Chapter - Nine
Desai's game plan was obvious. It wasn't for nothing that he wanted me to be away from Meera for three weeks. He was done trying to convince me to let him have a 'harmless date' with her.
Three weeks. I shook my head in disgust. I had not forgotten what he did to Ananya in Sam's absence in the span of a few weeks. He was that cunning. He was a player who knows how to play his cards right and how to score with the woman he wanted.
"Go and finish the training. When you come back I will present you a nice gift myself."
I had the brain to guess what gift that would be. When I return from Bangalore after three weeks, I might be welcomed at my home by himself. He would look sweaty around his neck, or his whole body would be covered in sweat. He might tease me about celebrating a small accomplishment before leading me into my room.
"Have a look inside," He would insist.
In the room, Meera would be lying in my bed. Naked, tired, and motionless, with a layer of sweat around her body.
I was not able to think straight anymore as his voice began to echo inside my head.
"Don’t worry about her, Krish. She’ll be safe here. I’ll be there for anything she needs."
"When you return, a new world awaits you. Your life is going to improve."
"They wanted to lay you off but it was me who saved you."
“In return, he would only prosper in his life."
I heard Ananya's voice too, "I was too indebted to him to deny his wish."
My mind was going crazy. While heading home I found it tough to concentrate on my driving through the evening traffic. I fought the urge to head to a bar and find solace in booze. By the time I reached home, I had made a decision; that I was not going anywhere.
Let them fire me. That will be the last of seeing Desai's face at my workplace.
Meera noticed my gloomy face the moment I walked in.
"What happened?" She asked.
"I got fired." I took her arms in mine, and I felt weak. "I'll find another one, baby."
Meera stood there silently for a few seconds, looking straight into my eyes. "Is this about Susheel Desai?"
I could not look into her eyes and lie at the same time. I nodded.
"Why? What happened?"
"He wants me to go to Bangalore. He wants to send me away from here."
"What is it? Are you getting a transfer?"
"Training. He says it's for training. Three weeks."
"And after that?"
"After that, I can come back. A pay rise will be there."
Meera's brow furrowed for a moment before she pushed me away and slapped lightly on my upper-arm. "Idiot! Did you get the promotion? I got really scared." She was laughing.
"No," I tried to explain. "It's not just promotion, Meera. It's... He wants me to be away from here, away from you so that he can take advantage of it."
Meera stopped laughing and stared at me.
"You think he can take advantage of me just because you are away?"
Her reaction put me on the back foot.
"No, I didn't mean that, Meera. I am just worried about you. I know how crooked a person Desai is."
I wanted to explain how Desai had managed to seduce Ananya and even turn Sam into a pimp by offering prosperity. But I did not want to give away my closeness to Ananya.
Meera grabbed my arms.
"I promised you, Krish, I can handle him. There is nothing you should be worried about."
"Meera, please. I am not feeling right about it. I'll find another job."
"Come on, Krish. Don't be silly. Have you forgotten the crisis we went through when you lost your job last time? And now you have a better job. The timings and the distance are convenient. And a decent salary despite the free weekends. We are getting a lot of time to spend together. This is the job that brought the best for you and us. Our life is improving. We're getting financially stronger. In fact, I'm looking forward to the day you'll tell me it's time for parenthood. It's time we should think about having kids, Krish. So, don't even think about quitting."
"Meera," I looked at her helplessly.
She put her finger across my lips.
"Don't say anything now. You are going for the training and you are getting that promotion. I want to see how that prick is going to take advantage of it."
There was nothing I could say to convince her.
In the bed, later, she put her arms around me and told me how she would feel if I didn't change my mind.
"If you quit, it means you are scared of Desai. It will be a shame, Krish. Promise me you won't quit."
I looked into her soothing eyes for a long time and nodded.
"Okay. I promise you."
Next day I booked a train ticket for my hometown. I also planned to visit our newly purchased land property at the hometown before joining the Bangalore office.
Our plan to vacate our apartment after one week had to be preponed. I spoke to Tejas and he was ready to move out two days earlier. It somewhat helped me stop overthinking about Meera.
We hired a Packers & Movers company to shift the household items. I decided to shift loose fragile items myself in my car with help of Tejas. His presence made me feel better and I was finally behaving normally.
He was going to leave for Nagpur in a week. We had a bad feeling about it because we knew that it would be the last few days of our friendship. He was going to settle in Nagpur with his sister's help.
