Nyeo: chalo Manik..utho..tumhare lecture ka time horaha hai..phir auditorium me aaj ek announcement b kerni hai..come on..get going.

Man: kaisi announcement mom?

Nyeo: wo tumhe pata chal jaayga. Y dont u go n inform ur friends about our this re unioun? M sure they wud b glad..

Man: ofcourse they wud b..but i want to surprise them.

Nyeo: so y dont u invite them for lunch? N waha we can surprise them together?

Man: thts awesome.. aah mom..wo
..wo actually. .u knw na 3 pm is our tuition time..so wo i was thinking k..should i call Nandini too?

Nyeonika raises her eyebrow n gives him a "really" look..

Man (looking here n there): n Navya too.. i mean they wud b coming for tuitions so...but its ok..not really necessary

Nyeo: yea..u r ryt..not really necessary.

Manik shots up his face n looks at his mom in shock. Then soon composes himself..n says..

Man: yea..ok.

He stands to leave when Nyeonika stops him from behind..

Nyeo: waise Manik..i was thinking to personally invite Nandini for the lunch..so wud u mind giving me the chance to tell her?

Manik grins widely n rubs his nape without turning back.

Man: love u mom..byee..see u.

Nyeo (self talk): how can i miss out to call Nandini..after all she is the one who gave me my son back. I owe u Nandini.

Here Manik was really..genuinely happy after a long long time..the smile was not at all ready to leave his face..n y would it fade..after all..today a huge burden has been lifted from his chest. He was going towards the canteen to meet his friends..when he sees Nandini talking on phone behind the staircase..standing alone. Seeing Nandini there..His already wide smile grows more wider..he slowly walks towards her..n when Nandini finishes her call n turns back..she sees Manik coming towards her with a bright smile. She first gets confused but seeing his smile..she understood that everything went fine with his mother. Seeing him smiling from heart..she too couldnt hold her lips from forming a curved line.. seeing Nandini smiling too..Manik picks up his pace n runs towards her..n takes her in a bone crushing hug..the force of hug was such that had Manik not held Nandini in his strong arms..she would have fallen back. Nandini gets shocked with this hug..she doesnt understand what was she supposed to do. Manik's head was in the crook of her neck and his hands had wrapped her petite body into his hard frame..with a continuous smile on his face..Nandini could feel his smile on her neck. She gets genuinely happy seeing Manik so happy since the first time they met. She slowly wraps her hands around Manik..completing the hug.

Nan (smiling): so finally u got ur mom back ha?

Manik smiles more widely n just nods in the hug..such that his nose moves up n down in the crook of her neck..giving her a ticklish sensation. She giggles a bit.

Nan: well then..congratulations..

Manik just tightens the grip around her body and gives a satisfactory sigh..which again gives ticklish sensation to Nandini..n this time she giggles loudly.

Nan: Manik..mujhe tickling horahi hai..

Manik..in the same position..raises his eyebrows n then smirks..he gets more closer n bends his head a bit more lower in the crook of her neck such that now his forehead was lying there..he moves a bit causing his soft hair to rub in the crook..giving Nandini tickling sensation yet again..

Nandini giggles loudly n tries pushing Manik from her.

Nan (giggling): Ma..Manik plzzz.. haha..hatiye na..

Manik giggles on hearing her laughing..he still tightens his grip and moves his head more to tickle her more.

Nandini now laughs whole heartedly..she had withdrawn her hand from Manik's back n was now trying to open his arms that were holding her..

Nan: Manik plzzz na.. hahahahah...st..stop na...Mani..manik...hato yaar...gudgudi hori hai.

But Manik was in no mood to stop..he was tightening his hold n kept moving his hair in the crook. Nandini was continuously laughing.

Nan: Mikku chodo plzzz.

Manik stops n frowns on listening "Mikku". He raises his head while still holding Nandini in the hug n frowns n says..

Man: what is this Mikku?

Nan (trying to get her breath back): Mikku...short for Manik..

Man (frowning): ye kaisa naam hai..MIKKU!! listen..u can call me anything..call me sexy.. handsome..or Mani...or even call me cute..i will take that too...but this MIKKU.. eewww..kaisa sound kerta hai.

