Page 3

“Miss me?”

Samarth’s head whirled over his shoulder, his heart thudding at the sound of those words.

The owner of that voice came into his sight and his heart thudded faster.

Because there stood Avantika, nothing out of the ordinary.

White shirt, grey plaid skirt, hair up in a ponytail with wisps floating down the sides of her face like they had this morning.

Only, her shirt was halfway untucked now and face a little long after the long day of periods.

Samarth abandoned his ministrations with his knee guard and stood to his full height.

He was in a state of half-readiness — polo shirt tucked into his breeches but his feet still in his school shoes, waiting for his riding boots.

One knee guard was on, another swinging from his hands, his helmet resting on the side of his chair in the tack room behind the stables.

He had preferred to get ready here in the open today, taking in the mild afternoon of a Doon June.

And now here she was, making him wonder why he was suddenly squirming and giving himself a mental once-over to check if he looked ok.

“Hello? I am talking to you!” She pushed one hand on the back of his chair and waved another in front of his face. Samarth snapped back.

“Miss who? My surroundings are peaceful once again now,” he tried to laugh it off. “It’s me and my horses again after two years.”

He turned and began to lower himself back on his chair to put on the other knee guard when she pulled the chair from behind him. He knew she did that, so he just nudged behind and fell into the seat, rocking back into her, his head thudding into her stomach.

“You are so mean!” Ava shook the back of his head and rounded to his front, her beautiful face hiding the sun from him. Samarth blinked back the horror. Had he just called her face beautiful?

“You know what I did this summer though?” She began, as usual, easily moving over minor insults.

That was Ava, quick to rile up and quicker to let go.

And if she had a story to tell, she’d forget even the worst of his indiscretions, of which there were many.

They had spent practically every school day of the last two years together, side by side, studying together and chatting together.

Jai, her backbencher community and some of her other girlfriends had been there from time to time, chilling with them.

But he couldn’t remember any of those conversations now.

All he remembered was the time spent with Ava.

“I hate this new seating arrangement,” he muttered, bringing her summer story to an abrupt halt.

Her excited, storytelling face softened.

She did that often. Or she didn’t know she did that, but her excitement could just as easily transform into the softest expression.

It wasn’t a smile. He couldn’t name it yet.

But she looked like that only with him. Or so he liked to believe.

He hadn’t seen much of her outside of the classroom to claim that as the ultimate truth.

“Me too,” she slapped her hands on his shoulders and shook them. Hard. Samarth chuckled, feeling some weight lift off — weight he didn’t know he had been carrying since he had walked into class this morning and found her waving at him from beside Tulika.

“Can you come to our place for all other periods except Ms. Shanaya’s? Like we used to do in 7th?”

Her lips twisted — “Ms. Shanaya has gone and made a seating chart.”

“What?! We are not in junior kg!”

She shrugged. “Apparently, the backbenchers are getting ‘cosier.’”

“This Advay is the root of all problems.”

“Forget it,” she slapped his shoulders again and took her hands off just as quickly. He missed them. “There are breaks, we can talk then. Or we will meet here like this…”

“You? And come near horses?” He snorted, finishing his other knee pad, glancing around at his teammates getting ready for a practise session.

Their coach hadn’t entered the pen yet or this lazy laid-back vibe wouldn’t have been vibing.

And Ava wouldn’t have been allowed to prance around his shoulders.

“I am leaving before the horses come. I just came to tell you what I did this summer. What did you do…”

Samarth rose to his feet, and noticed for the first time how small she was.

Or he had noticed it but now it was suddenly too visible.

Her head came up to his chest and she had to crane her neck back to look at him.

He could fold her into his arms and nobody would be able to figure out he was hiding her here.

“You did everything in summer except grow this,” he patted her head.

She reached up and tried to bite his palm.

He pulled it higher, dangling it close to her mouth.

As expected, Ava jumped but he pulled it up in time.

She snarled. Samarth wiggled his fingers again, knowing she couldn’t cower from a challenge.

He was enjoying winning this too like he did everything else when she set her hands on his shoulders to leverage for a jump.

That’s when he moved away.

“Hey! Hello?!” She came sniping behind him.

He snickered, holding her away by the top of her head as she tried to charge at him like an unhinged bull.