"My sister is already suggesting me a couple of job opportunities. I'll have to take up one," Tejas told me.
Meera heard him and she teased him for his lack of interest in having a job. She was fetching a box of photo frames into the car. Tejas noticed she was eating a lollipop. Its stick was sticking out between her lips.
"You are eating a lollipop! Where's mine?" He asked.
Meera winked at him. "I had only one. So I ate it." She spoke with the lollipop still in her mouth.
"You are so selfish. I am working hard to help you, and you didn't think about me before eating that?"
"I am not selfish. I have one for you. But it's a second-hand one. Will you take it?"
"A second-hand lollipop?"
"Second-hand means used; partially used. You can have it."
With a teasing smile, Meera pulled out the lollipop and held it in front of him.
"Second-hand, yeah!"
Tejas laughed.
"Don't wanna have it?"
Meera dared him again.
"Yeah, why not?"
Tejas snatched the lollipop from her hand and put it in his mouth.
"Eww!" Meera made a face. "I forgot who I was teasing."
Tejas's equation with Meera was both innocent and intimate. She always teased him for not trying to get a job but he never took her seriously. She often told him he would have earned a nice job had he put just half the effort trying to flirt with her. He would accept all the berating like compliments. But he would never waste a chance to touch her hands and to ogle at her. And she would always protest, warn and ridicule him. She even threatened me, jokingly, that she would push 'my friend' off the balcony.
"Your friend might not make it to his sister, I tell you, Krish."
"My services during your shifting aren't for free anymore, after so much berating. I'm gonna charge you for this," Tejas retorted.
Being a talkative person, Tejas never stopped telling us funny stories. Meera enjoyed all of them only to complain later that his jokes were juvenile.
"Yeah, I know what jokes you would enjoy. Okay?"
Tejas hit back.
"Tell me one, then," Meera said.
"Here's one. A man was very confused about what to gift his wife on their fifth anniversary. He sought his friend's advice. The friend jokingly suggested him to give a certificate to the wife that says 'you are hereby permitted to have sex however you want, in any positions, for the next two hours'. The man took the idea very seriously and he meticulously followed it. The next day the friend saw him very angry for the advice. He asked how his wife reacted. The husband said his wife was very happy with the certificate; she actually kissed him to thank him, saying 'you're so great. I'll see you in two hours' and left."
Meera laughed, only to tell him, "it's a copy-paste joke from WhatsApp, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's a copy-paste. I have to copy-paste because I'm a little inexperience in these matters like you ma'am." Tejas said.
"What do you mean by inexperienced?"
"He's probably referring to his virginity," I said.
Meera laughed at my remark.
"Why should I refer something I don't have?" Tejas asked.
"Oh really?" Meera turned to him. "I too thought you're a virgin. Because you were always playing innocent whenever I mentioned Anamika."
"Anamika and I are just friends," Tejas said readily. "But my doubt is why are you thinking about my virginity? Do you have something in your mind?"
"Yeah, I know of a person who might hook up with you. But what's the use now? You're leaving." Meera never stopped teasing him.
We had to shuttle between the apartments three times before we moved all the items. The packers and movers had already left after shifting heavy stuff like furniture and other packages.
We were tired at the end of the last trip. Meera was pissed when she saw the elevator damaged suddenly. I joked that she hardly did anything to be tired so much. Meera made an angry face to me.
"I'm really tired, can't you see?"
I shook my head. "If you're so tired then it's my duty to help you, dear. I can carry you to the third floor if you want."
"That's so nice of you." Meera's agreed instantly.
"I was joking, baby." I laughed and walked to the stairs.
Meera made an angry face at me again.
"Try me," Tejas offered.
"What about you?" Meera was as surprised as me.
Tejas smiled. "Well, it's my pleasure."
"Are you sure?"
Though Meera wondered, she was suddenly game. She lay on his back with her arms around his neck, pressing her boobs on his back. Tejas lifted her with his arms making a circle behind her thighs. I followed him as he walked up the staircase. My eyes were on her butt which was being pressed by his arms. I wondered who was enjoying the ride more.
Tejas was tired like hell by the time we reached the third floor. He almost fell onto the couch. Meera offered him water.
"I can't even lift my hand to hold that glass, ma'am." Tejas panted.
I laughed, "You thought it'd be a cakewalk like in movies, didn't you?"
