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Cupids Can't Be Everywhere

7. Cupids Can't Be Everywhere

"Himani, Can I have a T-rex dosa, please?"

Vidhyut apprised, peeping up at Himani through his glasses, as he nibbled on the last piece of dosa on his plate, sitting cross-legged on the kitchen countertop. Across him was Hrutvi, stalled as same as he was, silently dabbing her dosa on the puddle of chutney and jamming it in her mouth. "Could you please make me a red velvet dosa, Himani?" She piped out to Himani, munching on her token of dosa.

Himani cast a look out at them, beaming, as she flipped the dosa and turned the flame low, "One t-rex dosa and one red velvet dosa, coming right up!" she bucked up at them cheerfully steering herself out of the kitchen to the fridge.

She had rolled out of bed by half past five in the morning—unduly earlier than her usual time—she had a couple of eight-year-olds to be sent to school. Mythraeyi had told her that they'd have to go to IIT before going to school, as they had to change their uniforms, and swap books according to their class schedule, which were all in their residence at IIT. With that decided, Himani was so relentless in letting them go without fixing their breakfasts.

Hrutvi had altogether recouped to her resplendent, loquacious self—albeit, she had started talking last night, it was not how she would usually be. Now, she was prattling with no known boundaries—she had been questioning Himani—most of it about shifting to the house in the first floor from IIT. And Himani had been patiently answering all of it, with an indulgent laugh rumbling out her lips.

"But, we will miss watching the deer eat," exclaimed Hrutvi, gripping on Himani's arm as she aided her jumping down from the countertop. It was one of their favourite past times—watching deer.

Vidhyut's big eyes were now wilting unhappily. "Yes, Himani. And we will miss going to the park there—" he said, apparently, sullen.

"That's where all of our friends come to play." Hrutvi interjected, without any cheer.

Himani studied their naive, tender faces. They appeared ingenuously concerned—shifting from the place where they'd been ever since their birth was not going to be any less-terse one.

Ever since Mythraeyi's separation from Prasad, the three of them have been living alone—laying down that they'd been making numerous, precise weekend visits to Himani's. Living alone with two kids was not undemanding, but Mythraeyi had been carrying it out as smooth as she could handle. However, Himani tirelessly kept compelling the idea of moving out of IIT quarters, Mythraeyi had kept dismissing it by giving out reasons. Now that, Himani had grown stubbornly into her idea, her cousin could do nothing but come to terms with it.

Himani helplessly raised her lashes to Mythraeyi, who was just walking in by there to make sure the kids had taken their food. Minding the conversation that was spiraling around there, she filled in. "IIT is nearby from here. I am sure we can visit them often."

"Can we feed the deer, Maa?" Hrutvi chippered in, her eyes glinting hopefully.

Vidhyut blinked through his glasses. "Can we please feed the pigeons too, Maa?" he asked, locking his eyes with his mother's relying upon a convincing reply.

"Of course, we can do all the feeding. But right now, I think we should get going. Because of us, Chithi is also running late," Mythraeyi hustled, cramming her water bottle inside the handbag. "The cab has come, kids. Say bye to Himani; and to Raghav Anna."

"Raghav told no Anna, only Raghav," mumbled Hrutvi quickly, before sprinting off to his doorstep. Bidding good-bye to him, the kids returned to Himani.