I exit from the kitchen carrying two bowls full of dry fruits. Keeping the bowls on the table I clap my hands, "Have this!" I exclaim and settle on a chair.

But Mishti, Arya and Aryan are too busy with Clay. Seems like Aryan and Mishti are making Cars while Arya keeps watching them as she plays with a small round of clay which Mishti gave her to keep her quiet from asking thousands of questions.

Masi, Mom and Meera left the very next day we came back from the case. Though I wanted them to stay here but then Meera will also stay here so unwillingly they had to leave and unwillingly I stood quiet and let them leave.

The day we came back was memorable. We came home in the morning since I and Mishti were drenched in rain the entire night we caught a cold. Masi had asked Mishti and her friends to join us for breakfast. I and Mishti couldn't stop but keep sneezing the entire day, Mom rewarded us with a good amount of scoldings while Masi made soup for us. As if that was not enough Shreya and Sam added their teasing glances on our way followed by Arya and Aryan's laughing session at our situation. Kunal didn't leave the chance to embarrass me as he added, "Were you guys together last night? I mean only you two caught cold while Sam and Shreya are all fine"

I glared at him but Mishti's blushing face somehow cooled me down. Everyone was happy except, Meera. As if I care about her!

That night with Mishti was so damn peaceful. I didn't even know what was happening, it was as if I am dreaming! Whatever happened, felt right, felt like this should happen.

It was Saturday, I came back home at 6:30. I met Shreya and Sam near the elevator who stated they are going to someone's marriage, Mishti had once mentioned she doesn't attain marriages because she finds it boring! She feels that the brides cry for no reason, her point of view is like marry when you are happy. Few days before marriage they enjoy all the ceremony, they engage in shopping and on the day of the wedding they realise, 'Oh, I am leaving my parents!'

Reaching my flat I notice Mishti, Arya and Aryan planning to have fun. I have no interest in clay and stuff so I just thought to watch them.

"Aryan, is this fine?" Mishti questions as she shows some shape made out of clay.

"Umm... This should be a little bent" Aryan states as he takes the clay from Mishti and bents it according to his like.

"You are great at this!" Mishti exclaims as she pats Aryan on his back.

"Well, what can I say, I am great at everything!" Aryan shrugs chuckling.

"Liar!" Arya rolls her eyes as she keeps her gaze fixed at the clay in her hands, "You don't know to cook" She laughs as she lifts her gaze to look at her brother.

"No problem, I'll teach Aryan to cook as well" Mishti smiles as she ruffles Aryan's hairs.

"That is why I say, you are the best!" Aryan hugs her waist as he sticks his tongue out at Arya.

"Aww, you are the best too" Mishti adds wrapping arms around Aryan.

I think this didn't settle well with my daughter as she quickly threw the clay away from her hands and rushed towards me.

"My papa is always the, the, the, best!" Settling on my lap she kisses my cheek, giggling softly.

"I think, everyone present at this table is the best" I chuckle while the trio joined me.

"Papa, why don't you make something out of this 'Clay'. It somewhat seems interesting to me" She looks at me with a hint of joy in her tone and excitement in her eyes.

"It is interesting!" Mishti looks at me then back at Arya, "Why don't we have a competition?" She raises her eyebrows. Since the time we have returned from the case she never spoke to me directly, she's shy or embarrassed or wants to ignore the rainy love incident, I don't get it. It's been 2 days since we had a normal talk, somehow we spoke a little during jogging time and at the cafe but always about Arya, Aryan and cases!

"Sounds great!" Arya claps her hands as she gets up from my lap and settles on the table.

"Our team name will be The Adorable Nimble" I raise my one eyebrow challengingly at Mishti's reply.

"Then our team name will be The Naughty Naive" I state pinning Mishti with my gaze. We are definitely having an unsaid urge to talk to each other.

"Papa, we are not Naive" Arya whines as she shakes me holding my arm, I glance at my precious gem.

"We are Princess, at this thing we are Naive" I point at the Clay as I hold her hand.

"So, let the fun begin!" Aryan states as he passes few boxes of Clay towards me, "Make anything you want, but let's make something which makes each other smile" We all look at Aryan confused.

