But that needy, horny part of me would have to take a back seat because right now, because there was another need in me that was protesting loudly, drowning out every other desire, even the aches that were radiating from all over my body. HUNGER. My stomach growled loudly in vehement agreement with that thought.

Faizi chuckled softly at the sound. “Sorry. I almost forgot you haven’t eaten anything all day.”

“And it looks like I won’t be eating anything all night either,” I replied glumly, my voice sounding weak even to my own ears.

“Not necessarily.”

I perked up at that. I lifted myself off his chest and tried and look at his face. But I could barely see as the only light inside the cave were the remnants of the moonlight seeping in through the hole we fell through. “What do you mean, not necessarily?” I asked his dark silhouette.

“I think there’s a Jamba fruit tree nearby. I remember brushing against its branches just before the rocky terrain started. Or at least, I think it was a Jamba fruit tree. There were definitely a lot of red, fruity things on it.”

Just the thought of fresh Jamba fruits began to make my mouth water, their sweet, tangy flavor already teasing my senses as if I could taste them. The mere possibility of those ripe fruits waiting just outside was enough to kick my brain back into gear. I brainstormed quickly – It is extremely risky to step outside as we have no idea whether the elephant truly left or not. What if it was lying in wait, silently stalking the entrance we had tumbled through, ready to attack the moment we showed ourselves?

Determined to assess the situation, I reluctantly pulled away from Faizi’s comforting embrace, a chill immediately replacing the warmth of his arms. My muscles screamed in protest as I moved, but I ignored the pain, knowing that if we were going to survive the night—and possibly snag those fruits—we needed to be sure the coast was clear.

Carefully, I began to inspect the cave, trying to discern our surroundings in the faint light. A sliver of moonlight seeped through the hole we had tumbled through, casting a dim, ghostly glow across the rocky floor. It wasn’t much, but it was just enough to reveal something I hadn’t noticed before—a narrow path leading deeper into the cave.

Curiosity and a flicker of hope stirred within me as I strained my eyes to see further down the path. My breath caught when I noticed another faint glow seeping in from somewhere a few meters ahead, illuminating the rugged walls just enough to suggest there might be another opening on the other side. My heart quickened at the realization. If there was another way out, it could mean safety—or, at the very least, a chance to avoid confronting that elephant head-on again.

“Faizi…look,” I whispered, pointing toward the faint glow in the distance. “I think there’s another opening over there.”

Faizi squinted in the direction I indicated, his brow furrowing as he focused. “Huh! I think you’re right. I’ll go and check it out. You stay—”

“NOO!!!” I cried out in dismay, the word escaping before I could even think. Instinctively, I scooted back, pressing my body into his chest. The mere thought of being separated from him, even if only by a few meters, filled me with a sudden and overwhelming dread. My heart pounded, and I realized that the only reason I hadn’t completely unraveled was the sense of safety his presence provided.

“I mean…please take me with you too,” I added, my voice trembling as I clung to him. “I’m scared to be alone.”

Faizi didn’t say anything, but the silence between us felt electric. I could sense a sudden tension, a charge in the air that seemed to thrum with unspoken desire. Something firm was pressing against my lower back, growing in size, and I realized with a shiver that it was him. His warm, ragged breaths fell heavily against my moist shoulders, the heat of them sending tingles down my spine. My own breathing inexplicably quickened, matching the pounding of my heart. I felt his nose brush lightly against my scalp, and a thrill shot through me. Was he smelling my hair?

Our closeness was making him horny—I could feel it in the way his body responded to mine. And I wasn’t faring any better. A delicious ache began to coil low in my belly, my insides clenching in a desperate, almost unbearable craving.

“Umm…Faizi?” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I turned my head slightly. My cheek was now just inches from his lips, and I could almost feel the magnetic pull of his desire, drawing him toward me. The anticipation was intoxicating, and I found myself silently begging for him to close the distance, to bridge the gap between us with a kiss that I so desperately craved.

