I want u to be there... For a little more than always!!!
Part 30:
Navya: Nandini lets go there.... I wanna buy a few dresses....

Nandini: Ohk lets go!!

Manik: No... U r not going anywhere now.

Manik immediately held Nandini's hand. They were all out for shopping and from the last half an hour they had been roaming here and there. Aliya, mukti and navya seemed to excited while nandini just looked at something or the other but didn't show any interest in anything. And now again Navya wanted to go to a store as she pulled Nandini whereas manik was not at all ready to leave her.

Nandini: Manik I-

Manik: Cabir... Go!! Now that u hv a girlfriend, go n fulfill ur duties. Help Navya!!

Cabir glared at him for a minute.
Cabir: Why r u trying to kill me dude??

Navya: What did u say Cabir?

Cabir: Me?? No nothing baby... Lets go I'll help u in shopping.

Both Manik and Nandini started laughing while cabir gave Manik a now_see_wat_i_do look.

Aliya and mukti had already disappeared moving frm one store to other and dhruv had to tag along to carry Aliya's bags. So that left over just Manik and Nandini. Nandini had insisted not to get the wheel chair along so she was hooping on one feet and trying to give not more than a little strain to her injured leg.

Nandini: Manik.. Why did u stop me?? We r here for shopping right, so i too need to buy a little stuff.

Manik just held her hand and made her move to a side where they sat on the bench. He held her hand between both of his and then said,
Manik: U want to shop na... Then I'll help u just dont move around alone like this.

Nandini: U will help me???

Manik: Yes.. Why not?

Nandini: Ohh yes... How can I forget, u love shopping right?

Manik: Not love it... But yeah, i like it occasionally.

Nandini: Thats amazing... Coz i frankly hate it like anything!!

Manik: Hate it?? Why??

Nandini: Just like that... I just hate it. Thats one of the reasons why i always shop online. Vese bhi if I like it also, then too who has so much tym. Office, fab5, meetings, u... There is so much to keep me busy.

Manik just kept on looking at her and realised for the hundredth time how all this girl has in life is related to him.

Manik: Ohk chalo... Let's start!!

With this they got up and Manik took her to an amazing store where he made her sit on the chair and said,
Manik: ohk so this store will hv each and everything that u can think of. It's kind of a mall in itself, so just sit here and tell them what silk u want.

Nandini smiled at his concern and then for to work. As Manik sat her buying all sorts of weird things, anyone could think of. About half an hour later, she was done with a Saree, 2-3 shawls, one male kurta pyjama, walking stick, and some other stuff.

Nandini: Ohk i m done... U plz pack these and get the bill.

The worker walked away while Manik said,
Manik: Nandini... I don't see even one thing out here that u can use. What is all this??

Nandini: Manik shh... These aren't for me!!

Just then the worker returned and kept a bill in front of them. As Nandini noticed Manik picking it up, she immediately grabbed the bill and handed over her card to the worker asking him to swipe it.

Manik: Nandini i-

Nandini: Manik... All i do from my salary is this. I hv abundance of money kept in my account, thanks to ur amazing salary. So plz.... Let me

Manik was about to say something but she simply picked up a few bags and kept it on his hands.

Nandini: u r here to help me right... So now hold these...

Saying so Nandini simply stated moving out of the store fumbling on her steps as she walked out.

As they moved out, Manik saw nandini entering a jewellery store right there. He too followed her and the moment he entered everyone started looking at him. Why would they not, after all the famous Manik Malhotra is moving at the trail of a girl carrying her shopping bags.

Nandini smiled nervous at it noticing everyone and took a few bags frm Manik. He smirked at it at and asked,
Manik: Now why are we here??

Nandini: I need to buy something.

And fifteen minutes later they exited the store with a small set of 'laxmi-ganesh' made up of silver.
Nandini: Ohk i m done...

Manik: No u r not.
And the next half an hour they spent in a cloth shop, selecting for each other.

