The honeymoon

Maya lifted a pair of shoes from the bed.

“When are we wearing these?”

Arjun studied the itinerary.

“Possibly between the sunrise excursion and the evening tasting.”

“Which day?”

“All of them, apparently.”

They looked at each other.

The wedding had taken months to arrange. Somehow, their first week alone had become another event to manage.

At their planning conversation, each had tried to sound adventurous.

Maya had mentioned snorkeling because Arjun had mentioned snorkeling. Arjun had mentioned it because Maya had saved a photograph of a boat.

Their adviser, Nisha, asked them separately what they hoped the first morning would feel like.

“Quiet,” Maya said.

“Like we don't have to be anywhere,” said Arjun.

They laughed, then looked relieved.

They reviewed what could still be changed, the costs and the booking terms. They kept one outing they genuinely wanted and left room around it.

Nisha helped confirm a small coastal stay with a shaded terrace. Maya removed the shoes from the suitcase.

“We're allowed to be boring,” she announced.

“Together,” Arjun said.

On their first morning, breakfast arrived while they were still talking.

The sea beyond the terrace was clear enough to see dark shapes beneath the water. A coconut stood between two cups of coffee because neither wanted to admit they had ordered it mostly for the photograph.

Arjun couldn't open the little packet of sugar.

After a wedding full of graceful promises, this seemed an excellent opportunity to observe married life.

Maya opened it for him.

“My hero.”

“Try the next one yourself.”

They went into the water that afternoon. Later, they returned to the terrace with damp hair and no plan for dinner yet.

Nothing extraordinary happened.

They learned how the other liked their coffee. They talked until a question turned into a story neither had heard before.

At sunset, Maya looked at the itinerary on her phone.

There was a beautifully empty space where tomorrow should have been.

She put the phone down between them, face first.