His sleep broke in the middle of a night. His ever so favorite spicy food was sending bubbles of gas up his throat. Getting up from his bed, he went in the kitchen to fetch some milk. A cup of cold milk usually did the trick to calm his acidity.

It was way past midnight yet he wasn't surprised to see the lights still ON. There, at the kitchen table, his sister sat solving numericals and scribbling down the equations. He got his glass of milk and sat in front of her. Sensing no efforts from her to glance towards him, he tapped on the table, forcing her head up. Once he had her attention, he signalled towards the clock. It was almost one AM.

"You know how much I love maths," she said with a shrug.

"Yes indeed," he grinned, "The fake love that erupts a night before exam."

"Sh...," she put a finger on her lips, "Don't say it out loud. Maths will hear it."

He smile widened watching her point towards her maths book as if it had ears. Exam nights were known to bring the best out of everyone. She was proving it once again.

"I don't think it'd mind though," he whispered back carrying the game forward, "Maths is very humble that way."

"Then why is it so complicated? Why's it so difficult to simplify?"

The pitch of her voice was rising with every allegation she made against maths.

"Who says that?" he asked finishing the last drop of his milk, "Maths is so easy to derive. It integrates right to our heart."

"Dil to pagal hai. It doesn't understand the meaning of integration at all," she shrugged it off once again.

"And yet it dances to its tune."

"The only dance when it gets tired right away."

"Then it sings the song of its equations."

"But forgets the lyrics every other line."

Their little game was in full flow when they heard a shuffle besides them.

"And eventually she fails in the exam." Their mother stood there with an angry look on her face. Rather than the concern for her daughter's exam, that anger was more because the kids broke her peaceful sleep. "I understand you guys love maths with all your heart, but please go to sleep. Both of you."

The intensity in her voice didn't leave any scope for argument. Turning the light OFF, they moved back to their beds leaving the maths book alone.

"Thank you mom," even the book heaved a sigh of relief. Finally it can get some sleep too.

It didn't matter whether these kids loved her or not, it loved itself. And that was enough.

***

Inspired from MahekVij's undying love for maths.