‘I know. I have thought about them as well but nothing made sense. But don’t get stressed out.’ She kissed the tip of his chin.
‘I don’t know who is behind all this. Why is he doing what he is doing? All I know is that I can’t lose you.’
‘And I can’t lose us.’
Saveer pursed her mouth shut with his own and they stayed like that for a while. Once the kiss broke, Prisha asked, ‘Tell me something, did you ever have any enemy or did you ever do something to someone who may be holding a grudge against you or . . .?’
‘This has been happening for the last twenty-five years, Prisha! I was just a ten-year-old when it first happened. How much damage can a ten-year-old do to anyone? In fact, what can a ten-year-old do really?’
Nobody said anything after that. But the person sitting in the cafe opposite G-Punch kept toying with a coffee mug and repeating Saveer’s last words: what can a ten-year-old kid do really?
‘A ten-year-old kid can be a murderer,’ the person said aloud to nobody in particular and smirked.
7
The last six months had been a testing period for Zinnia. No alcohol, no sex and no outing. The reason: Prisha’s parents were staying with her. Although her father and her sister visited only during the weekends, her mother had been staying with her for the past six months. And Zinnia’s mother was Prisha’s mother’s kitty-party friend. Zinnia knew for a fact that if she stuck to her normal lifestyle, it would be reported to her mother and before she knew it, even her parents would come over and start living with her. She practised an unwilling abstinence. There were one or two instances when she went out citing group studies with friends but such occasions were rare. And now when Prisha was out of the hospital and her parents had flown back, it was time for her to go back to living her life her way.
She wanted to go out with her friends first but then decided to go for a Tinder date instead. She started hounding for profiles. She swiped two profiles right, matched with one and was about to give up, when she came across a profile. The name read: The Mean Monster.
Zinnia frowned. How could it be? Saveer still sleeps around? As far as she had guessed, Prisha was in a relationship with him. It was quite obvious when she had bumped into her that night in a resto-bar. Zinnia swiped right after staring at the profile thoughtfully. To her surprise, it said there was a match. It meant that the Mean Monster had already liked her profile. Zinnia messaged: hi! Nice to see you again.
After some time, a response came: I was waiting for you.
Zinnia felt funny between her legs after reading the message. She would never forget the night Saveer had sexually edged her. She could have killed him for delaying her orgasms but then she enjoyed it way more than she thought she would have.
Can we meet tonight? Zinnia messaged.
Of course.
These words switched on her crave-button.
Where? she asked.
My place.
The fact that Saveer didn’t want to waste time, that he had invited her over to his place, which was highly unusual for the Mean Monster made Zinnia feel special. Was Saveer interested in her?
Sure. What time?
11.30 p.m. Be on time.
You can count on me.
The next message contained Saveer’s address.
* * *
This was the first time Zinnia had come to Saveer’s house. She glanced at her watch as she rang the doorbell. It was exactly 11.30 p.m. A message popped up on her Tinder.
Hi, the door is open. Step in. And then come up. Zinnia had a naughty smile on her face. She understood that it must be some sort of a game.
Okay. Zinnia replied and pushed open the door. As she entered, the living room lit up. She looked around and found a staircase. The house was eerily quiet. Zinnia took a deep breath and started climbing up the stairs. However, she slowed down after seeing Saveer’s photographs with Prisha and a few others with another girl. She focused on the ones with Prisha. Was he done with her? she thought while climbing up.
She entered the bedroom. Except for a dim light next to the door, the room was dark.
‘Saveer?’
‘I like the way my name sounds when you say it.’
Zinnia smiled. So he was there, she thought. His voice sounded slightly heavier than usual. The game—or whatever it was—was on.
‘What’s up?’ she said. Her voice quivered a little.
‘Come on in.’
‘Don’t tell me the Mean Monster has become kinkier since the last time I had him,’ Zinnia said, stepping further inside the room. The light above the bed switched on. She still couldn’t see him.
‘Where are you?’
‘Right here.’
