Page 127 of A King's Oath

“Umm… Icheckedinto it alone.”

“Still.”

“What are we doing, Samarth?”

He stilled.

“Ava… I thought… you came… you wanted to come…”

“Yeah just…” she smiled. “Don’t spoil me so bad that I can’t go back to living with myself alone.”

His jaw tightened. His mouth remained pursed, eyes on her. He finally gave a nod.

“I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Bye.”

The door shut behind him and she rolled in bed, eyeing the dark room that felt darker without him. He was right. Waking up alone in an unknown room did have an icky feeling. She had it whenever she was in a new place. Strangely, not in her Paris apartment. That place had felt like home from the get-go.

Because he had been there that first night with you,something inside her echoed. Avantika rolled again and silenced it.

23. Jobaniyu

Villa a Sesta was a luxury villa and polo club located in the rolling hills of Tuscany. Avantika travelled there with Samarth, who insisted she accompany him in his chauffeur-driven vehicle. He had sent his team ahead. She knew he was going to these lengths to make sure she reached the club. He knew her well to conclude that if left to her own devices she would do exactly what she wanted. In this case — not go to the match.

The road to the villa was just as beautiful as the villa itself, if not more. It was like the sun rose differently in this part of the world. A different colour, a different spectrum, the light hitting everything differently.

It was 8 in the morning and the dewy grassy fields around them looked brilliant green, the flare of the sunshine like they were on another planet. After Samarth introduced her as ‘Avantika, my guest’ to his teammates, management, grooms and staff, she wandered off to soak in more of the beauty. There were idyllic Italian stone villas in the distance, their silence only punctuated by the singing of birds and the neighing of horses. Lots of horses. At least forty.

She had always been awed by the amount of prep needed for a game of just 90 minutes. Eight players on a massive field, forty horses — saddled and ready, protective gear, mallets of different lengths for different horses, enough feed and medical care kits ready… equestrian sports were not as effortless as they looked.And they were not even remotely as effortless to play as they seemed from the stands.

She had been a part of Samarth’s pre-game prep in school. Seen him transition from Samarth-the-dorky-boy to Sam, Number 2. Now, as she returned from her walk around the property, she realised she did not know this Sam, Number 1, at all. Her gait startled as he strode out of the stables, in his Gir Zephyrs blue and white striped polo shirt, tight white pants that were tucked inside leather riding boots, knee and arm pads on, protective eyewear tucked in the V of his shirt. The only part missing was his helmet, held by his hip.

“Ready?” She managed as he stopped in front of her. His teammates and staff were milling around without a second glance. That gave Avantika an unknown sense of respite. If they weren’t interested in a single prince talking to a girl, it meant they knew nothing was happening. It meant it was a regular occurrence — him talking to girls with nothing ‘happening.’ He had said it out loud to her. But hearing it and seeing it with her own eyes were two different things.

“Where did you go off to?”

“Just walking around. It’s a great property.”

“It is. If Hukum and Maan bhai weren’t coming, you would have been able to stay at one of the villas like the rest of them.”

“It’s alright. I’ll come again.”

His eyes turned deeper, longing glinting bright under this otherworldly sun hitting their faces. He had started to look at her differently lately. Even on calls, his pauses had been different. Like he was thinking. He had never thought much before talking to her in school. What was worrying him now?

A shrill cicada broke the silence between them and Avantika snapped out of that question.

“You play Number 1 now, huh?” She stepped back, giving him a mock-indecent once-over. “Not bad, Kunwarji.”

“That’s right, I recently switched to offence.”

His tone was heavy. Avantika swallowed. A whistle rang across the field — “I think you have to assemble…”

“No. That’s for the support staff.” Samarth stepped up to her and she instantly began to take a step back. He offered his helmet to her. Her brows shot up.

“Put it on.”

“They will all start looking… let’s leave it this time…”

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