Wake up, girl!

by Niharika Jindal

  Ayaan removed the black coat I’d worn over my red dress and placed it on the chair nearby.

  ‘Wine?’ Ayaan asked. He looked amazing in a pair of jeans and a black shirt.

  ‘Yes, please.’

  When have I ever said no to alcohol?

  ‘Any preference? Red or white?’

  ‘Nope. Whichever you want.’

  Ayaan got out a bottle of red wine from the kitchen cabinets along with the wine opener and two glasses.

  ‘I’ll be back in a second,’ he said and disappeared in the bathroom.

  I felt restless, so, I went to work on opening the wine. I placed the opener inside the cork and tried to unscrew it, but it wouldn’t budge. Just as I was about to give up, I felt Ayaan come up behind me.

  He gently pried the bottle away from my hands, removed the cork in an instant and poured wine in the glasses. We moved to the living room and sat on the couch close to each other.

  ‘How was your day?’ I asked, taking a sip of wine.

  ‘It was okay. Though I wish I’d seen you sooner. How was yours?’ His eyes never left mine. He had the most piercing gaze ever.

  ‘I know. Me too. It was fine. I couldn’t wait for classes to get over.’

  ‘I hope that’s because you couldn’t wait to see me,’ Ayaan smiled slowly.

  He was making me so nervous with the flirty talk. I took a huge sip of my wine. There was something different tonight. The atmosphere felt electrified.

  ‘The girls have been asking so many questions about you. At least a hundred.’

  ‘Any particularly interesting ones?’ Ayaan asked.

  Once more, he was gazing deeply into my eyes.

  Huge gulp of wine again. My glass was almost empty, I realized. I was already feeling light-headed.

  ‘Well, they wanted to know how my first kiss went,’ I replied. I was getting freer and bolder with my responses after each sip of wine.

  ‘What did you tell them?’

  Ayaan was looking at my lips now.

  I didn’t get a chance to think of a reply as he took my glass away from me and placed his lips on mine. The kiss seemed to go on forever. I didn’t know I would feel so aroused just by a simple kiss. It was maybe due to the fact that I knew this was leading somewhere.

  His lips moved from my lips to my neck and sucked hard. I moaned out loud.

  ‘You sure you want to do this?’ Ayaan whispered.

  ‘Yes,’ I replied.

  Ayaan moved his hand to my breast and squeezed it. His fingers found my nipple through my dress and rubbed it till it hardened. He trailed his lips across my collarbone. His lips came back to mine and kissed me deeply.

  Ayaan unzipped my dress and his hands went back to my breasts that were still covered by the bra. Expertly unhooking my bra while kissing, his hands grabbed my freed breasts and started playing with my nipples. The slight tug had me moaning out loud again.

  ‘I love your moans,’ Ayaan whispered.

  He moved his mouth down my neck to my breasts and took a nipple in his mouth. My nipple hardened under his tongue as he licked it over and over again.

  He repeated his motions of kissing my lips and neck and then sucking on my nipples over and over, till I felt so aroused that I wanted to beg him to do something more.

  ‘Ayaan, please.’

  ‘Please what, baby?’

  He must have sensed my frustration as his hand suddenly slipped inside my panties and started stroking my clit.

  ‘That feels so good,’ I moaned.

  He gently worked a finger inside me and started moving it in and out.

  ‘Does that feel good?’

  ‘Yes, it does.’

  Ayaan took my panties off and moved lower. He kissed my nipples again, and moved the kisses lower. His tongue licked my navel and my back arched off the couch.

  ‘Relax, baby,’ he said.

  I realized what he wanted to do, and I tried to get him to come back up. But he was having none of it.

  ‘Naina, you’re beautiful.’

  He licked me down there till I felt senseless. He kissed my clit and pushed his tongue inside me.

  ‘Please…’ I don’t know what I was begging for.

  Ayaan removed his pants and put a condom on.

  ‘Ayaan…I’ve never done this before…’

  ‘I know, baby. Don’t worry. You sure you want to do this?’ Ayaan asked me again.

