Chapter 10

After Ramya went to her house, I fell asleep immediately, then woke up suddenly, saw that the sun was already up, searched for my phone, and found it was 7.30 am. There were 5 missed calls from my mother.

I sat up suddenly. My parents were supposed to come early in the morning, and I was supposed to open the door.

Not knowing what had happened, I went outside and saw my mother on the sofa, watching TV. My father must have gone to work.

“You are up,” she said normally.

“When did you arrive? How did you get in?” I asked hesitantly.

“5 o’clock, and you didn’t lock the main door,” my mother said.

I stood there, shocked, remembering that after Ramya left, I didn’t lock the door.

“And the gate?”

“That girl Ramya opened”, my mother said.

“Oh”

After that, my mother lectured me on locking the door and safety. I half-heard it and went to my room to get ready for work.

As I went down as usual, Ramya was there wearing the same saree she had worn the night before. She was standing near the steps. I looked at her locked door, kissed her, then took out my bike and noticed Rubini with her bike on the street. We rode together for a while before going our separate ways.

After that, there weren’t many opportunities. Ramya and I met a few times at her house or on the terrace whenever we had time, which wasn’t much.

Rubini and I started chatting regularly and occasionally met on her terrace. Apart from some petting and occasional oral, we didn’t do much. She kept asking me for more, but I avoided it every time, though with some difficulty.

In the meantime, Rubin’s sister came to her house one weekend, and I took a good look at her, but didn’t see her directly or talk to her; she looked similar to Rubin, a little taller and with well-developed breasts and ass. I liked what I saw. I started thinking about what I would do with her if given the opportunity, but nothing came of it.

Sometimes Rubini would tease me during our chats or meetings, mentioning her sister and comparing her to Ramya. However, she also warned me not to pursue or think about anything with her sister, as her sister is very strict and is trying to have a baby. I accepted this, considering it a risk, even if I had any chance with her, which is unlikely.

What surprised me more was how casually Rubini talked about her sister, Ramya, or other girls with me, as if I was trying to seduce every girl I met. While that’s partly true, I noted that Rubini doesn’t act like a typical jealous girl; she doesn’t try to blackmail or control me. I still worry that her behaviour might be a way to manipulate me into giving her what she really wants, or maybe for reasons I don’t fully understand.

Ramya, on the other hand, seemed happy with whatever we had. We made the most of whatever time we had together, and sometimes she would create opportunities, like on the terrace at night or even at her place. Sometimes, she would ask about Rubini, but otherwise, nothing.

The evening meetings at Hari’s house became a regular occurrence, except on certain days. We would discuss work, movies, or gossip from the neighbourhood. For more than a month, everything remained good and went smoothly.

After a month, one evening, I returned from work and noticed Hari was home early. I went to check on him, assuming it was one of his regular monthly permissions.

But as I entered, I saw that he was dressed and standing with a bag. I looked at him, confused.

“Vikrant bro, you came,” he greeted as Ramya came out of their room with the baby, dressed as well.

I looked at Hari expectantly.

“We are heading to Ramya’s hometown,” he said. “Her uncle passed away, and we received the news this afternoon. We need to attend the funeral.”

I felt sad and looked at Ramya, but she didn’t make eye contact. I offered my condolences and asked when they would come back.

“In three days, bro, Sunday night we will be here”, Hari said and moved toward the door, taking the bags.

I nodded and followed them out.

“Take care, bro, and inform Rubini too,” Hari said while locking the door.

“Okay, you too,” I said absent-mindedly.

They moved toward the gate, and Hari stepped outside. Ramya stopped, looked at me, smiled faintly with sadness, and then left.

I watched them cross the street and get into an auto-rickshaw, then went to my room.

As usual, after freshening up and having dinner at my regular time, I went to the balcony and received a message from Rubini.

“Come to Hari’s house,” she sent.

I looked down at her on the street with her dog, sent “Hari’s not home,” and explained everything.

She said she would talk to Ramya further. And went to her house.

That night, we chatted as usual, without double entendres, since I was feeling a bit sad and we didn’t get the chance to meet.

The next day, Friday, went as usual. After dinner, I went to my room and read stories online, and then I got a message from Rubini.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing, just reading”, I replied.

“Okay, still sad?”

Understanding what she meant, “No, I’m okay”, I replied honestly,

“Hmm.” After a moment, she sent, “Can we meet tonight?”

I smiled at this and waited a moment before replying, “Okay.”