SHREYA'S POV

"Who is Harsh?"

He asked me as I entered the room after helping Mumma with the kitchen chores.

"Who is Harsh?" He asked me again now looking up at my face.

'Who is Harsh?' I asked myself giving pressure to my brain cells thinking if I know any person named Harsh.

"Umm...I don't know any Harsh" I answered

"Are you sure?" He asked

"Yes"

"What was the name of your school crush?" He asked

HARSH! But how did he know that? I looked down at his hand. How dare he touch it. I thought he is busy in some office files.

Yes, this man can live without breathing but he cannot live without working. He has brought some important files here too and he now works from home.

"I asked you something," he said while stepping in front of me.

I snatched the scrapbook from his hand.

"Why are you touching my personal things?" I asked

"Oh! So there are things that are personal to you" he said.

Why is he acting so weird?

"What is your problem Atharva"

"My problem is the thing written on this scrapbook. Both of you have written each other's name in the blank of the classmate you like the most."

"That is just a childhood game. Nothing else"

"Do you still like him?"

"Oh for God sake Atharva. I don't know that he is even alive or not. Stop overreacting"

I snatched the scrapbook from his hand and moved towards the cupboard to put it in its place securely.

"Oh, so I am overreacting now"

"Yes, you are".

"What would you do if someone from my past come back to my life?" He asked, turning me and making me face him.

"Wouldn't you be jealous?" He asked

"Being jealous is an obvious thing but I would not question you like this"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, because I trust you. The thing that makes a relationship strong is the trust between two people and I trust you with everything"

"What if I break this trust?" He asked me

"Trusting you is my decision and breaking my trust is your decision" I replied

"Oh! Since when did you become so mature?" He asked

"Since the day you became childish" I replied

"Now move!" I said slapping his chest.

"What if I don't," he said while moving his face towards me and blocking my way by putting his leg.

"Door is open Atharva"

"Let it be, I am not doing any crime I am with MY WIFE," he said emphasizing the words, my wife.

He kissed my forehead and then my nose. He kissed the corner of my lips and started to tease me by moving his nose against mine without touching the lips. He knows that I want it so bad. He wants me to take the lead. So I took his face in between my hands to kiss him.

"Oh! My innocent eyes"

Both of us looked at the gate in unison and horror.

Papa was standing there with his hands covering his eyes. My face became red and I was feeling heat outflow from my ears.

He turned and started to leave the room.

"Umm...Papa, why were you here?" He asked.

It was clear from his voice that he was nervous too.

"We were getting bored and there are still 2 hours for the match to get started so we thought why not to play any game to cut the time. But I think you don't need to play any game to cut the time. It's ok, two of us will play, you can continue."

He said without turning around and left the room. Atharva immediately closed the door.

He started to came closer and I pushed him.

"I think we should go down," I said to him.

"But I want you," he said

"You want me every time. And I was here to spend my time with my parents, not with you"

"How rude" he pouted

"Nothing would work. Let's go down and do not try to pull any act in front of my parents now if you don't want to get embarrassed more"

"I can't help. I cannot control my hands around you" he said while following me down.

When we reached the last step Mumma was standing folding her hands and ignoring Papa. Every time papa tries to come in front of her she turns to the other side. They were ignorant of our presence.

"Sorry na, sorry," Papa said while pulling his ears.

"How dare you to call me Zombie. Why did you marry me when I look so ugly? That was you who asked my father for my hand" Mumma said angrily.

Uff my parents and their fights. In my school days, their fights were my alarm.

"I didn't mean that," Papa said.

"I don't know" Mumma was really hurt.

Then Papa started to sing his evergreen song to lift my mum's mood. This song has a sort of magic or something because every time Mumma gets mad at Papa he only sings this song and she always accepts his apology.

'Ai meri joharaajabin, tujhe maalum nahin Tu abhi tak hai hasin aur main jawaan Tujh pe qurbaan meri Jaan, Meri Jaan'

'Oh, my beautiful one,
You are not aware that you are still lovely and I am still young! I would sacrifice my life for you'

And in the end, Papa offered her a tomato, which she accepted gladly.

Yes, a tomato. He always gives her a tomato. Because this was a thing which my mum threw at him at their first meet. So papa even proposed her with tomato.

I turned around to look at him. He was looking at my parents with so much love in his eyes and there was a genuine smile on his lips.

"I was imagining you and me in them" he whispered in my ears to not to disturb my parents.

"Their love is still alive and how much they love each other is clearly visible in their eyes," he said

"Will you love me too like this in our old age?" I asked him

"Any doubt?" He asked

I shook my head in no.

We were just standing like this I don't know from how many minutes looking into each other eyes, lost in our own world.

"Ahem ahem"

We heard Mumma papa's voice and because of which I lost my balance. I grabbed his t-shirt to save myself but despite saving me he too tumbled down the steps on top of me, crushing me under him.

Papa helped us to stand back on our feet and thankfully we didn't get hurt because we were standing on the last steps.

"Shall we play?" The moment was getting awkward. So I asked to cut the silence and save us from embarrassment.

We decided to play Cards. And divided the team of girls and boys.