“Yes…” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear as he pressed his forehead against the side of mine. “I… yes, but… Deepika… your legs… you’re hurt, and you can barely walk. Plus, the path looks so narrow—barely enough room for one person to squeeze through.”

“And that makes it even better, doesn’t it?” I said eagerly, my voice laced with determination. “I can manage without putting weight on the hurt leg by supporting myself against the walls. But I want you close behind me, holding me from behind, guiding me.”

For a few moments, the only sounds were the distant hum of the forest and our ragged breathing as he mulled over my suggestion. The air between us felt thick with unspoken tension, and I could almost feel the internal battle he was waging. Finally, he exhaled deeply and said, “Alright. Let’s do that.”

Having come to an agreement, I slowly began to rise, careful not to put any weight on my injured foot. Suddenly, I yelped in surprise as I felt Faizi’s palms on my bum, only to realize that he was just helping me stand by taking some of my weight into his hands—though it didn’t stop a delicious thrill from running through me. YUMM. Even if it wasn’t his intention, the sensation was undeniably nice.

As I steadied myself, he stood up behind me. His strong arm slid around my waist—MY BARE WAIST—sending shivers down my spine. My skin tingled under his touch, and despite the situation, I felt a surge of heat pooling deep inside me. He took one of my hands and placed it over his shoulder, his own arm wrapped securely around me, making it even harder to focus on anything other than the feeling of his fingers grazing my damp skin.

GOD, everything he was doing was making me wetter than I already was. My heart raced, my breath quickening as I leaned into him, my breasts pressing firmly against his side as he helped me hobble forward. Every step we took together heightened the awareness of his touch, the scent of his skin, the heat radiating between us. The fear was still there, lurking in the back of my mind, but it was being drowned out by the overpowering desire that his every move seemed to ignite.

As we approached the narrow path in the cave, Faizi slipped out from beneath my arm, positioning himself directly behind me. His hands found their place on either side of my waist, steadying me with a firm yet gentle grip. He seemed to be growing more comfortable with touching my bare skin, and I was absolutely loving it. His fingers sent little sparks of pleasure through me every time they brushed against my waist, but I knew I needed to keep my focus. There was a task at hand, and we had to get through this dark, narrow passage to reach the other side of the cave.

I carefully placed my hands on the rocks lining the path, feeling the cool, slippery surface of the moss-covered stone beneath my fingers. Each step was cautious as I hopped forward on one leg, my injured foot hovering just above the ground. Faizi moved in perfect sync with me, his hands never leaving my waist, providing stability and an unspoken assurance that he wouldn’t let me falter.

Three steps in, as I reached out to steady myself with my right hand, my palm brushed against something scaly and wriggling. Panic surged through me, and I let out a shriek, stumbling back into Faizi’s chest. His arms immediately encircled my belly, pulling me close and steadying me with a firm, protective embrace.

“FUCKK!! Deepika?? Are you okay?? What happened???” Faizi’s voice was laced with concern, his hands gripping me tightly.

“I… I touched something moving,” I managed to gasp, my breath coming in quick, uneven bursts. “It felt like a worm or a millipede. I think I might have accidentally squished it a bit under my palm, and it recoiled.”

“Oh, it’s alright. Relax,” he said soothingly, giving my belly a few reassuring pats. It was then that my mind registered his hands were more intimately positioned than I’d initially realized. His palm rested warmly against my belly, and his index finger lingered lazily on the edge of my navel. With a slight curl, he could easily slip it inside.

The unexpected proximity and touch made my belly quiver, and I felt a rush of arousal replacing the earlier shock. I didn’t move, lingering in that moment, silently hoping he might venture further, exploring the depths of my sensitive navel.

