57. KNOWING THE REALITY!

Manik walks inside his room and looks at Nandini whose gaze is fixed on the door. He knows that she is waiting for him and as soon as she sees him back, she releases a breath which she is holding unnecessarily. His sweaty forehead and cringed shirt are telling the story, making her palm her face. He walks inside the washroom not wanting to touch her with the same hand from which he touched Innaya while Asha leaves the room giving privacy to the couple. 

Inside the washroom, Manik removed his shirt and washed his face followed by his hands to remove Innaya’s touch. Whereas Nandini is just waiting for him to come out. She knows he is dealing with some emotions that she is unaware of. From his recent anger, she got to know that he is hiding something from her but she didn’t nag him to tell. 

After calming his nerves Manik walks out of the washroom bare chest and lies down beside her by maintaining a decent gap which she hates. With a cute pout, she pulled his hand and placed her head on it while lying down in his arms, making him chuckle at his cute bundle of joy. 

Nandini:- ( with a cute pout ) Are you avoiding me? 

Manik chuckles inwardly and makes a poker face seeing her cuteness. 

Manik:- I think so……. 

Nandini glared at him and funnily grabbed his neck. 

Nandini:- ( authoritatively ) You are not allowed to avoid me. Not now! Not in the near future!…… Understood? 

Manik nods scaredly which is obviously fake making her smile wholeheartedly. 

Nandini:- Good! 

Manik grits his teeth out of love seeing her cuteness and pulls her chubby cheeks. 

Manik:- Why are you so cute? 

Nandini:- ( in a tired tone ) Because my husband is a monster who knows how to make a poker face only. So, I have to be cute to keep the balance between us. 

Manik gasped hearing her who shrugged her shoulders innocently. He turns their position and hovers over her, keeping her bruised foot in his mind. 

Manik:- You are dead, MY LITTLE WIFEY.

Saying this he bends down and digs his long sharp canines in her neck making her shout. 

Nandini:- Manik!!!… No bite! 

But her husband is the king of stubbornness who won’t listen to anyone if he is in his monster mood. 

Manik:- No… today you will bear my teeth mark and show it to everyone with pride that it’s your husband’s mark. 

Without caring about anyone he pierces his long teeth on her neck and leaves a dark red hickey on her collarbone. The bite is dark in the shade that anyone can see from a little distance courtesy of her husband. 

Nandini:- Manik, everyone will tease me and Cabir will not even leave this chance to embarrass me. 

Manik:- ( happily ) And I will witness my cute, blushing Nandini who snuggles in me to avoid teasing. How romantic! 

Nandini accused him of his act which does not affect him. He is cool like refrigerator water and in a mood to annoy her. His mood changes like a switch. A moment ago he was hell angry but now he is all calm and is enjoying his time with his wife. 

Nandini pouts and lies down in his arms but because of her moments, her foot comes in contact with a hard surface which makes her wince. Manik sprung onto the bed in a second hearing her wince and removed her quilt to look at her foot while scolding her. 

Manik:- Can’t you avoid accidents, Nandini? You are careless when it comes to you, no? Who told you to move on your own? 

While scolding her, he examined her feet and caresses to soothe her pain.

Manik:- I don’t know when you will understand that it hurts me to see you in any kind of pain?

Nandini:- Sorry… 

Manik:- Not accepted until you promise me to take care of yourself. 

Nandini nods obediently and kisses his cheek to make him calm which works instantly. 

Manik:- ( taunts ) You very well know how to calm me, don’t you? 

Nandini grinned happily and snuggled in his arms like a kid whereas he nodded his head in disbelief. Out of nowhere, she asks. 

Nandini:- Is she fine? 

Manik:- ( confusingly ) Who? 

Nandini:- ( politely ) Innaya…

Manik:- Don’t show sympathy for her. 

Nandini:- Manik…

Manik:- Nandini, she doesn’t deserve your sympathy not after what she did with you. 

Nandini:- Manik, I am not sympathizing with her. I just want to know how she is?

Manik:- She got what she deserves. 

Nandini:- Manik, what did you do with her? Did you hurt her? 

Manik:- Nandini, can’t we stop talking about that girl? 

Nandini hummed and stayed silent not wanting to frustrate him. Otherside he palms his face and takes a deep breath to calm his raging heart. 

