‘I’ll be back in a second,’ I tell Nirvaan as I get up and walk towards her. It’s almost as if my pregnancy has cast a spell over me and now I’m instinctively attracted to kids. Even earlier in the morning, I’d found myself staring longingly at another toddler.

‘Where are you going?’ Nirvaan asks, but I don’t respond.

When I reach the little girl, I sit on the beach next to her and ask, ‘What is your name?’

‘Elisha,’ she replies.

‘Wow! What a beautiful name. And where are your parents?’

‘Inside,’ she says, pointing towards Ricky’s. ‘They are performing here tonight. Aarav has his standup act and Alara’s going to sing with some American sound producer they have invited.’

The way she uses her parents’ first names instead of calling them ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’ makes me want to burst into laughter, but I don’t, lest she feel hurt. ‘Oh, I see,’ I say instead. ‘But why are you playing alone outside? Shouldn’t you be inside?’

‘It’s all right. This is Uncle Ricky’s place. I’m safe here. He keeps a watch over me.’

‘Aha! You’re growing up in a beautiful place indeed.’ I smile.

‘We don’t live here,’ she informs me with a very serious look on her small face. ‘My parents travel a lot and I keep moving with them. We’re here for Christmas and New Year. We’ll leave in the first week of January.’

I nod my head and place a gentle kiss on her forehead before walking back to my seat. My heart is full of emotions I cannot quite identify; clearly pregnancy hormones are already raging within my system.

Our drinks arrive. Mine is a virgin pina colada, and Nirvaan’s is an LIIT because Ricky said that’s what they serve the best!

Time slows down as we sip our drinks and revel in the magic of the evening. In less than an hour, the entire place is full of travellers and locals and the sound of their conversations creates a buzz in the air. It seems like Ricky’s is a much-loved place, and possibly very well known on Instagram too! I guess we’re lucky to have occupied a table which gives us a perfect view of the small stage where the performances are going to take place against the backdrop of the sea.

What was the surprise though? This anticipation is really killing me.

I’m a little lost in my thoughts when I see a tall, handsome black man walk towards me. The bright lights from the stage don’t let me register his facial features that well, but when he’s almost at our table, he says, ‘Kee! I’ve missed you so much!’

I sit up straight, shocked, because I can recognize that voice anywhere, even in deep sleep! It’s Zayn!