Untying The Knots - 3
A story about untying the knots that they didn't know existed
Previously
3
Manan gulped the remaining of his whisky. Aliva extended her hand. She touched his fingers as she took the glass from him, looking at him all along. Her fingers lingered there a second too long.
Ishita straightened her kurta, and held Manan’s hand. Aliva walked in front of them, gesturing them to follow her. She had a sway to her gait. Manan looked at Aliva’s ass, as he squeezed Ishita’s hand and walked into the living room.
The couch was full. The two girls, Jia and Yuvi were sitting together, with their guys on each side. It would take Manan some time to realize that the guys they had beside them weren’t supposed to be ‘their guys’. He didn’t remember seeing Jia in a skirt, but she was which had ridden up above half of her thigh. Yuvi was showing something to her on the phone. Yuvi’s crop top was high enough to show her flat tummy and intricate navel.
He felt a tug on the sleeve by Ishita. Aliva had pulled up a couple of cushioned stools for them to sit. Shresth stood behind Ishita as they sat down. He held her shoulders and listened to his girlfriend at the center of the room, playing the host. Manan reached out for an empty glass, probably recently finished by someone in the party. He poured himself some more of the whisky, and sat upright. This was new to him, yet it felt eerily liberating.
These people didn’t know him a couple of hours ago. Most of them were high out of their mind, with their women casually exposing themselves to everyone who cared to see. There was someone inside Manan who told him that all this was wrong. But that guy, was left long back, along with the 30 hour train journeys to the nearest city to his village, behind the straw houses of the village and the broken wooden benches in his school.
He tucked out his shirt. Ishita looked at him as he was doing it. She smiled, and extended her hand. They held hands, resting the union of their palms on Manan’s thigh.
Aliva gestured Shresth and on cue, he clapped loudly, “Wake up guys, time for the games”
Yuvi and Jia sat up straight. Jia pulled her skirt down. As she was doing it, she caught Manan looking at her thighs. She smiled, with her eyes down and said something to Yuvi. They giggled. They shook their guys. The guys had barely talked to Manan, he couldn’t care less to remember their names. He sipped his whisky. One of them extended his hand and pointed to the bottle near Manan. He got up, passed the bottle, all the while holding hands with Ishita.
“We all know what I am going to say, except Manan. I’d summarize it for you, Manan. Ishita can fill in the details. I hope he is not a prude, Ishita?” Aliva channeled Jimmy Fallon.
All laughed, except the guy beside Jia. He was focused on powdering a tablet. Manan took a large swig of whisky. What if someone OD-ed here? Manan pushed aside the thought. These people had more to lose than he did. He took a large sip of his whisky and turned towards Ishita. She was checking her phone in one hand, the other hand was holding Manan.
“So, Manan, there are three games which we have provisions for. Pictionary, Arm Wrestling and FIFA. And we —”
“What?” Manan interrupted, “That’s the weirdest collection of party games I have seen. Arm wrestling and FIFA? Whatever happened to Charades? Truth and Dare?”
Ishita squeezed her hand, and said, “I told you, it’s a different kind of party”
Manan realized that he came out someone who was outright offended. He had nothing against the games, he was just thoroughly surprised. “I am sorry. I love the idea. I was just… Please, Aliva, continue, I’ll be quiet”
Aliva picked up her glass of vodka, sipped it gracefully and took a pause for effect, “And, we vote on which we game we are going to play. 8 of us have to choose one game they’d want to play. Whichever game gets the most votes, we all play.” She stood on her toes as she finished the sentence.
“Ishi, please add him in the group. Quick” Aliva walked up to Ishita.
Manan let go of her hand, and fished out his phone. No notifications. He opened WhatsApp, and on cue got the notification of being added to a group called ‘Party’.
“Done” declared Ishita.
