"जिंदगी से यही गिला है मुझे,
तू बहुत देर से मिला है मुझे!"

"Woah!!! What a golden day today, Malhotra Men's in the kitchen preparing food?" Malhotra men's - Yash, Raj, Arijit and Manik looked at the threshold of kitchen to saw Malhotra ladies- Damini, Nyonika and Mrunal, standing there with an impressed face.

"Yes Ladies. Today it's a break for you all. Sunday's special lunch is on Malhotra men's. What say boys?" The other three 'boys' nodded their heads in yes at Yash and gave a smile to ladies.

"Well, I hope we get good food only." Raj glared playfully at Nyonika who grinned sheepishly.

"You don't worry Mom, you'll end up licking your fingers." Mrunal raised her brows at the confidence of her husband.

"Yepp!! Don't underestimate the power of Malhotra's."

"Very good Manik."

"Thank you dad." Manik bowed down saying thank you. All the ladies chuckled at the drama.

"Ok now you ladies, Out! You are disturbing us." The ladies made a haww face hearing Yash but stomped out of the kitchen leaving the men to deal with kitchen.

"Bhai, do one thing, throw this tomato in air, I'll chop it in the air only."

"Seriously Mann?"

"Kidding Bro. Don't throw the tomato, throw this cucumber." Arijit smacked Manik's head playfully making him huff.

Raj and Yash just smiled at the banter of the brothers. They were happy seeing the love these brothers share. They never have to teach Manik, to respect his brother and neither had to make Arijit understand to love and pamper his younger brother. It was all natural. They were each other shield since childhood.

"Dad you remember, you told me once that why you learned cooking and made me learn it too?" Yash glared at Raj to bring this topic up in front of his grandsons while Raj smirked.

"Hey, tell us too naa Dadu." Yash frowned and looked at Arijit and then Manik who were looking at him with inquisitive look. He again glared at Raj before stirring the vegetable curry and looked at his boys.

"Well!! It was due to your grandmother."

"Don't tell me Dadu, that Grandma put this condition in front of you before marrying."

"Only if!! It was after our marriage. On the next day of marriage, there is a ritual of pehli rasoi, where the newly wed daughter-in-law of the house has to cook. She was a great cool she did it well . But then when we went to her house for pagphera ritual, I was asked to cook and do the first rasoi ritual in my in-laws' house. And I didn't even knew the C of cooking, and end up making burnt rotis and means of laughter for my wife. So, after that I leaned cooking too and made Raj and then you both learn too."

Manik and Arijit ends up laughing at his misery years back and Raj too giggled. It was always fun to see his father getting teased by his mother. With these chit and chats the men prepared a good and delicious lunch for the ladies, which everyone enjoyed with more laughters and fun at the dining table. But the laughters died when Yash asked something from Manik and everyone saw his smile disappearing.

"Manu, now atleast tell us about your 'The One'." Manik who was about to put the morsel in his mouth, paused and looked at his grandfather and then his family. He frowned, thinking what should he tell his family. This was the one question disturbing him. And that's why he was avoiding this topic from so long. But how long?

It's not like he doesn't want to tell his family. If it was upto him, he would have announced it to the world. But it's not in his hands. Nothing is right now. And he isn't even expecting anything. He just wants to make her smile. He just wants to make her happy. He just want her to feel loved. Nothing more. Nothing less. Because he has loved so deeply, that he knows, love is not always getting it back. Sometimes, it's all about giving all of it.

"Manu, everything fine na bache? There is something disturbing you?" Manik put up a smile on his face and nodded at his grandmother. How would his family react if they know that his 'The One' is a mother of a three-year old. Would they accept his love? But he shaked his head removing those thoughts. Of-course they will accept his love, because they love him. But it's not the time for that. He looked at his family who were looking at him with a worried face, which made him smile.

"There is nothing people. Don't worry. I'm fine. And about my 'The One', don't worry, I'll tell about her to you guys sooner or later." Everyone smiled and nodded at him before continuing their lunch. Although, this time Manik was lost in his thoughts. He was feeling guilty for hiding everything from his family. But what should he even tell them. He sighed and thought to visit his friends to divert his mind.

