Page 246 of A King's Oath

“Mama and I have lots of PJs but they are girl PJs and very small for you so you can sleep in your shirt and pants for today. But get your PJs tomorrow, ok? Only today, Mama? Please? He will get his PJs tomorrow.”

“Mama?” Samarth pushed.

“Fine.”

“Yay, yay, yay!” Brahmi hopped to the floor and did a little jiggle dance. “I will bring my storybook and take you to your room, ok, Sam?”

“Ok,” he laughed, looking at her run. Then they were alone in the hall and he sat back beside Ava, staring straight up at the ceiling like she was — “You have some debts you owe me. Would you like to pay them while I am in my day clothes or after I am changed into my night suit?”

“You don’t have a night suit.”

“Birthday suit. I remember you having a particular fondness for it.”

He screamed when a hand landed on his throat.

“What happened, Papa?!” A sweet voice called out from her room.

41. Ponytail Expert

Samarth woke up to the sweet lilts of Radha-Krishna Namavali. The bed was strange, the light strange, the windows strange. But the happy, chirpy noises downstairs were his and Radha-Krishna Namavali was definitely his to start a morning. He rubbed his eyes and sat up straight, scratching the back of his head.

“He sleeps so late…”

“Youwoke up early.”

“Still…” a pause. “Can I go and wake him?”

“No.”

“Just check?”

“No.”

“A peep?”

“No.”

Samarth smiled, checking the time. He had slept later than he did in Nawanagar. Probably because after years, there remained nothing in life that he wanted and didn’t have. Ava’s house cocooned him, his daughter slept in its safety, Ava was marginally at peace in her room. Even if he hadn’t gotten toshare their rooms, he had still known that he shared their home. Becauseonly family shared a home.

His door handle rattled and he fell back on the bed, eyes closed. The door creaked open and his little daughter said in a loud voice — “He is still sleeping.”

“Brahmi!” Ava whispered-screamed.

“He sleeps like me, see?”

Did she sleep spread like a star? Because he had stretched out haphazardly at the rattle of the door. Samarth now wanted badly to see her sleep. Footsteps came closer to him, tiny ones. He felt the presence of her tiny head over his, her breath. And he lunged.

“Aaaaaah!” She squealed as he grabbed her and tickled her sides. Her little giggles were precious. So precious. He laughed, rolling her in bed with him and tickling her like there was no end.

“Sam!” She laughed, trying to push her fingers under his chin. He wasn’t ticklish. But that was a secret for another time. “Papa!” She squealed, trying to tickle back. Samarth stopped, panting, holding her on his chest as she kept wiggling her fingers under his chin. She sat up on his chest and poked.

“Papa, get tickled!” She commanded. He laughed, slave to her command. He caught Ava in the periphery of his vision, in her lounge clothes, hair up in a bun, AirPods on.

“Are you on a call so early in the morning?”

“I have a call with Tokyo in five minutes. The towels and toiletries are stocked in the bathroom, I haven’t made breakfast yet…”

“Go, I’ll take care of it.”

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