Shresth posted the link to a poll. Oh very professional. Manan turned to Ishita, but she was busy typing away on her phone. He would have liked discussing what she would want to play. But, it seemed he had to decide for himself. Pictionary was a standard choice, Arm wrestling was a tiring game, and looking at the guy who was still nodding (who might just twist his elbow while doing it) and the muscular guy (who would probably break Manan’s wrist if he really wanted to win), it was an easy decision to not vote for it. He chose FIFA.
While waiting for further instructions, Manan tapped on group description. It just had the address of Aliva’s place. He scrolled through the list of participants. He could recognize almost all of them, except one guy. He tapped his picture and then name. Vishal. It was the guy who was invited to the last party, who was Ishita’s ‘it’s complicated’. He looked around before tapping the guy’s pfp. He was handsome, except for a receding hairline. Even in the picture, he held a phone, an expensive looking watch on his wrist. He would have zoomed in to see the logo on his tee, if not for Aliva saying, “Okay, everyone has voted. That was quick”
Manan locked his phone and listened. Ishita was still typing away furiously to someone, unaware of her surroundings.
“And the winner is… Any guesses?” Aliva looked around.
“Arm wrestling!” shouted Yuvi, she was curling her fingers around Rehan’s biceps.
“After a really long time, FIFA has gotten the highest votes!” Aliva declared.
Manan laughed and sipped his whisky. He looked around the room. Varun seemed to be less high now, after snorting whatever he was snorting. He was smiling too. Ishita had kept her phone away, and said, “Aliva, how did you let this happen! I thought, it will be pictionary this time too!”
“Well the crowds have spoken. Look at how happy Shresth is!” She walked up to Shresth and gave him a kiss.
“This guy has been wanting this forever. I guess, the swing vote was Manan’s.”
Aliva squeezed his shoulder and Shresth slapped his back. “Well” he raised his glass and sipped it.
“You don’t know what you have done, Manan. This game is all but decided now” Ishita squeezed his thigh, slapping it playfully.
Manan got up from his stool, it was getting uncomfortable sitting there. He was almost done with his drink. Jia held out the bottle to him. He smiled at her as he took it from her. She had her other hand on the hem of her skirt. He glanced at it and smiled again.
“Aliva, I think you are forgetting something really important to announce, to our new guy. The rules and prizes” Jia said.
Aliva was near him already, so she kept her voice in a conversational tone, instead that of a game announcer.
“Okay, so listen. The rule of the actual game, Shresth will tell everyone before starting, since he spends a lot of time playing it. The prize is a little delicate.”
She took a step closer to him. Shresth and Ishita were away setting up the TV and the PlayStation.
“So, it’s a couple’s game after all. So, the prize is also related to the couple” Aliva was mincing her words.
“Uhhh… Okay, but what’s the prize?”
“So, the loser has to give their partner away, for the winner to do whatever they want to” Aliva said it quickly, and sipped her drink. And then just kept looking at him.
“What?” Manan understood what that meant. But, it changed so many things! The reactions of people when they didn’t get their favorite games, or the choice of their favorite game. The looser gives their partner away.
“And before you answer, this game, FIFA can be done 1v1, so, if I lose, I give away Ishita to the winner?” Manan added
“Yes. Ishita can play too, but then she will have to give you away. But if the winner decides to take her instead, then, it’s winner’s final choice.” Aliva said. Aliva finished her drink. She looked around, turned too fast and lost her balance a little. Manan held her by the elbow.
“Thanks” Aliva smiled. “Shresth, are we all set up?”
“But, what does ‘taking’ and ‘giving away’ mean?” Manan asked.
Aliva looked at him, sly smile, her speech a little slurred by now, “It means what you think it means. And don’t worry, it all happens in this room. You won’t have to let Ishita out of your sight”
She swung her head, to pat her arm with her head, and walked towards Shresth. She hugged him, and said something in his ears. They laughed, and they both were looking at Ishita. Ishita was bent over, connecting a few wires. Her ass, through the white kurta looked delicious. Manan sipped his drink. He was drunk by now. He had to blink to look straight. He held the edge of the nearby dining table to steady himself. Ishita walked up to him, and stood beside him.
