Bhumi's POV

"I want two burgers," Sammy said, raising two fingers.

"I want three," Abhi said, raising two fingers of his own.

"Is that three, Abhi?" I asked, turning to look at them.

They were strapped in fancy car seats in the back of the brand-new SUV Aryamann bought after coming to Bangalore.

He had actually booked it and paid an extra amount for immediate delivery. We got the car delivered to our apartment building a couple of hours after we arrived.

Money can work wonders.

"That is two, Abhi. You have to raise three fingers. One, two, three," Aryamann said, pointing his fingers one by one.

"Abhi wants three burgers," Abhi said, raising three of his fingers.

"Let's see," I said, knowing that their little tummies wouldn't be able to accommodate more than half a burger. One full burger itself would be too much for them.

We were driving through the Bangalore city, with the boys keeping us engaged with their never-ending curious questions.

"Why do we have two eyes if we only see one thing?" Abhi asked curiously.

"What the-" Aryamann almost cursed but caught himself at the last moment, not wanting to curse in front of the twins.

But I can't blame him either. The question Abhi asked is like that.

"Why, mommy?" Sammy asked.

"Uh, because we can't see clearly with one eye?" I said, but it came out more as a question.

I saw the boys covering one eye and looking through the other, verifying whether my answer was right.

"But I can see clearly with one eye," Abhi said.

"Me too," Sammy supported his brother.

I rolled my eyes, thinking what to say next.

"What if our one eye gets damaged? We can use our second eye, right? That's why we have two eyes," Aryamann said.

"Then why do we have only one mouth? What if it gets damaged? How will we eat?" Came the prompt question.

"Are they always like this?" Aryamann asked, looking at me.

"Always," I said, with a chuckle.

"Why can't I see my eyes?" Came the next question, and Aryamann groaned in defeat.

"How did you manage them alone for two years?" Aryamann asked.

"Do I have a choice? I can't leave them in the woods, can I?" I asked.

"Sometimes, I get tempted to," Aryamann said jokingly.

Soon, we reached the burger shop.

"Yay! Burgers!" The boys cheered and ran inside.

We were standing near the counter, and the boys wanted to stand in the queue too.

The woman at the counter fluttered her eyelashes at Aryamann.

"What can I do for you?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

'B*tch! Didn't she see me and the toddlers right next to him? I thought.

"Two kids' meals and two large burgers," Aryamann said, without paying attention to the woman's antics.

But I was fuming mad.

Couldn't she at least spare family men? Why does she have to eye married men with kids?

"Aww. Are they twins?" She cooed, looking at the boys.

What kind of ridiculous question is that? Isn't it evident from their looks that they are twins?

"Are they identical?" Came the next stupid question.

"Miss, yes, they are twins. Yes, they are identical, which is quite evident from their looks. No, they are not conceived through IVF. They are made by f*cking," I said, knowing very well the pattern of questions that usually follow when someone sees the twins.

Aryamann looked at me in horror.

Oh please! He knew that I had no filter.

The woman at the counter looked at me in embarrassment.

"What is f*cking, mommy?" Abhi asked, and I closed my eyes in horror.

Damn! Why do they have to pick up the exact same word? Why couldn't he ask what an IVF is?

"Mommy said kicking, Abhi. You know, kicking the football," Aryamann said.

"But I heard f*cking," Abhi argued.

"You heard wrong," Aryamann said.

"I also heard f*cking," Sammy supported his brother.

"That's because you are twins. Twins usually hear the same things," Aryamann gave the stupidest explanation, and the boys were fascinated by that.

"Really? Wow," they exclaimed in joy.

Aryamann quickly paid the bill and took us to a corner table.

"What was that?" Aryamann hissed as soon as we sat down.

I was still fuming and sent a fulminating glare his way.

"Were you enjoying her flirting, Mr. Mehrotra?" I asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Of course not. I was ignoring her, wasn't I? Why did you make a scene over there? People are still throwing looks our way," Aryamann said, looking at the people who are still whispering and looking at us.

"Oh really? Would you have reacted any differently if the roles were reversed?" I asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't make a scene like that, no matter what," Aryamann said.

"Oh please. I know you. I have seen how you react when you are gripped by jealousy and possessiveness. I have seen how you behave when J is around. When you didn't know Ansh is my brother. So spare me the excuses," I said, still miffed.

"Okay okay. Relax. Let's not ruin our evening because of one thoughtless woman," Aryamann said.

He is right. Why should I ruin our evening because of some woman who means nothing to us?

I sighed.

"Now smile," Aryamann said, and I offered a small smile.

"You look like you are constipating. Give us the Bhumi smile," he demanded, and a bright smile bloomed on my face.

"That's my girl," Aryamann said and leaned forward and pecked me on my cheek.

The boys giggled seeing their daddy kissing me.

"What is there to laugh about?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at them.

"Nothing, mommy," they said, giggling.

When I narrowed my eyes again, they both leaned forward and pecked me on my cheeks, making my smile even wider.

The counter called out our token number, and when Aryamann was about to get up, I stopped him.

