He did not respond.
She bent over, gripped the sticks of his specs in her fingers and carefully began to pull them off. Dark eyes sprang open. And her body began to topple over.
Amaal caught herself in time but her hair toppled over her shoulders, hanging around their faces. Her breath mingled with his.
“Goodnight.” His specs fell from her fingers.
He used the backs of his hands to push the curtain of hair off and over her shoulders. His hands cupped the sides of her neck. “Goodnight.”
Amaal straightened, turned and ran to her bedroom. She closed the door, panting. What marathon was this?!
She couldn’t finish a full breath and she couldn’t drop the giddy smile.
————————————————————
Samar saw her go in the periphery of his vision. Her door clicked shut, and he smiled. The high ceiling of the hall came into his sight. He pushed his hands behind his head, lying there breathing slowly. He had never had a place to call home. They were all resting places for the night. Even when he had spent a large portion of his life in Atharva’s outhouse. The routine of living there had made it home. But even then, he had spent random nights out, not caring where he fell asleep as long as he woke up alive.
When he had woken up this morning in his rented flat in Shimla, he had not expected to end the night in Amaal’s hall.
He had not expected to end the night with her becoming more to him than he had ever dared to hope.
He had definitely not imagined surrendering to her, whatever little was left of him.
He smiled at the ceiling.
Himachal Pradesh was turning around.
He was slowly and steadily discovering his own path, away from Atharva and KDP.
And Amaal liked something that she saw in that.
Maybe there was something good growing inside him.
He closed his eyes, reaching for the specs she had abandoned on the sofa by his thigh in panic.
He laughed quietly, folded them, set them on his chest, and let sleep pull him in.
————————————————————
The chirping of birds woke him up. Samar turned his head and took stock of his surroundings. Amaal’s house, no closed quarters, no threat. He checked his watch.
5.40 am
He rubbed his eyes and sat up.
His feet touched the floor and the cool marble jolted him fully awake.
“Good morning!”
He looked up. She was walking out of the kitchen, showered and ready, two cups in her hands.
“When did you wake up?”
“At 5.”
“How did I not notice it?” He muttered, shocked that her movements hadn’t jolted him awake. If a thief slipped under his radar…
“I know how to move stealthily.” She offered him a cup.
