Page 22 of That Same Old Love

They landed in India early in the morning and drove back home in Samrat’s SUV. Samrat helped her unload her bags and placed them inside her house. Then he simply stood staring at her.

“You should go now. Aren’t Srishti and Ananya coming to visit you in a few minutes?” Mahi reminded him softly, feeling her chest tighten a little, making it difficult to breathe easily.

He nodded, but still waited inside her doorstep watching her. “I’ll see you later this evening or maybe later tonight when I’m back. I have to finish up some pending work,” he said softly.

“Okay. I need to meet my cousin, aunt and my friends today too. So yeah, we can meet tonight maybe,” she tried to sound casual, as though it wouldn’t make any difference if they were not able to meet that night.

He brushed his finger on her cheek and kissed her softly on her lips. And then giving her one last lingering look, he walked across the street and went into his house.

Meantime, she felt the reality of what they had done hitting her hard.

Sure they had laid out the terms of their deal pretty clearly and she was onboard with most of the rules.

But what she hadn’t anticipated was slowly falling for Samrat during their time together.

She had naively thought that she wouldn’t miss him every minute of the day when they got back to their real lives where they had separate family and friends to cater to.

“I’m a big girl. I don’t need him joined at my hip always. I can handle being alone again,” she muttered.

Meantime, her heart was pounding inside her as though it was saying, I want him and I miss him so much already while her brain kept screaming, do not fall for him, you fool! Her brain and heart were having a fist fight in which she hoped to god that her brain would win that match.

Mahi met her aunt and her cousin Rajeev for a few hours, before heading to Jhanvi’s house where the rest of her friends were also gathering.

Entering a well-kept gated community, she saw a lot of kids playing in muddy puddles in a grass lawn. One of the perks of living in India was that the kids didn’t need an adult monitoring them all the time.

Sighing, she walked to Jhanvi’s house and knocked on the door. Jhanvi greeted her and informed her that rest of the gang was there already.

When Mahi sat down, she heard someone rushing down the stairs shouting in excitement.

“Mom! Mom! I finished my book report. Now I want to—” an eight year old boy said in excitement before Jhanvi interrupted him.

“Arjun, first say hello to my friends. You have met everyone before except one. This is Mahi aunty,” Jhanvi told him.

Mahi and others greeted him.

“Hello,” Jhanvi’s son Arjun greeted them back halfheartedly before looking at his mom in excitement. “Mom, can I play outside in the big playground with Rishaan and others? The stupid stinking rain has stopped a few hours ago.”

“Arjun, how many times should I remind you, not to use any bad words? And yes, you can play now. But make sure you are back in two hours. I’m watching the clock.

I want you back by five in the evening to finish practicing your piano and then complete your homework before we go to your friend’s birthday party at seven in the night. Okay?” Jhanvi asked Arjun.

“Okaaayy, Mom. You always make me practice every day. And why can’t I do it later tonight when we get back?” Arjun whined.

“Arjun. You’ll either finish your jobs first or we can stay home tonight. You decide.” Jhanvi told him sternly.

“Fiiinee. I’ll do it. Can I go now?” Arjun asked rolling his eyes.

Jhanvi shook her head. “Go. First drink milk and then grab a banana. And don’t forget to take your water bottle along. It’s still a little hot outside.”

As soon as Arjun stepped out with his stuff and the door was closed, Jhanvi burst out.

“So how was it? Give us the scoop you lucky bitch. Was Tarzan good in the sack and did you guys do it all the time? I want all the dirty details,” she said

Mahi smirked. “Jhanvi! Don’t be a little hypocrite by using bad words!”

“I know. Jhanu the mom would whack Jhanu the eager girlfriend pumping information on her friend’s sex life,” said Ashwini.

Everyone burst out laughing and Jhanvi rolled her eyes. “Tell us!”

Mahi looked dreamy. “The sun shone brighter, the stars exploded in the sky and the earth shook. The last three weeks were perfect.”

“Good god! Mahi is being poetic. Samrat must be packing something special or must have really good moves,” remarked Ashwini.

Mahi grinned. “Yes to both.”

“Dirty. We want all the dirty details! So spill,” insisted Jhanvi.

