you aur fir tumhara kya hoga?" Nandini asked making an akimbo to which he just sheepishly said oh yeah.

Nandini went inside her room and came back with a small box in her hand. She opened the box and took out a faux French beard shocking him.

" Nandini, tumhaare paas yeh sab kyun hai?" He asked as she fixed the beard around his mouth.

" Actually yeh bhai ka samaan hai. Pata nahi kitne time se mere paas pada hua hai. So I thought why not use it." She said with a grin and made him wear his sunglasses and a red Ferrari cap.

" Now you're ready." She said happily and made him look at his own reflection to which he just nodded.

They moved towards the parking lot in the elevator while Nandini kept poking Manik's stubbled cheek with her finger and giggling which made him scowl at her after every minute. The door opened with a slight ting sound and the moved out ~ Nandini looked around for his car, just to find it nowhere around while Manik just stood behind her, noticing her confused expressions. She turned around and asked him – "Manik, tumhari car kahan hai? I can't seem to see it anywhere." She said in a confused way making him chortle.

" Because baby girl, we aren't going by my car. We have another vehicle." He said to which she raised her eyebrows asking what? to which he just held her hand and took her to the other side of the parking lot. And there she was. A black, shiny Harley Davidson making Nandini's jaw drop in awe.

" So, presenting you ~ our ride for today." He said with a smile to which she turned her face towards him with her mouth still hung open.

" Are you serious?" She asked excitedly to which he just mouthed a yup making her squeal in excitement.

" Manik can I please please pleaseee drive her? Like, please with a cherry on top?" She pleaded with a puppy dog face while he made a horrified face.

" Nooooo. Nandini, relax okay? I don't wanna be knocked out this soon haan. Toh please tum rehneydo. Mein chala lunga." He said and was about to ignite the engine when she interrupted him–

" Manik, please naaaa. I've driven a Harley before. Bhai ke paas hai. Unhone sikhaaya hai mujhe. Please pleaseee." She said with a puppy dog face again.

" Nandini, it's not safe." Manik tried making her understand to which she made a grumpy face which finally melted him.

" Okay. I have two conditions. You will first drive from here to the road in front of the main gate and second, if I feel that it's risky, I'm gonna drive it. Deal?" He said making her grin.

" Done deal." She jumped with a smile and forwarded her hand in front of him asking him for the keys to which he fished them out from his pocket and placed the keys in her hand which had a tiny guitar key chain attached to it. Manik took out two helmets from the seat boot and handed her a black helmet while he himself wore the military green coloured one. And now they were all set, while Manik, on the other hand, kept praying mentally, not that he didn't trust her capabilities but instead he was just a little-scared thinking about what if something happened. His train of thoughts were put to a halt when she ignited the engine and soon the bike picked up the speed. Within a span of a couple of minutes, they'd reached the main gate till where Manik had asked her to drive. She stopped the bike and turned back to look at him just to find her looking at her already. She looked at him with certain expectations to which he just softly pecked her cheek and whispered a " go on " in her ear making her smile widely. She again kick started the bike and vroomed away. They were moving steadily on the road. And thankfully, they didn't have to face much of traffic. The bike halted at one of the traffic signals while Nandini was waiting for the signal to turn green, Manik kept observing her frowns and pouts through his black tinted glasses. He slowly slid his arms around her slender waist making her suck a sharp breath in response as he felt her stomach muscles contracting.

"You're going great, sunshine." He said in her ear making her blush a little which he saw through the rear view mirror when the signal turned green and they were off to their destination ~ Amusement park!

~•~

They reached the amusement park well in time while Nandini was still the one who drove the bike with Manik continuing with his constant mischief and all she could do was constantly blush.

" Nandini, hum yahan kya karenge?" Manik asked as he gulped down a lump in his theory seeing the large crowd.

" Ohho Manik. Chill. Mein hun naa. Nobody is going to recognise you." She said as she held his hand and moved towards the ticket counter. After entering the amusement park, they chose to enjoy the rides first. They chose the giant Ferris wheel first, and during the ride all Nandini did was stick to Manik as their cabin kept moving upwards. They went to many other rides including the roller coaster and the drop tower after which they finally moved towards the gaming arena and purchased nearly 100 coins just for the games while Manik was having the time of his life as he was enjoying to his fullest. They danced on the dance floor game, played the loop game and did bowling - in which Manik won all the three games making Nandini all grumpy. They finally purchased the tickets for the bumper cars arena, much after Nandini's in. Nandini sat in a red car while Manik sat in a green one. They stayed there for nearly thirty minutes, bumping their cars into each other's purposely, laughing their lungs out, pushing each other, giving each other flying kisses just to grab an opportunity and what not. The lights and ambience of the amusement park had set their souls free, they felt content and happy in each other's presence. And as they say, all it takes is spending time with the right person. They walked out of the area, giggling and laughing with huge grins spread wide on their faces with Nandini's arm wrapped around his bicep and head leaning on his shoulder. They walked around the amusement park, devoured on the pink and blue coloured cotton candy happily after a lot of tantrums from Manik, she finally managed to make him eat and he was happy. Just when they were about to exit the amusement park, Nandini noticed the "Hit and Gift" stall and immediately shouted Manik's name, startling him and making him extremely worried.

