Note: Surprise surprise!!!
Drum rolls!
Because I wanted all of you to begin new year with the brightest smile, here is my new year gift to my extended fam.

Happy New Year 💓

~ Love isn't just a four letter word. It's the elixir of life, something that causes both hurting and healing~

Life, if defined, can be anything but easy, Atleast for most people. Something or the other, some incident or the other, usually throws us off guard, and the Hardwork needed to keep us on the shore then and not drown, actually makes life what it becomes henceforth. Nandini Manik Malhotra was a girl of dreams, hopes and fairy tales and it wasn't her fault, because Her appa had tried his best to make her see the world through rose tinted glasses. He would watch soapy rom coms with her, tell her all kinds of fairy tales, and stories that had happy endings. He wanted to keep the innocence of his daughter intact, today and forever, and Nandini did actually became that dreamy happy women.

But despite Neelesh Murthy's attempts to keep Nandini in a happy bubble, he didn't actually treat her as a sheltered princess. Being a lawyer himself he pretty well knew the manipulative world we live in, so he did let Nandini know of the darkness that exists out there. Nandini grew to aspire being a fairy tale princess but that never meant she didn't know how to fight for herself. She had a strong voice and she knew well how and where to use it. She was naive, but never dumb.

But today, on the eve of her birthday, Nandini stood in front of the mirror tucking in her earrings and admiring herself, while simultaneously thinking how her fantasies had actually come true. She had been married to a fairy tale Prince Charming, actually whatever comes two notches higher to that, because Manik was literally that. A smile adored her face as she finally got ready and picked up her phone, to text her husband and ask where the hell was he.

"Straight from your office, two rights, one left from the Cinema road, and fifth building of the colony. Fourth floor. Flat nu 404.
Address, in case you have forgotten the route to home".

She could not help but chuckle out loud at her own message, before jumping on the bed to scroll through her notification. Her instagram was on fire and she was loving every bit of it. All her students were gushing over how sweet her husband was, because she had reposted his post, and her colleagues were simply jealous. She also stalked through Manik's profile and found more or less same reactions, except for Anushree who had tagged her would be husband and asked him to learn something form Manik.

" I can never forget the way home, especially with you waiting for me. *wink*"

Manik's message, beeped and Nandini immediately blushed reading it. She was about to type back a reply but another message made her pout in annoyance.

"I am a little stuck with this one victim, it will take some more time. So soooorry Wifey. I will make it upto you in more ways than one"

Nandini didn't miss his so called warning and chuckled to herself again, before typing back an okay. Honestly she was the type who were hyperexcited about birthdays and had elaborate plans, so it did annoy her a little, but she also understood both their career requirements. She knew Manik had wanted to take a day off but this case had came out of nowhere and as a lawyer he had some duties towards the law that he didn't like to play with.

So she settled on the bed with a huge ice cream tub Manik had already stocked the fridge with, and scrolled through Netflix to settle on the chessiest Rom-Com she could find, and made herself busy. The phone calls and messages in between kept interrupting her and eventually she again fell asleep in the warmth of her barbie comforter.

Nandini's eyes fluttered open when she felt fingers running through her now tangled hair and feathery kisses planted all over her chubby, exposed cheeks. She smiled, as her she shifted a little to lock her eyes with this handsome hunk of a husband, and wound her arms around his neck, pulling him to her.

"Manik?"

"Yes, Manik ki Jaan?"

Nandini broke into loud giggles as she felt his fingers tingling her bad, and she thrashed into the bed trying to stop him but he laughed louder with her, until she was panting because her stomach hurt with all the laughing. Sitting up, she squinted to look through the table clock and found it was close to 9 in the night.

"Hawww, You came sooo late. I spent my birthday sleeping. My dinner plans and my new dress became a waste. I Did not even click pictures? What will I post on Instagram?", Nandini started rambling, throwing her hands at him and he simply shook her head at her babyness.

He literally found it hard to believe that this gorgeous mess he had the luck to call as his wife, had turned twenty six today.

So grasping her wrists in his hands, he stopped her from bawling out loud anymore and pulled her out of the bed, switched on the main lights that were otherwise dim for she was sleeping, and started to smoothen out the creases of her dress. It was then she noticed how handsome and edible he looked in that white printed shirt and royal blue blazor.

