99• Ethan, I'm pregnant

As Ethan texted Nandini to let her know that they had left the airport, she was waiting for him and Ella in the hall. Her eagerness to share the good news with them was palpable.

Manik was in the room. He had decided that once Nandini informed Ethan of her pregnancy, he would confront him because he lacked the courage to tell him the news himself. He was pacing restlessly across the room because he was worried about how Ethan would react.

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang, and as she heard it, her excitement suddenly turned to anxiety.

"God! Don't let anything come up between Manik and Ethan, please." She prayed before hurrying to open the door.

She opened the door, and seeing Ethan and Ella after a week made her eyes sparkle with joy, and she again became excited about telling them about her pregnancy. Her pregnancy mood swings were fully evident.

"Welcome to your home, my sister-in-law." She welcomed her best friend as her sister-in-law with a warm hug. Ethan just smiled at them, and when he noticed a different kind of spark in his sister's eyes, he knew something was up, but he had no idea his sister was pregnant.

"I missed you, bro." She embraced Ethan, beaming.

"I missed you as well, sweetie." He kissed her hair and wrapped his arms around her. He was overjoyed to see his sister after a week.

"Where is Manik?" Ethan asked as they settled down in the hall.

"He slept." She lied, fiddling with her neck chain.

"Really? Is he okay?" He asked her in a startled tone because he had never slept so early in his life.

"Yeah, Ethan. You both tell me about your honeymoon." She immediately changed the topic because she just couldn't lie to her brother.

"The place was heavenly beautiful, Nandini, and we had a great time." As Ella told her with delight, Ethan clasped Ella's hand, and they both gazed at each other with immense love in their eyes.

'I think I shouldn't tell them about my pregnancy right now because they're both so happy,' she thought as she stared at them.

They conversed for a while before walking to their respective rooms.

Manik was pacing across the room restlessly when Nandini entered. He dashed towards her as soon as he saw her.

"Did you tell him everything to Ethan? What exactly did he say? Is he enraged?" After holding her arms, he bombarded her with questions, and she just mutely stared at him because she didn't want to add to his stress by telling him that she didn't tell Ethan because she became anxious.

"Kiddo, say something." He inquired, getting worried when she didn't respond to him.

"I didn't tell him." As she told him, he freaked out.

"What? Why? I remember somebody was saying, don't worry, Manik, I'll make him understand." He mimicked her voice and then asked, arching his brows at her. "Now what happened?"

"Manik, Ethan is so happy. I don't know how he'll react. Now I'm getting nervous but I promise you, I'll make him understand." She explained to him.

"Kiddo, you have to tell him now. You know I just can't face him until you tell him about this." He glanced at her belly. "I'm so anxious. He will kill me."

She placed her hand on his face. "Manik, relax. He'll understand us." She reassured him, caressing his stubble with her thumb.

"I just hope so. Please tell him now. I don't want to keep your pregnancy a secret from Ethan like we kept our relationship a secret from him previously." He explained to her.

"Okay, I'm going to tell him." She blinked her eyes in assurance.

"Thank you, love." He clasped her hand and softly kissed her knuckles.

"I don't need your thank you, Manik. I need best wishes."

"I know my kiddo will do her work properly, but still all the best." He kissed her forehead.

"I'm just coming." She rushed towards the door after pecking his cheek.

"Kiddo, be careful." He shouted as she was about to bump into the table.

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "I know, I'm pregnant, Manik. I'll be careful." She exited the room after saying this.

"I just hope Ethan doesn't freak out, but which brother will not lose his cool when he learns his sister is pregnant at such a young age, and that too, before marriage? What did you do, Manik?" He chided himself, pacing across his room.

On the other hand, Nandini took a deep breath to muster up the courage to tell her brother about her pregnancy before knocking on the door of his room.

As she knocked on the door, after a few seconds, Ethan opened the door while Ella was unpacking their bags.

"I wa-want to tell you-you some-thing, Ethan." She stuttered, playing with her fingers, and Ethan could clearly see that she was nervous.

"First come inside and sit down." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her towards the sofa.

"Ethan, I'm pregnant." He was about to make her sit down on the sofa, but he froze as Nandini dropped the bomb by informing him of the news. Ella came to a halt and looked at her in disbelief.

"You're kidding, right? Manik and you're playing truth or dare, and it's your dare. I caught you, my sister." He laughed. "But I must say, you're a great actor."

"Ethan, I'm not kidding. I'm seriously pregnant." She told him again, holding his hand, and Ella just stood still in shock.

"Really?" She lowered her eyes and nodded as he asked again for confirmation because the news was unbelievable for him.

"Fuck! You're so young. How could Manik be so careless? I'm not going to leave him." He jerked Nandini's hand and stormed out of the room.

"Ethan, listen to me." She yelled and ran behind him, but Ella stopped her by coming in front of her.

"Barbie, let them talk."

"Ethan is so angry, Ella. It could create a problem between them." Nandini stared at her, distraught.

Ella blinked her eyes in assurance. "Don't worry. Nothing can create a rift between them. We both know how strong their friendship is."

I slightly nodded. "I know, but I'm still afraid."

"Anyway, what did you both think about the baby?" Ella asked her.

"We'll keep the baby. Manik wanted me to abort it because it was too early for me to have the baby, but I convinced him. We're happy." She told her.

Ella gave her a tight hug. "You're going to be Mom, congratulations, and don't worry, Ethan will understand."

"I hope so." She wished, wrapping her arms around her.

***

Ethan burst open the door and marched into the room. As Manik saw him, his eyelashes moved down in mortification.

He rushed towards Manik and punched him in his face before grabbing his collar in fury and speaking with utter disappointment. "Manik, what did you do? I didn't expect this from you." Manik slowly raised his eyelashes and stared at him with immense guilt in his eyes.

