Manan ff: Love Diaries (chp 3- Seventh Birthday)

Nandini and Anjali along with others were playing hide and seek, everyone were hidden besides Anjali. She was asked to do countdown and find them. She goes to the kitchen and checks everywhere but finds no one. Then she goes to Varshini’s room, she was reading magazine and as soon as she saw her, she called her and picked her making her sit with her. She forgot that the time was running out, she was sitting with her and after sometime she went. She went to her bedroom and saw everyone were out of their hideouts as she didn’t came.

“Anjali, you too hid asking us to hide?,” Manik asked and everyone laughed. “You were joking na?,” Nandini asked. “Oh hide and seek, I forgot, I was sitting with mumma so that’s why,” Anjali said slapping her forehead by her little hand and everyone nodded. “Oh it’s OK, you’re so cute more than Nandini,” Alia said. “No, Nandini and I are equally cute unlike you all,” she said cutely sticking out her tongue at them which made everyone laugh. “OK baba, you both are very cute, equally, OK?,” Manik said and she smiled nodding in positive and everyone giggled.

“OK, let’s change the game, let’s play in other way, the one who’ll be finding will be blindfolded and others will be near only,” Nandini suggested and everyone agreed. Manik was the one to be blindfolded. Everyone moved away from him and he moved forward. Nandini tapped his shoulders mischievously and ran away. “Who was it?,” he asked while Nandini giggled looking at everyone else. She went to him and just when he was about to catch her, she ran away again. “Manik you can’t catch us,” Nandini mocked. He followed her voice and caught her. “Manikkk,” she said irritatingly.

He removed his blindfold and smiled. “You can’t catch me Manik,” he imitated her while others laughed. She got annoyed. “I will catch faster,” she said and blindfolded herself. “Anjali,” Manik whispered to Anjali. “Hmm?,” she asked. “Nothing,” he said teasingly and she got annoyed. She picked a cushion and started hitting him, he too hit her. “What happened Anjali and Manik? Why are you both fighting?,” Alia asked and hearing this, Nandini removed her blindfold. “Anjali,” she called but she ignored. “Arey Anjali, what happened?,” Nandini asked stopping her from hitting Manik. “I teased her by calling her and didn’t said anything,” Manik told her.

“Manik don’t irritate her na, Anjali he’s a devil, ignore him,” Nandini said and Manik’s eyes widened. They started having pillow fight but ended up having a group hug. “OK we’re going now, we’ll meet in school,” Alia said and bidded them bye. One year passed by their friendship, they had a strong bonding now. Both the sisters had similar attraction towards Manik. The sisters went to school as their usual routine and in the recess they were always together with their friend circle. The cutest bonding was between the twins and Manik.

After one week came their seventh birthday. All their friends were invited and their birthday was to be celebrated after they come back from school. Nandini was roaming in the school garden, Manik saw her and scared her from behind. “How did it felt?,” he asked. “You idiot,” she said. “Happy birthday Moorthy twins, where’s Anjali?,” he asked. “She’ll be coming, there’s our birthday party after school, you’ll come, right?,” she asked. “Yes, we’ll have fun, Anjali came,” he said pointing behind her. She turned. Anjali hugged her and she hugged her back. “Happy birthday Anjali,” Nandini said. “Happy birthday to you too,” Anjali said and they parted away.

“You both look very cute together,” Manik complimented them. “Thanks, let’s go on the swings, I am bored,” Anjali said and the trio went and sat on the swings with Manik on the middle swing, they held hands and swung together. “3…2…1,” Manik counted and they jumped off the swing landing on the muddy floor. They laughed. They got up cleaning themselves and the bell rang as the recess got over. They went to their classes and Manik and Nandini sat together. After some more classes, it was time to go home.

As their school bus stopped at the Moorthy mansion, the sisters stepped down together. Anjali was walking really slow. “What happened?,” Nandini asked. “Tired,” she replied and Nandini kept her arm around her shoulders and she too did the same. They walked towards the gate of their house and their mother opened the door. “Happy birthday my cutie pies,” Varshini said and hugged them kissing their foreheads. “We love you mumma,” they said in unison and she smiled caressing their hair. “I love you both too beta, OK go change your clothes,” she said and they went holding hands.

Later in evening, Nandini and Anjali came down wearing white maxis with their hair down. The lights were off and they switched on. BOOM! Nandkishore pulled the rubber of the party popper showering ribbons over them. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Anjali and Nandini, happy birthday to you,” their parents and friends sang. They came towards the cake and it had the picture of them and their parents. Varshini stood behind them making them hold a knife together and made them cut the cake. First Anjali fed Nandini and she fed her back.

Then they fed Varshini and Nandkishore, they fed them back and then Nandini fed it to Manik and he fed her back. Anjali too fed him and he fed her back. They fed everyone. Everyone gifted them. The party ended after sometime and they went to their rooms. They opened everyone’s gift and at the end opened Manik’s gift. He had gifted Anjali a music box and Nandini a necklace. It was a pocket necklace, she opened it and saw her and Manik’s sketch. She smiled at it and wore it.