CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: FISH KING

IVAN’S POV

By 6 a.m. on the dot, I was once again at Maeve’s door—what they didn’t know was that I hadn’t had a wink of sleep all night. The only ray of sunshine for me was spending the day with Asha—well, half of it.

"Bye, Mummy!" Asha waved enthusiastically, dressed for the occasion. "I’ll make sure to bring you a nice little fish."

"Alright, honey. I’ll be looking forward to it." She returned his wave with a big smile, and though her form was still sleepy, her expression hardened for a second when our eyes met—a silent warning in them: Asha must be safe.

We engaged in an awkward parting moment before I took Asha’s backpack from his grip and led the way down the hallway.

At the lake, Asha and I set up our seats and fishing gear right in front of the shimmering water.

There was a cooler on the ground, filled with bait.

In another cooler, there were canned sodas and water bottles. I had also organized a stash of chips and candy—things I knew he liked from our trip outside pack the other day.

Once our chairs were in place, we sat down.

I showed him how to latch the bait onto the hook, how to flick the fishing rod just right so the line danced out across the lake.

As anticipated, Asha seemed highly intrigued by all of it. His eyes were shiny with joy and wonder.

I watched his smile unfold, spreading across his entire face, and I knew I was smiling right along with him.

Being here, surrounded by the lake and the forest trees, none of my problems seemed to matter. In contrast to the endless emotions Asha stirred in me, they seemed insignificant. Minuscule.

"You’re awfully quiet today," Asha said, finally catching on to my reserved demeanor. "Something on your mind?"

"It’s nice of you to ask, buddy." I gave him a sidelong smile, letting a hint of mischief creep in. "If you must know, I’m just figuring out how I’m gonna catch way more fish than you without making you cry about it."

"That’s not gonna happen," Asha shrieked, a competitive glint in his eyes. "I’m going to catch more fish than you. I’m going to bring them all to Mummy."

"Is that so?" I narrowed my eyes at him, leaning in as if I was studying a dangerous opponent. "Alright, now I’m a little worried—you’ve got that face people wear before they march into an epic showdown."

"What’s an epic showdown?" Asha asked. Even though he had no clue what the word meant, it didn’t stop him from giggling.

"It’s like..." I tapped my chin, pretending to think hard. "When two fearless champions face off, and only one walks away with the glory—and maybe all the snacks."

"Oh. I see. It’s like when I play-fight with my action figures."

"Yeah," I chuckled, nodding toward his fishing rod. "Only this time, the lake’s our battle field, the fish are your opponents, and I’m the reigning champion you have to beat."

"Then get ready to lose this epic battle!" He grinned, gripping his rod. "Because I’m gonna catch so many fish, they’ll start calling me the Fish King."

"Big talk for someone so small," I teased back, nudging his shoulder with mine.

We leaned forward like two warriors at the starting line, laughing, rods in hand, each waiting for the first bite that would decide our little fishing championship. Eventually, we lapsed in a calming quiet and leisure.

"Ivan?" Asha called out softly.

"Yes, buddy?"

"Are you still not friends with Mummy?"

"What!?"

I inhaled sharply, caught off guard by the question. For a moment, I was short of words, but when his round eyes didn’t blink, I let out a nervous laugh.

"That’s a dangerous question, little man." My eyes slid to him, and despite myself, the corner of my mouth lifted. "Why do I feel like you’re trying to get me in trouble? Did your mummy say anything to you?"

"Not exactly," he shrugged. "I’ve just seen how the two of you act around each other."

He hesitated for a beat, as if unsure whether to continue.

"You’re pretty cool, Ivan. Mummy’s pretty cool too. She’s—she’s the prettiest and the best." He blushed at that last part.

Inwardly, I wondered where he was going with this, how long he’d been thinking about my strained relationship with Maeve.

"You’re right about that, Asha." I raised the corner of my lips in a half-smile. "Your mother is the prettiest."

I told myself I was only saying that to indulge his feelings. It was easier than confronting the truth.

"You should try being friends with her," Asha said firmly. "Mummy can be pretty fun when she’s not forcing me to study."

I smiled despite myself. "Is that so? Well, she is right to force you to study."

"Bleh! Studying is boring." He made a disgusted face, and I laughed.

"You need to study, just like your mother wants. It’s the only way you’re going to become a pilot."

"Really?" Asha actually sounded bummed about this.

"You know, I hated studying when I was your age, but I found a way to make it fun."

"You did?" He gripped his rod tightly, curious.

I nodded. "Yes. Back then, whenever it was time to study, I’d stack my toys around and pretend to host a study session. I would read out loud and explain everything to my teddies."

It was embarrassing admitting something so ridiculous out loud, but if it helped Asha, it was worth it.

"Whoa," he exclaimed between giggles. "That sounds fun."

"I know, right?" I gave him a smug little look, glad to have caught his interest.

"I can’t wait to try it out."

"Be sure to do that."

Still smiling, I used my foot to nudge the drink cooler open.

"Hey. Feel free to help yourself to a soda. There’s also chips and candy."

I presented the sugary goodness to my son and watched, amused, as his eyes lit up with excitement.

It took another half an hour before we felt our rods begin to move.

Asha shot out of his chair like a rocket. "I caught one! Ivan, I finally caught one!"

"Well, it’s about time," I laughed, reeling in my own line. "Now don’t just stand there bragging—reel it in before it changes its mind."

Asha obliged, copying my reeling movements. We plopped our catch into the cooler and cast our rods back into the lake a second time.

By the time we were ready to go, we had half a dozen fish wiggling around inside the cooler.

"This was fun," Asha said with a grin, handing me the last of the gear.

"Yeah," I returned his smile, feeling the truth of it. "It really was."

"We should do it again soon," he added, his voice dipping shyly—enough to give my chest a strange, unsteady pull.

"Count on it," I said. "But next time, you’ve got to promise me at least a dozen fish. Think you’re up for that, champ?"

I was only joking, but Asha seemed to take it far more seriously than I expected.

"Okay. I’ll do that," he promised.

"Okay then." I shook my head, a faint smile tugging at my mouth.

Maybe that’s why I almost missed the flicker of hesitation that crossed his face.

"Also... if you and Mummy are friends by then, maybe she can come too?" he asked, hope lacing his voice.

The question caught me off guard.

"She would love to come," he added quickly, giving me that wide-eyed look that made saying no feel impossible.

I glanced away, clearing my throat. "I don’t remember your mother being particularly fond of the outdoors."

Asha grinned. "No, she’s not—but I bet she’d love to hang out with us."

"I see." Another throat clear.

Damn it. Why was it so hard to tell this kid no?

"If she wants to come on our next outing... I guess she’s welcome."

Not exactly true—spending an entire day with an angry Maeve was nowhere near my idea of a good time.

But the way Asha’s whole face lit up at my answer almost made me forget that.

He rewarded me with the world’s largest beam.