76. VILLIAN IN THE HOUSE!

Ma:- so, is this a time to tell everyone about us? 

Raj:- ( tiredly ) finally, you realized this!

Ram:- ( happily ) but now, why does this matter to you? 

Everyone frowned hearing his happy tone. 

Abhi:- what do you mean by that, dad? 

Ram:- arey,……… NOW EVERYTHING IS FINISHED BETWEEN THEM! AS MY DAUGHTER ANNOUNCED THE BREAK-UP. 

Ma:- ( angrily ) sorry to burst your bubble, Mr. SOON TO BE FATHER IN LAW, everything is fine between us. 

Ram:- ( confusingly ) how? 

Ma:- ( smirkingly ) because I LOVE YOU…. 

Raman’s breath hitched hearing him and he looked at him with wide eyes. Whereas Raj turns his face away because he felt jealous seeing Manik confessing his love for his new father. 

Raj:- ( murmurs to himself ) it’s been 25 years since he never said I LOVE YOU to me. But look how easily he is saying this to him!………….. TRAITOR!! 

He turns away while making a yuck face seeing the ongoing confession drama. 

Raman moves back scaredly. 

Ram:- huh? 

Ma:- what huh? I LOVE YOU. 

Ca:- ( shockingly ) you changed your sexuality within an hour after your break-up!………

He stops and Abhimanyu rectifies his statement. 

Abhi:- ( with wide eyes ) unofficial break-up!!!! 

Ma:- why are you guys getting hyper? Can’t I love him? ( eyeing Raman )

Ram:- ( shouted immediately ) NO….. Because this man is out of your syllabus.

Raj:- ( mockingly ) retired syllabus……. Not out of your syllabus. 

Ca:- Raj uncle, are you jealous because Manik loves my father more than you? 

Before Raj could come with a reply they heard Manik’s laughter who was laughing his guts out.

Ca:- ( while gasping at manik’s laughing posture ) first sexuality!! Now he is diagnosed with mental stability. 

Raj:- ( with wide eyes ) my daughter-in-law’s rejection damaged him till this extent? 

Ma:- ( after controlling himself ) see uncle,…. I said I love you, did you believe it? 

Ram:- definitely not!

Ma:- obviously because I didn’t mean it. In the same way, Nandini said break-up but deep down in her heart she didn’t mean it, I know that. 

Abhi:- are you sure? 

Ma:- more than anyone. 

Ram:- ( angrily ) can’t you simply tell that? You almost gave me a heart attack. 

Ma:- ( in attitude ) you know, I don’t like simple things. And one more thing, never come in between a couple. 

Raman just shoots murderous looks at him. The philosopher inside him died long back. Now he is a father of a daughter who has a crazy lover/boyfriend. 

Raj:- yr………. I can’t understand your and Nandini’s equation. Your equations are so twisted. 

Ma:- you don’t need to understand us because no one can predict Nandini and Manik.

Ram:- ( with pissed-off expressions ) that I understood long back. Don’t need to repeat it. 

Manik giggled at his expressions and stood up while stretching his arms before saying. 

Ma:- now I know where I went wrong and this time I will make everything right. So, I am going to meet my Juliet. 

Ram:- ( mockingly ) Ohh….. How can you say that when Juliet’s father is sitting here. 

Manik rolls his eyes on his possessiveness. 

Ma:- ( with a lip-tight smile ) I can say because I have a mouth. And I want to ask a question…. ( he asks without giving him a chance to deny )  will you ever let me and Nandini stay happy? 

Ram:- ( bluntly ) NO…….

Ma:- ( shaking his head weirdly ) expected answer…..

Raj:- Manik, leave him you just go and manofy your angry bird. 

Manik nods and runs to get his Juliet back but cabir stops him and hands him a chips packet while saying. 

Ca:- have it, you need the energy to tackle my sister. 

Ram:- ( while glaring at his son ) he is not going into the war that he needs energy. 

Instead of Cabir, Abhimanyu answered.

Abhi:- going to manofy your partner is not less than a war. 

Ca:- ( sympathetically ) I can understand your emotions Bhai because handling a girl like Mukti is not an easy task.

Raj:- Manik, you are going into a lioness den so, all the best. Come back only when you win your girlfriend back. 

Ram:- or else never show your face to my daughter again. 

Ma:- ( while gritting his teeth ) now, I will come back after a year carrying a small baby in my arms with my wife NANDINI MANIK MALHOTRA. 

Saying this he stormed out from the room while munching the chips angrily leaving a stunned Raman behind who gasped hearing his words. Whereas the rest giggles. 

Ram:- did he just indirectly tell me that he is going to run away with my daughter? 

