I came out and saw fab 4 and navya sitting in our living room. I was surprised "hey guys, why didn't you people inform us that you are sitting here?? How long has it been?? " i spoke hugging each one of them.
Dhruv: hey hey nandini, relax, we have just come and mukti was just going to call you. But you came yourself...

" Oh" i replied.

Cabir: so manik kaha hain??

"he is getting ready..go and see, but i have to hurry..maa must be waiting.." i informed.

Cabir: are we allowed in your room??
I was confused, why is he asking this?? They don't go to manik's room or what? "well , i don't know , why you are asking that??" i said, and saw others shaking their heads knowingly.

Cabir: wo i mean, kya hai na ki now manik is married, so we are trying to be considerate, as to what is allowed and what not..you know what i mean
He spoke suggestively. With the look of others , i understood he is trying to be funny and sarcastic .

"i don't expect your friendship to change, rest is your choice" i replied mischievously and then moved towards the door.

Mukti: nandini wait, me and aliya and navya will accompany you.

I turned and found only the girls there. That means the boys had gone to manik. I nodded and then the four of us made our way downstairs. On the way mukti informed that family of fab 3 and navya and my family too are present for the function.
...

Manik's POV
I was ready in the clothes that nandini had kept for me. Traditional ones.

"saale...bara chamak raha hai..maajra kya hai?" i suddenly heard cabir and turned around with a big smile.

"chup kar tujhe toh bas mauka chahiye mere leg pulling karne ke liye" i answered him and hugged both of them. "kaisa hai buddy??" i asked breaking the hug with Dhruv.

"arey sab theek hai, tu bata..shadi shuda life kese chal rahi hai??" Dhruv asked.

"tu shadi kar le, pta chal jaega" cabir answered before me "ar tu" now cabir turned to me "tujhe pta h main tere piche q para rehta hun??" i shook my head, so he continued "kyuki, dekh ise, ye ar aliya , jo karte hain, saamne karte hain, pyaar ho ya jhagra...lekin tu hai ki sab background me karta hai, ar hume bas utna hi pta chalta hai jitney ki jarurt hai, par mujhe life mein masala chahye, islye main tujh pe najar rakhta hun"

"waah!!" Dhruv patted his back and cabir raised the collar of his shirt speaking "i know i am genius"

"tujhe detective hona chahye tha..kaha drums ke sath fass gya tu" i spoke rolling my eyes.

"ha ha very funny" was his trademark reply.

"ye sab chor , kuch serious baat karte hain, ...khurana k sath meeting fix hui??" i spoke seriously

"haan buddy, i have informed our manager to give a date of 2 weeks later, we all are free on that day..i have checked" Dhruv answered.

"relax manik, ye last album hai khurana k sath, bas ho jaega, " cabir spoke

"i hope so, but mujhe usse good vibes ni mil rahe hain" i spoke out my concerns.

"hmmm...agar tujhe asa lag raha hai, toh dekhte hain kya hota hai..." cabir replied thoughtfully and Dhruv nodded too.

"aur buddy, tera ar aliya ka thk chal raha hai..? sorted?" i asked Dhruv because they had a fight two days ago in one of our meetings.

"haan buddy, finally managed to pacify her" Dhruv informed.

"yaar main bol raha hun Dhruv, sambhal kar raha kar, larkiyo ko kab kya bura lag jae, kuch keh ni sakte, always be cautious" i suggested from my own experiences.

"oh ho ho...manik baba..kya baat hai!! Matlab tujhe v ase experiences hone lage??? Nandini ko dekh kar laga tha ki she is different , she is smart...but yaha toh majra hi kuch ar hai!!" cabir was ready to pounce on me...

"tujhe toh bas mauka chahye cabir, shuru ho jata hai..nandini asi ni h jsa tu soch raha hai, samjha...? not a word against her.." i threatened him
"hah mai darr gya!! Tu itna hyper q ho jata hai...teri biwi best hai...hum sabko pta hai..ab chill kar" cabir spoke.

