twinj_inti
CHAPTER 60
Kunj stretched his sock-clad feet in front of the room heater and took a sigh of relief the way his joints cracked finding a home on the settee, he had been driving cars for a long time now but driving a mini truck sort of thing and that too in the Dublin blizzard was something, even an Irish man thought twice about.
The froth has settled around the rim of the big cup and he took another sip of the creamy coffee which promised some warmth and glucose till Twinkle fixed something for them.
“Paah…”
He turned to the sound and found Kavya has already climbed down the chairs where Twinkle has arranged her toys to play with and not follow her inside the kitchen.
“Yeah… what’s up, Princess” turning to her completely he made the curious face he did whenever he interacted with Kavya.
“Fone..” gesturing towards his phone kept on the table Kavya came closer and leaned on his knees.
Knowing very well Twinkle didn’t like giving her phone all the time Kunj thought of something to distract his girl and avoid this Phone topic that was the reason for Twinkle’s angry eyes a few days ago.
He smiled recalling how his wife was peculiar about a literally no screen time for their daughter. Twinkle herself wasn’t a fan of phones and at times her phone was kept on the nightstand for hours unless she has to call someone or needed some information through the internet.
“how about we play something, baby?” and look what do we have here” leaving the setee he walked to one of the drawers and brought the small stars a girl had gifted him after a Christmas party during his long stay in Dublin.
The glittery thing caught Kavya’s attention and with a newfound interest she rested on his lap and he started the same trick of magic; hiding the paper star and telling her to find it for him.
It was barely 15 or so minutes when he heard some kind of noise as if something was being scratched or a scratch and then a bump in small intervals.
He looked here and there and the noise stopped but it again started so he put down Kavya and told her to sit quietly before moving around the hall to find out what was the source of the sound.
And then suddenly a boll of white fluff caught his attention on the window glass and for a moment it seemed weird to him and then it made sense and he called Kavya.
“look who has come to visit you Kavya…” he said with a smile walking to the main door with the little curious eyes following close behind.
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“Kunj, I was thinking to freshen up and then let’s eat …” Twinkle came to the living area and found no one there.
“Kunj… Kavu…” she climbed up the stairs, though she could hear him talking and her daughter’s excited triumphant giggles, they were not answering her.
The door to their bedroom was closed, perhaps Kunj went to take some rest… with the thought she opened the door and it was as if the time froze.
It all happened so quickly that she lost a beat or two.
First, she saw the green eyes of a now alert Titan and then him jumping down from the bed and making a dash towards her…
“Ma, papa save me …” putting her hands on her ears and shutting her eyes closed as the reflex worked she leaped backward and nearly hit the stairs.
“Twinkle…” Kunj jumped down from the bed and supported her in no time. “calm down…
“how come a cat is here…you know I am afraid of them…” she glared at him taking deep breaths through her already red nose. “Oh God, where did she go?” how can you do this to me Kunj,” looking down the stairs she hugged Kunj in her terrified state.
“i am sorry, I thought you would be scared so I brought her upstairs… she is, I mean he is Titan, Noah and summer are gone for a few hours now, he would be restless so somehow he searched us,” Kunj explained her.
“and she was on our bed, Kunj…” Twinkle glared at him and in response, he mouthed a sorry.
“Oh God,” something occurred to her and she looked towards Kunj. ” she is going to eat Kavya’s food…go check on her.” Twinkle pushed him down.
“oh, yeah…Titan, Titan, where are you,” along with some sounds Twinkle was sure the white bundle of fluff understood Kunj went downstairs and she knelt down to see what the cat was doing downstairs.
“and by the way, it is a HE, not a SHE, Twinkle…” he looked back at her, and the dimples showed up with the mischief hidden behind that smile.
“Whatever…” Twinkle rolled her eyes at his correction.
“Did she eat Kavya’s food ?” she asked him when she heard him talking to the cat.
“unfortunately Yes …but I think he is hungry…” Kunj came out of the kitchen lightly patting the cat in his arms.
“what are we going to do then…” she asked sticking to the farthest corner of the stairs. She was afraid of animals but she could not see an animal hungry and that too in such a cold weather
“well we don’t have her food but we can give her…” sticking Titan to his chest area he looked up to her.