Zinnia turned around to see the silhouette of a man sitting on a chair in the corner.
‘What do you see on the bed?’ the person asked.
A few things were scattered on the bed. With an amused smile, she said, ‘I see a blindfold, a handcuff, a feather and a butt-plug.’
‘State your preference for the night.’
Zinnia swallowed nervously. Was it going to be this kinky? she thought, feeling slightly wet. She had never used sex toys ever. And she wasn’t sure if she should. She opted for the safest option available.
‘Blindfold,’ she said.
‘Wear it.’
‘What do you have in mind, Monster?’ Zinnia asked. She had started enjoying the game. When she had found out that Prisha had befriended Saveer, she was jealous. But she had never taken that jealousy seriously until she saw him on Tinder hours ago. Prisha had busted a myth for her. Zinnia was told that the Mean Monster never involved himself with anyone. But he did with Prisha. And tonight he was about to break another rule. She knew he never repeated his girls. But tonight he would. Suddenly, she saw the possibility of stretching one night with the Monster into a full-fledged date. Even the thought of flaunting the Mean Monster as her boyfriend gave Zinnia a mental orgasm.
‘I only can only picture you naked now.’
Zinnia wasted no time in wearing the blindfold. She was told to strip next. She did. Zinnia had never been this acutely conscious of being naked before.
‘I’m waiting for you,’ she said. Seconds later, she felt his hands on her thighs. His touch seemed softer than before. She felt his lips on her outer thighs first and then on her inner thighs. Her wet vaginal lips were expecting his tongue but instead she felt the tip of a hard dick. Intertwining his fingers with Zinnia’s, the person pinned her hands above her head. She lifted up her head while moaning loudly. The dick was unbelievably hard! And as the thrusts began, Zinnia felt as if she were being transported to some other place. There was no edging this time but he did give her multiple orgasms. And although Zinnia had enjoyed the session despite her doubts, she had failed to guess that she had been fucked by a strap-on dildo and not a real penis. By the time she was allowed to rest, Zinnia had climaxed four times. She felt drained. She lay on the bed for some time before opening the blindfold. She sat up, looking around for the Mean Monster. She found him sitting in the corner, his legs stretched out. They were perfectly waxed, shining nut-brown.
‘I loved it, Saveer,’ she said.
‘I’m glad you did. I’ve a request though.’
‘Sure, what is it?’
‘Don’t tell any of this to Prisha.’
Zinnia instantly felt victorious. The statement was sheer pleasure to her ears. She was the one who had experienced the Mean Monster before Prisha. How could the latter just take him away from her?
‘I never will,’ Zinnia said and a moment later, added, ‘But do I need to catch you again through Tinder?’ Zinnia tried to confirm her gut feeling.
‘No. We will meet again. Soon.’
Zinnia smiled to herself.
‘I need to use the washroom,’ she said.
‘On the right.’
‘Thanks.’
A naked Zinnia stood up and went towards the washroom. She stopped next to the door and said,
‘Can we take a selfie together?’
The response wasn’t immediate.
‘Get dressed first.’
‘Sure. I’ll be quick.’ Zinnia went inside the washroom and closed the door behind her.
The person stood up and walked towards a small mirror in the room. Using a lipstick, the person wrote something on the mirror. Then applied it on the lips.
‘This shade of red suits me,’ the person said and smiled at her reflection.
Zinnia came out of the washroom after some time. She called out to Saveer but there wasn’t any answer. She picked up her bra from the floor but didn’t find her panty. While looking for it, Zinnia’s eyes fell on the mirror. There was something written in red:
Let your panty be with me. Lock the main door. Keep the keys by the gate. A cab is waiting for you. Wipe this off after you’ve read it.
Zinnia had a wicked smile on her face. It was clear that Saveer was done with Prisha. She knew they weren’t compatible. Saveer needed someone like her. She rubbed off the message and left.
Before climbing into the cab, she noticed a woman standing under a lamp post. Light from the lamp post lit up only half of the woman’s body, her face remained in darkness. The cab sped away.
