Adultery Knowing My Wife, Knowing Me As Well - part III

[krish_999]

part 2(Chapter 35 continues.)


Two days later, Meera asked me if I was going to continue working at Vickey Security Services. I was surprised by her question.

"Why do you ask me that? What else would I do?"
I asked.
"Krish, I know I'm going to sound strange, but... I don't like you continue working for Susheel, Krish."
I was stunned. I hadn't thought up that far.
"How? Are you worried about him continuing to be my boss? He's not like a boss to me. I'm working on my own."
I said.
Meera shook her head, "he's still your boss, Krish. I know he always will be. You are the manager of a company he owns."
"No, it's not like that."
We kept arguing without getting into a heated conversation.
 
No matter how much I tried to convince her, she wasn't ready to buy that I was running an independent business. And no matter how much she tried to convince me, I was not ready to admit that Desai was my boss.
"I am the one taking calls in the agency. I am not even talking to him."
I said.
Meera grabbed my phone and checked my call logs. She could not find his name in the call history. Her small act only helped in hurting me a little. Because it was a sign that she didn't trust my words.
 
But I couldn't protest. Because there was one thing. The truth.
I was still talking to Desai through my official phone. Even though the number of calls had become minimum, my argument that I wasn't talking to him was a lie.
This realisation made me guilty and stopped me from picking a fight with Meera.
 
Meera told me how it was important for us to move away from Desai completely. We hadn't parted ways with a proper goodbye.
"We are not sure if he's looking for an opportunity to reverse what happened. Promise me you won't give him chance. Please."
Meera's words made me think about it. She had a strong point even though I didn't want to see Desai as an enemy.
"I will leave this company and this job, Meera. But I will need some time. Because without me, the agency won't survive. Desai wouldn't come back and spend his precious time on this petty business. There are people whose lives depend on this. I need to find an efficient replacement before quitting."
I reasoned.
"Okay," Meera said.
 
A few days later she asked me about my plan to find a replacement. I said I was still thinking about it.
"If you don't mind, may I try from my contacts?"
She asked. Her eagerness to make me part ways with the agency I had started enjoyed leading annoyed me. But I didn't show it. Deep inside I knew she was doing it for me. Deep in my mind, I knew I was being greedy.
"You are welcome to do that."
I said.
She hugged me.
"I love you, Krish."
 
I thought everything had suddenly fallen into the right place. I felt it would be time to enter another phase of our life. Even though I wasn't eagerly excited about it, I felt Meera would be thinking of having kids and finding another meaning in our life.
So I suggested the idea.
But her response was surprising.
"I'm not ready for it now, Krish. This year, in fact, three months from now my company is celebrating its tenth anniversary. There's gonna be many big events and I have a big role. I will have to concentrate on that. We'll think about the kids next year. I am sorry, baby."
I was not worried about it anyway. I said it's okay.
But deep in my mind, I was upset that she was giving importance to her career over family at one side while asking me to let go of mine for the sake of our family. It was a moment I felt she had much more power than I in our life.
 
“There are two types of husbands in this world, Krish.”  Desai's words came to my mind. “One, who looks at his wife with pure hatred after she fucked another man. Two, who forgive and lets the woman stay. The first one is a fool because he accepts that he's a loser. The second one is the smart one. His life can only improve because he gets more power than his wife in the marriage after that.”
I wondered what kind of power he was talking about.
 
To walk away from Desai was her decision. It was her wish for which I had started looking for a replacement to fill my shoes in my office. The final call to have kids was hers. My life was circling her.
For one moment I felt it was the other way around when it is about power.
It was her who was letting me stay. I was the husband who had chosen to stand outside her door and jerk myself while she chose another man for her. A far superior man in her eyes. Perhaps she was the smart one. She chose to forgive me and allow me to stay being her husband. Who was getting more power then?
 
Bringing into balance these negative thoughts, I had a firm belief that no power games were going on between us. She was the wife who loved me. She wanted to save me from my weakness. Every decision she took was because of her desire to continue being my wife.
Because she loved me.
 
