Chapter 38 #5
He still remembered sneaking out of his own house just to meet Aakriti. He had always dreamt of living with his sister peacefully under one roof, but life never fulfilled that wish. And now... he dreamed of living with his wife and daughter. Yet once again, destiny kept them away from him.
"I want to sleep hele(here) with you and mumma", Siya said, patting his chest happily.
Shaurya smiled at his daughter's innocent wish.
"If my Siya wants to sleep here, then she will. Chalo, today Dadda will come with you and mumma", he agreed instantly.
Siya squealed excitedly and jumped on him happily. Shaurya winced slightly in pain but still laughed seeing her excitement.
"Siya... Dadda will get hurt", Akansha immediately warned, holding her daughter's forearm carefully.
Siya instantly looked worried.
"No, I'm fine...", Shaurya said
"Tooth?" Siya asked nervously.
"What? Tooth? Which tooth, baby?" Shaurya asked in confusion, making Akansha chuckle at the adorable father-daughter conversation.
"Truth? Are you telling the truth?" Akansha translated for him.
Realization finally hit Shaurya.
"Yes, I'm telling tooth", he replied seriously.
Siya burst into giggles at her father's intentional mispronunciation.
"You know, every time I think I have finally learned your language, you and your mumma prove me wrong", Shaurya complained playfully.
Akansha smiled softly while Siya, despite not understanding anything, giggled happily when Shaurya pinched her nose affectionately.
"Okay, now let's go. We'll have dinner and then leave for home, okay? Today Dadda will tell you another Unicorn story", Shaurya told her excitedly.
"Yayyy... Uniconn... Yayyy..." Siya squealed again before bouncing excitedly in his lap.
This time Shaurya silently endured the pain without reacting. It still hurt, but he was scared Akansha would make Siya get down from his arms if she noticed.
"Dadda... Can we eat hele(here)?" Siya asked hopefully.
"Bilkul(absolutely)", Shaurya agreed immediately before asking Mrs. Sudha to send dinner upstairs.
Akansha quietly watched the father-daughter duo.
After dinner arrived, she started feeding Siya while Shaurya continued entertaining her with stories.
"Dadda... What's the name of this stoly(story)?" Siya asked curiously.
"Hmm..." Shaurya pretended to think deeply. "Phony: Unicorn & The Magical Adventure. Today we'll discover Phony's magical adventure."
Siya instantly jumped excitedly from her chair.
"Phony was a normal horse who lived with..." Shaurya started narrating dramatically while Siya listened with complete fascination, happily eating her food without any complaints.
After Siya finished dinner, Akansha and Shaurya ate quietly too before finally leaving for home.
"You know... you don't have to fulfill Siya's every demand", Akansha whispered softly while Siya remained distracted playing hand cricket with Suraj from the backseat.
"Her demands aren't unreasonable", Shaurya replied calmly. "I already failed to give her a normal childhood for four years. Now I just want to do my best. I want to fulfill everything that comes out of her mouth."
Akansha sighed faintly.
"What if one day she starts making unreasonable demands then?"
"She won't", Shaurya replied immediately. "Because you are raising her."
"I wish it were that simple, Shaurya", Akansha said quietly. "But some things are beyond upbringing. Children learn equally from their surroundings and friends."
She glanced at Siya lovingly before continuing,
"When your daughter grows up and realizes how much power her father holds, maybe someday she might ask for something unfair. Or maybe not herself... but her friends might influence her into asking for something unreasonable." Then she looked at him seriously.
"You need to learn to say no to her. You will say no to her, right?"
"You'll be there. You'll refuse her", Shaurya answered shamelessly.
Akansha glared at him instantly.
"Dadda... Suraj uncle is cheating!" Siya complained loudly from the backseat.
She was playing hand cricket with Suraj, who sat in the passenger seat.
"Suraj... How can you cheat in a game? Play fairly", Shaurya scolded seriously, making Siya giggle victoriously.
Akansha stared at him in disbelief.
"Did you cheat?" she asked Suraj directly.
Suraj immediately shook his head.
Akansha first glared at Shaurya and then at her daughter.
"Uncle is winning alwaych(always)", Siya complained dramatically.
"That doesn't mean he is cheating", Akansha corrected firmly. "It just means he knows how to play better than you."
The horrified expression on Akansha's face at her daughter's false accusations made Suraj struggle not to laugh, while Shaurya looked completely unapologetic.
Meanwhile, Siya immediately hid her face inside her father's chest to escape her mother's scolding.
"She'll understand in a few years. Let her be", Shaurya defended his daughter instantly.
And by the dangerous glare Akansha threw at him, he already knew he was definitely getting scolded later for encouraging Siya's antics.