Adultery Geetha ~ teacher

[Haran000]

13. Chat!

The badminton court buzzed with the familiar thwack of rackets against a shuttlecock. Three young men, fresh friends united by their shared passion, were pushing themselves hard. With the district competitions looming just a month away, every practice was a stepping stone toward their collective goal of bringing a trophy back to the academy.

Rohit, easily identifiable in his bright blue t-shirt, moved with a leisurely pace. He was a second-year intermediate student, same age as Bharath, and the son of the wealthy and influential Durga Reddy. With a shopping mall and two jewelry stores to his father's name, Rohit wanted for nothing. He was drawn to the excitement of sports, and his family's wealth allowed him to indulge in every whim. He played at his own relaxed rhythm, not yet feeling the pressure of the upcoming competition.

Across the net from him stood Sai Krishna. Wearing a green striped t-shirt, his powerfully built body moved with a grace that belied his size. His long arm, a natural advantage, reached back and launched a long, strong shot that arced high and sailed over Rohit's head. Krishna was a B.Tech student at JNTU, and his dedication to the sport was evident in every movement. He traveled an hour and a half by local bus every day just to be at the academy. A faded picture of a trophy on his phone's wallpaper served as a constant reminder of his past victories and future goals. He was both older and more skilled than his new friends.

The shuttlecock landed just beyond the boundary line. Rohit, unable to return the powerful shot, sighed in defeat. 

A quiet sadness emanated from Bharath, who was sitting on a bench. He bent over, picked up the stray shuttlecock, and tossed it to Rohit, who in turn gave it to Krishna. 

As Krishna prepared to serve, he shot a questioning look at Bharath. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, hitting the shuttlecock with a powerful serve. "Why is he so dull?"

Rohit lunged forward, hitting the shuttlecock hard. The racket made a satisfying "tung" sound as it connected. "I don't know, Anna," he replied, catching his breath. "He's been like that since he came in morning. I even asked him to play a round earlier, but he wasn't interested." 

The two of them continued their game, but the carefree energy from before had been replaced with a subtle concern for their friend.

Bharath, lost in his own world, stared at his phone. The screen displayed a late-night text from Geetha.

Yesterday 23:43, Geetha: I'm not coming, Bharath. Don't wait for me. Let's meet tomorrow afternoon. Go to sleep.... kiss emoji.

A fresh wave of anger and regret washed over him. He had responded early this morning. 

Today 06:18, Bharath: Not needed. You enjoy with your friends.

His phone screen then showed a missed call and an angry emoji from Geetha. He knew he was being unfair. 

Geetha’s friends, with whom she was now attending a wedding, had known her far longer than he had. Why should she prioritize him over them? Yet, the sting of her not coming still hurt. He shouldn't have sent that message. The guilt of what he'd said, and the worry about what she might have thought, gnawed at him. He should've picked up her call this morning. He should've just talked to her.

He opened her profile picture. It was a photo he'd taken of her near a bridge, on their way back from the waterfalls. 



As he gazed at her smiling face and pink lips, the sadness he felt began to dissipate. The sound of footsteps made him instinctively press the home button and slide his phone back into his pocket. Looking up, he saw their coach, Rafiq, standing over him.

"Bharath," the coach said, his voice laced with concern. "You were so lively yesterday. What happened today? Don't you feel like playing?"

"It's nothing, sir," Bharath replied, a forced smile on his face. "They're playing, so I'm just watching."

Rafiq sat down next to him. "Is there a problem at home?"

"Hmm... my mom and dad went to the village, sir," Bharath said, fumbling for an excuse.

"When are they coming back?" Rafiq asked, his gaze gentle.

"They said they'd be back tomorrow."

"Then what's the issue? Come on," Rafiq said, a new energy in his voice. "You haven't played a single match all morning. Let's play."

Bharath immediately perked up, a spark of his old self returning. He nodded eagerly as Rafiq stood and offered his hand. Bharath grabbed his racket, took the coach's hand, and they both walked toward the court.

"Boys," Rafiq announced to the two on the court, "Bharath and I are one team; you two are one team. Let's start a twenty-point match."

Rohit and Krishna, stunned for a moment, broke out into laughter.

"Super, sir!" Krishna said, a grin on his face.

Rohit, ever the joker, shot a playful jab at Bharath. "Hey you, play well. The points might go down because of you,..." he said with a sarcastic laugh.

"Is that so?" Bharath shot back, a competitive glint in his eye. "We'll see."

All four of them got into their positions and stretched.

"Bharath," Rafiq said, his tone turning serious, "you play front. This is for you, to practice net slips."

Bharath took a deep breath, his focus sharpening. He looked intently at Krishna, ready to serve, and with a new sense of purpose, he replied, "Hmm."