There were some visible changes in our life after Desai's departure. We became active in our social life again. We stayed much longer after friends' parties and enjoyed drinks more often. Meera was getting busier with her work life on working days, but she was willing to compensate for it on weekends. We visited pubs. We partied and danced together.
"You are not as bad as I thought."
Meera said about my dance.
"I guess it's a compliment. I'll take it an award."
I said.
 
One night at a popular pub, we ran into an old friend. Harish.
He was with a young girl. We were sitting at a table as he walked over to us and introduced his girlfriend to us. Meera shared a girly hug with the girl. Her name was Jia.
“How long has this been going on?”
I heard her asking Harish during our small talk.
“Which one?” Harish asked innocently.
He invited us to the dance floor and we danced together for a couple of songs.
“Today you’ve taught me one thing,” Harish said during a short break. “One can have fun after marriage too.”
Meera enjoyed it too much and asked him how serious he was with the girl. Jia was smiling.
“We have just met,” Harish said and blinked at Jia.
“Wanna know what it is like after marriage?” Meera asked. She was looking at Jia.
Jia smiled at Harish and then looked at me. “Yeah, why not.”
I was perhaps not reading the signs; Meera patted my arm.
“Hold her hand, dear.” It was a surprise move from Meera. I never thought she would ever ask me to dance with another girl, that too a girl much younger than her. Perhaps I knew the reason. Jia was indeed an attractive girl. But she was far away from the maturity and confidence Meera exuded. Look-wise too, Meera was simply unmatched. There was no way she was intimidated by the young girl.
Or, was it because her conscience was willing to give me more power?
For the next song, I found my hands on Jia’s hips and my eyes locked on hers.
“I have a crazy wife.” I blurted.
“I have a crazy boyfriend. But he will be very jealous.”
She smiled.
“My advice is to use it properly.”
“Are you not jealous?”
I loved her question because she was giving more value to Meera than her.
 
That night Meera was insanely aroused in bed. She made me eat her pussy until she came.
"You are my man, Krish. You are my heaven. I need only you, baby."
She kept moaning while crying through her orgasm.
I felt she was thinking about Harish. I didn’t mind though. I was happy to give her an orgasm.
 
One day, Piyush invited us to Nagpur. The occasion was his anniversary. Meera was eager to meet his family. So we went to Nagpur.
Piyush's wife was a plus-size woman.
"So the story was true," Meera whispered in my ear.
We had a great time with Piyush and his family. The event was grand, with a lot of guests.
One of the guests was Desai.
He arrived in his signature jacket over shirt attire. But his long hair was trimmed to half-length. I felt he had attempted to move on. From whatever.
 
We only noticed him when he was just a few metres from us. I wasn’t prepared to run into him like that.
Meera too didn't know how to respond.
But Piyush made us stand together and pose for photos. When he found a gap to talk to me in private, Piyush asked me if Desai had visited me after the other day.
I knew what he meant by that. He wanted to know if I had allowed Desai to fuck my wife again.
"No, Piyush. We haven't met after that." I chose my words deliberately.
Piyush looked at me with a hint of disbelief in his eyes. For the first time, I hated him.
"That night, you know, I decided that no more. I realised that it's not right."
I said.
I felt making him believe would make me feel better. And it did.
 
At the dinner table, Piyush forced us to sit with Desai.
But Desai was hesitant. It didn't go well with Meera, to my surprise.
"Why are you forcing him to be with us? He may be looking for some company. Who knows if he hasn’t found one already?"
"I haven't found anyone, lady," Desai said quickly. "I am not looking for one either."
Meera ended up staring him in the eyes. I felt my heart warming up, watching them looking at each other from a metre's distance.
 
In the night we went to sleep in the hotel suite Piyush had arranged for us.
"Do you think he's forgotten about you?" I asked Meera.
"No. He hasn't forgotten."
Meera said.
"What do you think about him?”
"I am just sorry."
Meera said and hugged me.
"Let's not talk about him, Krish."
Meera kissed me and soon she was taking my clothes off.
“Make me forget him. Please.” She whispered while wrapping her fingers around my dick.
She sat on the edge of the bed and prepared for giving head to me. I stood in front of her and though it started slowly, it soon culminated in me fucking her mouth hard. And she swallowed my cum.
But the look on her face after swallowing my cum and licking her lips startled me. She was far from being satisfied. I tried to have sex with her but she said she was very tired.
 