Nan: aap tabse mujhe tickle kiye jaa rhe the..ruk hee nahi rhe the..to mujhe yehi raasta sooja.. (shrugging her shoulders)

Man (raising his eyebrows): ahaa..to this was to stop me.

He was proceeding again to tickle her but this time Nandini became the smarter one..

Nan: Mikku stop.

Manik leaves her n annoyingly says:
Kya yaar Nandini..plz dont call me tht..its so weird.

Nandini giggles but then getting conscious..she says..

Nan: ok theek hai..bell baj chuki hai..hamara lecture start hogaya hoga. So chale.....MIKKU JI??

N she leaves while giggling..Manik again gets annoyed but follows her to the class.

The lecture gets over..but all the time Manik had a beautiful smile on his face..which doesnt go unnoticed by fab5. After the lecture..all were proceeding towards the auditorium when fab4 surround Manik n question him.

Dhr: kya baat hai buddy..aaj bohot khush lag rha hai.

Cab: aur ye khushi to sirf 85% score kerne k liye to nai lag rhi.

Man (smiling): actually u r ryt..baat kuch aur b hai.

Muk: kya baat hai Manik..bataa na.

Man: aise nai..surprise hai..

Al: come on Manik. .ab wait nai hoga..itne tym baad tumhe aise khush dekha hai..bolo na.

Man: kaha na surprise hai..n dnt worry..zyada wait nai karwaaunga..aaj shaam se pehle hee u will get to knw.

Cab: theek hai bhai..waise b..humare liye teri khushi zyada important hai..chaahe jo b reason ho. Ryt guys?

Fab4: ryt.

Manik feels so blessed to have such supporting friends.

Man: guys..group hug?

Dhr: y not.

They all join for a group hug.

Muk: chalo guys..late horha hai.

All start moving towards auditorium when Cabir sneakily goes next to Manik n whispers in his ears..

Cab: waise reason to mujhe b jaan na hai..lekin i have this strong feeling k ye reason ka naam NANDINI hai...m i ryt or m i ryt?

Manik looks at him in shock.

Cab: chal tere expression ne jawab de diya. Ab to aur besabar hogaya me jaan ne k liye. Lekin filhaal we need to go to the auditorium. Werna Mother India chodegi nahi.

Fab5 reach auditorium n find Navni already standing there. They go next to them where Cabir goes n stands next to Navya..while Manik stands next to Nandini. Both look at each other n pass a small smile. Nyeonika enters with the principal.

Prin: good afternoon students.. i knw u all must be eager to knw what announcement has to b made that u all have been called here. Well..let me tell u its a very positive announcement..n u guys r really lucky that u will b having this opportunity. So i wud like to call upon Mrs. Nyeonika to come n make the announcement.

Nyeo: well students..firstly u all have seen that this announcement is for 2nd n 3rd year students only. So lets start with seniors. We have decided to give u guys some exposure to the real world..hence we will b distributing u among few of the companies here..so that u all can learn from them what n how actually the business world runs...n see the difference between the theoretical classes and practical world. Now coming to 2nd year students..well next year u wud b in their shoes..so we thought we need to prepare u guys from now onwards. U guys wont be distributed like ur seniors..rather a mentor would b appointed for u guys..who would guide u n tell u the major pros n cons of the present business world. So all i want is that u students divide urselves into groups of not more than 8 students n not less than 5..n be ready tmrw here at 9 am sharp. There r few young entrepreneurs not only from India but from abroad too. .who have accepted our requests and r ready to b ur mentors. They would come here tmrw. So all i want to say is that u need to buck up..coz being with them is not going to b a cupcake. Its a big opportunity for all of u..so make use of it to the maximum. Thats it for today..u all can leave.

With that the students got dispersed. Fab5 n Navni too were leaving when Nyeonika stops them..

Nyeo: hold on fab5..i need to talk to u. Nandini..Navya..u too.

Nyeonika comes there n hugs every member of fab5 individually. .apart from Manik.

Nyeo: m so so happy n so glad that u guys scored so well in ur exam.

She then goes n hugs Nandini tightly..coz she is the one who not only managed to pull up their grades..but also gave her her son back.

Nyeo: n special thanks to u..my dear..its all coz of u. Since u all have managed to score quite well..u guys deserve a treat..so y dont u all join me for lunch at home? As it is it would b ur tuition tym too by the time we finish our lunch.. n yes..Navya..Nandini..u too have to be there.

