(No time to proofread so kindly excuse the mistakes)
"Madhu, I think it's time to cut the cake." Rk cuts in.
"Papa, me want to dance" Ruhi wasn't ready to step down the dancing floor.
"We will come again, baby. You, your momma and I will dance together after you cut the cake. Don't you wanna eat cake?" Rk asked.
"Cake!!!" Ruhi squealed in delight.
"Then come." Madhu took her hand and walked her to the center stage where the huge castle cake was set up on a table.
"I will play "happy birthday" tune in my piano?" Rk asked.
"No. Don't go. You be with us. I want you to hold Ruhi's hand when she cuts the cake." Madhu said. Rk nodded with a smile.
Madhu lifted Ruhi up and made her stand on the chair so that she can cut the cake.
"Papa, castle"
"Yes, darling. Ruhi's castle."
"Mine?" Ruhi asked with wide eyes.
"Blow the candles like how momma did last night and then cut the cake"
"Nah... nah... me nah cut the cake" she threw the plastic knife away not wanting to cut her castle.
Madhu glared at Rk for saying it was her castle. "Now convince her and make her cut the cake." Madhu said this through her eyes.
"Ruhi, baby, you have a bigger castle in your play room right? Then why you want this one?"
"Nah, papa. I want this cake castle" she said stubbornly.
"If you don't cut your cake and eat it will melt down"
"What?"
"You will have nothing left if you don't eat it now"
"Oh" she gently touched the icing with her finger and licked it. "Yum"
"C'mon, cut and then eat. See all the kids are waiting to taste this yummy cake."
"Nah... Nah... this is mine, papa" she wasn't ready to share her cake. Madhu and Rk both sighed tiredly. For cutting one simple cake what all drama will their daughter create?
"Ruhi, learn to share and eat."
"Nah, mama"
"Ruhi, you can't eat this fully."
"I will mama"
"Okay fine. Cut" She again gave the knife for Ruhi to hold. Madhu held Ruhi's little hand guiding her to cut the cake and Rk held Madhu's hand.
"Rk hold her. I don't want her to topple over the cake again like last night."
Rk quickly slipped his left hand around Ruhi's waist and held her firmly.
This time Ruhi was able to blow the two candles on her own and she cut the cake.
Madhu fed Ruhi first and then Rk fed her. Sofia snapped pictures of the lovely family.
Madhu asked Roma to cut the cake into pieces and distribute it to all.
Everyone started giving gifts to Ruhi which she received happily.
Vihaan and Krish walked to the center stage where Ruhi was sitting on her queen seat.
Krish gave Ruhi a rose which she threw on his face angrily. Vihaan laughed and gave a chocolate box which Ruhi accepted graciously. "Say thank you to uncle" Madhu said to Ruhi.
"Thank you" Ruhi softly whispered having her full interest on opening the chocolate box.
--0--
"Uncle Rkay!" Evanjelin, Rk's little friend he met her in the café shrieked.
"Hey you are late." Rk said as he walked down the stage to greet his little friend.
"Meet my mom, Stella George. She took forever to get ready." Evanjelin sighed.
Rk laughed and shook hand with Mrs. George. Then he asked Madhu to give her some drinks and snacks.
"Uncle Rkay, I like this party. It's grand."
"Thanks sweetie."
"Will you take me to the fun room?" she asked.
"Of course, Eva. Inform your mom and come. I will take you."
"Okay" Eva ran to her mom who was chit chatting with Madhu and Roma.
"Papa..." Ruhi pulled his hand wanting him to come down to her level. When Rk knelt down Ruhi hugged him tightly.
"What's it darling?" Rk asked trying to release her but she tightened her hold around his neck.
"Ruhi baby, look at me and tell me what happened?" Rk untangled her hands and leaned his head back to see her face. He was shocked to see Ruhi's eyes stung with tears. Her cute little lips trembled.
"Why are you crying, baby?" Rk asked. His heart ached to see Ruhi in tears. "Did you get hurt? Is your head paining?" he gently rubbed his hand over her swell making her wince.
"You lefth me... mama too lefth me... there... alone..." she sobbed between each word and hugged him again hiding her face in his chest.
"We didn't leave you. See, we are here only right?"
"No!" Ruhi denied.
"Uncle Rkay, come. We will go play." Eva came back after informing her mother.
