I Found You

1.

"Gudiyaaaa"

{Doll}

Lighting the candle on the cake, I turned around to find my brother eagerly waiting on the kitchen doorstep, clutching the gifts in his hands.

"Gudiya, it's already 11:57 pm. What's taking you so long?"

Balancing the cake in my hands, I made my way towards him, while his shiny gaze was still locked on the cake.

This boy and his love for sweets.

"Just hold on for two more minutes bhaiya, and then it is all yours. Now quit romancing  the cake and take the lead." I teased.

He scrunched his nose and began to make his way out of the kitchen, with me trailing him, closely behind.

We maintained a hushed silence as we tip-toed towards the room adjacent to the dining hall, where the soft glow of the dim lights welcomed us.

As we twisted the doorknob and stepped in into the room, we were surprised instead of giving one. My brother and I exchanged glances, while a sigh left our mouths.

We turned our head to the front when we heard the sound of laughter coming from the person sitting in the rocking chair with a book in his hands.

"This is not done papa, at least you could have acted surprised. How do you always know?" I placed the cake on the square shaped table, adjacent to the recliner.

Rosing up from his seat, he kept his book on the TV panel, with his reading spectacles before taking his steps to where I was standing and took me in a side hug.

"Because I knew my Gudiya will not sleep before wishing me ever."

I looked up at his smiling face and quickly sent a prayer to Mahadev to keep my father happy and healthy always.

"All the love for your Gudiya only, nothing for me." My brother said, making a puppy face as he kept the gifts on the bed before walking to us.

"Awww, is my not so cute brother jealous?" I stuck my tongue out, wrapping my arms around my father's figure.

"Jealous of you? huhh, don't forget that you are adopted. That's why papa always shows you more affection." This time he teased.

He rubbed the spot on his arm, he earned a smack on,  from papa. Well, this is what you get in return if you mess with a girl in front of her father.

My father is super possessive and protective of me, and so is my brother. I have been their laadli since childhood, being the only girl child in the family.

Smiling at papa, we both hugged him from each side. "Happy Birthday Papa."

In return, he gave us his blessings, putting his palms on our heads and pressed a quick peck on both of us forehead.

"Now, come on, Paa. Cut the cake already. I can't hold back any longer. I can't wait, It's just too tempting." My brother exclaimed, clapping his hands with the enthusiasm of a 2-year-old.

Who will believe this guy is 25 years old?

Papa blew out the birthday candle, and then the three of us joined hands to cut the cake together. It's our special tradition, whether it's my birthday, my brother's, or papa's.

We took turns feeding each other the cake. First, we fed papa, then he fed me. My brother didn't need any help because he was already happily munching on the cake.

"Don't look at me like this, guys. Is it my fault that it is my most favourite blueberry cheesecake." Taking a seat on the recliner chair, he licked his fingers clean, wiping away all the cream.