Chapter Text
Shubman had spent the past week avoiding his mailbox like the literal plague.
He had a fairly decent job as a server in an Italian joint near his college till last month. It paid him well enough to cover the urgent bills and he had been saving for his tution as well.
But a customer apparently did not like how he poured them the wine and decided to leave a bad review.
And got all of their friends to do the same.
Despite how sweet the owners were, there was only so much they could do after thirty-seven bad reviews about a single server.
It wasn't like he had given up looking for a new job. But he was sure he wasn't going to be hearing back from the interviews he'd been to.
Any savings he had, all were gone into paying the utility bills and he was contemplating if he should sell his car.
It wasn't much- a third hand Corolla that he'd bought last year. It had seen better days, but Shubman was sure the money would help his situation a little.
"I found something you could do."
Shubman frowned in confusion as his best friend thrust the phone at him. It was open to a website called SugarHooks.
"What is this?" Shubman asked as he looked at the cheerful webpage decorated in pink and white.
Ishan rolled his eyes and took a large gulp of his iced coffee. "It's a sugar baby site, Shub. Figured you could get one to take care of this before you end up homeless."
Shubman's eyes widened and he looked at the screen again. He quickly shook his head and shoved the phone back to him.
"No way," Shubman sputtered. "I can't do that."
"I knew you'd say this," Ishan sighed loudly and took his phone back. "But it doesn't have to be bad. It could really help you."
Shubman shook his head firmly. He might not have money right now but he did have morals.
***
Turns out morals have to be adjusted when a person has no money.
Shubman clicked his tongue in annoyance as he scrolled through the website Ishan had shown him last week.
He had been dead against the idea till he got two nearly violent calls from people he owed money. He'd tried to sell his car but the old thing was worth less thana thousand bucks.
Asking for money from his parents back home was not an option. They couldn't know how bad his situation in Canada was.
He could ask Hardik for money to pay the bills this month, the elder would never refuse him. But he would definitely not let Shubman pay it back later.
And after a notice of rent due to be paid from the landlord, Shubman was running out of options.
So, he decided to check out an article on 'sugar baby websites' to weigh the pros and cons. If he had any doubts about the decision, the overflowing mailbox was quick to convince him.
He had filled his information into the website Ishan had showed him but groaned when he realised it required payment for registeration.
"Inne paise hote toh main yeh sab thodi karta?" Shubman snorted out loud and decided to try another website.
SugarDaddyForMe
Shubman squinted through his glasses and clicked on the site. The first question asked him whether he was a daddy or baby. He quickly filled out the option for gay, sugar baby, male. He entered his birthday and email before deciding on a simple username.
babyboy07
He rolled over as he wondered what age range he wanted. He didn't want it to be too big, he thought and settled on 25-45.
Most of the people scrolling on the website were looking for sugar daddies, Shubman realised with annoyance and put his phone down with a loud huff.
He was about to grab a snack when the phone buzzes beside him and he quickly opened it.
daddyab
hey there
babyboy07
hi
daddyab
what's your name sweetheart?
babyboy07
shane
yours?
daddyab
abhi
Shubman instantly sat up straight. The last thing he'd expected was to find someone Indian on this site.
babyboy07
you're indian?
daddyab
yeah
how did you know?
wait nvm
the name is a dead giveaway
Shubman found himself smiling at the phone instantly.
babyboy07
i'm indian too !!
punjabi
daddyab
no way
i'm punjabi too
i could've never guessed with your name
babyboy07
lol
my name is actually shub
He didn't want to give his full name yet, Shubman decided and went with the shorter version.
daddyab
makes sense
what's a sweet boy like you doing on a site like this?
babyboy07
taang khich rahe ho?
what does anyone do on a site like this?
daddyab
arey nahi i was just asking
what are you looking for? specifically?
Shubman wanted to be nonchalant and mysterious. Especially since the guy was Punjabi too. But he was desparate and as much as he hated what he was doing, he didn't have many options.
babyboy07
honestly batau?
daddyab
yes please
babyboy07
i've got a ton of bills piling up and i got fired last month
i need to cover my tution too so i'm doing whatever it takes now
Shubman bit his lips nervously as he sent the text. A few minutes passed without a response and Shubman was sure he'd fucked it up.
Abhi was probably hoping for some sensual answer, an erotic backstory but instead he got this. No one wanted his sob story, Shubman sighed and laid back down on the bed.
