Page 43 of Always With You

“I did. Any problem?” her mom retorts.

“I guess no, Darling.” He shrugs his shoulders. I smile at the change in his demeanour. But my happiness is short lived with his next sentence. “Darling, how about Ranveer and I take care of the dessert?”

Alisha’s mom frowns. “But you said we will order it from outside.”

Alisha’s dad leans back in his chair and looks at me. “I did but then I thought this would be a good way of bonding with my son-in-law.”

“That’s so thoughtful of you, Dad,” Alisha says as I snap my head over to her.‘Please don’t incite his plans, Alisha.’But my wife doesn’t hear my silent plea as she continues, “I think mom and I can catch up on some girly gossip while you boys take care of the desserts. Is that okay with you, Ranveer?” she asks as she turns towards me with hopeful eyes.

“What do you say, Son?” The smirk that spread across her father’s face says it all. He won this round, but I will be damned if he is going to win round two.

“I love the suggestion. I so want to soak in some father-son time,” I reply. Instantly, Alisha’s face glows with happiness, making it creditable for me.

The ladies then move to the balcony, while I follow her grumpy dad to the kitchen.

The next one hour is stressful in the kitchen, to say the least. Nonetheless, we… no, let me correct… I manage to bake Alisha’s favourite cake, with her father standing at one corner, giving me the list of instructions which I choose not to follow.

“Ranveer, the cake is yummy. I bet my husband has no hand in this.” Alisha’s mom says with her mouth full after she takes a big bite of the piece of cake.

We are done with our dinner and sitting back in the living room with our desserts.

I look at Alisha’s dad, and am almost positive that I can see steam coming from his ears. “Thanks, Mom but it’s all because of Dad’s suggestions that helped me make this.”

His mouth pinches into a scowl. “At least you can cook.”

I would have given anything to do a fist pump and flaunt the fact that I proved myself in this regard. However, that was a pipe dream. Seeing that pout on his face was the next best thing, I guess.

“Dad, it’s getting late we should go home.” Alisha suggests beside me.

At last! Sounds like music to my ears. Yes, let’s go home.

“Just a few more minutes, Baby, your mom will make us some coffee,” her dad requests.

I groan internally. It’s not that I don’t enjoy her dad’s company, I just hate the fact that he is judging me every moment. To top it, he also does make it pretty damn clear every single time that he is not happy about our wedding.

Alisha smiles and nods her head as she turns towards me. “Is it okay with you if we stay for a few minutes?”

With a wide fake grin, I say, “As you wish, Wifey.”

Her dad tilts his head and looks at me intently. I am positive he saw my reaction, because he shoots me a smirk. Fine. You won this one, grumpy old man.

Alisha claps her hands. “Oh, I am having a great time!”

Just hearing those words from my wife’s mouth makes me feel that it’s worth the torture to stay in his presence.

Chapter 18

Alisha

“I am still not happy with the idea, Princess,” Dad grumbles as he sits at his desk opposite me.

It’s after eight in the evening, and I am here at his bar, helping him sort out the balance sheet. In the past few minutes, I have learnt that he isn’t a great book-keeper. He still manages them manually instead of using a laptop. Also, he is worrying so much about remodelling and bringing the new menu to the bar that he has neglected working on the accounts. A few columns in the balance sheet are not even tallying.

I look up from the piles of paperwork I am sifting through and smile at him. “Dad, I have got this.” I assure him as my eyes roam around his office. Dad’s office is so much like him. Elegant, contemporary décor with classic artwork on the wall.

“Why the hell do I have to learn how to use a laptop at this age?” he asks as he struggles moving the mouse while staring at the screen, a bit baffled.

“That’s because, with time, you need to update yourself, old man,” I tease and wink at him. “And also, if you scan your inventory bills, you can attach them to the excel sheet where you keep a track of your expenses. This allows you to go paperless and still have all the required documentation,” I explain as if I am talking to a child.

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