And then she said it!

PART 19

APPEARANCE IS DEPECTIVE!
I watched silently sitting on the bed
as Riddhima got ready for her first
day at our office. It was the
orientation for new hires today and
she would be joining the company
from next week. And as far as I had
noticed, she didn't sleep a wink last
night. She had been tossing and
turning in the bed. Also, she woke
up in the wee hours of the morning.
And to add to that, she woke me
also. As I watched her trying out
different hairdos, I couldn't help but
smile at her.
Mom, uncle, aunty and Muski left for
Bangalore a day after our reception
party. I was surprised when
Riddhima bid them bye happily.
Though she shed few tears at the
airport during their departure, she
had been visibly happy ever since
our reception. My heart fluttered at
the thought that our little moment
late at that night might be
responsible for her elated self. The
mere thought of that kiss we shared
that night pumped blood into my
veins at full speed. I never knew that
a kiss could give rise to such
powerful feelings. But then, I had
never kissed Riddhima before, did I!!
My trance broke when she turned to
me with a nervous smile. With a
white full sleeve shirt, black trousers
and a black blazer, she appeared
absolutely irresistible ' tall, slim and
sexy. I wondered how may new hires
at the orientation, or my colleagues,
of her opposite sex would try to hit
on her today. Though she didn't put
on any make up except for that
slightly shining gloss on her lips, she
appeared as fresh as a drop of dew.
"Do I look good enough?" She asked
me. Good enough? Only if she had
the slightest knowledge of what her
body was doing to me!!
She was way too nervous; I could feel
that in her gestures. And conscious
of her attire too. I looked at her
head to heel. She looked too uptight
with the shirt buttoned up to her
neck. I walked up to her and stood
just a few inches away from her. Ah,
I love to see that shyness in her eyes
when I am that closer to her. She
closed her eyes when I raised my
hand. Smirking at her reaction, I
unbuttoned the first button of her
shirt which made it appear as if the
shirt was choking her to death and
loosened it around her shoulder.
Then I tried to tuck her shirt into
her trousers and her eyes fluttered
open- wide and ready to pop out-
when she realized what I was doing.
She stepped back hurriedly when my
hand reached for the lower end of
her shirt.
Smiling smugly, I pulled her closer
and finished my task while she
trembled slightly when my fingers
made a contact with her skin. She
didn't dare look at me. "You have a
great body, Riddhima. Don't be too
conscious of yourself." I told her
simply releasing her hair from that
band she had tied. "And stop biting
your lower lip when you are nervous.
You might distract the attention of
people of your opposite sex when
you do that." I whispered huskily
into her ear. She looked up at me
horrified.
Chuckling at her expression, I
captured her lips in a lock. She
might have been surprised; for she
didn't respond for a couple of
moments and then gave in as I
caressed the lower lip of hers that
she had been chewing on since
morning. My eyes had been drifting
away to her lips ever since I had
noticed the way she held her lower
one between her teeth. I was sure,
she would attract the attention of
every other male she met today if
she continued doing that. I didn't
tighten my hold around her lest I
spoiled her clothes. Neither did I
probe her lips open keeping in mind
the time it had taken for her to get
back to her normal self after we had
kissed fortnight before. I felt her
fingers making their way from my
nape to my hair and quickly broke
the contact of our lips in the fear of
losing my control. "You might get
into trouble if you do that." I
breathed against her lips and
laughed out noticing that frown on
her face when I drew apart.
Nevertheless I was pleased to see the
color back on her face.
I watched as she stuffed all the
documents into the file in haste,
avoiding my gaze that was fixed on
her. Just as she was about to step
out of our room, Rahul came in after
knocking at the door. Ever since he
had witnessed her reaction when I
bought flowers for her, he made it
his habit to knock the door before
entering my room. And I was glad for
that.
"All set for the day?" He asked
smiling at her. When she returned
the smile, he held out a gift packet
for her. She raised her brow at him
and looked at me. I shrugged and he
beckoned her to take the gift. "You
can open it." He smiled at her when
she was looking at it.
Though she took the gift from him
hesitatingly, her excitement was
clearly written on her face. Her
fingers worked deftly on the gift
wrapper as she uncovered it. She
gasped out pulling out a black
leather handbag out of the wrapper.
"For me?" She asked like a small kid,
looking at him. I love that expression
on her face whenever she gets a gift.
When he nodded, she gave a bright
smile to us.
"Muski helped me in choosing it for
you." He said.