Both of them had a really amazing tym while shopping. Manik got to know Nandini's likes-dislikes which Nandini already knew about him.
----------------------
That evening all of them sat in Manik's room having some snacks.
Aliya: God i m so tired...

Cabir: Then who told u to buy the entire market ...

All of them laughed at it while aliya made a puppy face.

Dhruv: Cabir... Not a word now.

Navya: Aww... Dhruv so sweet!! Cabir learn something from him.

Cabir: Of course babes...

Manik: Ohk guys... Now let's get ready we hv to leave for the lake in half an hour. Just take up the necessary stuff for the night.
All of them nodded at it and dispersed and exactly half an hour later they moved out of the hotel.
They settled into the car with Manik on the driving seat, cabir next to him. Mukti, Navya and Nandini in the middle while dhruliya for at the back.
The journey started with all of them talking about some casual stuff. All of it continued for sometime when suddenly Manik sang,

Ho hai zara si meethi-meethi halki si khaari
Yari yari, yaari yaari, yaari yaari..
All of them turned silent while Manik looked at Nandini through the mirror, their eyes met and he continued,

Ho.. yaar woh jo samjhe baat bin bole saari
Yaari yaari, yaari yaari, yaari yaari..
Nandini blushed at it while cabir started using the dashboard as his drums, and Manik continued.

Wo o o ho.. wo ho.. wo ho...
Zinda yaaron se hui zindagi
Wo o o ho.. wo ho.. wo ho...
Teri-meri, meri-teri yaari-yaari
Hoo.. hoo...

Dhruv while pulling aliya's cheeks sang,
Ho kachchi pakki gullakon to tod-taad kar
Chillaron ko apney saare jod-jaad kar
Tere hisse ki main smile ko khareed lun
Meri smile ka kahin na kahin se tu jugad kar

Mukti:
Chai wale adde ki bhi chai se hai pyari
You know..
Yaari yaari, yaari yaari, yari yari..
Wo.. jiski chal rahi hai abhi tak udhaari
Yaari yaari, yaari yaari, yari yari..

Manik:
Wo o o ho.. wo ho.. wo ho...
Zinda yaaron se hui zindagi
Wo o o ho.. wo ho.. wo ho...
Teri-meri, meri-teri yaari yaari
hoo hoo.. hoo hoo..

Cabir:
Beer ke nashe mein talli hoke jhoom lein
Mastiyon ke raaste mein jhande gaad dein
Hosh humse apna ghar ke le agar pata
Arey hosh se kahein ki hum hai aish mein pale

Manik:
Class bunk maar ke pahaadon pe jaari (Aliya:What?)
Yaari yaari, yaari yaari, yari yari..
Wo ho.. ghar pe goli deke bhaagne ki bimari (Mukti:wassup?)
Yaari yaari, yaari yaari, yaari yaari..
Go!
Wo o o ho.. wo ho.. wo ho...
Zinda yaaron se hui zindagi
Wo o o ho.. wo ho.. wo ho...
Teri-meri..
Meri-teri yaari yaari
oo.. hoo.. hoo..

Cabir:
FRIENDS FOREVER!

They ended the song and burst out laughing,
Aliya: Now i get it... Fab 5 feels.... This is us!!

Manik: This trip is turning out more and more better with each passing moment. I will never forget this particular trip ever.
As he said this his eyes again flicked at Nandu while she was hiding her eyes. He noticed her smiling and a simple smile adored his lips too. But then he noticed slight tears in her eyes. Nandini removed her tears and looked at him. And her genuine smile clearly told him how happy she was.

Soon they reached the lake and the view in front of them was breathtaking. Though it was already dark but still the scene of the lake shining on the moon light was amazing. The stars adored the night in a way at just took words away from all of them. None of them said anything for a few minutes.

