Misc. Erotica After the Ashes

[krish_999]

Chapter - five

A few days after Manohar was discharged from the hospital, Madhav visited him at home. All the family members were present, including Anjali. Everyone was happy to see him, but he was happier to see Anjali breathe easy around him.
However, there was something odd in the way Manohar interacted with him. He knew something was definitely wrong when Manohar, once no one was around them, told him he was waiting to meet him privately.

Manohar waited until coffee time and the pleasantries were over, then bolted the room from inside.
“Madhav… I’ve found someone for Anjali,” he said while turning to him, without wasting a second.
Madhav blinked, disoriented. “Someone?”
“Someone I know very well. From a good family. My friend Shyamal’s son, Vikram.”
There was a long pause before Madhav finally spoke.
“Did you talk to Anjali?”
“She’s hesitant,” Manohar admitted, his voice tight. “But she will listen. Eventually. It’s for her own good.”

Madhav wanted to argue. He wanted to say that Anjali wasn’t ready, that her eyes still lingered often on Vinayak’s photograph, that grief still weighed heavily on her every move. And that Anjali needed more time to move on. But before he could speak, Manohar’s thin smile cut through the silence.

“Or maybe you’re just not ready to let her go.”

The words pierced deeper than Madhav expected. He looked away, swallowing hard.

“I’ve seen it, Madhav,” Manohar continued softly. His words startled Madhav like hell. Manohar went on, “You’ve grown close to her more than ever, since she returned to you. I don’t blame you. She’s lovely, caring, and maybe you both needed comfort to grieve your losses. But this - it isn’t helping her. It’s holding her back.”

Madhav was tense but said nothing. He couldn't understand what Manohar meant exactly when he said, 'I've seen it'. The words that followed had brought ambiguity. He felt a sense of helpless fear taking over his mind. He couldn't ask what Manohar meant with his words, for he feared the worst to be true, even though he believed it wasn't possible for Manohar to 'see' what had happened.

“She needs to move forward. And so do you.” Manohar added.

Madhav wanted to argue, but the guilt from that forbidden night made him sit still, unable to express any opinion. And he was forced to think the way Manohar wanted him to.
Yes, she needs to move forward. And so do I.
Slowly, he nodded.
“I’ll talk to her,” he said finally.

Madhav stayed at Manohar’s house overnight. After dinner, he gently brought up the idea to Anjali while they were sitting on the balcony upstairs.
Anjali sat still for several minutes, struggling for words. Then her voice came out as barely a whisper. “Do you think I can just forget everything? Become someone else’s wife?”
“You don’t have to forget,” Madhav said softly, though his voice lacked conviction. “Just heal.”
She shook her head. “I’m trying. But I don’t want to be touched by another man.”
He stared at her, and she held his gaze for a moment. “Oh, Dad… I mean… I see him in you. That’s what… I… I hope you understand me."
“I do, dear. I understand.” He paused before continuing. “I’m not counting myself. That’s why I said you need to try… just once. Just open a door, and let’s see what’s ahead.”
Anjali said nothing. She no longer had the strength to fight. She knew that even if she could convince Madhav, her father would never agree.
Before Madhav left in the morning, he gave his word to Manohar that he would convince Anjali to say yes to the proposal. The next day, Manohar allowed Anjali to return to Madhav’s house.

The following evening, Vikram called. He asked if she would meet him, and out of a mix of pressure and uncertainty, she agreed.

They met at a quiet café, which Vikram suggested. Anjali was meeting him after a long break; she hadn’t seen him in years, and he seemed like a different man now.
In her memory, Anjali remembered the lean, soft-spoken guy who had proposed to her during their college days.


"Anjali, do you have a minute? I want to talk to you.”
She was on her way to meet her friends, who were waiting for her behind the stage at the start of a cultural event. She was in a hurry but chose to be polite.
“I’m in a rush, Vikram. You need to talk fast,” she said, continuing to walk.
“I’ve just… Anjali, I’ve thought of a lot of ways to say this, but I guess there’s no time for any of that. I’ll hurry… I… I love you. Anjali, I love you. I can’t be any quicker than this.”
He blurted it all out in one go. Anjali stopped, amused, finding it slightly funny.
“Oh. That’s sweet. But I’m sorry—you weren’t quick enough. I mean… I’m seeing someone else already. Bye.”
Even though she said that, she and Vinayak weren’t actually in a relationship then. They were just good friends—friends with a special connection.