But then his phone vibrated.
daddyab
how much are the bills?
Shubman had not expected this. He had not expected a text back at all. Before he answered, he tapped on Abhi's profile.
The profile picture was a picture of his upper body, dressed in an expensive looking all black suit and a sparkly Patek on his wrist. His location was off, Shubman pouted.
He was 27, five years older than Shubman. How bad could it be?
babyboy07
not sure tbh
probably a couple ks? at least
daddyab
damn that's a lot
what happened?
babyboy07
its hard to find a job that doesn't disturb my classes
i had one but it ended last month
can't ask money from home, they've done too much already
daddyab
what do you use? venmo? apple pay?
babyboy07
what do you want in return?
daddyab
nothing, baby
i just like taking care of pretty little boys
it's my 'thing'
Shubman looked at his phone and then looked at the stack of bills on his desk.
babyboy07
shub7 venmo
Shubman hadn't even counted the bills yet. He hadn't given Abhi a number, so he didn't know what to expect.
He would honestly be happy with anything, Shubman shook his head and rolled on his stomach to hide his face in the pillow. He couldn't believe he had done this.
A notification lit up his phone and he opened it shakily.
Abhi paid you $15,000. Your Venmo balance is now $15,027.
Shubman almost dropped his phone on his face. He looked at the stack of bills again and shook his head, there was no way they would be even close to fifteen grand.
babyboy07
are you serious????
daddyab
of course baby boy
is it enough?
babyboy07
i don't really know how much i needed
but of course its enough
its probably MORE than enough
daddyab
then go pay the bills and let me know
babyboy07
what if i never text you again?
daddyab
then i'd have 15k less in my account lol
but i'm serious
pay the bills and lmk
Shubman quickly grabbed the stack of bills and started looking through them. It took him a while to find the accounts of all the people who'd lent him money but he paid them all online.
Even after paying his tution for the semester and the rent for next month, Shubman had around 4,000 left. This was the first time he had this mjuch money in his account.
babyboy07
thankkkyouuuu so much
how can i repay you?
daddyab
like i said, nothing
i just want to take care of you
babyboy07
i can't just take 15k and not do anything
please
i want to thank you properly
daddyab
okay
what are you comfortable with?
Shubman put his phone down and stared at his ceiling. He did not want to meet the guy, although he sounded really nice. He didn't think he was comfortable with anything like that yet.
He looked around his room and saw the crop top Riyan had lent him for a party last month. Shubman quickly slipped into the white crop top that ended right above his navel and dark blue boy shorts.
The shorts rode up enough to show the outer lining of his lace boxers as he arched in front of the mirror and he made sure to tug his crop top higher. He sent the picture to Abhi without thinking.
daddyab
fuck sweetheart
look at you
such a sweet little thing
Shubman found himself blushing and he quickly typed a thank you.
That was when Shubman expected it to turn sexual but Abhi didn't ask for anything more. Instead, he asked about his family, his college, where he lived in Canada.
Shubman wasn't sure how to feel about it but he answered honestly. His parents were farmers in Punjab, and he had an older sister. They lived in a village in Fazilka and had taken a loan to send Shubman to Canada.
daddyab
it must be hard for you
ghar ki yaad aati hogi bohot
Shubman felt a lump in his throat as he looked at the question and suddenly he was blinking back tears.
babyboy07
i haven't gone back in four years
whatever little i earn, i send it to them
wapas jaane ka sawal hi nahi hota
daddyab
what's your favorite indian restaurant in calgary?
Shubman was grateful at the change of subject. He wasn't sure if he could talk more about his home.
babyboy07
i moved here a year ago
haven't been to any good ones yet
:((((
daddyab
no way
you need to try out the butter chicken from bombay gate
and gulab jamun
babyboy07
you know a lot about restaurants here
do u live here?
daddyab
i travel between LA and calgary for business
but i've spent a lot of time there
studied there too
Shubman felt uneasy after that. He didn't know what to respond once he knew Abhi lived in the same city.
daddyab
i gotta go baby boy
work calls
but order something good from there, yeah?
Abhi paid you $500. Your Venmo balance is now $4,527.
Shubman's eyes widened as he took in the new notification and tried to text Abhi that it was too much but the man was already gone.
"Behenchod kitne paise hai iske paas?"