37

Explicit: This chapter includes a mature scene.

There were more than a hundred people making videos there, Lalita's bodyguards were protecting her. Lalita pulled Teena towards her and started kissing her. Tears were in Teena's eyes, as if she was feeling proud. Teena dropped her vegetable bag. They continued kissing. There was a lot of noise. Some were shouting, while others were hurling abuses. Teena and Lalita couldn't hear anything.

Teena asked, "Were you sure about this?"

Lalita replied, "Always, but today I finally gathered the courage."

Tears welled up in Lalita's eyes as if her heart was a burden that had now been lifted.

"Is this happening too fast?" Teena asked before kissing her.

"I didn't know myself. I'm shocked too," Lalita said with a smile.

Some people were shouting and cheering, showing their support for Lalita, but it would take some time for the video to go viral.

Teena and Lalita stepped outside and got into the car when Meera called Lalita.

"Have you gone mad? People in India don't support this. If you wanted to kiss, you should have done it in private," Meera's anger was palpable.

"Meera, I haven't done anything wrong," Lalita defended herself.

"Everyone is just doing as they please. No one seems to understand my point," Meera lamented.

"Why are you only seeing one side, Meera?" Lalita spoke calmly.

"If you get fired from the company during the meeting, don't get angry. What you've done will have negative consequences. Forget about the company; your career has been ruined." Meera warned.

"What are you talking about today? Why are you saying this? Are you in a relationship with Naina yourself?"  Lalita spoke calmly.

"I haven't done anything in front of everyone."

"It's love, I haven't committed a crime. You're the one doing things behind people's backs. I don't know how Naina puts up with you." (Lalita angrily hung up the phone)

Meera threw her phone.

"What's happening to me? Everything is going wrong."

Jay, drunk, sat on the edge of a building, ready to jump. He initiated a video call.

"Aahan, why are you bothering me so much?" Jay slurred.

Meera called Aahan.

"Where are you? I need to talk to you," Meera said urgently.

"What's wrong, Dee? You don't seem okay," Aahan replied.

"Aahan..." Tears were about to fall from Meera's eyes when Jay's video call came through.

"Wait a minute, Dee. I've been trying to call Jay for a while now, but he just called. Let me talk to him," Aahan said.

Aahan sent a direct message to Naina: "Meera isn't feeling well. Don't leave her alone."

Aahan initiated the video call with Jay.

"Aahanhhhhh, you remembered me! OMG, you remembered!" Jay's phone was shaking.

"What are you doing shirtless? Have you been drinking?" Aahan asked.

"Yeah, so what? Only you can drink in your state. It's my turn now," Jay replied.

"What are you saying? Where are you?" (Aahan noticed the name of the building)

"Do you even know, ever since I saw you, I've been your fan. You broke up with your girlfriend for your sister. I've gone crazy. Where do people like you even exist?" Jay rambled.

"I'm coming. Don't move, sit still and talk," Aahan said firmly.

"Cutie used to call you, I liked Lalita in my life, but she thought I was dumb and left. And when you came, you kept me spinning around in circles, straight... wait, my battery's about to die, so what I was saying was, just tell me straight, do you...?" (the phone died.)

Jay was about to fall from the terrace when Aahan rushed in and grabbed his hand.

"What were you doing? Let's go!" Aahan said angrily.

Aahan lifted Jay on his back and made him sit in a taxi. Jay chuckled without saying a word. Jay glanced at Aahan's neck. Aahan was looking at the road. Jay moved closer to Aahan's neck and lightly bit him. Shocked, Aahan clenched his fist at first, then he took off Jay's jacket and covered Jay's face with it, so the driver wouldn't notice what Jay was doing. Aahan held Jay tightly, expressionless. Jay continued to suck on Aahan's neck. It wasn't until Jay moved away that Aahan said, "Brother, take the taxi back to that building."

When they reached the building in half an hour, Aahan said to go back home. When the taxi driver saw Jay lying down, Aahan tried to smile.

Jay had left hickey marks on Aahan's neck at 4-5 spots. Aahan felt very shy, as if he wanted to stop Jay's actions, but his mind told him not to bother him.

When Jay moved aside, Aahan gave him 2000 rupees and then left the house. The jacket was still on his face.

"You've done something very wrong with me," Jay muttered in his sleep.

"What did I do?"

Aahan opened the door and then put Jay to bed. He looked at himself in the mirror, saw the 4-5 marks on his neck, and touched them.

Aahan thought, "Why don't I feel any pain? It's like as I touch these marks, something like butterflies is happening in my heart."

Jay woke up.

"Why are you here? Sleep with me, come on," Jay said.

"Why did you drink so much?" (Aahan's anger seemed to have touched a chord; he was speaking very lovingly.)

"You rejected me." (Jay was still drunk.)

"When?"

"You said..."

"What did I say?"

"Just told you."

"You're drunk, let's talk about it tomorrow."

As Aahan was about to leave, Jay sat him down on his lap.

"How do you feel?" (Jay's voice was getting quieter, and he was speaking a bit slower than before.)