“Umm, Deepika?” he whispered, breaking me out of my reverie. Ugh, this guy. I cursed inwardly as I sighed and half-heartedly straightened up, feeling his hands retreat to my sides once more. However, this time, instead of holding me firmly, his hands were now merely caressing and pressing my waist with a gentle touch. Grinning in the darkness, knowing he couldn’t see my face, I resumed hopping forward, being extra cautious about where I placed my hands.

His hands were more distracting than helpful now that they were simply caressing, rather than supporting me. Not only were his touches lingering on my sides, but some of his caresses also wandered to my belly. The sensations were so distracting that they made my legs weaken, causing me to buckle under the one leg I was relying on and fall back into his chest. Each time this happened, he would instinctively wrap his arms around my stomach and nuzzle his nose into my hair. It was clear that he was teasing and playing with me, and despite the precariousness of our situation, I was loving every second of it.

I made no effort to be more careful. Instead, I found myself becoming more deliberately clumsy, allowing myself to fall back into his arms repeatedly, making sure he could feel my belly each time. Every time I stumbled, I could sense his erection pressing against my bum.I even indulged in a few subtle, teasing movements, grinding against him to heighten his arousal. Both of us were growing increasingly turned on with every step and touch. His hands, once merely supportive, were now exploring my body with more intent—pressing, pinching, and caressing my flesh, eliciting gasps from me and making me crave more of his touch.

It was hard to say who was more disappointed when the narrow path finally came to an end, taking away our excuse to keep indulging in each other’s touch. Still, by some silent understanding, we stayed close, his arms remaining securely wrapped around me as we both gazed up at the long-awaited opening.

And it was indeed an opening—big enough for an adult to climb through. Moonlight streamed down from above, casting a dim glow that vaguely illuminated both of us after being enveloped in darkness for so long. The only drawback was that the hole was a bit too high to reach easily.

After a few seconds of looking Faizi said “So Deepika…Here is what we are going to do. I will hoist you up into that opening. You peek your head out and let me know what you see. Check if that elephant is still around. If not we can climb outside and try to find that Jamba fruit tree I saw earlier.”

“Hmm ok” I agreed immediately and turned around to look up at him. The dark silhouette of his face made a motion like he was was nodding at me and he bend down to wrap his hands around my thighs. Next second I felt myself getting hoisted into the air and my head passing the small hole. I immediately got hold of the ground above and tried to peek around.

What immediately caught my eye was a worm crawling right in front of my face. I let out a horrified screech and instinctively let go. In my panic, I wildly thrashed my legs, accidentally kneeing Faizi in his stomach. His grip loosened, causing me to slide down his hold and fall heavily on top of him. As he lost his balance and fell backward, I wrapped my arms around his head tightly and pressed his face into my cleavage, seeking some semblance of comfort amidst the chaos.

We both groaned in pain as we fell to the floor in a tangled heap. While my hands around his head might have cushioned his head from having a head concussion, my forearms felt the full brunt of our combined weight. For a few agonizing seconds, all I could feel was a searing pain radiating through my body. As the pain began to ebb, I realized that I might be suffocating Faizi by pressing his head so tightly into my bosom.

Even amidst the discomfort, a sudden thrill shot down my spine as I felt his lips gently sucking on the exposed part of my upper left breast. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, pulling me close, and I could distinctly feel his erection pressing into my belly.

As much as I would have loved to stay in that intimate position and see if his lips would start exploring my flesh, my forearms were throbbing painfully. Gasping, I reluctantly released his head and gently pushed myself away from him. The spot on my chest where his lips had been still tingled pleasantly.

“I’m sorry, Faizi… There was a worm above, right in front of my face, and I panicked. Are you okay?” I asked, my voice laced with concern.

“I’m alright…” he groaned as he struggled to sit up. “I think I might have injured my back, though.”

I inwardly cursed myself for letting panic take over. I wished for more light so I could properly assess our injuries, but with none available, our only option was to get out of this cave.

