ShiVi FS - Rewrite The Stars

part 3

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."