Page 166 of Sumanika

"Aaeeeeee, aaaaaaaatttttaaaaaaattttttaa, ummmmmmmmm,"

"Awww, baby, calm down; she will be back. Do you want to eat something sweet?" I asked, trying to divert her attention.

She made faces, and I wiped away her fake tears. "Awww, did you have a bad dream? Don’t worry, your Baapusa will take care of all the demons," I murmured slowly, but she turned her gaze toward theladoos.

"Taaaaaattttoooooooooooooo, Aaaaaaaattttttttaaaaattaaaaaa," she cried out, leaning toward them.

I sighed and put her down, watching as she reached for theladooplate with her little hands.

I smiled, sitting beside her. "Oh, you want to make sweets for your birthday yourself?" I asked, returning to making the ladoos, listening as she babbled away.

"Aatttaaaataaaaaaaa," she said, tasting the ladoos and messing her fingers up.

"How does it taste, Princess?" I asked with a smile.

She looked at me wide-eyed and smiled as she savored the sweets.

Like uncle, like niece—always hungry for sweets.

A crimson blush crept onto my cheeks, recalling some of our sweet encounters. Suddenly, the princess crawled, placing her hands on my thighs to lift herself up.

“What happened, baby?" I asked, feeling her place her hands on my shoulder and back. Suddenly, my dupatta slipped down, and I chuckled.

"What are you doing, my Princess?" I asked, feeling her tiny hands on my back, taking help to walk a little.

She fell to her bum.

"Aatttttaaaaaatttttaaaaaaa," She cried, and I laughed a little.

I never understood what this meant.

I focused on making ladoos while I felt her tiny hands on my back, trying to lift herself to her feet again. Her fingers hooked in my blouse, and suddenly, I thought, she hung on the string of my blouse and pulled it open.

"Princess," I immediately exclaimed, and the blouse loosened even more as I tried to turn behind.

I looked at her, and she smiled, showing her small little teeth, and did again.

"Aaatttaaaattaa,"

Then she turned her head away and laughed, slapping her hands on the floor, and I heard a slight chuckle.

I froze.

My heartbeat stopped as I lifted my gaze and looked at him, sitting two meters away, smiling at the Princess. His hair had grown longer, and he appeared even more muscular. I gulped, taking in his black attire.

Was it a dream?

Suddenly, he lifted his gaze to look at me, and thousands of butterflies erupted into my stomach. The goosebumps appeared, staring into his green orbs shining bright in the sunlight.

He pulled Princess into his arms, and I shivered when I heard Ranaji's voice.

"Agastya, you are back?"

I immediately pulled my dupatta and ran from there.

Princess' voice faded. "Luuuuullllllllllllllll, taaaaaataaaaaaaaaaaa,"

I hid in the corner and held a passing attendee's hand to ask her to tie my blouse's strings.

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