~ I don't know anything with certainity, but seeing the stars, makes me dream.
-Vincent Van Gogh~

Manik Malhotra had known this quite early into his married life that he had ended up marrying a witch in disguise of a damsel, but today he was realising that even the witch was in reality a devil in disguise.

Right now, it was taking every ounce of courage he had gathered over years to not burn her just through his gaze, while the Devil reincarnated, Mrs. Nandini Manik Malhotra was sitting on the bed, cross legged, her back resting on the bed rest and her upper body arched enough for her top to move up and skirt pushed below her navel, while she licked the ice cream cone with all kinds of elegance and grace.

Freaking Ice Cream Cone!!!!

Anu was sitting near Nandini's feet, and doing something on her phone, mostly updating her wedding pictures and replying to the wishes. Abhik was sitting on the opposite end of the bed, with the support of the head rest and talking to Manik, who was sitting near his feet, but had no idea about what his best friend was ranting. His entire concentration was on his wife, who was looking right back at him, with the naughtiest smile and an evil glee in her eyes.

She licked the scoop, her tongue running slow motion over the cold delicacy, but her eyes fixed on her husband, her body language suggesting exactly what Manik was having a hard time trying and not thinking about. She winked at him, and he gasped all of a sudden, earning Abhik's attention.

"What happened?", Abhik frowned, and Nandini giggled from beside.

"He must be remembering how tasty Ice cream is, and regretting not getting his dessert", she licked again, rolling her tongue and bit into the scoop, moaning in delight.

Abhik looked from Manik to Nandini in confusion, while her husband's ears had turned red.

She knew what he was thinking, he was imagining the feel of her tongue licking something very different than Ice cream.

"What?", Abhik frowned some more and Anushree turned to glare him, mischievously.

"Everybody have different desserts they love husband, understand!", Anu commented, and both the girls ended up giggling, while Manik was completely flustered, especially now that his best friend had got the context of the conversation.

"Manik you remember Delhi right? That flavour of the ice cream was so right, haina? So creamy, so delicious", Nandini was having a hard time controlling her bubbling laughter while Manik was having a hard time sitting in one place, watching her devilish antics.

Abhik and Anushree exchanged glances, their own memories of their kind of desserts running through their mind. The temperature in the room was suddenly too high for either of them's liking.

"Manik took so many bites of my ice cream in Delhi you know, I had to lick through the remains to satisy myself", Nandini continued, while Manik almost choked, looking at Nandini with his eyes gone wide, like a deer caught in headlight.

He had never been more glad to wear a long Kurta.

Kurtas are blessings, he muttered to himself, finding proper position to sit.

While Anu and Abhik continued to laugh, Nandini was noticing every action of her husband from the corner of her eyes.

She smirked, and ended up eating a huge bite of the scoop, her mouth wrapped around the cone as she licked, but her eyes dancing with laughter as she looked at her husband who was looking at her in pure fury.

She smirked again, and took her phone to text him.

"I hope you would remember in future, how leaving someone frustrated feels like.

Oh, thank you for bringing me the most delicious Ice cream ever.
Loveeee, Nandini".

She saw Manik read the text, and then look up at her. She smiled wickedly, but soon found her smile withering away when the fury in his eyes changed into malacious laughter.

Nandini gulped, she had for sure pressed some really wrong buttons, hadn't she?

"Anu, I think it's time to retire to bed. It's already late no?", Nandini immediately jumped to damage control, looking at Anu with suggesting eyes, but before Anushree could even reply, Manik had crossed half circle and reached her side of the bed.

"I think we have enough time for me to taste the ice cream you loved so much", Manik said, taking his last few steps to reach her and Nandini coiled back, their eyes locked while Nandini felt sweat dripping off her forhead.

Before Nandini could even comprehend, she heard two loud gasps and none came from her because her lips were busy being sucked as her husband deepened the kiss, holding her hands back, giving her a moment to remember for lifetime. She got a second to take in a deep breath before Manik Kissed her again, and this time her hands travelled to his hair and she tugged at his root, earning a graon from him in exchange of her own moan.

When Manik finally left her, his lips curved into a wide smile, Nandini was too dazed to remember her surroundings. The kiss had transported her into another world, and the way he had pinched her waist in between, had taken her back to the initial moment in the elevator where she had wanted and hoped for more.

When the euphoria subsided, she looked at a equally dazed Anu gaping at her, but what mortified her enough to want the earth to swallow her whole was Abhik's teasing eyes and open camera filming them.

