Divya glances down at me. “You’re just going to lie there?”
“It’s a perfectly good sky.”
She rolls her eyes but lies down beside me anyway. For a few seconds neither of us says anything. I am hyper aware of the warmth of her body as I listen to her quite breathing.
Then she sighs softly. “This is actually nice.”
“I know.”
“You sound very pleased with yourself.”
“I am.” Our arms are resting beside us on the blanket.
At some point—without either of us really deciding to move—our fingers brush lightly.
It’s the smallest contact. Barely there. But neither of us pulls away. The back of her hand is warm against mine. I keep my eyes on the sky, though I’m suddenly aware of every tiny movement she makes beside me.
“So,” she says after a moment, her voice softer now, “is this your idea of a date?”
I turn my head slightly toward her. "Trying to pry on my dating preferences now, Mrs. Gupta?" She rolls her eyes but a blush creeps up her ears.
"Just enquiring, I should know considering I am your wife."
The sunset light makes her eyes look darker. “Well, it depends,” I say slowly.
“On what?”
“Whether you’re enjoying it.”
She chuckles and hits my arm lightly as she looks at me.
“Yeah. I am.” She whispers, our eyes locks on each other.
Our fingers shift slightly again. This time they don’t just brush. They settle together. Not fully holding hands. Just… resting there.
Divya glances down at the contact and then back at the sky.
“You know what I like about this?” she says.
“What?”
“No one is asking me for anything.”
“That’s a surprisingly low bar for happiness.”
“You’d be surprised.”
The honesty in her voice makes me look at her again. She’s still staring upward, her expression thoughtful but peaceful. “You work too hard,” I say.
She snorts. “Not enough to pay my debts.” After a beat of silence she adds, “I am glad though.” she smiles, "I got to meet you that way."
She laughs softly. The sound drifts into the evening air. The breeze moves again, cooler now, and she shivers slightly. My heart beats against my chest as I take her in. Without thinking too much about it, I shift closer and pull one side of the blanket over her shoulder.
She glances at me. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” Her hand moves slightly under the blanket. This time our fingers properly lace together. The moment feels strangelynatural. Like we’ve done this before. I can feel her pulse faintly where our hands meet.
She turns her head toward me slowly. “So,” she says quietly, “what happens if I say this is the best evening I’ve had in a long time?”
