Chapter 8

Heaven & Hell

“Aapne ghari asu shakata” Sagar texted her Friday night almost like begging her to be home when he came in with the maintenance manager

“Nakko” she said quietly

Where can I go? She wondered

Mumbai rains…

It had been raining all day today

There was an indoor arcade in Vashi she wanted to bring him to

But did not know if she could drive through water logged roads

She checked online for the local schedule.

We should just go

She didn’t feel like bringing him to her hotel, she had a bunch of free pool passes for the year, and discounts at restaurants

I should ideally look for another apartment

She texted Sai to see if there was any available in her neighborhood

The girl that reported to her at work Manasa Dhule, she lived in Chembur, she had suggested a 1BHK or half a BHK to her

Basically 1/4th of this apartment

She sat up in bed and felt her toes

They were scrubbed clean, no manicures

She got up and walked over to the large custom chest of drawer

And pulled the third one down open

Her bikins were neatly packed away

She didn’t know if she could fit into any of them

Her personal favorite the tropical green with lime yellow palm fronds

She had almost left it at the terrace of where she spent most of that night in Lonavala

I love the green nature print, I am a garden variety mess, so it is quite apt

She laughed

She went multiple times to figure out who the guy was

Singular most shameful thing she had done in her life, slept with a random man, and then later having his baby

In a vain moment she thought “At least I chose well”

How gorgeous, smoking hot was he?”

I was so drunk he seemed super hot

There was no way it was him day before yesterday

“Who would even tell him I live here?”

Back then I was at my parents in Juhu, I haven’t been to a Lonavala love fest in 9 years who even knows I kept the child

He had just smiled at her

No hellos or “hi my name is”

Just a smile

And the whole witchcraft thing

“Hold my drink OK” she had handed it to him

He had watched mesmerized as she had tied the crocheted barely there stole around her waist

She had worn a shorts to Lonavala over the bottom but had shed it as soon as she was the glistening green rectangle.

There was no deep long argument or anything

After returning her drink, he had held her hand, like she needed to be held

“This is good, because if I am about to crash you can just prop me back up”

Love to” he promised pinching his throat like a 10 year old

She had pretended to sway

He had just reached out and wrapped her in his arms

“Its not a funeral why are you wearing those clothes?” she asked him

He had met some Wharton alum at a bar in Mumbai so…

“I thought I was dead and in heaven” he winked

“Ur heaven has a bunch of naked women?”

“Sadly men too… that must be for all my sins” he made a face

She looked around at all the men and started laughing hysterically

The olive from her drink fell on her cleft

She fumbled and felt the green plastic ring between her curves, it strained as she heaved

“I hate olives” she said rubbing the plastic hoping it would fall off

He reached with his thumb and flicked it off

“If the world were ending I would spend the last earthly hours with you… the last thing I want to do before I die is to look at those eyes”

He had said like he had meant it

A fully clothed Aatreya didn’t deter her from being raucously aroused