by Nikita Singh
Avani was undeniably hot. All his male friends thought so, and all their girlfriends were jealous of her. That felt good. That was a gratification Ravi never had growing up as a fat kid. It felt like a dream, redemption. So, Ravi clung to her hotness, focused on it, while ignoring the qualities he had wanted in his dream girl, qualities that Avani didn’t possess. Like the kind of traditional Indian, Bollywood kind of beauty he wanted. The plane of her face was … flat. He had never noticed the plane of anyone’s face before, didn’t think it mattered, until Avani had become a permanent part of his life. He tried his best not to compare it to a horse’s. It was difficult, as his brain conjured up side-by-side images of Avani’s face and the face of a large brown horse. The horse-like shape wasn’t the only thing he had had to get used to. There were a few other little quirks: her eyes were small and close together, her nose was giant and when she smiled, the gums in her upper jaw showed quite unattractively.
Ravi shook his head. He couldn’t be focusing too much on these thoughts the night before their wedding. Avani knew she wasn’t exactly beautiful, so she put in a lot of work to look hot instead. Tight clothes, long hair, lean frame, designer brands – she did it all to compensate. And it worked. He wasn’t exactly Hrithik Roshan either. Who was he to nitpick?
Besides, she knew her best angles, and used the right photo-editing apps, so in still photos, she looked downright smoking. That’s what really mattered. Only a few people see you in real life. Hundreds and thousands and millions of people can see you online. If she kept at it, she could be a big influencer one day. Money, fame, free products – they could have it all.
Ravi had been vigilant about his alcohol intake that night. Avani would kill him if he had a hangover on their wedding day. So, he had rationed his drinking and sipped slowly on one drink every forty-five minutes. Six straight hours of drinking later, as he found himself holding his ninth glass of whisky, he tried to remember why he had agreed to this. The two main reasons he was going through with the wedding were (1) to maintain his superior position in his friends’ group, and (2) they were already married, so the wedding was only sealing the deal for society. He had no control over what was happening or how to stop it. If he was honest with himself, as much as he hated this, he didn’t, in fact, want to stop it. With her many, many flaws, Avani did love him in a manic, obsessive kind of way. And Ravi was the type of person who needed to be loved in a manic, obsessive kind of way. It nourished him, fed his ego. Overall, it was an okay deal for him.
‘Pakka, you don’t want to come?’ Mohit leaned forward and screamed in Ravi’s direction. His thick black beard was wet with spilled beer, the whites of his eyes were now more red than their original colour. None of that was enough to get him to pause. He continued unabashedly, ‘The setting is not bad. You should join us!’
‘No, thank you. You all go ahead. Have fun with the setting.’ Ravi checked the time on his phone: 2.17 a.m. Time for him to return to his suite and pass out. One last night of having the whole bed to himself, before he had to go to sleep with the same person every night, for the rest of their lives.
‘Come on, yaar! None of your saaliyans are anywhere in sight. No one will tell Bhabhi ji what you are up to tonight!’
‘That’s right. And, like I said, the setting is not bad at all. These girls are all foreigners.’ Mohit winked at him.
Ravi looked around at his group of friends and cousins. Not one of them was in his senses. Even if he hadn’t been worried about getting caught, Ravi wouldn’t want to spend time with these obliterated idiots. This night was a disaster waiting to happen and he had the good sense to check out of that narrative.
‘No, thank you,’ he said firmly. He didn’t bother to smile. They were too wasted to get their feelings hurt by his rudeness anyway. ‘You all go ahead.’
His circle of assorted friends and cousins retreated from around him, palms up in surrender. They muttered, loudly enough for Ravi to hear over the music in the underground nightclub, things like ‘your loss’ and ‘whatever, man’ before they left.
Ravi turned to his drink. It was fresh. The single ice cube at the bottom of the glass hadn’t even begun melting yet. He swirled it around and watched the edges of the cube hit the inside of the glass. He was mesmerized. He watched the cube dancing in the glass for a long time, longer than a man in his senses would care to. Maybe he should skip this drink and go to bed instead; he clearly didn’t need it.
