“What?” Gayatri said breathing heavily.
“Making out in full public view...” I said as she circled her tongue on my neck, her fingers griping me by my hair.
“Okay...” Gay said. Her antics were blowing my mind beyond explanation, I gulped the drink in one go and chucked the glass to lift her by her butt.
“I haven’t done it in a loo after we did it in college. Come on, let’s go...” she said and dragged me with her.
“Where?” I slurred.
The ladies room was buzzing with girls. All eyes stared at me as Gay pulled me by my arm into one of the cubicles.
“Shit! That bloody hurt, you vampire!” I wailed in pain as she bit my neck not so gently.
“You’ve been a bad bad boy,” she said in a Russian accent.
“Ooooooo... what are you going to do to me masterrr?” I replied as she pushed me on the toilet seat. Even inside the loo the music from the dance floor could be heard clearly, Gayatri began her pelvic thrusts to the beats, occasionally running the nail of her index finger on my face. She looked so godfasakenly hot that I slid my hands across her waist and pulled her towards me. She pushed me back.
“No touching... okay?” Gayatri ordered her voice full of lust.
“Why?” I whined.
“Because the master says so.” I inhaled heavily and blew the air out.
The cubicle of the loo had officially transformed into a private room of a strip club as she began her lap dance on me. With her body thrusting against mine and her hands running all over me, it was getting horribly hard to control myself from keeping my hands off her. I gave up my resistance and fiercely turned her around holding her by her hair and began to kiss her violently. Though the pheromones from our bodies did an amazing job of trancing us, the stench and the congested area of the cubicle was killing the buzz.
“I don’t think this is good idea...” I whispered in her ear.
“Ya, my butt’s cramping too... Let’s fuck off from here.”
Both of us ran out of the club.
Mumbai or LA, cabbies everywhere play a hard to get hot lass. It was past midnight, so hoping to get a cab was like asking to legalize marijuana. She removed her heels and prepared to walk, for next twenty-three odd minutes, Gayatri and I brisk walked holding each other’s hand. As we neared the building of our apartment, I let go of her hand and began to run and she followed me. Rushing through the pavements and stomping heavily on the stairs to climb up, huffing and puffing I struggled with the keys to open the door.
“Fuckkkkkk.” I grunted in frustration as I dropped them a couple of times before I finally unlocked it. The door banged open as Gayatri pounced on me and pinned me to the wall resuming the wild kissing. I clamped my hands to her butt and carried her to the living room. Her body smelled so heavenly that I felt like kissing every square millimeter of it. She, in the meanwhile, ripped the buttons of my seventy-three dollar shirt. In normal circumstances, I would have battered her to death for it but at that point of time, her furious passion had zonked me out of my mind. I unzipped her dress carefully and crashed on the fluffy rug on the floor with her in my arms. The clothes left on our bodies perished subsequently as the romping progressed. Nothing about Gayatri had changed in all these years, except for a few tattoos in explicit places. They might have existed even when I was with her. I wouldn’t know since I had never gone beyond second base with her then. Since it was my last day in LA, we spent the rest of the night pleasuring each other in every possible corner of the house – living room floor, kitchen platform, bathtub in my room, and finally concluding on the bed in Gayatri’s room.
A huge thud woke me up the next morning. I saw a guy pulling a suitcase out of Gayatri’s wardrobe. I knew I had to shout for help, but I was so tazzed by sleep that by the time my brain registered anything and opened the mouth, the suitcase was out of the bedroom. I helplessly looked around for Gayatri since she wasn’t in bed.
“I’m so sorry, dude. I was just taking some of my stuff out,” he said as I continued staring at him with sleep-glutted eyes.
“Arjun right? I’m Aneesh, please sleep. We’ll catch up later.” I hardly managed a smile before he left the room. Thank god for the quilt for I was practically naked under it. I caved my head back into the pillow and went back to sleep. A few minutes later, a voice yelled in my head “Aneesh! Gayatri’s boyfriend is here! Wake up, wake up wake up!”
I woke up, hurriedly got dressed, and walked out of the room.