She looked at him awestruck, and he, who was well aware of her gaze struggled to fight the rosy smile that was wanting to capture his otherwise perfectly sculptured face.

"Quit it, it's creepy", he tried to tease her out of it but Nandini only smirked.

"Yeah? Touching me everywhere on the pretext of adjusting my dress isn't creepy?", she spoke measuring every word and Manik immediately left her, shell shocked at her before Nandini could not hold the expression anymore and burst out laughing, literally bending to hold her stomach because he looked that funny.

Manik followed suit, making a mental note in his mind that this birthday of hers, he was going to gift himself a resolution of never trying to tease her again. His heart already knew he sucked at keeping resolutions anyway.

Fifteen minutes and a fresh batch of Kajal, liner and mascara, added with face powder, and lipstick and a few strokes of comb later, Nandini was finally ready to click pictures.

Yeah, she thought that was all it was about, clicking pictures because she complained.

So imagine her surprise when Manik pulled her towards the huge balcony window of their study room, decorated roayaly for their impending dinner date. Nandini was blown out of her mind, she was that astonished.

She could not comprehend when did he came back, arranged it all and cooked for her. She simply knew it, like an instinct, that he cooked because it was only him who knew how absurd were her choices, how she loved Mayonnaise and Oregano a bit too much for a normal human, and what cuisine she preferred when. And to say, it was just what, about to be six months since they were married.

Manik pulled out a chair for her and she sat down, suddenly shy and embarrassed for her cribbing earlier.

"Manik?", she called him softly, planning to apologise but his reply swept her off her feet, yet again.

"Ji, Manik ki Jaan?"

Nandini bit her lip to hold the flames burning her cheeks and the smile threatening to shake her entire existence.

"Very fanfiction level of cheesy, so much that I am afraid we won't have butter and cheese at home for the rest of our lives".

"Yeah?", Manik chuckled louder as he served the plates.

"But I like it", Nandini kept her hand over his, looking straight into his surprised eyes that weren't expecting her to admit, "Thank you so much. Literally, my best birthday ever".

Manik didn't say anything, his eyes shining but his mouth mum. Nandini loved this innocent version of his the most, the one who would bicker with her and tease her endlessly, never going down without putting up a fight but whenever she would say one word of appreciation, one compliment, he would go silent like he had never known words. It was an entirely different dynamic now that Nandini was growing pro at reading his expressions, and they exclaimed how happy he felt listening her words.

Post a Nandinilicious meal, that Nandini knew with a sheepish smile was everything she loved and majorly nothing he preferred, Manik brought the cake he had ordered especially for her. She clapped at the sight of the dessert and immediately picked up the knife when Manik's shreik stopped her.

"What?"

"What what? Blow the candle Atleast. Make a  wish", Manik shrugged, but Nandini only smiled.

"My wish is sitting right in front of me. I don't want anything else".

She knew he would not say anything now, and he didn't. He busied himself with clicking her pictures first and selfies later, as and however she demanded, without whining and cribbing and she knew it was his way of telling her how grateful he was for being what she was.

When the day finally ended for them, they were sitting on the bed, cross-legged, in their comfy payjamas, she scrolling through instagram and him looking at her every now and then. He was waiting for her to post something, she knew he loved her PDA because it made him feel worth it that Nandini wanted to show off how much she loved him and how much she loved being loved by him.

"Manik come here", Nandini suddenly demanded, and Manik raised his eyebrows before leaning a little, yawning. But all his sleep flew out of the window when Nandini grabbed his face, kissed his cheek and there was this unmistakable sound of a camera shutter.

The world later saw the picture as Nandini Manik Malhotra's lastest instagram post.

__Nandinii_:  Sometimes right amidst the realities of life, love gives us a fairytale. Thank you husband  @ManikMalhotra_
for being my fairy tale, for loving me more than anything and for treating me like I am some queen.

Maybe, I am. The queen of your heart. 💓

The last thing Nandini knew before she fell into deep slumber was her phone beeping with another notification, this time form her husband.

@ManikMalhotra_ commented on your post.

"There is no Maybe. You are. The queen of my heart. Will always be. Happy birthday Wifey"

Reviews awaited! 💓