Ravi set the glass down determinedly and looked up. His head swam from the sudden motion. He definitely didn’t need this drink. As he made to get up from the bar stool, his eyes caught sight of a cloud of pink across the bar. It was hair. Big, curly, a mountain of hair, perched on top of a fairy-like face. Was she an actual fairy? Her lips were full and shiny, alight in the glow of the candle that sat in front of her. Her eyes were big, her lashes were a normal length, not dwarfing her eyes. He made a note to tell Avani that her extra-premium long lashes made her eyes look smaller. He wanted to take a photo of this girl to show Avani for reference. But was this girl real? Would she even show up in a photograph?
But then again, even if he did manage to take a photo and show it to Avani, it’s not like Avani would suddenly learn how to take constructive criticism. She would just get really really angry all of a sudden, going from a zero to a hundred, and once she was done being furious with him, she would dive deep into the emotional melodrama phase. She would sob, call him toxic, and tell him he didn’t love her and accept her the way she was, even after everything she does for him. In turn, he would get defensive and tell her that he never asked her to do any of the excessive things she does, and she only did those things for herself to begin with. Then they would just go around in circles, arguing about everything the other had ever done wrong in their lives. That is how it always went. It was not worth it.
Ravi checked the time again. It was best for him to call it a day. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to get up and leave. He didn’t want the night to end. Because when the night ended, it would be his wedding day.
Ravi slid off his stool and looked up. The fairy was gone. Figured. She had probably just been a figment of his imagination anyway.
‘Want some company?’ a sweet, clear voice said next to him. Ravi spun towards it. It was the fairy. He was surprised to find that such a small body could produce such a commanding voice. He would have to shout to be heard in this loud club.
Ravi found himself incapable of producing a response, other than the strange croak that escaped his throat.
The fairy smiled encouragingly. Her green eyes looked at him patiently.
Green eyes. Ravi had never met someone with green eyes before. The only person he had known to have green eyes was Harry Potter. Ravi shook his head to get rid of the image of round, metal-framed spectacles his brain was conjuring.
Ravi cleared his throat. ‘Sure,’ he said, sounding very unsure. ‘I can have another drink.’
‘Oh, I meant company in your room tonight, but a drink before we do that is a great idea.’ With that, the fairy leaned over the bar and grabbed two shot glasses. She walked over, in her high heels, hips swinging, to the liquor taps across the bar and filled both glasses with clear liquids.
Ravi looked around to check if someone was watching them steal drinks. He was staying at this resort, along with all their wedding guests. After the fairy disappeared into the night, he would be the one facing the repercussions of thievery. He wondered what Avani would have to say about petty theft.
‘Is this tequila?’ he asked meekly when she returned.
She held out a glass to him, raised hers and said, ‘Salut!’
Before Ravi had a chance to respond, she inverted her glass into her open mouth and gulped. Ravi watched with fascination, the movement of her exposed throat as she swallowed. He followed suit, not wanting to look uncool in front of the coolest person he’d ever met.
‘Ready?’ Big green eyes looked up at him.
‘For …?’ he mu
rmured. His brain, under the influence of alcohol, was processing information with much difficulty. Did this fairy really want to go to his room with him? Who was she? Where had she come from? Why was she so interested in him?
‘Some company. Some fun. You’re staying in this hotel, no?’ Her voice was raspy, light like air.
‘Yes, but … I’m …’ Ravi gulped. His mouth was dry. The back of his throat burned with the tequila. He wasn’t a fan of clear liquor. Gathering all of his restrain, he declared, ‘I’m taken.’
‘How cute!’ The fairy burst into laughter that looked and sounded musical, out of this world. Even though she was laughing at him, it didn’t feel offensive. On the contrary, it convinced him that he was being silly. ‘I’m hardly asking you to marry me! Are you going back to your lady tonight? Is she waiting in your bed?’
‘No …?’ he said, his tone a question.
