My Lover's The Sunlight...

Shubhaarambh

Keeping Aleya in a single place the moment she woke up in the morning proved to be an impossible task as she thrashed around mercilessly in Surya's arms, eager to see her father. Rishabh and Rahul somehow managed to get her brush her teeth, not before getting covered in saliva, tears, snot, toothpaste and water. "The pocket dynamite has given birth to a TNT", Rishu thought ruefully as he picked open the lock on Shubman's door. They had to cover their ears at the squeal, as the little girl ran so fast inside the room that she could have defeated Mahi bhai between the stumps. Leaning behind the door, the three not-idiots kept watch on the proceedings of the room.

Ishan forgot all about Shubman the moment he got his jaan in his hands, "Good morning, beta. Slept well?" "Hmm. Sky chachu aur RaRa chachu ne apki bachpan ki story sunayi." The two mentally face-palmed as the child had thrown them under the bus. "Konsi wali?" "Jisme aap ne ShuShu ko kawachat ke din paani pilayi." "Hey Bhangwan. Satyanash kar diya inn bewakoofo ne!" Ishan lamented in his mind. His mind suddenly focused on the other bewakoof. Why had Shubman not spoken yet?

Oh! How could he? Look - does the guy who has fainted again seem familiar? "Yeh ShuShu hai?" "Ha." "Yeh so kyu rahe hain?" "Yeh bohot lazy hain beta." "Apse bhi zyada?" "Merese bhi zyada... Kya bola apne, mein lazy hun?" Ishan showed her his puppy dog eyes coupled with the pout while the three behind the door shuddered to imagine if a person would ever be able to regain his sanity if the not-yet-family in the room subjected them to their collective pouts. Aleya ignored her father and started shaking Shubman, "Chachu, chachu, uth jao. Subah ho chuki hai!" But it was in vain. Seeing no other option was available, Ishan grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and sprinkled a few drops on Shubi's face, who woke up with a start.

He sat up suddenly, hitting Ishan's nose in the process. Well, the bump was a loud one as the three spies flinched when they heard the crack. Ishan's nose will be bruising over in a few hours, but the shorty just grunted. "Papa, aap thik ho?" Aleya was scandalized as to how someone could hurt her dear little father. She turned on Shubman with a furiously adorable face and climbed up on his lap. Grabbing his t-shirt, she shook him as much as she could, "Papa ko sorry bolo. Jaldi." Shubman obeyed like a little kid himself, "Sorry Ishu. Meine jaan buchkar nahi kiya." "Pata hai. Ab Aleya Shubman uncle ko tang maat karo." 

Finally the Prince's brain focused on the child on his lap. She was ethereal, like a cherubin descended from heaven - her flawless skin that she definitely inherited from her father, her cute little nose that resembled Ishan's in every proportion, her face shape, but he noticed her eyes. Strangely her eyes seemed very similar to Shubman's mother and the boy had heard enough of the compliments that he got his mother's eyes. She even had dimples like him and his cute smile. "What the fuck am I thinking about!", he chastised himself mentally. Perhaps in another world, Aleya could have been his and Ishan's daughter but in this one, a faceless woman had given birth to her. Shubman didn't know why his heart ached so much at the thought. 

He stole a glance at Ishan's hands, fearful of the glinting of an unfamiliar ring on the familiar hands, but there was none. The tension seeped out of his body as Aleya introduced herself to him. He was just an uncle to her now, but he hoped he would be more in the future, if she and Ishan allowed him. It was then, Ishan gasped, "Aapne yeh kya pehena hai beta?" Shubman's eyes focused on the brown mutilated t-shirt she was wearing. Sprouts of doubt reared up in his head and turning her a bit to the side revealed the AMIRI logo and the smudge of tea Ishan had left on the cloth. It was one of the very first items in their shared wardrobe from five years back and Shubman loved the shirt to pieces. "RaRa chachu ne yeh dress pehnayi. Kya mein achhi nahi lag rahi hun?" Ishan was dumbfounded as to how KL got his hands on the shirt. The culprit confessed, "Meine parso yeh t-shirt laundry ke liye bheja tha, par wapas lena bhul gaya." "Tune ab tak isse sambhal ke rakkha hai?" 

Shubman sat up straighter, "Kehna kya chahta hai tu, yeh hamari yaaden hai Ishan, aise kaise chhod sakta tha inko. Tu ruk ek minute." Delivering Aleya back to her father, he got up to retrieve the blue satin shirt from his suitcase and threw it on Ishan's face. Someone was really practicing bowling as it hit straight on Ishan's hurt nose, "Jaan lega kya meri?" "Teri yeh shirt aaj 5 saalo se saath lekar ghum raha hun." Their statements came in sync. Shubman hurried back to bed as Ishan removed the fabric from his face, bending to fret over the area which was rapidly turning a dark purple, "Zyaada lag gayi ha." "Ha, bohot lagi hain mere papa ko. Now, aap will kiss it better." The taller man looked at him with questioning and hopeful eyes but a high pitched voice interrupted Ishan, "Jab mujhe dard hota hai, toh papa kiss karte hain aur dard gayab ho jaata hai. Aapne papa ko hurt kiya na, toh chummi dedo, jaldi jaldi." 

Shubman leant in even closer to Ishan so that they were breathing the same air. The former cricketer's eyes fluttered close, as his heart beat a thousand times a minute. Mr. Gill came so close that his breath tickled Ishan's forehead. "I am sorry, Ishu, for hurting you all this time", the plea was but a whisper sealed with a feather light kiss on the bridge of Ishan's nose. The three men who were snooping on their fellows had their mouths covered, as all three of them squealed internally like school girls watching Thai bl drama kissing scenes for the first time. The first step of their plan was a great success, all credits to Aleya. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

Kaisa laga? Expect nahi kiya tha na, ki yeh ho jayega? Second step kya hona chahiye, comment.

Pehle hi update de deta, par sara din Ishman/Shubish reels dekh kar guzaar liye. Ab bhukh lagi hai. Chalta hun.

Enjoy, Adiraj.