Page 126 of The Circle of Exile
“Yeah,” he scoffed, letting his head hit the back of his chair. Momina Aslam had come to his son’s Annaparashan, dropped the bomb, and then gone radio silent. Her behaviour in Vidhan Sabha? Just as usual — fighting inside, polite outside. She had given zero clues about anything else.
“Atharva. Don’t worry. Keep your mind busy in helping me build your insulation. Tomorrow you are going to the encounter site, with all the media fanfare.”
“Yeah.”
“And then all the way to Zachaldara to celebrate your birthday at the military base.”
“Got it.”
“Be accessible to the media.”
“Why don’t you come with me?”
“Take my sidekick.”
“You have become lazy in public office.”
“Excuse me! I have done nothing but put out fires three times a day for you since I joined office. Take yourlazyand shove it up your…”
Atharva threw his head back and laughed, feeling a little lighter. She scowled.
“What did Samar do today to make you like this?”
“Don’t ask,” she pointed an accusing finger at him. “And do not take his name in front of me.”
He smiled, seeing a woman scorned and keeping his nose out of whatever Samar had done to make that happen. The man, if he was serious about making a life with Amaal, would learn soon enough that a woman scorned was ok, but a wife scorned was the hottest hell burning under and over your life.
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Atharva ran a palm down his wife’s bare thigh, caressing its smooth, milky texture ripe with fine puckered stretch marks. They pebbled under his touch. The winter of Jammu wasn’t as harsh as Kashmir’s, and yet her skin paled every time. Shivered. Dried.
He reached down and pressed a kiss to the goosebumps, trailing his knuckles up her half-languid body lying spooned in his arms, turned towards the window.
“You aren’t sleepy?” She caught his hand and brought it around herself, tracing circles on his palm.
“I was summoned for an interrogation tonight,” he pushed his leg between hers, the insides of her thighs wet from their activities a few minutes ago. “Iram, we need to start using protection again, even for your safe days.”
“Hmm. I had spotting this month but my period is coming back. I can feel it.”
“Exactly,” he pressed his lips to the edge of her shoulder. “Iram?”
“Mmm?”
“What do you think about another baby?”
Her breathing slowed.
“Maybe not a good time to talk about it,” he began to pull away. She caught his hand and continued to run circles — “No, no, I was thinking.”
“We don’t have to discuss it right now. Or ever, if you don’t want to.”
“I want to.”
He stilled.
“Atharva?”
“Hmm?”