“Ohh okay… on the scale from one to ten, he was a hundred! He can bring the dead back to life with that tongue of his and he sure as hell brought back my libido,” said Mahi, and then told them a slightly cleaner version of last three weeks trying to keep most of it PG 13, and also leaving out the messy emotional toil she felt right now.

Everyone was silent.

Parvathi fanned herself. “Whoo. It’s getting hot in here.”

“Why didn’t you reply to our messages?” demanded Ashwini.

“Helloo, I was busy. Short of shooting a tranquilizer in Samrat’s ass, there was no way I had a free moment in the past three weeks. We both were like the energizer bunnies, going at it all the time,” Mahi grinned.

Jhanvi sighed. “Oh the honeymoon phase. I miss those days.”

“What the hell, Jhanvi? Srinu is always chasing you with his tongue hanging out and grabbing you all the time,” remarked Parvathi.

“Well. I meant the honeymoon days when I had the same energy and drive to be able to do it often in a spontaneous way. I love my kid, but I could use some alone time without having to keep my ears cocked just in case he called out or needed me while I’m in bed with my hubby.

We just have a day here and there, when we are truly alone,” said Jhanvi.

“That’s why couples need to take a few work-from-home options on same days on school days. Hubby calls them booty call days,” said Ashwini, wiggling her eyebrows.

Everyone laughed.

“But Mahi. Are you sure you want to keep it casual? What if he falls in love with you or you fall for him, and one of you wants to take it to the next step?” asked Parvathi.

“Luckily both of us want the same thing; an uncomplicated relationship not leading to marriage or babies. We have both been there and done that. I don’t want it for sure and he told me that he feels the same way.

And in these past three weeks we have gotten close as friends too and shared some personal things about each other,” Mahi told them.

Smitha gave her a knowing look.

Mahi felt a little uncomfortable as she remembered Smitha’s warning that for women, it was more difficult to keep a relationship a purely physical one, and not want to bond with their partner or want more.

Just then they heard someone open the door.

“Honey… I’m home,” a very tall man announced with a big grin. His shoes were pretty muddy and he was holding a bag with golf sticks poking out.

Srinu saw all the women in the living room and his grin got wider. “Hello ladies… I didn’t know you hens haven’t stopped clucking yet. Am I interrupting? Still not done gossiping about your husbands and your dirty little secrets yet?”

“Srinuu… ” Jhanvi warned him and then she saw the mud. “Get out of the house. You are getting mud all over my clean floors. Wash off in the yard with a hose first,” she shrieked.

He went out laughing.

“Wait. You tell him everything?” Mahi asked Jhanvi in surprise.

“Yeah, almost everything. Part of the deal we made when we got married. No secrets and some such crap,” Jhanvi told her sheepishly.

Mahi looked at everyone. “You all do?” she asked.

They all nodded.

“Sometimes my hubby begs me to keep my secrets and gossip to myself. But he’s the only non-girly outlet I have. And believe me men can gossip more,” grinned Ashwini.

Soon, Srinivas came back in and saw Mahi. He smiled and came over to greet her properly.

Mahi hugged him. “It’s been so long. You look the same, Srinu.”

He smiled. “You too, Mahi.”

“Why won’t he? With all the golf, cricket, volleyball and tennis games he plays in his spare time with his boys’ gang,” Jhanvi told Mahi sarcastically.

“Hey, you let me do those a couple of hours each weekend and I let you have your alone time,” Srinu told Jhanvi, kissing her cheek affectionately. “Oh by the way Arjun asked me if he could stay for thirty more minutes and I said he could.”

“Whaat? Never mind. I’ll deal with it later. Now go on… shooo. We are discussing something important here. Go take a shower and fix yourself a snack from the fridge,” Jhanvi told her husband before settling down. “Okay so where were we?”

They resumed with their talk until everyone had to leave since they had their families waiting at home or places to go to.

By the time Mahi got back home it was almost seven thirty in the night.

She loaded the groceries in the fridge and ate a quick dinner.

The jet lag was hitting her hard and she went to bed early, glad about that fact.

She didn’t want to think about missing Samrat that night or the confusing feelings and thoughts in her mind.