"Don't worry," Meera brought the glass to his lips, helping him drink the water. "Your exhausted look makes me feel like overweight."
Tejas slowly held her palm and said, "Your hand is so soft and beautiful."
Meera pinched his cheek and got up. "You'll never stop flirting, idiot!"
After having parcelled lunch we unpacked our items and arranged the house in order. When everything was done Tejas asked Meera to make a cake to mark the beginning of life in the new place. Meera agreed.
"But you'll have to help me and then wait till the morning," she told him.
Tejas was going to stay at a friend's house for the rest of his days in Pune. I asked Tejas to phone his friend and tell him that he's staying with us overnight. He agreed, considering he had a few more personal items left in the flat.
Later that evening Meera asked him to take her out to show around the nearby markets. Tejas was happy to grab the opportunity to sit behind her on the scooty. Before they went he sneakily approached me.
"I'm going to have a great time with ma'am!"
I patted on his shoulder. "Wish you good luck with that!"
When they came back after one and a half hour, I gestured at him if he had a great time. He shrugged his shoulders and made a sad face. It turned out Meera had refused his coffee invite.
Later, while sipping the coffee Meera made for us, Tejas said he had noticed a man trying to rub his back against her and he thought the man was deliberately doing it.
"He was standing away from her, trying to grind his butt against ma'am's back," Tejas said.
I got up and approached Meera. "Like this?" I turned and rubbed my back behind her. Meera giggled. "But I wonder why should a man rub his back against a woman?" I asked.
"I knew what he was doing," Meera said with a grin at Tejas. "And I also knew you were watching it."
Tejas' eyes widened.
"If he made a move more deliberately, I would have scolded him."
"Don't play the hero part free, dude. If he was a little more deliberate, I would have done scolded him myself."
Meera said.
"Wasn't he intimidating?"
"He was just a fan who couldn't control his admiration. I don't deny the harmless joy of my fans."
"Oh man, the wrong person got lucky today." Tejas sighed.
"Why?"
"I am the biggest fan of you, ma'am."
"Are you?"
She was smiling when she looked into his eyes.
"Yeah, ask Krish sir. He'll tell you how much I like you." Tejas said.
"Then next time you try standing behind me," Meera suggested.
They were constantly pulling each other's legs, but both of them never skipped the opportunity to flirt with each other either. I was always around, enjoying the verbal games and jokes.
After baking the cake Meera took a bath and came out with loose top and pyjama. The wriggled and unbuttoned neckline of her black top allowed her cleavage to be partially visible. Pyjama was tight on her thighs and the pleasingly plump shape of her thighs was noticeable. At once she casually stood talking to us while tying the loose hair with both hands, and the bottom line of her top was raised, exposing her midriff. My eyes first caught the beauty of her navel, and then I quickly turned to see where Tejas was looking. He was a breathless statue, copying her image into his mental canvas. He smiled at me when he realised he was caught staring at my wife.
"Stop staring at me, Tejas," Meera said, without looking at Tejas. He laughed. I too laughed at him. Meera looked at me. "You too, Krish. Being my husband doesn't mean you can stare at my body like a horny chap."
Tejas burst into laughter, "I liked that one."
We had a homely dinner after that.
When Meera came to bed I grabbed her and pulled her into the bed.
"I am the horny chap who likes to stare you. Do you have any problem?"
I asked, my lips an inch away from hers.
"Mmm...I have a problem," Meera said, "if you just keep staring and don’t do anything else!"
Next moment I felt her palm behind my head, pressing. My lips merged with hers and she opened her mouth to let my tongue finds hers. I darted my tongue into her mouth. I cupped my palms around her face and sucked on her soft lips.
"This is our first night," I whispered. "First night in this new house."
Meera laughed. "I feel like in a hotel room."
"Why?"
"Suddenly landing here, in a new bed, and someone's trying to take advantage of me."
I pinched her cheek. "You can take advantage of me too."
I lifted her top by the waistline and brought my lips to her navel. Meera giggled as I flipped my tongue around it. She took off her top and threw it aside. My palms went upward to worm inside her bra cups and squeezed her melons. My lips trailed upward and over her breasts, and she with a smile pulled up her bra to reveal her erect nipples. They were ready to be sucked on. I drew circles around them to make her moan and then bit at the tips to make her hiss with slight pain. We were moving faster into the territory we were hungrily waiting for. My left palm moved downward and sneaked inside her pyjama and then inside her panty. She was waiting for it. She pulled down the pyjama and panty.