Later that day, when she told Vinayak that someone had proposed to her, he jumped out of his seat and turned to her.
“What? What did you say?”
From his voice, Anjali sensed what he was feeling.
“What should I have said?” she asked.
“No.” Vinayak grabbed her hands. “I am not going to let you go, ever. You’re my sweetheart. Forever.”
“Is that how you propose to me?” Anjali laughed.
Vinayak moved closer and put his arm around her, looking deep into her eyes. “Look at me and say you don’t love me.”
“I don’t…” She paused.
“You don’t? Go ahead,” he said, trying to hide his disappointment.
“I don’t want to tell you that.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
She hugged him tightly and then kissed him.

That night, she ended up at his place, and they made love – promising each other a lifetime of love.
The next day, when Anjali saw Vikram staring at her from a distance, she remembered the night with Vinayak, and a faint smile appeared on her face. It amused her that Vikram, with his proposal, had unintentionally played a part in pushing her straight into someone else’s arms.

Everything flashed through Anjali’s memory in a second. It was all still fresh there – except for the never-fading truth that Vinayak was no more.

"Hello, Anjali." Vikram greeted her, walking over to her. Anjali watched him walk confidently and with a charming smile. He looked like a completely changed man. The cream kurta shirt revealed the shape of his muscular body, and the perfume and the metallic watch he wore carried a sense of affluence to his character. The lean figure Anjali remembered from her college days no longer existed. Vikram looked impressive in his charismatic avatar. Except that Anjali was certain not to be impressed by anything.

Vikram extended his hand to her, and Anjali returned the handshake.
“You look fabulous. Thanks for coming, Anjali. How’s your daddy now?”
“He’s okay. Thank you for saving his life.”
“It was my fate to be there at that time. Sometimes we’re late. Sometimes early. But when we’re at the right time and in the right place, we can pull off miracles, can’t we?”
Anjali smiled genuinely. “I guess so.”
“Come, let’s find a place to sit.” Vikram led her into the café, and they found a table. He softly pulled out a chair and allowed her to sit before taking the seat opposite her. They ordered coffee.

Vikram spoke smoothly about his family and business before he opened up about a longtime dream.

"Anjali, I respected your decision years ago, the moment you told me you had chosen Vinayak. That respect never faded with time. In fact, it grew when I later heard how you married him despite your family’s strong objections. It proved that you were serious about your relationship with him. And honestly, a person like that is everyone’s dream – the one who would stay, right?
When Vinayak died, I didn’t know about it. I was on a world tour – a personal choice. When I returned, I decided not to contact you because I didn’t want to seem opportunistic. I deliberately held back from meeting you. I knew there was nothing I could say to make you feel better. I thought that was how it would remain.
But when your daddy told me how much you’ve been struggling with the past, I felt like I should step in. Not like a saviour. But like a…” Vikram paused and leaned slightly forward before continuing, “I can’t see you in pain, Anjali. The love and respect I had for you in the past are still intact, and that makes me hope that I can be your man for the rest of your life.”

Anjali was lost in his monologue. She couldn't blink. Vikram went on, "When your father approached mine, I felt like fate was finally giving me a chance. I don't want to lose this one."

Anjali lowered her gaze, her heart pounding with a sense of grief. She knew it was going to be harder than she thought to say no.

"I'm not ready, Vikram," she said softly. "I know he won't come back, but I'm still holding onto him."

Vikram stared at him for a second and then reached across the table to catch her hand. “Then let me help you heal, Anjali. I will wait. Say yes only when you are ready."

The softness of his words felt heavy. Anjali smiled politely, torn between a secret sense of guilt and a strange feeling of uncertainty.


After the coffee, he accompanied him to her car in the parking lot. As she sat in, before she could start the engine, Vikram leaned in. "I have something for you," he said with a smile.