"God dammit, she is my little sister, Manik. She is only eighteen years old. How could you be so careless?" Ethan chided him, completely losing his mind after knowing about his sister's pregnancy.

Manik hid his face behind his hands, embarrassed. He expected Ethan to react in this manner, but as he listened to his words, he became concerned about his kiddo's ability to take care of a baby at such a young age.

"Fuck!" Ethan stamped his foot in outrage and again grabbed his collar. He yelled, "I want to kill you."

"Bro, I need you." Manik's voice cracked as he spoke in a sorrowful tone, and he gave him a look of complete helplessness.

Ethan's anger disappeared after realising he was only thinking about his sister and not his best friend when he observed his best friend's vulnerable state.

He closed his eyes and exhaled to compose himself. "I'm sorry. I just lost my temper when I got to know that Nandini is pregnant."

"I can understand, Ethan. I was even angry with myself when I got to know about the news." Manik walked to the bed, sat down and ran his hand through his hair. "You have no idea how I have spent days since I got to know about her pregnancy. We have decided to keep the baby, but I'm still worried about Kiddo." He spoke, musing straight.

Ethan stood in front of him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Manik, do you want this baby? Are you ready?" As he inquired, Manik raised his eyes at him.

"Of course, Ethan, I'm ready to have a family with my love, but I'm just worried about her."

Ethan sat beside him on the bed. "If you are both ready, then just chill. Ella and I are with you. We will all manage together." Ethan gave him much-needed assurance, and Manik stared at him in disbelief because, even after being Nandini's brother, he was still supporting him.

"Thank you, bro. Thank you so much." Manik hugged him with a beatific smile on his face.

"But as Nandini's brother, I'm still angry with you." Ethan glared at him as they pulled apart.

"And I know how to pacify him." Manik stood up, smiling, and Ethan's brows narrowed in confusion as he stared at him. "I'm just coming."

He rushed out of the room, and Ethan yelled, "Manik, where are you going?"

Manik returned, holding two cans of chilled beer. "I hope this will cool you down." He extended one of the cans to Ethan.

"No, this won't work." He snatched the can and took a sip after opening the can's lid.

"Dude! I swear, I was always very careful with her. I think, perhaps this happened during the times when I was disturbed after losing my passion." Manik sat beside him and told him after taking a sip of beer.

"Chill, I'm not angry with you anymore because this could happen to anybody."

"So it means, the beer worked." Manik grinned, holding out the can.

"Yes, it worked." Ethan laughed, clicking his can with Manik's.

"There I was getting worried thinking about you both, and here you both are drinking beer and chilling. Wow!" Nandini marched into the room and clapped, glaring at them, and they stared at her silently.

Ella also reached there.

Nandini snatched the can from Manik's hand and was about to drink. "Stop." Ethan and Manik shouted in unison, getting worried, and Nandini immediately stopped.

"Kiddo, what are you doing? You're pregnant."

"I know I'm pregnant but you both made me angry, and that's why I forgot it." She yelled, giving back the can to Manik.

"Sweetie-"

"I don't want to talk to anybody, and sorry for disturbing your enjoyment." She stormed out of the room in fury.

"Why is she behaving like this?" Ethan asked, clueless.

"It's pregnancy mood swings, Ethan. I have been dealing with them for a week," Manik explained to him.

"Oh!" Ethan made O mouth.

"I just come after checking on her." As Manik was about to stand up, Ethan stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Today, I'll mollify my pregnant sister." He blinked his eyes at Manik before leaving the room.

***

"Baby, your Mumma is not going to talk with your Daddy and Ethan mama (Uncle) because they were chilling while your Mumma was worrying about them." Nandini was complaining about her brother and boyfriend to her baby, sitting on the swing in the garden when Ethan arrived there.

"Hey." As Ethan sat beside her on the swing, she averted her eyes.

"Manik brought the beer to cool me down, Nandini. We were just about to come to you." As Ethan explained to her, she moved her eyes filled with anger at him. "I'm sorry." As his brothers apologised, her heart melted and anger vanished from her eyes.

"I know you both can never forget me, and I'm so relieved that you aren't angry with us." She flashed a smile at him.

"I can never be mad at my sister." He stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"I'm blessed to have you." As she rested her head on his chest, he kissed her head.

"Nandini, are you seriously ready to have this baby? It's a big responsibility." As Ethan asked her in a serious tone, she raised her head from his chest and looked at him.

"I know it's early, but, Ethan, I'm ready because I always dreamed of having a family with the love of my life. God is fulfilling my dream soon, so I'm super duper happy." She merrily told him.

"God bless you and your baby." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

***

Manik was sitting on the bed when Nandini entered the room and locked the door. "I'm feeling so hot." She turned around and began taking off her clothes one by one, and Manik's eyes widened in astonishment.

She sat on his lap in a black lingerie set, driving him insane. Due to the pregnancy, her sex hormones were at their peak.

"I love you." She whispered against his lips before eating his lips hungrily. He responded to her with equal flavour and unclasped her bra. She moaned in his mouth as he massaged her sensitive tits. They savagely devoured each other's lips, rubbing their crotch against each other.

***

They were silently lying naked in each other's arms after their wild encounter. She was playing with his neck chain, and he was stroking her belly.

"Manik, what if it's not a baby girl? Will you be upset?" She suddenly asked him, breaking the silence.

"Not at all, Kiddo. It doesn't matter to me if it's a girl or boy, what matters to me is that the baby will be the symbol of our love." He answered her.

"Then why do you always refer to our baby as Princess?"

"Because I have a strong feeling that we'll have a baby girl." He rose and kissed her bare belly, and a beatific smile flashed on her face.

He again lay down, holding his Kiddo in his warm strong arms, and they fell asleep while conversing about their baby.