Page 146 of A King's Oath

“It healed, didn’t leave a mark. But my parents got very scared. Especially Mummy. It missed my lady parts by this much,” she held her thumb and forefinger together. “I couldn’t play for weeks as I was in recovery. And strangely, I realised I did not miss it or cry over it. I had my design assignments, so I picked up my iPad and enjoyed the extra vacation with my iPad and liquid diet.”

Samarth’s face contorted, his hand rubbing circles over her navel. “I sent you a happy birthday message every year, even on your 19th birthday.”

“And I said thank you.”

“You called me for my birthday every year, even on the 19th one. I asked you how are you. You lied.”

“It happened after that.”

He sighed. Then bent to her torso and kissed her navel.

“It’s a little late to kiss it better,” she quipped. He kissed it deeper, making her joke fall flat and her eyes tear up. It might have been a big deal for all of three days for a nineteen-year-old Ava but today it was a milestone blurred in the background. She liked cricket, enjoyed watching it, even played with plastic or tennis balls. But it wasn’t what defined her. Her mother had told her this when she was in recovery — “Do not let anyone or anything define you. It’s a part of you, anything good or bad. It can’t stop or start your life. Only you can.”

That had stuck. It had made life so much easier.

“I made you cry now,” he came up and wiped the corner of her eye. She smiled — “You do not define me, you know that?”

“Huh?”

“You are a part of me, always were. But I did not change the course of my life for you.”

“Then?”

“I did it because you were the only thing in my life whose not happening burned as badly yesterday as it was burning that March day in Saraswati Crest.”

His body fell beside hers, his head turning to her. Their eyes weaved into each other.

“I trudged through each year for my Papa and Nawanagar. But I sprinted through every month for that pre-birthday call. The moment it was over was the worst moment of my year. And the moment I woke up one day before my birthday it was like Diwali, Holi and kiddie birthday wrapped into one. You asked me if I was excited for my birthday every year, I said no. Because I was excited forthatday.”

“I also asked you if you were happy,” she croaked.

He pushed more tears from the corner of her eyes — “And in that moment, I was.”

She paused, collecting her thoughts and her voice. It was rare to bring her to her knees like this, emotionally. Samarth had always had the innate ability to do that. Be it in confessions or big bombs of breakups or these afternoon make-out sessions under the beams of a Tuscan sun.

“Now let’s shower,” she kissed his bicep. “TMI but I am all dried up and itchy.”

He laughed, pulling her up with him — “Separate bathrooms.”

“Of course! I don’t shower with sweaty boys.”

Before he could grab her she ran into her bathroom.

“My stuff is in there!” He hollered.

“Wait your turn, Kunwarji.”

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Showered and fresh, as she tightened the hotel bathrobe around her and pulled open the door, Kunwarji pounced on her.

“Eewwww…” she stopped, coming in contact with another showered and fresh body. Half-naked body. He was in a towel and nothing else, his hair flopping over his forehead. She reached up to push it back and he obligingly bent his head.

“You shower for years,” he complained, pushing the lapels of her bathrobe open. She pulled them shut.

“I am hungry, order food!”

“Already did,” he grinned. Her eyes widened.

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