Natasha

The cool, night air hit my face as soon I stepped outside the club. I rubbed my arms, shivering and gazed at the densely populated road before me. A few motorbikes dashed by, leaving a loud buzzing noise in their wake. I was just about to cross the road towards the park on the opposite side when I felt a strong arm circling around my neck, nearly blocking my windpipe.

“I thought I made it very clear when I told you to stay inside the club, didn't I?” Rithik said, his voice strained as he continued to keep me under his grip playfully. Though his grip wasn't that strong but in my present state, it made me feel nauseous. I managed to utter a strangled 'yes' while trying to wriggle out of his grip but no avail. “Do you even watch the news?”

“Awk!” I almost choked. His grip loosened immediately while apologizing profusely. I took that chance to jab my elbow to his chest.

“I'm very well aware of the dangers of the night, thank you very much. By the way, I learned this from one of the self defense videos I watched.” I panted as he hugged himself, groaning in pain.

~

“Hey, heeey, how long it will take? If we keep walking like this, we'll suurrrely reach Kanyakumari by morning.”

“That's your imagination running wild. It's just beyond this street.”

“But my imagination always runs wild.”

“Of course. I know that better than anyone...”

That's how our conversations went as we moved forward, tiring our legs out. I thought he was taking me to his humble abode for the nasty but instead, he took me to an unknown place. I trusted him. Although I wondered why he was watching me like a hawk. I didn't know why until I staggered in my step and he gripped my arm to catch me. He didn't let go even after I assured him I was fine. I really was. He just wouldn't believe me. We kept walking and walking until he stopped in front of a small building, whose front was covered by a movie poster.

I raised my brow, expecting him to answer his intentions. Instead, he grinned and took my hand, dragging me inside. I began to throw tantrums— Pretending to leave, acting sleepy and all but he didn't falter. He was my ride back home. Did it look like I had a choice?

I went along, scowling.

Five minutes later, we were seated in the dark, empty cinema with a late night show running on the big screen. It was a Marvel movie. I said empty hall but there were five people seated far away from us, which didn't make much of a difference if you ask me.

“Come oon~ drop the drama queen act already. See, I even bought what you wanted, all for free.” He pushed the paper container, filled with popcorn to my side of the seat. The smell of butter and popcorn wafted my nostrils, urging me to take a few bites. “That's more like it. Here's your burger.”

I held the burger between my palms and leaned further back, making myself comfortable. I inspected the burger with my best of observation skills before taking a bite. It tasted just like always. I felt a little better now. “I don't get it. How come the counter man gave you everything for free? You bought so many things for yourself, too. I understand he knows you but that's no excuse. Money is money, just like sex is only sex.”

“We have our own settings going on, you see. It's okay, you females wouldn't possibly understand,” He replied, patting my head like I was a dumbass. I swatted his hand away.

“I really don't know you sometimes,” I muttered in between bites. I wonder how far his human network reached. “Are you sure you're not from the underworld or from a secret mafia organization?”

His answer was a boisterous laugh followed by a funny remark, that made the man sitting three blocks ahead, glance our way. I rolled my eyes, focusing on watching the movie for the time being. In the midst, I asked him the name of one the actress as I got impressed by her acting. He began describing about her career and how she made her debut. I automatically tuned out when he fan- boyed over her hotness. Instead, I tuned in to his pink lips, that he sometimes rolled his tongue over. Something rushed over me— like an immediate craving. Like a bad thirst in summer. I found myself lifting my upper body to latch my lips to his. I felt him freeze for a second before he gave in, sucking on my lower lip. My body instantly warmed up at the familiar touch and the woody scent, to the point where it bought jitters to my stomach. After a brief, hard kiss, we parted.

“You sure are moody as hell. Not that I mind but— hey, now you're smiling.”

“I just wanted to confirm something,” I answered, covering my smiling lips with my fingers. For a while, I actually thought I lost my libido after I kissed the Virat lookalike. Maybe, I didn't loose it. I just had it reserved for Rithik for the time being. Not that I was complaining. Not at all.

~

I thought I would be lying on the comfort of my bed when I opened my eyes. Instead, I woke up next to a shoulder where my head was at. Not to forget the person whose shoulder it belonged to. A normal person would be annoyed if their companion happened to be sleeping throughout the movie, that too, while leaning half of their weight on their shoulder (I only watched the movie for half an hour). Rithik seemed anything but annoyed. Infact he had this cartoon like smile on his face.

“Morning, sleepy beauty! It is with great regret, I inform you that a period of hundred years has passed since you last fell asleep and everyone you knew has been decayed to bones.”