"I will go get it," I said.

"Territorial woman," Aryamann muttered, rolling his eyes.

"That I am. You are mine, and I never share what's mine," I said with an attitude and left to get our order.

As I reached the counter, I saw the woman standing there, avoiding my eyes.

I went up to her and collected our orders.

Before I went back, I looked at her.

"That man is my husband. And I am a very possessive woman. Next time, think before trying to flirt with a married man. I wouldn't be so gentle the next time," I warned her in a deadly tone and walked back to our table with the order.

*****

"The real estate agent called. He said the house is ready for us to check out. What should I say? Should we go and see it now, or should we go tomorrow?" Aryamann asked as we walked out of the burger joint.

"Why delay? Let's go see it now itself," I said, and we strapped the boys in their car seats and got into the car.

We drove to the address the real estate agent mailed us.

The housing area itself was giving us a positive vibe.

All the houses are of similar patterns. Neither large nor luxurious. A cluster of cosy cottages right out of a fairytale book.

I could picture myself living here happily.

We stopped the car in front of the cottage that is out for sale.

There was a for sale board on the small gate. The real estate agent was waiting for us outside.

"Good evening Mr and Mrs Mehrotra," the smartly dressed woman greeted us as soon as she spotted us.

"Good evening Mrs Clarke. We went through the portfolio you sent us. We liked this house. We would like to check in person before making a decision." Aryamann said.

"Glad to know. Please come inside." The woman opened the front door and let us in.

The boys rushed in and looked around the house.

As they heard the sound of a puppy barking, they ran out. I followed after, not wanting them to get in trouble in some unknown place.

There was a little boy of around five, in the next house. He was standing there, with a puppy right next to him.

"Wow. A puppy!" Abhi screamed in joy.

The pup barked at Abhi making him laugh in joy.

Abhi and Sammy walked towards the picket fence and looked at the boy on the other side.

"Hello. My name is Zian. Are you new here?" The little boy asked.

"Hello Zian. What a pretty name. Yes, we will be moving in here soon. Do you live in this house?" I asked.

"No. We live in Zidra. We are here on a vacation with momma and papa," the little boy said.

Zidra? Where is that place?

"Can I touch the puppy?" Abhi asked.

"Of course. Come over." Zian, the little boy, invited the boys with an adorable smile on his face. Oh God! He has a dimple on his left cheek.

I am a sucker for dimples.

Abhi and Sammy excitedly ran over to the next house. I stood close by, just to keep a watch over them, while Aryamann talked to the estate agent about the formalities.

"Aww. He is so cute. What's his name?" Sammy asked, ruffling the hairy puppy.

"His name is Rocky. We have one more puppy and we also have a kitten." Zian said.

Wow. Two puppies and a kitten for one five year old.

As soon as that thought came to my mind, I saw an identical boy running out of the house and another puppy following behind him.

The new boy came to a stop when he spotted us.

His eyes sparkled with mischief. I could say with one look that he is the naughty one among the two.

"This is my brother, Zahir." Zian introduced, politely.

"Sheikh Zahir Ahmed al Zidra. Crown Prince of Zidra." The little boy introduced himself smugly, adopting a regal pose.

My eyes widened in surprise.

Are the little boys sheikhs?

Do sheikhs really exist? I have never seen one before.

"Who are you talking to?" A very beautiful foreign woman came out, with a little girl holding her hand.

The little girl was the perfect image of the boys.

OMG! Triplets!

We introduced ourselves to each other. The woman was named Aveline Ahmed. She is the wife of a Sheikh from some Arabian Island nation in the Middle East.

"Are you moving in here?" Aveline asked.

"For six months. I do my university here. I have six months more to go. We are from Mumbai." I said.

A tall and dark man, who looked exotic with his dark eyes and olive skin tone, came out and wrapped his arms around Aveline.

This must be the Sheikh.

He is definitely handsome.

I have only read about Sheikhs in Mills and boon novels. They were always hot and handsome in the novels. But I never imagined they would be handsome in real life too.

"So, if you are the ruling family, why are you here in Bangalore? That too in a small housing area?" I asked in confusion.

"We wanted to have a normal vacation. Like normal people do." Aveline said and I smiled as I can relate to her well.

"Okay then. Let's sign the contracts tomorrow. We would like to move in immediately." I heard Aryamann say, as he came out with the real estate agent.

"Mehrotra," I heard the Sheikh exclaim in surprise.

Aryamann looked at the Sheikh when he heard his name.

"Sheikh Ahmed," Aryamann nodded in acknowledgement though he seemed to be equally surprised to see the other man here.

Once the real estate agent left, Aryamann joined our little group.

"You know him?" I asked Aryamann.

"We have met a few times at international business meets." Aryamann said.

"Can't imagine Aryamann Mehrotra living in a small cottage in Bangalore." The sheikh said.

"I can say the same about you," Aryamann retorted.

"And our reasons are the same," I said and Aveline laughed.

The twins were playing with the triplets, two puppies and the kitten.

"Mommy? Can we have a puppy too?" 

A/n

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