Before she could respond, he placed his right palm under her left cheek to turn her face toward him and pressed his lips hard against hers.

Anjali froze. She couldn't move.

Pulling away with a confident smile, Vikram said, “Take care, Anjali.”


Trembling, Anjali drove away, tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped her lips many times, as if to wipe off the startling memory.

He kissed me!

The kiss haunted her like a storm warning. Something was coming. He had promised that he would wait. But no, he was not going to wait. Anjali could already imagine the days ahead: his hands on her waist, his breath hot on her skin, his body over hers.

For a moment, she was convinced that Vikram had come only to reclaim what he had once set his eyes on.

The road back home felt longer than it was. The traffic appeared a blur as Anjali's eyes clouded with tears. She could not escape the weight of Vikram's unwelcome kiss on her lips even after reaching home. She didn't even know why she was crying.

Home felt colder than usual. She walked in and stood in the living room for a few minutes, unsure of what to do, her handbag still hanging from her shoulder.

Her mind kept drifting back to the cafe. She felt she shouldn't have met Vikram. She felt angry at her father. And she cried again. She sat on the sofa, hid her face in her palms and cried. It took her some time to gather herself, eventually.

She spent the rest of the evening in silence, each passing moment adding to her sense of solitude. She thought she would never be able to wipe off the stain of Vikram's kiss from her lips.

It was not a forced kiss. It wasn't a violent intrusion into her privacy. It was a quiet, confident step into her part of life, aimed at joining her. More than the kiss, she felt his confidence that she would accept his kiss was more hurtful.

She thought of saying no by making an offence of his act. But she knew what her father would say.

He saved my life, Anjali. I know him very well. He deserves a chance. You deserve a chance.

But a kiss?

Daddy would laugh it off. He would try to talk about it as a youthful affection. Vikram is still a man under thirty.

And Anjali knew it very well that complaining too much about the kiss would make her daddy question her moral ground. Because he knows what I have done with my father-in-law. It wasn't a kiss.

Anjali knew that she stood on altered moral ground after crossing the line. She wondered where it was all going to lead her. Perhaps she would marry Vikram. Eventually, she would let him touch her. Share her bed. She would end up giving herself to him. What she had once given to Vinayak would then belong to Vikram.
The thought made her stomach twist.
Anjali's mind was looping through her helplessness.


When Madhav returned from the office, he found her sitting on the sofa, eyes fixed somewhere between the wall and nowhere.

"Hey," he said, placing his bag down. "You alright?"

She nodded lightly, not meeting his gaze. "Yeah."

Dinner was quiet. She barely ate, and when it was over, she excused herself and went to her room without a word. Madhav knew something was wrong. After a while, he went and knocked on her door.
“Anjali?”

The door wasn’t bolted from the inside. Madhav opened it and saw Anjali sitting on the edge of the bed. She didn’t look like she was in a hurry to sleep.
“What’s going on?” Madhav asked gently. "You’ve been distant all evening.”
Anjali looked at him for a long second, as if deciding whether to tell him, before speaking. “Today I met Vikram, Dad.”
“Yeah, I wanted to ask you about it, but couldn’t find an opportunity,” Madhav said. “How did it go?”
“He wants to marry me,” Anjali said, looking away.
Madhav smiled slowly. “Well, it’s natural for him to feel that way. What do you think of him?”
Anjali turned sharply. “And he kissed me.”
Madhav's eyes narrowed. "What?" For a moment, he was clueless about how to react. "How? I mean, did he force himself?"
"No, Dad. It wasn't like that. But it was sudden, when I was leaving in my car, he just leaned in and kissed me. It was unexpected."
Madhav tried to remain calm. "He really likes you then, I suppose."
"I don't want him to like me," Anjali shook her head. "I don't want anyone to like me."
"Anjali..." Madhav began to talk, but Anjali cut in. "I don't want anyone to replace Vinayak. I love him. Only him, Dad. It's always him."