" Nandini, are you alright?" He asked with a panic struck face.

" Manik, voh naa. Mujhe naa.. uss stall pe jaana hai." She meekly said making him sigh.

" Okay chalo." He said after a minute or two while Nandini studied his face for any kind of anger and hurt but found none. Manik held her hand and moved towards the stall. He paid the money to the shopkeeper for just two turns making Nandini surprised. Just when the shopkeeper was about to hand him the basket which had three smiley sponge balls, Nandini peaked in and said–

" Manik, tum do chances mein karloge?" She asked with her mouth open a little in an 'o' shape making him smirk.

" Of course, baby girl. Bass dekhti jaao. Accha ab batao, which one do you want?" He said pointing towards the toys lined up on a shelf to which Nandini pointed at the brown, furry teddy bear. While Manik aimed at the can placed at the centre of the can pyramid and whoosh! The cans came tumbling down with just two cans stacked one above the other left. He threw the second ball, aiming at the junction between the two cans and within a couple of seconds, they were fallen down too making Nandini jump like an over excited, happy little bunny making him chuckle. She immediately jumped on him, locking her arms firmly around his neck with her face dug into the side of her neck. He smiled widely feeling her lips turn into a wide smile on his neck. She tilted her head upwards and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek whispering a thankyou making him smile.

They exited the amusement park and sat on the bike as this time, Manik chose to drive while Nandini had her arms wrapped around his waist and her head resting on his back, along with an ethereal smile playing on her lips.

" Where to miss?" He asked as he tilted his head a little backwards.

" To the stars." she whispered as she looked up in his eyes making his eyes shine a little.

" We're going to the beach now." She said and kissed his back, resting her head back on it again.

" Pehle batati naa. I would've asked my people to get the beach vacated." He complained about it with a bad face earning a glare from Nandini.

" I think you're forgetting that The Manik Malhotra is on leave today, so give his brain some rest and let's go." She said with a forced smile making Manik grin sheepishly.

After travelling for about 20 minutes, they reached the beach while on the way, Nandini kept talking about something or the other endlessly and Manik listened and replied to them very patiently. Manik parked the bike and they walked on the beach with Nandini's arm wrapped around his bicep. It was nearly the early evening hours as the birds had started flying around, leaving their nests. The sea shined brightly as always in its perfect jewel blue colour giving them a sense of peace. The beach like always was full of people of all age groups who'd come with their family or friends to roam around. The light sun rays were almost diminishing as the wind blew swiftly making their hearts swell with contentment. But amidst all the noise and chaos, the gentle rippling of waves and the sea song soothed their hearts. They sat at one of the least congested corners of the beach, close to the sea waves as the cold breeze hit right on their faces. The beach had a beauty of its own, how everyone from every corner came to seek their peace. How by just a mere touch of the water, the sense of relief washed them away. The Sea had always been a constant for Mumbai, because irrespective of everything and every season, it was just the sea that always remained constant through out. Nandini got up and held out her hand at Manik, which he grabbed immediately as he stood up~

" Let's walk?" She said to which he just nodded. They walked across the sea line with hands intertwined with a sense of calmness on their faces.

" Manik, shoes utaaro." She said to which he made a huh face making her laugh and nod in a yes. He took off his shoes, folded up his denims a little and started walking ahead, to which Nandini ran a little to match up to his pace and held his hand back again making him smile inwardly.

" Manik, you know jabbhi mein kisi cheez ko leke worried ya stressed hoti hun naa, I always come to the beach. You know why? Kyunki these waves wash alway all the worries and pain that you've ever had." She said making him nod in agreement as she held his hand and pulled him a little with her and stood right on the wet, brown, muddy sand and within nothing less than a couple of seconds, they felt the cold, salty waves hitting and flowing through their feet along with the clay like sand.

Just when Manik was busy admiring the beauty of the beach and the new found feelings of peace, Nandini took a handful of water and splashed it on his face making his jaw drop wide open.

"Now you've had it." He said and caged her across his chest with his arm making her squirm and squeak as she tried to get out of his grip. And just what she did, Manik splashed a good amount of water on her face making her shirt almost wet making Manik go almost in a fit of laughter making her make a grumpy face. She punched him on his shoulder making him laugh even more to which he just engulfed her in a hug to which she stopped resisting and as the most innocent punishment, she wiped her damp face with his tee shirt making him make a bad face to which she just showed him her tongue.

" Accha toh ab mein apna muh kisse pohonchu? Kyunki tum toh mere face tak pohonch nahi paaogi." He said with his tongue in his cheek making him get out of his embrace.