+


Geetha paced the classroom, her eyes sweeping over the ninth-grade students lost in the quiet concentration of their exams. Their focused faces reminded her of her own state of mind—a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. 

Last night, lost in a blur of shopping and laughter with her friends, she had completely forgotten about her plans with Bharat. By the time the memory surfaced, it was too late. The thought of waking up early to get to college in the morning had cemented her decision to tell Bharat she couldn't make it.

In the lonely, Gautam-less nights, Geetha's heart had begun to flutter for Bharat. His easygoing nature, his affectionate words, and his playful antics filled a void she hadn't known was there. She was heartbroken that she'd disappointed him. She certainly hadn't expected his annoyance to carry over to this morning, or for him to send her that message, with its thinly veiled accusations. Why would he assume she was prioritizing her friends over him when she didn't feel that way herself? An angry retort sprang to mind, but she pushed it down, telling herself that Bharat was still young and his words were a result of his immaturity. She also wondered what would happen if she had gone to see him—would he still be angry? Or would he have felt bad about what he’d said? Either way, she knew it would have been a terrible situation.

Everyone was still writing. She slowly walked to her desk, took her phone out of her bag, and opened WhatsApp. She clicked on Bharat's chat and, with a mischievous smile, typed out a message.

Geetha: Stupid, stupid puppy. I'm canceling all your kisses. That's your punishment.

She sent the message, held her head in her hands, and giggled to herself.



Meanwhile, Bharat sat with a tired but happy smile. "You won because you had sir as partner," Rohit said, handing him a cool bottle of water. "If we play singles, I'll definitely beat you."

"Fine, let's have a game as soon as we come back tomorrow," Bharat replied, taking the water and drinking it.

Just then, his phone lit up with a notification from Geetha. The message preview read "Miss." He quickly flipped the phone face down so Rohit couldn't see it.

"Want to go out this evening?" Rohit asked.

"Why?"

"Just to kill some time."

"We'll see."

Rohit sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. He leaned in and whispered, "Let's go to my guesthouse. We can watch porn on the home theater TV. Like: Leah Gotti, Mia Khalifa, Malkova, Dani babe."

Bharat laughed. "Haha… watching them on TV?"

"Have you ever?"

"Only on my phone."

"Well, that's why I'm saying. Nobody will be there. I'll tell my family I'll be back tomorrow morning. We can get biryani, coke, and other snacks."

"Is that necessary? We have to come back here tomorrow morning. Don't you have to practice?"

"Okay, then let's go in the evening on my bike. We'll be done by ten," Rohit said. He leaned in closer, checking to see if anyone was watching. "Want to have a shot?"

Bharat looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What shot?"

"If you feel like getting laid after watching the videos."

"Huh? What if I do?"

"I'll arrange a girl, secretly."

Bharat's eyes widened. "Hey, what are you talking about?"

Rohit chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, this is my first time, too. I just feel like trying it once."

"That's a huge risk, man."

"Don't you feel like it, too?"

"Listen to me, that's not a good idea.”

"No one will be there. Who's going to come into the bedroom at my house?"

Bharat stood up. "You do your thing. I'm not interested."

"Okay, okay, fine. At least let's go there and watch some videos for a while. It's been a long time."

"Oh, gross. Watch them on your phone."

"Hey, I get excited only when I watch them like that."

"What kind of crazy thing is this? Just set up a TV in your bedroom like RGV."

"Tell me before six in the evening. It's up to you. Come if you want, or don't. What's the point of just playing games? Hey, if you don't want to watch that stuff, at least let's watch some movies, okay?"

"Okay, I'll tell you. I'm leaving now, bye," he said, picking up his racket.

"You've already finished tenth grade, right? What college are you thinking of going to for intermediate?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"If you want to come to my college, let me know, and I'll talk to the staff and get you a reduced fee."

"Do you know anyone there?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of it. Just decide. Even though I'll be in the second year and you'll be in the first, we can go to college together."

"That's true. Okay, we'll see."

"Okay, bye. Don't forget about this evening."

"Huh? I'll call you."

Bharat walked out of the academy, took out his phone, and smiled after reading Geetha's message. He put the phone in his pocket and started walking. When he saw the road to their college, his feet led him in that direction. He crossed the street and stood under a tree. 

Since the college was having exams, it was only a half-day. Geetha would be coming out now. Today was Monday, which meant Geetha would definitely go to the supermarket.
He reached into his right pants pocket. He took out a handkerchief and moved it to his back pocket. Inside the front pocket was a two-hundred rupee note.

He looked up and saw Geetha come out of the gate with her handbag, looking around. The moment her eyes met his, she turned her face away and walked to the right.

