Vodka on the rocks

What happiness looks like

Pallavi was laughing breathlessly as she desperately tried to escape the arms of the tall, dark and handsome man who had made it his mission to tickle the life out of her.

"Ah..ha haan.. where do you think you are going beautiful? I am not leaving you this easy..."

She tried to swat away his arms but in vain as he caught her back immediately and started poking her.

"....leave me! Oh my God!!! What has gotten into you.... "

She laughed chirpily and he smiled seeing her. He loved seeing her laugh so freely. And that was precisely why he was doing what he was doing.

Uhh.. okay.. so not exactly that was the reason.. another reason was that this was the most effective way of extracting information from her.

"Oh come one beautiful...tell me! Tell meeeeee... tell me, tell me... then I'll let you go...."

Pallavi finally rested her hands on his upper hands to steady herself and looked up at him eyes raised and face hurting from laughing so hard. There wasn't a single soul in vicinity as the members of Rao Mansion had gone to a party leaving both of them alone temporarily for the evening.

A perfect chance to torture the information out of her...

"Hon.. I don't think you are up to that level where I can disclose classified information to you."

"Ooooo.. so its classified uh..? Great! All the more fun to take it out of you..."

He grinned and she widened her eyes and tried coming out of his embrace but for nought. He was at least a foot taller than her and just as strong as him.

"No... don't you start tickling me again.. I swear to God.."

"Tell meeeeeeeee then..."

He started poking her again and she ran squealing but he caught up to her in a minute.

She slapped his arm mock glaring but couldn't let the smile off her beautiful face. Just then they heard another voice filtering into the hall. They were standing in the gym area of the living room, as the stars looked at them from above in barely contained glee.

"Hands off boy! She is mine."

Pallavi giggled when the man encasing her in his arms grumbled.

"Damn! The husband's back.. you told me he'll be late beautiful. Now show me the backdoor."

She burst out laughing and a pillow came flying and hit her son on his face. He squeaked and took a few steps back grumbling as Raghav walked towards them smirking. Pallavi shook her head and went to her husband helping him, take off his coat.

Arjun had seated himself on the steps by then and saw his mother and father and smiled softly seeing his father take off his mother's hair stick making her gorgeous hair tumbling from the knot, as was his routine.

It was such a homely thing to see. This mere action which kind of housed an entire cosmos of affection which he seemed to have remembered witnessing since he had gained consciousness in this world.

Pallavi gave him her usual fondly exasperated look which was feigned as they both knew. She loved it when he opened her hair making it fall till her waist in flowing stream of cascading raven. It was an open secret.

"Uff! Amma... aap mere time pe kyun born nhi hui.. phir main hi aapse shaadi kar leta definitely!"

Raghav hugged his chuckling wife from behind and she put her head back on his chest by default, her eyes stuck on his dark maroon jacket as she folded it neatly.