" Are you making fun of my height?" She said with her mouth hung open.

" Um. Maybe?" He replied trying to control his laugh.

" Mein jaa rahi hun." She stomped her foot and moved ahead of where he was standing making him run up to her. He held her arm and pulled her towards himself.

" Khaa jaaun tujhe? Kyun hai tu itni cute?" He said as he pulled his cheeks softly and softly caressed them. But what caught her attention was 'tu'. She knew that whenever he was extremely comfortable with somebody, he talks to them like this. She knew he was very attached with her but this one came as a surprise. A good surprise that made her happy.

" Baba mein mazak kar raha thaa? I know you're short but voh kya hai naa, ki I want somebody to reach my heart and guess what? You do and will always." He said as he pecked her nose softly making her giggle softly with a pinch of berry red on her soft cheeks.

" Accha ab chalo. Aur bohot jagahon pe jaana hai." She said as she picked up her slip ons from the sand just to be held back as Manik pulled her towards him.

" Abhi naa jaao chodh kar, yeh dil abhi bhara nahiii." He sang making her laugh and roll her eyes at his never ending drama.

" Mr. Manik Malhotra, mein aapko chodh ke nahi jaa rahi hun, aapke saath chal rahi hun." She said with a wide smile and turned back to walk ahead while he just stood there with a smile on his face.

"Kuch kuch hota hai, Nandini. Tum nahi samjhogi." He almost shouted making her shocked as she turned around to look at him.

" Yeh jo tumhaari smile hai naa, pata hai kitni dangerous hai? Acche acchon ko control kar sakti hai. Toh mein kya cheez hun." He said while he mouth opened wide as an 'o' listening to him to which he just pushed her chin up a little making her close her mouth.

" Tum itne cheesy kabse hogaye, Manik?" She said while laughing a little.

" Jabse mujhe tum mili ho." He said with a dreamy face making her giggle at his drama making him laugh heartily too.

" Aur vaise bhi chodh ke jaane bhi nahi dungaa mein tumhe kabhi." He jogged up till her, throwing his arm around her shoulder making her smile a little.

~•~

They'd left from the beach after spending some great time there. It was Manik who was driving this time, while Nandini was resting her head peacefully on his back with a smile on her face as she looked at scenes around her. Yes, Mumbai just shouted chaos, but there was beauty in that chaos too in its own special way. It had been years since she stayed in Mumbai, she'd seen the city glow and dim for hours and hours together. She did miss her hometown, Bangalore a lot but now after so many years, Mumbai had managed to grab a special spot in her heart too. While Manik kept looking at her through the rear view mirror time to time, just to see her lost in her own vivid thoughts and chose not to disturb her as the cool wind was softly caressing their faces.
Her thoughts were brought to a halt when she suddenly spotted something~

"Manikkkk." She almost shouted, startling him. He immediately stopped the bike at the corner of the road and turned back towards her.

" Kya hua? Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

" Manik, voh naa. Kya tum mere saath vahan chaloge?" She said cutely pointing a finger in a direction, he turned his face just to see "Bombay Flea Market" written on the huge white banner.

" Seriously? A flea market? Aur iske liye tum itni zor se chillayi?" He said with a 'like seriously' face.

" Please naaa." She said with a puppy dog face. And resisting such a cute face? Nah. Manik Malhotra didn't have that power. He just shook his head a little giving her his answer making her face glow happily. Manik parked the car near the flea market while Nandini was practically jumping in excitement like a bunny making him chortle. The Bombay Flea Market was one of the most famous flea markets in Mumbai and the best part was, that it was put up only twice a year and the goods which were sold were brand new and not second hand, like all the other flea markets. And most importantly, it was indoors this time. Thanks to the unpredictable Mumbai rains.

" Kya kya karwaayegi yeh ladki mujhse aaj." He said to himself as Nandini was dragging him inside.

They entered the hall just to see a huge number of people thrifting all kinds of stuff from artificial junk jewellery to clothes to fancy rugs and carpets. While Manik practically gulped a lump down his throat seeing the surroundings. He hadn't even been to a mall without his bodyguards covering him from all sides and here his tiny little bunny had decided to revise everything for him by taking him to a flea market. They started walking around from the very first stall which had junk black jewellery, and all this while Nandini was firmly holding onto Manik's bicep with a wide grin on her face as she moved from stall to stall with him while Manik chose to be a keen observer of whatever Nandini was doing, as usual. They roamed around the flea market for nearly an hour as Nandini was busy bargaining with the shopkeepers on the neck pieces she'd chosen for herself and Navya while Manik looked at her as if she were an alien. Well, that was kinda expected. After finally purchasing the neck pieces they decided to leave the place when suddenly Manik halted as he saw a stall, he asked Nandini to wait for him at the exact same spot as he'll be back within two minutes. Ignoring all the questions from her side, he jogged towards that direction while Nandini stood there with a grumpy face. After a couple of minutes, he returned back with a smile on his face and a wooden box in his hand making Nandini confused.