"Lick me, Krish." She breathed into my eyes.
I followed her wish quickly and pulled down the clothes to help her become completely naked. As I stood on my knees to take the clothes off her, she lay with her thighs close like a shy woman, and I could see she was far from that. I loved how she was throwing eyes at me, gushing a seductive smile. I wanted to chew her soft lips till they bled.
"What are you looking at?" She asked.
"Your lips...I want to bite it."
"Which lips?"
Her bold remarks like that never ceased to amuse me. I wondered if any other wife would do that to her husband so confidently, while I spread her legs with a smile and gestured at her centre.
"This one." I quipped and dived into it. A few moments later, Meera was making a loud moan as I did exactly what I told her.
"Aaaah..." She cried. "Slow..."
I didn't intend to slow down at all. The more I subjected her pussy lips to my tongue assaults the more vocal she became. With the sound of her moans, my dick grew harder. I was shedding my clothes one by one though slowly, and the moment I became completely nude she pushed me and asked me to lie down. Next moment I saw me lying on my back and Meera climbed on top of me. I watched her close her eyes as she took me into her love hole. She grabbed my palms and began to ride me.
"Feeling good?"
She smiled at me.
"Mmm...." My response was a moan.
She had the expertise to ride me to the gates of pleasure. Starting with the slow jerking of her waist while holding my arms, she soon sent me through those gates by bringing her mouth down to breath into my mouth while slapping hard onto my dick with her lower body. She rode me non-stop and I was going to explode.
"Meera..."
She knew what I meant, and she did not stop.
"I am safe, cum inside me..."
She rode me a few more seconds and collapsed on my chest, and I pumped into her one last time before I emptied my load inside her. She was panting, and I was breathless for a few seconds.
It was mind-blowing.
"That was great, honey," Meera said when our breathing became normal.
"Yeah; nice beginning, right?" I smiled at her and wore my pants.
There was a knock on the door.
"Krish sir." I heard Tejas' voice. "Guys, sorry to disturb you. I need to go out. Would you please lock the front door for once?"
Meera pulled a sheet over her and gestured me to answer the door.
I got up and opened the door, without caring to wear my shirt. Tejas was standing there.
"What happened?" I asked.
"My friend has an emergency..." He said hurriedly and paused. "I...I have to leave, I'll tell you later."
I saw him looking beyond me, to the bed where I knew Meera was lying with just a sheet on.
"I want you to lock the front door," Tejas repeated.
"Okay," I said.
Before following him I turned to Meera. She was sitting in the bed, her body still covered by the sheet.
When Tejas left I locked the front door and came back the room. Meera was thoughtful.
"What happened, honey?"
I asked.
"We were very noisy. Don't you think he would have heard us making love?"
"I'm not sure about that," I said with a smile. "But I'm sure where he was looking at when I opened the door."
As I climbed on the bed Meera hugged me and her left hand went straight to my crotch. I was hard.
"Mmm...I knew this!"
Meera giggled. I turned to face her, and put my right leg over her.
"Yeah, I'm hard because I am aware that my friend has just seen my beautiful wife clad in this thin sheet," I said and put my hand inside the sheet. "All left to his imagination."
Before she could say anything my lips sealed hers. Her hand at my crotch moved inside my pants and her grip around my dick turned it further harder and stronger.
"Meera... My baby... I don't want to stop doing this..." I breathed.
"Then don't."
A few minutes later, I was on top of her, driving my shaft into her pussy at a brisk pace. She kept kissing me, wrapping her arms around my neck and then welcomed another burst of my cum inside her.
Tejas did not return that night. He phoned me in the morning to inform me that his friend's father had suffered a heart attack in the midnight. With Tejas' help, they were able to take him to the hospital and save him.
I went out in the morning and when I came back I checked the cake in the fridge. It looked perfect. I asked Meera if it's ready to eat.
"I don't know. I haven't checked."
Meera said. I was surprised at the lack of enthusiasm in her voice.
"What happened to you, Meera?" I asked.
"Nothing. I'm just tired."
I wondered if the reason behind her tiredness was our long love-making session and the thought brought a smile to my lips.
