Manik closed his eyes and his breaths turned calm.

"MANIK !" Nandani screamed amidst her wails.

"Tumne...kaha...tha...k..tum...mout...se....lar....kar....bhi....aaoge! Utho na Manik...Le...jao...mughe...apni..dulhan...bna...k!"She tried to fill some hope in him.

"Nandani !" He whispered while trying to open his eyes.

"Aryaman...aa...raha....hai....run........away!" He wasn't able to speak properly.

"NO ! Tumhe aana parega mughe bachane k liye! Tumhe apni mehbooba ko bachana hoga Manik ! Aa...jao na !" She shouted furiously but at last she pleaded like a baby.

"Mughe....maaf....kardo!" He cried.His pink lips were almost blue now.

"Fine ! Agar tum apna wa'ada poora nhi kar sakte tou phir main bhi apna wa'ada tod dungi ! Kia pata hum shayad jannat main mil jayein phir?"She sneered loudly and then smiled at her last sentence.

Before Manik could answer her, the line got disconnected and his vague eyes found 4 people running towards him.

"MANIK ! BUDDY !" Cabir and Dhruv shouted while coming towards him.

"MANIK ! MANIK !" Mukti and Alya started crying.

They all sat around him.

"How did it happen?" Dhruv asked amidst his cries.

"Iss sab ka time nhi hai Dhruv! We have to take him to the hospital!" Cabir yelled and Dhruv ran to bring the car.

"Aryaman....Meri Mehbooba !" Manik whispered and closed his eyes.

"Manik uth na ! Manik !" Mukti cried and tapped his right bleeding cheek hard as the left one was resting on the road.

"Manik you have to wake up ! For us ! For your love !" Alya shook his drenched in blood body but he remained calm.

"Dhruv take him to the hospital ! I'm coming with Nandani ! You guys go !" Cabir spoke hastily after placing Manik on the back seat,his head in the laps of crying Mukti.

Dhruv nodded and drove the car away.

"ARYAMAN KHURANA!" Cabir roared while igniting the engine of Maniks car and drove towards the venue.

...........

"Come on ! Mother in law! Call your daughter ! Hamari shadi ka mahurat nikla ja raha hai !" Aryaman spoke wickedly while keeping a knife below the chin of Shagun Murthy,mother of Nandani.

"TERI SHADI TOU AB JAIL MAIN HOGI ! YOU BLOO*DY BASTA*RD!" Cabir growled and before Aryaman could do anything the police officer fired a bullet at his arm,making the knife fall from his hands.

Aryaman held his bleeding arm while glaring at huffing Cabir.

Cabir stomped towards him and kicked his stomach hard,he fell on the floor and Cabir rained him with hard punches,breaking his nose and jaws.

"Mr.Cabir Dhawan ! Get a grip on yourself ! You can't take law in your hands!" The senior police officer spoke while pulling Cabir back.

They left while taking an unconscious Aryaman with them.

"Aunty Nandani kahan hai ?" Cabir asked while holding her mother's hands who was crying in her husbands arms.

"Wo upar darwaza band kar k...." Before she could speak more Cabir ran upstairs.

"NANDANI ! OPEN THE DOOR !" Cabir yelled while banging the door hard.

After not receiving any answer he pushed the door and it fell inside the room,only to give an evident of an almost dead Nandani.

"SHIT !" Cabir shouted while running towards her.

He tied his handkerchief around her bleeding wrist and picked her up in his arms.

He descended the stairs and Nandani's mother came running towards her.

"MERI BACHI !" She cried while caressing her face furiously.

"Aunty ! Be hopeful ! Nothing will happen to her ! We have to take her to the hospital!"Cabir spoke and ran towards the car.

He started the car after placing Nandani on the backseat.Her mother sat behind,taking her daughter's head in her lap and her father sat in front.

"DOCTOR ! DOCTOR ! ENERGENCY !" Cabir shouted his lungs out while running through the corridors of hospital,with Nandani in his arms.

It was the same hospital where Manik has been hospitalised.

"NANDANI !" Dhruv,Alya,Mukti who were sitting lifelessly out of the operation theatre ran towards Cabir.

"DOCTOR !" Dhruv yelled again while checking the bleeding veins of Nandani.

The doctors came with the stretchers and pulled her in the second operation theatre.
The first one was already occupied by her love.

His friends and her parents fell on the chairs and cried until the red lights above the rooms turned off.

"Congratulations !" Both doctors spoke together and a smiled appeared on the teary faces of the others.

"Are they fine?" Alya asked eyeing both doctors together.

"Yes ! Mr.Malhotra is absolutely fine! We have pulled out all six bullets but  he needs complete bed rest till one month!" The first doctor spoke while tapping a crying Alya's head.

"Nandani ! How is she?" Shagun her mother asked.

"She is all healthy but even she needs rest!" The Doctor spoke and her mother folded her palms infront of him as the gesture of thanks.

"No ! Don't do this please !" The doctor spoke while unbundling her palms.

"We are shifting both of them to the private wards!" One of the doctor spoke.

Before they could go Cabir came infront of them and pleaded.

"Doctor ! Can you please shift them in one room ! Actually tonight  was supposed to be their wedding night !" Cabir smiled  and doctors after looking at each other nodded while laughing lightly.

Soon both bride and groom were shifted in one ward and all thanks to the notorious Cabir who joined their singles beds,making it look like a couple bed.

They all were sitting inside the room on the couches waiting for the patients to open their eyes.

