Page 76 of A King's Oath

“Why should she make me?”

Harsh shook his head, enraged. Samarth could see him torn between stating his not-so-subtle opinion on the ‘why’ and holding back in lieu of Maarani’s stature.

“Today your home is going to have fireworks,” Samarth changed the topic, grinning from ear to ear.

I am not going home.

“Good. Stay back here then. Hira ben will make us wagharelo rotlo.”

You eat wagharelo rotlo, I am going to Lakhotia Bazar to eat chowmein.

“Take me also!”

Harsh shook his head.

“It’s my birthday tomorrow!”

He shook his head again. He must be going with his rowdy gang then. Samarth forgot sometimes that Harsh had grown up rough and tough, in a rowdy neighbourhood with rowdy boys. He was also seven years older than him, a fact that had never come up between them at any point. Not in conversations, not in capabilities, except driving.

Rawal is trying everything,Harsh gestured again, resurrecting the topic he had changed.

“I know, he called Maarani’s parents to the palace yesterday.”

Pandyaji too.

“What would our astrologer do about this?” Samarth threw his head down on the wooden fencing of the pen. “I hope this gets resolved before I have to go back to school, Harsh. I hope Papa accepts it.”

“Huuuu!”

Samarth pulled his head up, his body achy after the session he had just had.

He is not wrong. You are giving up a life he wants badly for you.

“I know.”

You are wasting your best years. Once they are gone, they will never come back.

“When does anything that goes ever come back?” Samarth chuckled. Mothersdefinitelydidn’t.

Harsh’s hands lifted to gesture again, then fell back down.

Samarth stared at him, at all the lectures he had given him since that day of his oath. At all the angry grunts and rude fingers he had shown. Harsh had come to accept it, even understandit after these months. Papa would too. He just had to keep his guard up and stand tall behind his oath until then.

“Alright, I have to go see Rawal,” Samarth rubbed his hands together and pushed his fingers through his sweaty hair. “He had asked me to come after court.”

Harsh waved and set off down the road towards the back gate where he parked his bike. Samarth turned towards the palace, grabbing his mobile phone and napkin from the chair. His mobile vibrated in his hand. He glanced down.Ava.

His heart stopped beating. Then began thundering.

He swiped the answer button and plastered the phone to his ear — “Ava?”

“Hi,” she said tentatively. Her voice, that smile in her voice he recognised even over a call…

“Hi,” he managed to croak from a tight throat.

“I called to say Happy Birthday.”

Samarth turned towards the windy trees and the sun shining bright over him, reminding him of the hills of their school, of that home he had left behind.

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