The woman walked up to the main gate and picked up the keys left behind by Zinnia.
‘It feels awesome to fuck you up this way, little one. No more killings. And yet the pain would be . . . perhaps more,’ she said softly, to nobody.
8
‘I’m having these weird sleeping disorders,’ Saveer said as he drove slowly to his office through heavy traffic.
‘What happened?’ Prisha asked. She had accompanied Gauri and Diggy to Shivam Snacks Corner, a popular eating joint near her college. Gauri and Diggy were hogging their breakfast, onion butter Maggi, while Prisha was on a call with Saveer.
‘Remember, I had told you that I had overslept and failed to meet you once when we had to go to Nandi Hills?’
‘Yes.’ Prisha walked away from the crowd around the snacks corner so she could hear Saveer clearly.
‘Also, remember when we had the flash mob, you had said that you had ended up driving in the same area for a while,’ Prisha reminded him.
‘Right. I had slept off then as well.’
‘Did it happen last night as well?’
‘Exactly. I remember sitting down for dinner last night but I slept like a log after that. And woke up . . .’
‘Woke up . . . where?’
‘Under my bed.’
‘What? Under your bed?’
‘I know it’s absurd but it’s true.’
‘I think you should consult a doctor.’
‘I thought so too. I will go this evening.’
‘All right. I will meet you in the evening. I have a couple of lectures now,’ Prisha said.
‘Yep, fine.’
Prisha disconnected the call not understanding one bit how and why someone would sleep under their bed. She walked back to the snacks corner, thoughtful. She stood behind Gauri and Diggy. And that’s when she noticed Gauri talking to a guy. She nudged Diggy. ‘Who is he?’
‘I don’t know his name. But I’ve seen him talking to Gauri a few times in the last two months.’
‘You didn’t ask her?’
‘No. I know he is from our college.’
Prisha and Diggy waited for Gauri to finish talking. Once she was done, she turned around to find her friends looking at her inquiringly.
‘What?’ she shrugged and started walking towards the college. The other two caught up with her.
‘Who is that guy?’ Prisha asked. ‘Diggy said he has seen you talking to him for the last two months now.’
‘He is Karthik. Our junior,’ Gauri said.
‘And . . . ?’ Prisha insisted.
‘And he loves me.’
‘You are telling me this, now?! I want to know the whole story!’
‘There is no story, bro. He saw me at the fresher’s months ago. Then he approached me saying that he likes me. I avoided him. He came back saying that he still loves me. So I lied that I’m committed and told him to stay away from me. But he came back again, saying that he had found out that I’m not committed.’
‘Why did you lie? If you aren’t interested, then just tell him so,’ Diggy said.
‘I told him today that I’m not interested,’ Gauri said, without looking at either of them.
‘Hmm, good.’
Prisha had an inkling that she might be lying. But she didn’t probe any further.
They went back to attending lectures. During a break, Zinnia approached Prisha while she was on a call with Saveer.
‘What’s up?’ Zinnia asked. Although they had met the day her parents had left for Delhi, she behaved as if they were meeting after a long time. Gauri and Diggy kept walking. They had somehow never warmed up to Zinnia.
‘I’m good. What’s up with you, Zin?’ Prisha asked.
‘All good and glowing. So, did you get to meet Saveer?’
The question was sudden and Prisha couldn’t help but stare at her.
‘Just asking,’ Zinnia clarified.
‘Yeah, I did.’ Does she know that Saveer and I are together? But how would she? I never told her. And Saveer . . . he wouldn’t meet her, Prisha thought.
‘Nice. Hope he is good.’
‘He is.’ Prisha was slightly curt this time.
‘You take care. Catch you soon,’ Zinnia said. There was a hint of amusement on her face which Prisha couldn’t decode but she had a hunch that something was not quite right.
She joined the other two.
‘What was the BC saying?’ Gauri asked.
‘Nothing,’ Prisha said.
‘Anyway, I need to go to the mall,’ Gauri said.
