Natasha

«RITHIK»

I woke up to the most beautiful morning lying besides the most beautiful woman in my life. Events from yesterday replayed my mind. Specifically this-

... I'm always doing things I've never done before. But since it's you, my Rithik, I've got no choice but to say yes. Yes, I'll be your hot, knockout girlfriend...

Believe me, I was still screaming from inside.

Honestly, I wanted to climb up the hills and announce to the world world that Natasha Patil was my girlfriend now. Crazy, I know but couldn't help it. It was like giving a failing test for the umpteenth time and actually passing it. Though honestly, I was internally betting myself to succeed yesterday.

Natasha stirred besides me, diverting my attention from my thoughts to her. Streams of golden sunlight shone through the white curtains, falling gently on her sleeping face like a feather. She looked no less like an angel. Some of her hair strands fell past her eyelashes right till her slightly parted lips. Cautiously, I tugged those strands away to her bare shoulders instead. Slowly, she fluttered her grey eyes open.

“Good morning, love.”

“Morning.” Natasha's lips curled up sheepishly in response. Her smiling face did it for me as I shifted to rest my head on her chest or more precisely boobs, earning a surprise chuckle from her. I rubbed my head against her skin in bliss and hugged her. “Gosh, what are you doing?”

“Feeling you. See your heart is beating fast because of me,” I said with my ear against her left part of her chest. Although being close to her like this brought another kind of feeling. I lazily squeezed and sucked her boob that was next to my face, making her giggle once more.

“Liar, you simply want to fuck me right now.”

“I didn't say that.”

“Your hard-on from below certainly did.”

“Leave that jerk. He simply wants to hop on at every chance he gets.” I replied, drawing her hand away from my dick and circled my arms above her hips. “Right now I want to cuddle you like this.”

“How about this?” She further accentuated by encircling her arms around my back and kissed my shoulder gently.

“Mmm, perfect.”

Both of us closed our eyes, relishing the warmth our naked bodies gave to each other. Her figure, her scent, her breath, her voice— somehow they all felt like mine and mine hers. My world was right here in this room. After what felt like an eternity within a moment, I raised my head from to stare at my woman. While she looked into my dark brown orbs, her hands brushing my hair. “I know I look angelic but how long do you plan on eye-fucking me like a creep?”

I simply kissed her sassy mouth away, never minding how she killed all the romantic vibes. She grumbled about morning breath but I was too happy to care. I brushed my teeth anyway. “I love you.”

She simply nodded.

“Huh, that's it?” My eyes widened but she only shrugged, making me worry. She got off the bed. I quickly followed after her. “Oye, I hope you remember what you said last night.”

“About how you felt amazing inside of me. Yes, I do.” She said before closing the bathroom door.

“Yes— ah, no, the things you said before that. Come on, you only had one drink! Open the door.” I raised my voice, standing outside the door. Don't tell me my efforts were in vain.

Fifteen minutes later, I was still sitting on the edge of the bed, my head hung low. Just the helpless sight of me cracked Natasha out of her wits as she laughed out loud. Well, atleast someone was having fun. Perhaps she liked seeing me suffer as she made herself comfortable on my lap. She raised my chin, looking amused. “Yo, hotshot.”

“What?”

“I love you, too. Now stop sulking.”

So last night wasn't a dream.

It was when I took a quick glimpse of Natasha did I notice a slight tint of pink on her cheeks. To me, saying those three words was an explicit expression of love but for Natasha, it seemed more like an embarrassment. She was still struggling to open up to me. While I couldn't get her aversion towards it, I could understand that this was her first time in a romantic relationship. She must have plucked up her courage to say it yesterday, despite trying her best to push me away. She was making efforts for me. I simply said those three words back again.

“Where's my reward?” It didn't take Sherlock to understand what Natasha meant. Before long, our mouths engaged to each other, kissing breathlessly. My fingers instantly slipped inside her pussy, rubbing over her wet c|it just the way she wanted. Her legs spread out of their own accord as I fingered her further while she rubbed her hand over my aching shaft.

