Page 128 of The Circle of Exile
“That, among other things.”
“Today I convinced Sherry to accept my three rewritten chapters.”
He smiled — “What did she say?”
“That she can’t threaten me because I am the CM’s wife.”
Atharva laughed out softly, careful of their son sleeping.
“I am of some use, isn’t it?”
“In addition to your heater capabilities,” she turned and burrowed inside his chest. “Turn the dial up, Janab. It’s getting cold in here,” her warm hands rubbed his back. Atharva embraced her and cursed as her nails scratched up his back to his neck.
“Iram,” he warned.
“What?”
“If you don’t want to go again, then stop.”
“What? This?” She pushed her nails into the back of his scalp. He pounced on her neck, making her shriek. “Shhh!” He clapped a hand over her mouth. They froze, eyes turned to the cot. The cushion tied to the railing shuffled. Then stilled. Some smacking of lips and what sounded like babbles. Then everything went quiet.
“Phew!” Atharva relaxed beside her. “I swear, you and Arth will give me the hardest adrenaline rushes of my life.”
“And you will turn old with our adrenaline dancing in your veins,” she reached up and kissed his forehead. “Happy birthday.”
Atharva scratched his eyebrow, trying to squint at the wall clock.
“It’s twelve. You are a 38-year-old big boy.”
He frowned. “You didn’t do your one kiss on 1st, two kisses on 2nd thing this year.”
“Excuse me, were you there during that random colic burst of 1st January?”
He chuckled — “He did scare us that entire week.”
“And you told me he never cried.”
“He didn’t! I swear, he didn’t. It’s like he knew I was already fighting the world outside and remained good for me inside. And then when you came, he knew I had you and you had me to get through his tantrums.”
Iram pushed her head up on the headboard, caressing his hair — “Your son has inherited your sense of understanding.”
Atharva blinked up at her. His breath was controlled, slow, relaxed. Even after the day he had, the month he had spent, he got to rest by her lap, talking about everything and nothing.
“What are you thinking?”
“That this is how I want to spend every night.”
“You have been spending every night like this,” she massaged the top of his scalp. “And what you do on your birthday is what you do all year round.”
His mouth quirked up — “Is that true?”
Before she could open her mouth he had pulled her down by the back of her head and pasted a kiss on her mouth.
“Atharva!” She pulled back, red and shocked and looking like her favourite dawn sky.
“Thank you.”
“Again?” Her eyes widened.