Tejas returned in the evening, and straightaway asked about the cake. It was ready. Meera cut the cake into pieces and it was delicious as expected. Tejas showered Meera with compliments but she still remained gloomy. Tejas noticed it and asked me about it. I told him that she was going to be alone for three weeks since I was going to Bangalore.
"She doesn't like to be here, alone in a new place," I said.
"Then ask her to take a vacation for three weeks. She can spend time at hometown and you can visit her every weekend, can't you?" Tejas suggested.
I felt it was a nice idea. My hometown was just an overnight journey from Bangalore.
Tejas left soon after packing all his leftover belongings in a bag.
We went to meet our neighbours, and we also distributed the homemade cake. Pawan and Sheetal were excited to welcome us. Sheetal took Meera to her kitchen and I sat with Pawan in the living room. However, within a few minutes, I noticed that the couple were overly excited and they were pretentious. When we returned I mentioned this to Meera and she looked at me.
"Yeah, you're right. I noticed it too. There's something strange in their behaviour."
She said.
That night I asked Meera about going on vacation for three weeks. But she refused.
"That means we are running from him, Krish. I told you, I don't want to be scared of Desai. Please don't force me."
I was disappointed but there was no way other than to convince me to have faith in Meera and my fate.
Two days before my journey, another thought came into my head. The registration process of our newly purchased land property was not completed.
"If we visit our hometown now, we can finish the registration," I told Meera.
"That's a good idea." Meera agreed. "Why should I come for that?"
"I want the property to be registered in your name," I said. "After all, it's your earnings."
The money to buy the property had come from the sale of Meera's flat in Lavanya Apartments.
Meera gave me a strange look. "What's this new 'my earnings - your earnings' thing?"
"I didn't mean that. If it was my earnings my automatic thought process will be to spend it on my behalf. Likewise, since it's your hard-earned money, let's keep it like that. Your mom will also like it."
Meera did not agree at first. But my argument finally convinced her and she decided to come with me.
"Okay. You're not sacrificing the property to convince me to come with you, are you?"
"Sooner or later I would have registered it in your name only. For the same reason that I told you. It's just happening now because you are coming with me."
"What will I do in my home for three weeks? I will be alone."
"Don't you love your family at all?"
"I love them. But I will miss you."
"You will miss me even if you stay here."
"But here I'll be busy with my job. At home, I'll be always thinking about you."
"Then come with me and stay in Bangalore."
"Ha-ha." Meera laughed. "Mom will kill me if she knew I'm not with her but sitting in a hotel room for three weeks."
Finally, I had managed to convince my dear wife to take a vacation. I suddenly felt a huge weight off my head, as I realised I was going to fail Desai's plan whatever it was. I was filled with overjoy. Next morning I took a Tatkal ticket for Meera, on the same train that I was going to board on the following night. She got an RAC ticket which meant her seat position in the train would be decided only while boarding the train. It didn't disappoint me at all because I was already feeling like a winner.
I was out of an imaginary bubble that I had been trapped in for a week.
As I mentally celebrated my little feat of beating out Mr Susheel Desai and began packing for the long tour I also realised I wouldn't be seeing Tejas when we return to Pune after three weeks. I knew I was going to miss him.
It hadn't been long since I met him but the intimate nature of our friendship was much stronger than any friendship I had with anyone else. I'm ashamed to accept that at the back of my mind I even felt I hadn't explored our friendship as I could. But I didn't really know what I was looking for. I never expected him to seduce my wife. But his presence around my wife and his honesty around me had kept me on the edge for long without intimidating me.
When I look back I can say my dick was turning my brain into another dick. My hormones were making me think. Or absolutely not.
I was going to miss Tejas. I was going to miss his stories. His fantasies about Meera. His attempts to flirt with her.
From my workplace, I phoned Meera and asked her if we could invite Tejas for dinner. She agreed. As I conveyed our invitation to Tejas I could sense a rush in my heartbeats. I tried to convince me it was because it was probably our last dinner with him. However, deep inside me, I knew it was because it was going to be the last few minutes he would be spending with my wife. I secretly wished if I could make it more memorable. I wished if I could let them flirt a little more. I thought of ways I could help him enjoy a little more. A little more fun. A little more teasing. My dick was constantly hard and I decided I was not going to close the door when I made love to Meera that night.
I would let him watch.
I did not know how Meera would react to my wish. I hoped she would never know.
I would make him watch us in action accidentally.
I kept thinking about Tejas and his crush on my wife throughout the day.
