That please was so painfully uttered that even he felt it. Samar got to his feet, slipped on his specs and followed her out of the suite and down the corridor. They kept going, away from the hotel staff milling around until she had walked out into the lawn bordering Dal.
“What happened to make you look like this again?” She turned on him.
He stared inquiringly down at her.
“Use your words.”
“Look like what?” He bit out.
“Like you want to kill somebody painfully.”
He wanted to throw somebody away. Preferably, before they become Atharva’s wife and produce his children and then one day push him off the roof. Samar stopped the chain of dark thoughts that kept breeding like rabbits. He did not want to mix his judgement with paranoia.
“Is it fine now?” He pulled a smile to his mouth.
“It is scarier. Stop smiling.”
He stopped. “What do you want from me?”
“To be normal. Normal, Samar. You have an election to fight. You are crusading to change a sitting regime. You cannot appear so unapproachable.”
“I always appear unapproachable.”
“No, you don’t. You appear closed for inquiry but ready to help.”
“That does not make sense.”
“Exactly!” She gestured to his face. “But at least it is better than this.”
He huffed. “Amaal, I don’t know how to change this.” He pointed to his face.
“That thing that is happening,” her voice softened. “Has it become worse?”
He nodded.
“Talk to somebody. Talk to Atharva or Adil, or Qureshi. Maybe they can help.”
He remained silent, unmoved.
“Ok, ok, let’s… something funny. Think about something funny. Quick. We don’t have time.”
“I don’t have anything funny.”
“Oh come on!”
He stared at her, at a loss. Her eyes kept flitting from side to side, rolling up and again side to side, thinking. The blue was now bright, cerulean, and so… unimaginably unique. He had seen Kashmiri eyes, exotic eyes, bright-coloured eyes. Hers were… heavy with something more than just light. They were heavy with purpose. Shining with purpose.
“Just kill me, someone!” She ranted, unable to come up with anything.
“With a Clock?”
Her eyes widened, and whirled straight to him. She shook her head — “Tell me you didn’t.”
He felt his mouth curl up.
“No, no, no, tell me you didn’t make a joke.”
“I didn’t make a joke.”