As she walked toward the four-way intersection on the right, a person's shadow fell in front of her feet, following her. It was Bharat's shadow. The midday sun stretched his silhouette long, and she could see his head bent, trying to see her face. Seeing that, she smiled to herself, coyly. 

‘He's going to follow me all the way home.’

When she reached the end of the alley, Geetha stopped at the corner. She looked over, and Bharat was pretending not to notice her, staring in another direction. She now had to walk towards the supermarket, which was in the same direction as Bharat. Her fingers started to tremble.

‘Let's see what he does.’

She looked straight up at Bharat and walked toward him. He knew Geetha was coming close. Watching her feet, he stepped back and made way for her as she approached. 

Geetha raised her eyebrows, suspicious.

 ‘What is he doing? 

Is he really holding a grudge?’

With that suspicion, she walked past him. He turned his face away and laughed to himself. She just kept walking forward.

Lost in her thoughts, she reached the shop. She turned her head back to look once. Bharat's eyes were piercing directly into hers. She quickly turned her face away and stepped inside.

She went inside and started looking for groceries. The shelves with lentils were in the corner. As she walked there and was about to pick up a cup in the tray of green gram, a warm sensation ran down her back, and her movements slowed. As she tried to look up, her young boyfriend's warm lips kissed her left cheek.

In a moment, she felt a daze and her eyelids fluttered. With a warm breath grazing her earring, Bharat whispered, "Are you angry that I didn't answer the phone, Miss?"

Her lips broke into a smile. Just then, she realized they were in a shop and shivered her shoulders.

Bharat stepped back.

She smiled to herself and started acting as if she wasn't talking to him.

He glanced around, noticed no one was in the corner, and raised his head. There was no camera, either. He immediately placed his right hand on the corner of Geetha's saree and held her waist. "If you had told me in the evening, I would have gone to sleep earlier, Miss."

Geetha silently freed his hand and continued to pour the lentils into the bag.

When he tried to touch her waist again, she hit his hand with the cup. She looked into his eyes. Bharat looked at her for a moment and moved away. He turned back and went to the racks on the other side. She smiled and continued with her work.

After a while, since Bharat didn't come back, she wondered if he had left and looked around. She couldn't see him. She went forward to the vegetable section. There he appeared, holding a large chocolate bar in his hand.

While everyone was busy looking for what they needed, he moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, "Okay, let's cancel all those kisses, but just one kiss with the chocolate. What do you say?"

Startled and shy, she looked up into Bharat's eyes. He nodded with a mischievous smile, asking her to speak. Geetha smiled shyly and hid her face.

Stepping closer and trying not to be heard by others, he whispered in her ear again, "How about I carry the vegetables home for you? Give me a salary for that."

She picked up a bottle gourd and hit him on the shoulder with it. A small boy next to them saw and laughed.

"Go away, you. Don't make me angrier," Geetha said.

Bharat remained silent. Geetha picked up a cauliflower, a bottle gourd, some coriander, spring onions, onions, and fenugreek leaves and had them billed. Bharat went outside.

As soon as Geetha came out with the bag, Bharat tried to take it, but she stepped back, refusing. After he stopped, she started walking towards her home. He walked along with her.

"Give it here, Miss."

"No, I don't need anything. Are you thinking of coming home with me on this pretext?"

He bent down and snatched the bag from Geetha's left hand. She gave him a slightly angry look.

"Even if you say no, I'll hold it. I won't come inside if you don't want me to. Just tell me you're not angry."

"How can I not be angry? How could you say that? Don't I have my own things to do?"

"Then why did you tell me you would come yesterday?"

"I said I would come because I thought my work would be finished by evening. It wasn't. Women's shopping takes that long. You have to understand these things."

"Does it take hours and hours?"

Stammering, Geetha said, "Bharat..."

"I waited for you, thinking you'd come. It would have been better if you had called beforehand. That's why I said that."

Raising her voice again, Geetha said, "Bharat..." and with that, he fell silent.

They both walked to Geetha's house without saying anything. She opened the gate, went inside, and unlocked the door. Bharat placed the vegetable bag at the entrance.

Smiling, Bharat said, "Okay, Miss, I'm leaving."

"Okay," she said, standing and watching.

He had said that playfully, hoping she would invite him in, but he didn't really want to leave. Now that Geetha had said "okay" like that, he turned back with a sad, crestfallen look.

As Bharat was leaving, Geetha was left wondering whether to stop him or not. She thought that things would be different if Bharat stayed, and she had her own fears. She couldn't get over the thought that things were different now than they were a few days ago. Her heart didn't agree with not being able to be with Bharat the day before, and now with him leaving in a difficult situation. Bharat crossed the gate and was gone.

==