“OK, it’s a fun game that I used to love to play when I was at school, except I used to be the one guessing for other people. Basically, I’d sit in my desk and think about what thing people would be.”

“What do you mean?” Omkar asked

“You know the game where it’s like if I were a car, what kind of car would I be; or if I were an animal, like what animal would I be? It’s like that game. But we have to guess for each other,” Aria said.

“No, I’ve never played that particular game,” Omkar said, excited to give it a try.

“OK. I’ll start. If I were an animal, what would I be? You have to guess for me and I have to guess for you,” Aria said.

Omkar thought for a considerable amount of time with Aria staring him down, waiting for an answer. Eventually, a smile crossed his face. “You’d be a jungle cat.”

“Why would I be a jungle cat?” Aria asked, curious about his impressions of her.

“A … maybe because you look a bit like them. You remind me of a cat, but not like a small cat and not like a lion. You seem very independent and mysterious and majestic and a little bit wild,” he said, teasing her affectionately.

“OK,” she said, “let me think.” Aria paused for even longer than he did, scanning him for any resemblance he might have to any specific animal. “Ah, I got it,” she yelled. “A bush baby.”

“Oh my God, it’s because of my ears, isn’t it?” The embarrassment Omkar felt for the way his ears protruded was suddenly revived. Despite the dark shade of his skin, she could see the redness appear in his cheeks and neck.

“Maybe a little bit,” she said, holding up her fingers to demonstrate an inch to tease him before explaining her choice further. “Oh come on, they’re cute! And they are really smart but kind of silly too. Plus, they can see through the dark, I mean you saw through me!”

The sudden sentiment made him adore her even more. He had to remind himself to look at the road instead of at her face. They played the game back and forth, telling each other what fruit and vegetable and car and celebrity they thought each other would be, for as long as it took to reach a parking spot at the public beach.