Aryan looks at us and adds, "I mean, I and Ms Strong will make something which will make both of you smile" He points between him and Mishti, "You guys make something which will make me and Ms Strong smile" Aryan completes as he gestures me something.

I keep looking at him confused, he rolls his eyes and passes a tight-lipped smile to Mishti who is looking at us suspiciously.

"What's going on?" Arya asks with a frown on her face, "Everything alright with you three?"

"Yeah! Arya, remember you should make each other smile" Aryan adds looking at me, "If you are not talking to someone making them smile is the best"

Dumb me! He is giving me a chance to make Mishti smile so that we can start our normal conversation back.

I had shared with Aryan that there was a small fight between me and Mishti, I couldn't say him we spend some time together. Though we had solved that issue but those rainy moments are stopping us from talking to each other openly or normally. My Aryan assumes we are not talking because we had fought and is helping me.

"What will we get if we win?" Arya questions as she looks at us.

"Nothing expensive and all. Let's see that later what we can give" Mishti adds thinking something.

"Let's go, Princess. Let's try what we can do" I pick Arya in my arms while she grabs the Clay boxes.

I hear few whispers before Aryan asked, "Where are you going?"

I turn around, Mishti quickly looks away from me. I know that was Mishti's words that came out from Aryan's mouth.

"You guys may copy what we are doing, so we'll occupy the living room" Arya giggles, we both walk towards the living room.

I and Arya sit clueless thinking what to make. I see Arya and Mishti whispering something to each other and laughing as they keep planning what to make.

"Papa, google it, I and you are definitely Naive" I chuckle at her pinching her cheeks, she glares at me rubbing her cheeks.

We spend few minutes googling and I found nothing good!

"I find nothing interesting!" I sit exhausted, "You know I and your Ms Powerful are not talking so much for the last two days and I badly wanna talk to her. Make her smile"

"Really?" She looks at me with a pout, "We can make anything right?"

"Yeah, anything which will make her smile" I answer with a small hope. Arya is really clever, she gets a lot of ideas from her little brain.

"Wait a second" She runs from there, "Bro, where is that rectangular glass plate?" She stands a little far from Mishti and Aryan.

"I used all of them for watercolour painting" Aryan looks at her confused.

"One was remaining bro!" She states irritated.

"I have kept it" Mishti stands up from the seat, "You wait here I'll get it" Mishti walks up the stairs not before sparing a glance at me.

"Arya, don't come here our surprise will be destroyed" Aryan stands in front of Arya when she was about to go near the table.

"Idiot!" Arya stomped his foot and I am hit with the sense of deja vu when Mishti had done the same with me after she threw the milk on me.

"Here" Mishti gives the glass plate to Arya, "All the best" Mishti adds kissing Arya's cheek.

"All the best to you as well" Arya gives her a flying kiss and comes towards me.

We four settle on our seats, "Ms Powerful once said to me she loves small but cute gestures" Arya states as she comes closer to me and whispers something in my ear.

Suddenly, I feel so proud of my daughter for giving such an awesome idea that is purely cute.

"I love you!" I kiss her forehead and pinch her pink nose.

"Okay, okay! Let's start now" She giggles softly. We get busy making, sometimes children are better than elders.

After an hour Aryan shouts, "We are done"

We were also done but I keep looking at the glass for a minute. I just hope she smiles looking at it.

"Come on, Papa. It's really good, let's go!" Arya jumps at her place. She equally helped me in making this cute creature.

I cover the glass plate with a cloth and then we walk towards the dining table. Mishti and Aryan stop talking as they look at us, I see a box, maybe whatever they have made is under this.

I take a seat in front of Mishti, Arya and Aryan comfortably settle on the table. Arya and Aryan lean on the table resting their elbows on the table and hands under their chins.

Mishti stares into my eyes, slowly I push the glass plate towards her, she slowly pushes the box towards me.

"Open it!" Arya and Aryan say in unison.

Tearing my gaze away from Mishti, I fix it on the small box kept in front of me. Slowly I open the box, a peaceful smile settles on my face. She has made a red heart out of clay on which 'SMILE' is written with a sharpie, I guess.

