Page 42 of A King's Oath

“She is leaving for her one last hurray this weekend before they ban the 10th standard folks from leaving school until boards. Kirti didi is obviously going with her. So it’s just you, me andlotsof topo maps tomorrow!”

He sighed. “I’m not here tomorrow. I’m going home.”

“You’re going home and you didn’t even tell me?” She pulled back, brows drawn together. Samarth ran a thumb over that line between her perfect eyebrows. She smacked his hand off —“How long are you going for? Is it an emergency? How is your Papa? Is it your Dada Sarkar…”

“Ava, Ava, Ava,” he got her to stop.“Everybody is fine. My Papa is going to Antarctica for an expedition. Remember I told you? I tried to send his letter?”

“And he caught you and took your case,” she giggled. Of course she loved that story.

“Yeah. I am going to see him off. I’ve applied for one day’s leave with Dada Sarkar’s permission.”

“You didn’t go to see him off when he went to America last to last month…”

“Yeah… this time it’s a trip that he didn’t want to take. Antarctica is dangerous. I mean, he is not going to do any dangerous work but it’s something that bothers him, to leave me like this. He has never left me and gone on this voyage again after my mother left.”

“He used to go before that?”

“Twice. He stopped because he worried that if something happened, I would be left all alone. Nawanagar would be left without a steady king.”

“Hmm…” she circled her palm on his chest. She didn’t realise it but she always did that when she was nervous or thinking or just lost in thought. Her hand would find his chest and keep running there in circles. She didn’t know it she did it. And she also didn’t know how it soothed him.

“You should go. Put him at ease,” Ava finally met his gaze and smiled. “Harsh is also going with you?”

“No. He has an exam tomorrow so he will be giving it from here only.”

“Ok then!” Ava dug her knees in the grass by his lap, ready to get up. “We start our Geography tuition day after tomorrow."

Samarth grabbed her back and pulled her mouth on his for another kiss.

“Umm…” she smacked his shoulder. “What was that for?”

“You owe me two,” he smirked. “Remember?”

“One. I owe youonekiss because yesterday before leaving you gave me one extra kiss.”

“Who’ll count the interest?”

“100% interest?”

“That’s my interest rate.”

Her eyes narrowed — “I don’t like this ruthless businessman-type thing you do!”

“Oh but I did warn you, Ava — I’m a Gujarati, I will keep count and collect interest,” Samarth smirked, closing his mouth over hers and moving her slowly over his body, letting the cold winds slow down around them as he coaxed her to kiss him, surrendering his tongue to hers. In their months of dating, they had practised and learned a lot of different types of kisses, even Googled some together, practised, then laughed at those that didn’t work quite as well as they were portrayed to. This one, this one was his favourite. Ava kissing him, paying up her debt.

When they parted, her peppermint lip balm had transferred onto his mouth, leaving his skin feeling cold and tingly. Samarth rubbed it evenly over his lips — “All girls use strawberry and cherry and all that, you use peppermint…”

She stilled in her pursuit of pulling the said lip balm from her pocket. Then turned scary eyes at him. This was another thing that had happened. At one point those scary eyes that just madehim laugh and push her head away, now actuallydidfrighten him a little.

“All girls?” Ava pushed his chest until he thudded back on the field, staring at her with amusement and horror. “Allgirls? How many girls have you kissed to know they use strawberry and cherry?”

“It was…” he swallowed. “A comment…”

“A comment?” She scowled.

“A comment,” he nodded, the grass freezing in his hair.

“Listen, Samarth,” she slapped her hands on either side of his head. “You said a long time and I am adding onto it — nobody else.”

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