Tears started to slip down her cheeks. Madhav moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed, beside her. As soon as he sat, Anjali grabbed onto his shirt and leaned into him, sobbing against his body.
"My daddy will never understand. He didn't understand me when I fell in love with Vinayak. He didn't understand me when I wanted to marry Vinayak. And he doesn't understand me now. He will push me into this because it looks perfect in his eyes. Just because it makes sense to him, not because I wanted."
Madhav held her close, his hand moving slowly over her back. “Anjali… Vinayak is gone. You need to accept that.”
“No!” she cried, lifting her head. “Don’t ever say that to me. He’s not gone. He’s here. In this house. In you.”
Her eyes were blazing now. “Do you know why I slept with you that night?” she whispered. “Because I saw him in you. I see him in you. That’s my only justification.”
Madhav remained silent.
She hugged him tightly, her breath growing heavier. “Please… don’t let me go. Dad… please.”
Her right hand clutched him firmly. Then she wrapped her left arm around his neck, pulling him closer. Madhav froze as he felt the warmth of her lips press against his cheekbone. She was doing it deliberately.
Anjali looked up at him, her eyes filled with desperation. It wasn’t lust. It was longing.
Anjali's hand was getting tighter around. And she was about to kiss him on the lips. Madhav stiffened. He held her shoulders and gently began to pull away.
"Please… don’t do this, Anjali," he murmured, his voice barely holding together. "We can't go there again."
Anjali took a deep breath. "Just tell me you won't leave me. I don't want to be alone, Dad."

Madhav's breath was shaky as he spoke, "I am proud to be your father-in-law, dear. I am so proud that you are still in love with my son, even so long after his death. But we have to be cautious. We have to remember our limits. Yes, we did cross it, but we should not do it again."
Anjali nodded understandingly, "But I will die without him, Dad."
She reached for his hand, "today Vikram questioned the existence of my love. I cannot endure that insult." She said and slowly placed his hand against her chest. "You are my best option to keep telling me that I still belong to Vinayak. When you hold me, I don't feel like I lost him."
Madhav could feel her palm pressing over his palm on her chest, making him feel the softness. He pulled his hand out of her grip and cupped her face gently, eyes full of conflict.
"What are you making me into...Anjali?"
She cupped his face in return, her eyes locking into his. "I only want to live in his memories, and you are...." She paused to smile at him, as if instinctively, and then went on, "I know what we have done is a sin in the eyes of the world. But not in Vinayak's eyes. You are not stealing me from him. You're keeping me with him."
Tears slipped down her cheek despite her attempts to smile again. "Please don’t push me towards things I don’t want. I don’t want Vikram to touch me. Ever. Not even in a dream. I only want you… dad."
She paused, breathing unevenly.
"Kiss me. Please."

For a moment, Madhav sat frozen between duty and devastation. Then his eyes fluttered closed, and he kissed her. This time, there was no resistance.
Their mouths met with a slow, aching fire.
Anjali moaned softly into the kiss and leaned her body against his, desperate for warmth. She grabbed his hand again - this time, placing it firmly over her chest, and confidently pressing it to make him feel the softness of her breast.
"God forgive me…" Madhav whispered into her mouth before melting into her completely.

Their kiss deepened. Their breathing quickened. Before the kiss ended, Anjali gently leaned back, drawing Madhav along with her. Her hand held the back of his neck, not letting him part from her lips even for a breath. He followed her, slowly, as though caught in a current too strong to resist.

She lay on her back across the bed, and he climbed over her, his body trembling under the weight of choice, of sin, of something far more human than either of them could name. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck, planting kisses that were slow and reverent. Anjali closed her eyes and let herself dissolve into the moment, into the warmth of him.

Her fingers reached under his T-shirt, exploring the chest she had wept against. She began lifting it, slowly, giving him time to stop her - but he didn’t. He raised his arms, allowing her to undress him. The sight of his bare chest, weathered with age and loss, only made her heart ache more.

She pulled him down beside her, and in one breathless movement, climbed over him - her legs straddling his waist. Her eyes met his as she pulled up her black floral kurti and tossed it aside. Without hesitation, she removed her creamy white bra to reveal her tender tits. She felt no shyness. She looked into his eyes and leaned down until her bare skin pressed against his chest.
"He loved this," she whispered to him. "Vinayak. He loved this part of me."