" This is for you." He said with a beaming smile as he handed her over the wooden box. She clicked open the buckle on it and opened the box just to be left stupefied. A box of twenty earrings with a separate compartment for each one. Some were silver, some were beaded, a couple of them had feathers attached to them while some were colourful and some were black. She averted her gaze from the box to look at him just to see him standing with a wide smile.

" You liked it?" He asked in a slightly unsure tone.

" Are you serious? Twenty earrings? What is wrong with you?" She almost shouted at him.

" Arrey I wanted to buy you some earrings but mujhe yeh sab hi acche lage toh meine sab hi le liye. Meri kya galti." He said with a pout making her face palm herself.

" You are impossible." She said to which he just shrugged carelessly.

" But itne saare earrings kyun liye tumne?" She asked with a confused face.

" Abhi toh bataya. And plus, I want your ears to always twinkle just like your eyes shine always." He said with a smile making her smile too.

" Chalo mere saath." He said and took her to the underground parking area which was relatively empty. He made her stand and gently pushed away her soft bangs behind her ears while she still stood with a confused face. He opened the wooden box and took out a pair of black earrings and carefully tucked them inside her earring holes while she kept looking at his face unblinkingly. After he made her wear the earrings, he softly placed feather like kisses on both her ears making her close her eyes in contentedness while his hard rested firmly on her waist.

" You're meant to shine. Always remember that." he whispered in a husky voice.

" Let's go." he said and delicately kissed a forehead as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

" Thank you for your special gift." She whispered softly and kissed his cheek from behind as he ignited the engine making him laugh a little.

" Anything for you, baby girl." He said and softly kissed her knuckles.

~•~

So, Nandini had again come up with a wish ~ since Manik was her personal driver for today, she'd asked him to take him to the most famous street food shop. Manik was extremely hesitant but then agreed finally because Nandini Murthy was equally stubborn as him. Phew. They reached that place in twenty minutes while Nandini literally hopped down the bike and ran towards the shop leaving Manik sighing in disbelief. He moved towards her just to see her talking to the pani puri shop vendor making him smile at her warm behaviour.

" Bhaiyaa, do plate teekhi pani puri dena please." She said to the vendor.

" And now, Manik Malhotra, I'm gonna give you an experience of a lifetime." She said mischievously as she rubbed her hands.

" Nandini mujhe yeh sab nahi khaanaa. This is so unhygienic. Pata nahi konsa pani use karte hain yeh log. Tabiyat kharab hogayi toh? I don't think this is a good idea.." his blabbering was abruptly stopped when Nandini pushed gol gappa straight into his mouth making his eyes widen. He slowly chewed it making his eyes gleam due to its delicious taste making Nandini laugh.

" This is so good." He said with wide eyes while still eating it.

" Told you." She said and ate one herself as she relished the sinfully amazing taste of it.

" Aaaa." Manik said as he opened her mouth asking her to make him eat another one making her giggle. She made him eat another gol gappa while Manik's naughty brain signalled him to which he simply chose to lick Nandini's fingers softly making her eyes turn wide as a saucer and red leaking on her cheeks while he chose to smirk mischievously. Nandini alternately kept feeding Manik the gol gappas as well, but after having five gol gappas, he was practically jumping around here and there due to the spiciness. Nandini immediately dipped a dry gol gappa in the sweet chutney and curd and made him eat it after which he was a little better now. Nandini moved towards the adjacent ice gola stall and asked the vendor to make two golas. A sweet one for Manik and a sour one for herself. She took the glasses towards the bench where Manik was sitting and drinking water. She handed over him his ice gola glass to which he made a confused face as he didn't know how to eat it. Nandini laughed a little to which he made a bad face,

" Mujhe dekho haan. So all you have to do is, dip the gola in the syrup and eat it like an ice cream. Okay?" She explained while he nodded understandingly as he saw her eat. After two futile attempts of holding the thin bamboo stick properly, he looked up at her with a puppy dog face just to see her laughing loudly.

" Accha okay okay. Mein khilati hun tumhe." She said and made him eat it after which Manik held the glass back again and ate himself. It was an alien experience for him since doing all this was something he'd never even thought of and now she was teaching her new things. He was extremely happy with the new experiences. They paid the vendor for both pani puri and ice gola and moved back towards the bike.

" Ab mirchi toh nahi lag rahi?" She asked him while giggling while he nodded his head in a no with a smile.

" Ab mein drive karungi okay? Because now we're going to our last stop." She said to which he just mouthed a simple okay to her with a small smile.

Nandini was driving the bike for the past ten minutes, focussing entirely on the road due the increasing traffic while Manik chose to play with her long tresses which were flowing out of the helmet, he kept wrapping them around her fingers, sometimes caressing them gently and even sniffing the fruity aroma of her hair with his nose touching the back of her head while Nandini kept taking deep breaths to control her mind, heart and those thousand little butterflies fluttering in her stomach with his every touch.