Manik:- ( sacredly ) You are not safe with her, Nandini. Promise me you won’t go near her when I am not around you. I don’t want to lose you. 

Nandini:- I am not going anywhere leaving you, Manik. 

Manik nods and hides his face in her neck to seek her presence, giving her an idea about his restless heart. 

Nandini:- ( after a brief pause ) You are hiding something from me, don’t you Manik? 

Manik:- I won’t lie, Nandini. Yes! I am hiding something from you….. But trust me it’s better for you. 

Nandini:- I trust you, Manik. I know there must be something big that made you hide it from me and I will wait until you come and tell me yourself. 

Manik smiles brightly. 

Manik:- How would you feel when you get to know the truth about your family? Will you believe me when I say that you had a big family who is waiting to embarrass their daughter? 

Nandini:- ( signed heavily ) I don’t know about that, Manik. I don’t know how it feels to have a family? I never had a family except for you and Kaka.

Manik:- What if I say that you are NANDINI DIXIT?………….. YOU ARE THE GIRL TO WHOM ARJUN BHAI IS FINDING FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. ( after a slight pause ) YOU ARE HIS REAL SISTER, HIS BABY PRINCESS. 

Hearing him Nandini is all calm much to Manik’s surprise. He expected her to shout at him for saying rubbish and to even get shocked but she is neutral as if nothing happened. 

Manik:- ( shooking her ) Nandini, are you fine? 

Nandini:- Haa… I am fine. ( while looking into his eyes ) I don’t know how to react, Manik. All this is new for me….. The love and care which I saw in Arjun Bhai’s eyes for me, the hatred in your mother’s eyes, Innaya’s cruel plan to kill me, Dadu’s ( Vishember ) changed behavior towards me, everything is so confusing. 

The annoyance and frustration on her face are visible which shattered Manik’s soul into pieces. 

Manik:- Don’t stress yourself, love. Just relax… No matter what, I am always beside you. Take your time to digest everything and apart from that I will always support you in your every decision. 

Nandini:- ( innocently ) Manik, Am I really a Dixit? 

Manik:- ( calmly ) Yes! 

Nandini:- Should I give them a chance to come near me? 

She is talking about Dixit’s which Manik understood. 

Manik:- I don’t know about others but you should give Arjun Bhai a chance because he deserves his sister’s love. He waited a long time and never let a single stone unturned to find you. 

Nandini:- I need time……

Manik:- Take your time, love. 

Both stayed in silence or I would say Manik let her process everything. Breaking the silence, Nandini asks. 

Nandini:- Manik, did I deserve a family? 

Manik:- ( angrily ) Uff… Nandini, when will you learn to stop thinking rubbish? Do you have a brain or plain dry grass in your skull? 

Nandini pouted and opened her mouth to defend herself but the knock on the door disturbed them. Manik immediately comes out of her arms and walks to open the door making her sad. 

Arjun and Asha walk inside with their dinner. 

Arjun:- Come on guys…. It’s dinner time and Nandini, had your dinner as you need to take some medicine also. 

Nandini:- ( scolds Asha ) Bhabhi, why do you climb stairs? Didn’t I tell you to avoid climbing stairs unnecessarily? 

Asha pouts adorably which always works on her husband but Nandini doesn’t bulge. Otherside Manik comes and serves Nandini first then he takes his plate silently. 

Arjun:- Did you guys fight? 

Both the love birds stayed quiet giving answers to him, silently. But Asha looked at Nandini and caught something. 

Asha:- ( teasingly ) it didn’t look like they fought. 

Saying this she raises her eyebrow pointing at Nandini’s collarbone where a deep red bite mark is present. Nandini’s cheeks turn red and she looks down in embarrassment whereas Manik is smiling like a fool seeing his art. 

The day starts on a bad note but ends well for the couple. They got to know about the darkest secret of Nandini’s life which may bring happiness in her life or will destroy her, time will tell. 

Well, Nandini got to know about her family but she is really in a tiff about whether to accept them or not. She always felt brotherly love for Arjun since their first meeting but all this is a shocker for her. She wanted to go near Arjun because she found him genuine but at the same time didn’t want to increase Innaya’s jealousy while snatching her family from hers’. 

To be continued…