Instead of the table, he wrapped his arm around her waist. He kissed her cheek and, spoke in her ears, “You should have told me the prize”
She inched closer to him, wrapped her arm around his waist, and said, “I told you, this was a decadent party”
“So, did Vishal win last time?” Manan said, looking at the group.
“What? How —?” Ishita tried to take a step away, but Manan had his arm around her tighter, anticipating the repulsion.
“I saw his name in the group. And Aliva is quiet talkative” Manan, looked at her. He touched his forehead with his nose. “I don’t mind. I am just curious”
She sighed, “Yes. He voted for Arm Wrestling. And he lost to Rehan.”
“Oh, and then?”
“Well, Jia wanted to kiss me, and…” She looked at Jia, who was talking across Yuvi, to the guy beside Yuvi, took a deep breath and said, “and wanted Rehan to finger me.” She gestured towards the muscular guy, Rehan.
Even after the kiss, the embrace, it was the first time in the evening that Manan felt a tinge of erection in Ishita’s presence. He saw Ishita on the couch, between the giggly Jia, in her short skirt, kissing Ishita, while her muscular boyfriend finger her. Ishita was on her knees on the couch, her face towards Jia and ass towards Rehan. He imagined Rehan licking her pussy, his face buried in the beautiful ass. His muscular arms, vigorously pumping into Ishita’s wet pussy.
“And it happened.” Ishita said, as if hearing Manan’s thoughts.
“Oh” Manan didn’t know what to say. He wanted to rub his dick, the way he did in the car looking at strange attractive women on the street.
“Were you okay?” He managed to ask.
She smiled, and kissed him on the lips, “You are very sweet Manan. Play well, I wouldn’t want you to see me being taken away”
Aliva was back being the host. She was clapping her hands. Shresth was logging into the game. Focused on the screen, controller in his hand, Shresth looked handsome. Manan started seeing the people in the room, in a different light after he realized that he might be witnessing them naked soon. It was surreal. It was any other rich spoiled kids’ party, but with what he had learned moments ago, there were layers to everything these guys did.
Judging by the way they sat on the couch, Manan had thought Yuvi and Rehan were together, but it was Jia who was with Rehan. Jia was a bit too caring for Varun. Maybe he had lost a few games in the party, and Jia had made him do things to her. Shresth didn’t mind seeing Aliva get touchy with Manan, and was a little to handsy with Ishita. In the games of Pictionary, it seemed unlikely that the winners would always be the same.
Shresth barely spoke, but had a presence because of his height. He was well over 6 ft, thought not muscular like Rehan, he had broad shoulders and strong forearm. As he stood in front of the TV, Manan was looking at the slight bump on his crotch, because of the loose half pant he was wearing. Aliva had called away Ishita, and the two girls were beside him. Manan imagined Aliva and Ishita kneeling before Shresth, sucking him off. Aliva with her fair skin and soft breasts and Ishita, naked from butt down. He imagined Ishita struggling to take him all in, as Aliva pushed Ishita’s head down on his boyfriend’s dick. He came out of his reverie when he felt Yuvi patting his shoulder.
“You want some?” Yuvi had a thick voice, a thick neck, and thick shoulders. She was opening a fresh bottle of whisky. She was smiling, and Manan returned the smile, gladly accepting his fourth glass. Or might have been the fifth, he had lost count. He had a bit of sway to his posture, but all he had to do now was watch people lose or win and do things.
“This must be a little too much for you” Yuvi was standing closer to, her elbow was touching Manan’s arm.
Manan was quiet. It was all too much for him, but, this beat jerking off to people on TV.
“Last time, it got a little out of hand” Yuvi said between her sips. Manan followed her gaze, she was looking at Ishita. Ishita was straightening her kurta.
“I heard, Vishal had lost, and —”
“Oh you know?” Yuvi was almost relieved.
“But it wasn’t just that he was a sore loser, he was a little indecent” Yuvi continued. She positioned herself closer to him, gauging if he knew.