“Here you are,” Faizi murmured, his fingers delicately wrapping the torn scrap of saree around my injured toe, fashioning it into a makeshift shoe. As the rush of adrenaline began to ebb away, the reality of our situation settled in. We were both thoroughly soaked, the cold water clinging to us, sending continuous shivers down […]

The steep rise we were climbing curved onto a downward slope of a valley with a small stream flowing at the bottom of it. The stream only seemed knee-deep as one could actually see the bottom rocks quite easily and the current didn’t seem that strong. The land on the other side of the stream thickened into a dense forest. A few men and women were already spread out all over the place. I could hear their loud calls of ‘AAARIFF..’ and ‘AFFSALLL’ reverberating from the woods. 

“Where could they be?” Faizi wondered, looking around the surroundings in contemplation.

Suddenly I remembered what that little girl was saying earlier. “Hey let’s try going along the side of the stream in the direction the water is flowing.”

Faizi shook his head. “The stream is pretty shallow and the current pretty weak. It’s safe enough for kids to play in. There is no chance at all of them getting washed away.”

“No, but did you hear what that little girl back at the building was saying? Last they saw them they were making paper boats. If they were playing with boats by floating it on this stream and decided to follow the stream to get it back…” I said explaining my line of thinking.

“That is brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that? Come on then.”

I smiled pleased at being appreciated for my intellect. I followed him to the stream bank. The terrain was rockier here, so I took off my high heels and held them in my hands as it was comfortable enough to walk barefooted. Though chilly the walk instantly became way easier. Faizi stopped for a moment and beckoned a man who was already there helping with the search towards him. Based on his attire he seemed like a local. Faizi introduced him to me as Peter. He was one of the caretakers in charge of the resort. He asked him to tag along with us. He looked worried.

“Dangerous to go that way at this time Sir. There are wild elephants and other creatures  in the jungle and the sun is going down. “

“All the more reason we should check it out as soon as possible, isn’t it?. This is a couple of little kids of ages 7 and 10 we are talking about. We will check for a short distance and come back before it gets totally dark.”

Peter reluctantly agrees and began leading the way. He walked ahead of us at a quicker pace while Faizi and I followed behind a little slower to accommodate my slower pace in saree. Faizi held my hand every now and then to help me through some uneven and slippery surfaces. Though it was uncomfortable at first, my bare foot soon got accustomed to the coarse surface we were now walking on. I was still careful to keep to the edge of the stream so that the surfaces weren’t overly harsh.

Eager to complete the search as soon as possible Peter went so far ahead of us that we could barely see him in the distance now. We walked for almost 20 minutes, looking through the woods in every direction screeching the names of kids every few minutes.

Suddenly we heard sounds of distant yelling from Peter who was far ahead of us. We squinted and saw him jumping and waving us over from where he was standing a good few hundred meters away. As we got closer we could hear what he was yelling.

“SIRRRRR………THERE ARE HERE, THERE ARE HERE. I FOUND THEM”.

A rush of exhilaration shot up my spine as I heard that. But something was off about the place Peter was standing and waving at us from and we still couldn’t see the kids anywhere near him. We increased the pace trying to catch up with him. As we got closer it became apparent to me what was that ‘something’ I felt off about. The small stream we were following joined up with a much bigger one coming from the north. The velocity of this stream was so strong that we could hear its roar even from this distance. And it wasn’t just the force the stream seemed fearsome and dangerous in its size too. It didn’t take long before the children in question came into our view as well.  In the middle of this charging water stood a large rocky outgrowth in fierce defiance against the oncoming current refusing to budge making the water curve around it. And on top of this rock stood the couple of boys we were looking for. One of them seemed to be unconscious or worse. And the other one, presumably the elder one by his size was holding the unconscious kid and was sobbing uncontrollably. He was dripping head to toe with water and was freezing. The situation seemed very dire. We had to rescue them as soon as possible. It was Faizi that voiced out the question that was on everybody’s mind.