“if you promise me you are going to keep her in your hands I’ll do something,” she said gesturing for her daughter to come out of the room.
“okay..”
The moment Kavya came into view the cat started getting restless and Twinkle stepped back on the stairs.
“ohkay one minute… since our daughter is his friend let me first make them comfortable here. leave Kavya on the stairs and move away,” he instructed her hiding a smile at the cuteness unfolding in front of him.
The moment he left her on the floor the fluffy made a dash towards the stairs and on reaching the top she started making rounds of Kavya.
Twinkle closed her eyes with the goosebumps that hit her at the sight, she could feel all her nerves pricking her from the inside. She was never comfortable around the animals but wanted her kids to not have this phobia so whenever they visited Noah’s she kept her breath under her tongue and let her daughter play with the cat.
But this was not what she thought even in her dreams, She took a long breath and followed them downstairs when her baby, baby’s Paah, and baby’s Meow settled on the settee.
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“Out of curiosity…” Kunj started when they settled on the settee after they had their brunch and Titan was fed some cheese and then some bread.
“Yes”… Twinkle looked to his side covering her feet inside the throw as she changed her focus from the cute animal playing with her daughter.
“Did something happen in your childhood …I mean why you are afraid of them…?” his face didn’t say he was mocking her, it was a genuine query.
“Ummm, I don’t know… there were no such incidents, perhaps all those furs and hair kind of freaks me out,” she answered and her eyes were again on an alert when Titan turned his head to them as if he knew they were talking about him.
“oh…Ailurophobia then…” he said.
“what?” she inquired her focus back on her girl and the fluffy.
“Ailurophobia – fear of cats,” he explained.
“More like a zoophobia.” she corrected him with a hint of sarcasm.
“so you are afraid of all of them… but you are not afraid of cockroaches and lizards,” he asked as he leaned beside her.
“Yeah, all of them and E X C U S E ME …” it was a rather sharp reaction from Twinkle as she shifted with a jolt when his head touched her thigh.
“what happened…” Kunj asked her to sit properly.
“Are you sleeping, leaving us alone with him?” Her big eyes were terrified again and her face had gathered all those cute angles he often loved to see. so taking the advantage of the situation he started leaning again,
“Yeah, I feel so sleepy Twinkle, he is not going to do anything.” closing his eyes he put one leg above another on the setee’s armrest.
“what… I mean, what if Kavya wants to come to me…” Twinkle was about to panic but she was controlling well.
“it does not seem she wants any of us for at least an hour…” he pushed himself up, took a glance to the place where the little ones were playing, and then closed his eyes again.
“Adi… please don’t sleep… I might get a heart attack if Titan comes to this side.” Twinkle nudged his shoulder.
“he won’t…” Kunj dismissed her sleeping.
seeing he would not listen to the pleas she prayed to the Gods that her daughter keeps her friend busy.
“What kind of a mother I am?” she whispered looking back at her daughter.
“a zoophobic one…” Kunj mumbled.
“arent you sleeping?” narrowing her eyes she looked down at his face.
“Should I?” he challenged her.
“No?” without a second thought she declared earning a smile from her husband and rewarding him with another glare.
a few moments passed in silence other than the giggles and occasional mews coming from the other side and her fingers reached to his head and the moment they got tangled in his hair was the moment he actually felt the sleep overpowering his will to keep his eyes open.
“We might need more cottage cheese or if possible some eggs in case Noah and Summer are not coming this evening,” Twinkle mentioned after a while and when no response came she looked down again only to find him sleeping.
she smiled at this and took her phone out and captured the moments where one frame was the evidence of her terror and another one was the reason for an unreasonable smile
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Hey Guys! to see you all back makes me so happy, thank you so much for all the love.
here it is, the next chapter… didn’t want mother’s day to start on a bitter note (as was expected by the last chapter ) so enjoy this small one by pampering all those persons who happen to have a motherly figure in your life. A VERY HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL YOU LOVELIES♥♥
stay safe,
with love
Morusya ♥