A hand came and opened in her field of vision. She glanced at the taut arm that led to honed muscles and a lean neck. The stubbled chin and the black eyes. Smiling now.
Amaal grunted, but stood to her feet and put her hand in his for a shake.
“Well played.” He said in his military voice, shaking her hand more than the one-pump that she had become used to when it came to them. Amaal found herself smiling begrudgingly.
“Look here, smile!”
Their heads turned, and a flash went off on her iPhone that Suchi was using for candids.
“One more.”
Amaal smiled, her hand still in Samar’s.
“I’m next, I’m next!” Someone pushed her, but her arm was pulled by Samar’s in time, his hand closing around her back and safely parking her aside. They stumbled to a corner, watching another war break out over who was going to play next.
“They are all drunk animals today.” Samar smiled, a rare expression on his face. It looked tired, but more alive than she had ever seen it.
“You are a sober ghost today,” she retorted. “Actually, you are a sober ghost every day.”
His chin dipped, dark eyes staring down at her.
“Do I need to ask if you ever worked in my office drunk?”
“What if I say I did?”
“You are giving me reasons to fire you.”
“You cannot fire me, Atharva is my boss.”
His eyebrows rose, glancing at the space around them — Jammu KDP, his area, where he was her boss.
Amaal rolled her eyes — “Tomorrow I move back to Srinagar, so, Atharva is my boss. Your boss time stops at…” she looked at her watch, then squinted. She was buzzed, not drunk. “Is this the minute hand or seconds hand?” She showed her wrist to him. And realised that his hands were still around her — one holding her hand in a shake, the other around her back to protect her. Amaal’s heartbeat picked up just as the hand on her back slid away.
But he leaned in, eyeing her watch.
“Both hands point to sleeping time. If you have eaten, go sleep. What time is your flight tomorrow?”
“Ok, Daddy, you go haunt the building. I am going to go have fun.”
“Amaal.” He tightened his hold on her hand before she could jump back into the party. Her heart was now running like some time bomb. Tick-tick, tick-tock, whatever ticked like it was about to explode.
“It was nice working with you.”
She gaped at him, waiting for more. Nothing came. She still kept quiet, hoping he would fill the silence. But when had he ever?
“That’s it?” She provoked.
He nodded.
“Are you sure?”
He chuckled — “Drink some water, or coffee. Let me see if somebody is sober enough to make it for you.”
She shut her eyes, shaking her head.
“What happened?” His free hand came and steadied her. That’s when she realised that she was swaying, only a smidge.
“I don’t want to go up so soon.”
