YOU AND ME

Ayush

As we all sit down at the breakfast table, I can hear Priyanka’s little voice calling out excitedly, “Aunt Amina! Aunt Amina!” She’s giggling, her small feet pattering across the floor as she races towards Amina, who’s setting down the last of the breakfast plates.

Amina immediately turns, smiling brightly as she crouches down to give Priyanka a big hug. “Well, good morning, my little dragon! Are you ready for the day?”

“I’m ready for the dragon cup! And the dragon pancakes!” Priyanka says with such excitement, her eyes practically sparkling.

Amina laughs, squeezing her a bit tighter. “Oh, you’re in luck, sweetheart! I made dragon pancakes just for you! And there’s waffles, bacon, and eggs. I even got the syrup ready to pour over your pancakes. Come on, sit down here, and I’ll feed you. Would you like that?”

“Yes!” Priyanka cheers, climbing up onto her chair, swinging her legs back and forth. “And today, I wanna spend the night here!”

Amina’s face softens, and she brushes a hand over Priyanka’s hair. “I know, I’d love that too. But your mom said she needs you today. How about this? Tomorrow night, you, me, and Uncle Ayush will have a sleepover. Just us three. How does that sound?”

Priyanka nods eagerly, her face beaming. “Okay, Aunt Amina!”

Amina grins and picks up a pancake, cutting it into tiny pieces before carefully feeding Priyanka one bite at a time. Priyanka seems so content, happily munching on her pancakes while Amina wipes a little syrup off her cheek with a napkin.

I can’t help but smile at the sight, leaning closer to Amina. “You need some food in your stomach too, you know. Here, let me take over Priyanka for a minute.”

Amina gives me a soft smile and hands over the fork. “Alright, Mr. Uncle, take good care of our little dragon.”

As I start feeding Priyanka, Dev scoffs from across the table, his voice filled with disdain. “All this fuss for a kid that’s not even yours. Trying a bit too hard, aren’t you?”

Amina’s face tightens, and she immediately glances toward Priyanka before responding in a measured voice, “Not now, Dev. There’s a child here.”

But Dev’s words seem to stir something in Mom, who’s sitting nearby, watching with a sour expression. She leans in, her voice low but sharp. “You know, Amina, sometimes I wonder if you’re more of a curse than a blessing. I’d hate to see your bad influence rub off on Priyanka.”

I feel my jaw clench, but before I can even respond, Amina stays calm, keeping her attention on Priyanka. She doesn’t dignify the comment with a reaction, only a subtle, controlled nod. I take a deep breath, gathering Priyanka’s plate and standing up.

“You know what?” I say, looking between Dev and my mother, “We’re done here. Me, Priyanka, and Amina will be seeing you all later. I’ll drop Priyanka at school on my way to the office.”

I turn to Raj, giving him a warm smile. “We’ll meet you later. You have some files to take care of here first, meetyouattheoffice.”

She nods, and we both make our way toward the door. Just as Amina steps outside, Fluffster, comes bounding over, tail wagging as he runs straight to her, paws up and all. Amina laughs, bending down to give him a scratch behind the ears.

“Oh my gosh, Fluffster! Did you miss me?” she coos, lifting him up into her arms.

Dev rolls his eyes from behind us. “Leave my dog alone, Amina.”

Amina raises an eyebrow, not missing a beat. “Excuse me? I didn’t call Fluffster over. Your dog came to me all on his own. Looks like he loves me more than you.”