Untying The Knots - 2
A story about untying the knots that they didn't know existed
Previously
2
It started with an innocuous fender bender, but it ended with Ishita giving her phone number to a stranger. Ishita got a WhatsApp text, even before she reached the lift.
“Hi, this is Manan” it said.
The profile pic was pretty standard, and looked a dulled down version of the guy who had dropped her home. Manan was in a white shirt and jeans, posing rather awkwardly in front of the Gateway. Ishita would have swiped left if she’d seen him on her dating feed. She decided to not save his number.
When Ishita keyed in her home, it was the usual evening scene. Her mother was watching the television, her father wasn’t back from work yet, and her older brother was in his room playing Fortnite. Ishita was into games too, but unlike her brother, she didn’t have the safe friend circle with whom she could wind down. She was tired of simping teammates, who would use the entire gametime, trying to get her number or to setup a meet-up.
She placed the medicines and things she got from outside, and walked to her room. She had been out and about the entire day. Her office was 10 minutes away, which was more of a curse than anything. She liked her job, just not the kind of people who work there. Her phone beeped again, but this time it was Vishal, the mistake of a guy who also happens to be working at her office. She ignored the message, and changed into more comfortable clothes.
By the time she sat down on her bend to wind down for the day, tt was close to 8 PM. Her parents had their dinner at 830 PM everyday. Her brother would usually leave at 9 PM to ‘hangout’ with his friends, and would come back late at night. Ishita ate by herself in her room after 10 PM.
She checked the office’s group chat, then her emails, and finally replied to innocuous messages from Vishal and some of her other male contacts. She changed out of the tight jeans and kurta, to a comfortable spaghetti and shorts. It was the time she looked forward, when she could get out of her tight bra and chill in her skimpy and comfy clothes, in the privacy of her room.
By the time she sat on the bed and was scrolling through her messages, Manan’s message had gone down so low in the message feed, that she would have forgotten about the text, if not for another.
“Do I have the right number?” Manan pinged.
Manan was a nice change of pace from the the flirty pings that she received from colleagues and college friends. It’d been a year since she was out of college, and yet there were these guys who would insist on knowing what she was up to, every other day.
“Yes, this is Ishita” she replied. She saved his number.
Manan could finally see Ishita’s pfp. When he’d texted her before even starting from her place and didn’t get any replies, neither could see her pfp, he’d thought that she would probably never get in touch. It seemed almost too good to be true, for Manan to be able to strike up a conversation with a girl, let alone a girl with a delicious body.
“Phew. For a moment I thought that I’d have to go around hitting scooties again” Manan replied.
He cringed at the message and threw the phone away, while he cooked his meal. He was looking forward to finishing his dinner, and then jerk off to to Ishita’s pictures. Now that he could see her pfp, he had a strong visual cue to remember the rest of her body, and make her say all the dirty things in his head.
"Well, no need for that. Thanks for the ride. I was kinda tired, it helped that I didn’t have to walk back and forth” Ishita had replied.
“Any time” Manan texted.
“I will hold you on that” she replied, with a wink emoji
Manan was browsing through Latina porn when he read that text. He rubbed his dick, as he imagined a quick series of images of dates, and embracing Ishita. I found video of a girl who had the body proportions of Ishita. He muted it, because he wanted to imagine her voice, and played it as he texted her, “I’d like that very much”
Ishita took her time in replying to him. Manan finished his dinner, and jerked off on his couch, thinking of all the dirty things that the Latina girl was doing in the video. When he came, he was thinking of Ishita’s thick thighs, and how it’d feel if he ever got to touch them naked.
Ishita was a little disappointed with Manan’s silly flirt messages. She thought that she might finally have a platonic guy to talk to. When she’d met him, he seemed timid and shy, in a cute way. She liked how he kept his distance, except for a few touches on her thighs here and there. Ishita got her dinner, and propped her phone to watch some Netflix as she ate.
Ishita was 23 years old, and yet unlike most girls in her friend circle, she had a low-key routine. She was among the brightest students in her college, and even though it had been over a year since she left college, she still had every bit of her competitive nature in her. She still felt the need to have someone who would tell her that she was doing well at work, she still felt that there was an exam around the corner and that she had to ace it.