I wanted to make this hard and fast so I pushed her on the bed, raised her thighs to my shoulders and buried my face between her legs, earning a pleasurable gasp from her. I ate her pussy for a good minute until I lowered her legs to push my throbbing dick inside her hole. Now it was my chance to moan. Damn, we must be two sex starved animals to fuck right in the morning even after two rough sessions we had late night. That too, in two different positions. Sex with her was never boring. We shared a dirty smile before intertwining our bodies as one.

* * *

Our steamy session was soon followed by a steamed bath. It may seem weird since we had been in a sexual relationship for months, but indeed it was our first time bathing together. She always used to deny it at first, but today she agreed. Only for a shower though. It was nice washing and throwing splashes at each other. She was right in saying she wasn't afraid of water as long as she wasn't made to dip herself in it. Although I couldn't help but notice how rarely she closed her eyes while putting water over her head. My chest tightened thinking what she might have gone through.

Was it weird that I wanted to slap her parents?

After having a hearty breakfast on the same balcony as yesterday, we got ready to head out. I cupped her face, my fingers threading behind her ears.

“Thank you for everything yesterday. I mean it.” And it wasn't just for her confession but for the things that she talked about before. It seemed like a sensitive topic to her which was why I couldn't bring myself to talk about it. I wished to know everything, but I knew I had to be as patient as a monk if I wanted her to open up to me.

No, instead, I wanted her to experience all the love and happiness with me. The kind of love I've received from my family and friends. So that I could go out of my way and say- See, there's nothing wrong with you. You're behaving just like any other person in a relationship.

* * *

“I'm going to kill you one day!” Natasha glared at me before gulping down the I-pill tablet with water. Apparently I— no, both of us had forgotten the usage of condom during our sex this morning. Again. I pointed out the same to which she showed me the middle finger. “You're the one with a dick, not me. It's your responsibility, understood.”

“Yes, ma'am!” I saluted. We began walking our way towards the college. The next moment I took her hand, compelling her to walk hand in hand today. She eventually complied. As we started walking down the street, a thought crossed my mind. Shit, how did I forget this? “By the way, we are exclusive, right? You won't fuck other men.”

“As if I was doing that for the past eight months, right? Do I look like a sex addict?”

I shot an apologetic look. “No, of course not. I know you didn't seek other men in these months. It makes me happy. But remember, how you hooked up with that ponytail guy behind my back?”

“Oh, Kunal. Yeah, I remember,” She smirked to herself.

“Don't remember!” I hit her head lightly. “Will you still meet him? You guys seem to have some hi온라인카지노게임.”

Natasha stopped walking, looking slightly grim. “Hmm, we do. Wow, I've never been in this situation before. Kunal and I have always hooked up regardless of whoever we were with or not with. We even had this alternative setup where we would settle down if we didn't have anyone in our late thirties. Possibly be in an open relationship.”

“What? Bu- but you have me now. Doesn't that count for anything?”

Natasha trained her eyes on me until she burst out laughing. “Chillax! I'm not going to Kunal if you don't want me to. There's no need.”

“If I don't want to... Does that mean you might have?” When Natasha replied in an affirmative, I continued. “Why?! You love him?”

“No, not like that.” Natasha waved a dismissive hand. “I had a huge crush on him though. Uh, how do I explain? It's more like a habit we developed over the years. It's no big deal. It's not like I'm devastated. We both knew this couldn't go on forever. I did talk about you on our last call...”

I hated it. Hated how her eyes lit up whenever she talked about that mughead. I wished she would stop contacting him altogether but I knew I couldn't tell her that. I had to play it cool, “So you won't be meeting him anymore, right?”

Natasha gave me a look. So much for playing cool. “Seems like someone's pants are on fire. No, we won't be fucking if that's what you're concerned about. We weren't anyway. Although if Kunal ever drops by, then I might meet him at the airport or something. Do you need more clarification, jealous boyfriend?”

