It wasn't crowded in the ice cream shop they had arrived at. There were only a few tables inside, with one already occupied by a couple and a few people standing in line to order. Behind the glass were various flavors of different ice cream, with toppings and cones displayed on the counter. Raavi kept her eyes on the twins as they looked into the glass at the different ice cream flavors while they talked amongst themselves about what they wanted. She leaned into Shiva's side and his arm wrapped around her. "Tujhe bookstore mein kya hua tha?" He whispered in her ear so the kids wouldn't be able to hear.

"Mujhe kya hoga?" Raavi chewed on her lip nervously. Oddly, it felt like she was in trouble with him. It was hard to tell if he was angry with her for letting Ahaana go crazy when shopping. Having him in her ear didn't help her nerves at all either. They were close friends at some point, but not like this. Knowing that they were supposed to be married added a layer of discomfort that wasn't there before. His breath tickling her neck made her shiver, and all she could think about was how warm his presence was.

Shiva felt her muscles tense under his arm so he moved in front of her, holding her hips. "Main thoda confused hoon. You're usually the one that's the voice of reason about stuff like that. Tu toh jaanti hai mujhse unhein na kaha jaata hai, aur usually tu hi hamein poore bazaar ko ghar mein le aane se rokti hai!" His head tilted slightly as he watched her looking around, avoiding his gaze. "Not that I'm complaining, I need the practice but it didn't seem like you that's all."

"Mujhe lagta hai.. I just got caught up in the moment. Ahaana itni excited thi ki maine socha.. actually maine bilkul nahi socha. But you handled it well. There was no way we could've afforded all of those books!" She smiled as she fixed his shirt collar.

Their attention was pulled away from each other when Arnav came up to them, tugging on Raavi's shirt. "Can I try the 'cotton candy' flavor one?" He held her hand as his parents followed him to the freezers.

"Humein apni turn ka wait karna hoga, okay?" Shiva said as he took Ahaana's hand, waiting in line behind an older couple. "Do you know what you're getting?" He asked while kneeling next to her.

Ahaana nodded with a smile. "Chocolate fudge brownie."

Raavi quickly looked down at her, recognizing her order as Shiva's favorite flavor. By the proud grin on the little girl's face, it was obvious she was copying her dad. He seemed to have such a connection with both kids, they loved him so much, looking up to him as a role model. Raavi didn't blame them, he was a great guy and a great father. When he returned next to her, she smiled slightly, "She's like a mini-you."

"Is she? I think she's smarter than me." He chuckled, moving up in the line. "But she has good taste in ice cream!" Shiva asked the employee behind the counter for a sample of cotton candy for Arnav. Then he ordered Ahaana's chocolate ice cream on a cone, handing it to her carefully when it was ready.

The four of them sat down at a nearby table, but the twins fidgeted in their seats. Briefly, Raavi wondered if sugar highs began so quickly, and then she felt a jab against her knee. Arnav and Ahaana must have been swinging their little legs under the table. She wouldn't be surprised, they were smiling happily around their cones. Raavi looked at the table and then put her cup of ice cream down. She went back to the counter, grabbed napkins and hand sanitizer, then started to wipe the table down from its stickiness. When she saw how dirty the napkin had gotten, she cringed and wiped it clean a second time. After throwing away the dirty napkins, she grabbed more before sitting down next to Shiva. "Aaj bohot accha din tha." Raavi muttered softly like it was something unexpected. "You're a great dad Shiva."

"Thanks?" His eyebrows furrowed at her surprised tone. All-day today his wife was acting like she hasn't been in this family for years. When he asked about it this morning she had insisted it was nothing, but it wasn't normal. Shiva noticed Raavi wiping down everything with a napkin. It looked like a side of Raavi she hasn't seen in years. "Jaan? Are you okay?" He asked, concerned at her behavior. Super-clean Raavi wasn't anything he wasn't used to. Shiva had seen her be neurotic for a long time, but after the kids were born she had calmed down. He thought she had gotten better about being a clean freak.

It took her a moment to register that he was referring to her, "Haan, bas har cheez thoda chip-chipa tha. Honestly, I think I should ask if I can get their sanitation solution to clean this table properly." Raavi grumbled.

The kids giggled at the idea, not realizing how serious she was. There was something wrong with her. This was something Shiva wanted to talk about, but not in front of the kids. It was a conversation to have in private when they got home.

~o~

That night, Raavi was able to cook dinner for everyone. The one time she felt comfortable was in the kitchen. Even if she didn't know where anything was. Cooking was always her safe outlet to take care of the people she cared about the most. When everyone was done eating, Shiva went upstairs to get the kids in bed for the night, and Raavi stayed to clean the kitchen. He promised to read the kids a chapter from their new books and she had time to get everything done. When the kitchen was clean to her standards, Raavi wandered into the living room. She looked around at all the pictures of the family that was on the walls or displayed on side tables. In every picture of her and Shiva had him kissing her or just looking at her like she was the only one in the room. She's never seen him look at her like that before, or anyone else for that matter. Raavi picked up one of the pictures of herself with Shiva. The first thing she noticed was her fingers tangled in his hair, facing away from the camera. It looked like he was about to kiss her neck, making her cringe at the idea.