"Ms Strong won, Papa smiled!" Aryan exclaimed and I flinch a little then glance at Mishti.

"Now, you open it" Aryan gestures her to open it, Mishti nods her head as she shifts her gaze at the glass plate covered with cloth.

"I Miss Your Smile" Mishti reads out the words loudly in the melodious tone ever, she caresses the alphabets. Arya's idea wasn't bad it did bring a smile to her face. Since I and Arya couldn't make anything, we just made 'I Miss Your Smile' alphabets and kept them on the glass plate.

"Papa won, too, Ms Powerful also smiled" Arya cheered, my kids share a High-Five followed by their giggling.

"So what are you giving each other? I don't care what you guys are giving each other but I need ice cream!" Arya licks her lips.

"Arya, pass that bowl" I speak, pointing to the bowl which is behind Arya.

"Here" She passes the bowl as she takes an almond and throws it in her mouth.

"As of now, we don't have anything except these dry fruits--" I was cut off by Arya.

"Papa, we do have ice creams in the fridge" She rolls her eyes at me, folding her hands.

"Mini Violent Lady, I am talking here, in the sense on the table" Lightly I slap her cheek, she bites her tongue and nods in agreement.

"Yeah, so, for the sake of celebrating our smile winning challenge let's feed each other these dry fruits" I state taking an almond from the bowl. Admiring the smile on Mishti's face I move my hand towards her, she opens her mouth and I put the almond in her mouth. My hand still in the air while she chews the almond.

Since my kids' focus are entirely on us I control my urge to brush my hand on her glowing face and take my hand back to myself.

"Thank you, Abir, for making me smile" Mishti states before taking a nut from the bowl and putting it in my mouth. I think I am good at controlling, as Ms Agarwal sightly brushed her fingers on my lips before taking her hand back. There is a tickling sensation on my lips by her touch, I quickly roll my lips in my mouth and wet them.

"Now, come on, shake your hands and do friendship" Arya giggles.

"Yes, come on!" Aryan adds encouraging us.

"It was not a big deal, we are still friends" Mishti shakes her head.

"It is a big deal for me! I mean the way you apologized that night was definitely a big deal and memorable moments for me" I suppress my laughter seeing her blushing face turning to anger in seconds.

"I hate you! I don't wanna do friendship with your papa" Mishti gets up from the seat.

"Well, don't expect 'Same to you' from me" I quickly add, she looks away from me crossing her arms around her chest.

"What is this Papa?" Arya throws her hand in the air.

"Papa!" Aryan looks at me with an unbelievable look.

"Ms Strong--" Even before Aryan could complete his sentence Mishti walks into the living room. Arya and Aryan hop down from the table and run behind her.

I sit for a while smiling at my own stupidity. Then I walk into the living room. Mishti is sitting on the sofa while Arya and Aryan are sitting on her sides, as soon as Mishti looks at me she stood up to leave.

"My, Ms Powerful" Arya stands up on the sofa and side hugs Mishti.

"My, Ms Strong" Aryan joins her as he stands up on the sofa and gives a side hug to Mishti.

"My, Arya. My, Aryan" I walk towards them with a smile. I wrap an arm around Arya and another arm around Aryan. I lean forward into Mishti, "My, Mishti" I add before planting a small kiss on her forehead. Her breath hitches as she plays with her hands which are in the space between me and her.

It's not like I like to put her in these situations.

It's just that I know she herself likes these moments.

Maybe she doesn't say through words but she says through gestures, she says through her eyes.

━━━━━━━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━━━━━━━

How was it?

I don't know what I have written but this is all I could write with the stress of exams all over my mind.

What was the best thing about this update? Hmm? Do share anyone.

Anyone ever made something in Clay? 😄

I would like to apologize to all of you, I am sorry I'll not be able to update till 21st February.

I had no time to update today as well but somehow I managed it because I know many of you are eagerly waiting for the update. I had got few private messages to update (silent readers), so I tried and did it.

But I won't be able to update till 21st February.

So, see you all on 21st or 22nd February.

Till then, enjoy, read, vote, comment and share it with your friends.

Thank y'all!