‘Yes! Yes!,’ Jiya clapped her hands and nodded eagerly.
Kashvi put it around Jiya’s wrist and locked the clasp. The smile that broke out onto the little girl’s face melted her heart in an instant.
When Jiya opened her small sling bag and looked for money, Kashvi stopped her. ‘Sweetheart, these are all gifts for you kids. Don’t worry about this, just enjoy.’
Her grin split wide and bright, and Jiya placed a kiss on her cheek. Kashvi laughed, watching her bolt off across the sand to her friends and show her new treasure.
‘I think I need to step up my game to make you laugh like that,’ came from behind Kashvi and she turned around.
Swayam stood there, barefoot, with a layer of wet sand clinging to his blue tee. His hair was ruffled and his sharp, bright gaze was fixed on her.
‘I didn’t know you havegame,’ Kashvi said, dusting sand from her jeans as she stood.
Swayam grinned. ‘You wound me. Anyway, did you find something for the girl?’
Kashvi nodded. ‘A bracelet.’
‘Good,’ he said, stepping forward until the gap between them vanished. ‘I found something for my girl too.’
Kashvi swatted at his arm, making him let out an oomph. She tried to narrow her eyes at him, but couldn’t help the smile. He looked like trouble and temptation rolled into one.
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth pouch, offering it to her.
Kashvi hesitated, then took it and slid the drawstring open. Nestled inside lay a chandbali jhumkas made with pearls andamethyst studded in floral structure. The rays caught the gems, making them glint in her hand.
She looked up at him. ‘You bought these for me?’
‘As much as I like them, I don’t think I can pull off wearing these, so yeah, I’m giving them to you,’ he tilted his head, teasing her. ‘Do you like them?’
Kashvi said. ‘They’re beautiful, but why would you do this?’
‘Because I wanted to,’ he simply said.
‘Thank you,’ she said, unable to find a better response.
‘Don’t, because I plan to take back in kind,’ he said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘It seems only fair that I give you something to hold on to when I plan to steal your heart,’ Swayam said, brushing a stray curl from her face before his fingers slid to the ruby heart dangling from a chain around her neck.
‘Why are you so obsessed with the idea of stealing my pendant?’ she asked, tilting her head.
‘Because I have my heart set on it,’ he whispered darkly, and her toes curled in the sand. ‘Besides, I’ll have plenty of chances to steal your pendant at home, since we are living together now.’
Kashvi warned. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
‘I’ve already thought about a lot of things.’ The heat in his gaze made her breath hitch.
‘In your dreams,’ she said, and immediately turned around, running down the stretch of the beach.
Swayam lunged after her, laughing and chasing her.
Her melodious giggle floated toward him as Kashvi called out over her shoulder. ‘You’ll never catch me!’
‘Keep saying that and I just might do it,’ Swayam shouted back, running behind her.
They ran far enough that the wheel looked smaller in the background. Kashvi was about to stop—because she knew he wouldn’t give up—when a sudden tide swept over her feet and she stumbled towards a rock.