"It's beautiful, thank you." She said.
"Good luck for your career." He said
softly and after giving her a bear hug
and left.
As soon as he left, she turned to me,
looking expectantly. I smiled to
myself knowing she was waiting for
me to give something. Putting up a
straight face, I asked her. "Shall we
leave?" I noticed her slightly fallen
face and smiled. She nodded at me
and quickly put all her things in the
bag he had gifted her.
Riddhima looked around her,
observing her surroundings as I
parked the bike in the parking area
of the office. As much as I wished to
go in with her and make her
comfortable with the people around
her, I wanted her to find her own
way. However since my timings are at
11 am and her orientation being at 8
am, I came in just my track suit.
"Relax Riddhima." I said gently
pressing her fingers in mine. "Look
into the eyes of the person
confidently when you speak to
someone." I told her softly as I
observed she never does that. She
nodded at me and turned around to
go when I stopped her.
I pulled out the box from the pocket
of my track suit. Her eyes widened
when I fastened the watch around
her bare wrist. "You thought I didn't
get anything for you, didn't you?"
She shook her head negatively but I
knew her blatant lie. I kissed her
wrist and looked into her eyes. "All
the best, Riddhima." I whispered. I
smiled noticing the watery layer in
her eyes.
She looked around us curiously and I
wondered what she was searching
for. But the parking lot was empty as
it was only 8 in the morning. When I
turned back at her, she smiled at me
brightly before pecking my lips softly.
But before I could come out of my
initial surprise of what she had done,
she hugged me tight and ran
towards the entrance of the
company. Who said, she was naive
and innocent!! I was sure there was
a naughty Riddhima buried deep
down. Shaking my head, with my lips
curled in a smile, I drove back home
with my mind wandering around that
peck she had given me.
"Armaan, an officer from the bank is
waiting for you in the lobby." Rahul
peeped into my cabin at 4 pm in the
evening and said.
"Oh okay. I'll go and meet him." I
told him and stood up from my seat,
while he shot me curious glances.
"Are you free now? Can you come
with me for 30 minutes?" I asked
him, moving out of my cabin. He
nodded at me and we both made our
way to the lobby in the ground floor.
He regarded me curiously but didn't
ask anything until we have reached
the lobby.
"I am applying for a loan." I told
him, simply while walking up to the
bank officer.
"Loan?" He looked at me, surprise
written all over his face.
"Loan for a car." I replied while
greeting the officer, who returned us
a wide grin of his.
"But you like bikes." He made it
sound like a statement but I knew it
was a question.
"Yes but Riddhima isn't very
comfortable with sitting on a bike.
She, I guess, is scared of bikes." I
said, remembering the death grip
she has on me every time she sits
behind me on that bike. As much as
I loved the cozy way in which she
hugs me from behind, I knew she
was utterly uncomfortable with the
bike ride. And I don't think she
would ever open that mouth of hers
infront of me to tell about her
uneasiness about bike rides.
"So you are giving up on bike?" He
asked me quizzically.
"Not completely, but yes, to an
extent." I answered and listened to
the officer as he rambled about the
bank and its benefits for its
customers. All through the
discussion, Rahul sat quite but I
constantly felt his eyes on me which
to some extent made me conscious.
"What?" I scowled at him after
signing off the last of the documents
that the officer has showed me. He
told me that the loan would be
sanctioned in three days.
He didn't answer me, instead "Come,
let's grab a sandwich at the
cafeteria."
We went to the cafeteria and sat
there for some time enjoying the hot
coffee with a sandwich. "Why did you
look at me like that?" I brought it
up. I didn't know why but I felt his
gaze had contained some sort of
acknowledgement of something that
I, myself, am else to comprehend.
He shook his head smiling. "I was
just amused that I am getting to see
a new Armaan with each passing
day." He said, sipping his coffee. "I
have never seen you put someone
else's comfort before yours any time
before. Not even aunty." I didn't
understand in which sense he said
that, but I felt myself flushed for no
reason. "Someone truly said,
appearance is deceptive." He added.
"What makes you say so?" I asked
him, though deep down I knew what
he was referring to.
He smiled again. "Tell me, how many
times have you bought flowers for a
girl?" He asked. "Taking into account
all the relationships you have been
into since the college."
