"All set?" Pallavi asked as she entered the theatre room with a bowl full of popcorn.
"Yup. Switch off the lights, na!"
Pallavi did the same sat next to him. As each second passed by, both of them got more and more engaged with the movie.
Pallavi's excitement was on peak level as she saw her favorite heroine started dancing on screen, so effortlessly.
"Look Raghav, she is my inspiration; the reason why I started learning da. . " She almost said the word dance before she remembered their first meeting.
No use. He doesn't even like my dance.
"What happened Pallavi?" Raghav asked seeing her changed expression.
"Ha, nothing."
This khadoos have no idea how bad I felt that day!
She looked at Raghav. He was totally immersed in the movie, so did she. Finally, both of them got up, when both of them saw their favorite couple getting united on screen.
Raghav went to shut down the system while Pallavi went down to keep the bowls back in the kitchen. Once she came back, the room was empty. While she was walking back, she spotted Raghav in the terrace lawn, sitting and staring deeply at the dark sky.
"You were here?"
Raghav turned back to see Pallavi behind him.
"Yaa. Come, sit down na!" Pallavi smiled at sat next to Raghav and sat quietly looking at the stars.
"What a movie, right?"
"Yaa. They don't make such ones nowadays!"
There was a brief silence for a while.
"Do you believe in that dialogue?" He asked breaking the silence.
"Which one?"
"That somewhere, someone has been made for you and . . someday we will meet them?"
Pallavi didn't knew how to answer that question. There was a time when she used to believe in such dialogues but her life proved that these are only some random fantasies.
"Do you believe in it Raghav?"
He laughed hearing her question.
"Why are you laughing Raghav?"
"Nothing Pallavi. I believed it when I had my first crush in fifth standard!"
"Your first crush? Who was she?" Pallavi got excited to hear about this new side of RR.
"Oh! You seems to be so interested to know!"
"Tell na, Raghav!"
"He name was Shivangi. She was one year younger to me and studied in the same school. A tiny, little girl with a cute pony tail!" He smiled as he remembered how childish he was during those days.
"Wow, have you ever confessed these feelings to her?"
"Nope!"
"Where is she now?"
"No idea. She went back to Indore, her native place, when she was 11 years old!"
She smiled imagining the cute love story of a ten year old Raghav.
"No one after that?"
"No. When I grew up I got totally indulged with my business. I wanted to expand my family business and utilized most of my energy for the same."
"Not even in college?"
"Well, I had infatuations and even got some proposals but didn't felt any spark!"
"Not even once?"
"You ask too many questions Pallavi. No wonder that you are a lecture." Raghav said slightly patting on her head.
"Well, you started this discussion first. Now, suffer it."
"It's kind of interesting Pallavi. I never had such chit-chats with anyone; not even with Jatin!"
She smiled at his words and Raghav continued to look at sky. Meanwhile Pallavi went inside and bought two cups of black coffee and a blanket since it was getting cold out there on the terrace.
She gave blanket and coffee to Raghav and took a sip from her own cup.
"I felt that once!"
Raghav said suddenly looking straight into her eyes.
"Huh?"
"You had asked me whether I felt that spark for at least once, right? Yes I did, once!"
"When?"
"I was struck in the traffic jam one day and saw that girl, crossing the road. She was looking beautiful and had an amazing glow on her face!"
"Did you saw her again?"
Raghav turned his face away from Pallavi.
"No"
Both of them didn't utter a word after that. After a while Raghav felt Pallavi falling asleep on his shoulder. Her gently held her closer to him and stroked her hair.
It's you Pallavi! he gently whispered in her ears.
Once he too started feeling sleepy, he took her in his arms and went to her bedroom.
He made her to lie on her bed and covered her with the quilt and then gently left her room without making any noise.
* * * *
Pallavi slowly opened her eyes and saw that it was 6 in the morning. She didn't know how she ended up sleeping here and her last memory was that of her and Raghav talking in the lawn upstairs.
