Daylight was fading once again as darkness slowly crept. We sat under the tree, I had the tome in my hand, not having read even one page yet, while Urvi embellished the sword with great admiration and a small piece of cloth.

She lifted the sword into the air and looked at it, trying to get it to shine off the sunlight. However, the light was too low. She put the sword down and cursed in irritation. “It is dusk already and I am still wide awake.”

“Yeah. So am I,” I said closing the tome.

She looked around her and said, “We need to start a fire. I always wanted to go camping! That will be one wish completed!”

Oh yeah! That never crossed my mind! “Oh yes. We can even cook stuff on it!”

“Great! But do you know how to start a fire?” She asked.

“I think so... Let’s give it a try. Collect some dry wood.”

Urvi ran around the place within the circle collecting small twigs and sticks. I, meanwhile, looked for stones using which I could start a fire. I tested many, unsure of what kind of stones could even produce a spark, before ultimately managing to produce a spark with a pair, which I would later learn to be flint.

Urvi built a conical structure out of the twigs, very carefully. I bought a few more stones and set them in a circle around the cone. After she had placed all the twigs she had collected, I proceeded to try and light a fire. It took several attempts, but eventually, I was able to get a spark, which kickstarted a fiery chain reaction, creating our first-ever campfire. Urvi almost jumped in joy.

The warmth of the fire slowly heated our bodies. The nights were not exactly cold, but the heat from a campfire was never going to be a bad thing. I sat down before the fire, the tome sitting beside me. Meanwhile, Urvi, who was on the other side, began to strip, taking off her heavy armor. Each piece of armor fell onto the floor with a hard dull thud, confirming their heft. By the time she was done, she was back into her loincloth and band bra.

She began to stretch and ease herself. “Fuck those things are heavy!”

“They look to be heavy. But you are moving around like they are not even there,” I said.

She flexed both her arms and said, “It feels fucking fantastic to be this strong!” She sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and shutting her eyes. She had a dreamy smile on her face, almost like a trance.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“You look like you are in a different world right now,” I said.

“I feel like I am high right now,” She said as she fell back onto the ground. “I am happy, and giddy, and my whole body is radiating energy.”

“Is that how being high feels?” I asked, looking back.

Her smile had mellowed out. “Yeah. One of my clients made me have one.”

“One of your clients?” I tried correcting it.

“Okay, a fucking lot of them.”

“But you don’t seem to be missing them. Unless you have been smoking it in my bathroom.”

“Fuck you! It is not that addicting.”

I fell quiet, smiling to myself. I feel like I missed out on a lot in life. A lot of adventure. Yeah, I know it ain’t good for life and shit. But living my life as a recluse in a room wasn’t exactly a healthy life either. And now, here we are. In another world, and I already feel left behind.

“Believe me. That life ain’t that great,” Urvi said.

“Easy to say when you have experienced and done with it.”

“Maybe. But it feels empty. Looking back at it now, I feel hollow. Like, they aren’t good memories.”

“Why so?” I asked.

“You tell me. Do you regret ever having sex with me?”

I shook my head. “I don’t.” But my heart was in my throat. Was she going to say she did? How would I even take such a comment?

“Me neither.”

Oh, thank God!

“But” She continued. “I do regret doing with the others. Somewhat.”

I stretched myself out, laying down on the grass with my back. The warmth of the fire made me somewhat drowsy. I put my hands behind my head and asked, “Why is that?”

“Addiction is crazy fucking stupid, isn’t it? You can’t stop yourself from doing it, but once you are done, you can’t stop yourself from regretting it. Then promise yourself you won’t do it again. But as time passes, you start reminiscing about it and suddenly you are back in that cycle.”

She was right. I like to pretend like Urvi is the slut and I am not. But before Urvi, there were other girls. However, once Urvi came into my life, I couldn’t go back. I had made a connection that couldn’t be cut off. Perhaps that is why it hurts to see her leave for another man’s house. I don’t think she feels the same way about me.

“But you are different. I keep saying I am with you because I feel comfortable... but... it is more than that,” She said. Her eyes were fixed on the ground in front of her. There was a soft smile on her face.

“More? How so?” I asked.

She got back up on her feet and walked around the campfire towards me. As she approached me, I rose from the ground, resting on my elbows. Walking over me, she knelt down on the ground, her beautiful ass planted on my pelvis. She looked into my eyes and with a beautiful smile. “Let me put it this way. If I could marry anyone in this world, it would be you.”

I couldn’t even put into words how I felt. It felt like I was hit by a truck and the whole world began to spin. But the eyes, who stared at Urvi’s beautiful face, couldn’t move.

She placed her hands on either of my cheeks before moving and kissing me on my lips.

My heart almost burst, unable to handle the emotions at the moment. All my life, I always thought I wasn’t good enough for any girl or anyone. For the first time in my sad life, I am feeling the warmth of an honest and genuine kiss, and I can’t help myself shedding a tear for it.