"haan buddy!! Nandini kya jawab deti hai!! Cabir ka toh muh hi band ho jata hai..." Dhruv informed and we two broke into fits of laughter while cabir grimaced.

Then we were chit chatting about normal stuff, but i started missing nandini. Cabir , with his hawk eye , may be noticed that i am a bit distracted, so he suggested "chal niche chalte hain, dekhte hain kya ho raha hai.."

But i didn't want to seem like languishing so i replied "arey niche q jaenge?? Larkiyo ka function hai, yahi chill karte hain na..." but my voice betrayed my resolve

"yaar manik, hume pta hai ki tu jo bolta hai , uske exact opposite krta hai, toh spare the drama ar chal niche" cabir spoke and i rolled my eyes because he knows me so well.
"lets go buddy" Dhruv also urged and i got up faking disinterestedness but in my heart laddoos were bursting.
...

Nandini's POV
All the ladies had assembled in the living room hall and the rasm was almost done. Now i could wear anything in my wrist.

Neyo: beta abhi glass bangles pehnaya hai, you can change later on but yes take care of one thing, never keep your wrists empty ..ok?..one or two bangles or kara must be there ...

I nodded. I have got the best in-laws. I feel so lucky. Especially maa, she is so supportive, i am blessed to have her.
I met all the ladies. I was familiar to them as we had met in my marriage. They were all good . alia's mom seemed to be my admirer. She was a journalist and she wanted to interview me because she thought i represent today's woman, who is strong , independent and individualistic. Well that was what she told me. I told her , i am ready for the interview. She seemed pleased .
Then i spent sometime with amma, appa and bhai.

Amidst all these, i searched for manik. I could see, bhai, papa, appa and other men, but manik, Dhruv and cabir were no where to be seen. May be they have not come down. I sighed and got busy with the ladies. After a few moments, i could feel his presence. My heart suddenly beats faster, signalling his presence. It happens every single time ,when he is near me. So i started searching for him and i found him entering through the door. He was searching for me too. And our eyes met. Peaceful expression crossed his face and he smiled. I smiled back . my heartbeat becoming normal now. He checked me out from head to toe , as he was in the washroom , when i had got ready and walked out of the room. He saw me for the first time and passed an appreciating look to me

i blushed and looked down. He walked to the men and got busy. I was surrounded by ladies, so he didn't feel right to come to me.

Neyo: ok everybody, yeh rasm ho gya. Now everybody please sit down and relax yourself. I will be back in a moment.

Maa spoke loudly and all the guests, men and women, started taking their place. Maa walked up to me.

"beta ab tumhari kitchen ki rasm hogi.." maa informed me in a slow voice. But my face went pale. I don't know how to cook. Tea, coffee, sandwich ...thats it..i know this much. How will i tell maa. She will feel bad. But shadi itni jaldi jaldi mein ho gyi, otherwise i would have learnt from amma or joined cooking classes. I saw manik walking towards us and looking straight into my eyes. I was nervous now.

"tumne samajh liya na..maine jo abhi btaya , beta..?" maa asked. I nodded and then spoke hesitatingly "maa, i wanted to tell you something...please don't be gussa..ok..?" i asked . till then manik reached us.

"kya baat ho rahi hai? Am i allowed to listen?" manik asked taking maa in a side hug.

"nandini , mujhe kuch bta rahi thi...bolo beta.." maa urged me to continue. While manik tried to read my face to know what was bothering me.

"maa mujhe, main course banana ni ata..." i spoke pouting.

I was shocked by maa's reaction. She laughed softly "beta..tumse kisne kaha ki main course banana hai?? Ar yaha sab family hai..apne hain..tum jo v banaogi ..hum khaenge, so relax.."

Manik pecked maa's cheek "mom you are the best!!"

"i know that." She spoke lovingly.

I hugged her and manik moved back to give me space."thank you maa, i promise main cooking sikh lungi, pakka.