One month later, Desai called me and told me about opening a branch in Mumbai on the occasion of the first anniversary of the revival of Vickey Security Services.
I was not keen to discuss it with Meera. But I had to speak.
I started by asking if she had found any success in finding a replacement for me to take over the agency. Meera said she had talked to a couple of men but they refused as the business was unknown territory for them.
I revealed about Desai's call.
"He's saying it's a good idea to launch the new branch on the occasion of the first anniversary."
Surprisingly, she didn't respond with dissent.
"But it's not the first anniversary. That company was in business for many years already."
Her business mind was certainly evident.
It was Vickey Security Services’ fifth year.
I told Desai about Meera's view and he was quick to favour it.
"Meera is right, Krish. This is an even better opportunity."
 
However, Meera later asked me why Desai wanted to expand the company that mattered little to him in terms of monetary benefit.
"Maybe he wants to come back to us. Maybe he wants to lure me. Maybe he wants to make love to you again."
I teased her.
Meera pushed me away.
"You moron."
 
But in the night she brought back the topic again.
"Do you think he's still thinking about me?"
I did not want to answer that question.
But a few minutes later when I was thrusting my dick deep into her pussy, panting into her mouth, I could not stop myself from replying.
"He must be thinking about doing this with you."
Meera was stunned.
"Are you still thinking about it?"
"It's not easy to forget, is it?"
"No."
"When I push it inside you when you feel inside me, do you miss him?"
"No!"
Meera said with a tone of shock.
"Tell me the truth baby. Haven't you missed him after he's gone?"
Meera was still looking into my eyes. I had stopped moving. I felt her arms making a circle around me and slowly pulling me closer. Making my dick plunge deeper.  She wanted me deep inside her.
"Yes...." she gasped.
My dick throbbed inside her pussy. I thought she felt it.
"Say you missed him."
"Yes... I missed him."
"How much?"
"I don't know. I can't tell."
"Say it, please."
"I missed him, Krish. I can't tell how much."
"Do you miss him now?"
"Krish, please."
Her voice was at her weakest.
"Tell me, baby. Please tell me."
"I miss him. Yes....!"
I started moving my hip. Meera let out a moan.
"Huhhh... Krish."
"Do you miss the feel of him going inside you like this?"
"Krish...Oh, my... don't..."
"Do you miss your Susheel?"
"Yes... mmm..."
I was going to up the pace of my movement but before that Meera let out a scream. She managed to suppress it but it had escaped from her mouth.
"uuuhhh...!"
I was astonished to see my wife welcoming a shuddering orgasm just by taking the name of Desai. I felt her arms circling me and locking me, and I could not move an inch. I lowered my face and she kissed me with her mouth wide open enough to cover my both lips.
 
In the morning she asked me if she hurt me.
"Not at all. It was amazing actually."
I said.
"I didn't know I missed him. But you pushed me too far and made me spit out the truth." She confessed.
"Think about me. I am so happy to give you so much pleasure. It was a good idea."
I said.
"Was it an idea?"
"No. It happened spontaneously."
 
Even though I would have loved the spark to carry on in the nights that followed, the fear of awakening unknown fantasies forced me to refrain from it.
 
One day while talking to Desai he casually revealed that it was his mother's birthday. He was going to celebrate it with his family.
We had once asked him why he didn’t celebrate his birthday. He had told us that birthdays are a thing for children to celebrate – “birthdays of those parents whose children feel they are special enough to be celebrated.”
 
When I told Meera about it in the evening, she asked me if I would mind her calling Desai.
I said it was her wish.
Meera dialled Desai's number and put the phone in her ear. I watched as she waited for Desai to pick up. I saw a minute expression on her face, turning attentive to the call.
“Hi… yes.”
She said. Her voice was soft. I barely heard it but I was sure Desai would have heard it perfectly.
“How are you?” Meera asked again. I was not able to hear Desai's voice.
“Yeah…mmm…” Her facial expression became lighter for a moment and she looked down at the floor. I thought she had forgotten about my presence.
“He told me today is mommy’s birthday. Convey my hearty greetings to her.”
“…..”
“Really? That’s great. She’ll be so happy.”
“…..”
“Yes… Yeah… Just... you know….” I noticed her eyes wandering all over the place except on my face.
“Bye…Susheel…Bye.”
 