Nandini halted the bike making him snap out of his reverie, he looked around the surroundings, which shocked him. They were at the back side of his office, where nobody comes except the cleaning staff. He looked at her with his mouth ajar while she looked at him with a wide grin.

" Hum office kyun aaye hain?" he asked in a shocked tone.

" Voh sab chodho. Yeh batao ki tumhare office ki terrace pe AC vents hain?" She asked as she fixed her hair and wore her cap.

" Haan. Hongi hi." he said with a confused face.

" Okay then. Chalo." she said and walked ahead of him.

" Arrey Nandini, listen." he called out for her making her turn back at him.

" Hum kar kya rahe hain? Aur office mein humara kya kaam?" he asked again making Nandini annoyed.

" Kitne sawaal puchte ho tum. Be patient. Pata chal jaayega." she said while in the meantime, Peter made an appearance as he greeted Manik and Nandini respectfully.

" So Peter, all you have to do is - help us sneak inside so that nobody sees us." she said while Manik and Peter looked at her as if she'd grown two horns on her head. He owned the entire office and he had to sneak in? What even, he thought.

" Nandini, hum main entrance se bhi toh jaa sakte hain. Choron ke tarah ghusne ki kya zarurat hai?" he asked her in an irritated tone while she gave him a stern glare in return. Well, only she has the audacity to do so.

" Pzzzttt. Chup. All you have to do it keep quiet and come with me. And Peter, please help us." she said while Peter gave a slight nod. He moved ahead with Nandini and Manik following him featuring Manik's super grumpy face. They halted in front of the three emergency lifts as the lift pinged open after Peter showed his ID card at the biometric scanner. Nandini pressed the button '21' while Manik chose to sigh in response.

" God knows ab iss ladki ke dimaag mein kya chal raha hai." he muttered to himself while Nandini looked at him with raised eyebrows to which he just gave her a forced smile.

" Peter, can you arrange two ice slushies for me?" Nandini asked while he just replied with a simple 'yes ma'am' as he made a call. Within a couple of minutes, they reached the 21st floor where a peon stood holding two ice slushies in a holder.

" Thank you so much for your help, Peter. You may go now." she said with a warm smile.

" Chalein?" she asked him to which he just nodded his head in a mocking manner while she climbed the stairs to the terrace.

~•~

" Whoa. I've not been here in a long, long time." Manik said as he looked at the beautiful Mumbai skyline.

" I know. That's why we're here. Hold this." she said and handed him over his slushy glass.

" And now, all you have to do is whatever I'm doing. Okay?" she said to which he just confusingly nodded. She moved towards the huge AC vent which was open from the top with iron bars on it. She climbed the old, rusted ladder from behind shocking Manik.

" Nandini, listen. Get down right now. This is not safe." he shouted making her roll her eyes at his protective behaviour.

" Manik, trust me. Kuch nahi hoga and besides, tum ho mere saath. And I've done this before so just come with me." she said calmly.

" Where are you taking me?" he asked as he climbed the six steps of the ladder along with her.

" Just trust me on this." she said as she finally stepped foot on the concrete platform of the AC vent while he followed her as they stood right in front of each other.

" And now, wait for it." she said with a wide smile.

" Wait for what?" he said while holding his slushy in one hand and within a couple of seconds, a huge blow of warm air hit them from below.

" Oh my god." he shouted while laughing due to so much of noise making Nandini laugh as their hair were flying everywhere due to the gush of wind.

" Watch this." Nandini said loudly and attached the straw of her slushy to her mouth and gently blew air through it making the coloured ice fly right up due to the pressure making it look like coloured soap bubbles.

" How did you do that?" Manik asked in a surprised tone as he dipped his straw in his slushy too just like her and imitated the same procedure just to get the same result.

" This is so amazing!" He exclaimed as he looked up at the flying ice as they kept doing the same thing for about five minutes continuously, making all sorts of shapes and patterns with the blowing ice.

" Oh my god, my strawww." Nandini shouted as her straw flew away with the wind as she looked up making Manik chuckle slightly, he took out his straw from his glass and put it in hers while she looked up at him in awe and before she even knew, he gently placed his warm lips on hers knocking all wind away from her lungs.
{ I've always wanted this particular Step Up 3 scene on MaNan since day one.😭}

The kiss was warm, slow and passionate - conveying each and every emotion of his directly to her. Her one hand reached up till his hair, gripping them in her fist firmly pulling him down slightly as his arm was latched around her slender, petite waist. They both knew this was coming. As their lips crushed together, she felt like she was walking on air. It was magic, the way his lips connected with hers. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than she could have imagined. Even though it wasn't their first kiss but it still gave tingles and bursts like one. Sparks flew in every direction and the world started to disappear for them, he pulled her a little closer as the kiss grew more passionate and deeper sending shivers down her back. The intoxicating smell of the monsoon wet sand along with the taste of strawberries inside his mouth chose to do no good to her. He tasted every nook and corner of her mouth, playing along with her tongue slightly. It was a wave of warmth that filled him up, spilling out from his heart and the warmth of her soft lips on his and rushing to every corner of his body: the gap in between his toes, the crooks of his elbows, the tips of his ears, turning them slightly red. Every inch of him is saturated with a feeling called HER. They broke apart panting heavily, gasping for oxygen as he pulled her frame even closer to his until there was no space left between them and she could feel the erratic beating of his heart against her chest and kept his forehead ahainst hers.