I must have fallen asleep and he must have carried me here! She concluded.
It was a holiday for her. So she gradually got ready and went to make coffee for both of them! When she stepped in she saw Raghav already making coffee there!
"You are up?"
"Sorry, I slept early yesterday."
"Early? Both of us slept around 1 in the morning!"
"Ha? Really?"
"Yaa. Come, have some coffee."
She took the cup from him and both of them sat opposite to each other in the dining hall.
"You are on leave today?"
"No. It's second Saturday Raghav! It's a day off for me!"
"Oh! By the by, I will come early today!"
"Great. And Raghav, Radha ji won't come today. She told me yesterday that she need to go with her daughter for check-up but I forgot to inform you!"
"So what's your plan for today?"
"I am going out to buy some indoor plants. Aishwarya will be with me."
"Just call me, if you need any help."
She nodded and he got up to get ready.
* * * *
Aishwarya and Pallavi was driving back home after their shopping. Meanwhile they decided to have lunch from a near-by restaurant.
Once they got settled, they placed their respective orders.
"So , how's your married life going Pallavi?"
"It's good!"
"Wow, that was highly descriptive Pallavi."
She sighed. Aishwarya was on leave for a few days and she noticed that her mood was not so good for last few days. It was also to cheer her up that she planned such a shopping with her.
"Aishu, it's good. I mean everything is new for me. I never really thought that I will feel this comfortable with Raghav."
"Sometimes it's like that Pallu. We may judge them quickly but most of the time, people are not like what they appear to be." she said in a low tone.
"Aishu, are you okay?"
She shook her head with a painful smile.
"What happened?"
"I think, Aarav is cheating on me!"
"What?"
"It's not sure. But I can sense it here and there."
"Calm down Aishu."
"It's okay Pallavi. I just felt like sharing it with you. Just leave it."
She didn't knew how to console her. So she just changed the topic. After having lunch, Aishu dropped her back at her home and at the gate she was treated by Sharma ji, their watchman.
"Pallavi beta, you are back!"
"Ha uncle, Did Raghav came back?"
"No. By the way beta, a family is coming to live in that mansion across the street. I just now received the news."
"Oh it's great. Now we will get some new neighbors."
"Just hope that they won't become a headache for anyone else."
Pallavi just smiled at his words. She went inside and got fresh. She then arranged the plants she bought, inside her room and by around 5, Raghav came back.
After having coffee, both of them decided to walk a bit outside, through the lane. Raghav and Pallavi, both changed to casuals and took the keys before going out.
The setting sun had added an orange glow to the place. Both of them were walking slowly.
"How was your shopping?"
"Went great. I bought some extra plants; you want some?"
"Yaa. It will look good in my office room."
"How was your day Raghav?"
"Just as usual. Only difference is that I made my first step towards an important deal with an American company.
I may go to US next month, for few days to finalize the deal maybe."
"Oh!"
It was then, Raghav noticed a few people standing near to that empty mansion. Some moving-in process was happening there clearly.
"New people are coming there today, it seems."
"Ya. Sharma ji told me today."
They saw a few pickup van going out from there. Right then a ball almost hit Pallavi before Raghav caught it in time. They saw a girl around six or seven years coming towards them.
"My ball"
"You need to be careful na? This aunty almost got injured!" Raghav said, just to tease Pallavi a bit.
Aunty? C'mon, I am not that old Raghav.
"Sorry" she said in her cute baby voice.
"No, no say sorry to aunty. Only then bhaiya will give the ball back to you."
Calling me aunty and placing himself in the 'bhaiya' post? How dare you Raghav? What's your next move? Will you call me mamma in front of this child?
Random thoughts occupied her brain box.
"Sorry" She said to Pallavi, placing her both hands on her ears.
"Aww, it's okay baba." she hugged that child and Raghav returned her ball.
"Now, say thank you to this uncle. He gave back your ball right?"