‘So, we don’t have a problem then!’ When he didn’t seem convinced, she elaborated. ‘Look, it doesn’t matter, okay? Linear timelines are a bitch. If it helps, just think about the time we spend together tonight in a vacuum. Let’s say, one … two hours?’ She looked him up and down, as if estimating his sexual abilities just by his outward appearances.
‘Two hours,’ he blurted out defensively.
‘Okay, tiger. Two hours. If it helps you, just imagine that these two hours happened before you met your lady. In any case, what difference does it make to her, how you spend these two hours of your life? You could be sitting here, drinking. You could be in your bed, sleeping. You could be with me, having an experience of a lifetime.’
‘That’s not how monogamy works. This is cheating,’ Ravi argued meekly.
‘Cheating? Life isn’t a game!’ she chortled.
‘It’s just how it is. That’s how things work. I didn’t make the rules!’
‘Rules? Humans crack me up.’ Why did she say it like that? Humans. Like she wasn’t one? She continued, a tinge more seriously, ‘Listen, it’s up to you. It is unlikely we are ever going to see each other again. I’m hardly going to be a constant presence in your life, coming between you and your lady. No one would ever know.’
‘Someone might find out.’
‘So, that’s what you’re afraid of? You’re not afraid of doing the deed. You’re worried about someone finding out!’
This time, Ravi didn’t defend himself. It was useless anyway.
‘Well, if that’s all you’re worried about, what if I promise you that no one would know? We’ll make sure of it. Why don’t you tell me your room number and I’ll go there first? You can meet me in a few minutes, separately. How would they know? It can be our little secret adventure. I mean, come on, did you have anything better planned tonight? Why waste the night?’
Why indeed, Ravi concluded. He slid his room key across the bar counter towards her. She picked it up, made a show of waving him goodbye, and disappeared.
Ravi reclaimed his stool. He sat at the edge of his seat, his head resting heavily in his hands, his elbows digging into the bar counter. Anyone who observed his interaction with her could clearly see that she had left, waving goodbye and he remained. He bid his time, as his heart beat loudly in his ears, drowning out the thump thump of EDM. He didn’t know who she was, where she came from or what she wanted with him, but he decided to go along for the ride.
Ravi took small, calculated steps out of the elevator. He paused in front of the door to his suite, looked both ways to check if someone was watching him. The hallway was deserted. He lifted his fist to knock on the suite door, but it was pulled open before his knuckles made contact with the wood.
A slim arm with long, green fingernails appeared. She grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him inside. In the darkness, she pushed him against the closed door, with determined force. In one swift motion, she ran her fingers down his shirt, which flew open, buttons landing on the carpeted floor soundlessly.
‘Mmm,’ she whispered as she spread open his shirt and nestled her face in his chest. She breathed him in. Ran her fingers through his hair. She kissed him gently, the softness a contrast against everything her fervent hands did to his body. She launched herself upwards, climbing on him, relying on him to catch her.
And he did. He snaked his arms around her tight little body, held her to him. He carried her to the bed, threw her on it. He climbed on top of her. Pushed the cloud of pink hair that covered her face. Her green eyes shone in the dark. He kissed her neck, her collarbone, her breasts. His mouth was tender, his hands restless, making their way up under her dress.
She moaned. She let him pin her down, overpower her. She made sweet, soft sounds of arousal that drove him crazy. She murmured in his ear, told him what she wanted him to do to her. She thanked him. She asked for more. She did everything Avani didn’t do anymore. Avani only cared about her own pleasure, but this girl … She surrendered herself to him.
She was okay with him being in control. With him lifting her up, throwing her around. With him taking, getting his way. He didn’t have to try hard to push thoughts of Avani out of his mind. This girl was the opposite of everything Avani was. She was everything he wanted. And he had her.
He had every inch of her.
Ravi’s eyes flew open. The room swam in front of his blurry eyes. It was dark. He could still smell her, but when he ran his hands on the bed on either side of him, it was empty, cold.
Everything was cold. The entire room was freezing. His toes were stiff in the cold wind that entered through the open window, alight in the glow of the moonlight. In the frame of the window, he made out the silhouette of her naked body.
