I [Kind of] Hate You

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

18 weeks later

"Devvvv, wake up!" Sonakshi whispered as she shook her husband's shoulder.

"Baby, go back to sleep, it's too early for work," Dev mumbled sleepily, eliciting a pout from Sona.

Shoving his shoulder, Sona replied, "Duffer, I'm not waking you up for work, I'm having a craving and I can't fall back asleep. Please can you wake up?"

Dev groaned and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. "Ok jaan, I'm awake. What does my queen want to eat at... 12:30 in the morning today? I hope it's not something complicated like last time, it took me wayyyyy too long to find a place that would sell me tandoori chicken at 6 AM." He shuddered thinking about the incident that took place earlier that week, where he ended up begging a store owner to just sell him the past day's chicken at an inflated price so he could go home and sleep again.

"I'm sorry Dev, I keep waking you up and forcing you to go out and buy me food. I wish I could get these cravings at a normal time so I didn't ruin your sleep but I can't help it, I guess our little boy loves troubling me even before he's born. I promise in these last 2 weeks, or until he's born, I won't wake you up for a craving again," Sona replied. She truly felt guilty that she woke Dev up at odd hours and he would, without hesitation, buy whatever she craved and bring it home as fast as he could. He had been working hard for the past few weeks once Sona's exhaustion grew, making sure that both his and Sona's businesses were on track and taking care of Soha's needs and wants too.

"Hey, why are you apologizing to me? Sweetheart, I don't want you to hold back, I want you to tell me whenever you need something or want me to do something for you. I don't mind if I don't get much sleep, actually I should get used to it because I know we both won't sleep much once our little man in born. Now, what are you craving right now? I'll go and get it for you quickly."

"I want vanilla ice cream and buttery popcorn, but we don't have those things at home," Sona pouted. "I finished the last pint of ice cream and bag of popcorn yesterday when we watched that movie. God, why couldn't I have waited!" She added with a sniffle.

Dev sighed and scooted over towards Sona, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and kissing her forehead. "Arre¸ don't be sad! I'll quickly drive to the 7-11 nearby and get both for you. Do you want anything else? Chocolate, candy, chips, anything?"

"Can I come with you? I haven't been able to get out of the house in a while and I just want some fresh air. We can bring Soha and let her sleep in her booster seat too."

"Your wish, meri jaan. Would you like me to help you downstairs?"

"No no, I'll be fine. Go get Soha, hopefully she doesn't wake up." Sona replied, getting out of the bed slowly. Dev nodded and jogged downstairs, entering Soha's room and picking her up after wrapping her in her blanket. Recognizing his warmth, she immediately snuggled into her dad's chest, eliciting a smile on Dev's face. Within the span of a year, he had not only found out he had a 7-year-old daughter but had gotten so close to her that no one could even guess that they were apart for so long. And although his heart still stung when he thought about how he couldn't be there for her first milestones, his therapist had taught him to focus on creating new milestones with her instead of dwelling on the painful past.

Dev walked towards the front door, where Sona was standing eagerly with an emergency hospital bag next to her.

"Just in case the little man decides that he wants to be a part of this late-night family outing too. It's better to just keep this with us just to be prepared so we don't end up rushing to the hospital with nothing, right?" Sona said, Dev replying with a nod and opening up the front door.