Raj:- ( proudly ) not indirectly……… he directly told you that. 

Ram:- ( cried like a baby ) when he will stop giving me a heart attack? 

Raj:- ( while rolling his eyes ) until you die due to one of the heart attacks. 

Raman makes a poker face on his comment and walks out. While the other side Manik enters inside the lioness den with slow steps and locks the door. 

Ma:- Nandini….. 

Hearing her name, Nandini turns around swiftly only to find the love of her life standing there. 

Seeing him here she smiles, forgetting about everything, and runs into her man’s arms who happily engulfs her. He twirls her around while digging his face in her neck smelling her fragrance which he missed. 

Without breaking the hug, Nandini continues while sniffing. 

Nan:- sorry!! I should not behave like that. 

Manik smiles at her cute apology and caresses her hair. 

Ma:- it’s ok, I understand. 

Nan:- No…. it’s not ok. I should think about the situation from your side but I failed in this. I just thought only about me and my pain. 

Manik calmly hears her out and forcefully breaks the hug making her sad. He cups her face and kisses her forehead, lovingly before saying.

Ma:- your pain is my pain. So, remove this thought from your mind that you acted selfishly. You were right in your place. I would also do the same if I were in your place. No one was wrong, the situation was at fault. Understood? 

Nandini hummed. 

Nan:- ( cutely ) SO, NO BREAK-UP?

Manik laughs at her cuteness. 

Ma:- break-up never happened so, this won’t matter. 

Hearing him Nandini signed in relief and again hugged him while placing her head on his heart. Manik too wrapped his manly hands around her waist possessively. 

Nan:- you know, I felt so bad when I talked to you like that or even uttered the words which I never wanted to happen. 

Manik understood that she is talking about her previous behavior. 

Ma:- Nandini, I don’t felt bad. 

Nan:- ( while looking up while still being in his arms ) why are you so good, my goody boy? Why don’t you get angry with me? 

Ma:- how can I get angry with MY GOD? 

Nandini smiles beautifully seeing him comparing her with THE GOD. She has no words to describe her feelings. So she did the other thing. She snuggles more in his arms and places her warm lips over his heart conveying her feelings through that kiss. 

Otherside Manik closed his eyes in bliss when her lips touched his heart. He felt that her lips directly touched his soul through his heart. He understood every word which she wanted to convey to him. 

Nan:- you have a pure heart, Manik. Never changed that or ( sternly ) never gave the place in your heart to anyone. It’s only my right to rule ( pointing his heart ) this heart. 

Ma:- ( pulls her towards his chest, strongly ) IT’S ONLY YOUR RIGHT TO STAY THIS CLOSE TO MY HEART BECAUSE YOU ARE ITS ( pointing his heart ) HEARTBEAT. 

Nandini becomes speechless seeing the amount of love he has for her and snuggles in him more. 

Ma:- I LOVE YOU….. MRS. MALHOTRA. 

Nandini blushes while hearing MRS. MALHOTRA from his mouth. This simple name gives her jitters whenever she hears it. She looks at him with moist eyes to find immense love. 

Nan:- I LOV…….. 

Before she could complete her sentence some strange sound breaks their moment. 

Ma:- did you hear that sound? 

Nan:- hmm…….. 

Next, they heard the manly voice which shocked them to the core. 

“NANDINI”

“NANDINI, WHERE ARE YOU, MY BABY GIRL?”

Manik’s hold on Nandini got tightened whereas she looked at him scaredly. 

Ma:- I am here…… with you or will stay with you till my last breath. 

Nandini immediately palms his lips stopping him to talk about death. 

Nan:- don’t talk about death….. Please. 

Manik nods and walks down to meet the villain of his love life holding Nandini’s hand tightly. 

Others too got assembled in the living area with different emotions. The males were the angriest among everyone seeing the person who was standing in front of them. 

Raj:- ( angrily ) how dare you enter my house without my permission? GUARDS………… 

He shouts for his guards to come. 

Ram:- ( while grabbing the man’s collar ) what are you doing here, AKSHAT? 

Akshat:- respect sasur Ji ( father-in-law )…….. Respect. This is how you treat your son-in-law? 

Ram:- ( while gritting his teeth ) son-in-law, my foot!!…………… GET OUT!!! Before I smashed your not-so-pretty face. 

Akshat:- ( with a big grin ) arey,….. I came here to meet my lady. Get aside! 

He looked here and there to look for Nandini and found her standing beside the staircase. He walks towards her only to stop by Cabir before he can reach Nandini.  

Ca:- don’t you dare to reach near her. I will chop you into small pieces. 

Akshat:- aw…. Anger is not good for your health, my brother. 

To be continued…