Fantasy Devika, a rich high class housewife, with angel heart

[prady12191]

The next evening, as dusk settled over the small housing colony, Devika found herself standing before a shabby apartment building on the outskirts of Pune. The concrete structure was weathered, paint peeling from its exterior walls, but maintained with what dignity poverty allowed. She checked the address once more, confirming she had the right place, then climbed the narrow staircase to the second floor.

Standing before apartment 204, Devika smoothed her dark blue saree and adjusted her pallu over her shoulder. She had come directly from college, her leather bag still heavy with unmarked assignments. Taking a deep breath, she knocked firmly on the door.

Inside, she heard sudden movement—a chair scbanging against the floor, hurried footsteps. The door swung open to reveal Dattu, his weathered face lighting up with recognition.

Dattu: "Professor! What a surprise!"

His eyes traveled quickly over her form, lingering on the curves of her waist visible beneath the finely dbangd saree, before returning to her face with practiced casualness. Devika noticed the half-empty bottle on the table behind him, alongside a dirty glass.

Devika: "Good evening. I hope I'm not intruding. I came to speak with you about Vishnu."

Dattu stepped back, gesturing for her to enter with a sweep of his arm that was both deferential and eager.

Dattu: "No intrusion at all! Please, please come inside. It's a great honor to have Vishnu's teacher visit our humble home."

Devika stepped inside, immediately struck by the cramped quarters—a combined living room and kitchen, with two doors presumably leading to bedrooms. Despite the limited space, she noted the room was tidier than she'd expected, though the scent of alcohol hung in the air.

Devika: "Is Vishnu here? I need to speak with him about his absence from classes."

Dattu's expression fell, a shadow crossing his features.

Dattu: "No, madam. He's at the garage, working late. He's been working instead of studying these days."

Devika set her bag down carefully on a chair, noting how Dattu's eyes followed her movements, his breathing slightly quicker than normal. She recalled seeing him at college days earlier—his intense gaze had reminded her of Vishnu's, though there was something more raw, more unfiltered in the father's stare.

Devika: "That's precisely why I'm here. Vishnu has been making excellent progress in his studies. His absence now is concerning, especially with exams approaching."

Dattu rubbed his neck, appearing uncomfortable.

Dattu: "Please sit, madam. Let me make you some tea."

Devika settled onto the worn sofa as Dattu busied himself in the kitchen area, setting a kettle to boil. She noticed his hands trembling slightly as he worked, his movements betraying a nervous energy.

Devika: "Mr. Dattu, I understand Vishnu has been helping at your garage. While I appreciate family responsibilities, his education must be a priority."

Dattu returned with two cups of steaming tea, offering one to Devika with a slight bow. His fingers brushed against hers during the exchange, lingering a moment longer than necessary.

Dattu: "You're right, of course. An educated woman like you would understand the importance of studies."

He sat across from her, his eyes never leaving her face. There was something hungry in his gaze that made Devika instinctively tighten her grip on the cup.

Devika: "Vishnu has shown remarkable improvement recently. His grasp of biology concepts has strengthened considerably. He's one of the students I'm personally supervising for the upcoming practical examinations."

Dattu's face brightened, though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Dattu: "You're supervising him personally? That's wonderful news! My boy is lucky to have such a dedicated teacher."

Devika sipped her tea, formulating her next words carefully.

Devika: "Which is why I'm concerned about his absence. Vishnu mentioned you've been... struggling lately. That you've returned to drinking."

Dattu's expression darkened. He glanced at the bottle on the table, then back to Devika, shame and defiance warring on his face.

Dattu: "It's not easy being alone, madam. Not easy at all."

Devika set her cup down, leaning forward slightly.

Devika: "Vishnu told me about his mother. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Dattu: "Twenty years now. Twenty years she's been gone. I raised that boy alone, worked these hands to the bone to put food in his mouth and clothes on his back."

His calloused fingers gripped his teacup tightly, knuckles whitening. Devika noticed the tremor in his hands, the way his eyes darted occasionally to the bottle of liquor.

Devika: "He said you'd been doing better until recently. What changed?"

Dattu hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. When he looked up again, vulnerability had softened his weathered features.

Dattu: "I don't know if I should say, madam. It might sound strange to you."

Devika: "Please, Mr. Dattu. If understanding can help Vishnu return to his studies, I'd like to know."

Dattu set his cup down, running a hand through his thinning hair.

Dattu: "It's... it's because of you, madam."

Devika blinked, taken aback. "Me? I don't understand."

Dattu's eyes met hers, raw emotion visible in their depths.