The conversation had ended rather quickly. But I was sure that the joy of that short conversation was not limited to the words they spoke.
“What was it about?” I asked. “You were smiling a lot.”
Meera turned to me and hugged me tightly.
"I spoke to him!"
I could sense the excitement in her voice. I wasn’t sure if I should feel disheartened.
 
That night Desai did a sparkling return to our fantasies. Meera was on top of her game by making me hold her head and fuck hard. I struggled hard not to hurt her though one part of my body wanted her to beg me not to hurt her. I wanted her to tap my thigh to stop choking her. But she only needed to touch my hand to stop me. Then she lay on the bed and allowed my thirsty mouth to invade her pussy. She was dripping already. After quenching my immediate thirst, I took a breath and looked up at her.
“Is it how he does it to you?”
Meera looked bemused by my query but was more than happy to reply.
“No…”
Her smile made me wait for more. And she spoke. “He lifts my legs.”
“And?”
“And become dirty…dirtier than the previous time…”
I knew what she meant.
I lifted her legs and saw the tiny hole Desai had once likened to a beautiful flower. My tongue made a touch across it, and I heard Meera whisper my name. The delicateness of her voice had elevated. I let my tongue dance around her ass hole and pussy lips alternately making Meera wonder what I was doing. I was trying to emulate Desai.
“I want to be like him.”
I admitted.
“He wanted to be like you.”
“What do you want me to be?”
“You.” Meera patted my head as she spoke. “Just you, Krish.”
I went up and locked her lips with mine. “I am your Krish.”
Meera opened her mouth to welcome me and the next moment I felt her fingers around my dick, guiding it into her pussy.
“Don’t you dream about him?” I asked as I pushed it down, slowly but smoothly.
Meera let out a moan in pleasure; I wasn’t sure if it was my question or action that was making her moan.
“Yes…I love to dream about him. I love to dream about lying beneath his body and being conquered by his manliness.”
Her words were setting my body on fire, literally.
“You loved it, didn’t you?”
I had started moving up and down, still breathing into her mouth.
“Mmm…mmm…”
Her breathing caught pace very soon. I had merely started but I witnessed her arching backwards and letting out a small cry. I felt her nails behind my shoulder. She was hit with sudden waves of pleasure. It was the moment I was longing to witness. My Meera was getting lost in the sea of pleasure. It was a joy for me.
“I am going to fill you with my cum… as he did.”
I panted soon.
“Fill me... aaaah… fill me… mmm….Krish…”
Meera's voice was changed. It only helped me cum harder.
 
