Page 32 of A King's Oath

“Bhaiya, teen plate poha, do puri-aloo, and Kresha — please place your own order,[1]” Ava pointed.

“Toast without butter. Brown mat karna.”

Ava rolled her eyes — “Haan do toast bina butter. Aur poha ke saath sev. Aur… anaar hai?[2]”

“Nahi, madam.[3]”

“Chalega, itna leke aaiye, please. Anything else, guys?[4]” She prompted again to their group of six huddled together on a small wooden table. The tiny roadside joint in the centre of Badri town was stuffed to the brim but so warm. And the scents of hot food and frying savouries overpowered everything else for their grumbling stomachs.

All answers came in negative, Harsh’s came as a grunt with his teacup raised high.

“Bhaiya, ek aur chai,[5]” Ava understood and relayed. Samarth sat back pleasantly surprised at how easily she had picked up that cue. He sipped his own tea, relishing the spicy taste but also missing his usual hot milk with chocolate powder. That had been his staple forever. He began to tell that to Ava, unable to contain any words inside him after the experience she had shared with him some time ago.

The darshan, the aarti, that ethereal atmosphere. She had not only shared that with him but revelled in it, cherished it, and in turn, multipliedhisexperience. Now he wasn’t shy of telling her anything. Even his chocolate-milk drinking habit.

“What’s the plan now, guys?” Gopi slapped the table in excitement before he could open his mouth.

“Kresha Kumari wanted to visit Valley of Flowers,” Kirti Didi announced.

“But she wants to go there for sunset, right?” Gopi poked her bicep.

“I just want good photos, at whatever time of the day!” Kresha declared, blowing delicately on her tea.

“Then let’s go now!” Ava suggested. “It’s just 7.30. The light will be good till 9 or 10. Then the sun will be heavy.”

“Done!”

“Done!”

Ava glanced at him and Samarth nodded.

“You wanted to visit somewhere else?” She whispered. “Sorry I hijacked it like that.”

“No,” he smiled. “I love you hijacking things. Right from my window seat.”

Her eyes widened. She glared at him, her cheeks heating up. Samarth lifted her teacup and handed it to her, allowing her to hide her face behind the huge sip she pretended to slurp. Very un-princess-like. But nobody cared. Nobody was prince or princess or chaperone or guard here. They were all their own persons, not the best of friends but at ease after one night spent in close confines driving.

“Eehh?” Harsh called out to him. He made quick gestures with his hands and everybody’s eyes ping-ponged between them. Samarth’s eyes widened — “Who? Papa? He called you directly?”

Harsh nodded, holding up his phone with the call log.

“Didn’t you tell him we have a group with us?”

Quick hand gestures that now Samarth read as fast as he processed the spoken word. Samarth sighed, then let out a laugh.Classic Rawal,he mouthed. Harsh joined in, opening his hands in a helpless gesture.

“What?”Ava shook his shoulder. “What happened?”

Samarth looked at her, then at the rest of the group — “You guys mind returning by helicopter?”

“What?” “Why?” “Not at all, man!”

“Why helicopter?” Kirti didi asked, not to him but to Harsh.

“Rawal, my father, has arranged for a helicopter to take us back whenever we are done here. He says that after a night of driving, it is not safe to drive back immediately on no sleep.”

“What about our car?”

“He has sent a driver to pick it up and deliver it to school.”

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