Manan didn’t want to admit that he barely knew anything about what had happened, except maybe they all saw Ishita get fingered on the couch. He went along, a little white lie, “Yeah, it was quite a thing” and nodded.
“I mean, at first he wouldn’t agree that he lost to Rehan, and then he had the audacity to jerk off, right next to Ishita, as she was being fingered by Rehan. And worst part? He was laughing all along, AND came on Ishita’s pussy, even putting some of it on Rehan!”
Manan’s eyes had widened a little. Yuvi probably understood that she spoke too much, because she excused herself, and went to talk to Varun about something. Manan didn’t get the time to process, before he found Ishita beside him. She curled her arms around his elbow, and rested her head on his shoulder. It was time for the rules.
Shresth had a deep voice, a tonality that was commanding, especially because he spoke so little. He was opposite of chirpy and bouncy Aliva.
“Alright, so we have 4 teams. And, well, we cannot really play every team with every team, because then it would take too long, AND the winners won’t be able to enjoy their prizes. So, we make a random draw. We write the names. Team 1 v Team 2 and Team 3 v Team 4. And the winner of these matches play the final match.” He looked at Aliva, who had four chits in a bowl. Everybody was told to pick up a chit. The number on the chit will be the team number.
“Now, before you guys open your chits, a few rules. Each match will be 10 mins long. I hope whoever plays from your team knows the basics, but if you don’t you can warm up a little, maybe lookup YouTube. In the past, during the games, there have been attempts to distract the players. It’s allowed, as long as it doesn’t hinder their direct vision to the TV and, they are not touched.”
Shresth looked at the ceiling, and said finally, “Alright, lets see who is Team 1”
Team 1 was Jia and Rehan. Team 2 was Manan and Ishita, Team 3 was Yuvi and Varun and finally, Team 4 was Aliva and Shresth. As soon as the teams were called out, Manan saw Jia poke Rehan, while pointing at Manan.
“I didn’t ask before, but have you ever played the game” Ishita had found a drink for herself. She had also let her hair down. She looked beautiful, her lips especially kissable, shining from the alcohol glazing her mouth.
“I have” Manan was half way through his drink.
“I can play too, not great, but I think it will be Jia who would be playing” she said.
“Don’t worry”, Manan squeezed her hand.
“I am not worried about me. They had me last time. The way Jia has been smiling all evening at you, it might you would have to be on that couch”
“Oh. She was smiling?” Manan looked at them again, and Ishita was true. He liked her thighs, and wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.
“Play your best. Also, they can include me too, and Rehan is, well, he is not a gentle lover” she said, straightening her kurta.
Ishita was right. It was Jia who sat down on the floor with Manan to play the first game. She was all giggly, and with her biggest cheerleader being Yuvi. Yuvi sat behind her. As they scrolled through the settings, and teams, Jia slid closer to Manan. Sitting with her legs folded, her skirt had ridden up, exposing much of her thigh. If Manan could place a mirror at her feet, he was sure he could see her panty.
Ishita was beside him. She had her hand on her shoulder, she was quiet, but looked happy with a buzz. Rehan was still on the couch, disinterested in the game. He was smoking a cigarette and was talking to Varun, showing him something on the phone.
“Should I refill this?” Ishita asked.
Manan’s whisky was almost finished. He didn’t want to drink more, but he wouldn’t want to have so little alcohol if he were to lose. But, there was something else he needed.
All along, Manan had hidden something about his life. All along, he had told himself that he was a ‘good boy’, that he did what was required to be done. He was lonely, he thought that he was okay with it, but he was not. When he started working, one of the first things he purchased for his new place were a TV and a PlayStation. He had never played computer games before that, because computer was a luxury growing up, and in college, he didn’t want to waste his time.
Three games came with the PlayStation, and those were his templates. One of them was FIFA 19. He knew football as much as the other guy, had played it in school. But playing FIFA, he came to know about players and clubs. It spilled over to his real life. It helped spending lonely weekends, watching Premier League games, to play fantasy leagues. He connected with people in the fantasy league. One of them was a guy from UK, and Indian origin guy, but born and brought up there.