“No, it's fine, Miss hothead.”

We walked the rest of the way towards our classes in silence.

* * *

Not much changed after Natasha and I started dating. And yet, it felt like it did. An upgrade would be a better word for it.

For starters, dates. Before this, most of our time was spent indoors, University and the road between them. Exceptions were few and far in between. However, that changed. Going to movies, dinners, beaches or anywhere in Mumbai became the new norm. We would make a point to go somewhere within the city each week. Although it would mostly be me planning out these dates while Natasha went along with it. ‘I'm not good at these things. Your department, you deal with it’ She would say.

There was a change in Natasha's behavior, too. One of the things that made her cool was she never judged or minded about frivolous things before. However, this time she chose to voice out.

“So, what are your plans after MBA?” Natasha said one day when we were taking a walk in a park. “If you say gambling, I'll kick your balls.”

My hands momentarily went southward to protect myself. I stopped eating my ice cream. “Woah, hold up, Nutcracker! Where's this coming from? I thought you never had a problem with what I did.”

“I still don't. It's great that you're able to make some extra bucks. But a career out of gambling? That's a hard pass even from me.” When I agreed, she added. “Do you look for jobs? Sorry, full-time office jobs.”

“Nope.” I denied. “I plan on saving money and starting a business. I don't fancy corporate slavery.”

Natasha deadpanned. “But you've been saving money with all that gambling. Why haven't you started it already?”

“It's still not enough. I keep losing money too, in case you don't realize...” I sighed before continuing. “Although, I haven't worked on it, I do have a few business ideas—”

“You haven't decided! Are you fuckin serious?!” Natasha cut me off, her hands on her hips. “You really were betting your future on some mindless betting games and part time jobs. Did you go through bachelors and masters to do shit? Even a 12th grader can do this.”

“Alright, stop being pissed at me, babe. People are watching,” I displayed my hands in defense. “It's like you're a typical girlfriend all of a sudden. You even sound like my parents.”

“Because I am and can mind your business now. Anyways, becoming an entrepreneur requires experience. You would atleast need to do a job or freelancing. Business doesn't appear from thin air.”

The next hour went by as she lectured me about doing something sensible for my career. Truthfully, I already knew about entrepreneurship and things she told me about. It wasn't the lack of information, but rather my demotivation and direction that held me back. I hated to admit it but years of match betting had made me too comfortable to pursue something else. Pathetic, I know.

Later, we managed to filter down some of the business ideas that piqued my interest including a bar, marketing agency, website services, book keeping service, consulting business, drop shipping and real estate. Besides that, I also planned on doing stock marketing on the side and was already learning the basics for that.

Smiling, I rested my head on her shoulder by the time our session was over. She had dutifully noted down noteworthy ideas and milestones needed to achieve them on a notepad. Although she scolded me, I understood it was laced with her care and worry. Perhaps this was her love language.

“Well, if you appreciate my gesture then better abide by it and start working on these ideas. Understood? And get off me.”

“Aapka hukum sar aankhon mein (your wish is my command),” I saluted.

As time passed, we started looking for jobs. Since I was from a commerce background, we looked for job profiles related to that. I mentioned ‘we’ because it was my girlfriend who set up my profile on LinkedIn and job portals while I updated my resume. I wasn't game for a 9-5 job by the way. I swore I'd only continue only if it benefitted my future in some way.

* * *

Love language differed from person to person. I'd like to imagine myself as an expressive one who didn't shy away from showing affection. Love was free, just like friendship. Unfortunately, Natasha didn't share the same sentiment. Often she would pull herself away whenever I tried to come close to her in public. Mind you, I wasn't trying to kiss her. Just casual gestures of wrapping an arm around her shoulder, a side hug or holding her hands. Hell, she wouldn't even meet my eye for more than two seconds if we were in public. It was as if she was scared of something.