It happened only once. And you, my
readers, know when. I never noticed
it before, but now that he had
brought it up, I couldn't help but
notice the changed behavior in
myself. Earlier I considered bringing
flowers as something like cliché. And
then the thought of buying a car. It
didn't even occur to me when I was
with the previous women in my life if
they were comfortable or not. I don't
even remember if they held me while
I was driving. I was always the
dominating and demanding person in
any relationship. But Riddhima
turned my world upside down. Hell, I
can't even imagine that I stayed
celibate after being married for
almost a month. Somehow, she was
able to bring about the softer side in
me that I, myself, didn't know
existed; let alone Rahul.
"Can you feel it happening to
yourself?" He asked with a wink, a
grin accompanying it.
I threw the tissue paper back in his
face and we both got up laughing, to
get back to work. But somewhere
deep in myself, I heard the answer
for what Rahul had been asking. Just
a little more, this time.
"Hey, how was your day?" I asked as I
entered the living room, finding
Riddhima sitting on the sofa in the
living room.
She smiled brightly as she spotted
me. "It was good." She replied and
took the lunch bag from hy hand.
"Where is Rahul?" She asked moving
towards the kitchen.
"He stayed back to help the others
organize the dinner for you people."
I replied as I walked into our
bedroom. "You came by cab?"
"Yes. They provided us with the
company cab in the evening. I
reached home at 4 pm." She replied.
"And I have to go again at 8.30 pm
for dinner." She added.
"Go and get ready then. I'll drop
you." I said noticing that it was
already 8 pm.
"I am ready." She replied looking
down at herself.
I looked at her in amusement. She
was in one of her new chudidars.
"That's an informal dinner Riddhima.
Go and change into some jeans or
something." I told her walking into
the washroom. The attire which she
has chosen was definitely not what
she was expected of. The team at the
company had planned for some wild
party after the dinner to welcome all
the new hires. And they would
literally laugh at her if she appears
in a chudidar. But then, somehow I
found myself thinking of that top of
hers which she had worn on her
jeans the day we went for shopping
in the mall. If she goes for
something like that, I might have to
rethink again. But to my relief, I
found her choosing a white cotton
short kurti instead.
Taking a quick shower, I put on my
shorts and turned the knob of the
washroom to step out of it, but froze
at the sight that greeted me. I took a
sharp breath as I spotted Riddhima
standing at the other end of the bed,
her back facing me changing her
clothes. Thankfully she put on her
jeans before I opened the door, else
I don't know what the reaction of my
body would have been had I watched
those legs of hers. Even then, her
almost naked upper part didn't do
anything less. I felt myself going
hard as I watched her remove her
chudidar top leaving her upper body
clad in only her black inner. My eyes
took in the pleasure of her bare back
except for that thin strip of her inner
and couldn't refrain myself from
sighing. Desire, raw and hot, burned
in my body as I watched her slender
shoulders giving away to the
prominent ridges on her spine. Her
figure concaved at her waist only to
flex out at her hips that were
securely hugged by her jeans.
My gaze rose up and I couldn't help
but admire the contrast of her skin
and the black inner of hers. I sucked
in my breath as her hands reached
for the clasp of her inner and with
one deft movement of her fingers,
she opened it and the straps fell
apart. I was glad she had her back
turned to me. Else I would have
exploded then and there. I wanted
nothing more than to pull that piece
of cloth away and caress her front,
making mad love to her. I turned
around and locked the door as my
body ached from desire, which was so
powerful that sort of scared me. I
never experienced such strong desire
for the basic physical pleasure
before. And here, Riddhima, without
doing anything was able throw me off
the edge. I closed my eyes as I tried
to push those erotic images of her
body to the back of my mind.
I stayed in the washroom for a little
more than 15 minutes, trying to calm
the demons in me which turned out
to be next to impossible. The more I
tried not to think about what I had
seen, the more the images haunted
me. Finally, taking a deep breath, I
stepped out of the washroom and
was relieved not to find her in the
room. The sexual tension in my body
was so high that I didn't trust myself
at that moment to stay close to her
without doing something wild.
"Shall we leave, Armaan?" I turned
around listening to her voice and
almost instantly I found my eyes
sliding down her front. I couldn't
help it.
"Uhmm- yeah- just- give me five
minutes." I stammered and turned
around before she could notice the
direction of my gaze. I quickly put on
some clothes and taking few deep
breaths, stepped out of the room.
The 20 minutes bike ride didn't help
it either. The more she pressed
herself against me, the more charged
I was. Dropping her at the entrance
of the company, I left the place with
a quick bye not daring to spare a
glance at her.