  ‘Yes.’

  He entered me slightly and I shifted with the discomfort.

  ‘You’re so tight, baby,’ Ayaan whispered.

  His strokes gained speed trying to enter me completely and I gently pushed against him and said, ‘Slow down.’

  ‘Sorry, baby. You feel so tight and amazing,’ Ayaan said as he slowed his speed and entered me again.

  Each stroke of his eased the discomfort a bit and, finally, when I got used to his strokes and started enjoying him being inside me, I felt Ayaan reach his climax and groan.

  ‘That was amazing,’ Ayaan said as he lay down next to me. ‘What about you?’

  ‘It was amazing as well,’ I replied smilingly.

  ‘Did you have one?’

  ‘One what?’

  ‘You know… an orgasm.’

  ‘Oh. I’m sure I did. Everyone has one during sex, right?’

  Ayaan raised himself on his elbow and looked down at me for several seconds. ‘Naina, you do know what an orgasm feels like, right?’

  My face turned red with embarrassment. ‘I’m afraid not. Told you I have zero experience!’

  Ayaan laughed softly, ‘Baby, prepare to have your mind blown.’

  He started trailing kisses all over my body and pretty soon, his lips found my clit again.

  I moaned loudly.

  This time, Ayaan didn’t stop till I had my first orgasm.

  And boy, did it blow my mind.

  I’m pretty sure I heard inner voice purr with delight too.

  Chapter 10

  Two and a half years later

  The year was 2014, and a lot had changed with time.

  ‘To Naina finally being legal!’

  Sunaina, Sarah, Marina and I raised our beer mugs and took a sip.

  We were at Ernesto’s Pizza in downtown Boston celebrating my twenty-first birthday.

  ‘Guys, I know I’m the last one amongst us to turn twentyone. But, can I tell you all, what a relief it is? I no longer have to commit a crime by using my fake ID to buy drinks at restaurants and clubs,’ I said.

  Sarah exclaimed, ‘I’m just happy you never got caught! You Indians are quite brave, I must say. I never had the courage to use a fake ID.’

  Sarah was much more of an upright, moral citizen than I was, as you can tell.

  I was currently in my fourth, and last year, at Boston College, with a mere two months left for graduation. I was finally going to be an Economist in the true sense.

  At the end of my second year, I had expressed a desire to change my major to Psychology but that had not gone down well with my parents. I had been given a huge lecture on what is considered an acceptable degree and what’s not. Psychology certainly did not fit the acceptable category.

  I still remember the conversation.

  Dad had shouted, ‘If you have an Economics degree, it will help you in the future. You could assist your husband with his business.’

  Mom, obviously, had pitched in. ‘Besides, Psychology will require you to go to medical school afterwards. Your entire life will be spent studying.’

  The final verdict was that Psychology didn’t hold any significance. Economics it was.

  Why did everything have to revolve around the future ‘husband’?

  When I tried to explain that Psychology interested me far more than Economics did, they pretended not to hear me. They had conveniently gone deaf. Parents have an uncanny ability to tune out of conversations they think are useless.

  Be a good daughter and listen to your parents, Naina.

  In the end, my
parents had won. I was stuck with studying an extremely dry subject. Economics, to me, was drier than toast without butter. The only positive in this situation was that I had a very hot tutor to coach me through this ordeal.

  My boyfriend, of course.

  Wait, someone was asking me something. I tuned back in.

  ‘How’s living with Ayaan going for you, Naina? I remember it took you time getting used to the situation, yeah?’ Marina asked.

  Ayaan and I now lived together in our apartment. I’d decided to shift to an apartment in my third year.

  I wish I could turn back the time and tell my younger unsure self not to worry. That things eventually do work out.

  I replied, ‘Ya, it did take time getting used to, for sure. Going from never having been in a relationship to living with someone in a short span of time does take time to process completely, I guess. Besides, after BCG offered Ayaan a full-time job, it meant that we would hardly get to see each other. He travels quite often, which is why he’s not gracing us with his presence right now. Living together was an amazing decision. I’m loving it, guys.’