“You are up extraordinarily early today...” Gay said.
“Shit... I’m so sorry I woke you up!” Aneesh said.
“It’s fine.” I croaked, “Hi again, we finally meet.” I extended my hand to him.
“Ya man, finally.”
“I’ll just freshen up and be back...”
“Sure sure,” he said.
“Coffee?” Gay asked.
“Will love some...” I said and smiled at her before entering my room.
I locked myself in the bath, sat myself down on a bathtub wall and began staring at things. It took a while for what just happened to sink in. I mean Aneesh actually found me naked in his girlfriend’s bed, but he didn’t have a single frown on his face. In fact, the guy was more concerned about disturbing my sleep. Hearing about the concept of an open relationship was weird, but witnessing one so closely was altogether a different level of weird. I felt guilty about the whole set-up when I walked into the living room, but both of them were at such ease with it that they behaved as if nothing had happened. It was indeed love that had kept both of them together for so long, otherwise their arrangement was a perfect recipe for a classic disaster. The price you pay for love, I thought. Wow!
“Hey...” I said, interrupting an after joke laughter between both of them.
“Hey buddy, come sit,” Aneesh said.
“I’m so glad I got to meet you before I left,” I said.
“Me too man, ever since I started dating her, I’ve heard about Arjun and Arjun only.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“No, I am serious. you are the case of one that got away for this one here.”
“You were the reason for our first break-up,” Gay said, as she handed me the coffee mug and the breakfast plate to Aneesh.
“God!!! this is so embarrassing.” I said and buried my face in my palms. Both of them laughed at me.
“You know, we were actually each other’s rebounds.” Aneesh said. “I was tending to wounds of my break-up when we first hooked up.” He said, while chomping on to the piece of bacon.
“Ya we’d drink and cry to each other for hours and then fuck,” Gay said.
“Language lady!” Aneesh hush snapped.
“What? this bitch doesn’t mind. Do you bitch?” I smiled and shook my head in a no.
“I was so jealous of you that the jealousy doused the grief of my break-up.” Aneesh laughed. I laughed. Then they kissed.
“But it’s good to see you guys together like this,” I said.
“It’s crazy, I tell you, sometimes I wonder what’s kept us together for so long.” He burped indiscreetly as he finished his breakfast.
“Well, what’s important is there is something that’s keeping you together.”
“True that bro,” he said as he took his plate to the kitchen.
“Here, spray some.” Gay said handing me an antiseptic spray.
“Where?” She touched my neck, and I asked “Why?”
“Because you look like a victim of domestic sex abuse,” She whispered.
“Guys you know what, we should go out partying tonight. What time is you flight, Arjun?” Aneesh said.
“I don’t know. Two o’clock I guess,” I got up to go to my room.
“Why haven’t you still checked the ticket?” Gay yelled. “Where is it?”
“What?” I yelled back from the bathroom as I sprayed the antiseptic.
“Your ticket, you dumbass.”
“In my sack somewhere.” Gayatri had indeed left me loo
king like a raped wife.
“What the hell!” She screamed at the top of her voice, I ran out of the bath. “Arjun????”
“What?”
“It’s a two PM flight!”
“Ya so... Why are you... oh bloody shit...” The wind knocked out of me as I realised my blunder. I had made a common hareheaded mistake of assuming PM as night.
“Shit...” Aneesh said.
All of us paused and stared at each other in horror.
“It’s ten we can still make it,” Gay broke the silence.
“I’ll go get a cab,” Aneesh said.
“How can you be so fucking dumb, Arjun?” Gay scolded me, “Seriously.”
“Its no big deal, Gay, I’ll postpone it, chill.”
“Are you mad? Why do you want to waste money for just twelve hours? you are anyway packed.”
I was so stunned by the fall of events that I stood there unable to move.
“Run, get ready fast. I’ll call Radhika.” She pushed me into my room.
One hour fifteen minutes after realising my blunder and hurriedly stuffing my bags, I reached LAX. Even though I was slated to leave LA that day, I wasn’t prepared for the abrupt exit I was about to make.