“Fantastic!” I straightened up. “So I suppose you're the Prince charming who whipped me by a kiss without consent? Gross.”

“You don't believe me, do you? Don't worry–” A devious smile made its way to his lips as he took out his Android and showed me a couple of pictures of a particular girl sleeping on a guy's shoulder with a small drool, dripping past her lips.

What's more, she actually looked a lot like me.

“I swear to God if you don't delete these pictures...!” It was hard to think of a badass insult while chasing him out of the hall to get my hands on his baby. I stopped running as I came up with the biggest and the oldest weapon of a woman to defeat a man, “I won't have sex with you for the next twenty days.”

Guess what he did next. He laughed. I repeat, he laughed on- my- fucking- face. “Lying doesn't look good on you, Natasha.”

~

“Look Nat, I value my life. Like really, really value my life. I never thought of dying. I've been good to my parents too, so please, spare...”

“Quit being a drama king! Let me ride,” I said, while kicking down to remove the support of the motorbike. After several pleadings and fake promises, Rithik agreed on letting me take the reigns over his bike for five minutes. It was alright since I was sober now. “Enjoy the ride, baby.”

“Well, I've been riding on your pussy for the past four months,” he whispered to which I craned my head to kiss his chin, smiling.

The last time I drove a bike was two years ago, when I secretly took Sahil's bike to buy vegetables. The amber- yellow road lights fell on the road like a plane runaway. Cool air blew my face. It was good riding through the spacious roads with street lights falling on us. More often than not, I would show off my biking skills by taking over cars and sharp turns. At times, the bike would falter due to his heavy butt which would instantly cause him to panic and pray to Almighty for safety. Thankfully, he stopped polluting my ears, after a while. Instead, we talked about roads and places followed by some momentary laughs. Unfortunately, there were still a few traffic lights working after midnight. I slowed down near the red light. Maybe it was the unusual level of estrogen or maybe it was the thrill of bike riding because then, I found myself confessing my crimes.

“I kissed a man tonight.” Rithik joked about the man being him but I continued, reciting him what happened in the club. His body completely tensed behind me.

After a prolonged pause, he added. “Why?”

“I wanted to experiment. My girlfriends were right. I usually don't stay with a man this long. I guess I wanted to check my stats of the hooking game outside. I wasn't successful though. I hardly felt anything.” I answered with a laugh.

His hands left my shoulder and I got cautious. Shit, did I say too much? I diverted my gaze towards the rear view mirror and indeed he was looking at me, grimly, perhaps taking it in. After another pause, he averted his eyes from the mirror, to the ground below,

“Natasha, are you...” He trailed off, his voice heavy. “Are you bored of me? Do you want to... end this?”

That widened my eyes a little. His voice was especially smaller in the end as if he dreaded my answer. I was still looking through that small reflection of him. I repeated the question in my head. Was I truly bored of him? I recalled the events that took place tonight and the kiss I shared with him in the theater. The answer was obvious. “No, not yet. You?”

“Me neither.”

“Good,” I got into thinking mode. After a while, I added, “Rithik?”

“Hmm?”

“I was thinking. If none of us are in the mood to get rid of each other then why experiment, huh? Yeah, I know, this applies to me but I'm just saying. It seems silly now. I couldn't feel any chemistry with that tracksuit guy, even though he was looking hot as F. Why did I do it? I guess I wanted to find the answer myself. Bottom line being, if we are fine with each other, then why count the time, eh? Why not stay longer? I don't really mind. I'm strangely comfortable with you. Plus, it saves time from finding other potentials. That is, until you find yourself a girlfriend. I'll readily part ways if that happens... Hey, you listening, right? Don't you dare fall asleep on me, otherwise—”

Suddenly the world changed its axis. My voice dissolved away. The sounds ceased to exist. My body that slightly felt cold due to the night weather before, warmed instantly with his arms securely wrapped around my waist. His front covered my back like a blanket. I could smell his jacket like it had been dry cleaned just recently. I craned my head behind to look at his face. I think I heard him sigh for a moment there. A happy sigh.

“Rith–”

“Damn woman, you shit scared me! I really thought you'd ditch me for real tonight and I wouldn't even have a chance for a hot- and- heavy farewell. Ah, I'm so relieved! This honestly made my night. Thank you, Natasha.”

Well, he didn't have to word it. His voice sounded relieved enough. I was about to say something else when I felt his stubble cheek rub against mine. Was he cuddling me? Gross. 

“Okay, you had enough, now let me go.”

“Mmm...”

“Let go of me, you Teddy bear hugger!”