“How in the world are we going to reach them and get them ashore?” he wondered out loud. “Do know how to swim Peter?” 

“Yes sir. But I can’t swim through this. The currents are too strong here. I will get carried away. We should go back and get help.”

“That could take hours. Those kids already look in very bad shape. We need to get them out as soon as possible. Is there nothing we can do?” I asked urgently.

“Well, I could have given it a try if there was a rope. I could hold on to one end while I get into the stream and have you guys hold on to the other end from ashore. That way even if I get caught in the current you guys can pull me back ashore with the rope.”

“Where are we  gonna find a rope in this middle of this fucking nowhere?” Faizi sweared. 

Again my brain presented me with yet another flash of an idea. However this time I wasn’t so sure or as eager to suggest it out loud as carrying it out would put me in quite a compromising position. But it would be quite narcissistic of me to worry about my dignity in a situation like this. I took a deep breath and started.

“Well…I may have an idea.” 

No sooner had I said this both of them turned towards me immediately giving me their undivided attention, their eyes filled with hope. I gulped nervously and said.

“Umm….any chance my saree can substitute for a rope?”

Their eyes bulged like saucers as it occurred to them what I was suggesting. They looked at each other exchanging looks of wonder and a hint of excitement before turning their attention back to me.

“That is indeed a great idea. But not sure if your saree has enough length to carry that far?” Faizi said looking unsure how to react to my suggestion. Peter however had no such reservations. “Only one way to find out. Let’s check.” 

I looked towards Faizi as though seeking his opinion. He just shrugs and says “Wouldn’t hurt to try I guess.”

I nodded and took a deep breath willing myself to get over my embarrassment of what I was about to do. Then like a robot I unpinned my saree from my shoulder and began unwrapping myself out of it trying my best to ignore the lusty stares of the two men enjoying the show. Once I was done, I tentatively looked up. Faizi was smiling at me encouragingly, his face straining visibly at the effort he was putting in keeping his eyes from straying although despite his best efforts his eyes kept giving me a full top-down scan every few seconds. Peter however was staring pointedly right at my navel looking gobsmacked. My body heated up making my insides clench with pleasure at the effect I was having on them. I shyly raised my saree towards them trying to hide my smile. 

It was Faizi that stepped forward to get it from me. He turned towards Peter who was still admiring the view and smacked the back of his head making him come out of his daze.

“Here hold this end. Let’s stretch and see how long it is” he said, giving one end of the saree to Peter. He immediately grabbed the other end looking embarrassed and did as he was told. 

“Not sure the length is enough sir.” Peter said doubtfully looking at the full length of the saree as they stretched it from both sides like a rope. 

“Hmm then let’s make sure. Let’s add this too.” Faizi said pulling out his hoodie over his head revealing his ripped abs and chest. It was my turn to admire now as he went about stretching his hoodie to its full length, holding its sleeves together and tying it to the end of my saree. His well formed arm muscles flexing as he tightened the knot. Not wanting to be left out of the undressing ceremony. Peter too joined in taking off his shirt revealing his dark and hairy body with taut muscles of someone who does a lot of hard labour. And he did the same thing Faizi did to his end of the saree. Bolstered by the extended support of both of their dresses on either ends, the combined saree-hoodie-shirt rope looked quite long now.