  A chorus of ‘awwws’ went around. Sometimes, it’s funny how girls never seem to get enough of awwws.

  You shameless Indian girl, Naina.

  Oh, please, give me a break, inner voice! If I had stuck to the strict code of conduct for Indian girls, I would have probably wanted to kill myself by now.

  Had I been studying in India and dating someone in the same city, I would have become a huge gossip subject for all the aunties. ‘Oh my God, she’s having an affair with someone. Do you think they’re sleeping together? How vulgar. How can her parents allow this? Girls have become so forward these days…’ This would just be the start of it.

  I mean, c’mon! As if none of these aunties have ever done anything remotely similar. All they need is a subject to talk about at their kitty parties. If only they knew what their own kids were up to.

  My parents had no idea about my relationship with Ayaan, of course. Only Avishi and Yohaan knew. I had made them swear not to spill the beans, or there would be hell to pay. I didn’t want to deal with my parents till I had to. They wouldn’t be happy about it, and it would take all my energy to convince them otherwise. Nor had I ever mentioned to Ayaan all the reservations my parents had along with their list of criteria for the perfect boy for their daughter.

  Anyway.

  The conversation had shifted to Sunaina describing her latest date and how it had ended in a complete disaster. This would take a while. I shifted back to reminiscing.

  Don’t forget to mention how long it took you to get used to being in a relationship, you freak!

  Oh, yes. That had taken quite a bit of time.

  Sure, Ayaan was aware of how sexually inexperienced I was, but, boy, he had no idea of how immature I was in the emotional department as well.

  First off, I was a selfish and self-centered girl. Only I didn’t know this because no one had ever told me. I was not used to thinking about someone else’s needs and wants besides my own.

  Ayaan had been a sweet soul for dealing with me. Our first big fight was caused by my stupid insecurities. I had been going through his phone when I saw a message from an ex-girlfriend of his. Seeing green, I had exploded at him and refused to listen to his explanation that the relationship with his ex was that of a very long time ago and that the text message didn’t mean anything.

  Finally, when sense dawned, I felt incredibly stupid and guilty. The aftermath of that fight had been really sweet.

  ‘Baby, I’m so sorry. It was stupid of me to go so crazy. I know I shouldn’t be jealous, especially when you give me no reason to be so,’ I’d said.

  I was sincerely sorry. And Ayaan was touched by my genuine apology.

  He’d hugged me close and whispered, ‘I love you, Naina. We’ve never said it to each other before, and this seems the perfect moment to say it. Thank you for understanding.’

  I was still reeling from his admission of love.

  I kissed him on the cheek, savoured the moment, and said, ‘I love you, too.’

  We had been in his former apartment at the time. Ayaan had taken me to his kitchen and said, ‘I have a surprise for you.’

  Sitting on the kitchen counter was a bowl of freshly made gulaab jaamuns.

  I remember being speechless.

  ‘I didn’t like the fact that we had fought, so I went to the store and got the instant mix for them. I hope they taste okay, baby. I know how much you like them.’

  I had launched myself at him and it turned into a session of intense lovemaking.

  A guy who makes gulaab jaamuns, without any help whatsoever, and that too all the way in faraway Boston, was definitely special.

  You know how they say that the way to a guy’s heart is through his stomach? That was applicable to me, too. Ayaan was constantly seducing me with food and wine.

  Someone had thankfully called for the check. I couldn’t wait to see Ayaan. Too much reminiscing about the past had made me miss him terribly.

  Chapter 11

  My one-bedroom apartment on Hammond Street was five minutes from campus. It was highly convenient for me, as it didn’t mean a long commute to get to classes. It was an easy commute for Ayaan as well as the BCG office was only a couple minutes away.

  I entered the apartment and saw that it was empty.

  Ayaan must still be at work.

  A sense of coming home enveloped me like a warm blanket. It’s weird how I had started thinking of it as home. Well, it was our home, and I had done it up to our taste. From our bedroom, to the kitchen – I had organized it all. Ayaan couldn’t have cared less. As long as he had his PlayStation in the living room, he was good.