"Thank you uncle." Raghav felt like his game backfired on him. That child then again turned back to Pallavi with an innocent smile.
"Hi, I am Ruhanika."
" Nice name. So, can I call you Ruhi?"
"Mamma also calls me Ruhi! What's your name?"
"Pallavi! Just call me Pallu di!"
Raghav noticed that both them got along with each other so well, with in few minutes.
"Ruhi..."
A lady around mid 30's came out with a worried face.
"You were here? I was searching for . . " It was then she looked at the couple standing next to her child.
" She came out looking for the ball!" Pallavi explained the situation.
"Oh, Hi I am Riya. We just moved in here."
"Hi. I am Raghav Rao and she is my wife, Pallavi." Raghav introduced them to their new neighbors.
Riya invited them both for a coffee and they accepted it politely. She went to make coffee for her new guests and Pallavi and Raghav made themselves comfortable in the living room along with Ruhi. Meanwhile Raghav noticed that Ruhi and Pallavi were getting more close to each other.
She is really good with kids. He thought as he himself often finds it very difficult to handle them patiently.
"No Ruhi, it's not Pallu, it's Pallu di. Say, Pallu di" her voice bought him back from his thoughts.
"Pallu, Pallu, Pallu" he saw that Pallavi finally gave up with her effort to make Ruhi call her 'di'.
"Pallu, is he always so scary?" Ruhi asked suddenly.
Ha? Me? Scary?
Pallavi went stiff for a minute.
"No baba, he is not scary."
"No Pallu. He looks like my scary teacher. She scolds me a lot. Will he also scolds you if you make mistakes in multiplication?"
Pallavi looked at Raghav who was looking at that kiddo who just judged him wrongly at the first meeting.
"No Ruhi. He won't scold you; just talk to him na! He is really nice."
Before Ruhi could say something, Riya came in with the coffee and served them.
"I am so sorry. Did she troubled you? She is really naughty as well as talkative."
Yaa. Very much naughty. She was trying to damage my image in front of my wife.
Raghav wanted to say but if he says so, he will look extremely childish in front of them. Hence he kept quiet.
"No she is really sweet. Right Raghav?"
"Yaa, very much!"
"So what are you guys doing?"
"I am lecture and he is running his own business."
"Oh nice. I am a doctor and my husband Pratik is working abroad."
"Where are working?"
"City Hospital. It's really hectic sometimes."
They talked more about themselves and when it started getting dark, they decided to go back home.
"Please visit us some day." Raghav said to Riya
"Sure. Bye Pallavi."
"Bye di. Bye Ruhi"
"Bye Pallu. Will you come again?" she asked with a toothless grin.
"Ha my Pebbles Flintstone, we will meet again soon." Saying this she kneeled down and kissed her forehead and started to walk back along with Raghav.
"She is really adorable. Right Raghav?" she asked on their return journey.
"But she called me scary!" he complained
Pallavi looked at that child inside the grown up man with a 'are you serious?' kind of look.
"She is a child Raghav. Plus she is not entirely wrong. Even I thought the same on our first meeting!"
"Ha, you thought that I am scary?" that was a new information for him.
"Very much. You didn't even liked my dance and said the same right on my face."
Raghav became silent for a minute.
She is right. I am a bit scary!
"Hey, are you okay? Raghav?"
"May be you are right!"
"No I am not. I judged you quick that day. You are not scary. In fact, now I can feel that amazing friend inside you; it's just that you don't show that side of yours to people, that much."
Saying this in a serious tone she walked inside to their premise, leaving Raghav stunned!
She thinks of me as an amazing friend! She really thinks that about me . .
All these bought a small smile on his face and Sharma ji saw his master standing near to the gate and smiling , leaving him surprised.
Because as far as he remember, Raghav never ever smiled like this!
* * * *
Hi guys,
So what do you think about Pallavi's Pebbles Flintstone - Ruhi? Will she bring some good moments into our Raghvi's life?
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