All this while Arijit was observing Manik and he was feeling that something is definitely disturbing him. And it didn't settled with him, so he thought to find out the reason that's disturbing his brother. 

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"Nandini, child wait for some time, Danish would be arriving, he will drop you. It's already late my dear." Nandini shaked her head in no and held Mrs. Amroliwala's hand giving her a assuring smile.

"Aunty, it's okay please. It's already late and Uncle Danish will get more late if he will drop me. Don't worry, it's just thirty minutes by walk. It's not my first time. You don't worry. I'll go." Mrs. Amroliwala frowned but then sighed. If she knew, her husband would be late she wouldn't have stopped Nandini till so late. But the customers were too many so she requested Nandini to stay for some more time. But now it's already late and she didn't wanted her to go alone. At last on insistence of Nandini, Mrs. Amroliwala agreed and Nandini left the cafe and started walking towards her home.

It wasn't that late though, just 9:30 but the road was a desert one. She was walking on the footpath. The weather was also chilly. Thanks to Ishita who asked her to wear a coat above her dress, otherwise the chilly would have made her sick. And getting sick, is something she can't afford.

Nandini was walking lost in her thoughts of planning a small birthday part for her daughter's upcoming birthday when she heard some weird muffled sounds. Her heart started beating at abnormal pace as she kept walking and the sounds got clear.

At a distance, she saw a man trying to force himself on a girl and her thorat went dry. She started talking heavy breaths. She could see the girl struggling to get out of the man's tight grip, who has pinned the girl by the huge tree. Some flashback ran into Nandini's mind making her eyes welled. Nandini's breathing got more heavy as she felt her feet jammed and she saw the man tearing the girl's sleeves making the girl shout loudly for help. Nandini's mind got blank as the visuals dreadful night ran through her mind. Tears started flowing through her eyes and it was getting difficult for her to breathe.

"Le-Leave me p-pl-please."

"What's the rush babygirl? The night is too young, no? I don't think you dressed up so preet-ily to let it go waste."

"No p-pl-please. Y-ou fr-iend."

"I got it, I got it. You want to say that we are friends right. But you see, that was all for this day. What do you think,  I became a good boy from bad boy for you? Hah!! Okay now shutup, hmm. Let me get over with it now." And then he tore her dress from her upper body before doing the same with her bra. She shivered with the cold and tried to push him in her drowsy state but couldn't which made him chuckle at her futile attempts. She could feel his hands on her upper body and she was shaking with disgust. Tears were flowing from her eyes but she was unable to scream even. As if, her voice was lost. Still, she was trying her best to push him only to fail. Soon she felt his mouth on her upper assets and she gasped at the assualt he was doing.

"Nandini!! Nandini what happen? Nandini look at me please bache, kya hua?  Look at me Sunshine."

(Kya hua- What happen)

Hearing someone calling her Sunshine, Nandini inhaled a sharp breath and started taking uneven breaths, aa if trying to get her breath back. She opened her eyes and found herself sitting on the footpath. She didn't even realised when her knees became so weak and she fell down. She felt a hand rubbing her tears off and she didn't felt disgust with the touch. She looked at the person and her heart finally felt calm when she saw Manik sitting in front of her.

But what surprised her was, the unshed tears in his eyes. Why was he crying? She wondered.

Nandini then remembered about the girl and with a fear looked in that direction to saw no-one. Manik looked at her fear stricken face and cupped her cheeks to saw her eyes filled up with pain and fear.

"She is fine. Nothing happened. Cabir and Abhi took her to hospital, and that man to the police station, hmm? She is fine. You are fine." Fresh tears soon started flowing from her eyes and Nandini hugged Manik, encircling her hands around his neck as he was sitting too.

As soon as she hugged him Manik was shocked. His body went rigid, but when he felt her shaking he encircled his one hand around her waist, still not touching and other hand went caressing her hairs to calm her down.

On one hand, where his heart was feeling the peace of having his love in his arms for the first time, his mind was dealing with the fear that why was she reacting in such a way. Why did she got a panic attack. And the possibilities of the answers was making him restless.

