Page 155 of A King's Oath

Arms slicing. Laughter echoing. Heated water. Colder stares.

They reached the other end together, heads breaking the surface in sync. But his hand touched the surface before hers as his other hand raised in a pump — “I won!”

“No! We both did!” She spluttered, running her hand down her wet lashes.

“I touched first,” he tapped the wooden edge of the pool. “Pay up, Raje.”

“You are taller! It’s a tie!”

“Pay-up, A-va! Pay-up, A-va!” They all began to yell from around them.

“Stop it!” Kresha silenced them. “Come out, you two.”

Avantika glanced from her to a wet, amused Samarth. The rarest of the rare Samarth.

“It’s ok, Kresh. I pay my debts,” she sassed, grabbed him by the neck and pulled his face closer.

“Stop recording, everyone!” Kresha commanded. “Down!” And all Avantika could think was —There goes my dream pool kiss.But then her mouth touched his, he opened to welcome her tongue and she swiped across his like the last half hour was actual foreplay.

“That’s principal,” Samarth said into her mouth, between her attempts to suck his tongue. She broke free and he grinned, his voice as low as the vibrations of the warm water. “My interest rate nowadays is 200%.”

She shoved his shoulder away and climbed out. He came out after her and kept his body close to hers, shielding her from all the eyes behind them until towels were brought. Avantika foundherself wrapped in one and the moment the hot towel touched her skin she sneezed.

“Ava!” He grabbed a spare towel and pushed it around her shoulders — “Are you cold?”

“Fine, fine,” she laughed through another sneeze and walked to the line of restroom stalls, waving and bowing to the applause that went up for them.

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Tap, tap, tap.

Avantika stopped rubbing lotion into her calf and stared up at the window. Nothing. She grabbed her lotion to squeeze out another dollop.

Tap, tap…She snapped her head up and there it was. The hand. She rushed to her window and glanced down. A laugh pushed out of her throat.

“Are you seriously climbing up my window?” She turned the handle and opened the pane, only for the 6 foot 1 mass of muscle to fall all over her. She embraced him, trying to find her own balance and waddling back. “Sa-marth!”

He stopped them before they tumbled down to the ground, closing the window with his other hand. The night was dark but the lights in the palace were burning bright. A section of their friends was still partying it up even though it was past 2.

“Did you catch a cold?” Was the first thing he asked, palming her cheek and pushing her into the lamplight by her bed. Avantika smiled — “I am fine now.”

“I shouldn’t have gone along with Gopi’s game.”

“But it was fun.”

“Still… there were some recordings. Kresha and I got them deleted.”

“Why?!”

“Ava.”

“I wanted them!”

He sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I got a few transferred to my phone before having them deleted.”

“Only a few?”

“I could only ask our friends to send them over.”

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