"nandini beta agar tum sikhna chahti ho toh main khud tumhe sikhaungi but compulsion ni hai.." maa spoke.

"nahi maa, i genuinely , want to learn, so aap kab se meri classes start kar rahi hain?"

"jab v tum free raho , ajana, main roj ek dish sikhaungi tumhe"

"ok, done!!" i spoke cheerfully and maa and manik both smiled looking at each other.

"av main cake bana du?? Sab khaenge?? " i asked maa apprehensively.

But instead of answering me , maa turned towards the others and spoke loudly to catch their attention "ok, everyone, so nandini ki chulha chune ki rasm hone wali hai ar meri bahu, aap sab k lye coffee ar cake banana chahti hai...but usey darr h ki aap sab pasand karenge ya ni..."

The living room was chaotic now, as everyone started speaking at once. Amidst this, manik decided to steal some moment for us and he held my hand tightly, grinning. I eyed him "manik kya kar rahe ho, sab dekh rahe hain"

His reply was "dekhne do.."

"arey i am so nervous here ar tumhe romance sujh rahi hai..!!"

"nervousness kis baat ki?? Suno toh sab kya bol rahe hain.."

"tum mera hath choroge toh mai sunungi naa"

"q tum hath se sunti ho?"

I rolled my eyes. This boy!! Uff.

"manik, plz nandini ka hath chor de tab toh wo cake banaegi.." cabir spoke out of nowhere and every one burst into laughter. I and manik both turned red and manik left my hand quickly and moved a little away glaring cabir.

One by one everyone asked me to make the cake and that they would love it. I was overwhelmed. Amma came to me "i know u can make the best cake " and she kissed my forehead. I smiled.

Neyo: Samantha

Samantha: yes ma'm

Neyo: kitchen me nandini ki help karogi tum theek hai?

Samantha: yes ma'm!

I looked once at manik before going towards the kitchen. And nothing can change him, he blew a hidden kiss to me and then smiled. Thankfully cabir didn't notice this time.

All the time i was in kitchen, manik was roaming in that area, as if making sure that i don't stress out and that the helps are helping me or not. i liked the fact that he was just there, not disturbing me .

After the cake was ready , i brought it in the living room and maa asked me and manik to cut it. We cut the cake amidst claps and then the cake was served. I was praised by every single person. Even the helps praised me as they were also given a share of the cake. I was satisfied.

Then maa and papa made the announcement that after two days , all of us will be going to pune to celebrate holi. Everyone agreed. Even amma appa were ready too and bhai was toh more than happy. Excitement of mukti was at its peak. God!! They are so cute.

During the course of the getogether, I saw bhai trying to bridge the gap between him and mukti. He was trying to make her feel that she is not alone among the couples , present there. Even cabir and navya were trying to bring them close. Mukti seemed happy. Bhai cracked lame jokes and she would laugh harder each time.I was happy for both of them. I think bhai was slowly being able to break the walls that mukti had built around her.

But the thought of celebrating holi, gave me goosebumps. I hate playing with colours. Its so irritating. But my in-laws and dear husband don't know this. Uff!! How will i manage to stay away from colours!! Kuch toh sochna parega...hmmm.
...

Soon the guests departed after the dinner. We bid good night to maa-papa-mukti and reached our floor. As soon as we were in our bedroom, manik hugged me tight "god!! I missed you!! having you in front of my eyes all day, yet not able to hold you , kiss you...this is so unfair"

I hugged him back equally tight breathing in his scent. I felt relaxed, although i was very tired. I was heavily clad up in jewellery and an equally heavy saree, but i had no strength to go and change. I was still hugging him but my body was giving up. "manik"

"yes baby" he spoke breaking the hug.

"i m very tired"

"i know jaan, tell me , if i can do anything to help you"

"energy ni bachi hai ki change karu toh plzz apni koi extra large t-shirt de do na plzzz" i spoke cutely.

