Page 125 of A King's Oath

“She was alone today.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t want to know? See how lonely her life would be? Show her how awesome your life is?”

“No.”

“You are some saint!”

“No, I am satisfied. My father made me this satisfied. My Dada-Dadi Sarkar, Hira ben. Now Sharan and Maarani…”

“That’s another whacko. What’s with you and these whacko women in your life?!”

“You are also whacko?”

She jerked his hand off, making him vibrate with laughter.

“I hated it.”

“What, Ava?” He grabbed her hand again, soothing her body without even doing anything. "Her? I have gone through life and a lot of things in it to waste any grief on my mother.”

She stared at him. Debated if she should say the next words. Then she said ‘Chuck it’ and just blurted — “You were indifferent to her in school but you had a longing for her… for something that only she could give.”

His mouth pursed.

“Samarth?” She covered their joined hands with hers. “What made you not feel that longing anymore?”

He shrugged. “Age.”

She didn’t believe it. But she let it go. The plane zoomed up the runway, tilted and speared into the clear night sky. Samarth did not leave her hand. He brought it to his chest and held it there. She let him. Because his head fell back on the headrest and his eyes fell shut.

Her head fell back and she closed her eyes too. The knowledge of four days together had allowed him to relax instead of verbal vomit anything and everything in a limited time. She too, was at peace knowing there were four days.

“She looked lonely today,” he murmured. She heard the other part too, the one that he did not say but thought in the tightening of his hand around hers.

I look like that too.

————————————————————

There was no time to feel lonely in Tuscany!

They landed in Florence late at night, got into his chauffeured car waiting to whisk them away to the ancient Province of Arezzo, and checked into their hotel very early in the morning. His team hadn’t landed yet, and even when they did, Samarth informed her that they would be booked into another hotel. He had gotten himself another booking here, at her boutique hotel. He got himself a room adjacent to her, with connecting doors ‘in case they wanted to chat.’

Avantika, sensing her tight schedule of work-from-home, immediately went to her room and fell asleep. If she wanted to explore the town, spend time with Samarthandwork responsibly then she needed at least a few hours of sleep. That was one princess habit that was yet to be beaten out of her. Beauty sleep. She needed it. Come. What. May.

“Hey, sleeping beauty…” his fluttering breath moved over her face. She cried in her sleep, pulling the duvet over her head. It was slowly slithered away. She whacked his hand. A chuckle, hot minty breath, then silence.

“Ava?” He poked one finger into her bicep. She was about to break the said finger when his loud blaring ringtone startled her out of sleep.

Heart racing, she shot up straight, only to find him swiping the phone to his ear and silencing the ringtone. Avantika breathed, panting her way to peace as she glared at his happy morningface. It was morning, wasn’t it? She glanced at the cracks in her curtain.

“Khamma Ghani, Hukum,” Samarth said jovially into the phone. Then his face leached of all colour. His Adam’s apple worked.

What happened?She mouthed.

He held one finger up, listening intently. Avantika strolled her gaze lazily down his wet hair clawed back from his forehand to the perfect bone structure of his face highlighted by the Tuscan sunbeams that cracked through the curtains, to the crisp sage green Chinese collar shirt that somehow was a unique pick but looked like it was tailored for him. It would have been. He had paired cream pants with it and made the design/aesthetic fanatic in her so happy.

“I am looking forward to seeing you both, Hukum…” a pause, and he laughed. A forced laugh. “Of course not, I am very excited! Yes, yes… no, tomorrow. I’ll see you then. Jai Dwarkadhish, Hukum.”

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