Ishita was born into a middle class family in Bombay. Her father’s greatest achievement was to inherit her grandfather’s house in Andheri. Ishita never lacked anything, but she was also not someone who got a heavy pocket money to spend in pubs. Her brother, Ishan, was a disappointment to say the least. When they were kids, Ishan was the favorite of her parents. He did well in school and was one of the most well-rounded students in the school. He was 3 years older than Ishita, and yet had no intention of holding down a stable job. He freelanced as a writer, to pay for his alcohol and drugs and women.
There were guys like that in her college, who were driven students in school, but the freedom of college was too bright for their eyes. She and her brother weren’t close, but Ishita knew that he had lost all his ambitions in drinking, drugs and whoring. He was out then, and would come home late night, drunk and would go straight to bed.
She finished her dinner and started getting ready for bed. Ishita would always go to bed by 1130 PM. She had early start to the day, and a long day after that. When she was in bed, she saw a message from Manan. She ignored it. She had a big day the next day, she had plans to work before sleeping, but she felt too bogged down to work. The phone pinged again. It was Manan. Irritated, she picked up the phone, with the intentions of being rude.
Manan: I was wondering if you were free tomorrow evening?
Manan: I have a pretty boring Friday evening, was wondering if we could meet for a coffee or something?
Ishita sighed, another one bites the dust. When Manan asked her if he could give her a lift, she didn’t think much about him having a liking for her. In all these here, she had been hit on almost everywhere she went. She wasn’t a prude, and enjoyed the attention. She liked getting her way with the guys, but she had really actively dated anyone. In college, she would ignore every guy, wouldn’t even go for a walk with anyone. Fresh out of her college, in her new workplace, she slipped. High on the rush being an adult with a job, she accepted an invitation for drinks, and eventually started seeing a Vishal, who worked with her.
She lost her virginity to him, and hooked up with him for months, before she realized that they weren’t really in a relationship. Vishal was good in bed. It was her first, she didn’t have anyone to compare him to, but she loved the things he did to her body. When she was in bed with him, she felt the kind of wetness that she could never feel when watching porn.
However, Vishal and Ishita didn’t have much to talk about. Then there was the complication of working together, and keeping the hooking up secret and the added stress of making excuses of staying out late at night. It was taking a toll on her, physically and mentally to manage these. It’d been only a week since she stopped sleeping with Vishal. Vishal had been a little pesky, casually asking her come to his place, for a one more time.
And now, this guy, whom she met for the first time, asking her if they could hangout. She tapped on his pfp again. He seemed like a sweet guy, attractive in a non-threatening way. He was older than her, and not being in Bombay for long, would probably be different that most guys that have asked her out.
Ishita: Maybe 730 PM? Let’s meet at the Barista here. I will text you 10 minutes before reaching
Ishita: Have a long day tomorrow. Goodnight
Ishita didn’t wait for his reply, kept the phone down, and closed her eyes.
The next day was a blur for Manan. Before leaving for work, he cleaned himself more than he usually did. He trimmed his pubic hair, shaved his armpit and applied extra soap. It was just a coffee, and there was absolutely no way that she will come to his place. However, before leaving for work, he made sure his place looked the best it could. He wore his favorite white shirt and a pair of new jeans which he forgot he had.
He left from work earlier than usual, he didn’t want to risk the traffic. Ishita had said that she’d confirm the meet 10 minutes before, but that was enough for Manan to plan the entire day around her. He reached the coffee shop 20 mins before they were to meet, found the most discreet table possible, and made himself comfortable. He ordered an Americano, and checked his phone for a message from Ishita. There were none.
He sighed, and kept the phone away. He looked around, and saw beautiful people having coffee and good time. There was a couple on the couch area. They were young, probably just in college. The girl was resting her head on the guy’s shoulder, as she scrolled through her phone. The guy was doing the same. They were enjoying an intimate moment of silence. There was a loud group of guys too, four of them, constantly laughing about something. There was one guy on his Alienware laptop, typing away furiously and sipping an almost cup of coffee.
Manan picked up his phone again, to check for any messages, but it was futile. His notifications were blank, the only time he didn’t like them being blank. He browsed Netflix for the movie that he’d watch at night. He wanted to watch an action movie, because a romantic one or even an erotic one would be too much for an evening in which he was stood up.
His phone buzzed. Ishita was calling him.
“Hi” he said, trying his best not to sound desperate.
