Rent Free

13.Overstrung

"You'll always be the kid of the group," Rohit, still slightly perplexed by the revelation three weeks back, said over the video call.

"I have a kid now," Shubman replied as he leaned back on the couch, sitting on the carpeted floor.

The laptop was on the coffee table in front of him, displaying the faces of all his sworn brothers looking the same.

"You should've seen him when he found out, Harry bhai," his self-proclaimed second love, because cricket first, added to the conversation. "He nearly flooded the entire hotel."

"Shubi, you have to bring her when we're on tour," Shreyas emphasized. "I'm going to coddle her so much that you'll all know I'm her favorite uncle."

"Excuse you though," Ishan added again. "Her favorite uncle is right here."

"Ishu, get your eyes checked," he said in return. "Her favorite uncle is on the- Wait, which part of your screen am I on, Shubi?"

"The middle row," Shubman answered. "Right most side."

"Yeah, on the middle row, right most side," Shreyas finished.

"But on the middle row, right most side, it's Rahuliya for me," Virat chipped in.

As chaos ensued on deciding the favorite uncle, Shubman watched with a smile, just hearing them while your daughter crawled towards him.

She's been playing with her grandfather in the same room for the five minutes he's been on the video conference.

"Hey, baby," he mumbled with the same smile, bending down so that he could kiss her head.

He held her as she tried climbing the couch behind him, helping her up until she sat on one of his shoulders.

"Shubi, she does have your eyes," Surya spoke in the middle of the rucks, and inconsequentially reminded himself of Severus Snape's last words.

"Vami has to see Nini," Virat proceeded to get up from his chair. "I'll bring her," he said loudly from outside the camera frame.

"I'll bring Sammy," Rohit removed his AirPods hastily and ran off, while he could've just gone with them.

Shubman got his family right here. You, his daughter, with his parents and sister.

An earlier heaven. With his dorks-for-teammates.

And, gawd, he loves them.

-

"This one was his first birthday," Shahneel handed you another photograph, from one of the albums her mother rummaged through the shelves for.

"Now that I think about it, Nini really looks a lot like him," you observed and she nodded.

"I thought the same on her first birthday, but it didn't make sense to say back then," she said, taking another photograph in her hand.

"This was in fifth grade," one of Shubman's cousins handed you an album as she sat beside you.

"Is that really him?" You asked and she nodded. "Gosh, he's so cute."

He looked so adorable, with doe eyes, smiling.

Raising your head up, you found him down the hallway, on a call.

Sweatpants, a t-shirt that flexed his biceps perfectly, the outline of his chiseled chest, the shape of his jawline.

And that, my dear friend, is called puberty.

His eyes, as they fell on you, had a flirtatious glint when he noticed you were looking at him.

I'm telling you, puberty didn't just hit him. It freakin' crash landed on him.

Shubman's extended family, visiting him as soon as they heard the news, made sure that you knew everything embarrassing about him.

Nini warmed up to her grandparents pretty quickly, and was currently enjoying all the time with them, plus the spoiling in the past five days.

They made sure everything was ready for your arrival.

Including a space for work, since you've been let go only with permission to work from home for a couple of weeks.

"Y/n, I think she might be hungry," Shubman's mother walked to you, with your daughter in her arms. "Lakhi told me she kept bringing her fists to her mouth and moved her eyes beneath her eyelids."

Babies show signs of hunger in many ways, and they know.

"It's almost time for lunch," you said, more so to yourself before handing the photograph back to Shahneel.

Standing up from the couch, you made your way towards her, getting Nini in your arms.

You took her to the room upstairs, one that you've been sharing with Shahneel. You both insisted, seeing as you and Shubman made it clear that you'd actually only just started dating.

Once you were done feeding, she didn't fall asleep immediately like she would.

You tried, but she seemed more happy staying active.

"Mostly, patting her to sleep works," you told Shubman's cousin sister, the same age as you, as you sat on the edge of the bed. "Otherwise she wants to be carried around."

You watched as your daughter's movements calmed down a bit, only half-assuring you that she was going to dreamland anytime now.

At the same time, your phone which was on the mattress, vibrated and you turned your head towards it.

"Work," you let her know before grabbing the phone; it's usually on silent mode to avoid disturbing Nini. "Can you look after her? I'll be back soon."

She nodded and you left the room to attend the call.

His cousin stayed watching her niece, still awake, for a few minutes before her phone rang too.

She turned it off immediately to maintain the silence and looked at your one year old, close to falling asleep now.

"Maybe it's not a bad idea," she mumbled to herself, almost confident that Nini was asleep.

Almost.

And she left the room.