Cab: wow mother India..lunch tht too of ur hands..koun gadha wud miss that.

Al: yesssss...but aunty..we just finished a test today..cant we have a break today??

Nyeo: well..ask ur tutor for that.

Muk: nandu plzzz...

Nandini smiles n nods.

Dhr: aunty u knw..we all scored more than 60%..but Manik topped us all..infact he came 2nd in class..with 85%.

Nyeonika n Manik try controlling their smiles..

Nyeo (nodding slightly): yea..i heard of that. Ok then..will see u all at home.

Fab4's faces fell..they thought that mayb she wud hug Manik just like she hugged them. And Nandini was getting confused..if everything has been sorted between the duo mother son..then y arent they talking in front of everybody.

Nav: mam..hum kaise..

Nyeo: kyu? Tum b inki dost ho..to matlab tumhe b aana hai.

Nan: mam.. actually i have some work so..

Nyeo: oh no no dear. .m not taking any of ur excuses today..u r the guest of honor..so how can u miss it out.

Nan: mam there is really no need to do all this..i just did my work.

Nyeonika goes closer to her n cups her cheek: mayb its not necessary for u..but its my way to show my happiness..n i want u to b a part of it..i will b waiting for u..will u make me wait for long?

Nandini smiles n just nods her head in a no.

Nyeo: ok then..see u ALL at home..in about 1 hr. N i will call up Vishal too to join us.

Saying so she leaves.

Nav: Nandu..hum kaise jaa sakte hai..tumhara jaana to banta hai..tumne inhe tuitions diye..lekin hum kaise?

Before Nandini answers..Cabir comes in between..

Cab: wo kya hai na Madhubala ji..ab jab humne aapko aur aapne hume dost maan hee liya hai..to ab aapko aise fab5 style dosti ki aadat daal deni chahiye. Aur hum kuch b akele nahi kerte..khaas ker k party..aur ye to ek treat hai..jisme aapko to hona hee hai.

Muk: Cabir theek keh rha hai Navya. See..ab hum naye naye dost bane hai..so lets celebrate it na.

Navya looks at Nandini..Nandini smiles n nods her head..

Nav: theek hai. To phir chale?

Man: yea..lets go.

Dhr: buddy..tu aaj..i mean..lunch karega na?

Man: well..wo to wahi pata chalega..filhaal chale?

Nav: Nandu tum kaise jaa rhi ho?

Nan: meri cycle hai baahar..usi pe.

Nav: theek hai..hum auto le lenge.

Man: actually Navya..u dnt need to hire an auto..hum sab ek hee jagah jaa rhe hai..to u can come with us.

Al: Nandu..y dnt u too come with us? It would b so much of fun..

Nan: i would have come Aliya..but i have some work later on n i would need my cycle..some other time?

Aliya nods in understanding. All leave for Malhotra Mansion.

Malhotra mansion:

All enter together.. Manik was standing next to Nandini. They see Vishal coming towards them.

Man (self talk): ab dad aake kass k gale lagaayenge. Kya bolunga fab5 ko..hope mom has told him about our surprise.

Vishal comes closer with a bright bright smile on his face..which automatically gets a smile on Manik's face too. He saw Vishal raising his hands for a hug..n he too then raises his hands..he was waiting as anytime Vishal wud take him in his embrace..but his wait kept prolonging..n when he ddnt find himself in his dad's embrace..he looks at his side n gets hell shocked with the scene..leaving his jaw wide opened n eyes popped out.

Vishal had taken Nandini in his hug n was hugging her with all the love n affection he has in his heart. It was such a warming scene to see that though in shock..Manik couldnt help but smile at this beautiful scene.

Whereas when Vishal took Nandini in his hug..Nandini was perplexed on the ongoings around her..she got so overwhelmed in the warmth of Vishal that she couldnt stop herself from hugging him back. A warmth that u feel in ur father's embrace is what Nandini felt while being in Vishal's arms. This got so many old memories and tears in her eyes that she just clutched Vishal's shirt from his back..tightening her grip on him.

Vish: thank u Angel..thank u for coming in our lives.. thank u for giving me my family back. N now i will never let my Angel go..not now..not ever.

