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Rahul closed the front door to Priya’s house behind him and greeted Sharada with a whisper. “Hi! Glad you could make it.”
Sharada pointed to his pants. “Rahul, your fly is wide open.”
“Oh thanks!” Rahul zipped his pants and smiled in a burst of embarrassment. He noticed Sharada’s agitation growing every second. “Is something bothering you?”
“Nothing, let’s go inside and meet your friend.” Sharada said, moving towards the door but Rahul stood in her way. “Okay. It bothers me that you are in Priya’s place and your fly is open…,” she began.
“It’s a common mistake, happens to a lot of men,” Rahul said.
“I know that. But look at you. Your hair’s all messed up, your shirt is wrinkled. And look at how you’re guarding her door like I’m some kind of criminal. You don’t seem to want me going in. Rahul, tell me what’s going on,” Sharada said.
“Well…,” Rahul scratched his head.
Sharada glared into his eyes as she awaited the answer. “What? Have you forgotten how to talk?”
“No. Alright, Priya and I were playing this childish game.”
“Rahul, I can see that you’re lying. You’re so painfully obvious.” She waited a few more seconds for his answer. “Let me just ask you one thing- is something going on between the two of you?” Rahul mumbled some inaudible defense; his eyes darted around in search of a good answer. “FUCK-YOU! You aren’t even trying to deny it.”
“That’s because it’s true,” Rahul said, letting the words out in one breath. “It’s true, okay? Priya and I are together.”
Sharada frowned at him, her hands began to shiver and her cheeks flushed red. She shook her head and tried to talk, “w.why would you…”
“Priya and I have been seeing each other for a week. I’m so sorry, but you and I need to break up,” Rahul said.
“What the fuck? You’ve always been a selfish pig but I didn’t think you could stoop so low.” Sharada cried. “We’ve been together for over ten years. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” she asked, as tears began to form in her eyes. “So what? You just saw this girl and changed your mind? What about me, Rahul? What about me?”
Rahul bowed down. “I’m so sorry. I was here and I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, so…”
“Oh, thank you so much!” Sharada cried. “I’m very grateful that you called me over to your new girlfriend’s place to break up with me. You bloody pig.” Rahul placed his hands on her shoulders, but she slapped them away. “Get your hands off me.” She wiped off tears from her eyes, her every breath fuelling the fury inside her. He was standing quiet, blatantly unskilled in dealing with the crying girl.
Sharada couldn’t stand him anymore, she made a fist with her hands behind her back and swung them forward in an attempt to punch Rahul’s nose. He stepped aside just in time to avoid the nasty blow, and caught the girl by her neck. “I did not expect this from you,” he said, bringing her down to her knees. He held her by the back of her neck and opened the front door with one hand. “I’m afraid I have to make you meet Priya.”
“Rahul, you’re hurting me,” Sharada cried.
“Precisely.” He swung the door open. Rahul dragged his prisoner by her long, brown hair and pushed her towards Priya, who was seated on the couch. “I tried to end it peacefully, but she tried to punch me,” Rahul reported, making her kneel before his new girlfriend.
“Is it true? Did you try to hit my boyfriend?” Priya asked.
“Don’t call him your boyfriend. He’s mine, he will always be mine.” Sharada said.
“Didn’t he try to break up with you just now?”
“That’s why I tried to punch him. He won’t stop misbehaving.” Sharada said.
“Misbehaving?” Priya asked, splitting the word into its syllables. “You believe Rahul’s misbehaving, that he’s out of his mind?” Sharada nodded. “So you think this is temporary, and that he’s just going to get back together with you?”
“I don’t know when he’ll come to his senses, but yes. He’s my boyfriend and has been for many years. He’s making some impulsive decision based on spending just one week with you.” Sharada stated. “We are supposed to be together forever.”
“One week is a good length of time.” Priya said. “Why, you don’t think it’s possible that in one week I’ve treated him to more pleasures than you did in all those years?”
“It’s not possible.” Sharada said.
Priya turned to Rahul. “What’s wrong with these people? You go on one date with them they think they’ve mated for life.”
“What do you mean, ‘these people’?” Sharada asked.
“I dumped my boyfriend today.” Priya said. “Rahul and I punished him together and threw him into the toilet. It looks like you’re going to face the same plight.”
“No, I won’t.” Sharada shook under Rahul’s grip.
“Oh you think so? Let me see,” Priya said. “Do you still love Rahul?”
“Not the way he’s acting now, this isn’t him. But yes, I love him.” Sharada said.
“And you won’t go home without getting him back?”
“I won’t.”
“See? She’s exactly like Srinath,” Priya declared. Sharada wiggled under Rahul’s grip and tried to slap his hand away from her head. “Oh my! You’re an angry little girl aren’t you?” Priya asked. “Do you even understand your position right now? Look at your own boyfriend, the man you’ve loved for so many years clutching you like a wild animal. When did you become such a brat?” Sharada looked up to Rahul and his remorseless expression as he held her down for his girlfriend’s sadistic pleasure. “I’m going to teach you a lesson in humility and respect.”
Priya leaned forward and caught her neck in one hand, using the other to deliver a vicious slap. Sharada’s cheeks turned red, she bowed down and cried. “That’s for trying to hit my awesome boyfriend. There are good reasons why he just dumped you like a piece of shit. Can you think of why he did that to you?” Priya asked. Sharada looked up to her and sniffled. “God, look at that pride. The first thing you’re going to do is lose all that disgusting pride.” Priya’s hand went up and landed a devastating slap on the other cheek. “Say ‘Thank you’, bitch!” She then caught her and blew through the other cheek with an even harder slap. “I said thank me, you disgusting little bitch!”
Sharada cried even harder, but managed to mumble a “thank you.”
“Call me God, because that’s what I am to you.” Priya said.
“Thank you, God,” Sharada said.
“You’re welcome anytime!” Priya laughed, and Rahul joined in. She leaned back and brought up her legs again. “Rahul is my boyfriend. Not yours- mine. I’m the winner, you’re the loser.” Priya’s toes went crushing into her face, scratching her cheeks and her eyes with her long, sharp toenails. “The only chance you have of being with Rahul is if you choose to spend your life working as my slave.”
“Rahul, how can you let her do this to me?” Sharada asked.
Rahul gripped her hair with more vigor. “It’s exactly what you deserve.”
“She’s asking me to work as her slave, Rahul. Please tell me you think that’s extreme.” Sharada said.
“It is obviously extreme.” Rahul said. “So go home and move on with your life like a sensible girl.”
“And wait for you to come to your senses on your own?” Sharada asked.
“If you think that’s going to happen, you’re better off being her slave.” Rahul said. “That way you can be around when I,” he made quotation marks in the air with his fingers, “come to my senses.”
“Then that’s exactly what I’ll do.” Sharada bowed down before Priya. “I’m your slave.”
“Not so fast.” Priya said. “I don’t just take in any random weakling as my slave. You know how many men and women out there would kill to be my slave? You’re going to have to prove your mettle just like everybody else.”
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