‘Cool. Let’s go. I’ll meet Saveer after that,’ Prisha said.
‘Not cool,’ Diggy said. ‘I’m feeling sleepy. I was working on my assignment all night long. I guess, I’ll go home and crash.’
Diggy took his leave while the girls went to Forum Mall. It was after they had entered the mall that Gauri told Prisha, ‘I lied.’
‘About?’
‘Karthik. I didn’t tell him that I am not interested.’
‘Which means you are?’
‘Yes. In destroying him.’
Prisha frowned. She dragged Gauri to the first floor and standing next to a vacant corner, asked, ‘What are you saying? Just tell me everything clearly.’
‘I like him,’ Gauri said, ‘but I don’t want him to get me easily. Everyone has that one love which they crave for but never attain. I want to be that love for Karthik. I will invite him but I won’t be there to welcome him.’
Prisha didn’t know how exactly to react.
‘Why are you so complicated, Gauri? Why would you do this to anyone?’ Prisha sounded a little helpless.
‘Why should I be the only one who lost? Let him also understand that just because he says he likes or loves me, I won’t be his. Just like . . .’ Her voice trailed off. Prisha understood who Gauri had in mind. They roamed around the mall quietly. Prisha went out after she got a call from Saveer. He wanted to meet at a cafe but she insisted on visiting him at home.
* * *
‘Whoever is playing games with you and me, needs to know we don’t give a fuck. Otherwise, he will never come out,’ Prisha said, hugging Saveer tightly. He nodded.
‘That’s the best way to force him to commit a mistake which would lead us to him. Else, right now even involving the police seems pointless,’ Saveer said.
‘Just what I meant.’ She kissed him on his lips.
‘I like that I have to stand on my toes to get to your lips.’ She kissed him again.
‘And . . .’ Saveer placed his hands on her butt and picked her up, saying, ‘I like to feel your soft bum when you kiss me.’ They smooched for some time before collapsing on the couch together.
‘Do you think everyone has that one someone whom they crave for but ne
ver get?’ Prisha asked. Saveer was lying on the couch while she was lying on top of him. Her head was on his chest. She had unbuttoned his shirt till his torso. She could smell him as she talked. His right hand was on her head and the left one was on her back.
‘I think so,’ Saveer said. Prisha immediately knew who he had in mind.
‘I crave for you, Saveer,’ Prisha said, lifting her head up and looking into his eyes. ‘And I don’t think I’ll ever crave like this for anyone again. But I don’t want you to be the one I never get.’ She planted a dry kiss on his lips.
‘I don’t want to lose you either,’ he said, kissing her back. For some time, their faces were so close that they were inhaling each other’s breaths. She simply rubbed her face against his.
‘You know,’ she whispered. ‘Utkarsh and my relationship had no fear. I was too happy. Too secure. Too comfortable. But after meeting you, I realized how wrong that was. Every genuine, intense relationship has something to fear. Just like pain makes one feel alive, fear makes a relationship real. Even when I was in the hospital, I wanted to survive so I could be close to you. For forever. I had this fear: what if by the time I was released, things changed between us? What if we didn’t pick up where we had left? But my ultimate fear is what if we don’t go the distance? Means, doesn’t matter. But what if . . .’
Saveer held her face and said, ‘When you were in the hospital, I had given up on our love story. I had sworn I would not come near you. I had even activated the Mean Monster avatar.’
‘What?’
‘That’s true.’
‘You mean you fucked girls when I was in the hospital?’
‘No. I activated the number after you were discharged. But it was a disaster. I simply couldn’t do it.’
‘Good for you,’ Prisha said, sounding strict. A smile spread over Saveer’s face as he continued.
‘But now you have changed my views. I have realized that every relationship also needs an assurance along with fear. Fear and assurance are the yin and the yang in a relationship. My ultimate assurance is that I am yours, come what may. Nothing else matters. I will always be yours.’ He planted a kiss on her forehead.
They lay silent for some time.
Forever Is True Page 4