In the morning, Meera sat with me in the hall and spoke.
“Krish, are you sure we’re doing the right thing?”
I knew what she was talking about. It was a question I would have loved to ask myself. But I just stared at her.
“I am talking about Susheel, Krish. We know he has gone. He has left. But it seems we are not ready to let him go. I don’t think we are doing the right thing. We are bringing him to our fantasies. This was how it all began. Have you forgotten those days?”
I hadn’t forgotten the days when our fantasies were filled with wild imaginations about Desai. Those fantasies were the bricks with which Desai paved a pathway to Meera's bedroom.
“I think…“ I said. “…I think he parted ways with us too soon. You are right that he has left. And we knew it would happen one day. But it seems we were not ready for it… we were not ready for the end. That’s why…”
“That’s exactly what my thinking is, Krish. I fear we are making…I mean we are preparing ourselves for his comeback. And I am worried if we are making a mistake.”
I looked deep into her eyes. She was genuinely worried.
I held her hands together and sat closer to her on the sofa.
“Meera, I am glad we are talking about this. It shows we are on the same page about him.”
Meera nodded, “But I am worried about the future, Krish.”
“There is no need to put pressure on you, baby,” I said. “We are not going to tell him anything.”
“About what?”
“About what we are dreaming about him.”
Meera didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then she smiled slowly.
“There’s no plan to stop it?”
I smiled too.
“Why stop something that brings so much pleasure?”
Meera kept smiling at me and I felt she was recollecting something.
“What is it?”
I asked.
“You think Susheel was rough in bed with me, don’t you?”
“Why do you think so?”
“You said you wanted to be like him, last night.”
“Was I rough?”
“You love to be. Slightly, don’t you?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“I like what you like.”
She smiled. My eyes were stuck on her lips, and I slowly touched them, as if measuring their softness.
“Who wouldn’t love to exploit a bit of the softness of these lips?”
Meera opened them slowly and let me insert a finger into her mouth. She sucked a little and even swirled her tongue around my finger.
“Oh my god. You are in the mood.”
I blurted.
“Are you not?”
Her hand had reached between my legs. I quickly got up and dropped my pants down. My dick stood almost parallel to the ground. Meera was looking at it. I moved a bit closer and she parted her lips readily to accept it into her mouth.
“Be rough,” Meera demanded just before pushing her mouth forward.
I held her head firm and started fucking her mouth. But I could not stop holding back from hurting her.
In between when I pulled out she demanded that I kiss her. I kissed her mouth. And I tasted my precum from her mouth.
“Is this how you want him to be?” she whispered.
“What do you want me to be, baby?”
“Do what you want him to do to me.”
There was no other way she could suggest that she was looking for him in me.
A few minutes later, I was lying on top of her on the couch and fucking her slowly.
“This was one of his dreams,” Meera revealed. “Doing this on the sofa… I mean exactly this one…”
Her words were simply fuel for my imagination.
“Close your eyes and be with him, then.” I gasped.
Meera closed her eyes obediently and soon her breathing was rising. Eventually, and soon, she came hard.
“He made me cum,” she smiled at me when it was over.
“He made you cum,” I smiled. “But now you are with your husband.”
I saw a spark in her eyes.
“Don’t you hate me?”
“No.” I said, “I have always welcomed you back. I will welcome you back, always.”
“In future too?”
It was probably a suggestion. I was pumping a bit harder now.
“In the future too.”
It was a promise.
“How?”
I kissed her mouth and sucked her tongue.
“Your mouth is still warm with his kisses. I am getting the taste.” I said while panting.
“It’s not the taste of his kissing.”
“Then?”
“He was fucking my mouth.”
She was playing a game too hot for me.
“I still love the taste, baby.”
“And what else would you love to do?”
It was a tease. I quickly pulled out and went down to lick her pussy.
“Krish… you are getting too dirty,” Meera warned.
But I was not going to back off.
“I will love it,” I said.
“It will have his cum.”
Meera warned me again. But she was becoming dirtier as well.
“Yours too,” I said.
“But still...”
“I will still eat it. I will clean it.”
“No. Don't.”
I looked up and smiled at her, “If you want to fuck him, you'll have to promise that you'll come back to me. You'll let me have you.”
“But no licking there.”
“Licking there too.”
“Fuck!” Meera pushed me away. “This is going too much.”
But the stars in her eyes were telling me that she did not hate any of my fantasies. My head went down again and there was no way she could stop me from giving her those pleasures.
 
Perhaps I had the power to stop her from thinking about Desai. But I was not ready to stop myself from thinking about him. In the beginning, I was led by the thought that all of it was happening in my head only. I didn’t know when it started to become a reality for both of us.
We didn’t know what Desai was thinking. But we were aware that he would be happy to return to our life if given an opportunity. We were just careful not to give him a chance.
If there was something that had won my confidence in his favour, that was the way he had kept his word to walk away when asked. And he had kept his word without question. Indeed, he had tried to justify his action but he never tried to present that as an excuse.
He had simply agreed with our point and walked away. My respect for him was increasing with each day he spent not contacting Meera.
 
 
A few weeks later, an article penned by Meera was published in a Sunday supplement of The Economic Times of India along with her photo. It was based on the sudden rise and the future of a few companies. Meera's popularity among the residents in our area skyrocketed after that. During an anniversary party, I saw ladies competing with each other to take selfies with her. Their social media status images were soon filled with those photos. And I saw the husbands present at the party being enthralled by the limited opportunity they got to chat with her.
 