At first, I brushed it off, trying to be cool. However, when her repulsiveness became repetitive, it became annoying. It hurt. Was she ashamed of me or what? It eventually led to a petty argument. I told her how I felt rejected while she expressed how uncomfortable she felt.

“Uncomfortable? From those mere gestures? Now you're just exaggerating.”

She let out an annoyed sigh, “You don't even try to understand me sometimes. I've been adjusting myself in ways you don't realize.”

“Then make me understand,” I replied, pointing to myself. “From where I stand, I don't see why you should have problems ‘adjusting’ with me. I do everything in my power to make you comfortable and loved.”

“Comfort. Oh, really?” She snapped. “I think you just want to show me off to the public like I'm your most prized possession.”

“The fuck?” I squinted my eyes in anger. “You think I asked you out because I want to show you off? Please! If I really wanted to do that, I'd have picked up any one of those chicks who were crazy for me. Atleast they would have been a lot more easier to handle than you.”

Shit! The last sentence was a low blow as we stared at each other in shock.

“Nat, wait! I- I didn't mean that,” I tried to stop her by her arm while she turned to her heels to leave. “I'm consoling you even when you called me a show off. We both said mean words. Let's forget about it.”

“No, you're right. We are both right, actually... We should have never gotten together. We can still separate...” Her voice was frail.

“What are you talking about? You want to break up over a mere argument...” I placed a hand over my head in disbelief. This charade went on where I tried to console her— keyword, tried while she became adamant on breaking up. When the reasoning came as to why, it only ended up with us spitting more venom that otherwise meant nothing. I didn't even try to bring her back when she left this time. I simply slumped on the chair, feeling mentally spent.

Why did relationships require so much work and energy anyway?

Obviously, Natasha and I didn't speak the following day. Neither did we see each other after classes. We had argued before but it was certainly the first time we fought like this. By night, my pride subsided and I made attempts to contact her A few times but madam didn't respond. Often it felt like I was the only one putting efforts into our relationship while she did nothing. Did she truly wish to be with me or was she tagging along because I told her so? Those insecurities kept me up, compelling me not to contact her again.

Our mode of silence went on until my friends intervened just because they were pissed by my gloomy mood. Yash talked to Natasha on the phone. This was followed by a phonic conversation from Khushboo who urged me to take Natasha's sorry ass away.

Eventually, Natasha and I met at the university and apologized for our words that day. All my anger subsided as soon as I saw her face. Hesitantly, I extended my hand under the table towards her. I was about to withdraw when she grabbed my hand tight, surprising me. It seemed like she mirrored my feelings as she gazed at me intently. I threaded my fingers between hers, staring back at her.

“Shall we head back to my garage?”

“Sure. Just wait for one hour. This upcoming class is important,” Natasha replied, making me smile. Ever the nerdy one.

* * *

“I missed you,” I said, after pulling her to my arms as soon as we were in the confinement of my garage. She hugged me back just as tight.

“I missed you more.”

“Idiot, why didn't you call me back?”

“Because I'm a cold ass twat,” Natasha sniffed. I parted away to see her downcast eyes marred with tears. A lump formed in my throat. Why did I even doubt her love for me? She was right here. I wiped her tears and kissed her lips briefly. She pouted. “You're turning me into a softie.”

“Good, then. Atleast you won't talk about breaking up easily. Don't talk about separation ever again. It breaks my heart,” I told her to which she nodded and we embraced each other again.

Her arms felt like home.

* * *

It was at a wedding party of Natasha's relative when I heard her sixteen year old sister's voice on the phone for the first time. Natasha was reluctant to let us talk, no surprises there, but then Mitali insisted she wanted to talk to the mystery lover with whom Natasha was glued to the phone for hours. 

“Hello, Jiju! We finally meet.” Mitali spoke right away, earning a laugh from me and a gasp from Natasha.

“Are you sure, my saali? Meetings should be face-to-face, don't you agree?” I replied, cockily.