That evening Desai visited my workplace. It seemed to be an official visit but the moment he saw me he turned his complete attention towards me.
"Hello Krish, my friend." He grabbed my hand while initiating a friendly chat.
"So nice to see you. When are you leaving for Bangalore?"
I would be lying if I hated him every time I saw him. Because whenever he met me at my workplace, every single time, he treated me with dignity and equality in front of others. He was the man whom everyone wished to befriend. Well, everyone except those who knew about his true character. Nobody in my workplace, well, knew about that. My friendship with this big guy was a miracle for my manager Lalit.
When I told Desai I was leaving the next day for Bangalore, I wanted to tell him Meera was also coming with me. I wanted to see how he would react to the 'bad news'. But the presence of my colleagues stopped me from talking about my wife.
"Then we should do lunch together, tomorrow."
Desai insisted.
"Lunch..." I paused, though smiling, then bit my lips not knowing how to react. I was quickly thinking about best excuses to turn down his suggestion. Then I thought I had nothing to lose.
"There's no reason I shouldn't join you," I said.
He led me to his office as we spoke further.
"I've come to know you've shifted to a new house." His remark surprised me.
"It was just a week ago. How did you know?"
"Someone told me. I hope you've got time to settle down."
"Yeah, almost."
"Good. By the way, my lunch invitation isn't just for you but also for Meera."
He had brought back my wife into this.
"Oh, I'm afraid she won't be comfortable, Desai." I didn't refrain from speaking the truth now.
"Come on. I know she's coming with you. I know you're not giving me any chance. Relax. I'm cool with that." Desai said. I was slightly disappointed that he knew that already. I wanted to be the person informing him that. Instead, I was left wondering how he's getting informed so quickly.
Desai told me the name of a restaurant. It was North of the city. "It's not very far. It's the perfect place for a family lunch. Don't tell me you're insecure to have lunch with me in presence of your wife."
"No, it's not like that, Desai. I have no issues. But I need to ask Meera. I don't force her for anything." I tried to sound polite.
"She hates me too much, doesn't she?"
Desai looked at me in the eyes.
"You know that well."
"I feel very bad about that. See Krish, it's a plain request. You probably have an idea about what I would be thinking. But not this time. Because I think it's time I should face the reality. I have to agree that you've managed to widen the gap between me and that lady. I have a feeling that my chances are over. So this is basically just a lunch. I would have invited you only, but it would make Meera suspicious about my intention. And it'll be an insult to my ego and also your image in front of her eyes."
It was the most pacifying manner he talked to me in a while.
"I can agree with you, Desai. But I don't think Meera would agree with you even if I tried to convince her."
"I'm really saddened to hear that, but I have to respect that." Desai said, before adding, "anyway my lunch invite for you still stands. Just don't tell Meera that you're having lunch with me."
I didn't feel good about it.
"I'm sorry, Desai. We already have the plan to dine out tomorrow," I lied. I didn't have any such plan.
"Oh, I see." Desai nodded. "Have you decided on the place?"
"Not yet."
"Then I have an idea. You take her to the restaurant I suggested. And I will join you if you don't mind."
Before I knew, I was trapped by my own blunder.
"Desai, umm... I wouldn't mind that. But Meera..."
"Come on, Krish. You have nothing to lose here. You’re taking her to the lunch as planned. I will make a coincidental appearance. She won't mind if you invite me to join you upon seeing me. I'm sure she'll think positively about your decision. I'll be very happy to join you guys."
I was left with no other choice than to agree with him. I cursed my stupidity to lie about a non-existent lunch plan while I drove back home. I didn't even know if Meera would agree to dine out at a restaurant that far from our place without a reason.
When I reached home Meera was already cooking dinner. She had come home early. I told her that we were having lunch the next day.
"Oh, that's nice." She smiled at me. "Where?"
"I haven't decided yet," I said.
"I want it to be a nice place. Just us. It's been a while before we went out, right?"
"Yeah, baby."
I wondered how she's gonna react when Desai intrudes our lunch. But I was not anxious about it. I felt it would help Desai understand he has no place between us.
Tejas arrived on time.
"It'll be my last visit to this apartment." He commented while chatting with me in the living room.
I thanked him for helping us move in earlier than we planned. "And also for suggesting vacation for Meera," I added.
"So many reasons to thank me. I deserve a big party." Tejas quipped.