"Bro, high quality fun bro!", Abhik looked at Manik and laughed so hard and to Nandini's extreme surprise, Manik didn't fight back for the video or didn't ask him to delete it. He was rather looking at her with his smug expressions.

"Now if you don't want another Public display of my enjoying ice cream, come with me", Manik pulled Nandini and she followed quietly, her mind still not functioning enough to work. She didn't realise when Manik eyed his best friend to handle the parents for sometime, or when he took 'his phone' from Abhik's hands either. She wasn't finding words, she was that out of focus. Her hands slightly moved to touch her swollen lips and an involuntary smile graced her face.

The elevator dinged and it brought her back to the world. She saw Manik pulling her in and closing the door. He turned to her as she stood with her back on the wall, and walked dangerously close, keeping both his hands on either side of her.

"Manik-",Nandini could not even speak his name completely when she felt his nose nuzzling in her exposed neck.

"You were saying something?", Manik's mouth found her collor bone and he took full advantage of her dazed condition and exposing dress. His hand was now roaming all over her waist, and a finger playing with her navel, while she took in a sharp breath, still not finding words, but only pleasure.

"What began in elevator should end in elevator!", Manik's words made no sense to her, until she felt him withdrawing back and standing a feet apart from her, smirking.

"Manik!", she whined, and walked close to him again, but he took three steps back, shaking his head. Before Nandini could speak again, the elevator door opened and the cool breeze from the terrace hit the couple.

Manik walked out into the open terrace, and Nandini followed, the sky smiling at both of them through the millions of twinkle stars. Manik took a sly glance at his watch and saw it was ten minutes to twelve. He turned to face his wife who had wrapped her hands around herself, the cool breeze giving her goosebumps, but she was still smiling because the night felt so serene. Nandini looked around the terrace, it wasn't a barren one, it had a lush green carpet all over, and en empty space in between which she deduced must be for roof top dinner arrangements, whenever required. On both extreme ends, were glass doors though, and she could not see what was on other sides but she concluded it must be like private balcony space.

"Last ten minutes of my birthday", Manik winked at her, and walked a few steps back, and stood with the support of the railings. Nandini looked at her husband and smiled.

This time, her smile lit up his heart with happiness, like it always did. It didn't hold an ounce of mischief, only pure admiration. She walked to him, and looped her arms around his neck. Standing on her toes she Kissed his forehead.

"I wish every birthday of your from now, I would be able to make you a little more happier than the previous one. I wish every birthday of yours ends with us in each other's arms and my favourite smile on your face. I wish you only strength and courage, because I know life will always not be a smooth raod, but you will walk through them with that very strength, and I will forever be your hope. I wish you my love Manik, I wish you could see how irrevocably, irresistibly and insanely I an in love with you", her words left him in awe of her. He was smiling ear to ear, and didn't even bother saying one word to reply the most honest confession he had ever head. But Nandini didn't need it either. It was so crystal clear in his eyes.

Manik leaned ahead and kissed her head, and she closed her eyes in response. And then, instead of the warm breath she was expecting near her lips, she heard him whisper in her ears.

"Happy Valentines Wifey".

Nandini found her cheeks hurting from how wide she was smiling. She opened her eyes and found him gazing at her with the softest emotion in his eyes. She hugged him, startling him in a way but his arms clasped around her in a reflex.

"Happy Valentines Manik!", her voice was so full of emotion that it moved Manik. They were both feeling the same array of emotions, the same depth in their heart and the same love in that embrace.

Manik broke the hug and held her wrist, wanting to take her somewhere but she resisted, shaking her head.

"Before you surprise me, I have something for you", she grinned at his astonished expressions.

How in the world did he dare enough to think she would not understand what he was upto?

"You know the surprise?", she saw him feeling discouraged and shook her head.

"I know you Manik, I know you would want to do something for me, but I promise I have zero inkling of whatever you have planned", she cupped his cheeks and saw him grin at her.

Atleast his surprise was safe.

But to his utmost confusion, he saw Nandini removing something from a small pouch hanging form her waist.

How had he not seen that before?

Nandini took out a silver Kada and held Manik's hand to roll it down his right hand. Then she took his hand and kissed it, all this while aware of the hypnotic eyes watching hers.

"This Kada, Amma had gifted Appa. It had all her love and smiles for him. Appa didn't take it out even for one day, until Amma left us. But the day she died, Appa says, she had kissed my three day old self and kissed Appa's hand and the Kada, and told him that I should give this to the love of my life. It would be her blessings, and my love for him. I didn't give it to you earlier because when we got married, we were still exploring things. But it's our first valentines together, and I couldn't think of anything better than this".