And that's it..a lone tear finally managed to drop from Nandini's eyes..which landed on Vishal's shirt.

Vish (still hugging Nandini but looking down at her..he wipes her tears n says): my Angel has got my smile back..she has given me all reasons to b happy..how can i let her cry? I would never want to see a drop of tear in my Angel's beautiful eyes.. okay?

Nandini smiles a big genuine smile and nods her head in a yes. Cabir comes n stands next to them..

Cab (to Manik): ye tu shahrukh style me baahe kholke khada kyu hai? Kya tu b Nandini ko aise hug kerna chahta hai jaise partner ker raha hai? (Smirks)

Manik finds himself still standing with his arms open. He looks at Cabir who was all the time smirking at him. Manik further stretches his arms n bends side to side.

Man: have u lost it Cabir? Me to bas stretching ker rha tha..kal theek se nahi soya to i m feeling a bit rigid..thats it.

Nyeonika comes from the kitchen n calls them for lunch. All had taken their seats but there were some worries on fab4's faces. It was the first time since last 2 years that Manik n Nyeonika wud b sitting together on the dining table.

Manik..like always..took his seat beside Nyeonika. Nyeonika was glaring at him n he was giving a cold shoulder to her glares. This made fab4 gulp down their saliva in nervousness.

Muk (whispering to fab4): ye aaj manik ko kya hogaya hai? Aise aunty ko instigate kyu kar rha hai?

Cab: lagta aaj kuch na kuch bhawaal dekhne ko milega.

Nyeonika serves everyone..including Manik too..this comes as another shock to fab4. But Manik lightly pushes his plate towards Nyeonika who had taken her seat. Fab4 were getting hell nervous whereas Nandini was getting highly confused.

Nyeonika takes a bite from his plate n forwards it to Manik's mouth. But he refused to open his mouth. Nyeonika smiles n says..

Mera Raja beta hai na..plzz khaa le.

This gets a big smile on his face.. with tears of happiness in his eyes. He opens his mouth n Nyeonika feeds him. This scene comes as an earth shaking moment for fab4. They were literally gawking at this pair of mother son. Whereas Vishal was smiling a satisfactory smile..Navni were confused.

Cab (forwarding his arm to Aliya ): Aliya..plz pinch me..i think i have hit my head with something hard thats y i m imagining Mother India feeding Manik.

Al: ur imagination is too strong Cabir..it has reached in my brain too..m also seeing the same thing.

Saying so she pinches Cabir really hard.

Cabir screams at his best..diverting the attention of everyone.

Nyeo: whats wrong Cabir? Y dd u scream like that?

Cab: gosh this lady daayan..y dont u trim ur nails Aliya..you literally dug ur nails into my arm.

Al: who asked me to pinch him?

Cab: i did..because i saw mother india feeding Manik..thats y..but not with the intention to get killed.

Man (smirking): relax Cabir. I will again show it to u.
(Turning to Nyeonika)
Mom..plz feed me again.

Nyeonika feeds him again with a hearty laugh.

Dhr: buddy..does this mean that....

Muk: that everything is....

Al: is sorted....

Cab: sorted between u two?

Manik raises his eyebrows n goes n kisses Nyeonika's cheeks.

Man: ofcourse..

Muk: this is y u were happy?

Al: this was ur surprise?

Manik nods smilingly.

Cabir n Dhruv hoot n whistle..n stand up n go n take Manik in a tight hug...followed by Muklya.

Nav (to Nandini): Nandu..ye log aise shor kyu machaa rahe hai? Kya Nyeonika mam ko pata chal gaya us din k baare me? Maaf kerdiya unhe?

Nandini smiles n nods.

Nav: arre wah..ye to khushi ki baat hai..dekho Manik k chehre pe khushi kitni jhalak rahi hai.

Nandini looks at Manik n sees the glee in his eyes..whereas Manik too looks at Nandini..smiles a big smile n mouths a THANK U. Nandini cringes her eyebrows n shakes her head in a no.. Nyeonika then asks everyone to settle down n continue with their lunch. She comes n feeds one morsel to everyone present there. After feeding Navya. .she reaches next to Nandini.

Nyeo: Nandini..aaj jo hamare ghar me khushi aayi hai its coz of u.. tumne mujhpe bohot bada ehsaan kiya hai.