"No no Shreya, you come to my side and your Mumma would be on Atharva's side because you know this is a game of mind. And I don't want you to lose in all the chances" Papa said

"What do you mean Papa?" I asked

"You are again playing with fire," Mumma said angrily to Papa.

"Don't get offended. I was just thinking about you. We will also not feel good if you people lose the game" he said defending himself.

"Let's see who will lose. And if we won we will give you the punishment"

"Ok done and if we won then we want a reward," Atharva said while grinning at me.

"Done," me and Mumma said in unison.

So we played 5 chances. Out of those 5 chances, they won the first two and were so happy. Atharva was literally jumping like a monkey. Although we were losing I was still happy by seeing him this happy. He was really enjoying every moment.

"I think we don't need to play more than,3 chances. You people are already at lose" Papa teased us.

"Don't come to the conclusion so fast. Hum, Nari hai hum Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti hai (we are ladies and we can do anything)" Mumma said and gave me a signal.

I caught her sign and started playing. I and Mumma can easily read each other's eyes which helped us a lot and we won the rest of the three rounds.

"Hmm...so what do you think should be there punishment Mumma?" I asked.

"They were commenting on our cooking skills in the morning so now the dinner would be prepared by these two master chefs," Mumma said sarcastically.

Both of them were shocked and I laughed out loud.

"Perfect," I said

"So if you want to watch today's match then just go and start preparing for the dinner now"

Papa moved towards the kitchen without arguing because he knows that there is no point in arguing with Mumma. He has to accept that no matter what and what moved towards the couch to switch on the TV. He came to me with a pout on his lips.

"I don't know how to cook. Please help me!" He said whining

"Your punishment is your punishment. None of my punishment" I said adjusting his collar and left to join my Mumma.

"Come on beta, what do they think about themselves. It is not a tough task we can do it without there help." Papa said from the kitchen.

We put the songs in a high volume and started dancing and hooting to make the boys jealous. We were literally enjoying ourselves when we heard the scream of Papa. We both ran towards the kitchen and burst into laughter after seeing the scene in front of us.

Papa was standing there with his face and clothes covered with flour and its canister was lying on his head in cap style. His eyelashes, eyebrows and mustaches were in white color.

"Urgh... Priya help me!" Papa called for Mumma.

"Someone was saying that they can do it without out help" Mumma taunted and moved towards him to help.

I went to see exactly what Atharva was doing. So my husband was cooking without igniting the flame of the stove. I looked up at him.

"Sorry, I forgot," he said while smiling sheepishly. I slapped his head.

So at last we ended up cleaning the mess and decided to order food from outside because we were all crazy to watch the match and we didn't want to miss it at any cost.

I was so busy in the match that I forgot when he put his head on my lap and took my hand to encircle it around himself. But I didn't restrain him because I was enjoying the moment. I just caress his head by entangling my fingers in his little curly hairs. Papa looked back at us and then narrowed his eyes. Don't know what came to his mind he too put his head on Mumma's lap. Mumma looked down at him and did the same thing to his husband as I was doing to my husband. This tripled the fun of cricket.

The moment India won the match I threw his head aside and started jumping madly on the floor in excitement.

"I knew it, I knew it. Nothing is impossible when we have run the machine and hit-man with us" I said while jumping.

"Virat is the best," I said with sparkles in my eyes.

"What about Dhoni?" Atharva asked while standing in front of me and putting his hands on his waist.

"Umm...yeah he also played well," I said

"Oh really? This is because of him that we won the match" Papa said while standing behind me.

"You people cannot intimidate me like this. Virat is the best. Baat khatam. I am not going to change my decision." I said while folding my hands.

Kukkad did some signal to Papa and before I could comprehend I was swinging between them. Kukkad took my legs and Papa took my hands and started to swing me.

"What are you doing put me down," I said

"Firstly say that Dhoni is the best or we will throw you out. And don't you think that I am kidding because you know I have done this before" papa said

Yes, once he threw me out of the house because I was not appreciating Dhoni.

"Mumma say something" they were literally hurting me now.

"Sorry, in this I am with my Jamai Raja ( son-in-law)" she said while putting her hand on his shoulders.

On this, he showed me his tongue to tease me like a 2-year-old kid.

"Mumma this is not fair you too changed your party," I said whining.

"Leave me you people are hurting meeeee" I said screaming.

"Accept that MSD is best and we will leave you," Kukkad said and increased the pace.

"Ok, ok, first put me down," I said

"No, first you accept," they both said in unison.

This man is really doing some black magic on my parents.

"Ok, Dhoni is the best cricketer of India," I said

"That's like a good girl," they said and put me down.

I huffed and put my hand on my chest and prepared myself to run in order to save my life.

"Yes, because Viru is the best cricketer in the world"

I said and ran

"You little thing," kukkad said and ran behind me to catch me.

Mumma and Papa chuckled looking at us.

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Shreya's parents' love story 'TOMATAR N BANA DI JODI' is available on my profile.

No offence to any cricket lover. Everyone is perfect in their own format.

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I will upload another chapter soon if I got a good response ❤

Happy reading :-)