"ok wait a minute" he went in the closet while i took out the jewelleries and accessories and placed on the bedside table. He came out in a few seconds with a t-shirt "yeh thk h??"he asked and i nodded. I took the t-shirt from him "manik tum v jao change kar lo" i wanted him to go so that i can change. He smiled "i will go but not before helping you" spoke mischievously.

"tum ni jaoge?"

"naah"

"ok "

"heyn?? Ok?? No orders no arguments??"

"tum nahi jana chahte toh mai kya karu?"

"rehne do mai chala jata hun, tum jab itni sweet hoti ho, toh mujhe darr lagta h!!" he faked fear

I started laughing "manik , tum , you are crazy.."

"yes i m crazy but only for you, jaan"
He manages to make me blush every time. He went in the washroom to change and freshen while i quickly changed into his t-shirt and covered myself with sheet.
...

We were on the bed and i cuddled into manik. Having his protective arms wrapped around me, was the best feeling in this world. The feeling , that, yes you have someone watching your back, one, who will always be there when you need him, is inexplicable. It fills you with the sense of security.

We just lay there, quietly, not speaking, but the silence was pleasant. He was rubbing my arms in slow circles with his thumb, while i doodled countless i love you's' on his chest. After a few moments, he spoke "jaan, i just remembered that i had to give you something.." i raised my head to look at him "and what is it manik??" i spoke inquisitively.

wait i will be back in a minute" he spoke and after fixing a pillow below my head , got up. I waited. He came back quickly with his wallet. I sat up on the bed , confused. He sat facing me and took out two cards, one debit card and the other credit card, and took my hands and kept on it. I looked at him inquisitively. He smiled "jaan, i heard , you girls were planning a shopping spree..."

I cut him in the middle as i understood what he was trying to do "manik, wait...you know i earn enough, i don't want this"

"arey baba, first hear me out na..." and he placed a finger on my lips to shush me from arguing further. I resigned and so he continued "jaan i know you are an independent woman and you can manage yourself, but i want to feel like a husband, in fact a responsible husband, so plzz take these. I earn , for whom?? For you, for my family only na, you have a right on my earning. And about the money that you earn, keep them , as savings, so that we can use them later. Plzzz"
He finished and looked at me expectantly with pleading eyes. I thought for a while looking at the cards in my hand. Nandini , you have read psychology books and you know that a man feels wanted when he sees that someone is dependent on him. Try to understand his emotions. He loves you and this is his way of showing love. So keep your ego aside and accept his token of love.
I smiled broadly and got up with the cards in my hand and placed them in my clutch purse that i usually carry everywhere. Manik watched my movement and when he saw me doing that he jumped on me from back taking me in a tight back hug. I smiled full-heartedly.

"jaan you don't know , how happy you have made me by accepting this!!!" he spoke cheerfully .

"i think i can do unlimited shopping ,now that my bank balance has increased manifolds!!" i spoke , matching his excitement.

"of course, you can wifey!!"

He nuzzled his nose in the nape of my neck and i giggled as i feel ticklish there "manik.."

"what... baby??"

"leave me na, i m tired, i want to sleep.."

"ok as you say, jaan" with that he picked me up in his arms and walked to the bed and then carefully placed me on it. His eyes, haulted at my bare legs as i was clad only in his t-shirt. I bit my lips, imagining what can follow. A lusty expression crossed his face for a fleeting moment , but then he covered it up, resolving something in his mind.

"i must say , you look sexy in my t-shirt, damn sexy legs!!"

I blushed hard but quickly slip under the sheet. He laughed. "don't worry, i won't trouble you tonight" he spoke while getting on the bed under the sheet. I was feeling too shy to say anything so as he lay down , i cuddled into him to hide the blush. He wrapped his arms round me and pecked my forehead "goodnight sweetheart"

"good night manik" i replied and kissed on his chest.

And then we drifted into deep , peaceful, sleep...
__________________________________
Credits to the writer- Manini Mehra