What happens when you forget to pull the curtains of your windows at night?
Well, until you are in the second floor of a ship and the windows of your room are facing the sea, nothing major happens except the peeping in of early morning rays and their scattering over your face to hamper the sweet, peaceful slumber of your life.
Yes, 'sweet' and 'peaceful' are those two adjectives I was using for my sleep, becoz 'sleep' really happened to me last night.
And I have no qualms in admitting that it happened becoz of Dev. No matter how mad I was at him, his proximity worked wonders on me and I relapsed into greater depths of time without the need of any kind of sedatives at all!
His touches had removed the necessity of sleeping pills from my life.
But for how long? Only 8 days right? Of which 1 day had already slept out of hands!!
Damn! Why couldn't he just stay with me for ever? Was it so necessary to choose Priyanka over me? What had he found in that woman that I couldn't give him all my life??
Don't be irrational, Nitara. Love simply happens and you are no one to question about it. Mind wisely probbed from the back.
I just hummed silently since I found no better words in reply to this true, bittersweet remark of hers.
With a lone sigh and a sincere intention of rubbing away all these negetivities from head, I decided to begin my day with a soothing warm shower. However, as I tried to get up from my place, I realised what trap I had been in for so long.
Not to mention, that trap had been created by both my babies and neither of them was willing to leave me any soon.
The little one was still flexible upto some extent, she wriggled away from me upon applying slight efforts. But the bigger one showed no response and kept sleeping on his tummy like an absolute rhino.
Old habits and all.
Duh!
"Dev.... get up." Turning my neck a little bit, I mumbled in his ears while trying my best to remove his hand from my waist.
-"Hmmm.." he just groaned lazily. The movement of his hands told that he had tightend his clutches.
To add further effects, his warm hand crawled under the hem my camisole and rested in there as if he owned that place since birth.
"Dev? Remove your hands please!!" I gritted angrily. His artistic long fingers were turning the whole zoo upside down in my tummy and I knew that if this continued for long, I would have surely ended up surrendering myself before him.
Not done. I reminded myself and tried to pull out his hands.
-"What is wrong with you Tara? Why aren't you letting me sleep??" He murmured in a super complaining tone that sounded nothing but cute.
God! How was I even supposed yo resist him!!
"GET UP, sleepy duck." I hit his chest with my elbow, as a result to which he attacked my legs with his longer ones, intermingling with them totally and claiming over me with an authority, unmatched.
"What is this Dev? Get up na!!" I shouted again.
-"Why are you being so complaining? You were never like this, Tara." He whinned against my hairs, making me feel loved and irritated at the same time.
"I need to go to the washroom okay?" I huffed out of struggle. "And its really urgent."
-"Urgent?" He cared to loosen his holds now. "What happened?" His sleepy face overflowed with a sudden stress.
Idiot!
"I am going to meet Manish Malhotra over there!!" I flashed him a plastic smile and did the rest of the job of freeing myself from him and scuttling out of the bed to lock myself in the washroom.
The very next minute, I unlocked the door and adjusting my face between the plank and the doorjamb, I shouted out aloud- "Wake up your daughter too... she takes atleast half an hour to come out of her dream world!!"
With this, the door was banged close again.
Finishing my morning chores along with the much planned hot shower, took me exact thirty minutes and I wrapped myself in a light blue bathrobe (the other one was pink and I deliberately left it for Dev, knowing how he would crib for its 'girlish' colour) and stepped out of the washroom, seriously hoping that my husband was still struggling with his daughter to wake her up.
I so wanted to taunt him some more, but I guess luck was not in my support. Thats why when I came out so gleefully, I found him and his daughter lying over their backs and watching Sinchan on the 32' inches led screen ahead, with all their teeth flashed out in the open.
A scene, I had been dying to witness since the past three years!
"Umm...whats going on here?" I cleared my throat and asked them softly.
-"Princess was teaching me about Sinchan Nohara and his sister... err.. what was her name?" He nudged Coco to flourish him with the informations again.
"Offo daddy!" Coco slapped her forhead in a dramatic way and murmured the answer sadly- "Its Himabari, daddy."
-"Oh yes. Himabari." Dev grinned proudly like a first year medical student who had successfully learnt all the names of drugs administered for common flue and influenza.
He was such a child!
-"So his sister's name is Himabari and his mom's name is Mitzy and his...."
"She was teaching you about the characters and you were teaching her that how to wake up in the morning and sit infront of the t.v without even brushing or doing rest of the important works. Isn't it Dev?" I charged him sharply with my hands crossed across the breast.
Once again he looked at the bends of hands and lost his speech momentarily. It was the second day he was repeating this stupid act and I kept wandering why.