“Allright then. Let’s try this.” Faizi said, nodding at both me and Peter in turns. Peter nodded, took a deep breath and tied his end of the rope around his left hand and set to work. He took off his sandals and gingerly stepped into the running waters of that ferocious stream and advanced slowly trying to keep his best to keep his balance from slipping against the oncoming current. And Faizi lent his support, holding tight from the other end standing way off from the edge but inching closer to the stream with every step Peter took.  Deeper and deeper into the stream Peter went, and soon he was chest deep in water. Faizi was almost at the edge now, his muscles rippling with veins under the strain he was putting, holding to his end. Peter looked back at Faizi and gave a curt nod before lunging forward with all his might trying to cover the rest of the distance swimming against the current. Faizi too suddenly took several steps forwards and went knee deep into the stream to accommodate Peter’s momentum, but it wasn’t enough. The force of the stream was too powerful and Peter began to get swept away. But thanks to the rope he stopped midway, but that was the only thing keeping him from getting swept away totally now. Panic gripped my heart as I noticed that Faizi too was struggling to hold his balance. Without wasting another second I too stepped into the stream after him and joined him in holding the rope from his front. Standing slightly to his front I was almost waist deep into the stream as I started pulling. I could feel the full force of the unforgiving chilly waters soaking me inside out.

Thankfully Peter who was swimming towards the rock with all his might succeeded and caught on to the rock and got on top of it. I breathed out a sign of relief and waited anxiously as he checked on the kids. He took the unconscious kid on his shoulder first and signalled he was going to come back. He dived back into stream with the kid on the shoulder and struggled to stay afloat without drowning the kid as me and Faizi reeled in the rope bringing them ashore. As soon as Peter was near enough I let go of the rope and went and took the unconscious kid from him onto my own shoulders and rushed ashore signalling Peter to go ahead and rescue the other kid too. I gently laid the kid on the shore and checked his pulse. Thankfully he was still alive, just unconscious. He will live. Breathing out a sigh of relief I jumping back into the stream to assist with the rescue of the next kid. Peter who has got somewhat accustomed to the force of the ruthless stream now, was more steady on his steps on his second bout and got to the rock without much problems this time. But we had another problem now. My net saree which wasn’t exactly made of the strongest of materials was starting to tear slightly from a few steps ahead of me. But it looked like I was the only one that noticed it until now.

Peter got back into the stream again piggy backing the elder kid Afsal on his back and Faizi and I began to reel him in hoping against hope that my saree won’t give up on us now. With a couple more pulls that portion threatening to tear away would be behind us. But just before I can reach the portion with the last pull my saree completely tore off. Me who had been keeping an eye and anticipating this let go of my grip and lunged forward to catch the teared end. Though I succeeded in catching I stepped on a sharp rock in the process.  I screamed trying to bite back the piercing  pain that was shooting up from the sole of my feet as I struggled to hold on to the saree with all my might as I was the only one supporting now. Faizi who was still pulling on the teared end when it teared fell backwards in the recoil.

“Faizieee…..help !!!” I screamed. If I let go, it was all over. We will lose both Peter and the kid. It was a life and death situation now. Suddenly I felt a pair of strong muscular bare hands wrapping around my torso from behind. One of his hands palming strongly over my bare belly and the other on my left breast over my blouse. His bare torso sticked close to my drenched skin from behind me as held on to me tight, his chin resting on my shoulders and his hot panting breaths washing over my cheeks. 

“It’s allright. I got you. Hold on. On count of three lets slowly start walking backwards…1…2…..and go” he whispered from behind. And right on cue we began stepping backwards simultaneously until we were close to the shore. Then he slowly withdrew his hands dragging his palms over my skin like a caress in the process, his index finger dipping into my navel for a second making me gasp before releasing me completely and getting hold of the saree from my hands and pulling Peter and the kid rest of the way back into the shore. 

I doubled over in relief panting and sat on the ground heavily with a thud tired and spent. I couldn’t put weight on my injured leg anymore. I gingerly bended my knee sideways and checked the sole of my right feet and winced as I saw the gaping red wound still dripping blood.  

 The guys got busy trying to revive the unconscious kid. Faizi began to perform some first aid, pressing on his torso releasing the excess water stuck in his lung and stomach. Soon the small kid coughed back into consciousness and began to sob uncontrollably asking for his mum. Relief and happiness flooded through me. Peter sauntered over to me looking very happy.

“Thank you so much Madam. You saved my life. If it wasn’t for you I would surely be dead by now.”

