Page 73 of Dear Daddy, Please Want Me

He had a similar chat with the owner of the Bangladeshi grocery store where he picked up some mango juice, a quart of olives from the barrel, and some homemade sweets. He got rasmalai, the soaked cheese balls in the milky cardamom juice, and something new he couldn’t remember the name of, though it looked pretty.

Halfway home, he realized that he was supposed to have texted Saul before buying the sweets.

Instead of feeling guilty or naughty, he felt joyfully light. He had a Daddy now to ask permission from.

He locked his bike up in the basement and brought everything upstairs.

The first thing he did was take out the two desserts, make sure the lighting was good, and take a picture.

Levi: Hey Abbale.

He had to teach his phone the new word, since he figured he’d be using it a lot. That Saul had thought about giving him a Hebrew nickname was endlessly touching. And using the nicknames in most places would feel a little bit like a secret world they were part of. Among Jews, they’d feel like an old married couple or something.

There was nothing he didn’t love about it.

He still needed to send the picture, of course.

Levi: I got these for us but I forgot to ask.

He added a blushing emoji to the end and sent it.

A moment later he got an answering chime.

Daddy: Thank you for telling me, baby boy. We’ll see if you’re good enough to earn them later.

Daddy: Be there in about twenty minutes, my simcha. Just heading out the door.

Levi sent back a heart emoji and then an angel. He was excited about the treats, but mostly he wanted to be a good boy.

And revel in Abbale calling him by two endearments in a row.

He was too excited to sit down, so he texted Christy.

Levi: Merry Christmas!

Levi: I forgot to tell Daddy that I bought treats, but he says that maybe I can still earn them.

He sent her the same picture.

She called back a moment later, jumping right into the conversation. “OMG. Did he say you could tell me about it, though?”

“Yep! Nothing too personal, but he knows you’re my best friend. And treats aren’t personal, right? Like, you’re going to see me do this every time I get a coffee.”

“You lucky dog.” Christy sighed.

“You’re just impatient. Saul already sent an email to Javier with all the details. I still think you should ambush Nikhil at the airport, cuff him, and take him home.”

“Nope. And don’t rush me. Nikhil needs time to get used to things.”

“Nikhil needs whips and chains.”

“Yes, but that’s after I lure him into my lair.”

He grinned. He knew she took Nikhil very seriously, but if she was joking, that meant she was feeling confident. “With whips and chains.”

“I plan to have a very professional meeting about dating in the workplace.”

“Just saying… you can have that meeting while he’s bent over your lap. I mean, it worked for me.” He was only partially joking. He knew that Christy would handle things responsibly, and she had a much more complicated situation to work through, since he was her direct supervisor and Nikhil was going to be shy. But the teasing would build her confidence.