Reaching home, I slumped my body
on the sofa and closed my eyes. Just
in the evening, I thought Riddhima
was able to bring about the softer
side in me. How wrong it was! She
was even more efficient in projecting
the wilder side of me. And I wasn't
sure how long I would be able to put
my hands and eyes to myself.
I groaned and open my eyes
listening to the shrill ring of my
mobile. As I groped for it, I realized
I was sprawled on the sofa in the
living room. Coming back home after
dropping Riddhima at the office, I
had a quick dinner that she had
cooked for me and sat on the sofa
watching some channel with my
mind drifting back and forth towards
the sight of my wife I had witnessed
accidentally. I never knew when I
dozed off.
"Hello?" I spoke trying to clear my
vision.
"Armaan, Rahul here." I heard Rahul
shouting along with the sound of
some English numbers playing in the
back drop.
"Yeah Rahul, tell me." I rubbed my
eyes and sat straight on the sofa,
glancing at the watch. It said 11.30
pm. I recalled that Riddhima said
her dinner party would be over by 11
pm and that she would call me once
she is done. I wondered why she
hadn't called me. But since Rahul
was still at the party, that relieved
me off the momentary panic about
her.
"Armaan, do you think Riddhima can
handle alcohol?" He asked, his voice
skeptical.
That made sure I am fully awake in a
moment. I pondered over it before
answering. "I don't think so, why?" I
asked and then continued, "Isn't the
party over?"
"Uhmm, I guess Riddhima is drunk
here." He replied plainly, making me
jump.
"WHAT!!!" Riddhima and drunk '
that's a rare combination.
"She is a bit tipsy and awfully quiet
when I just went to meet her." He
himself sounded confused.
I was bewildered too. Quiet when
drunk?? That must be a world
wonder. But the this was Riddhima.
"What the hell Rahul! A person won't
be quiet when drunk." I told him.
"Are you drunk, in the first case?" I
couldn't help but ask him.
"Shut up, I am not drunk." He
replied annoyed. "I don't know she's
behaving weird. I'll bring her home."
He said.
But my ears pricked up at his words.
He'll bring her? That means she
would have to sit behind him on his
bike. And given the way she hugs me
while I was driving, my heart raced
at the thought of him driving her
home. And according to him, she's
apparently drunk!
"NO!" I shouted in haste. "No, Rahul.
You wait there and keep an eye on
her. I'll come there in 15 minutes." I
spoke, running to the elevator after
grabbing the bike keys and locking
the door.
"Okay." He agreed and cut the call.
What a perfect end to a day, I
thought slightly amused at the
events of the day as I drove at full
speed to the office. Since I know
where the party was held, I rushed
to the conference hall directly after
parking the bike. The loud music and
faint smell of alcohol greeted me
when I entered the hall. I spotted
few of my colleagues and exchanged
pleasantries with them while my eyes
scanned the bunches of new hires for
my apparently drunk wife. Rather I
found Rahul speaking to someone at
one corner of the room and rushed to
him.
"Rahul, where is Riddhima?" I asked
him hurriedly.
He turned to me, his face relieved,
and pointed towards the couch where
I found Riddhima sitting quietly. As I
rushed towards her, I found her eyes
closed and her head moving
sideways in sync with the music. She
seemed to be enjoying the music.
"Riddhima?" I called her name and
shook her slightly.
She opened her eyes with a start and
as soon as her eyes took in my
presence, she smiled wide. She
appeared fine to be called drunk, the
only difference being her eyes that
were half closed. She staggered into
my arms and I concluded she was
drunk by the way she leaned against
me putting her weight on me. I felt
her clutching the shirt at my back in
one of her fists and quickly steadied
her against my body. When I turned
to Rahul, he gave me a see-I-told-you
look and grinned at me with a wink.
As I turned around with a wobbling
Riddhima, I received few curious
glances and few smiles from my
colleagues and the other new hires.
Sparing them few quick smiles, I
rushed out of the hall, dragging her
with me. She just followed me with
her unsteady steps not even uttering
a word, making me surprised. I have
seen people speaking and doing crap
when they are drunk but have never
seen a person who would shut his
mouth and sit. Again, I wondered
how much self-restraint Riddhima
has in her. Why can't she let herself
loose for a night?
"Hold me tight, okay?" I told her
softly. I would wait till we reached
the safety of our room before probing
her for something. She nodded her
like a small kid and held on to me
tight, her grip tighter than the usual,
bringing all those dirty thoughts
back in my mind as her body rubbed
against mine. Sighing, I wondered if
I could hold myself until she lets me
touch her. But then, she never
stopped me, did she?