" Thank you" he whispered in a husky voice.

" For what? " she asked him, with her eyes closed and cheeks heated up as his hand still rested half on her cheek and a half on her neck.

" For being you, always." he said softly making her look right up into his deep brown orbs just to find sheer admiration and warmth for her.

" Wanna get back home?" he asked as he caressed her cheek lovingly with his thumb to which she just nodded with a beautiful smile. It was nearly 7.30 now and dusk had started to settle in. No words were exchanged between them, the silence they had was beautiful. They'd stopped by McDonald's to grab a bite and left from there after some time and hit the road again to reach their destination while Nandini was resting her head on his back with her arms wrapped around his waist with a lovely smile playing on her lips. Just when they were about to reach Nandini's place, the rain gods started to shower them with rain making Nandini extremely delighted. She looked up at the sky as the water droplets fell directly on her face. Manik sped up the bike a little due to the increasing rain. They reached her building in no time. Manik got off the bike, shutting away the engine and ran towards the building for shelter.

" Nandini.." he said and turned around just to see her drenching herself in the rain. Her wet clothes hugging her like a long lost friend as water flew down her face, her hair shining like a beautiful silver lining casting a spell on him. He unknowingly started to move in her direction, not caring about himself getting drenched. He stood right behind her, as she felt his warm breaths fanning on her neck as he bent down a little to her level and rubbed his damp cheek with hers.

" May I have a dance with this beautiful lady?" He asked her with a smile as he forwarded her hand in front of her which she readily grabbed.

" No music." She said in a low, husky voice looking in his eyes.

He said making her sway a little along with her maintaining the eye contact. The pitter patter of the rain drops falling created a shield around them along with some silver puddles. They swayed slowly at the slight beats of the rain drops setting their hearts at peace. She rested her head on his shoulder while he embraced her entirely in his arms and placed a light kiss on her temple making her smile. He twirled her around making water splash everywhere around them and his hands shamelessly ran down her well-defined curves making her gasp. He ran his fingers on her waist making her laugh due to the ticklish feeling while he held her waist and twirled her around in his arms making her laugh in merriment.

" Manik, andar chalo nahi toh beemaar padh jaayenge." She said breathing heavily as she held her hand and moved inside the building. They waited for the elevator and within no time they were outside her apartment. She fished out the keys from her pocket and inserted it in the keyhole, pushing the door open. She switched on the lights–illuminating the entire house. She moved towards her room and took out a pair of fresh clothes from her cupboard for herself and Manik, and kept it on the bed. She handed him over a towel to wipe himself and in the meanwhile, she went into the bathroom to have a quick shower and came out within no time wearing a white tank top and minion pyjamas making him chortle a little.

" Go have a shower." She said as she handed him a fresh pair of clothes making him confused. He immediately pulled her arm, making her jerk towards him.

" Who's clothes are these?" He asked in a husky yet somewhat dangerous tone as he pointed at the Mickey Mouse tee shirt and shorts which belonged to a male.

" Calm down, monster. These belong to bhai. So chill." She said while laughing and kissed his cheek pushing him inside the bathroom making him smile sheepishly. Meanwhile, Nandini entered the kitchen and prepared two mugs of steaming hot chocolate with marshmallows for both of them, by the time Manik had settled himself on the bed as well.

" I don't want you to fall ill again, at any cost. Here, drink this." She said and handed him over his cup making him smile.

" God. This is so delectable. Mhmm." He moaned in delight as he had the first sip of his hot chocolate making Nandini giggle.

" Yaar tumhe na kisi badeeee se hotel mein top chef hona chahiye. Seriously." He exclaimed making Nandini roll her eyes at his flattery comments.

" Bass Manik Malhotra. Aaj ke liye bohot hogaya." She said at which he made a bad face.

" Jaldi piyoo. I'll show you something you've always wanted to see." She said with a smile making Manik all attentive.

" Kya?" He asked curiously.

" Arrey baba, patience. Aaram se pii lo. Then I'll show you. Okay?" She said as she continued sipping from her cup to which he just mouthed an 'okay' to her.

After they finished drinking the delicious hot chocolate, Nandini held his hand and took him along with her–

" Tumhe humesha janna tha na ki iss room mein kya hai? Come I'll show you." She said with a smile as she stood in front of another room. She opened the latch of the door and turned on the lights from the switch board.

