What The Eyes Don't See

9 | The Stench of Passion

Bidding Shanaya goodbye at the pub itself, Anay walked out alone. He stepped out, unable to bear the uncomfortable silence any longer that had suddenly crept up between them.

He was hailing a cab when someone called out to him. He recognized the voice at once. He turned.

"Renee?"

She was dressed in a bold black gown, unbothered by all the male eyes around her that were trying to rest upon her. It appeared as if the gown was a deliberate attempt to remind the world—and herself—of how alluring she could be, and she was being darn successful at that.

"Is Vishwa in there too?" Anay asked.

"No," she said, her straight shoulder-length hair bouncing as she shook her head. "We were to have dinner but he didn't turn up."

"Oh..."

"I saw you with her. Your childhood friend. You aren't dropping her home or something?"

Anay sighed. He could hear many questions hidden within that one rhetoric interrogation. He said, "About that, Renee... see, she's a childhood friend. We just met each other all of a sudden and..."

"...sparks began to fly..."

"It's not like that, Renee. I mean, it could be but not yet. She doesn't feel the same way."

Renee took one long hard look at him. Then she shook her head. "Well, I don't care."

"Y-you don't?"

"Why should I?" she said. He realized she was drunk. "I mean, you have a great body and I'd like to be on top of it right now, but I'm no fool to think that you'll be only mine. Nor am I made to be for one person only. I don't believe in wasting this great body on only one bloke."

It was Anay's turn to stare at her. He then looked at his watch. In another half hour, it would be midnight. "So, should we book a cab like always?" he said. "Same direction and all?"

She nodded.

Anay busied himself with his phone. As he booked, he asked, "Why did Vishwa not turn up?"

"Let's not talk about that bastard. You know this is not the first time he has done this."

"But you waited too long for him. You probably came here hours ago..."

"Well, I had dressed up and all, so I thought I'd rather have a drink, after all," Renee said. "I spotted you guys an hour ago. You were discussing something important, or so it looked. So, I didn't bother you."

A cab stopped on the other side of the street. They crossed the street and got in.

Renee went on, "I don't know why I am such a sucker for him. I don't like him anymore. I mean, I have thought a hundred times to dump him, but it will get tricky. We work in the same office. I have a feeling he'll dump me first. Hallelujah if that happens."

Anay looked at her as she spoke. He was amazed at how pretty she looked. Renee had always been the flawless one, the one who woke up beautiful and got better as the day wore on, peaking at her most beautiful self at the night hour like this. A true queen of the night.

"Fuck it all, Anay... take me to your place," she said.

"What?" Anay said, shocked by the change in her tone.

"Why not? It's not like we haven't done stuff before. What has changed?"

"I don't know... I mean, I just met Shanaya and..."

"So it's okay if I can fuck you when I am with Vishwa, but you cannot do the same because now you are with some other girl? Don't worry anyway. You are not committed to her yet. You are not cheating on her."