"Baby, come papa will take you to the fun room where you can play in the inflatable castle." Rk stood up and tried to pick Ruhi in his arms but she held his leg tightly and didn't move.
"Uncle Rkay, fast! My mom and I will be leaving soon. Before that I wanna play." Eva tried to drag Rk.
Rk got stuck between the two little ladies.
"Papa, you are mine. Nah go!" Ruhi said possessively with more tears rolling down her cheeks. Her baby button nose turned plum red. Ruhi looked cute even when she was crying.
"Why is she crying?" Finally Eva noticed Ruhi's tears. "Hello, I am Eva. What's your name?" Eva asked gently pulling Ruhi's chubby cheek.
"Papa..." she complained. Sometimes Ruhi can throw some serious tantrums like her father.
"What's your problem, darling?" Rk's patience was wearing out slowly as tried to pick her up in him arms but Ruhi trashed her arms and legs in protest. Rk set her down immediately and then looked around for Madhu for some help but he couldn't find her nearby.
"You are hungry?" Rk asked.
"No" Ruhi said clinging to his legs.
"You sleepy? Shall I put you to bed?"
"Papa... Nah..." she sat down on the floor and cried not wanting to go to bed.
"Then what you want? Only if you tell me I will know right?" Rk sighed as he rubbed his forehead.
"Please don't cry. It's your birthday. You should not cry. Come let's go play." Eva held her hand out for Ruhi to take but she refused. Ruhi held her head down not wanting to go and play with Eva.
"Ruhi!" Madhu came running seeing Ruhi on the floor crying. "What happened?" she asked Rk.
"You and I left her alone in the stage huh... So she is crying."
"Oh. She was busy eating chocolate so I thought I will greet the guests meanwhile... You were with her right?"
"I came down to greet my friend. By the way meet my little friend Evanjeline." Madhu looked at the little girl standing beside Rk and smiled. "Eva, this is Madhu aunty"
"Your wife is so pretty, uncle Rkay" Eva said giving Madhu a wide smile. Madhu was about to correct Eva that she wasn't her friend Rk's wife but before that Ruhi pulled her momma's gown seeking attention.
"What are you doing Ruhi? See all are seeing you? Stand up!" Madhu said getting embarrassed of what Ruhi was doing.
"Mama... You lefth me... Papa lefth me... There... Alone" Ruhi cried chanting the same words she said to her daddy. Same tone. Same voice modulation. Same expression. Perfect drama queen she is. Rk thought suppressing his laugh.
"Okay fine. Sorry. Now get up."
"Nah mama"
"Then sit here and cry all day" Madhu said angrily and walked away leaving Rk to handle his adamant daughter.
"Ruhi... please" Rk pleaded.
"Shall I try?" Sofia stepped in wanting to try her luck in convincing Ruhi.
"Sure" Rk said though he was hesitant. Only today morning Ruhi got scared of Sofia thinking she was a baby eater and ran away from her and got herself hurt so he wasn't sure whether Ruhi will listen to her.
"You go, Rk, I will bring her to the play room" Sofia said with a smile.
"You sure?" he asked. She nodded. Then Rk took Evanjelin with him and headed to the play room to show her the inflatable castle.
"Ruhi baby, shall we go sit there and talk?" Sofia asked softly pointing to Ruhi's favorite water bed.
"You eath me?" Ruhi asked for confirmation.
"No, sweetie. Your sofia aunty loves you so much." Sofia kissed Ruhi making her smile cutely forgetting her cry.
"Now, tell me why you are crying?" Sofia asked sitting on the water bed placing Ruhi on her lap.
"Mama lefth me... Papa too lefth me... there...alone" she said pointing to the stage as she whimpered.
"Look sweetie they didn't leave you alone. They just went to greet the guests who came to your party." Sofia justified but Ruhi didn't get a thing.
"You have baby...here?" Ruhi asked, cupping Sofia's belly with her little hands.
"Yes"
Ruhi leaned forward and resting her head on her belly she cooed something softly.
"Baby nah talking" Ruhi said disappointed.
"Baby will talk with you and play with you once he/she comes out"
"Oh" Ruhi said. "Me want baby... "
"You will get soon"
"Me asked papa mama... " Ruhi said and started weeping softly.
"Why are you crying?"
"Nah baby..." Ruhi shook her little hand as if she didnt get a baby from her parents.