“You are the limit, Poncho. how dumb can you get?” Radhika said as I pulled the bags out of the cab.
“Please don’t lecture me anymore. Gay has chewed enough of my ears already.”
“Okay fine. Here, put this in your bag.”
“What is it?”
“Some stuff Mom asked me to send.”
“I am not going home if that’s what you are suggesting.”
“Ahh whatever, just courier it home,” she gritted her teeth.
“Bye bye, Baby Ki,” I said to the baby kissing her. “Come soon to Mamu, okay?”
“Bye, Viren Bhai. Thank you for everything. Say sorry to Kamal Aunty, I was going to come home but...”
“It’s fine kiddo, you be good,” he hugged me.
“Don’t go Poncho baby,” Radhika jutted her lower lip and the tears appeared. I hugged her.
“You should go Poncho, you are late already,” Viren said.
“Yep. Bye, Didi and see you soon,” I said.
“Speak to Hrida when you go back,” Radhika said as she let me go. I nodded.
“Hey man, have a safe flight,” Aneesh said.
“Sorry for all the hassle I caused you.”
“All good bro, you take care,” he said.
“Bye.” I smiled and wheeled the trolley.
“I still think I should postpone…” I said to Gayatri.
“Shut up and get lost. I’m done with you,” she said and kissed me in front of Aneesh, for a nice ten seconds. “Shit... I’m going to miss you so much.”
“Me too baby, but I’ll come back soon,” I said looking at her moist eyes.
“No, don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because, I still love you.”
Raghu and I stared at his smiling face as he hurriedly walked out of the arrivals at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport. Usually receiving someone at arrivals in Mumbai is a supreme pain in the ass, considering all the front rows of the eternally makeshift steel railings are occupied by placard holding, sleep-deprived oversmart pick-up drivers, making it impossible for your arriving passenger to spot you. That day, however, it was least of our concerns. Shashank had spotted us the moment he stepped out. What both of us were spooked about was the news we were about to give him, rather the news that Raghu was about to give him. I had made it clear to Raghu on my way to the airport that I wasn’t going to be the one to do it. I looked at his smiling face for the one last time as he walked to us in his casual grey T-shirt, black track pants, Superman flip-flops and a gym bag slinging from his shoulder.
“How have my bitches been?” he said and hugged us both.
“Missed you slutty,” I said as he released me from the hug.
“Me too. wassup Randy?” he said to Raghu, strangulating him between his biceps and forearms. “What’s wrong with him?” I shrugged with an awkward smile.
“He has that constipated ‘my-girlfriend-dumped-me’ look on his face. someone dumped you again Randy, haan?” He said kissing Raghu.
“No, Arrgghh... Leave me...” Raghu said trying to free himself from Shashank’s grip. “What fucking took you so long? And what happened to your luggage, did the airline rob you of it?”
“Ya something like it. Asses left it in Frankfurt,” Shashank giggled.
“What the fuck?” I said.
“It’ll be here day after tomorow.” He smacked his palm on his forehead, “I’m sorry I totally forgot...” He turned to a girl standing behind him,
“Guys, this is Natasha, and Natasha this is Raghu and that’s Poncho.”
“Hi, Arjun.” I said waving at her. I was so preoccupied with the noxiousness of the news that I didn’t notice the orange skinned Spanish hottie standing right next to Sachdev.
“RA-goo and R-jun… nice names,” she grinned.
“Guys, come let’s get her a cab,” Shashank said as he led her to the taxi stand. RA-goo and I followed them.
“How much should I pay him?” she asked Shashank
“Don’t worry, I’ll fix it for you,” he replied.
“You are such a sweetheart,” she said and stroked his cheek. Shashank grinned.
“I know that fucking grin, I bet he has a boner in those tracks right now,” Raghu said to me semi-irritated.
“I guess it’s fair, he is not gonna smile for a long time after you tell him,” I said.
“I know I have to tell him so don’t bug me,” Raghu snapped.
“Boss? JW?” Shashank asked the cab driver.”
“Yes,” he replied.
“How much?”