One day I went to meet Meera at her office. I was told to wait in the lounge as she was busy in a meeting. I didn’t tell who I was, and I was not asked who I was. The posh way the people in that office looked and worked made me wonder if they would believe me even if I told them who I was. The difference between that office and Vickey Security Services was that between the sky and the land. The place instantly made me believe that only the top-ranked scholars can dream of a job in that company.
When Meera finally emerged from the meeting, I saw what she meant for all those highly professional employees. Even the busiest in the room spared a second to let Meera walk past them, as if with anticipation that Meera might be coming to them. People were getting ready to respond positively even to the tiniest form of a gesture from her, it seemed. I saw the whole office suddenly becoming a group of people who were willing to do things for her even before telling them.
Meera had created an image that seemed perfect. She had a highly respected job in a company where people were lined up to make sure whatever she desired happened without needing to repeat.
There were people who hoped of getting tasked by her. And people who hoped of getting a chance to work with her - under her, for her.
And countless people who envied her. Men and women.
It wasn’t a wild guess that many of them were dreaming of her, fantasizing about her.
There was a whole world that circled her, hoping for a small place in her world.
But none of them knew about what was hidden inside her mind.
That despite having all of that, all of that enviable life, she was longing for a man she shouldn’t. And that too, for no reason.
She wasn’t longing for sex. I was giving her good sex filled with regular orgasms like never before. I had found my mojo to make her scream in bed.
But still, she was longing for him. I could feel it.
And I was sure she could feel how much I wanted her desires to be fulfilled.
 
A week before the commencement of the annual meet of her company, another article penned by Meera was published. It was a follow-up to the previous one and an acknowledgement of the predictions in that article being realized. The article received a stupendous response.
The whole week leading to the commencement of the annual meet was the busiest for Meera. She came home late and remained in working mode, preparing for speeches for the meet. When the annual meet began, she wanted me to drive her to the venue.
“Please, Krish. I don’t want to see anyone. I just want to be here with you, and then at the meeting. No other world exists for me this week.”
She told me.
I was more than happy to be her driver. I made a joke about it on the first day but it went unheard. She was listening to her own pre-recorded speech.
The annual meet event lasted four days.
“I want to drink a lot of booze tonight, Krish!”
Meera told me on the way to the venue on the fourth day.
“I promise your wish will be met tonight,” I said with a smile.
 
The public and families were allowed during the concluding event. Meera picked up two coveted awards. I watched her beautiful figure clad in the light blue collarless shirt and black pants on the large screen walking toward the centre of the stage to receive the award and I was stunned by the sheer screen presence she had. Her speech was met with thundering applause.
 
The event was finished on time and we were heading to the parking lot when Meera received a phone call from Desai. She first showed me the phone screen to express her surprise and then answered the call.
“Hey,” her voice was cheerful.
“Thank you…thank you very much, Susheel.” She said. I was starting to wonder if Desai had learned about her awards already.
Suddenly she stopped walking.
“What?” She stopped and looked at me. “Susheel is in Pune!” She told me and my heart stopped for a moment.
“What!” I exclaimed.
Meera put the phone back on her ear. “Wh…where are you?” Her voice was shivering. She was no more the dynamic personality I had seen on stage a few hours ago. She didn’t speak anything on the phone after that. She slowly looked at the screen and ended the phone call quietly.
“What did he say?” I was curious.
“He is asking if we can meet.” Meera looked at me.
He was asking if we could meet him!
“Yeah, why not! Where is he?”
I said vaguely. But the moment I said I knew there was nothing vague about it.
“Krish…” Meera hesitated.
“Where is he, babe?” I asked again.
“He congratulated me on the awards. One of his friends was among the guests.” Meera was not paying attention to what I was asking. She went on with what came to her mind. “He wanted to be there. He said sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Uhh… I don’t know. Maybe for not showing up during the meet.”
“Was he invited?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then?”
“Are we going to meet him?”
She looked me in the eyes. I wanted to be disappointed. But instead, I was getting excited. I wanted to go and meet him. I wanted to witness my wife’s reunion with him.
“I am scared, Krish,” Meera said before I could say anything.
“He might want to congratulate you in person.” I opined honestly. “Why are you getting scared?”
Meera nodded, “yeah, maybe.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No. I didn’t ask.”
She had ended the phone call abruptly.
 
