“I am seeing you after three months, you think I will waste my time talking about the party?” They reached his white Innova and he began to set her luggage in.
“We have all of the night.” She shouldered him.
He snapped the dickey shut and squinted at her under the sun. “But I have to wait for that through this taxing dinner you have said yes to.”
“I couldn’t say no to Iram. And Arth was so cute asking me to come because he wanted his gifts.”
“I hope you’ve brought my gift.” He settled into the driver’s seat just as she took the passenger seat.
“You told me you didn’t want anything…” she whirled to pull her seatbelt on and found her hair tugged in his grip until her head was turned and his mouth stamped on hers. Her insides clenched. And just like that, he let her go.
“Samar!” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. He was pulling his seatbelt on and turning the car out of the lot.
“You seem happy to see me, luv.” She turned in her seat, crossing one leg under her other and getting comfortable. The long flight from London to Delhi and then the connecting flight here had done her in. But one look, one hug, one kiss and she felt good as new.
“Should I not be?” He drove out of the airport and onto the highway.
“You better be.”
“Stop looking at me like that, Amaal.” His eyes were straight ahead.
“Like how?”
“Like you want me to take you home first.”
“You can’t even see me to see how I am looking at you!”
His head whipped, and intense, dark eyes stared straight at her — “Can’t I?”
“Look ahead.” She turned his cheek, making him vibrate. “And don’t answer a question with a question.”
“It’s going to become a gene mutation. We have to make sure the kids don’t do that.”
She swallowed, feeling hot all over. A man who did not want to see any future once upon a time, not too long ago, was now talking about genetic problems in their prospective kids.
“How many kids?”
“How many do you want?”
“See, again a question with a question.”
“Pleasure to answer that with a statement and have you obey. Three kids.”
“Three?” She squealed. “That’s wild! No way.”
“Why, you wanted an answer to a question.”
“One.”
“Not enough”
“Are you bargaining for kids right now?”
He looked at her and smirked — “Can’t I?”
She couldn’t not smile, or laugh, or feel giddy, or blush, so Amaal looked away and out of her window. His hand came and tugged at the ends of her hair. She slapped it away. He did it again and she punched his arm.
“We will need to work on your punches in addition to your knife fighting and pain relief spraying skills.” He deadpanned. “But we have some time.”