Nandini was the first one to get down the car as she started moving closer to the lake. All d others got down the car as well. They saw Nandini sitting down on the ground near the lake. With this both the couple side hugged each other as they moved for a romantic walk in opposite directions. Mukti too moved closer to the lake, a little away from Nandini and started throwing stones in the lake watching them bounce a number of times. While Manik leaned on the bonnet of the car, enjoying his peace with his eyes fixed on nandini.

A few minutes later, he heard a voice next to him.
"U love her right??"

Manik turned and saw Mukti standing right next to him. He smiled at her and again saw Nandini as he nodded slowly. Mukti smiled at him and said
Mukti: Manik there is something about me that we all hvn't told u yet.

Manik looked at her confused at which Mukti sat on the bonnet and asked Manik to join her. As Manik sat, mukti started,

Mukti: Just plz don't freak out and listen to me properly. After we all finished clg, we Fab5 kind a drifted apart. I don't know the reason, it might be coz we didn't think of music as our profession ever. While u all handled it well. I couldn't....

Manik flicked a bit at the topic as it bought old memories to him but still he knew mukti too is sharing it to him with a lot of difficulty and he had to be there for her. He simply kept quite and listened.

Mukti: So as u know, aliya started with this fashion industry, dhruv started his passion thats dance, cabir opened up his first restaurant and u got busy in ur office. Between all of this, i lost the only family that I ever had and i got into depression.

Manik: Depression???

Mukti: Yes... I kind of left everything. Eating, drinking, or in short i left living. And then i... I tried to... Tried to jump off my balcony one night.

Manik:. What????

Mukti: I know... I know i was stupid. But something got into me, i don't know what i was thinking but cabir came on the right time and stopped me. After that day all of us again increased meeting. Cabir had called u that night itself buy i guess u were still at work. We kept on trying to see u, but u were busy.

And in the same way a year passed away, i was recovering slowly but not that much.

I clearly remember that day, it had been a year that college ended and almost 6 months that we even saw u, i was feeling a bit low and aliya suggested to surprise u by coming to ur office.
We all came there but the moment we reached there u were entering the conference room. U just said that u were busy and u went away Manik. That was like a reality check for me, we had grown too far away from each other Manik. Fab 5 was no more something got which it was known. Our friendship was missing.

Manik shook his head in a no and pulled Mukti for a side hug. She was badly crying all her heart out and then she again continued,

Mukti: Just as u entered the conference room, i ran away from there. I wanted to cry my heart out and i went straight to the fire exit. I sat there and cried for a long time after which i felt someone's hand on my shoulder.

U can think that particular day or event changed me completely as a person. I turned around and found an unknown face sitting right behind me. The face which pushed me to share my pain, who with time became my shoulder to lean on and cry, who supported me through the most difficult time of my life. That was Nandini Manik....

Manik: Nandini???

Mukti: Yes she came out there seeing me running. She made me talk, calmed me down, have me strength. And on asking who was she, she simply called herself a well wisher. She gave me her number and soon she became my best run away source. I used to call her and let my heart out or sometimes even meet her. After that I started recovering fully and exactly 15 days later, all us met, Fab5 got back together, just for a night though but we did and made music. That was the actual medicine for me. I got to know that Nandini was ur ps and she had recently joined u about 2 months earlier. And That day wasn't the end, it was just the beginning as we decided to launch Fab5's first album.

I didn't relate all of it much, all i knew that Nandini was my savior and one of my bestest friends outside Fab5. Untill recently that cabir spilled out the beans how Nandini contacted him after talking to me and somehow got u home right on time always arranging up ur day accordingly. It was all her plan from day1, she is the one who has made Fab5 what it is today. She is the one Manik. Of we r here standing like a rock solid stone then it's all bcoz of Nandini. If she had not taken up ur work load over her shoulders then maybe Fab 5 would have never had got back together.

Mukti smiled looking at nandini who was still sitting in the same place, Manik too followed her gaze and smiled to his broadest.
Manik: She is really an angel in my life.!!

Mukti: Not just in urs mister but ours too!!!