Oh! Maybe he was somewhat arroused with this posture of mine!! The idea clicked me suddenly and no sooner it did, I removed my hands in a jiffy and gasped embarrassedly, obviously looking everywhere else other than his poignant, enegmatic eyes.
-"Err...its nothing like that Tara.." he began slutteringly and I rolled my eyes. If it was not what I was thinking, then what was it like? Wait. Was he going to tell me that I had failed decoding his eye language? I wandered cluelessly, until he decided to have some mercy on me. "....Actually its her holidays going na so I thought why all this unwanted burden?! She should better enjoy her days before her normal, boring routine starts all over again." He said casually.
"Excuse me?" I was plain flusttered.
-"No...I was saying that.."
"Stop" I ordered in a threateningly cold voice turning towards my baby, I said to her- "Go to the washroom, Coco....daddy is coming. He is going to help you with your brushie today."
"And poo?" She asked back innocently.
"Yeah, poo too." I nodded. "Now go."
Rightly judging my temper, she didn't waste anymore time and ran for the washroom while Dev kept gaping at my face with his mouth hanging open and eyes almost popping out of his sockets.
"What?" I shot a careless glance in his direction.
-"I seriously need to do so much now?" He uttered nonsensically. Ofcourse, he wasn't expecting anything like this in such an early morning.
But on the first case, why wasn't he expecting? What had he thought haan, that helping a child with her morning chores is only the duty of her mother? Like seriously??
"Dev, I didn't speak hibru. So please stop exagerrating." I huffed in annoyance. "And yeah, go to the washroom. She is waiting for you there."
-"Fine." He muttered inaudibly and got down from the bed as he headed for the washroom while ruffling his mess of silken hairs.
Changing into a lovely, peacock blue backless maxi dress, I sat infront of the mirror and breezed my hair dryer through my wet strands. Once it was done, I straightend those strands with a straightner and curled them up into a neat, elegant bun. As such makeup was never my thing, I applied a simple balm on my lips and a stroke of kohl on my sleep saturated eyes and I was all decked up to hit the entire day!
Only god knew what new drama I was going to see today. But atleast, I should have been prepared for them right?
Coco came out soon enough and my bizzare thoughts came to an abrupt pause. Here, my little muchkin jumping up and down for spending such a 'quality' time with Dev and I couldn't help but admire her happiness with awestuck eyes. True, I had never seen her so happy in the past three years, except for instances when she found her family in one single piece.
She really missed her father...maybe a lot more than what I did.
But then I knew about our limitations and she didn't. She had no idea that her father was into another woman these days. Though I kept saying that its okay if you start loving somebody else, but how do I tell it to my baby? It wasn't even possible man!!
-"What the hell is this yaar???" Dev's outrageous shout blew away my eardrums and also pulled me back to reality at the same time.
"What happened?" I shouted back equally annoyed.
-"THIS you left for me in the washroom?" He came out now and showcased his wet body, wrapped in the baby pink bathrobe.
Oh my!
"Dev, I...." I couldn't complete my sentence anymore. I had bursted out laughing, way before that. "Coco, isn't daddy looking cute?" Few minutes later, I asked my baby when the laughter receeded a bit.
Correction. It was only a 'little' bit. 'Negligible' be the more appropriate term though. XD
"Daddy is looking like a man doll, mommy." Coco replied laughing. But mind you, there was no teasing in her words... quite unlike mine. She had really complimented Dev. With little amusement but full honesty.
"Absolutely. And thats why we should click a picture of daddy." I grabbed my phone to accomplish my mission.
-"Don't you think you are taking it too far?" Dev tried to intimidate me with some serious coldness in his voice which I ignored royally and focused the camera on of him to take a nice picture of his otherwise wierd pose and a weirder costume, glorifying his gym bod figure.
"You look stunning nevertheless." I blinked my eyes cutely, knowing it on would annoy him more.
-"Stop testing my patience okay? Ita not funny at all!" He growled as per my expectations.
"Arey! You wore this on your own and now you are shouting upon me for laughing at you? What will I do haan if you look so...... umm.. well, its not my fault, Dev. Its your fault. You should have thought twice before wearing this." I pressed my lips, feigning pure innocense.
-"I didn't bring my clothes to the washroom!!" He growled much louder this time.
Thats our common mistake, Dev....since always.
"As I said before- it is not my fault!" I shrugged nonchalantly.
He took step forward and shouted at face- "You know right that you are gonna pay for this?"
"Really?" I stretched my eyes bigger while my neck moved in a subtle nod "I didn't know." I replied meekly.