Nandini was about to interrupt her when Nyeonika stops her.

Nyeo: nahi..aaj mujhe bolne do. Nandini..chaahe koi kuch b kahe..lekin ye maa ka dil jaanta hai k in khushiyo ki waje tum ho. Ehsaan ka badla siwaay ehsaan k chukaaya nahi jaa sakta. Lekin me phir b tumhara ye ehsaan nahi chukaa paaungi. Me jaanti hu me tumhare mom ki jagah nahi le sakti..but me mom jaisi to ban sakti hu na? To kya aaj me apni beti ko apne haath se ek niwaala khilaa sakti hu?

Nandini gets stunned on hearing such heart touching words from her. She was completely lost in her thoughts. She could see some flashback reeling in front of her..

Flashback

Girl: momzyyyy..bhook lagi hai...khaaana dooooo

Woman: aari hu pari. Uff..tum itni badi hogai ho..khaana tumhare plate pe daal ker hai..phir b tum khaa nai rhi..

Girl: momzy aapko pata hai na k mujhe aapke haatho se khaana khaane ki aadat hai..waise b HERO b yaha nahi hai..werna usi k paas chali jaati.

Woman: haan haan..pata hai mujhe. Chal ab aaa ker.

Girl: aaaaaaaa

Nandini was so lost in her thoughts that she unknowingly opened her mouth. Nyeonika gets happy n feeds her. As soon as the morsel enters her mouth..Nandini comes out of her trance n sees Nyeonika smiling at her. She remembers that all that she was seeing was just a beautiful flashback..not a reality anymore. This brings a tear drop rolling down her cheek. Seeing her crying..everyone gets worried. Nyeonika wipes her tears and asks her worriedly

Nyeo: kya huwa beta?

Nan (wiping the tear): nothing mam..wo teekha lag gaya.

Nyeonika pats her shoulder n goes to take her seat. But Manik keeps looking at her. He could clearly see that Nandini was trying her best to control herself..n he somehwere deep down felt a strange urge to wrap her in his arms n let her take out all her pain. He was surprised with himself on feeling such emotions for Nandini.
Navya comes closer to Nandini n says..

Nav: Nandu..tum theek ho?

Nandini gives a smile n nods.

Suddenly she gets a message on her phone..she checks the message n an uneasiness spreads on her face..which doesnt go unnoticed by fab5 n Navya.

Nav: kya huwa Nandu? Kiska message hai?

Nan: wo actually. .mujhe ek urgent kaam aagaya..i need to leave now.

She stands from her seat..

Nyeo: but beta..khaana to khaa k jaao..u ddnt eat enough.

Nan (smilingly): Aaj bohot dino baad pait bhar gaya mam.

Nyeonika frowns..
Ye mam kya hota hai? We r not in college..so u dnt need to address me formally..ok?

Nandini nods smilingly.

Nav: par Nandu..hum tumhare saath orphanage jaane waale the na..tum waha se orphanage to aaogi na? To hum yaha se khud hi chale jaayenge.

Nan: haan Navya..me orphanage aajaungi. Tum sambhal ker jaana..aur centre pe call kerke apne liye cab bulaa lena. Bye.

Saying so..she left from there.

Al: navya..y will u call a cab? Hum saath chalenge.

Nav: aap orphanage humare saath chalogi?

Muk: sirf ye hee nahi..me b..aaj bacho k saath party kerne ka mann hai. What say guys?

Boys: we say a yessss

With tht they continue their lunch with talking.

Vish: Angel ne sach me sab kuch khubsurat kerdiya..hai na Nyeo?

Nyeo: after all..choice kiski hai??

Vishal looks at her while she raises her invisible collar...making Vishal laugh n accept.

##################

Hello dears...
Hope u enjoyed..
Well..m so glad tht people r liking my writing n my concept too..n not only liking..they r appreciating as well..which gives me a new zeal n courage to write.
Thank u alllll

I m here to apologize..as i wont b able to give u regular updates for 2 weeks from now..but its just a matter of 2 weeks..or maximum 20 days..but tht doesnt mean i wont give any update..i will definitely try to give one update a week..but mayb not more than tht..m sorry...
But after 20 days..will again start my routine.

Thnk u for ur constant support..

Enjoy😊