Nandini couldn't breathe the next moment, she was in that tight embrace of her husband, but it only made her hug him with the same intensity. He held for for the longest time, and she loved being held anyway.

When he broke the hug, he smiled at her and said only one thing.

"I love you".

Nandini grinned and nodded, "I will love you only after I see my surprise".

Manik chuckled, and dragged her with him to the end of the terrace, and sliding opened the door, he pulled Nandini in.

Nandini only gasped out loud, her hands covering her mouth, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes moved to and back form Manik to the arrangement, and Manik felt his heart swell inside his chest with pride at the gleaming expressions of his wife.

He had actually managed to surprise her, and he was so damn proud of himself.

Nandini took another moment to absord her surroundings and then jumped, turning to Manik and hugging him.

"I love it, I love it, I love it", she screamed in Joy and danced around, the reflection of the lights on her face making her look more etheral.

Manik grinned wider, and pulled out the chocolate cake from somewhere that Nandini could not even look at in her excitement. But when they cut the cake, Nandini fed him first and then kissed him hard to eat her share.

"If you eat my ice-cream, it's only fair that I eat your cake", she shrugged, but Manik didn't mind. He would love feeding her more cake anyway.

Manik didn't even mind clicking her two hundred fourty two pictures next even, that included the pictures of the cake, their selfies, and the decorations.

She posed with the lights, under the lights, sitting with them, standing at the railings, every pose that seemed possible had been covered and he loved doing that for her. Once she was satisfied, they both sat down on the couch, and she snuggled into him while he stroked her head.

"We should go down, Maa would come to check I think", Manik spoke after a while and it made Nandini only more excited. She knew something was up, she had seen the teasing glint in Mrs. Chatterjee's eyes and the exchanges between her and Anu.

So when Nandini readily agreed, and stood up to go down, Manik felt disappointed. He wanted her to bug him to stay back, but she didn't and that upset him. It wasn't hidden from her eyes though, and though she was expecting something else, she also didn't want him to be upset even for a second.

"Manik, you know when we leave behind something good, something better is awaiting us", she smiled at him, and Manik stared at her, confused. He didn't get her hint, but the way she blinked her eyes at him, he knew he had to trust her.

He did, but all his trust, upsetness and disappointment flew out of the window and everything got replaced by only one emotion - intense fear, when he saw Mrs. Chatterjee and family standing outside their room.

Her hands were on her hips, and she was glaring at Manik, her lips stretched in a thin line.

"Manik Malhotra!", her voice sounded angry and before Nandini knew, her husband had left her hand and ran to his mother, holding her hand instead.

"Maa, I am sorry. I didn't realise we will be so late. I just took her for half an hour Maa, we will still respect the arrangement Maa, I will stay with Abhik only. Maa, are you listening? Don't be mad Maa. Maaa?", Manik blabbered for whole five minutes, but when Mrs. Chatterjee didn't reply, he pouted sadly and turned to look at Nandini instead, hoping she would help.

But to his utter diamay, he found her covering her mouth and laughing so hard that her entire frame was shaking. Beside her, Anu was also having a similar fit. The cherry on the cake was Abhik recording the entire incident, but this time with his phone.

Finding him so lost and confused, Maa also ended up grinning and everybody burst into loud laughter, vocally this time.

"My idiot of a son, do I look like a hitler to you? Don't I know how birthdays are ended, and Valentines is celebrated?", she grinned and patted his cheek, while Manik bit his lip to stop his cheeks go all red, not that it helped.

"All our hardwork while decorating your room months ago went in drain. I hope this time it is used to your heart's content", Mrs. Chatterjee teased again, and this time both Manik and Nandini flushed at the comment.

Soon they were pushed into their room, and the gate was locked from outside, only to realise their hotel suit was beautifully decorated with red roses and petals, scented candles and Chocalates.

Manik and Nandini looked at each other, and chuckled, but then ended up laughing so much that their stomach hurt.

How they were thinking of the pains of spending a night apart and how their crazy family had planned a wedding night for them instead. When the laughter subsided, Nandini found herself in her husband's hold as he looked at her with hooded eyes set to work his exploring hands.

Safe to say, this time, both lived upto their families' expectations :)

Note: 3k words, huff!!!
I hope you guys loved this update. Would love to read your opinions of the chapter..
Next update - Next Sunday (not this Sunday :p)
We are back to the weekly update schedule. This was for this week, and next chapter will follow on next Sunday!

Take care and stay safe!