“I am so sorry” Ishita paused. Manan picked up his keys, bracing for the next words, “I am running late. I will be there in 10 mins, I could leave from work now”
“Oh!” he relaxed his grasp on the keys. “That’s okay, I will wait. I hope you can stay out late”
“I can stay out as late as I want to. I am taking a rick, to reach there quicker. See you” Ishita didn’t wait for his reply. Manan ordered another Americano, and scrolled through a blog about how to eat pussy.
It was drizzling when Ishita got off the rickshaw. She couldn’t find Manan when she entered the Barista. She was about to call him, when he tapped her on the shoulder. They smiled at each other, and Manan showed him to the table where he was sitting. Ishita was wearing her usual work outfit. A long kurta, and leggings. While her colleagues came to office in tee shirt and jeans, she loved how well the kurtas fit her. She had a tailor, and the tailor made the kinds of kurta that her body filled perfectly. That evening, she was wearing a white kurta and black leggings.
She had her hair in a bun, and wore her work glasses. It would be the first time Manan would see her in those thick black frame square glasses, and it would become an important part of their relationship.
“I am so sorry, I was caught up with work” Ishita said, sitting down. The kurta she wore, wasn’t tight, but it hugged her body, highlighting every curve. Manan noticed how much bigger her breasts looked that evening, compared to last time. He was looking at her breasts when her phone buzzed.
While she checked her phone, Manan closed the tabs of his phone. The blogs he was reading, didn’t have any pictures, but he had a slight hard-on fantasizing the things being done to Ishita. It was a little past 8 PM when their coffee arrived. It was Manan’s second for the evening. He avoided coffee, just like he avoided cigarettes and alcohol. He was an excitable person, and adding substances to his body usually made things worse for him.
She kept her phone face down and sipped her coffee. She cleared her throat, and said, “So, what are we doing here?”
Manan took a deep breath in. He was quiet, for a second too long, and Ishita spoke again, “I mean, why are we meeting again?”
Manan sat upright. He had thought about this question in some form or the other all day. At first, he thought he would evade the question, skirting the question and keeping it vague. In that moment though, when Ishita was looking right at her, with her coffee cup close to her lips, peering through her glasses, Manan couldn’t think of anything other than being honest.
“I’d like to think of it as an old fashioned date.” Manan fumbled for his coffee mug. He took a small sip and continued, “I mean, in the age of Tinder and Bumble, meeting someone whom you met on the road is — vintage”
“Vintage? I see” Ishita smiled. “So, this is a date, but what if I am not single?” she said.
It started drizzling outside by then, the glass panes of the Barista were foggy from the rain splashes on the outside and cold air conditioning on the inside.
“Are you?” Manan asked.
“It’s complicated” she said.
Manan shrugged. “As long as it’s not committed, a man can only hope”
Ishita’s phone buzzed. She started typing rapidly, waiting for replies. “Ah, shit” she said.
Manan had read about phony messages that girlfriends of the girl on a sucky date would send, as a rescue beacon. The inevitable had happened.
“What happened?” Manan knew the answer already.
“Well, I had committed to going to this couple’s party. Weeks ago, when things were all rosy. And now, I am getting a text from the friend, asking me when I’d be there” Ishita said, still typing.
Manan checked his pocket for his keys. He had the habit of doing that when he knew he had to leave shortly. He picked up his cup, took a large sip, the last of his sips of coffee that evening.
“Well, I guess, you’d have to go” Manan tried his best to hide his disappointment. Another night of walking around pantless in his empty flat, another night of jerking off to beautiful brown women pounded from behind, begging for cum. Another night of self-loathing and despair.
“Actually,” Ishita stopped typing, looked at him, “you are dressed for a party. Will you come with me?”
“Oh!”
“Yeah yeah, forget it. I know it’s too much for a first date. I am really sorry about this, it had entirely skipped my mind” Ishita resumed typing.
“No, I mean, I am free for the entire evening” Manan adjusted his cup, “and night.”
“So, I tell her that I’d be there in 10 minutes then?” Ishita said.
“Yeah sure, I mean, it’s a couple’s party, and your friends would be there. I don’t mind, if you wouldn’t” Manan said.
“Well, it’s too late for all that. I have already texted in the group. We are going. One final text at home, and we move.” Ishita finished her coffee, and within a couple of minutes she was in Manan’s car.
