"Baba," Hamza sleepily muttered, searching the bedroom for any signs of his father.
He sat up, his eyes darting across the dark room, he never liked the darkness unless he had his Baba with him. "Baba,"
Hamza slowly slid his feet onto the floor with difficulty, his height was small for a 6 year old, he nearly looked like he was at the age of 4. "Baba, 'm scared."
Hamza scurried towards the door and switched on the light, blinking repeatedly to adjust to the sudden brightness. His eyes teared up, where was his Baba?
He shuffled out of the room, holding onto the handrail and slowly climbed down the stairs, his feet pattering against the cold floor as he walked into the living room once he spotted the open lights.
"Baba?" Hamza whimpered. There was no sign of his Baba in this room either.
Hamza turned and made his way over to the front door, wiping the tears clumsily from his eyes, he tried to reach the handle to unlock it but it was too high for him. He let out a defeated sob, tapping on the door, thinking his father had gone out.
"Hamza?" Aayansh called out, stepping forward, "What are you doing here-Why are you crying, baby?"
"Baba," Hamza sobbed in relief, raising his arms and Aayansh immediately took him in his arms. "Shhh. What happened, sweetie? Why shed these tears, hmm?"
"Baba, I-I thought you 'eft me." Hamza cried out, wrapping his fist around Aayansh black t-shirt.
"I was in the bathroom, sweetie. Baba will never leave you on your own," Aayansh cooed, swaying slowly as he walked back to the living room.
"Baba," Hamza choked, the tears soaking into Aayansh's neck.
"Shh. I'm sorry that you were scared, baccha, but Baba wouldn't ever leave you." Aayansh comforted, taking a seat on the couch with Hamza on his lap.
He gently grabbed Hamza's chin and wiped the tears with his thumb, "I'm here now, baby. Stop crying, hmm? Do you want your choco milk?"
Hamza sniffled, blinking his eyes before he nodded his head, "Choco milkie?"
Aayansh smiled, leaning down and pressing a loving kiss to Hamza's head, before he stood up with his son in his arms to head towards the kitchen. "Do you want your milk in a cup or bottle, baby?"
"Bottle please, Baba"
"Of course, sweetie," Aayansh hummed, moving around the kitchen and preparing a bottle, he put a spoon of chocolate powder and then poured in the boiled milk that he had cooled down to some extent.
He brought his other hand around and tightly screwed the lid on the bottle before starting to shake it. His eyes found their way to the clock that displayed, 11:23 P.M. and he sighed, knowing that he had to revisit the presentation to check for any errors.
"Baba, Milkie," Hamza whined, softly chewing onto Aayansh's neck. He really was hungry but his Baba was too busy shaking the bottle.
"Shh. It's nearly ready, let's go to the living room," Aayansh said softly, bouncing Hamza in his arms, though he did start to walk towards the living room.
Sitting on the sofa, he tried to lay Hamza on the couch but the latter whined, "Nuh,"
"Okay, okay. I'm not going anywhere, calm down." Aayansh muttered, pouring a little bit of milk on his hand to check the temperature, and then he readjusted his child in his arms and brought the bottle to his mouth.
Hamza didn't waste a second and latched onto the bottle, drinking his yummy milk, while Aayansh occupied himself with running his fingers through Hamza's hair, caressing it occasionally.

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𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐝 ~ 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬
Short StoryThe One-shots revolve around the journey of a devoted single father navigating the complexities of parenthood and his deepening bond with his sons. Each story highlights the unique challenges and heartwarming moments they share, capturing the essenc...