Only he knew what he felt in the last half an hour. Manik and Cabir were out for a stroll after a heavy dinner with his friends. Walking a good distance on the deserted road, they were about to turn back when heard someone screaming, particularly a girl's screaming. Both were alerted and ran in the direction. Their blood boiled seeing a man trying to forces himself on a girl. They hurriedly went towards them and Manik held the man through his shirt and pushed him on the road. He punches the drunk man until the man was bruised enough. He looked at the girl who was now covered with Cabir's jacket and Cabir told him that he called Abhi to bring the car. Soon Abhi bought the car and got rigid seeing the girl. Manik patted Abhi's shoulder and they decided to take the crying girl to hospital and the drunk man to the police station. They made the girl sit on the front seat when Cabir's gaze fell on a figure of a girl, a little far away from them. He made Manik look at her too. Manik asked both of them to leave and he will see. Cabir and Abhi left in the car giving him the bottle of water, and Manik moved in Nandini's direction.

Reaching near her, he was shocked to see Nandini there. She was breathing heavily and her face was full of tears and sweat. He kneeled down and tried to calm her down by calling her. His own eyes welled up seeing her miserable state and he felt frustrated because he doesn't know the reason.  After so many attempts he finally saw her reacting and he heaved a sigh of relief.

Manik opened his eyes and finally a lone tear fell down from his eyes. He was feeling his heart breaking seeing her in this state. He doesn't want to think anything but his mind was not taking a break. Wiping his own tears, Manik kept caressing Nandini's hairs softly and finally felt her calming down a bit.

"Nandini. Drink some water, please." Hearing the soothing voice Nandini opened her eyes and her hands loosened around his neck. They broke apart and Manik passed her the water bottle. She took it and gulped the half filled bottle in one go. Manik's heart broke more seeing her like that. He saw her eyes dried and how she gave him a small thankful smile after giving him the bottle, and for the first time, Nandini's smile didn't calmed Manik's heart down. Instead, it became more restless for knowing the reason.

He knew.

He knew, that she is strong, but exhausted.

And he wants to be the person, with whom she would find her all exhaustion disappearing.

He wants the person in her life, with whom she won't need to act all strong.

Is it too much to expect? He wondered and looked at her beautiful face which was devoid of any expressions. She was sitting on the footpath comfortably now. As if, nothing happened a while back. As if, she never went through a panic attack. As if, she isn't hiding any pain in her heart.

And all these as if's were making him feel edgy. He looked at her blank face and felt something breaking inside him. All his life he was surrounded with people who loved him, who cared for him, who were always there for him. He never had to suffer to live, he never had to endure any pain to love. But now, today, seeing his love in so much pain, he felt it all. He kept looking at her. This silence was suffocating him. How is she living in it, he thought, and from how long?

"How many deaths have you died to be so strong? How many times you have screamed to be so silent?" Nandini who was lost nowhere slowly looked at him. She always felt amazed looking into his eyes.

His brown orbs, they speak so loud so clear. She knows, that the heart in the chest of the man sitting in front of her, is so soft that he feels everyone's pain. How easily he see other's pains, others sufferings. How easily he understands her silence, which, sometimes, she herself find difficult to comprehend.

"Let it out Nandini. Please." She looked at his pleading face and felt her soul trying to get naked in front of his soul. But that's not easy. And moreover, that's not right. She looked back at the shining half moon and blinked her tears.

"I.. I can't talk about it because if I talk about it, that means it matters. If it matters, that means it's real, and if it's real that means it's going to hurt." Manik inhaled sharply and looked in her eyes who looked back into his.

In her eyes he felt misery, he felt darkness trying to engulf her. He saw her eyes going emotionless as if the darkness was slowly consuming her. And he felt himself breaking apart. He never had this feeling so strong, so strong that he wanted to save her from her darkness so badly that he was willing to set himself on fire just to light her way. Even if it melts his flesh and cracks his bones, he had be okay with keeping her warm.

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Hey 👋

So, how was it?

Some Malhotra family moments.

MaNan >>>

The flashback scenes were but difficult to write, I swear. To even imagine all these things crumbles my heart.

Their first hug <<<<3

How were their conversations?

Will be waiting for your reviews.

Next- soon! Actually this chapter has crossed 4k words, and still I wasn't done, so I thought to sit it into two parts. So basically next update is 80% ready. You'll get it when I'll feel content with your response. Dhamki nahi hai.

2726 words!!

~A♡