  But me? I was a domestic goddess in my own eyes.

  Modesty is a virtue, Naina.

  Everyone should praise themselves once in a while. Nothing wrong with that.

  I checked my phone and it had a text message from Ayaan:

  Stuck at work. Will be late.

  I was disappointed that he was working late tonight. I was looking forward to being with him.

  Oh, well. I could entertain myself.

  Three years ago, I couldn’t have imagined living with someone else. I was so used to being by myself.

  After Ayaan, I feel completely the opposite. Being alone felt weird. Even if it was for a few hours.

  I entered the kitchen and saw the answering machine beeping on the landline. I took off my shoes and took some cheese and bread out of the refrigerator. I felt like eating a grilled cheese sandwich.

  While slicing the bread, I played the message and it was from Mom:

  Naina, call me. As soon as you hear this.

  She sounded unusually serious.

  I had a bad feeling about this. I could just feel it.

  I dialled Mom’s cell phone number from the landline extension and put it on speaker. It was morning in India, so I didn’t have to worry about calling at an odd hour.

  She picked up on the first ring. ‘Naina, I am so angry with you that I don’t even know what to say. Have you lost your mind?’

  Mom sounded serious and angry.

  My heartbeat was gradually increasing.

  ‘What are you talking about?’ I asked hesitantly.

  ‘Did you think your parents are dumb? That you children can do anything and keep us in the dark? Please don’t forget that we are your parents and have a lot more sense than you. Did you honestly think I would never find out that you have been dating a Punjabi boy for the last two years? It was a good thing that I decided to randomly open Avishi’s laptop the other day. Little did I know that when I logged on to your Facebook account from her profile, I would see a photo of you and your boyfriend celebrating your second anniversary.’

  My mouth went dry. She knew.

  ‘When I confronted Avishi and Yohaan, their facial expressions said it all. You should at least have had the sense to not teach your younger siblings to tell lies or kee
p secrets from their parents! I had to pry information out of Avishi!’

  ‘Mom…’

  She cut me off. ‘It’s a good thing, Naina, that I haven’t told your father about this yet. If he hears you’re dating a Punjabi boy who isn’t even well off, he will lose his calm. He has told me in the past that he will not tolerate any of this nonsense. The world might have progressed, but we are conservative Marwadis and this behaviour is not acceptable to us.’

  My heart was sinking further with each passing sentence.

  ‘Avishi told me what this boy’s parents do for a living. Do you think you’ll be able to live a life where you might have to work yourself? For money? Naina Bansal, you have never worked a single day in your life. It’s looking all good and rosy to you now, but when reality strikes you, it won’t be so pretty. This boy you love – will he be able to sustain the lifestyle you lead? Do you even know how much you end up spending every month? Have you ever checked your credit card statements? You spend over $5000 every month on your credit card alone. Did you even know that? It’s your father who is providing you with all these luxuries that you’re so used to. Once you’re married, you’ll realize the difference. You’ll realize the value of the things that you’re so used to, once they’re gone. Have you not heard of your cousin bua’s story? How she fought with her parents and got married to that useless husband of hers? Till date, she tells her parents that she should have listened to them and not married him. He doesn’t provide her with any of the luxuries she was used to, and now she has to work to support their family. Have you ever, even once, set foot in the kitchen? Imagine having to cook for yourself and your family by yourself.’

  ‘Mom, but she was happy, and I…’

  She cut me off again. ‘How long did her happiness last? Would you honestly want to go against your parents and be with someone they don’t approve of? It’s not that simple, Naina. You’re not a child any longer, and it’s important for me to give you a reality check.’

  My mind was blank. I could not think.

  ‘If I thought this was just a passing phase of your life, I wouldn’t have been so worried. But two and a half years, Naina? This is no joke! Did we send you abroad so that you would take complete advantage of the situation? Is this why you wanted an apartment for yourself? For you to spend more time with this boy?’