I take Naman aside and bend down, resting my hands on my knees to reach Naman's height.
                          
Manik: "Hey champ! Tum aur Nidhi ek dusre se itna ladte kyun ho?"
                          
Naman: "Meine kya galat kaha? I meant whatever I said. Nidhi takes a lot of time to get ready and uski vajah se we are always late!" 
                          
Manik: "Nan... I mean, tumhari mom bhi toh time lagati hai na ready hone mein?" 
                          
Naman: "Haan. Kyunki Mom is a model and she needs to look good na?"
                          
Manik: "Mom is a model. She has to look pretty, I understand... but not only her. All girls need more time to get ready. Look at my sisters, Mukti, Navya and Alya." Whoa! Alya is my sister? Well, yeah. Lol.
                          
Naman: "But still Manik..." 
                          
Manik: "You are her brother na? And all brothers ka kya responsibility hota hai, tumhe pata hai?" 
                          
Naman: "I don't know but I know that Mom takes very very good care of Rishabh Mama. Aunty (Chachi) humesha bolti hai. Nidhi is my sister. So she also needs to take good care of me, not just herself." 
                          
Manik: "Abhi toh you told that you are her elder brother na? Nandini is also Rishabh's elder sister  and she takes care of Rishabh because he is younger than her. You only decide whether you should take care of Nidhi or Nidhi should take care of you." Naman listens to my statement and gets confused, not having a reply.
                          
Naman: "Dude, you are right! I should take care of Nidhi as I am her elder brother and Mom tells that it is a brother's responsibility to protect their sisters. Mom says it is a man's duty to make sure that his near and dear ones never cry." I understand who she meant. Of course, it's me. I have hurt her a lot and made her cry so many times. Naman calls Nidhi and apologizes in front of me. She kisses him on his cheek and I look at the beautiful sight, the brother-sister bonding between them. It reminds me of Nandini and Rishabh. I get lost in my world.
                          
Naman brings me back to reality by clicking his fingers in front of me. He looks at me with his attitude and gives me a 'where-are-you-lost' look and then hugs me tight. This kid has a lot of attitude, but at the same time, he is too cute. Voh itna bhi bura nahi hai. I pull his chubby cheeks and he makes an angry puppy face, just like Nandini.
                          
Naman: "Now you gotta pay for this, Manik Malhotra." How does he know my surname? Naman tickles me for pulling his cheeks but I don't feel ticklish. Nidhi also joins him and tickles me but I sit, reactionless. When the kids get tired of trying to make me laugh, I start tickling both the kids and they start giggling and laughing loudly, asking me to stop. They fall on the floor and plead me to let go, but me, being the stubborn Manik, I don't stop. 
                          
Naman and Nidhi (in unison): "Hahaha.... Please.... Hehehe.... Manik... Choddo mujhe." I give them a break.
                          
Manik: "Acchha.... Ab yeh batao, how do you know that my name is Manik Malhotra?"
                          
Nidhi: "Kyunki... Whenever we ask Mom about her friends na, she tells all your names and listening to her, we learnt them too. Kavya's dad is Cabir Dhawan, right?" Cool! Smart kids. 
                          
Manik: "Acchha? Smart." I start tickling them again. They start giggling and shouting and their voices echo in the room. "Okay come. Let's go now. Kavya must be waiting."
                          
Naman: "Nice try but tum itne smart dikhte nahi ho. You look like an idiot." I smile remembering Nandini when she was drunk. I tickle them again and we all start laughing.
~~POV ends~~
                          
~~Nandini's POV~~
I change into a crop top and jeans, like always. I wear my favourite denim overcoat and take a side-partition. I let my bangs fall on my face and pin a part of my curled hair to the back. I walk downstairs, texting Aryamann that I am on my way. I hear some loud giggles and laughter noises. I rush downstairs and find my Manik, tickling our kids. The three have fun and I admire their bonding. 
                          
"Ayyappa, please keep the three of them blessed." I wish Manik, I could tell you that Naman and Nidhi are your kids. I want them to experience their father's love. Everyday, Naman and Nidhi ask me, "Where is Dad?" I have never had the courage to tell them that their father is you because our relationship was not stable but, I hope that day comes soon when both, our kids as well as you come to know the truth. I don't want to tell our kids about our relationship. They are too young and I think they will be heartbroken when they will come to know that their mother has kept them away from their father on purpose. But, they are too young to understand why I did so. Yet, I will be waiting for the day, when this truth will no longer be a secret. 
                          
I send a message to Aryamann and put my phone in my pocket. I come to my kids.
                          
Nandini: "So, having fun huh?" They nod in excitement. "Okay, enjoy and don't trouble Manik haan?" They nod like good kids. I kiss them on their foreheads and look at Manik. His eyes are fixed on my body and his mouth is open. "Manik, thanks for helping. Bye kids. Bye Manik." I wave them goodbye and leave. Manik looks at me, till I leave the house. I smile and say goodbye for the last time, before leaving.
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