“But you smell so good right now,” he almost whined, nuzzling his nose onto my neck.

“I said, get off!”

With another push, Rithik got off me but then he literally got off me by leaving his seat as well. I questioned him with a frown. Thanks to him, the red signal that was there earlier turned from green to red again. He pointed a finger to the ground. “Now you get off. Just do it.”

I got off, confused to bits. Was he going to leave me because I didn't let him hug for long? Seriously? Before my mind got shit- loaded, he sat on the bike again, this time taking the front seat. He motioned me to sit behind him. I did just that. He viewed me through the rear view mirror, a playful smile on his lips. “Let's celebrate.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, we just swore commitment of our arrangement for the next couple of weeks. Or months, as you see it.” he winked.

I raised my hand. “Okay, this is starting to get creepy very quick. Firstly you hug me and now you want to celebrate. Just because I'm staying?”

“As I told you before, I'm relieved. It will probably bruise my pride if I confess this but you intimidate me, Patil. You're moody, mysterious and spontaneous so I have no idea what you're upto next. I know you love having sex with me but I often question if you'll stop coming to my garage next time, in case you get bored. I know we are gonna leave eventually, but I don't want you to leave so soon. How do I say this? I—” he paused, as if hesitating to continue. I urged him to spit out. “I'm starting to get fond of you.”

I blinked and blinked again. Did he just say what I heard? I slapped his shoulder. “You just gave me a solid reason to leave, you idiot. I don't want you getting whipped.”

He scoffed, “No worries, babe. My head's pretty much in place. I know where our equation lies. I don't think of you in a girlfriend sort of manner. More like a close- friend- with- benefits, kind of way. We are good the way we are. Stress- free with no expectations. I should have probably thought of having this kind of relationship before.”

That was relieving to hear more than anything. Catching up feelings was the last thing I wanted for us. Which was exactly why I kept my relationships short- term. If things remained the way they were, then most probably, I'll keep Rithik for another two months or three. If things remained the same, that is.

Despite my constant protests, he drove through the midnight roads to the ends of the city. He promised a mind-blowing nightout, just because I never had one. As absurd as it sounds, I never stayed for a whole night outside. The maximum I stayed was till two at midnight with my girl- friends, since it was Boo's birthday.

* * *

“So this is your idea of a nightout?”

He crossed his arms, nodding. “Yes.”

“By visiting Gateway of India—” I pointed at the twenty five meter triumphal arch structure standing tall before me. “Oh, sorry, by standing near the damn monument!”

“See, I told you, you were smart.”

Tell me why I was hanging out with this dickhead, again? I let out an annoying groan and instead, took a good look at the surroundings. Except for a few pedestrians loitering and the guards patrolling like zombies at the entrance, it was eerily quiet. Quite empty in contrast to the swarm of bees like crowd at daytime. I turned back to Rithik as soon as a middle aged man caught my eye at a distance. “Isn't it a bit dangerous at night? I mean most of the crimes happen around this time. I don't even understand what youngsters find so fascinating about staying outside and missing their beauty sleep. I suggest we gooaaah!”

Rithik let out a mighty laugh at the expense of pulling my cheeks, torturing me. However, he lowered his hands when I glared at him.

“You know, for a fierce person, you worry a bit too much about obnoxious things. You aren't as gutsy as I thought you to be. Well, except when it comes to approaching men... Don't worry, we are safe. The guards are here.” He said, accessing the surrounding area.

And just like that, he took me by my hand without my fucking permission. He took me to the stony boundary that surrounded the Gateway of India, overlooking the sea. Various ferries were anchored in line at the port. I've been here several times before, but never would I have imagined looking at the same view at night. The city lights reflected on the surface of the sea like a painting. The ferries weren't moving anymore and the crowd was non-existent. The sea waves were calm and loud at the same time. You could just close your eyes and listen to the soothing waves of the ocean that crashed on the shore. The ocean waves that were soothing, peaceful...

Cold, dark and suffocating.

“How is it?” Rithik asked, snapping me out of my reverie. Good thing he was watching the sea, instead of my horrified face. For a second, a despicable image flashed behind my eyelids. Panic rose to my chest, though it died, the instant I looked at Rithik. He seemed serene and calm, like the night sea itself. Slowly he turned his head to meet my gaze. We locked eyes. The winds did a favor by brushing some of his hair away that fell above his eyes. As for his eyes... 

“Beautiful. Um, the sea is beautiful,” I blinked, forcibly turning my gaze to the sea again. For a second, there was this funny feeling in my stomach. I ignored it. “Different from what we see during the day.”