As I walked her to our home, she
stole glances at me every now and
then until we reached our bed room.
She then turned to me and stared at
me for a few moments before she
spoke. "Are you angry with me?" she
asked me, her brows driven together
as if in deep worry. That was the first
sentence she spoke to me since the
time I had entered into the hall at
the company.
I couldn't hold my smile at her
earnest face. "No Riddhima." I told
her as I pulled her to the wardrobe.
May be I was slightly disoriented
today.
"I am sorry." She mumbled and
stepped closer to me. Her warm
breath smelled of faint alcohol.
"Why?" I asked pulling out one of her
night dresses.
She just shrugged and then hugged
me snaking her hands around my
waist. After looking at me for a
couple of seconds, she hid her face
in the crook of my neck and I felt her
sigh. As I wrapped my hands around
her, I couldn't help but wonder if
she was trying to seduce me.
Because I don't think I had that
strength in me today to hold back
had she triggered me.
"Riddhima?" She nodded her head
when I called for her. "Go and
change your dress." I said trying to
part her away and giving her
nightdress to her, guided her to the
washroom.
But she shook her head and refused
to go in. "I want something." She
declared, her voice firm. That was
the first time I saw her throwing a
tantrum and smiled at her tactics
amused. She turned to me and
looking straight into my eyes,
whispered. "Kiss me, Armaan."
My eyes widened at her words. I
wondered if she was the same
Riddhima who would shy away and
never look at me if I kiss her. But
then she was drunk now and my evil
brain jumped in glee as it started
turning out interesting. I tried
imagining what she would do if she
remembers it the next day. Well, I
have to wait and see if she
remembers. She didn't appear too
drunk as she seemed to be in her
senses faintly.
As I stood trying to weigh other
factors, I was surprised out of my
wits when I felt her lips touch mine.
They moved against mine, eager and
demanding. And I couldn't help but
notice the contrast between the
drunk Riddhima and her normal self.
May be this was her real self, or may
be not! Deliberately, I stood still
waiting to see what she does if I
don't respond. I smiled amidst the
kiss when she probed my lips for
response. She drew back and stared
at me, her face full of confusion and
flushed, her eyes almost closed.
Laughing at her expressions, I
dropped my head and claimed her
lips giving her what she had been
demanding her. But instead of
agitating me, knowing that she had
been as desperate as me somehow
calmed my demons and I relaxed as I
drew her closer. I slid my hands
inside her kurti and let them roam
freely over her back as she trembled
and pulled me. As I felt the clasp of
her inner against my fingers, I was
reminded of the sight of her naked
back that I had witnessed earlier.
After fiddling around it for a few
moments, I let my hands slide down
her back to her waist. I couldn't take
her when she was drunk. Neither
could I let it go when I sensed her
palms on my skin at my back. I took
my breath away momentarily when
she caressed it gently. I wondered
when she had managed pulling my
shirt out of my jeans and slipping
her hands in. Probably when you
were doing the same, my mind
mocked at me. I gently ended the
kiss and pricing her hands away from
my body, stared down at her. Her
face was completely red, eyes closed
and she was damn beautiful.
"I feel like I am flying in the air
when you kiss me." She mumbled,
panting and resting her head against
my shoulder. I chuckled listening to
her. She sure was not in her senses,
else she wouldn't have told that to
me. And at once, I realized that
underneath that shy and nervous
Riddhima there was also an equally
demanding and a romantic one. But
she only chose to keep it hidden.
Soon I persuaded her into changing
her dress and went to get a bottle of
water. She emerged out of the
washroom and staggered to the bed,
smiling at me dreamily. I wondered
what was going on in her head. I sat
on the bed, drinking water while she
lay beside me and looked up at me.
"Can I ask you something?" She
asked in a small voice. I nodded my
head while gulping the water down
my throat. "What were you staring at,
in the evening, from the washroom?"
I spat the water I was drinking and
choked. I turned and looked at her
horrified while she sat up, grinning.
As I stared at her wide eyed, she
moved closer to me and whispered in
my ear, "Did you like what you saw?"
And she almost killed me with that
question.
She had known that I was looking at
her, yet she continued with, what I
would call now, strip tease? I turned
red and felt hot around my ears.
Someone truly said; appearance is
deceptive!!
So, that's it! I loved this Riddhima! What about you'll? Please vote! Bye. Good Night. - Isha