"Aww.. Sweetie... You will get... But before that you should stop being so possessive for your parents. You should learn to share things with other kids. You should play with other kids. See when your daddy asked you to play with that little girl you didn't go and you didn't let your daddy to go..."
"Daddy?" Ruhi asked wondering who was it.
"Um... Your papa"
"Ohhh.. Papa. He is mine, Soiee" she said placing both her hands over her chest claiming right.
"If you say so then how will you share your papa with another baby?"
Ruhi looked Sofia wide eyed. She didnt think if she wanted a baby she had to share her papa and momma.
"Me want papa... Me want mama... They are mine" Ruhi cried.
"They are yours only baby girl but it's not wrong to share your papa and mama with other babies."
Ruhi sat on Sofia's lap not getting half of the things she was telling her. She didn't want to share her parents but she wanted a baby to play with her and she just couldn't explain it clearly as she was going short of words.
"Me share papa... Me get baby?" Ruhi asked.
"No.. Not really." Sofia didn't know to answer her question.
"Um... Why don't you go now and play with your papa? Play with all the other kids?"
"They nah take my papa nah?"
"No. They wont. He is only your papa."
"Okie. Me go play now." Ruhi slid down from Sofia's lap and ran to the playroom.
--0--
"Where is Ruhi? You left her alone again?" Madhu asked Rk when he walked to her and stood beside her near the dinning table where she was clearing the plates.
"Dont worry. She is enjoying her time with all the othe kids. I even left Bittuji and Roma to watch out for her and all the other kids"
"Good. When she stopped her crying? I felt bad that I walked away leaving her cry. I am sorry."
"I don't know why she behaved like that. When I asked Sofia she said Ruhi got little insecure of us mingling with other kids leaving her alone. You know how possessive our Ruhi can be"
"Yeah right." Madhu shook her head smiling. "She gets this possessive at this age but she wants a baby from us. She surely won't let us take the baby in our hand and show our love, if we have one. Always she will demand to hold her and play with her" Madhu talked casually as if they were planning to have another baby.
"I don't think so. She will make one darling elder sister to her little bro or sis" Rk defended Ruhi. "See even now once Sofia explained about sharing us she came to me and told me she will play with all the kids. She even tolerated me talking with Evanjelin"
"So your point?"
"Let's make more Ruhis" he back hugged Madhu earning a sharp nudge from her elbow but he didnt miss the blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Marry me, Madhu" he whispered from behind.
"No, Rk" she said little hesitantly.
"Okay. At least dance with me. Please"
"Sure" she smiled. He lead her to the dance floor.
--0--
Rk pulled Madhu in his arms by placing one hand on her waist and another on her back. Madhu circled her arms around his neck as they swayed their hips to the soft tune.
"You happy Madhu? With the way Ruhi's birthday went?"
"Yes, Rk... I am so happy. My baby got everything she missed in her last birthday. She got you most importantly. I am really happy and thankful to God for sending you to us"
"I am thankful to God that I met you two in that mall months back otherwise I wouldn't be with you here"
Hearing that Madhu lowered her eyes and she legs stopped moving. He twisted around taking her with him when he realized she wasn't moving.
"Dance" he whispered closer to her ear breathing on to her neck.
She nodded and started moving along with him in easy grace.
"Keep looking at me, Madhu... Keep looking at my eyes... without blinking your eyes then only you will know I have changed. You will see the love for you in my eyes." he said still dancing. She gazed at his mesmerizing eyes.
"Rk... "
"Yes, darling"
"You wouldn't have turned to me if it wasn't for Ruhi right?" she asked fearing to hear his answer. Rk stopped dancing but still held her in his arms not letting her go.
"Rk..?" she called his name when he remained silent not responding to her.
"No. I wouldn't have." he said honestly. If she deserved anything then it was his honest answer so he said it breaking her heart to pieces. She didn't even earn a tiny hint of love from him during the time she spent with him. It was purely physical attraction. She closed her eyes in pain.
"If I didn't have Ruhi with me in the mall when you first met her you wouldn't even acknowledged my presence right?" she asked. He gave her a doubtful nod. May be he would have walked past her ignoring her.
"If I had aborted our child you wouldn't have ever cared for me right?" Now it was his turn to lower his eyes. He surely wouldn't have cared because he fucking asked her to abort the baby. He felt disgusted of himself whenever he thinks back of what he said and did to her and their daughter.