-"You..."
"Come Coco. Lets see if we can find your favourite cookies here." I said to my baby and took her in my arms to move out of the room, leaving a flabbergasted Dev behind us.
"But daddy?" She asked innocently, obviousing the fact that she didn't want to lose him from her sight, even for minute.
"Let daddy change first." I replied softly and turned towards Dev to shout for the last time- "Daddy, change fast and join us at the breakfast... We will be waiting for you at the deck."
•
"Good morning Nits." Raima smiled goofily as I joined her at the table where she and Adit had been lazing around quite for sometime now.
"Yeah, good morning Nitzy." Adit's greeting followed back_to_back before he turned towards Coco and picked her up in his laps. "And good morning to you too, munchkin." He said, snuggling against her tiny neck.
"Good owning Adil." Coco replied immediately, the sloppiness of her voice being credited to the cookies she had filled in the mouth.
"Gosh Tara! She is so like you huh!! The way you gobble cookies early in the morning as if your whole day depends on it... she does it in the exact same manner!!" Raima gasped in awe, looking my baby attack the chocolate chips cookies placed at the centre table.
"Thats becoz she is her mommy's mini-me." I smiled at her antics and pulled her to my lap, not forgetting to get two cookies for my own good reason.
"Yep, she is more like mommy than daddy." Adit nodded agreeing. "By the way, where is our daddy dearest? Is he still sleeping or has moved to the gym already?"
"He..."
I was about to answer when Coco opened her sloppy mouth again and said something that did nothing but make me go red in embarrassment. "Daddy ish changing his babbie dlessh." She blabbed carelessly, counting the number of chocolate chips in her biscuit.
"Shut up Coco!" I yelled at a higher notch to which she responded by twisting her pouty lips upside down.
"Barbie dress? Whats that??" Adit asked inquisivitely. Other than me and Dev, only he could understand all the childish talks of Coco and these are what its repurcassions were like!
"Nothing... She was only saying about his bathrobe." I tried my best to cover it up.
Only if that was so easy!!
"Why will she call his bathrobe a barbie dress? Was it becoz of its colour?... I mean what was the colour actually??" It was now Raima's turn to enquire.
"It was..."
"Pink." And once again my baby had to display her amazing memory skills before I could even speak something.
"I asked you to shut your mouth!" I gritted at her furiously.
"Pink? Seriously?? Or you left that particular robe only for him??" Raima enquired again.
"And how did he look in that? Do you have a photo?" Adit came up with the next question.
"NO." I rejected strongly and looked at Coco who had been staring at me for telling such a straight lie. She had no idea na that if her daddy came to about him being the gossip of the morning, then he would just eat her mommy alive!
-As if you care! Mind taunted me from the back.
I do care...he has already created enough ruscus in my life. And now I don't want my life to get anymore miserable becoz of him.
I replied to her, shaking my head in dismay.
"But I wanted to see how he looked in that dress!" Adit cribbed to draw my attention like a two years old.
"What dress?" Kshitiz joined us too. He had been dressed in his gym outfits and sweat was drooping from everywhere, be it his hairs or the flawless skin. He still looked fresh nevertheless.
"Good morning bro." Adit greeted him as he shifted his chair slightly to give Kshitiz space.
"Morning." Kshitiz replied back smiling briefly.
"Where's Amaya?"
"She is still sleeping." Kshitiz nodded relunctantly while grabbing his protein shake that the stewardess just gave him. "You were speaking about some dress?" He looked at Adit for the answer.
"Oh that!" Adit nodded his head too. Or lets say, he nodded it rather dramatically and said- "Dev had worn a pink bathrobe today and this Nitzy didn't even click a single picture! So unfair of her, isn't it??"
"Thats true. Why didn't you click the picture? He must have been looking so adorable!" Kshitiz now towards me for an explanation.
Like what the fuck it was!!
"Honestly Kshitiz, please ask someone to change that robe from our room.... its hot pink in colour and is so disgusting that if continues to remain with us, we would end up fighting day and night!" I mumbled in a low tone.
"Alright. It will be done today itself. But about the picture..." he couldn't finish his line. Raima had stopped him midway.
"The man of our picture, is here." She exclaimed over joyously. Where from she got so much happiness, I seriously had no idea.
"Oh.. HELLO BARBIE MAN!" Adit was the next one to show his enthusiasm and ofcourse, turn the situation the awkwardest.
Dev was still at a distance when Adit shouted to him like a maniac. Maybe he had heard what Adit tried to say, but we couldn't figure out any expression on Dev's face. We, specially me, couldn't understand if he was already angry or not and hence calmly waited for him to arrive at our table and maybe burst us for cracking such unpleasant jokes on his name.
