Adultery Priya Didi

[shailu4ever]

.

 
His touch had been tentative at first, almost innocent, but it lingered just long enough to ask a question her body answered before her mind could intervene.
 
When his hand rested at her waist, steady and sure, something inside her had stirred. A heat she hadn’t felt in a long time.
 
And that frightened her.
 
“Why didn’t I pull away?”
“Why did my body respond?”
 
She turned her face slightly toward Amit, watching him sleep. His expression was relaxed, unguarded.
 
This was the man who had stood by her through everything. The man who had loved her patiently, consistently, without conditions.
 
And yet,
 
Her chest tightened painfully.
 
“I love him.”
“I love my husband.”
 
She told herself that again and again, as if repetition could undo what had already been done.
 
Her thoughts drifted further, against her will.
 
The car.
The quiet.
Ravi’s presence beside her.
 
The brief kiss.
 
So small. So quick.
 
And yet, it had lingered inside her far longer than it should have.
 
A sharp realization struck her then, sending a fresh wave of nausea through her.
 
Amit had been there.
Nearby.
Close enough.
 
If she had protested loudly…
If she had pushed Ravi away too forcefully…
If she had made a scene…
 
Amit would have noticed.
 
He would have asked questions.
 
And she hadn’t wanted that.
 
The truth settled heavily in her chest, undeniable and ugly.
 
“I didn’t stop it because I didn’t want to.”
 
The admission shattered something inside her.
 
Her lips trembled.
 
“I wanted him to kiss me.”
“I wanted him to touch me.”
“I wanted to feel wanted.”
 
The words felt filthy in her mind.
 
Shame wrapped around her heart like barbed wire, tightening with every breath.
 
She felt split in two, one part of her clinging desperately to the woman she had always been, the other slipping into someone she barely recognized.
 
She loved Amit.
 
She had chosen him.
 
She had promised him everything.
 
So why, why, couldn’t she push Ravi out of her thoughts?
 
Her body betrayed her again as memories surfaced uninvited. 

The way Ravi’s presence had awakened something dormant inside her. 

The way her imagination had filled in gaps she never should have allowed.

.