Dattu: "When I saw you at the college that day... you reminded me so much of my Lalita. Not your face exactly, but something in your eyes, the way you carry yourself. The way you dbang your saree..."

His voice trailed off, gaze dropping to where Devika's saree curved around her waist. She resisted the urge to adjust her pallu, instead folding her hands in her lap.

Dattu: "Seeing you brought it all back—all the memories, all the pain. I thought I'd buried those feelings years ago, but they came rushing back like a flood."

Devika sat perfectly still, unsure how to respond. Compassion warred with caution inside her.

Devika: "I'm sorry if my presence caused you distress, but Vishnu's education can't suffer because of it."

Dattu: "You're right, of course." He reached for the bottle on the table, then stopped himself, hand hovering in midair. "It's just been so hard, madam. The loneliness eats at you year after year."

Moved by his evident struggle, Devika rose and crossed to sit beside him. She hesitantly placed her hand over his rough one, feeling the calluses beneath her fingers.

Devika: "Mr. Dattu, I understand loneliness all too well."

She thought of her empty apartment, of Rajeevan's betrayals, of the hollow space in her life that had led her to such dangerous waters with her students.

Dattu's breathing quickened at her touch, his pulse visibly jumping at his throat.

Dattu: "You do? A beautiful, educated woman like you?"

Devika: "Even beautiful, educated women get lonely, Mr. Dattu."

She squeezed his hand gently, offering comfort the way she would to any parent concerned about their child. But as Dattu turned his palm upward, his fingers curling around hers, she felt the shift—the moment when comfort became something more charged, more dangerous.

Devika: "Vishnu needs to return to his studies. The practical exams are crucial for his final grades."

Dattu nodded, though his eyes remained fixed on their joined hands.

Dattu: "I know I should let him go back. I know the drinking isn't helping anyone. But some days... some days it's the only thing that dulls the pain."

Saradha's words echoed in Devika's mind—about taking control, about using men's desires rather than being used by them. An idea formed, tenuous but possible.

Devika: "What if we made a deal, Mr. Dattu?"

His eyes lifted to meet hers, curiosity kindling. "What kind of deal, madam?"

Devika: "You allow Vishnu to return to college, to focus on his studies. In exchange..." She took a deep breath, scarcely believing what she was about to suggest. "In exchange, I could visit you on weekends. When Vishnu isn't here."

Dattu's eyes widened, hope and disbelief warring on his face.

Dattu: "You would do that? Visit me here?"

Devika: "Yes, but only if you promise to stop drinking during the week. Save it for weekends only, when I'm here."

Understanding dawned in his eyes, followed by a flash of triumph he quickly masked.

Dattu: "You would come here... and drink with me?"

Devika stiffened, withdrawing her hand.

Devika: "No. I don't drink. But I would... keep you company. Talk with you. Serve your drink to you, if you insist on having one. The point is to reduce your drinking, not encourage it."

Dattu's disappointment was visible, but he nodded quickly.

Dattu: "Of course, of course. Just your company would be... more than I could hope for."

Devika stood, creating distance between them.

Devika: "This arrangement would be strictly about helping Vishnu succeed. About giving you someone to talk to, so you're not drowning your memories in alcohol every night."

Dattu rose as well, his eyes bright with barely contained excitement.

Dattu: "I understand completely, madam. And I promise, Vishnu will be in class tomorrow morning. No more garage work on college days."

Devika nodded, retrieving her bag from the chair.

Dattu: "And... you'll come this weekend? Saturday evening, perhaps?"

Devika: "Saturday evening," she confirmed, moving toward the door. "And if you maintain our agreement—if Vishnu attends all his classes and you limit your drinking—perhaps there could be... special considerations."

The words left her mouth before she fully processed them, an echo of the bargains she'd made with Vishnu and Pathan. Dattu's sharp intake of breath told her he'd understood the implication, however vague.

Dattu: "Special considerations?"

Devika paused at the doorway, her hand on the frame.

Devika: "Let's start with what I've suggested and see how it goes."

Dattu nodded eagerly, his eyes following the curve of her back as she stepped into the hallway.

Dattu: "Until Saturday then, madam. And thank you—for caring about my son's future."

Devika offered a small smile. "That's my job, Mr. Dattu. Goodnight."

As she descended the stairs, Devika's heart raced with confusion and the stirrings of something darker. She had come to help a student and found herself making another dangerous bargain, another compromise of her already fractured moral boundaries.

What had Saradha's advice done to her? What had Kerala's modest biology teacher become in the months since arriving in Pune?

The evening air felt cool against her flushed skin as she walked toward the bus stop. Behind her, in the small apartment, Dattu stood at the window watching her retreating figure, his weathered face split in a triumphant smile.