Prologue
I stare at them longingly as they hold hands and walk along the shore of Somnath's beach. Distant echoes of the loud bell from the temple carry over to the beach, marking the end of the day.
My dad calls her ‘meri chipkali’; he’s called her that ever since I could remember. And everytime, her face scrunches up in annoyance. It’s mostly pretense though; to anyone who's paying attention, it’s pretty evident that she loves being called that, but she would never admit it out loud. I think she cares more about him calling her his, rather than the childhood nickname; he is right though – she definitely is a chipkali, a quality that I have inherited, quite proudly, from her. She clings to him, just like her namesake, with her head on his shoulder, their hands clasped together at her waist, looking at the sun waning back into the sea.
Even though they bicker all the time, and I mean all the goddamn time, they never seem to be able to stray too far from each other. Always ready with a snarky rebuttal on the tip of their tongues, almost waiting to burst out into an argument, all the while holding hands. A paradox, really.
He kisses her forehead and I look down, not wanting to be an intruder in their moment, tracing a heart into the sand below, willing for a love like that for myself. Again. I can feel Raaghav next to me, still diligently working on our sandcastle. I wonder if he thinks about things like this.
“Raaghav! Sumi! Waha kya kar rahe ho? Dekho paani kitni achi hein. SUMI!! Come get your feet wet at least, na…” my mother calls out, waving us over.
Raaghav is, as usual, the first one to get up; he dusts himself off and starts to walk towards them, towards the sea. I sneak a glance at the heart again, hesitant to leave just yet.
“Oye mini-chipkali, what are you still doing there? Ma humein bula rahi hai, tujhe sunai nahi diya kya?!”
I raise my head to meet his gaze. There’s a question there, but I’m not sure if either of us knows what it is I’m asking. He just smiles in response and offers me his hand.
I clear the sand with my foot before accepting his help and he pulls me along to where they’re waiting.
I don’t look back again.
……………
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