"Uncomfortable." (Aahan's expression might have been a bit awkward, with a slight squirm or shift in his seat. He might have avoided direct eye contact or scratched his head nervously. His facial expression could have shown a mix of confusion and discomfort, perhaps with a raised eyebrow or a hesitant smile. Basically, he'd seem a tad uneasy, like he's not entirely sure how to react in the situation.)

"Does it feel bad?" (Jay was sitting on the bed, leaning back with his hands behind him for support. His legs were spread wide open, perhaps due to his intoxicated state. He was moving his neck as he talked, and his eyes seemed to have difficulty staying open, indicating that he was very sleepy. Aahan was resting on one of Jay's legs.)

Aahan thought for a moment and then said, "No."

"Understand, cutie, why do you like sitting on my lap? Would you feel bad if I were to...... right now?"

"What? What right now?" (Aahan's face showed tension like the sky's about to fall.)

"If I were to kiss your cheek."

"Oh, cheek. It's fine, why would I feel bad?" (Aahan flashed a smile that was both relaxed and nervous.)

"Then where should I kiss you if it makes you feel bad?"

Aahan, without thinking, said, "Why would I feel bad if you touch me anywhere..."

"Why? Why? Wh .."Why'd you go easy on me? You usually don't let things slide that  ... smoothly." (Jay crashed out.)

Aahan was so shocked that he took out a beer from the fridge and drank it without even thinking.

Naina knocked on the door.

"Everyone's left, Meera. You should head home too," she said.

"Do you know what happened today?" Meera said, visibly distressed, as if the world had turned upside down.

"What happened?" Naina asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Lalita... she kissed Teena," Meera explained, her tone heavy with the weight of the situation.

"When did this happen?" Naina asked, almost gleefully.

"She kissed Teena in front of everyone. Do you understand what that means?" Meera's voice quivered with frustration.

"Yeah, it means she's got guts to fight the world," Naina said confidently.

"Are you all crazy? I know you're all just kids," Meera scoffed.

"You love this 'kid' though," Naina remarked.

Meera didn't respond.

Naina brought a chair and sat beside her.

"Lalita is very brave, Meera. You know that too," Naina said softly.

"No, it's not like that," Meera said, shaking her head.

"Don't push Lalita away. You'll have to fight this battle together, no matter what the world says. We should stand by her," Naina urged.

"I don't want to," Meera said angrily.

Naina paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"I'm willing to do what you want," she said.

Meera looked at Naina.

"You can't deny your promise," Naina added.

"Just support Lalita," Meera finally relented.

"Alright, get ready, let's go home," Naina said.

Meera looked at her with surprise.

Now what does Meera want her to do? Calling her home, is she going to assign her some work. She can ask anything, she's capable of anything. It's possible that Meera might be asking me to become a housemaid. Maybe she is asking her to clean the bathroom. Her face reveals nothing.

"Why home? We can do whatever we need to do right here," Meera said, placing her hand on Naina's waist. Naina's heartbeat skyrocketed. Meera began to unbutton Naina's shirt with her mouth.

Naina thought to herself, This feels like a dream come true, but the conditions under which it's happening don't feel right. I don't even want to stay with Meera for a second longer.

Meera pulled Naina towards her and said, "Do you know what I want?"

"No, I don't know," Naina replied.

"Kiss me."

"What?" Naina showed an irritated expression.

"Kisssss me." Meera muttered under her breath,

"I don't want to, I'm angry, and you haven't even said sorry. You're making a mistake. Our relationship will end. This isn't love."

"You're forgetting you promised If you can do as you, then why can't I? You only know a little about me, Naina. My anger can be very dangerous. I may never forgive you for what you've done. Sorry is out of the question. The company means everything to me. You weren't there when I needed you, yet it was the company that gave me all this happiness." Meera said, with an angry look in her eyes." With a devilish smile, Meera said.

"You've changed."

Naina was filled with anger, but despite that, she remembered Lalita's smile and kissed Meera. As she kissed her, she even bit Meera's lips several times, causing them to bleed.

"I like it. Suck this blood," Meera said.

Naina initially looked at Meera with fiery eyes filled with anger. Naina continued sucking the blood, but when Meera saw tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "Stop it! We'll finish the rest tomorrow. Go home."

"Why are you fed up, Miss Meera? Running after money like this isn't right," Naina said.

"Just go," Meera said, avoiding eye contact.

Naina left. Meera drank some water and made herself a coffee. She took a headache tablet but realized it was expired. Her head had been spinning since morning, so she changed the tablet and started working in the office.

When Naina reached home, her mom was already asleep. Naina went to her room and washed her face.

"Meera, I promise I'll never forgive you for what you did. Meera sees nothing but her own anger," Naina muttered to herself.

Teena was fixing the bedsheet when Lalita hugged her from behind and asked, "So, when are we getting married?" with a relaxed smile.

Teena threw a pillow at her.

"Why did you kiss me and still haven't told me?" Teena demanded.

"Oh come on! Haven't I said those three words to you?" Teena replied with a big smile.

"No, say them now," Teena insisted.

"No, I'll only say them when you're ready to give me that ring," Lalita teased.

"So, this planning is for that?" Teena asked.

"Shut up," Lalita retorted and threw a pillow at her.

Soon, a pillow fight ensued between the two.