Madhav watched in, but his mind had shut its eyes in surrender. She first brought his hands to her breasts, and then started kissing him deeply. As Madhav opened his mouth to savour her warmth, Anjali's hands travelled lower, fumbling with the knot of his pyjama lace. She undid it quietly, and a moment later, she lowered it enough to free his dick. It was hard and long. There was no hesitation in her movements now - only the urgency of needing to feel him, to feel alive, to remember. She ran her palm along his length a few times, as if to ensure it was ready. A few moments later, she sat back to remove her pants. She removed her panties too to turn herself completely nude, like a statement on its own that said she was doing what she absolutely wanted to. As soon as she was naked, she grabbed his manhood gently again and then lowered herself on him, slowly, gasping softly as he entered her. Her eyes closed as their bodies joined without words, without barriers.
"I can feel him, Dad." She whispered and then started rocking against him in a quiet rhythm, her hands on his chest, her hair falling over her face.

Madhav gasped - lost in the moment, lost in her, lost in the weight of years lifted by the intimacy of this act. Anjali at first rod him in a sitting position, and soon lowered her chest to his body, while still moving her hip up and down. Madhav's mature body had caught fire, and he started jerking his hip upwards in an instinctive attempt to move his dick deeper into his daughter-in-law's tight pussy.

Anjali was getting tired of all the hard work, and her movements slowed down despite her eagerness to ride him till the end. She realised that the last time he might have been caught surprised, which resulted in an early finish, and this time it wasn't the case. Eventually, she surrendered.
"Dad...I want to lie down... Please go up... And..." She panted, "Please fuck me.... Please..."
She said and fell right next to him. Madhav had lost all his inhibitions by now. And he felt younger than he had ever felt in a decade, and he knelt between her legs and shoved his dick into her pussy. It disappeared smoothly, and Anjali welcomed him with a moan.
"Aaaah... Dad!"
"You good, dear?" Madhav asked.
Anjali shook her head, invitingly, "yes dad... mmm... It's good..."
Madhav lowered his head to land a passionate kiss on her lips, which she welcomed with utmost eagerness, and he then started fucking her. He rammed slowly but deliberately, making sure his dick travelled deep inside her young pussy.

Anjali spread her legs wide to let him complete access, and then pulled his torso down to her. She felt the desire to let him own all of her, peaking at the moment.
Leave nothing for anyone else. Leave nothing for Vikram.
"Aaah...dad... Yes.... Right there....aaah...!" She kept on encouraging him.
Madhav soon found the peak of his rhythm. When he finally let go, he groaned like a young man. He could not make it; whether it was lust or a sense of urgency propelled by guilt that made him groan like that.
He came inside her, and Anjali didn't make any attempt to stop him. She was happy to receive her father-in-law's live seeds into her pussy.

As he collapsed beside her, she felt a sense of satisfaction that was beyond the pleasure of everything that happened until then. She curled into him, her bare skin flush against the warmth of his body. She rested her cheek on his chest, listening to the slowing rhythm of his heartbeat. Her breasts pressed softly into him, her arm dbangd lazily over his waist.

She kissed his neck, not with hunger but with affection - like a woman who had finally stopped running.
"I feel alive now, Madhav," she murmured. She couldn't resist the urge to call him by name.
He looked down at her, faint surprise flickering in his eyes at hearing her use his name. He remembered that she had called him by name last time also, at the peak of emotion. He quickly felt good about it, for unknown reasons.
She smiled again, her eyes still heavy with emotion.
"A lot better," she added softly. "Thank you."

Madhav said nothing at first. He felt a little of his guilt fade away because of her daring act of calling him by name. It made the whole thing seem like something other than what existed between a father-in-law and daughter-in-law. He simply pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her with gentle protectiveness. Then he kissed her forehead lightly and let his hand rest on her bare back.
They didn't speak after that. A lot was left to be spoken, they both knew, but they also knew nothing would matter now.
Wrapped in each other's warmth, they fell asleep. They had walked through a long trail of grief and guilt, and it felt as though they had finally found a moment to rest.
But it was written that it would only be momentary.