Do Pyaar Karne Waale [RAGHVI]

19: the heart wants what it wants

AU SYNOPSIS—Raghav and Pallavi have separated after five years of marriage. They are in the process of getting a divorce and mutually decide to share joint custody over their four-year-old child, Athiya. While Athiya is shuttled back and forth from her mother's apartment to her father's mansion, she learns certain quirks that her parents are notable for. As Raghav and Pallavi recognize how their daughter is a representation of their love, do they begin to realize their mistake?

It was the first week that Pallavi and Raghav had physically separated from one another. For the past two weeks, the two avoided each other like the plague when they were living together. Within those two weeks, Pallavi had bought a flat and necessary furniture for her new home. The two even received multiple visits from their lawyers to finalize the date to sign the divorce papers and the distribution of their assets. Even the custody of Athiya, their daughter, had been decided. Every Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Athiya would stay with Pallavi and would stay with Raghav on the other days of the week.

Today was Monday and the start of the school week for Athiya. And like always, early in the morning, Pallavi has oiled and plaited Athiya's waist-length black hair. She even pinned a strand of jasmine buds to Athiya's plait. It was a routine the mother-daughter duo had, long before Raghav and Pallavi's talk of divorce happened.

Since it was Monday, it meant Athiya would be dropped off at school by her mother and would stay at her father's house after school ended. So just like the couple had planned, after the school bell rang to dismiss the students, Athiya ran out to meet her father. He stood outside the gates of the school and wrapped his arms around her small body when she had reached him.

"Naana!" she exclaimed with joy. "Maine aapko bohot miss kiya." Her small arms linked themselves around his neck as she hugged him.

Raghav, too, was ecstatic about seeing his daughter, even though it had only been a day since he last saw her. "Mein bhi, kanna." He lightly tightened his grip on her and kissed her temple. When doing so, he caught a whiff of a familiar jasmine scent in her hair. Glancing down, he saw the withering strand of jasmines pinned to his daughter's hair. What had originally been fresh, aromatic flowers were now brown and shriveled, only in the span of six hours. Yet, the scent was evermore apparent to Raghav. It was unforgettable, just like the person who had placed it there. Pallavi, Raghav's heart whispered. Though his heart was still stuck on Pallavi, Raghav knew he had to move on. After all, the two were going to divorce within a year's time.

Pulling back from the hug, but still lifted in her father's arms, Athiya started to retell all the events of her day. As Athiya chatted, more so to herself, Raghav knew that the next two days would go by too quick before he had to send his daughter off again. He sighed in discontent and cuddled his daughter closer to his side when they sat in the car to drive home.

Soon, three weeks had passed and it was a Wednesday night. Athiya and Pallavi had just finished eating their dinner in their quaint little home and were now seated in the living room. The two were busy as Athiya was finishing up her math homework and Pallavi checked the other homework assignments her daughter had completed. The sheet of paper that was currently in Pallavi's hands was Athiya's Hindi homework from yesterday, which meant she attempted to complete the assignment at her father's house. Knowing Raghav wasn't the perfect guide for learning Hindi, Pallavi made sure to double check Athiya's work.