He knew him only through his IGN - Hoover248. They connected on WhatsApp. And soon, they would have long sessions playing the game they liked - FIFA. Hoover was a good player. They would be on a WhatsApp call while they played. He would tell him how he should have played the shot, which formations to pick, and which video to look up to learn a skill.
Soon, they were comfortable enough to have video calls while they played. Manan would come back from work, and the only thing he looked forward to was that 1 hour of gaming with Hoover. Hoover would often drink while playing, and smoke. He was a couple of years older than Manan.
On a Friday, after an especially tiring day at office, Manan made a stop in the liquor shop. He asked for the beer which he would see on the video call. The liquor seller instead gave him two bottles of Budweiser Magnum. He made another stop, and bought a packet of cigarettes. It was an uncomfortable purchase, since he didn’t know any names. He went to the pan shop and asked for ‘acha wala cigarette’. The guy gave him a 20 cigarette packet of Marlboro Reds. It became his reference.
That evening, on the video call with Hoover, he opened his bottle of beer. He told Hoover that it was his first time drinking alone at home.
“You are not alone mate. Cheers!” Hoover had already downed a couple of pints of beer before hoping into the call.
“And I have this too” Manan showed him a cigarette.
“Way to go Lever!” Hoover had said. Lever360 was Manan’s IGN.
“I didn’t know you smoked” Hoover lit is own cigarette.
“I didn’t. This would be my first ever” Manan took the cigarette between his lips and lit the lighter.
He looked at the screen as he brought light to the tip of cigarette. He didn’t know then that it just requires a little fire and that he had to drag the cigarette for it to get lit in the beginning. Hoover helped him with that. Hoover demonstrated to him slowly how to take drags. And just like that, from a random guy with whom he met on the Internet, Manan learned to smoke and drink beers alone. And to play FIFA.
Manan got better over the months. It became a routine to smoke a cigarette while lining up the team before games and to smoke one during the half time. They would play 5 or 6 games. Hoover would win most of the games. But with practice, Manan started drawing the games. And then, winning more than Hoover. They started making bets, small money. They never sent each other any money. It was just on the paper. Each win or loss was $10.
Hoover disappeared one day. He didn’t show up for that evening’s session. He didn’t text about it, nor did he pick up Manan’s call. He didn’t show up the next session, and the session after that. In a week’s time, Manan couldn’t see his pfp on WhatsApp and the messages won’t be delivered.
Manan continued playing the game though. It was painful at first, to sit silently and play a game of FIFA without the cheering and jeering of Hoover, but he soon found other players to play with. They weren’t regulars, neither did he have their numbers. He started playing competitively, wanting to improve himself objectively.
The only constants were beer and cigarettes. He didn’t smoke anywhere, except when he picked up the controller and was setting the team for his game session. It made the boring repetitive task manageable. Then FIFA 20 came and then FIFA 21. In due course, he moved to other games.
So, that evening, at Aliva’s party, when he sat down to play for a game, whose result would determine if he has to sit and watch Ishita get fucked by Rehan, he needed his routine.
“I need a cigarette” He told Ishita.
“Oh! I thought you don’t smoke. I didn’t see you reach for one the entire evening.” Ishita had a packet lying around. In that house, no vice was too far away. She took one out, put it between her lips and lit it. She put the cigarette between Manan’s lips, her hand lingering around his neck.
“Are we going to start or what?” Jia poked him with her elbow.
“Just a sec” with a cigarette between his lips and alcohol worth a dozen beers in his veins, he felt at home, adjusting his team. Everything was familiar to him. It took some time for Jia to notice that. She looked back at Rehan. Aliva said it out loud what everyone was thinking, “How much of this have you played?”
“Oh, a little here and there” Manan said, as he created his custom formation, and instructions, which one would know after probably a couple hundred matches.
Shresth was looking intently on the screen, with his arms crossed. As for Ishita, she was massaging his neck. When Manan readied up and the match was loading, she kissed him on the cheek and said, “All the best”. She squeezed his thigh, a little too close to his crotch.