Manan gave her his phone to input the address. She was right, it was right around the corner. In fact, they could have walked the distance. It was a nice drizzle. He wouldn’t have mind seeing Ishita get wet in the rain, to see her white kurta hug the body even more than it already was.
As he started driving, Ishita turned towards him slightly, the seatbelt neatly rested between her breasts, “So, about the party, it’s a little different that usual”
“Okay… Different how?”
“Well, there’s booze of course, but Aliva, my friend, and her boyfriend are very decadent”
Manan took a deep breath and raised his eyebrows, “And?”
“So, when I say a couple’s party, it’s the kind of party, where the couples can be get very handsy. And there will be drugs, and by that I don’t mean just weed”
Manan had not smoked a single cigarette ever and had never sipped beer. His only vice was jerking off to women he saw on the road, fantasizing about their ass on his face. That’s all. But then, there was the ‘couples being handsy’ part.
“Okay… but what do you mean by ‘handsy’?”
They were 2 minutes away from destination. “You will see. The thing is, everybody there will be out there to show how much they want to fuck their partners. So, it’s not very uncommon to find someone being fingered on the living room couch”
Manan laughed. It was surely a joke. He turned towards the Society gates. When he rolled down the window, a security guard asked them which flat they are going to. Ishita answered. They were handed over a token with time. Very posh. Ishita told guided him to the parking area.
“So, you were in this party earlier with your ‘it’s complicated’?” Manan was collecting his things.
“Yeah” Ishita straightened her kurta and touched up her hair
“How often is this party?” He locked the car.
“Maybe once in a month or two. It all depends on when Aliva’s parents are away. It’s her apartment, but her parents live on the same floor. So, it’s kinda like her whole floor”
Walking beside Ishita was a little different he had imagined. It was first time they were walking together. Manan had imagined a more romantic scenario, maybe dropping her after a fun low-key coffee date, with light touches. Instead, they were walking into a party, which was anything but low-key.
Manan was impressed by how posh the buildings were. Even the elevator music was polished. The lift opened up on the 11th floor. The floor just said “The Chaturvedis”.
He followed Ishita, all the while admiring how snug her kurta was on her ass.
She rang the door bell. When the door opened, he was instantly hit by a mix of alcohol and cigarette smoke. The girl at the door was jumpy, and hugged Ishita
“You made it!” Manan figured that it was Aliva. She was dressed in a short skirt and a top, with a deep neck. The way her chest jiggled when she jumped seeing Ishita, he guessed she wasn’t wearing any bra. It was a casual party after all.
“So… this is Manan” Ishita introduced him, “And, this is Aliva, our host”
“Hi” Manan extended his hand, but Aliva reached for a hug. He felt her breasts press against him. She wrapped her arms around Manan’s neck, held him for a second. Manan, awkwardly wrapped his hand around her back.
“Come on, in. Food is already here.” Aliva closed the door behind them.
There were fewer people than Manan had in mind. All in pairs, except for one guy who was going around, with a bottle of whisky in one hand and a cigarette in another. He was in a half pant and a muscle tee.
Ishita and Aliva were talking about something, she said something to Aliva, which made her giggle. She walked up to Manan, and held her forearm.
“Manan, let me introduce you to everyone. I love this part” she said.
Manan looked back at Ishita who was already talking with the muscle tee guy, with a glass of whisky.
She went around, introducing him to every couple in the room. Including Ishita and Manan, there were 4 couples — Aliva and Shresth, Jia and Rehan, Yuvi and Varun. They were all friends from college, barely 23 years old, in an embrace with each other, high on something or the other. Shresth seemed the most sober of them, and Varun was close to being blacked out, with his head on Yuvi’s thighs and his hand inside her tee shirt, rest on her belly. Yuvi was casually caressing Rehan’s thighs while Jia was on her phone her hand on Rehan’s crotch. Rehan was wearing a half pant too, with an erection too obvious.
Manan was the oldest in the group, and certainly the most sober. In his denims, brown shoes and white oxford shirt, Manan also looked the most formal. Aliva asked him what he’d like to drink. There was a bit of everything. Manan pointed to the large bottle of whisky.
Aliva offered him a cigarette along with a glass of whisky.
“No, I quit” Manan lied.
“Oh! Good for you! How did you manage? I have been trying to quit for years!” Aliva lit a cigarette for herself. Her hands were smooth, rounded shoulders. Her cheeks were clear, except for a black mole on her cheekbone.
