Tale of Two Lovebirds

Chapter 6

"Mommy..." A tiny, little voice woke a half-asleep Deepika up. She was trying to sleep while her daughter laid next to her wide awake in the middle of the night.

"I can't sleep." The little girl complained with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Deepika asked worried and pulled her towards her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm so sad..." Ria sighed. "I miss Papa." Tears she was holding back broke free and ran freely down her cheeks. She was sleeping with Mommy because Papa was away and they couldn't join him this time. It wasn't the first time they stayed behind when he had to film out of town but it sort of was the first for Ria, she was too young to realize it the previous times.

"Don't worry. He'll be back soon, baby." This time she didn't complain about being called baby; she needed to be babied. Deepika loved how much Ria loved her papa. There was nothing sweeter than the two of them together, laughing and playing and being their adorable selves.

"When?" Ria stopped crying for a second and looked up to her mom, her eyes full of hope but barely visible in the dark bedroom.

"We'll call him in the morning and you can ask him." Deepika wiped the tears off her little face. She didn't want to tell her he was gone for a week and this was just the first night...

The girl didn't sound too convinced, she talked to him on the phone earlier and still missed him badly. Sure, she was sleeping with mommy after their pajama party, which consisted of a movie in bed with snacks. It had been fun but it would have been more fun if Papa was there too.

"Don't be sad, sweetie. You'll make me cry too..." Ria was still only a baby and it still hurt to see her sad. It will always hurt.

The roles reversed and the daughter tried to soothe her mother. "Don't cry, mommy. Papa be back soon." Her little hand stroked Deepika's cheek. She kissed the palm of her daughter's hand, her forehead again, then her cheeks and nose and the little girl went from crying to giggling.

"I'm not sad and you know why? Because I have you." More kisses and tickles and Ria was laughing and no longer crying. "I miss Papa too but your sweet face reminds me of him. Your eyes, your smile, your laugh..." Actually, everything about her; her personality, sometimes the way she walked and talked and the faces she made, she wasn't all him but she did have a lot of him and to Deepika she couldn't be any more perfect. Ria is his legacy, part of him. There's more Ranveer in the world now that she's here and she loved that, so much that it made her want to have another baby.

"I should have named you Veera." She said jokingly.

"Veera? My name is Ria!" The girl stated.

"I know, Princess Ria." That's how Ranveer called her.

"Queen mommy!"

"Is that my name?"

"Yes..." Ria hesitated for a moment... "No! Queen Deepika!"

Not too long ago, Ria really thought her mom's name was "Mommy." She was younger then and later realized people, and sometimes Papa as well, call her Deepika. But it was confusing, because Ranveer called her many different names like Deepu, Deeps, love, jaan, queen, babe... among others. She also thought Ranveer's name was "Papa," Deepika also had lots of nicknames for him. Eventually she learned their names...

"It's time for the Princess to sleep. We have to wake up early to call the King."

Ria giggled. She's watched all the Disney movies and knows about Kings, Queens, Princesses and castles. Ranveer called Deepika his Queen of Hearts since they were dating, it was only logical to crown Ria a princess. They played royalty only in their own castle though. It was fun.

~

The sun had barely crept up and Ria was already jumping on the bed. Of course she wouldn't forget about the promise Mommy made her. Deepika rubbed her eyes and looked for her phone on the nightstand. Ria was as fresh as a daisy, so much energy she had, and she wanted another one of these? She pictured a couple more Rias. Maybe, maybe not.

She handed the phone to her daughter who was a pro at handling it. Tap, tap, and she held the phone to her ear, listening attentively. Who knows what time it was, Deepika knew Ranveer would answer if he had time. And he did. She heard one side of the conversation only. The girl said she missed him, she listened and pouted, Deepika worried for a second but then she saw her smile. She giggled too. Who knows what he was telling her. They changed topics and she was grateful Ria was no longer worried about him being away. They talked for about ten minutes and then hung up.

"You hung up? He didn't want to talk to me?" Ouch. Married for years and all but they still kept in touch throughout the day, every day.

"Papa is busy." The little girl said.

Okaaaaay...

"Alright." No big deal. He was probably getting ready or running lines. "Are you ready for breakfast?" She said pushing the covers away and getting up from bed.

"Yeeeeeeeesssssss!" Ria cheered and beat her to the bathroom.

"Thank you, whatever you told her put her in a really good mood. She misses you. Me too. Love you." She texted him before getting ready to start her day.

~

To be continued...

Disclaimer: These fictional stories are loosely based on real events, using real actors as characters. They are solely for entertainment, without intending to obtain a benefit, injure or defraud either the people depicted in these stories, nor any reader of this content.