Shiva wasn't unattractive. Seeing him be such a great father today made him more attractive to her. But it was still Shiva. He was he hot-tempered enemy. With all the complaints she'd heard from literally all of Somnaath, he wasn't what she was looking for in a husband. She noticed how emotionally unavailable he was with all his relationships. Losing temper over tiny flaws and she was filled with flaws. Raavi flinched the moment she felt arms wrap around her waist, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Yeh hamare honeymoon ke photos hai.. If you don't remember." Shiva muttered, looking at the photo in her hands. He placed gentle kisses on her jaw and down her neck as he held her closer. Her tense posture under him made his previous curiosity turn into concern. Raavi was never so stiff around him. They held each other to release stress after bad days, bad nights, or just because they missed one another. His usual source of comfort was acting distant and he wasn't sure if he should let go of her or keep her close. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes when Raavi moved away from him, scratching her neck while walking to the kitchen.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he followed her. Raavi was wiping down the already clean counter and he leaned against the island, watching her move around the kitchen. "Raavi, tere dimaag mein kya chal raha hai?" He asked softly.

"Kuch bhi toh nahi!" She shrugged.

When she started to clean the island he waited until she got closer before gently grabbing her wrist to stop her. "Main jaanta hoon ki woh sach nahi hai. Tu aaj subah se ajeeb harkatein kar rahi hai. You haven't stress-cleaned in years and now you're ignoring me." Shiva kept his tone at a calm whisper, taking the rag out of her hand. He stepped closer to her, gently pushing her hair out of her face and cupping her cheek. "Tu jaanti hai na ki tu mujhe kuch bhi bata sakti hai? Chahe woh kuch bhi ho.. Hum saath mein dekh lenge. Kyunki tu ab mujhe dara rahi hai. All-day you've been so distant. Main bas teri help karna chahta hoon, please let me?"

Raavi swallowed thickly, looking into his eyes. The sincerity in his tone almost scared her. This was another side of him that she's never seen. A romantic, caring side. Shiva was always an attentive listener, but the concern in his eyes as he was practically begging her for an explanation was new to her. She'd seen him as a father, but now she was seeing him as a husband. "I don't think you're going to believe me." She mumbled, keeping his eye contact.

"Koi baat nahi.. Main bas teri madat karna chahta hoon. Please mujhe bata ki kya chal raha hai.. Let's talk, okay?" Shiva placed the rag down on the marble countertop. He laced their fingers together and walked back into the living room with her behind.

Raavi looked at their hands while she walked with them, feeling him squeeze her fingers. Maybe it was supposed to be comforting, but it set her nerves on fire. When they reached the couch, Shiva sat with open arms inviting her to sit with him. Their relationship wasn't shy of affection. They sat close together, sometimes they even cuddled on the couch or shared a chair. Sitting next to him with his arm around her felt so comfortable and familiar. It was like being with her childhood friend again. But she knew in his mind it was something different. To him, it was sitting with his wife on a Saturday evening. Even if he didn't believe her, she needed to tell him that she wasn't who he thought she was.

So, this time she told him everything. Avoiding eye contact while slightly tugging at her shirt she told him about how yesterday she was planning on going to the sperm bank. The messy break up with Dev and how she believed she would never find a man again. How badly she wanted a family, she was willing to give up a husband and her dream home for a chance of having a child. She told him about waking up this morning to what seemed to be her future, but she wasn't sure how. By the end, she still hadn't looked at him. The silence was almost deafening the longer she waited for a reaction from him.

Shiva scratched the back of his head, trying to process what he was hearing. "I think that's the last thing I was expecting for you to say." He chuckled. At first, he thought she was joking because of how outlandish the story was. When he looked down at her, he noticed the innocence in her eyes. He's spent so much time staring into her eyes over the years that he noticed how different they looked almost immediately. Raavi's eyes always had a gaze of affection when looking at him that always made his heart flutter, but it wasn't there. His lips curled into a small smile when the look she had now reminded him of before. "So, yesterday was 2021. Tu kal apne ghar pe thi aur aaj.. You woke up here?" He asked for clarification.

"Main jaanti hoon ke main tera mere paagal hone ke sapne ko sach karne se do feet ki doori par hoon.. Par main jhoot nahi bol rahi hoon. Mujhe sach mein nahi pata ki kya ho raha hai, main sirf itna jaanti hoon ki.. If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up!" She admitted. Raavi leaned into his chest more, curling up into his embrace. If she knew Shiva, he'd be scared of how much she was enjoying playing his wife for the day.

She braced herself, waiting for him to push her away, but he never did.