29. A Big Happy Family

1 month later-

Usually, people don't remember things clearly from their early childhood. But there are certain memories, special ones that never leave, the few moments where you felt hope and happiness.

The only memory I remembered from before the age of 6 is of a small boy my age or maybe a year older. At that time, I was pretty much always alone, in the comfort of my books. My dad's friends brought their mean kids with them and my dad forced me to hang out with them. I mostly ignored them, they were all the same, spoilt cry-babies, I, on the other hand was given whatever I needed but never spoilt which I was very thankful for.

It was a usual day and one of my dad's closest friend visited with his son. He was different, he was the first kid who smiled at me and I thought that was strange. Why would he smile at a loser like me? Right?

I went back to the backyard and sat down with a storybook in my hand.

"Hello." I heard someone say and turned around.

"Hi." I replied politely to the new boy.

"Can I read with you?" he asked me and I nodded. I shifted a little so that he could sit and we shared the book.

"What is your name?" he asked me.

"I am Naina. And you?"

That was the only thing I didn't remember. I remembered his slightly hazel eyes and light brown curly hair. He was really polite and kind to me and maybe the only kid I ever liked. We played with my toys and read my books. I showed him around to my room and he appreciated it, even though it was mostly pink.

I never expected anyone to be nice to me, my family wasn't even that nice to me.

I never met him again after that day. All I had is that memory and a picture my grandfather took of us together, smiling widely and we had our arms around each others neck.

.

"Look Naina, my photo albums!" my mom exclaimed.

Her things were finally in London. She packed them beforehand and shipped them to London which took time. Her crazy amounts of clothes and shoes were cut down. Most of the jewellery and make-up was with her.

She unpacked the boxes and started arranging everything in my room as I took out Shiv's and my things. We had decided to pack everything and send it to his apartment which was ready with the kids' room.

"Show me. I know there wouldn't be many of me but I want to see anyways." I said to her.

"No, there are a lot of your pictures. Look!"

She pointed to the picture from my second birthday. I was standing with the support of the table in a bubblegum pink frilly dress and a matching headband with fake flowers on my head. There were a lot of other kids around me but I never knew anyone other than my brother and a few cousins. I looked cute with my large light brown eyes which later turned out to be a darker brown.

"This is from when we visited grandma." I said looking at a picture of Vivan and me with our grandmother and grandfather.

We sat there for almost an hour looking at the box full of photo albums.

In one of my albums, one of the pictures caught my eye. It was the picture with the only person I enjoyed talking to in my childhood.

I smiled at that picture.

"Hey where did you get that picture?" Shiv's mom said as she entered and sat down behind me on the bed.

"This is me." I pointed to the little girl in the picture.

"What?" she said in a surprised voice.

"Is it so hard to believe?" I asked her, confused.

"No, that boy is Shiv. I was asking where you found that picture of his childhood."

"This is him?"

"I know how my son looked." she said with certainty.

"Really? He was the only kid I ever liked from all of my dad's friends' kids. We talked a lot and read a book together."

"You remember all that?"

"It's one of the very, very few good memories from my childhood." I said with a smile.

It was him. Almost 20 years later, he was my boyfriend and we don't even remember each other. I thought.

"You know what this means?" my mom asked.

"What?"

"You both are meant to be, you talked to him when you were so young. That is a very special thing, you never talked to people." she said with a huge smile.

"I don't think that. We just happen to meet again." I shrugged it off.

"Whatever you want to tell yourself."

.

"Hello, love." Shiv said when he walked into the room and kissed me, knowing no one else was with us.

It was a soft, sweet kiss. Full of love.

"Hi." I replied with a smile.

"What did you do today?" he asked me as he started taking off his blazer and tie.

"Just packing." I said and took out the picture of our childhood. "Hey, who's this with you?"

"Where did you get that picture?" He asked me and snatched the photograph from my hand. He looked at it with a smile.

"Who is that?" I asked again to see if he remembered any of it.

"I don't remember her name but she was my favourite kid. I saw her reading a book and I wanted to read it too so I asked her-"

"Can I read with you?" I completed the sentence for him.

"Yes. How do you know?" he asked, confusion clouding his eyes.

"Because, this is me." I pointed to the girl.

"What? No, that can't be you. She was sitting in her backyard with my favourite book."

"Where the sidewalk ends." I said the name of the book and his eyes widen in realisation.

"It was you!" he finally understood.

"Yes, all me."

"Wow! I thought I would never meet that amazing girl ever again." he said and shook his head.

"Well, you did." I said and looped my arms around his neck and got on my tip-toes to kiss him.

"I love you." he said.

"I love you."

.

We heard the doorbell ring.

"I will get it!" my mom yelled. I heard her open up the door and ignored it thinking that it was probably more of her boxes.

After a few minutes, she burst into my room and shut the door behind her.

"It's your father!" she whispered.