"This is your party," Meera came to the hall with some drinks. "Didn't you get the invitation?"
She was wearing a sleeveless maxi dress. Fresh after bath and devoid of any make-up, she looked gorgeous as ever. Tejas lightened up the moment Meera walked into the hall. I anticipated his excitement but I felt a pang of disappointment knowing that I wouldn't get to witness his crush on my wife after this night. For once I wanted him to try to confess to Meera that he was sexually attracted to her. I tried to imagine her reaction if he told her that he used to shag on her. All this went across my mind as a momentary flash only, but it was enough to get a hard-on.
"I got the invitation, but I'm not seeing any arrangements here. Only drylands, no greenery." Tejas was speaking to Meera. His eyes were shining when Meera went over to him to offer the drink.
"You're looking at the greenery, boy. Stop staring at it." Meera warned.
Tejas smiled shyly. "It's my last chance. Please let me."
"How shameless!" Meera retorted and went on to arrange the magazines lying on the centre table. When she was done she stood there, looking at him for two seconds and then bobbled her head.
"Krish, why don't you open a bottle of whiskey for your dearest friend? Let's do something about his drylands."
"I was thinking of wine," I suggested.
"Krish sir is going to make it special for me, I know," Tejas said. "I wonder what you are planning for me, ma'am."
"I have a plan, but I'm afraid you won't like it," Meera said without her usual smile. I felt there was something in her mind. But I wasn't sure what it was.
Meera went to the kitchen and I turned to Tejas. He was smiling at me.
"What?" I asked.
He blinked both eyes to gesture 'nothing'.
"Tell me, bro."
"I'm gonna miss you in Nagpur, Krish."
I smiled.
"Only me?"
"Of course I'm gonna miss Meera ma'am too. But not more than you."
"That's a compliment for me."
When the cool drinks finished I brought the wine bottle. Initially, Meera refused to drink. But then she agreed upon my request. She sat next to me on the couch as I opened the bottle and poured into three glasses. Sipping the wine and enjoying Meera's home-made snacks we chatted for an hour. Tejas spoke about his plan to join his brother-in-law on a month-long trekking camp.
"Are you never going to come back to Pune?"
Meera asked after a while.
"Of course I will visit. Maybe to meet friends. A couple of my friends are getting married in near future."
"I know you'll surely visit when Anamika returns from London."
"You always link me with Anamika. I don't know why," Tejas complained.
"I have seen your facial expressions when you talk to her over the phone. You are a liar otherwise you'll show the guts to acknowledge your love life," Meera said.
"Oh my God! I'm just the person you see in real. I was in love with a girl only once but that's not Anamika. Her name was Ahaana. But I broke up with her."
"Why?"
"Personal reasons."
"Can't tell me? I thought I was close enough to ask you about anything."
"Mmm... Yeah, that's right," Tejas looked at me. His facial expression told me about his difficult situation and it made me smile. Since I knew he would never tell her the real reason behind his break-up, I was wondering how he was going to evade Meera's question.
"Why are you acting shy in front of me? You're not shy when you flirt with me even in front of Krish. For your information, he is very well aware of your crush on me." Meera kept teasing him.
"Oh," Tejas smiled, trying to suppress his embarrassment.
Meera went on. "Krish knows that you never miss a chance to take advantage of me. You act innocent but you have a special liking for married women. Isn't that right?"
"Completely false!"
"I think in favour of Tejas," I interrupted. "I can tell you why. The first time I introduced him to Ananya he literally picked up a fight with her. There was not even a single gesture that suggested he would have liked friendship with her."
Meera shook her head multiple times. "Yeah, I know about your fight with Ananya. But I don't think you are not attracted to her. I have known guys like you. I have seen you throwing that special look on me."
Her allegations would have been insults to Tejas, but the deliberate smile on her lips while taunting him prompted him to take it humorously. Also, her boldness wasn't a surprise for him.
"I can agree I have a crush on you but I'm innocent otherwise," Tejas said.
But Meera was not in the mood to spare him. Slowly her tone was getting harsher.
"Not just an innocent crush. I know you have my photos on your phone. Don't you zoom in to my photos when you're alone?"
Tejas pressed his palm to his mouth, expressing shock, and I burst into laughter. Tejas threw his eyes to the ceiling, confused about how to tackle Meera's new allegation. He finally looked at her.
