4- The Virgin

                                        

                                              

Ever since that night, I made it a point to visit The Chalkè on regular basis. By regular, I meant once a week. I could have been more regular if I wanted to, but this was all I could squeeze out of my daily schedule. I wasn't provided with the luxury to stay at my temporary apartment every night. Besides that, I didn't want to appear as desperate. 
I would drop by the club, either late evening or night, request a drink from Rithik. Then we would fall into a conversation, talking about college and normal things in between. This way, I got to know a few more things about him. Like how he only attended his classes three or four times a week at best. This explained how he was able to do his part time jobs without exhausting himself to death and why he wasn't seen in the college more often. He didn't even need to worry about his attendance falling short as his loyal dogs, also known as boy friends, were there to give proxy in his absence. Now that's exactly why I was envious. Oh, and he had a large group of friends. They filled his disadvantage of being the only child in his family now since his sister parted after getting married. He talked about his friends proudly, as if they were his children. Other times, he would recite something funny about them, actually making me laugh. I wonder if any one of his herd was hot and available. I would love to meet them one day. 
Naturally, I returned the favor by talking about myself, my ordinary life (minus the hook ups) and my bitches he met that night. While he had one sibling, I was blessed with two. I would often gush about Mitali, my dearest, youngest sister who was still in ninth class. So far, Rithik and I were holding good in the vocational department but I wasn't so sure about the sexual department. Sure, we would tease- flirt every now and then but that was basic. Atleast he was more approachable this time. 
On one of my visits, I noticed him surrounded by a group of men. He didn't pay attention to me when I entered so I let him be. I had an inkling they were his proud children. I decided to have dinner and go straight home. 
After I was done, I headed straight to the exit. I barely walked a few steps ahead when I spotted a familiar figure slouched at the steps. Rithik was seated in front of a closed shop, busy counting money and tugging it into his wallet. Who the hell has cash these days? The street light shone above, giving a melancholic look to him. I sauntered towards him. 
Upon seeing me, his brows shot up and waved his hand. “Well hello to you, pretty, lonely soul.”
“Yeah, hi,” I scrunched my brows at his choice of words, but then I noticed his head wobbling, his slightly bloodshot eyes and his lips twitched out of proportion. The classical symptoms of an alcoholic. 
This better be worth my time. 
Rithik turned to a side, quickly tucking the rest of the cash into his wallet. I let out a chuckle. “Relax. I'm not stealing your money you worked your ass for. Speaking of work, why aren't you serving drinks? You still have one more hour until your shift ends.” 
He raised his head to me with his one eye open. “I requested my boss to free me early today. Surprisingly, he was quite willing.”
“Can understand why, considering the state you're in,” I said while moving my hand to the length of his figure. 
He scowled. “I'm not drunk, woman. Just in bliss.” I rolled my eyes. He regarded me for a while until he gestured towards the empty space to his right. “Sit.”
It wasn't a request, it was a statement. I liked when he was dominating. It helped me run my dirty mind. That didn't mean that I wanted them to raise a whip and command me in an abusive manner. I only loved the temporary control I allowed them to have over me. Anyway, I raised a tiny brow before settling down next to him. For a while, we dissolved into a comfortable silence with the sound of few vehicles buzzing in the background. But I wasn't the type to mourn in silence.