“Oh no. What I did is nothing. It is you who took the deadly risk of getting into the stream to rescue those kids. So thank you.”

He grinned and bowed his head. “Oh no !! You injured your leg”. He said suddenly noticing my wound and bending over to check it. 

“I will be allright.  Please quickly take the kids and get back to the resort. It will be dark soon. Me and Faizi will follow behind. With my leg it may take some time and effort to get back. Their mum is already worried sick. Please get them back as soon as possible.”

Peter nodded and said bowing to me. “I will do that. Once again thank you so much for saving me Madam. You are very kind. I will never forget what you did for the rest of my life.” Soon he gathered the kids and set off towards the resort at a quick pace. Faizi stood tall and watched them walk away for a while. His back muscles looking delicious drenched in water. I momentarily got lost admiring his form from behind. Once they were far enough he turned back around and grinned at me widely.  

“There is a correction to what Peter said. You didn’t save just one but three lives today. He didn’t know it was your idea to look for them following the stream. If it wasn’t for you we maynot have even found them in time. And not just that. It was again your idea to use your saree as a rope.”

Happiness bubbled inside me hearing his words and I grinned widely at him. His eyes traveled to my wound and his face became concerned. “Let me fix that up for you.” He said walking over to pick up the leftover scraps of my ruined saree and tearing a piece of it. Then he came over to me and began typing up my wound. I looked fondly at the torn messy remains of my once beautiful saree, though I have been cursing my choice to wear it ever since the start of this journey, it indeed turned out to be a blessing in the end. Then I shifted my gaze to Faizi looking at him longingly as he tended to my wound while stealing glimpses at my cleavage. He was getting a good view as my blouse was a little low cut in the front and there was nothing covering it now. I suppressed a grin and resisted the urge to ruffle his hair wondering why his lust filled gazes were filling me with giddy pleasure.

We didn’t speak much to each other as we slowly trudged up the small rocky pathway built into the dirt ground that lead up to the resort. The high heels I was wearing made it difficult to properly step on the uneven surfaces of the rocks and the restrictions of being in a saree only added to it. Faizal followed just behind me. I wasn’t sure whether he was admiring my back view or keeping an eye out for me in case I slipped. Either way, I felt slightly safer with him behind me.

“DEEPIKAAAA….” the loud voice of my clearly drunk husband carried over to me and I looked in the direction the sound was coming from. The momentary distraction was all it took for me to clumsily step on some wedges in the rocky path and loose balance. I flailed my arms in the air alarmed and momentarily disoriented as I tried desperately to regain my balance. I didn’t have to struggle for long though as I felt a pair of strong hands on sides of my waist instantly lending me support.

“Hey Careful !!” said the urgent voice of Faizal from just behind me as he helped me stand straight, his hands still brazenly resting on my bare waist. A small current of pleasure shot up my spine from that touch. The moment felt like something that came right out of my fantasies. I stood still and nodded shyly muttering an inaudible ‘Thanks’ waiting for him to remove his hands on his own accord and enjoying the sensation of his touch on my sensitive skin every second it lingered. Unfortunately, it didn’t last that long as he quickly retracted his hands and I could understand why. Sanjay was looking at us.

I quickly looked in his direction wondering if he noticed my slip and that accidental yet slightly sensual exchange. Turns out that not just Sanjay but just about everyone standing there seems to have witnessed me tripping on my feet. He along with 10 or so other men were lounged out on the sloppy landscape outside. Chairs and small round tables made out of cane were laid all over the place. Bottles of various types of alcoholic beverages and snacks filled those tables. All of those men who were probably drinking and partying minutes before were now looking my way gawking. Judging by their states I could tell most of them are pretty drunk. 

Sanjay didn’t look too pleased. I couldn’t tell if it was due to the public display of my clumsiness or because he noticed something about the exchange between me and Faizal just now. He beckoned me over.

