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“Bubble-gum ice cream. Seriously?” I grumble, looking at the pink ice cream, which happens to be her most-preferred flavour, that the waiter placed in front of her.
Alisha grins and nods. “Yep, it’s my favourite, and you know that. So don’t you dare make a face, Mister,” she says the last bit with a warning.
“I won’t dare to. But I think you should try my cake fudge. It may help to change your mind,” I say as I wiggle my eyebrows.
With a giggle, she shakes her head as she gives me the sweetest look. “No, thank you. I prefer my flavour. And I doubt that will change anytime soon.”
I flash her a smile. “Suit yourself.”
“Definitely. I won’t change my mind,” Alisha retorts as she takes a bite of her ice cream. She closes her eyes and savours the bite. The expression on her face makes me yearn to relish her. Every bit of her. She then opens her eyes and murmurs, “Mmmm… This place really has the best ice cream.”
I give her a smirk that says told you so. “That’s the reason it’s Grandpa and my favourite place.”
“Now onwards, this is going to be my favourite place too. God, I think I am going to get addicted to this and will land up here every day.” The look of excitement on Alisha’s face is unbelievable. So innocent. So beautiful. The sparkle in her eyes tells me how she gets happy in the little joys of life.
“I will make sure to keep our fridge stocked.”
“Thanks.” Her smile fades as thoughts of uncertainty fill her eyes.
I take her hands in mine and assure her. “We are going to make this work, Sweetheart.”
With a sad smile, Alisha lets out a breath. Her mouth parts open and her eyes dart across my face. The electricity dancing in the air is unmistakable.
“How I wish I could hold you in my arms and make you realise that we are meant to be and everything is going to fall in place,” I whisper as I look deeply into Alisha’s eyes.
Alisha holds my gaze for a long moment. She gulps a lump in her throat and then mumbles, “You have no idea how much I crave the same, but I’m so scared of what the future has in store.”
The ache in my chest is unbearable. “Alisha,our future will be filled with nothing but love, joy, and togetherness.”
“How can you be so sure of that? How do you know there won’t be hurdles? And what about your ex-wife and… and…” Tears fill her eyes and her lower lip starts trembling.
Taking her face into my hands, I shake my head. “Alisha, I wish there were ways I could reassure you so that you put aside your doubts and fears. I yearn to show how much love I’ve got for you. There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for your happiness. I know our relationship may be at its lowest point today, but I know everything will change for the better. I promise. I am going to fight for us, for our marriage.”
Alisha lowers her gaze while I continue to keep her face secure in my hands. “Maybe I should have given our marriage a thought before jumping in, but at that time, all I could think was about my parents. Maybe I should have been selfish and thought about myself. Maybe this marriage was nothing but a huge mistake.”
My heart drops to my stomach. “Our marriage can never be a mistake.” Bending down to look into her eyes, I silently plead with my gaze as I whisper with desperation. “You can trust me. You can love me. You can believe in me. I assure you, I will never let you down.”
Her eyes catch mine as she looks up at me but doesn’t utter a word. However, her eyes are a sea of emotions that are ebbing and flowing, giving away her inner turmoil. The need to kiss her is overwhelming. I drop my hands to my sides as she wipes her tears away. My heart couldn’t have ached any more than it is doing at this moment.
“Let’s go home.” Without looking at me, she rises to her feet and walks to the counter to collect our parcel.
I slam my fist on the table and curse under my breath. I’m going to win her trust back. Losing her is not an option. She is the most precious part of my life. I fight the urge to drop to my knees and beg her to give us a chance. Taking a deep breath, I clear my head and focus on the battle ahead of me.
Chapter 18
Alisha
Strawberry or Chocolate milkshake? What would Mili like?God, I am so out of my element here! How will I get through this dilemma? There is no one at my rescue.Ranveer was called in for a meeting, which he couldn’t neglect. I checked on Granddad ten minutes back to ask what he would have for lunch, but he was in deep sleep, so I had let him be and didn’t bother to wake him up.
I look up at the wall clock in the kitchen. It’s past one in the afternoon and Mili will be back anytime from school. And I am still not able to make up my mind what Mili would love to have. She usually has warm milk with Bournvita. And Ranveer has never tried experimenting with her. Many times, I have thought of trying out something new with her but didn’t voice my opinion. Today, in his absence, I thought of finally giving in to my instinct. Little did I know that I would start having doubts at the eleventh hour. Damn! I should have checked with Ranveer about her likes and dislikes. Stupid me.
“Alisha aunty…”
Mili’s voice pulls me out of my puzzled mind.
“I am here in the kitchen,” I shout back.
Three minutes later, she bounces into the kitchen in her cute pink chequered uniform.