I phoned Desai. I straightaway asked him about his location. Ten minutes later, I was driving my car with Meera sitting with me.
“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing, Krish?” Meera asked me again.
“You look like a girl about to meet her boyfriend after a long break.” I joked. It only earned an angry face from Meera.
 
Desai had a flight to catch after two hours. So we decided to meet at a place near the airport. It was beginning to become dark and the street was getting crowded. As the car took a turn to the road he mentioned I saw a man in a signature jacket waiting outside the open sky parking ground. It was the same jacket he had worn to the temple the other day.
As the car approached him, Meera grabbed my hand.
“I’m nervous, Krish. I told him so many things on that day. Now we are going to meet him. Have we forgotten everything?”
“Don't be nervous, baby,” I assured her. “Just remember that I'm always with you.”
Desai waved at us and gestured to drive into the parking ground. But I stopped the car next to him and asked if he was waiting for a long. He quickly gave me a small handshake.
“No, I was just walking out from there. My car is at that end.”
He pointed to the far end of the parking ground and then waved at Meera.
“Hey, there!”
“Hi, Susheel.”
Meera greeted him softly. Her hand was already removed from mine.
I watched them stare at each other for the next few seconds. I was amused by their silence.
“Are you gonna do something or just stand there and stare at her, Desai?” I asked. “Can't you see she has come to meet you?”
“Oh, I'm sorry!” Desai quickly walked around the car to open the door. “Come, Meera. Let him go and park the car.”
Meera alighted from the car and closed the door. I thought Desai would hug her. But he just shook hands with her.
I parked the car at the farthest end and came back hurriedly. They were waiting for me.
Desai took us to a posh cafe next to the street. I was surprised to see a café like that existed in a place like that. The whole area looked like a dense garden made of rare yet delicate types of plants. Each table was surrounded by enough plants of various sizes to give a sense of privacy to the visitors.
I immediately felt that Desai chose the place because of a reason. Privacy.
 
When the waiter arrived, Desai asked Meera what she would prefer.
“Anything.” She said.
Her voice was soft. Desai looked at me and I just nodded, implying the same style of response. Desai made the order and he took a deep breath when the waiter walked away.
“This is a miracle to me. I didn’t think you would agree to meet.”
He said, his eyes alternating between me and Meera.
“We are not angry with you,” I said.
“I know I have given you a shock. I realized the gravity only after leaving. I should have realized it earlier. Anyway, there’s nothing to talk about it. Now, it’s time to be grateful that you chose to come. The strength of your bond has only become more evident with this. I don’t know how to celebrate this.”
“What is there to celebrate?”
Meera asked.
“This moment is worth celebrating, Meera. The moment you smiled when we met at the parking was worth celebrating. The handshake with you and Krish was worth celebrating. I thought these things would never happen again in my life. I missed you so much.”
His eyes were glued to Meera's face as he said the last sentence.
Meera spent a few seconds smiling at him before turning to me. “This man is back to flatter your wife, Krish.”
I smiled back at her.
“I am a shameless guy!” Desai said. “Yes, because I can never forget you, Meera.” His eyes were glued to her again, and I saw he was hopelessly attracted to her.
“Don’t say you love me, again,” Meera warned. “You must have an idea how not to piss me off.” Her smile was now gone.
“I do, I do. I’ve been telling me that every day.”
“Every day, why?”
“Because there have been no days when I didn’t think of you.”
“Again,” Meera leaned back and smiled. “I used to wonder how you managed to walk away from us so easily. I mean you never tried to contact and apologize after that day.”
“Who said it was easy? It was one of the toughest things I have ever done. But I'm a man of promise, Meera. That's something I don't want to change about myself.”
He looked at me as he said that. He was conveying a message to me. And I was quick to acknowledge it in my mind.
“You turned out to be a man far better than I imagined.” Meera verbalized what I was thinking.
 