I heard Mitali hiss when Natasha told her to return her phone. “I wholeheartedly agree, Jiju. Let's make plans before Didi cancels it.”

“No worries, she will abide right away if I convince her to. How about Saturday?”

“Oi, what are you two plann—”

“Great! Somewhere in the evening? It shouldn't be too far from my home as I cannot go far without permission. Natasha will share with you the location.”

“You think I'll—”

“Fantastic! Will see you then, junior Patil.” I said, making Mitali laugh. She commented something about liking me already before Natasha grabbed her phone.

“By the way, Kunal's here,” Natasha spoke, shocking me out of nowhere. Before I could question further, she added, “He's my cousin's friend so... Anyways, I'm off to meet him. Ba-bye!”

Way to end the call in a classic Natasha style. I tried calling her again, but she didn't pick. Before I got murdered by doubt, she sent a message.

Don't worry, your cuckold
fantasy is not coming
true tonight. 😘 ❤

This bitch!

* * *

On Saturday.

“Wow, you're even more handsome in person. Great choice, sis.” Mitali said after taking a first glance at me in person. She then lowered her voice towards me. “You can come to me if she dumps you.”

“Mitali, behave!” Natasha said, pinching her lightly.

Wait! Did I notice what I think I noticed? Perhaps pigs were flying today.

“Thanks, dear! I'll keep that in mind,” I replied, stealing a glance at a frowned Natasha.

We settled down in a cozy brown cafe. It was entertaining to watch my girlfriend push her sister away when sister tried to sit next to me. Even more entertaining to see Natasha stick close to me as if to let Mitali know who was who's boyfriend. I finally saw what I ached to see in since eternity. Jealousy. My heart was in tears. She was finally acting like a real girlfriend. Ah, I love her!

A few minutes later, Mitali sent Natasha away to order some dishes, since it was a self-serving cafe. I knew it was on purpose. Mitali let out a smug smile and said, “Look, that was all acting. I'm not after you. I simply wanted to rile my sister up. She's adorable, isn't she?”

“Very!” I agreed and we shared a laugh. On another glance, Mitali almost seemed like a mini version of Natasha with intense dark grey eyes and sharp facial features, except Mitali was fairer. There were questions I wanted to ask but decided to refrain from it. Instead, we followed the direction Natasha went.

“I bet she's a pain in the ass.”

“Totally. She's unreasonable, moody, ignorant—”

“Then, why did you chose her?” Mitali turned to me, dead serious. “Didi has been on the ‘anti-love’ club as far as I remember. I know she's fooled around, as much as she tries to hide it, but never got serious. I'm sure you had to go to painstaking lengths to pursue her.”

My mouth formed an O. She surely knew Natasha from inside out. “I love her. She loves me. She makes me happy. Most probably, I make her happy, too. Simple.”

Just then, we noticed Natasha turn around and walk her way towards us. I blurted out. “Can you continue with your fake acting please? She hardly gets jealous, you know. Please, oh please!”

Mitali simply laughed it off and said fine.

The next hour turned out hilariously fine. I could envision smoke coming out of Natasha's ears when Mitali served me a bite of pasta with her own hand while I readily took it. I was internally crying from happiness when Natasha served me food from her spoon instead. In fact, she went ahead and linked her arm with mine while sober. I repeat while sober. Mitali and I passed a wink in secret. Her acting worked wonders.

“You really love him, Di. I'm genuinely happy to see you like this.” Mitali spoke one time after watching us banter on a silly matter. Natasha blushed a little in response. A little while later, when I was alone with Mitali, she added smiling. “Thank you, Jiju. She's been a lot happier ever since she met you. Even I can see that... But you better not hurt her huh. She already went through enough as it is.”

“I'm aware. By the way, what problem do your parents have with Natasha?”

