Do Pyaar Karne Waale [RAGHVI]

13: pool party

The boombox in the Raos's backyard was thumping with the latest Telugu hit song while the family and their friends lounged in and around the pool. In attendance were a total of three families. The women—Pallavi, Krishna, and Farhad's wife, Aina—were all wearing long summer dresses and applying sunscreen while they chatted about their day at work. The men—Raghav, Farhad, and Krishna's husband, Soham—were in the pool, only in swim trunks, and playing pool volleyball. Raghav and Pallavi's two elder sons, and Farhad and Aina's son had joined the men in the pool as their opponents. On the other side of the backyard, Krishna and Soham's daughter was dancing to the music with Farhad and Aina's daughter. And, the last and youngest child of the group was Athiya, Raghav and Pallavi's four-year-old daughter. She was sucking on her watermelon-flavored popsicle and glaring at her brothers and dad, who were enjoying in the pool.

Her brothers, Srinu and Virat, had told her that she wasn't allowed to play in the pool because she didn't know how to swim properly. How dare they say that—I've been diligently going to swimming class every Tuesday with Naana! she had thought at the time. But even Naana betrayed her. He had agreed with them and had not allowed her in the pool. Fortunately, her amma's best friend, Athiya's pinni, had some floaties that Athiya could wrap around her arms. Though it didn't substitute for a lifejacket, it was still enough to convince her dad to let her swim with him.

But the floaties weren't enough for her amma's "okay." She had to also put on sunscreen before entering the pool when neither her brothers nor her dad had done so. Athiya huffed as she thought of the partiality. She sucked hard on the popsicle in her hand as she neared the end of the stick.

"Almost done. Okay, lala?" Pallavi told Athiya as the girl pouted when there was a yell of victory from the boys in the pool.

"Jaldi karo, Amma! Agar naya round shuru hogaya toh Srinu aur Viru mujhe pool ke andar aane ke liye rok denge," Athiya whined to her mother.

"Toh next round ke liye wait karo," Pallavi simply said as she applied sunscreen on her daughter's neck.

Athiya shook her head, accidentally dislodging Pallavi's hands and the popsicle in her hand. "Nahi! Unke ek round bees minute hota hai. I cannot wait for that long, Amma!"

"Acha chalo theek hai. Mein jaldi karungi," Pallavi said but it was too late. The next round of the guys' game was starting.

With her quick thinking, Athiya faked an injury, hoping to catch her father's attention. She clutched the arm that her mother was now rubbing and wailed in fake agony.

Pallavi frantically asked Athiya what happened when Raghav swiftly turned towards the cry of his daughter.

"Kanna, kya hua?" he called out from the pool and gestured for her to come towards him.

Immediately, Athiya dashed from her spot and jumped into her father's outstretched hands. She gleefully wrapped her hands around his neck and had a bright smile on her face, forgetting about her tears. Pallavi, knowing her daughter's dramebaazi, didn't bother fretting further about her rona dhona. Raghav, on the other hand, was trying to search for the cause of his daughter's tears.