" Whoa." was all Manik could say after seeing the room. Since her apartment has two rooms - one master bedroom and one room which was comparatively smaller and remained vacant always, so instead of not utilising that room, she chose to revamp it and convert it into her personal cosy corner.

There was a single bed stacked with many pillows and a thin white net covering the top of it and the four sides of a curtain with dim yellow fairy lights, some posters stuck on the wall and quote written in her handwriting

[ If I lay here, would you lie with me and forget the world ~ is the quote]

" I don't mind lying with you forever, forgetting the world." He said as he back hugged her keeping his chin on her shoulder.

On the wall beside the bed were Polaroid pictures attached to strings and wooden clips - a getaway to all her precious memories. Manik just moved towards the pictures and looked at them with a smile on his face. Some pictures were with her brother, a couple with her parents, some with Navya but mostly, her pictures from her childhood and teenage years.

" You look so cute here." He said while laughing as he pointed at one of the pictures.

" This was when I was five years old and I fell from my bicycle. Mujhe zyada chot lagi bhi nahi thi, still I cried and then appa got me my favourite chocolates after that." She said with a smile adorning her face.

" You wanted to know who my best friends were in college right? Come, I'll show you." She said as she held her hand and walked towards the other side of the room.

" Meet my best friends." She said as she pointed at the huge book rack laced with fairy lights.

" You've seriously read all these books?" He asked in a shocked tone to which she just carelessly shrugged making his jaw drop.

" Aur bhi vahan mere reading corner mein." She said and pointed at this hut like book rack which had a tiny couch on the inner side.

" This is..mind blowing man." He said as he looked around her perfect room.

" I never knew you were this creative." He said with a smile making her pat her own shoulder in appreciation.

" Manikkk. Uspe matt baithna. Voh tuut jaayega." She shouted as he was about to sit on her tiny little hammock which was hung in the centre of the room. While her voice startled Manik and he fell on the floor making Nandini erupt with bubbles of laughter to which Manik just gave her a fake smile.

Nandini moved forwards and held out her hand to make him stand up, he looked at her briefly and held her hand. Within a couple of seconds, she was pulled down in his lap.

" Are you trying to call me fat?" He asked as he tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear.

" No. I'm just saying that you won't fit in there aur fir voh tuut jaayega." She said with a sad face.

" You know actually, your pyjamas say the correct thing about you. Itni chotu si ho minion jaisi. Tumhara naam naa Minion Murthy hona chahiye." He said while laughing to which she made a 'haww' face.

" You..you.. mujhe tumse baat hi nahi karni. Aur tum kya ho haan? Mickey Malhotra. Huh." She said in an annoyed tone and got up from his lap to fetch her phone. She immediately opened her contacts and change his name from Manik to Mickey Malhotra and showed him her tongue making him laugh.

" Two can play the game, minion." He said with a smirk and took out his phone from his pocket and did the same– from Nandini to Minion Murthy. And in just about a minute, they looked at each other and burst out laughing crazily realising their childish behaviour. Nandini picked up her Polaroid camera from the corner table and moved towards Manik~

" Manik, look here." she said to which he just looked at the camera and gave a smile and *CLICK*. Nandini carefully took out the photo from the film slot and kept it back on the table so that the photo develops on its own. She took a marker and wrote "Mickey Malhotra & Minion Murthy" in capitals on the white part of the picture and stuck it on her photo wall, making him grin as well.

" I need this photo too." he said with a smile looking at the picture which was fully developed now.

" I'll get you a duplicate of this." she said to which he nodded in agreement.

" Ab puri raat tum yahin baithe rahoge? Are you hungry?" She asked as he got up from the floor.

" Dude no way. Aaj poora din tumne mujhe itna khilaya hai I'm sure mera 1 kg weight bhi increase hogaya hoga." He said with a scared face making her roll her eyes. He moved towards her and immediately scooped her up in his arms which caught her off guard. He slowly placed her on the bed and lied beside her. She looked at him and immediately lied on top of him, resting her head comfortably on his chest while he gently fondled her hair.

" Manik, what about our future?" She asked after a long silence as she looked up at him, resting her head on the back of her hand, making him smile.

" Well, mujhe humaare future ka toh nahi pata, but one thing I'm sure of, that my future holds you. No matter what." He said softly making her smile a little.

" I'm so blessed to have you in my life, Manik Malhotra. I really don't know how I got this lucky to deserve a person like you. I know all this is very cheesy, but all I want to say is that thank you for always being there by my side and never giving up." she said with slightly misty eyes making him kiss her forehead dearly.

"Always, baby girl." he replied with a smile.

" Now since you've said all this, I want to make some promises to you." He said while she listened to him patiently.