"What!?" I whispered back in shock. "What is he doing here?"

"I don't know. I told him you were at work but he said he won't go back unless he sees you."

"Shit! What are we going to do?" I panicked and paced around the room.

"You need to calm down first, baby. You are pregnant." Shiv said to me in a low voice.

Just then, Vivan and Ashwin bash the door and get in my room before shutting it.

"Why is dad here?" Vivan asked us.

"I don't know. He is saying that he won't go unless I meet him. I can't meet him!"

"So what are we going to do? He saw both of us enter the flat together." Ashwin said.

"What did he say?" Shiv asked.

"He asked us about you and we said you were at work." Vivan said.

"Thank God you said that. Finally got some brains!" I said. If they would've said anything else, we would've been caught.

We heard a knock on the door.

"What are all of you doing in there?" my dad asked from the other side of the locked door.

"We'll be there in a minute. Make yourself at home!" my mom shouted.

"All the boxes are packed right? There aren't any baby clothes or toys around, right?" I asked in panic and Shiv rubbed my arms to calm me down.

"Yes, everything is in here." my mom said and I sighed.

"Hey, why is there a diaper packet on the dining table?" my dad yelled.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

"What do we tell him?" I whispered.

"A friend of Naina was here last night and she had a baby. It must be hers." my mom yelled back.

I left the breath I was holding. Just then, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and I shot my hand to my mouth to muffle the sound of me yell in pain.

"Not now!" I groaned.

"Dammit! These babies never know the right time. What do we do now?" Shiv panicked.

"I don't know! Just take me to the hospital, the pain is too much."

"Really? Your dad is just there." my mom said.

"I don't care! Just get me to the hospital. Grab the hospital bag from the closet." I said.

"Okay." Shiv said and picked me up to my feet. He put his hands around my shoulders for support and moved us towards the door.

I took a deep breath before he opened the door.

"I have the bag." mom said.

My dad's eyes widened when he saw us walking out the door. I was in labour and he didn't even know.

"Naina! What the hell is this!?" he yelled.

"Dad! not now please." I said and hurried off to the lift.

"What is this? When did this happen?" he followed us out.

"Dad! Will you stop! I am in labour right now. Telling you the whole story is not my priority right now." I yelled at him.

We all got into the lift and walked towards Shiv's SUV. My dad didn't shut up even for a second but all of us ignored him as I groaned in pain very frequently.

.

I heard the crying of the two babies I delivered in the room before I passed out from the pain. I don't remember a single thing that happened after that.

I was shifted into a personal room with both my babies in their cribs.

My eyes opened and I saw everyone sitting around in the room. I saw Shiv holding one of the babies in his hands and a tear slipped from his eye which he was quick to wipe.

I sat up and everyone moved towards me.

"Hey, how are you?" mom asked me.

"I am okay. Where are the babies?"

"Here. Mr. Kiaan." Shiv handed me our baby boy and went back to bring the baby girl. He handed me the other baby and they were both in my arms, so tiny and red.

They slept so peacefully and I just watched them with a smile and didn't even realise that I was in tears.

"Our babies." I said with a smile to Shiv and he kissed my forehead.

"Okay, now who will tell me what just happened." my dad asked, getting impatient.

"Congratulations dad. You are a grandpa now." I said to him with a smile.

"Yeah, I saw that. But how exactly did that happen?" He asked me and Shiv told him the story while I sat there and admired my children.

"What about the wedding?" he asked.

"What part of 'Ashwin is gay and Naina is the mother of Shiv's children' did you not get?" my mom said to him.

"I don't know what to say. I do not approve of this."

"But the babies are here already. You are a little late for disapproval." mom said with an eye-roll.

"Dad, just come here." I called him and he hesitantly walked towards me. "Here." I said to him and held out Keya for him to hold.

He held her delicately and looked at her sleeping peacefully.

"She looks like you did when you were born." he whispered with a smile.

"She is cute right? Do you still disapprove?" I asked him.

"Yes. This is all crazy! You both are not even married." he exclaimed.

"So what? We are happier this way. We will get married someday when we are ready. You rushed into marriage and look where that got you." I said and pointed to mom. "Dad, we love each other and now we have these babies. We don't need reasons or excuses to love each other like you did. Our love is unconditional."

"I don't know." he said with uncertainty.

"Dad, you said to me that you don't care about what others think anymore."

"I guess you are right." he whispered.

"Thank you, dad." I smiled.

Sanjana rushed into the room, followed by Shiv's parents.

"Oh my God! the babies are here!" Sanjana jumped and we all laughed as she took Kiaan from my arms.

"Congratulations." his father said to me and handed me a rose bouquet and his mom hugged me before taking Keya from my dad's arms.

Our family was finally complete. Keya, Kiaan, mom and dad, Shiv's mom and dad, Sanjana, Vivan and Ashwin. Me and Shiv.

A big happy family.