Mitali explained how it was a complicated issue that even she had a hard time comprehending. Their hostility towards Natasha wasn't due to one particular incident, but perhaps a combination of it. She heard Natasha was loved dearly when she was the only child. Even when their brother Sahil was born. Things slowly changed when Sahil grew up and Mitali was born. Sahil and Natasha started having more fights when they were in their early teens. Somehow Sahil convinced that he was a victim while Natasha was a bully. Since then, Natasha became a rebellious girl in their eyes no matter what she did, except studies. Before Mitali could delve further, Natasha returned from the washroom.

Great, I still didn't know the whole 온라인카지노게임.

* * *

It sounded unbelievable but I also met with Natasha's so called ‘best friend’ one day. The meeting screamed awkwardness. Abhishek and I only talked to Natasha. The remaining time we were just passing awkward looks and speaking one word replies. He reminded me of those infamous memes of a girl having an unnecessary male best friend. What if he had feelings for her and was waiting for his chance? I wanted to confirm.

I stole the chance to be alone with him when we fetched the dishes from the counter. Abhishek simply made a sulky face and muttered ‘disappointing’ under his breath. I scowled.

“Okay, let's play reverse. You get a gorgeous girlfriend who has a male best friend. A friend who she makes a point to meet every fifteen days. A friend whom she shares all her secrets, things that even you don't know about. I may be open-minded, but I'm still a man. I have my doubts and insecurities. Do you see my point of view now?”

“Yes, I'm sold.” Abhishek laughed, displaying a thumbs up. We stopped walking. “I don't know how to explain this. That girl— She's important to me. I love her, but obviously not in the way you guys do. She's like my family. Do you get a gist now or will you continue to behave like a jealous brat?”

“Nah, I'll choose to be the jealous brat. Stay away!” I replied instead, zeroing my eyes on him while my hands were motioned in a Kung-Fu stance. Abhishek sensed the sarcasm and the next thing we were laughing our wits off. Not just for this but for the whole awkwardness between us earlier. The meeting went smoothly later on.

From my side, Natasha already knew my friends. I knew her friends, too and we seldom hung out with them. I recalled how excitedly Khushboo took us out for a celebration treat after I announced we were dating. She rooted for us all along.

Then, there was my elder sister. Meera was a healthy looking woman in her thirties who had already married five years ago and was blessed with a son. She got to know about my not-so- secretive relationship through Instagram. Not that I minded. We siblings were open enough to share personal details about each other. Somehow my girlfriend intrigued her to the point where she wanted to see her in person.

Mind you, it wasn't easy convincing Natasha. She almost panicked on the way. Meera Didi didn't make it any easier by drilling Natasha with unnecessary questions. Of course my girlfriend answered her diligently while masking her own fears. Was it the right decision to make them meet?

Thankfully, Meera warmed up a while later which put the tension off Natasha as well. They were able to chat properly. Or atleast it seemed like it.

* * *

“How was she? A 10 out 10? 9 atleast? Please don't tell my parents.” I told her frantically on our way home.

“Hmm, she an intelligent woman. Better than your exes. Atleast she's a lot more future focused than you. Learn something from her,” Meera slapped my back lightly. She paused, squinting her eyes in deep thought. “She's nice, but there's something missing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don't get me wrong. Her feelings seem genuine. It's.... How did you two end up dating again?” Of course I didn't delve into much details and only answered vaguely. Meera's eyes widened like she got it. “Ah, that's what I thought. Her resolve seems weak. Like she's not invested as much as you. Just going with the flow. I could be wrong though.”

If there was one thing my sister was extremely good at was judging people. She worked as a senior HR after all. Even my mother paid heed to her advice about people. Her intuition was never wrong.

Then again, that wasn't the case always. I desperately hoped Meera Di was wrong this time. It didn't matter how Natasha and I started. What mattered was how strong our relationship was in the present. Nothing could change that. Not even my sister's opinion.

* * * * * *

Hope you like it. I wanted to show both the good and not-so-good sides of Rithik & Natasha's relationship. What do you think? Please comment 💬