Tale of Two Lovebirds

Chapter 45

Deepika couldn't remember how many times people joked about her children turning out "just like Ranveer," teasing and asking her how would she be able to handle both Ranveer and a mini Ranveer. She was pregnant with Ria at the time and she smiled and found it amusing at first but then it got old; if she liked Ranveer enough to marry him, of course she wouldn't mind her children being like him! On the contrary, she would be happier if they took more after him than after herself. She thought she would be really lucky if they did turn out like her amazing, loving husband.

Ria arrived then and she was a handful but she was also everything she ever dreamed of. She did happen to be as lively as her father. She was expressive, sensitive, very bright and very loving. She was also currently curled up next to her mommy because she had fallen off the seesaw at kindergarten. Just like her father... Deepika sighed.

"I hurt my knee." A teary Ria (a.k.a. Mini-Ranveer) told little Dhruv in the car. Deepika had to pick her up early because she had a small cut on her knee and a scratch on her left arm.

Dhruv, unlike Ria, seemed to take after his mother; calm, quiet, observant. He was only a baby but he was very different than Ria had been at his age. He smiled a lot though. He almost seemed shy at times but if you happened to be a woman, he would smile big and stretch his arms towards you, asking to be held. Just like his father... Deepika sighed. "That's my boy!" Ranveer would say, encouraging his little charmer. He was a "momma's boy" too, much like himself. He liked being with Deepika most of the time, again, much like his Papa. He would cry if he couldn't see or at least hear her. It worried Deepika, now that she was about to return to work. She didn't want to have to chose between her children and her career, because she would always chose her children, but she really wanted to have both.

In the car, Deepika hugged Ri with one arm while Dhruv sat on her lap. The little girl didn't like to be called a baby unless she was sick or sad. She was both sad and had minor pain on her leg so she was completely fine being hugged by her mommy, getting kisses and baby-talk. Dhruv was quiet, almost as if he was concerned about the situation. He tried to reach his sister with one small hand and Ri held his chubby baby hand. That along with her mommy's love made her feel infinitely better.

"Don't be sad, my baby love. We're going to go see Papa right now." Deepika whispered to her daughter and the little girl perked up, her cute face lighting up. If there was something else that Ria had in common with her Papa, it was that she felt and expressed her emotions very strongly; when she was sad she seemed to be in complete sorrow and when she was happy, absolutely everyone around her would get to see and hear her joy. People close to them liked to joke that she was very "filmy," very dramatic for her young age and they loved that a child born to two great actors seemed to have a promising future in the same field.

So they were visiting Ranveer because he had been busy promoting his new film and they wanted to see him. Plus, he could use a break and some time with his lovely family after answering the same questions over and over again for most of the day, in one interview after another.

"Papa, I hurt my knee..." Was the first thing Ria said upon seeing her father. Ranveer immediately looked concerned. His little princess looked like she had been crying, her long eyelashes were still wet and her little nose was red. She was pouting too and just thinking about it almost made her cry again. If it hadn't been for her papa carefully picking her up in his arms and kissing her forehead, she'd be bawling again.

"My poor baby..." Ranveer said as he sat down with his little girl on his lap. He kissed her leg just above the bandage on her knee and Ri smiled.

"I hurt my hand too." She said showing him the scratch on her arm and he kissed her arm too.