It was just in the moment when Raima freaked out looking at a different direction.
"Oh my god! He is coming here too!!" She mumbled nervously as her ears turned red with the sudden anticipation.
"Who is coming?" I said and followed her gaze to find Addy walking towards us, maintaing that same royal attitude which I had witnessed last night.
Fucking shit.
Tension started rising in my stomach. I gulped hard digest to somehow. However, Addy's melodious greeting of 'Good morning everyone' poured water on all my hard work and I was brought square to my original position.
"Good morning sweetheart." He cooed near my ears, stretching each word specifically when he found me aloof to his existence.
Hell! What am I supposed to say now? Dev will be here moment and just look at this idiot busy doing his PDA!!!
"Good.."
-"Good morning Addy." Dev's thick barritone sounded from behind. I didn't dare to turn back though. I was well aware of his exact location and also knew that he had heard about the 'sweetheart' thing.
"Its 'Adijay' for you, Dev Bose.... 'Addy' is only for wife." A sidelope grin popped on Addy's lips as he spoke to Dev so candidly.
-"Similarly, its 'Nitara' for you Addy..... 'Sweetheart', 'love', 'chocopie' and all the other cheeky names; not forgetting the most important one- 'Tara'.. are meant only for me!!" Dev returned an equally polished smile.
I thanked my stars for Dev not choosing to punch Addy infront of the whole cruise once again.
"Makes sense. Becoz your wife is so damn beautiful that you being possessive about het, is quite obvious."
-"Great that you understood." Dev complimented immediately.
"Yeah, but you know what? All people usually don't follow things that YOU like the most or want to have it in your ways!.... I am one such person, Dev." Addy replied in a super cool voice. Dev just chuckled this time.
Indication of another storm. My mind became alert. I got up quickly and stood between them before they could again create another scene in my honour.
"Enough guys. Stop it now." I huffed looking ar both of them. "And Dev, please apologize for yesterday's behaviour."
-"In your dreams?" Dev's proud stares made me uneasy to my nerves.
"But we had talked about it last night! You were supposed to apologize today!! Come on man, you owe it to him." I whinned complaining.
-"As I said before, I did nothing wrong so I don't see the need of any kind of apologises at all." He remained adamnt.
"Dev!!"
"Its okay Nitara. Even I don't want a sorry from this person...just leave him okay. And don't worry about me." Addy casually intervined inbetween.
"But Addy its nec..."
"Daddy, I want to eat pashta." Came the third voice from a level that was only close to our knees. And that voice belonged to none other than my little munchkin, the only peacemaker of our messed up lives.
"No tantrums at this time, Coco. You'll eat what you eat everyday.. Cornflakes and milk.... Raima, please get her some cornflakes na." I said otherwise.
"But I want to eat pashta!!" Coco rejected the idea with a long, sad pout on her chubby face.
"Cornflakes I said." I probbed strongly.
"But mommy..."
"Coco!"
-"Acha fine. I'm getting pasta for you." Dev replied from the middle as he picked up his daughter from the floor.
"The one you cooked lasht time." Well, his daughter was already prepared with her sets of orders.
"Daddy doesn't know cooking, baccha." Sorry to break your bubble. "Acha you want to have pasta right? Come I'll make pasta for you."
"But daddy cooked lasht time!" She remained stuck to her one year old memory.
Now how do I tell you that last time the pasta was made by me and not by yourdaddy dearest!
"Daddy have some important works... Besides I am there na! I wilk make your favourite cheesy weesy pasta." I said, cajoling her in my arms.
"But I want daddy to cook for me." Her sadistic pout lengthened by folds.
-" Haan so daddy will cook na!" Dev probbed all of a sudden, that too with full confidence. His confidence level obviously gave me quite a number of frowns. He, however, ignored all of them and continued speaking to his daughter - "Daddy can be busy. But he is never busy enough to not to have time for his little princess." With this, he placed a small kiss on Coco's nose and said in a velvety voice - "Just give minutes to new chef madam."
Coco broke down into a giggle as Dev finished speaking. There was a certain sparkle in her eyes that didn't go unnotice by anyone of us. That sparkle belonged to pure love. Happiness being its perfect synonym.
Soon enough, this unmatched happiness diffused among all of us and the morning mishaps finally turned for a beautiful correction.
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Author's note :p
Hello peeps🙋
Guess what? I haven't died yet. Was just reading another story on wattpad and thats what created all the delay.
But now that your update is here, give it a read, click the star at the bottom of your screen and wait for the next update.
Tata.. have a happy reading.
~