"I promise that I am always going to be there for you, each and every moment of time, in all your ups and downs and through your thick and thins. I promise that I'm always going to be your best friend, above all. You'll have me by your side, holding you tight whenever you want it. Even if it's 3 AM in the morning, I'll just be a ring away from you. I'm always gonna listen to you when you pour your heart out and always keep all your secrets safe. I promise to always be your shoulder to cry on, to hold you tight when you fall and to never in a million years let you feel that you're alone. You're never gonna lose me, baby girl. Your smile is always going to be my top most priority, irrespective of the situations. I promise you a forever, Nandini Murthy." He finished and looked at her just to see her eyes overflowing with tears, dampening her soft petal like cheeks- worrying Manik to no extent.

" Hey baby, whats wrong? Shhh." he patted her head affectionately yet in worry as she dug her face in the crook of his neck, wetting it with her precious tears. He was patient, very very patient. He kept caressing and kissing her hair every moment as he noticed her cries had died down and getting replaced with sobs.

" Bass babaa. Itna roney ki kya zarurat thii? See, eyes bhi red hogayi." he said and delicately kissed her eyes.

" Tum mujhe kabhi chodhh ke toh nahi jaaoge naa?" she asked him again, like a small child assuring herself again and again.

" Kabhi bhi nahi, meri jaan." he said with a smile to which she lifted herself up a little, and placed a long, soft kiss on his cheek and buried her face in his neck again making him grin at her adorable behaviour.

" Accha you sit here, I'll get you water hm?" he said to which she nodded and lied down on the bed. He fetched a glass of water and a bar of her favourite Mars chocolate from the refrigerator and came back in the room. He forwarded the glass of water to her at which she just looked at him cutely making him chuckle a little. He sat down beside her and touched the glass slightly on her lips making her open her mouth a little. He carefully made her drink water whilst supporting her head a little–

" Bass?" he asked to which she just nodded with a smile to which Manik kept the glass aside and gently wiped her lips with his thumb.

" And this is for you." He said and gave her the chocolate making her eyes shine with happiness.

" You know Manik, Mars naa meri sabse favourite chocolate hai iss purriiii duniya mein. Its so amazing." She said in awe as she stuffed her mouth with a huge bite.

" I know, baby girl." he said while laughing a little.

" Come." he said as he opened her arms wide for her at which she didn't even take a second to hop on him as he cocooned her securely in his arms while she drew herself more inside his chest seeking the much-needed warmth. He kept nuzzling his nose on her cheek making her giggle continuously.

" You're the best boyfriend, ever!" she exclaimed while laughing making Manik stop right there.

" Boyfriend?" he asked in a shocked tone.

" I mean, voh sab hone ke baad toh.." she trailed off hinting at their kisses as Manik hovered over her, as he looked at her with his darkened eyes making her gulp audibly.

" Voh sab kya, baby girl?" he asked huskily as he dipped his head down to her neck and placed tiny, feather like kisses making her shiver under him.

" Manik." she almost moaned at his sweet torture.

" You need to answer, sweetheart." he said in a low, intimidating voice.

" Manik please." she almost cried making him look at her.

" Alright then, girlfriend." he said and placed a soft peck on her lips making her shocked. He lied down in the same position, with her lying on top of him entirely.

" My beautiful, beautiful Nandini." he said lovingly as he caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb making her blush.

" Haven't you heard of the saying, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder? And there are so many beautiful women out there, I'm just a common girl." she said with a small smile.

" Ek din kabhi jo khudko taraashe meri nazar se tu zaraaa, aankhon se teri kya kya chhupa hai tujhko dikhaaun main zara." he sofly hummed his favourite song making her all shy and red, yet again.

" You know thode time pehle takk meri life mein sirf do sabse khubsoorat auratein thii. My mom and my daadi. But now, a new addition is the third most beautiful lady, who's right in front of me." he said softly with a smile as he held her even closer to him and kissed her tiny nose.

" My mom is still the most beautiful woman for my dad and same is the case with my daadi. She has white hair but still, she means the world to my daadu after so many years. Just the same way, you're the most beautiful woman, only to me." He said leaving her awestruck. What did she do to deserve him? She asked herself for the hundredth time. She hugged him even tightly while he kept showering her forehead with innumerable eskimo kisses. Their eventful day had finally come to an end on a peaceful and happy note, with the fact that they were closer to each other even more now. Their relationship was like milk and honey ~ pure and sweet.

_____

I choose you. And I'll choose you over and over again. Without a pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I'll keep choosing you.

~*~*~*~

I had this in mind since a long time, I'm not a person who cribs for votes and comments and stuff, but please it takes hell loads of efforts and time to write such long updates and in return when you don't get the expected response, it does hurt. A lot. Every update of my story exceeds 4K words but I still don't get the desired result. It's very demotivating.
So please be kind enough.😊

Also I've said this earlier as well, if you don't like my stories or anything, please feel free to stop reading it. I'm nobody to force you. :)

Do drop in your precious reviews.❤️
~Vx.