"Manik !" Suddenly Nandani whispered while opening her eyes weakly.

"Nandani!" At the same time Manik whispered while trying to open his eyes.

His friends and her parents gathered around their bed.

"Nandani ! Meri bachi ! Ye Kia Kia tune !" Her mother cried while caressing her hair and then kissed her face madly.

"I'm fine Maa!" Nandani smiled at her crying parents.

"Manik ? Where is Manik ?" Realisation hit her and she yelled with her tears.

"Tumhare barabar main !" Manik whispered while opening his eyes completely.

Nandani turned her face towards his side and cried more after looking at his severe condition.

He was laying on his stomach.The bullet holes at his back were bandaged.

"Cabir take her with you ! I hate crying babies !" Manik spoke slowly while taking sound breaths.

Cabir laughed loudly and Nandani turned her face on the other side being angry.

She started sobbing more.

She sat on the bed and detached her glucose drip.

"Nandani ! What are you doing?" Her dad asked worriedly.

"I'm coming with you dad ! I don't want to marry this Manik Malhotra !" She gritted her teeth without looking at shocked Manik. 

She was about to climb down from the bed when he held her wrist,pulling her back making her lay again,beside him.

"Don't take advantage of my condition! Tum haan kaho ya na kaho,shadi tou tumhari mughse hi hogi ! jis din yahan se bahir niklunga usi din tumhe apna banaonga!
Aur agar zara se bhi nakhre kiye tou phir sab k saamne tumhe utha k le jaonga !Samjhi !"He spoke sternly and she nodded with a smile amidst her tears.

"Sasur ji ! Le jaye apni beti ko apne sath ! I'll come after a month to snatch her from you!"Manik wiped her tears and her father in law smiled.

"But Doctor has prescribed her to stay in hospital for one day so she can't leave!" Mukti spoke tensely.

"It's ok na ! Uncle let Nandani stay here for a night and then you can take her home!" Cabir spoke genuinely.

"Yeah ! I don't have any problem ! I know my daughter is in safe hands!" Kailash Murthy,Nandanis father uttered while staring at Manik,who smiled at him.

"Nandani ! Take care of you beta "Her mum kissed her forehead and she nodded in return.

"Sasu Maa ! Aap tension na lein! Main hn na !" Manik chided and his mother in law laughed.

She blessed them in her heart and then left with her husband.

Manik and Nandani who were laying beside each other,glanced at each other.

"Chal Manik ! Hum bhi chalte hain ! Wese bhi tu hamein yahan rukne thori dega!" Cabir spoke dramatically breaking their passionate eye lock.

"Yes ! Let's leave !" Mukti spoke while turning toward the door.

"Abey saalo! Thankyou !" Manik exclaimed from behind still lying on his stomach as his wounds at back were too painful to be pressed against the bed.Fab 4 turned with teary eyes.

"Chal Cabir ! Aaj se Manik Aur apni dosti khtam ! Ye pagal hogya hai,hamein thankyou bol raha hai!" Dhruv turned towards the door and wiped his flowing tears.

"Guys !!" Manik again exclaimed and gestured Nandani to stop them.

"Thankyou! Agar aap sab na hote tou aaj hum bhi na hote ! You all are bestest friends ever!" Nandani spoke and tears escaped from the eyes of every person present there in the room.

No wonder the night which was supposed to be joyful for them only bought hurricane of sorrows in their lives.

Fab 4 ran towards their bed.

Dhruv ruffled Maniks hair while Cabir wiped his tears.

Alya and Mukti hugged Nandani tightly.

"Chlo yaar ! We should go now ! Ye Manik bolta nhi hai lekin zaroor dil main gaaliyaan de raha hoga!" Cabir laughed trying to make the situation normal.

"Of course ! How do you know Cabir ? Itna intelligent kyon hai tu?" Manik spoke sarcastically and everybody giggled.

"It's his only problem that he is too intelligent too handle!" Before Cabir could speak,Dhruv spoke making everybody laugh again.

They left the room,leaving both of them alone.

Nandani also laid down on her stomach and threw her one hand in his hair,moving her fingers softly in them.

Their faces were inches apart now.

"Tum theek ho na?" A tear descended from her eyes and soaked in the pillow.

"Main theek hn yaar!Bas ek cheez ka gham hai !" Manik wiped her tear and pouted.

"Kia ?" She asked being innocent.

"My wedding night ! Kia Kia socha tha Maine !" Manik spoke dreamily making her smile shyly.

"Manik tum bhi na ! Pagal !" She murmured shyly and before she could turn her face,he wrapped his healthy arm around her neck,pulling her more closer.

"You can't even imagine what I'm gonna do to you after a month!" His voice turned intimidating as the distance between their lips got reduced.

"Main tumse shadi hi nhi karne wali!" Nandani giggled and tried to move back but his grip around her neck didn't allow.

"Zabardasti kar lunga! And you know nobody can stop me!" His stern voice and she smiled more.

He pulled her more closer and then plucked her juicy lips in his dry mouth,taking them in a passionate crispy kiss.

"I love you !" She whispered amidst the kiss.

"I love you too ! Meri Mehbooba!" He replied while relishing her lips,till the time his breaths supported.

Their lives ahead , turned out to be so happy for them! They remained together forever and their love bloomed more in the shape of their little bundles of joys which were approximately 6 in number.Three boys and three girls,all the glory to the romantic Manik Malhotra and his over romantic wife,Nandani Manik Malhotra!

.....THE END.....

Yours
NEW WANDERER !