Samarth glanced around. Coach was still not here and his mates were busy lounging around under the sun, getting their faces used to the heat before they were thrown into galloping in the sun and dust.

What would it be like to take Ava on a horse and go for a ride under this sun? That is, if she would allow him to bring her within a hundred metres of a horse.

An idea struck.

“Come with me,” he left her head.

Curiosity won over competition for Ava.

“Where?” She looked around.

“Just come,” he scooped his mallet bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“Don’t you have practise?”

“Come, Ava!” He bellowed, striding.

“If it’s…” she trailed to a stop. Samarth turned. Her face was white.

“What happened?”

“I’m not coming inside! Are you mad?” She stood outside the open doors of the stables.

“Why?”

“There are horses inside!”

“I know. It’s their home.”

“You know I am scared of horses!”

“That’s because you haven’t thought about befriending them yet.”

“Oh,” she gave a mock laugh. “Why didn’t I think about that before, Einstein?!”

“Come on, Ava, they are the best.”

“No, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye!”

He caught her wrist before she could make a beeline for the fields.

“Samarth! No,” she bodily tugged back. And she was strong enough for him to call upon his full force and tug her in the opposite direction.

Luckily, between standard 7th and 9th, he had put on ample muscle mass and grown in size while she was still the same.

It was hence possible for him to drag her kicking into the dark stables.

“Samarth! I’ll have you executed for this!” She raised her leg to kick him but he jumped, laughing.

“I am a prince too, Kumari. Why do I have the feeling that I will be welcomed with attar sprinkles in your Gwalior Palace?”

Fuming, she tried again and this time succeeded in giving his backside a kick.

“Hey! Don’t get my whites dirty!”

Another kick. “Leave me! I don’t want to come!”

He whirled her close just at the stall of his riding horse and closed her in his arms, her back to his chest. Cherry nudged his face out of his stall and she shrunk back. He looked happy though, excited after his nap, ready to run.

“No, no, no, no please, no,” Avantika turned her face into his chest, her cheek pressed so tight against his sternum he was worried it would dent the bone. Samarth took two steps back to get her comfortable first.

“It’s alright, I am right behind you here,” he whispered in her ear.

“He will bite my head off!” Her muffled voice sounded from his shirt.

“He will not,” Samarth smiled. “He looks so happy. See?”

He waited. One long breath, two, three. Both — Ava’s and Cherry’s. Then slowly her face turned, just a tiny inch. Samarth dipped his chin to see her reaction. Her eyes flitted sideways at Cherry, then she turned and buried her face in his chest again.

“He’s not happy, you liar!”

Samarth reached out and gave Cherry a caress between his eyes. His horse sighed, or as close as he could with his loud neigh. Ava’s body jumped in his arms, her scream rivalling Cherry’s neigh.

“Alright, alright,” Samarth took a few more steps back with her and reached for the bag of apples on the floor.

Her body seemed to relax as she moved with his body — unloading his mallet bag, bending to grab an apple, stretching to reach for a knife.

She went where he went, not letting his chest go.

“Ava!” He smiled, “We are too far away, Ava. He won’t reach you. And he is very happy to see you, trust me.”

Her body loosened, and her face came out of his chest fully. She blinked incredulous eyes at Cherry who was patiently waiting for the treat he saw being sliced, then back at him.

“How can he be happy to see me? He doesn’t even know me.”

“But he knows me, and I know you,” Samarth sliced the apple into half, then into a quarter and gave a piece to her. She began to bite into it when he held her wrist — “No!” He laughed. “I mean, I can slice one for you too but this is for Cherry.”

“Oh…” she flung her arm back to throw it into the stall but he again held her hand.

“No, Ava, you feed him.”

“ Now you have lost it. No way! Bye!” She began to walk around him but he cupped his hand below hers and pushed their arms forward.

“Like this, see?”

“No!” She again bodily resisted and he took a slice in his other hand and held it out to Cherry. Like a good boy he licked the slice clean, leaving his palm empty and Ava’s eyes wide.

“He didn’t bite you?”

“He is not fond of human hand for lunch.”

She turned mock-crying eyes to him. Samarth smiled — “Now come on, hold it out to him and relax your arm, smile at him. He understands expressions, emotions, even words. Say hi to him.”