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✧ ⋆ ☽ ✯ ☾ ⋆ ✧
After hearing the soft click of the shutter of the Polaroid, Aadhya leapt to her feet from beside Rocky and sprinted towards the stranger that was kind enough to take a picture of them. As soon as the rollers eject the photo, Aadhya resists the urge to flail her arms like Kermit the frog and disrupt the film.
A smile blooms on her face when the photo comes to life. "This is perfect," She murmurs before thanking the foreigner. "Thank you so much."
"It's no problem, love," with an inclination of her head, she left the couple alone, her face shadowed by the flop hat atop her head and her smile friendly.
"Have a nice day," Aadhya hollered to her back before turning towards the rugged man, who had been waiting for her patiently. "Look! Isn't this beautiful," Aadhya says, shoving the picture into his face. In the polaroid, the two of them were standing before a fountain, with Rocky's arms over her shoulders, the corner of his eyes crinkling when he smiled. And Aadhya's face tilted slightly, leaning onto the side of his chest, her eyes and smile bright as the sun.
"Darling, I have half a mind to take this with me," Rocky says, his tone whimsical. His words were like a sucker punch to the guts. She pretended her hardest to not think about it until now. But it's proving to be hard than she thought it would be.
"Can you stop reminding me about your departure every few seconds?" Aadhya retrieves the photo back in a childish agitation. "I am already miserable as it is. So please let me enjoy these few seconds of peace with you without the thought of impending doom hovering above us."
Rocky smiled, that stupid heart-thumpingly open, honest, and beautiful smile of his. "I am not easy to kill, darling."
"No, no. That's not true. Anyone can die. But, you - you just don't fear death," Aadhya retorts coldly, shaking her head and "And that's entirely two different things."
"True," Rocky concedes, nodding his head with an understanding lilt. "I do believe death dances in everyone's shadow, and she doesn't give a damn, so I don't give a damn about her either," When Aadhya looked anxious and unimpressed, he raised his arm, continuing after a pause, "But...I have you now. And I really don't plan on dying anytime soon before I woo you into marrying me."
And what was she supposed to say to that? So instead of opening her mouth, she was pulling him towards her, like a fish on a line. A surprised Rocky half-fell against her, and she hugged him, her arms around him. And he smelt like the earth after the rain, while she smelt like lilac, she thought distantly. "Stay alive, Okay? No matter what, please stay alive."
Rocky stood like that, leaning himself against her even though she was slighter than he was, as though his mind had gone blank for a few seconds, surprised by her action. After a wordless moment, he reached out to run his hand up her back. "I promise," he says finally, allowing her to nuzzle her way into the hollow of his collarbone and shoulders. His hands tightened on her. "I promise I will stay alive."
When she disengages from him, she rummages through her bag. "I got something for you," she says, holding up a square of green stone in her palm, strung onto a leather string. "The cook in our mansion said there's this famous Dargah and that wishes of every pilgrim will come true if they visit it."
Rocky raised his eyebrows like he was about to protest, but Aadhya didn't spare him another glance and raised a hand to his heart, staying his objections. "I know you don't believe in God. But I also know I can never fight your battles with my strength even if I tried, so take what little help I can offer you in this." She makes herself as pitiful as possible, "Please."
Rocky looked at her as if he was grappling with exasperated fondness. "Alright, alright," he accepted dutifully and earned himself a beaming grin from the younger girl. "But, you have to keep mine with you in return," he doesn't even give her a chance to process as he tugs at his own amulet and holds it out for her.
Aadhya's eyes go wide. "No way!" She yelps when she realizes what he's about to do. "Your mother promised you not to take it off, ever."
Rocky ceases her wrist in place of response and pries her fingers open gently to place the amulet in her hands. "I think even she would want you to have this if she were here," was the only thing he proclaimed before closing her palms around the charm with his callous hands. "So, keep this safe for me until we meet again, yes?"
Once he became sure she wouldn't offer it back, he bent his head low enough for her to tie her jade talisman around his neck. But seeing as he has a few feet above her, Aadhya had no choice but to raise on her tiptoes to knot the string together. When she's finished, she moves back.
As her thumb brushed over the etchings carved into the jade, Aadhya tried her best to ignore the undeniable weight settling around her heart.
The weight of the realization.
Because today, he will be leaving to that monstrous place where a horde of cruel demons devour the flesh of poor souls, to a wasteland that's stretched with the graveyards of innocent lives. A place where he will be branded like an animal and has to bend his head. A place where people lost all their faith. Because to stay alive, he has no choice but to bite his tongue and bide his time.
Please, stay alive, she thought.
"Wait for me," He said.
***
"Did you say the last of your goodbyes?" Kamal's condescending voice stopped Aadhya as soon as she entered the house. "After all, there is no way he will return from the place he has gone to," his eyes move to the camera around her neck. "I hope you got a good picture of him because that will be the only thing you will have of him now."
"I hate to rain on your parade, Kamal," begins Aadhya, her brown eyes as flat as his tone. "I really do. But Rocky's not just anyone. He will come back."
Kamal scoffs like it's the most outlandish thing he has heard in that century. "Did you hear that Uncle?" he turns his chin towards the impassive Rajendra Desai. The aged man dressed in his impeccable suit was sitting on the couch before a worried Reena, looking at the proceedings without a word. "She says her lover is going to come back." There was a wave of electric anger in kamal's gaze and a sort-of challenge that made Aadhya long to hit him with something heavy. Like a hammer or a truck. "He is nothing but a pawn in this game. He won't survive until the end, either way."
Aadhya stood strong, still, his amulet hanging against her chest. Because Rocky promised, and he will always keep his promises. "He might be a pawn. But you should know, it only takes one match to burn down acres of forest." She doesn't give the irritating man the chance to have the last word. "I will be in my room," she announces as she stalks away.
