Page 28 of A King's Oath

“Hi, Harsh!”

Harsh gave them a halfhearted wave, grabbing the bags from his hand and opening the dicky to stow them.

“I told them,” Ava whispered in his ear. “About Harsh, I mean.”

“Thanks.”

Harsh rounded the car and stood outside the passenger seat, eyes on a relaxed Gopi.

“Gopi, come back here, Harsh and Kirti didi can take turns driving,” Ava diffused. “Harsh, this is Kirti didi, our bodyguard and the best driver in all of Gwalior!”

Harsh gave her a chin nod, which she returned just as coolly. Gopi opened his door grudgingly, vacating the seat for Harsh. This was going to be an interesting trip.

“We are at the back,” Ava pointed, folding down the seat and pushing in. Samarth followed, settling beside her. The seat was locked in place, Gopi settled in beside Kresha in the middle row, and Samarth felt like Ava had created a cocoon here — for the two of them, as well as for the larger group at play.

“Ready?” Kirti didi asked.

“Ready!” Ava, Kresha and Gopi hollered. Samarth chuckled.

“Samarth says ready too,” Ava held his wrist up. “Are you ready, Harsh?”

“Huh,” Harsh grunted.

“Let’s go, Kirti didi!”

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Samarth jerked awake, blinking at the dark moving interiors of the car. His neck was stiff, the scenery in front of his eyes all dark trees and nothing but endless sky. The car interiors were filled with silence, no music. All night they had played music, tradingplaylists, Ava and Kresha bullying their way into longer sessions for their Punjabi pop. Now though, everybody was asleep.

Samarth peeped at the front. Harsh was driving, Kirti didi quiet beside him. Was she asleep?

“Harsh, all good?” Samarth asked softly.

He grunted in assent.

“Are you sleepy? I can come up front and sit with you…”

“I am here,” Kirti didi replied.

“Oh, ok, I thought you went to sleep. Do you want to come back here and nap?”

“I’m good.”

Samarth settled back into his seat, his head turning and eyes stalling on Ava. Asleep. Her adorable panda neck pillow cradled her head on one side, her hair all over the place. She threw tiny snore bombs out of her mouth, bubbles bursting every now and then. Even in this dark, he was so attuned to it all.

Samarth smiled. All evening and night they had listened to music, talked school, cricket, polo, 10th standard gossip courtesy her sister and Gopi, 9th standard gossip courtesy Ava, then stopped for a dhaba dinner and promptly fallen asleep.

He glanced at his watch. 3.45 am. Their ETA had been pushed to 5.45 am after their long stop for dinner and then a longer stop for the girls to go to the bathroom. At a decent place.

Samarth reached inside his pocket, pulled out his phone and AirPods and settled with his head back on the window. For some reason, he couldn’t stop looking at Ava. Even while doing his morning paath.

Samarth plucked the AirPods, popped them into his ears and swiped his phone for his morning ritual. Ever since he was a child, Hira ben, his Dadi Sarkar’s most trusted chaperone had come to wake him up in his Papa’s room. She would sing these while helping him get ready. Then as he had gotten independent, gotten his own room, she would let him do his thing, going around the room tidying it up, singing. He didn’t remember when he had begun singing too. Now, in the car, he kept his chorus to himself, murmuring under his breath as he played Madhurashtakam. He followed it with Yamunashtak as was his ritual and then automatically his playlist switched to Krishna bhajan.

Hey Krishna Gopal Hari…Jagjit Singh’s low voice reverberated inside him.

Ava’s eyes popped open. Samarth’s first instinct was to look away. But she smiled at him. And he held on. His mouth stretched of its own accord. Ava got up slowly, pushing the hair off her face and tightening her neck pillow.

“Did we reach?” She asked.

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