Manan smiled and shrugged. He looked around for Ishita. She was still talking with Shresth. She smiled when their eyes met. Manan raised his glass, she nodded. Aliva took Manan by the arm “Let me show you the view from the balcony”
They walked arm in arm. Aliva’s breasts were grazing his upper arm. He swayed a little towards her, pressing against them more than he needed to. The view was in indeed the view. It was drizzling, and the warm yellow lights in the balcony accentuated the dark view outside. The air damp, because of the days of rain in the city. The honking of cars seemed distant, and the trail of brake lights on a faraway road seemed soothing from the comfort of the balcony. They were quiet. Aliva smoked her cigarette and sipped her drink. Her breath smelled of alcohol when she’d welcomed them at the door.
Manan glanced at the watch. It was close to 9 PM. If he were alone, he would have been jerking off by then, probably thinking of Aliva’s nipples and her the touch of her soft breasts. He hadn’t taken a sip of the drink. It wouldn’t be the absolute first time he would taste whisky. He never acquired the taste. He didn’t want anybody around to see him wince at the taste of the whisky.
“You know, you are the quietest one that Ishita has ever brought to this kind of party” Aliva said.
When Manan didn’t say anything, Aliva put her arm across his shoulder, rested her chin on his shoulder blade, and said, “And also, the most attractive one”
Manan didn’t move away, but smiled, “Well, what can I say, Ishita has a choice, I guess”
“Maybe, but she told me that you guys met like yesterday?”
Manan told her the little story. “How quaint” Aliva finished the last of her drink.
“Quaint indeed” She caressed her forearm before leaving for the living room.
Manan had come to the party with Ishita. But it was Aliva whom he had touched the most. He didn’t mind. He looked down at his full drink. He took his first sip. The whisky burned his tongue, and his throat as he gulped it down. It didn’t feel terrible. It was in fact way better than the one he had tasted with his friends back in college. He took another sip. And another. And another.
“Hey” Ishita had come to the balcony.
Manan felt the blood rush to his head. The warmth from the whisky, he felt it around his eyes, and the back of his head.
“Hey” Manan said.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself” She was looking at his glass, and the slight sway of his leg.
“Well, kind of. I came in here with you, I would like you around” Manan sipped his drink, confident that he won’t make a face.
Ishita was probably taken aback by the sudden assertion. She quietly positioned herself beside Manan, placing her palms on the railing, looking out at no where in particular.
“I am sorry to have you dragged in here. If you want to leave, I will more than happily make an excuse and leave with you. It’s just — ” Manan interrupted her.
“No No, I like it here. Just that I’d like it even more if it were you taking me around, arm in arm.”
“Oh”
Manan turned towards her, “The reason, I asked you for the coffee and came here, was simply because I like you. I like looking at you. I like how you walk and how you talk”
Ishita turned towards him, “It’s… I told you —”
“Yeah, that, it’s complicated. Then un-complicate it. This party, I don’t think anyone cares, if we kiss, or if I put my arm around your waist like this”
Manan touched the small of her back, pressed against her waist and ran his hand across her, deliberately, wrapping it around her waist. He waited for a split second, for her to move away. When she didn’t, he took a step closer, and lower his head, bring his lips close to hers.
He touched her lips with his. His nose was filled with the fruity scent of her lipstick. He parted his lips, and kissed her lips. He ran his tongue across hers, till she parted her lips to let him in.
He still had the glass of whisky in his hand, but with his other free hand, he grabbed as much of her as he could. They were pressed together, kissing. Manan felt Ishita’s breasts against his chest, he let his hand go down from waist to her ass. He pressed her towards his crotch, pressing on her ass.
Ishita’s arms were around his neck, she held the back of his head in her palms, as she kissed him deeply. They were interrupted when Aliva tapped Ishita on her shoulder. They didn’t know how long she was standing there. She had a broad smile on her face.
“Why don’t you guys come in? You can continue there. We are starting the votes for the games.”
“Not the games. I have always lost in those.” Ishita still had her arms around Manan’s neck as she spoke to Aliva.
“What sort of games?” Manan asked, his nose almost touching Ishita’s cheek as he spoke.
Aliva touched Manan’s shoulder, gave it a squeeze, “That’s the fun part”
Continue Reading
The first two parts were more about building the world of Ishita and Manan. The fun starts in Part 3
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