He intertwined his hand with mine.“Will you miss me?”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I shook my head.“No, why would I miss you?” and looked up once.
His face fell.“Well, you’re going away; wouldn’t you miss me?” His gaze softened, almost as if he were pleading, yet I shook my head.
“No, I’m going back to the place where I’d spent the most marvellous years of my life,” I said, and he pursed his lips.
“Oh, so you like Mahableshgarh more than Suryagarh,” he said with a sad tone, and I could tell it hurt him.
“Well, yes, a little more; especially because you’ll not be there to trouble or embarrass me,”
His eyes grew wide in shock.“I trouble you!?”
I tilted my head just slightly.“Don’t you?”
He clenched his jaw, nodding.“Maybe I should show you what real trouble means,” he said.
As he leaned in, closing the distance between us, I reclined back on my palm and shook my head slowly. And before he could touch me, I slipped away and darted into the garden.
“Hahaha…” I burst out laughing, seeing him rise from his place.
“You cannot run away from me,” he said, marching toward me.
I turned toward him, retreating step by step.
The cool night breeze wasn’t harsh; it felt comforting as it flowed through the soothing moonlight blanketing the lush, freshly trimmed grass.
“If I don’t want to be caught, you cannot catch me, Kunwar-sa. You left me for a year; now you should have a taste of it,” I laughed, running back as he got nearer.
He suddenly sped up, and I shrieked with laughter, racing ahead.
“Stop, Suman,” His pace quickened.
The rhythmic hum of the insects wrapped the garden on that peaceful night. I quickly hid behind a towering tree.
“You cannot catch me, Kunwar-sa,” I reminded him.
He stood a few steps away from me, with his arms crossed.
“I can catch you, Suman…” he said, raking his fingers through his hair. “… and when I do, you’ll be in great trouble,”
My brows creased together in confusion.“What trouble?”
He took a few slow steps forward.“Bad trouble,” he said.“Something that’ll make you think twice before running away from me,”
I shook my head, laughing softly.“You cannot scare me. I know you love me, and so you’ll not do anything to me,” But when I peeked at him approaching closer, I hurried back.
Suddenly, he began running, and I laughed out loud as I tried to outrun him. But he was fast enough to grab me by the waist and sweep me off the ground.
“Haha… Kunwar-sa,” I laughed even more when he pressed his cheek against mine.
I squirmed in his hold, throwing my hands and legs, but it was futile; he carried me bridal-style.
My laugh shallowed, and my arms wound around his neck as he walked back toward the spot where we had been sitting earlier.
Chuckling at my expense, he set me down on the carpet and lay beside me. I drew my knees to my chest and looked at him.
“So, love, are you happy now?” he asked.