“See, I told you so,” He said, beaming. His eyes cast downward to our hands. It was only then I realized how we were practically holding hands the entire freaking time. I abruptly removed it and reverted back to sight-seeing. Better.

A while later, we climbed onto the bike again. My eyes were starting to ache from the lack of sleep but I couldn't bother myself with such an insignificant activity right now. Not when you drove through the Marine drive speedily, at two in the morning. The winds passed through my exposed skin, giving me the chills. It was like my whole body was lit up. I allowed myself to smile freely, appreciating the new feeling.

“Finally enjoying the night, huh. Want me to ride faster,” said the reckless driver in front of me. The way he was dashing through the long, spacious road— I was sure he must have broken a traffic rule or two by now.

“No need. It's enough as it is!” I shouted over the slapping winds and the roaring engine. Just as we traveled some more, a thought struck my mind. “Can you take me to a certain place? If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Sure. It's a free ride.” He then halted the bike to a side. “Where to, ma'am?”

I was already tapping on the Google Maps for the exact location and distance. It was fifteen kilometers from here. Should be a piece of cake with the lack of traffic. I felt my lips twitch at the nostalgia. “It's where our family previously lived.”

The rest of the night was oddly enjoyable. It was a nostalgic trip down to the memory lane as I visited my previous residence. I lived there till my fifth grade. The place had barely changed since then. The area was enclosed with narrow streets, packed with cars and motorbikes on either side. There were grocery and food shops, near the buildings. Some of the houses were built above those shops. Even the park where I played with my siblings remained the same with the addition of a new slide. I recited some of my good old days to Rithik. He listened while revealing some of his own, too. We even got down the slide for the sake of it. It was fun in a total non- fuckable kind of way.

I was too happy (internally) to give two fucks about where Rithik was taking me next. He was generous enough to ask if I wished to go anywhere else but I denied. An hour after our previous stop, we arrived at a dhaba (restaurant) around the highway that was shockingly still open and more shockingly, buzzing with travelers. But I didn't give a shit about that either, as my taste buds fucked with aloo ka parantha in my mouth. If the number of eaters in the middle of a night wasn't shocking enough, then the fact that Rithik encountered a known man was mind boggling. “He's only a mutual friend of mine from Facebook.” Rithik explained when I accused him of being a Don from the underworld.

By the time, it was four in the morning, my head was falling in love with the surface of the table. I didn't bother joining the conversation between two men since my beauty sleep took more priority. I let them be.

By the time, Rithik woke me up, it was four thirty. My neck was starting to hurt from the odd angle I slept in. Everything around me became an eyesore— the bright lights, the people, and the dogs  barking.

“Let me fucking sleep!” I said in a voice that didn't quite sound like my own and lowered my head to the table once again. Unfortunately my head didn't meet the table. Great, even my lazy body wasn't listening to me.

“Don't sleep... Natashaa.” Only after he called my name did I open my eyes to see him holding me by my shoulders. He sighed, “I'm sorry, babe. I was so lost in talking that I lost track of time and...” What he said was too insignificant for my tired ears to hear. It's when he shook my shoulders again did I hear. “You're not the only exhausted one. Please just hold on for a while. I'll take you straight home, then you can sleep as long as you like, okay?”

God knows how I managed to stand on my two fucking feet and stretch my arms. I let out a wide yawn, also making him yawn. He did seem tired, alright. “'Kay.”

The sky appeared in the shades of blue and purple. Morning was yet to come, though the weather was chilling. I allowed myself to hug his back to sleep but it seemed like I'd freeze myself to death first. Since sleeping wasn't a safe option, I looked around instead. Come to think of it, if I wouldn't have left that Virat look-alike and called Rithik, this night wouldn't have happened.

I'm starting to get fond of you.

Something else came to my attention then. I bumped myself onto his back again, my eyes blinking slowly and quietly repeated what I said earlier on.

“Don't fall in love with me.”

When he didn't reply, I said it again sheepishly. He just chuckled, “I already told you my answer, didn't I?”

“Yes, but we held hands today. I also noticed you staring at me sometimes. You know, with that look... that look. Especially when we were in my old residential area.”

Rithik never replied. He didn't but after a while when I was half-asleep on his warm back, I heard his faint voice say, “You sure are a sharp one, woman. Too sharp for your own good. Don't worry, I'll be mindful next time.”

⚫⚪⚫⚪⚫

A u t h o r s   N o t e

Thoughts on the chapter. Do comment.

To the ones reading this- You people are one prime reason I keep going. That and my own will to write. So a Major thank you.

Until next time.