When the commentator started speaking his routine, Manan zoned in. He was sitting crossed legged too, but he expanded his posture a little, to touch Jia’s knee. Jia looked at him, but he was looking at the screen. The match started.
Manan didn’t just want to win. But he also wanted to make sure that he made an impression. It was one of the very few times in life where he felt being at the right place at the right time.
Manan scored the first goal, what felt like seconds after the match started. Ishita gave out a loud cheer. Aliva was standing behind Ishita. She was laughing at how excited Ishita looked. Shresth wasn’t interested. He was in fact trying to coach Jia. He was telling her what she should have done prevent the goal.
Kick-off and then there was another goal. That goal wasn’t a simple run and score, but a flurry of passes. Jia didn’t even touch the ball for a full minute before the goal.
“That was good. You know your passes.” Shresth said like how a coach will talk about winning team.
And the game went on. Jia was a half decent player, but no where near the level that Manan was used to winning against. When the game ended, the score was 6-0 in favor of Manan. People had stopped cheering after the third goal. Rehan had stood up near the end.
When the match ended, Manan kept the controller down, and asked Ishita for another smoke. Ishita kissed him on the lips, arms around his head, a deep kiss, before giving him the cigarette. Jia put down the controller in disappointment, looking back at Yuvi, who was rubbing her shoulders for consolation. Rehan beckoned her and hugged her. He said something to her, which made her smile.
Jia’s back was turned towards Manan, who was still sitting down. When Manan looked up, he could see the gap that her skirt left, the gap between the skirt and her firm fair legs. Ishita noticed him checking her out and said, “So, what do you want? Aliva would soon ask us to announce that”
Manan was excited that he won, but he didn’t know what to do with it. He wasn’t experienced in actual sex, and he was surrounded by people who have saw each other naked, probably engaged in all sorts of sexual positions. Manan had shaved his privates that day, and he had decent enough body, but getting naked in front everyone was intimidating.
He looked at Ishita. Her white kurta had wrinkled by that point in the evening. Her thick glasses, and beautiful face and lips, all looked very attractive. They have only kissed, and he had felt her up, but there was so much more to her body. Then there was Jia, whom he had been checking out for the entire evening. She was shorter than Ishita, but perkier. She didn’t have the curvy ass that Ishita had, but her skirt showed the hint of a cute little ass that would be a mesmerizing to see and spank.
“I..” Manan took a drag of his cigarette.
Aliva was already asking Ishita about what was going to happen now.
“We want Jia” Ishita decided for the Manan.
Jia heard it. She looked at Rehan who gestured her towards Manan and Ishita. Jia was there, standing above Manan, posing for him, and asked him, “So, your first party and you want me?”
She her hands on her waist. Ishita got up first, they smiled at each other. Manan was almost done with his cigarette, and got up next. Both the girls extended they palms for him. But he got up on his own. He stood up and turned towards Ishita.
“Are you sure?” he asked Ishita in a low voice
“Of course. We both know, you want to see what’s under that skirt” she caressed his jaw.
“But, I really like you. And I would want a second date. And —”
She cut her off mid-sentence, “I am not going anywhere. I didn’t think much when inviting you this party. I like you too, and whatever happens here, stays here. Don’t be shy to speak up about what you want. I want you to lead this, however you want to”
She kissed him on the lips.
Everybody knew what was going to happen, it didn’t need elaboration. The four others wanted were talking among themselves, looking at Jia, Manan and Ishita. Rehan was standing behind Jia, but far away. He was looking at Manan. There was no anger or disgust, just amusement. It wouldn’t be the first time Rehan gave away his girlfriend to another guy. Won’t be the last time either. He stood their with one hand in the pocket of his jeans, and another holding a cigarette. Even without trying, his muscles looked being flexed. Puffed chest, strong shoulders. He was shorter than Manan, almost as tall as Ishita.
“I want Rehan here too”