“Oh, is that all?” She rolled her eyes.
Silence floated between them for a moment.
“Fine.” She exhaled as if he had been silently nagging her. “You want to hear a secret of mine?”
“Always.” He grinned.
Her heart thudded in her chest. “I wasn’t fired.”
His jaw dropped.
“I quit.” She held her breath and waited for him to call her out, to say she was ridiculous for not having a job—or whatever it was that the responsible sibling thought and said. “I want to go home and make things right. But I can’t give myself an out—like a job to go to. If I’m going to do the right thing, I have to ensure that I am present—regardless of what happens.”
He smiled at her, pride on his face. “You’re ready to do whatever it takes to make it right.”
She nodded, her eyes filled with tears. She was.
* * *
Roshan sat with Nimita on the beach, a soft blanket beneath them. Nimita’s tears had subsided, and calm had descended. She was on her knees, leaning over the edge of the blanket, aimlessly looking for shells as they waited for the sun to set.
“Oh!” Nimita gasped and crawled over to him. She held out a small shell and handed it to him. “Moonrise shell. Very rare. Though this one is chipped.”
He covered them both with a blanket, pulling her close, and then inspected the shell. It was scalloped, green-gray with a hint of orange. “This is beautiful.” He wrapped his leg around hers under the blankets.
“Keep it,” she said.
“You sure?”
She kissed him. “Yes. They’re associated with hope and strength.”
He tucked the shell into their beach bag and pulled her close to watch the sunset. They were still, in quiet reverence as the sun set, the sky a mix of purples and oranges and pinks. The sky went from orange to purple to the deep blue of twilight before darkness took over. The beach cleared out as a chill set in, and darkness fell. Roshan was alone with Nimita, the only sound the ocean.
Their picnic dinner sat, finished and packed up, between them, one bottle of wine empty, another poured into their glasses.
“You weren’t kidding,” he said into her ear before kissing her neck.
She tilted her head to give him more access. “I don’t joke about sunsets on the beach.”
He continued to kiss her, pulling her to him.
She turned to him. “Sex on the beach can get…messy.” She gave him a playful smile.
“We only have one more day,” he whispered in her ear, not caring in that moment how desperate he sounded. He needed her.
She grinned as she rolled over and straddled him.
He pulled her close and drew his hands over the bare skin at her waist, under her cover-up. “Messy is a problem for later.”
She took his mouth with hers, and he was lost.
A few hours passed in a haze of pleasure. It was properly dark now, and Nimita was curled up next to him under the blanket as they gazed at the night sky. A crescent moon waxing larger hung suspended in the deep navy blue night sky. The stars were bright pinpricks of light. The ocean continued to rise and fall, the sound of the crashing waves their soundtrack.
Roshan was in awe of the night sky. “This is amazing,” he said softly. “You didn’t mention how beautiful the ocean and sky are at night. There’s almost no light pollution.”
“Surprise,” she said softly. She started pointing out constellations with the confidence of someone who knew what they are looking at. Roshan was completely intrigued. He soon joined her, and they were both laughing as they competed to point out constellations first.
“You know, I have always been fascinated by the stars.” He spoke softly. “When I was little, I wanted a telescope more than anything. I used to lie in the grassy area near a pond in my neighborhood and just stare at the night sky.”