"You are unbelievable to talk with...and...okay! I have to show you my true side. I'm a bachelor, young and single. So these things are natural. That's it!"
Meera swayed her head and looked at me.
"Krish, did you hear that? I hope now you must have realised your friend's character. He's nurturing dirty fantasies about me."
"I have no dirty fantasies about you. I'm a gentleman, ma'am."
"How would I know what exactly you have in your mind?"
"If I had something in my mind I wouldn't have suggested Krish sir send you to the hometown while he’s away. Wouldn't I have waited for him to leave?"
"That's true. He had the chance." I sided with him again.
"What would you have done then? If I stayed back what would you have done?" Meera questioned.
"I would've used the chance to flirt with you more."
"See, how innocent he's pretending?" Meera looked at me.
"I'm not seeing anything wrong here." I shrugged.
"You won't see anything because you don't know his lies."
Meera's blatant allegations by now were making it obvious that she had something serious in her mind.
"Speak openly, Meera."
I insisted.
"Yeah, speak your mind. I won't mind." Tejas said.
"You should mind it when I speak."
Meera's voice was stern now. For a moment I doubted she did not like his flirty nature at all.
"I'm getting anxious now," Tejas said, "because I have no idea what you're talking about. What is this all about?"
"It's about you trying to behave like an innocent around me and my husband. I don't like to say this because I know it's gonna hurt you but you're a creep. You stole my panty from my bathroom, didn't you?"
I was stunned. Tejas was equally speechless as Meera went on, "you don't have to make up anything because I know where my panty went missing from and you know where I must have found it. It was under your pillow. You forgot it there when you left in a hurry to help your friend that night."
I couldn't look straight at Tejas as if I feared it would make him feel worse. When he had taken Meera's panty from the bathroom I had initially tried to stop him, though in vain. But later that I was simply aroused by the kinkiness attached by the act. I was initially worried that Meera would find her panty missing but I never expected her to find it. And that too, from Tejas' bed.
I couldn't say anything to defend him. He had done the thing. So he had to face the heat.
"Ma'am," I heard Tejas clearing his throat. "I'm sorry."
"I don't need your sorry, dammit!" Meera's anger reflected in the voice. "You know when I saw my panty in your bed, I couldn't believe it. I wanted to confront you and tell you how disappointed I was. It was disgusting. I tolerated and even enjoyed every one of your perversion because there was a possibility of innocence, or infatuation or whatever. But not this. There's a limit for everything. This is outright creepy stuff. If my response to your flirty banter gave you any sort of false hope then I wouldn't blame you. But if you wanted to make a move on me then goddamn have the guts to make a move, but not like this. I'll definitely say no, but it won't at least hurt me. Stealing my undergarment makes me think you're exploiting my open-mindedness and it scares me, makes me uncomfortable." She kept coming down hard on him. I was sure he had nothing to say in his defence. His head was down. I felt pity for him. I felt I was also responsible for this. I shouldn't have let him take it. My passiveness was indeed his encouragement.
"Meera," I slowly placed my palm over hers. I don't know what came to my mind, I decided to talk. "He didn't steal it. It was a prank. He had asked me before he took it. It was just a prank, nothing else. Please understand."
Meera pulled her palm as if my touch suddenly burnt her skin. She stared at me for a long moment, in disbelief, and shook her head sideways in denial. Her eyes became wet. Not just eyes, her expression altogether changed from shock to outburst of crying. She leaned back and pressed her palms over her face.
"Oh my God! No, Krish... How could you? No..." Her voice rose while crying. I tried to put my hand around her but she shook her shoulder in protest.
"Meera... I'm sorry."
I tried to console her. She took time before she controlled her sobbing and looked at me again. Her eyes were still wet.
"Krish I knew you weren't offended by his flirting. But I never thought... you would help him do this."
She said while tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped it with bare hands.
Tejas got up and slowly walked over to us.
"I'm sorry ma'am. I did what I shouldn't have. It was my stupidity. Krish sir had tried to stop me but I pushed it in my pocket before he could snatch it off me. He must have thought I would place it back there that's why he didn't make a scene then."
Meera had covered her face with her palms again. Tejas stood there for a moment and stepped back.
"I'm sorry Krish. I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."
I didn't know what to say. Tejas was beginning to leave and I was still unable to say anything. He slowly walked away.
"Bye, Krish."
I heard his voice behind me before he stepped out of the front door.
to be continued.......