‘Aren’t you freezing …?’ he muttered. The sound didn’t make it out of his lips. It was caught somewhere in his throat. He tried again. ‘What are you doing?’
She was perched on the windowsill, balanced precariously on the tips of her toes. She wore nothing but her smile. She looked towards him for a moment, then turned away again. Her bare body swayed in the wind as she made to get up, as if to fly.
Ravi felt terror rise in his chest. Alarmed, he screamed in the dark, ‘What are you doing?’ These words also failed to make it out of his mouth. No matter how hard he tried, the sound kept getting caught in his throat.
He watched in horror as she switched to a crouching position, as if to ready-set-go, and before he could get up and stop her, she jumped.
Ravi’s body convulsed in horror. This time, one word finally escaped his mouth, but it was far too late. ‘Stop!’
The sound of his own voice screaming ‘Stop!’ jolted Ravi from his sleep. His foot lost balance and slipped out of the footrest of his stool. He looked around. He was in the club, still alight in purple and pink. The music was a low hum. Ravi was one of the handful of people remaining.
‘You all right, man?’ the bartender asked.
Ravi balanced himself by leaning against the bar counter. Of course, he had passed out here after nine whiskies and dreamed a vivid dream about a pink-haired fairy with green eyes. That scenario made sense – more than that of the hot night they shared together, and her jumping out of the window, or flying, or whatever it was that she had done. He was relieved that she wasn’t a supernatural creature who had flown away after having sex with him, or a regular human girl who, post-coitus, had jumped out of the window. Neither of those scenarios were ideal.
‘Yeah, yeah,’ he said, collecting himself. It was the same bartender who had served him all night. Ravi asked, ‘Hey, did you happen to … Was there a girl there?’ He pointed across the bar. ‘Pink hair, big eyes.’
The bartender looked at him unsurely. ‘I don’t know who you’re talking about …’
‘She was sitting over there? Short and really pretty. Like a fairy,’ Ravi blurted out, cursing himself for sounding so desperate.
‘I don’t know.’ When Ravi’s face fell, the bartender added, giving him some hope, ‘But maybe. It’s possible. I was on my break for the last one hour or so …’
‘Never m
ind,’ Ravi said hastily. He pulled out his credit card and offered it to the bartender.
‘I can just charge it to your room if you prefer. You’re the groom, no?’
Ravi regretted saying anything about the imaginary fairy to this stranger who knew he was about to get married. ‘Yes, thanks.’ He pocketed his card and turned to leave. He couldn’t help himself from turning around and adding, ‘It’s nothing like that, by the way. The girl … She was just … Like, nothing’s going on or anything.’
‘Of course, sir.’ The bartender’s face was completely blank, but Ravi could sense the judgement under his professional demeanour.
‘It’s anyway none of your business. Just keep your mouth shut,’ he spat out and left.
He stumbled towards his suite. On his way, he passed the room his friends and cousins had chosen to throw the strip party at. The door was left ajar, the lights on. Ravi poked his head inside. Music was playing softly while his friends and cousins lay around the room, on the bed, the carpet, the couch, like discarded articles of clothing. Upon very little inspection, Ravi discovered actual discarded articles of clothing too. An impossibly small G-string, tassels, glitter and empty shot glasses in the shape of boobs adorned the floor.
Ravi shook his head at their stupidity and shut the front door behind him, looking for a place to pass out with his dumb friends and cousins. ‘Idiots,’ he muttered to himself, smiling. He was in a surprisingly great mood, for someone as tired as he was. His friends sure did have fun, but, most likely, not as much as Ravi had had in his dreams.
Ravi fell face first on an unoccupied side of the bed. He couldn’t wait to conjure her up again, relive his fantasy. His new reality wouldn’t be so bad if he was capable of fabricating such vivid dreams every once in a while.
Avani wasn’t happy about the swollen faces and under-eye bags, betraying the late-night exploits of her groom and his stag party. After some sweet-talking, Ravi was able to manage her foul mood. This was what he liked about the fairy. She was capable, came without baggage, needed no managing. And still, in the bedroom, she was the perfect submissive princess he fancied.