“By the meter,” the cabbie said.
“Okay,” he said and turned to Natasha, “It shouldn’t be more than three hundred rupees.”
“Thank you so much!” she said and hugged Shashank before sitting in the cab.
“I’ll see you day after,” he said and the cab zoomed off.
Raghu stared at him as we walked towards the parking.
“What? I was just trying to help,” Shashank said and grinned ear to ear.
“Who was she?” I asked.
“I met her in the flight and her baggage got misplaced like mine so...”
“So you just clung to her,” Raghu muttered.
“It’s the other way around actually.” Shashank winked.
“Lucky bastard.” Raghu said shaking his head in disbelief.
“Where to?” I asked starting the car.
“Pyaasa...” Came from Shashank
Throughout the drive from the airport to Pyaasa, Shashank blabbed about New York, his college, food, cars, girls, parties, systems in the US, leaving little room for Raghu to open his mouth. The only time he paused was to light a cigarette. The excitement with which he spoke of his time spent in New York was probably what demotivated Raghu to open his mouth. Finally, twenty kilometres, two hours, and seven large pegs of Jack Daniels later, Raghu managed to open his mouth.
“I, I, I have to tell you something...” Raghu said slurring heavily, “You are my brrrotherrr, Slutty,” he said and hugged Shashank stretching across the table, knocking his glass down. “I love you...”
“I love you too, Randy.” Shashank said taking a sip. “I wish you guys were there with me in NY... It was just...”
“I have to tell you somethinggggg...” Raghu broke down while he still hugged Shashank across the table.
“I have to tell you somethinggggg...” Raghu’s whining continued.
“What is it man, what’s wrong?” Shashank said ruffling Raghu’s hair. His expression changed realising something serious was up.
“Fuck Bhenchod, this is not fair.” Raghu returned to his seat. “You are an unfair man. I hate you, you hear me, I hate you.” He said looking up at god. Then crying dramatically, he threw an ice cube at his
imaginary god in the celing, the ice cube landed back on his head.
“Dude what the fuck is up?” Shashank asked me as Raghu rested his folded arms on the table and dunked his head in them. As always, the bad karma of breaking bad news to someone came to me.
“You remember Pandit?” I said trying to put it as lightly as I could.
“Who?”
“RD 350, chopper goggles, remember?”
“That racer Pundit?
“Yep, the guy you thunder bashed at Danny’s party,” I said.
“I’m going to kill that fucking bastard, I swear on you my brotherrrr,” Raghu sprung up and turned to leave.
“Shut up and sit down.” I said pinning him back on his seat.
“Okay, I’ll order a hit on him,” or something like that Raghu muttered and began to dial a number on his phone.
“What about him?” Shashank asked.
“He saw him with Neha at Red Oaks three days back,” I said pointing at Raghu with my nose.
“They were dancing thisssss closely.” Raghu brought his palms close to each other to show the proximity. “Bastard’s hands were all over her.” I saw Shashank’s face go pale.
Shit, I hated such situations.
“I’m sorry man Shashank, but we had to tell you,” I said.
“You just say the word and I’ll take care of him.” Raghu stood up oscillating side to side.
“Wow!” Shashank said and emptied his glass. “She moved on quite quickly.”
“Moved on? What do you mean?” I asked. Raghu paused swinging.
“Hello boss??” Raghu said knocking his knuckles on the table in front of Shashank.
“We are not together anymore.” Raghu and I stared at each other. “We broke up six months back.”
“Why?” I asked.
He shrugged coyly.
“Abey why? what happened?” Raghu asked impatiently.
“Look, I don’t want to explain the whole thing. We had issues and our wants couldn’t mutually coexist,” Shashank said.
The waiter returned with the second round of our drinks.
“Abey yaar slutty, not again!” Raghu whined.
“Yeah, I mean you guys were together for more than six years. I thought you loved her.”
“There is nothing such as love, Poncho. It’s about compatibility. As long as you get what you want, everything is rosy. Once your interests conflict, all of it disappears,” Shashank said.
Part-Time Devdaas... Page 21