Aurous Charms

18| Playing the Game

Published on 8th September 2024.
________________________________

Another chapter is here.

Okay, so first of all, "Yours, With Love" was trending this entire week in the top 5 in India, on 7th September, it was #1 😭

I was in class, and my phone was filled with notifications when I picked it up. Literally 1k notifications in an hour?! 😭😭

Let's move back to the chapter.
Do share your lovely comments.
(Please do inline comments, they're easily visible to everyone)
I love reading them.

The chapter is unedited.
Have a happy read!

♡ Come on, baby, don't you hurt me anymore
I'm not the same way that I was before
I got goosebumps all over me
When you're around, hard for me to breathe ♡

- A K R I T I -

The sun streamed through the windows, bathing the living room in a warm glow as I sat on the floor with Adit. His tiny hands were clumsy but eager as he tried to draw a straight line with his crayon, his tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Mumma, look! Circle!" He exclaimed, holding up his drawing with pride.

I smiled, running my fingers through his soft hair. "Very good, sweetheart! You're getting so much better."

Adit beamed at the praise, his big brown eyes shining with joy. His tiny fingers continued to work diligently. I loved watching him like this - so focused, so happy. It made all the stress and chaos of life feel worth it.

I had taken the day off to be with him, and it felt like a much-needed break from everything else in my life. We spent the morning practicing words, drawing shapes, and reading stories. His laughter filled the room, and I felt the tension ease from my shoulders.

"Can we build a house next, Mumma?"

"Of course," I said, "Let's build the biggest, best house ever." The next thing I saw was us being surrounded by a sea of colorful blocks, carefully stacking them into a tall tower.

We spent the next hour engrossed in play, the living room floor slowly transforming into a miniature city of blocks, complete with houses, roads, and even a little park for his toy cars. Adit's laughter filled the room, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Mumma, house needs a roof." He pointed out, holding up a red block.

"You're right." I agreed, taking the block from him and carefully placing it on top. "There we go. Perfect."

He clapped his hands in delight. "We did it, Mumma!"

"We sure did." I said, pulling him into a tight hug. His small arms wrapped around my neck, and I held him close, savoring the warmth of his embrace.

Just then, my phone buzzed on the table, pulling me out of the moment. I glanced at the screen and saw Shlok's name flashing. My heart sank a little. A part of me didn't want to answer, didn't want to deal with whatever new chaos he was about to drag me into.

But I knew I couldn't ignore it forever.

"Wait here, Adit." I said, gently releasing Adit from the hug. "Mumma needs to take this call."

He nodded, returning to his blocks as I picked up the phone and walked towards the balcony. The warm breeze rustled my hair as I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered, sliding the glass door shut behind me.

"Akriti, hey." Shlok's voice came through the line, sounding a bit rushed. "Sorry to bother you, but I need a favor."