The waiter returned to serve our order, carrying three caffè latte creatively arranged on a tray, breaking the flow of our conversation.
As Meera used her tongue to lap up the topping of milk off her upper lip after taking a sip from the caffe, I saw Desai struggling to take his eyes off her.
“You are staring at her,” I said, making him smile.
“But you don’t want to stop me from doing that, do you?”
He hit back.
“Are you staring just because I won’t stop?”
“No,” He smiled. “I am staring because I am unable to look away. This is a special day to her, and now it’s special to me too.”
“I want to see your purse,” Meera demanded suddenly. I was surprised.
So was Desai.
“No. I don’t want to show it to you.”
“Are you still keeping my photo?” Meera leaned forward and forwarded his hand to him. “Give it to me.”
Desai threw a smile at me. But I could see that he was starting to become anxious. I nodded at him, prompting him to act as demanded by Meera. Desai slowly pulled out his purse.
“I didn’t think we would be meeting like this, Krish.” He said. Meera snatched the purse from his hand. “That’s not your photo. It’s my personal property.” He added.
Meera opened the purse and I saw the photo. The same photo of Meera was there.
“How is it that my photo has become your personal property?” Meera blurted.
“That’s the photo of a celebrity I worship,” Desai said. His confidence was back on his face.
“You are too big a man to worship a celebrity, Mr Desai,” Meera said.
I was surprised by her calling him by the surname on his face. Desai was equally taken aback.
“Call me Susheel, Meera.” He said. “Don’t make me a stranger.”
“Susheel…” Meera smiled. “I was just kidding. I hate to call you by your title.”
“What do you think about this?” Meera asked, handing the purse to me.
I had a look and handed it back to Desai.
“Let him keep it. He’s a fan.”
Meera patted me on the arm.
“You guys are playing with me.” Desai put the purse back into his pocket. “And playing it so well. Do I have a chance to win back my place in your life?” His eyes were alternating between our faces.
He had asked us the million-dollar question and his facial expression told me how desperate he was seeking an answer to it.
I looked at Meera. Her head was down. Then she looked at me. But she said nothing. I too just stared at her. Desai kept switching between our faces.
The cold coffee in front of us had lost its coldness and attractiveness, being kept untouched for a long.
Desai forwarded his hand to her, across the table.
“Meera,” he said. “Please let me hold your hand.”
Meera looked at him as if asking about his intention.
“I want to take a walk with you.” He said and looked at me. “That’s all I want.”
Meera was still hesitating until I touched her hand.
“Go. It’s okay.”
I said.
“I want to visit the washroom first,” Meera said suddenly.
I shook my head, “sure.”
Only when she disappeared toward the washroom I remembered how she had told it. “I want to visit the washroom first.”  She was suggesting that she was going to take a walk with Desai after that.
 
I looked at Desai's face and I could tell from the happiness on his face that he too had guessed the same.
“So you have won her back, again,” I said. “So easily.”
“I haven’t won her back, Krish.” He said. “This is just a walk in a public place.”
I was alert.
“What else do you want to do?”
“I want to make love to her again, with your permission, Krish.”
My heart was starting to beat harder now.
“You are still keeping her photo in your pocket,” I said. In my mind, I had a feeling that I was making the wrong conversation at the wrong place. But I could not stop going with the flow. “Meera is scared that you are in love with her.”
“What’s wrong with that? I have told you I will never try to seek love from her. I know even when she’s sleeping with me she’s thinking of you.”
I suddenly liked our conversation.
“How can I trust you?”
“You can listen to us.”
“Listen to ‘us’ means?” I was curious.
“Krish,” Desai leaned forward a little. “I have nothing to hide from you. To win her trust back is like winning your trust back. I am ready to open my heart in front of you to any level.”
“Are you going to call me on my phone and let me listen to your lovemaking to my wife as you’ve done earlier?”
Meera's loud cries from that night were already echoing in my head.
“I can do that. You can even watch if you want.”
I laughed a little.
“You just want to fuck my wife, by any means!”
“No, Krish,” Desai said quickly. “I just want to spend some time with her. What happens is just…”
He stopped halfway as he saw Meera walking toward us.



Chapter to be continued.