"You are trapped to me because of Ruhi, right?"
"Madhu... Madhu please... You are taking it all wrong. Please forget what I did to you and forgive me if possible. I am being honest here... Yes, I fell in love with Ruhi first... I fell for her the moment she called me 'Papa' and then only I fell in love with you. Do you want to know when exactly I fell in love with you?" he asked. She didn't realize nodding her head until he dragged her to his room.
"This is my present for Ruhi for her birthday but I want you to see it because you will get what's it than her." he gave her a huge gift wrapped thing she didn't know what it was.
"Open it" he urged. She nodded and slowly pulled the baby pink satin bow and then unwrapped the gift. It was a framed painting.
"I drew this painting. And that was the moment I fell in love with you" he said. Madhu kept staring at the painting in awe. "Beautiful" was the only word escaped from her mouth. Her eyes stung with tears and she blinked her eyes to clear her vision. It was a picture of Madhu holding Ruhi against her chest in her arms and breast feeding her, sitting on the bed, with her head slightly inclined to Ruhi's head and her eyes closed. Both Madhu and Ruhi looked mesmerisingly beautiful and so lively. It didn't look like a painting at all. It was so lively as if it was a scene in front of her eyes.
"Do you remember that night? My very first night I had spend with you two. When I woke up in the middle of the night not finding Ruhi by my side I got panicked. I looked around for her and found her in your arms. You looked like an angel to me in that moment. An angel who was protecting my child. Though my mind was partially corrupted with my kinky thought of tasting your breast milk..." Madhu looked up from the portrait and gave him a mock glare. He unashamedly grinned at her and continued "I knew that was the moment I fell for you. Then hearing you say Ruhi was born premature and how she struggled to breathe. God! I died in that moment for not being with you then. I realized what a huge sin I have committed and I decided to mend things between us and to protect you two. Always." he said as he cupped her left cheek with his right palm and right then a tear drop rolled down from her eyes for him to catch and dispatch.
"I agree I got you back in my life through Ruhi but it's not just Ruhi I love. I love you too so much like I have never ever loved anyone before." he said with conviction in his eyes. She smiled widely hearing his confession. Finally she believed his words.
"I thank Ruhi for calling me "Papa" and making me turn and look at you two in the mall. And I thank you for giving birth to our precious child. You both did only good for me and now I want to do good for you two. I want to shower you two with my love... All my life. Please let me love you, Madhu"
Madhu nodded her head in yes with eyes full of tears. She was so touched by his words that she couldn't even utter a word. He smiled widely in euphoria and leaned down to take her lips in his for a kiss but hesitated not knowing whether she will like it or not. She laughed and took his head between her hands and pulled his face closer.
"Kiss me" she whispered agaisnt his lips. He didn't take a second further to stick his mouth to hers. He tried to take the kiss soft and gentle but he couldn't help himself as he ended up her giving a hard passionate and desperate kiss filled with pure love.
As if waiting for her parents to break the kiss Ruhi came running to them once they pulled themselves away.
"Mama... Papa... " Ruhi stretched both her hands up for them to pick her up. Rk and Madhu hooked their hands under Ruhi's arms on either side and lifted her up and hugged her and kissed her on both her cheeks.
"We love you, Ruhi" both Rk and Madhu said in unison.
Ruhi grinned a toothy grin and kissed her parents in reply.
Then they carried Ruhi to the dance floor to dance with her as promised.
... To be continued!!!
Omg! I got so emotional while writing this part... I was waiting for this moment like you all to see Madhu accepting Rk. If you all wondering why didn't Madhu say 'I love you' to him... Then I will say please wait... Because I cant make her confession simple just by saying ILY...LOL!!! so far now just a kiss.. Hahaha!
Only recently I realized a made a big blunder... That's Ruhi talking big sentences. I don't think any two year old kid will talk this much or be this understanding.
When I asked my mom about this she said yes, some kids do speak well at the age of 2 for instance my sister... But I started talking late huh... Guess I was an innocent calm sweet baby... Like I am now... Lol!!!
So if you guys think no two year old kid talk this much then I apologize. It's indeed a mistake. But I wanted to keep Rishbala a young parents at the same time I wanted the baby to talk.. If she didn't then there wont be any fun... Lol!!! So kindly excuse the deliberate blunder I made!!!
Thanks all for your love and support!!!
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