“Come with me please?” I said in a low voice looking behind me at Faizal. I didn’t feel like going alone amidst a group of drunk men all by myself. Faizal nodded and followed a few steps behind me as I headed towards them. I could feel all those eyes unabashedly checking me out, making my insides curl in revulsion. Though I came dressed up like this in the first place to catch some eyeballs, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. 

As soon as I was within his reach Sanjay reached forward and pulled me to his side boldly keeping his hand on side of my bare waist and squeezing my flesh into his palms. My eyes bulged at his sudden display of supposed affection over me. No, it wasn’t affection, it was a display of arrogant dominance. He was making a statement. That means whatever he saw must have made him feel insecure. 

The leering eyes of the surrounding men immediately focused on my midsection feasting on the sight of my waist being caressed in front of them. I immediately kept one of my hands on top of Sanjay’s trying to get my fingers underneath his grip so that I can wrench his hands off. But he just tightened the grip making his fingers dig into my hips painfully now. I winced and let go, letting him hold me, not wanting to create a scene.

“Gentleman. Meet my gorgeous wife. Deepika.” he said proudly showing me off like a trophy he won. He emptied the glass of whiskey he was holding in his other hand in one swing and continued looking at me while ignoring my clear discomfort. “And Deepika…meet my friends Sukumar, Thomas, Ali…”. He kept on telling names pointing at various men who were all gawking at me like I was some sort of delicious meat. I could sense my navel peeking through my pallu and shuddering at the sudden onslaught of creepy stares in its direction sharing equal attention with my hip which was being kneaded by Sanjay’s hand. This was not at all how I imagined capturing attention when I set out this morning. Through his actions, Sanjay reminded me once again of what I clearly was to him, his trophy wife. Not a human being that deserved respect. But a shiny toy to show off to his friends and society. I could feel my ego and self-respect being stripped away with each passing second.

Ali, a bald headed man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties was pointedly staring at my belly with the look of a hungry animal. I self-consciously adjusted my pallu to cover as much of my belly as possible. 

“Have some whiskey darling. And help yourself to any of these snacks you want. You haven’t had anything to eat since morning. I know you are starving but this is all the food that is left. Lunch is long finished and any leftovers have been disposed of. And there is still many hours left before dinner arrives.” 

I looked at him incredulously at his fake display of concern. I knew he couldn’t care less if I ate or drank. He was just acting out his idea of a doting husband. 

“Oh she hasn’t had anything to eat since morning? That is terrible.” says Ali upon hearing this. He immediately pours a glass of whiskey and comes up from the other side. “Here have this Deepika. And help yourselves to some snacks. You will feel better.” he says coming uncomfortably close.

“No it’s ok. I can wait till dinner.“ I said stiffly, recoiling at the reek of alcohol that emanated from him .

“Oh come on. Don’t be shy Darling. We are all friends here. Take it from him.” Sanjay eggs me on.

Ali comes even closer and keeps a hand on my shoulder and brings the glass to my lips.”Yes Deepika. Drink this. You will feel a lot better.”  The audacity of this man. Why wasn’t Sanjay doing anything about this? I turned my head away disgusted. 

Suddenly another hand came and grabbed Ali’s. “Don’t force her if she doesn’t want it Ali bhai.” I looked to see who my saviour was. It was Faizi. He pulled Ali’s whiskey holding hand away from my lips and gently pushed him back putting some space between me and him. I feel a rush of gratitude towards Faizi.

Ali looks at Faizi sourly, not pleased at being interrupted. Faizi ignored him and turned towards me and Sanjay. I looked at him pleadingly conveying with my eyes to rescue me from Sanjay’s evading grasp. 

“I have some chocolates in my bag sir.” He says looking at Sanjay Sir. “She can have that for the time being.”

“Oh that is great. Why don’t you go and get it?” Sanjay says refusing to let me go. Faizi has thrown me rope. No way I was going to let that go.

“No need Faizi. I will come with you. I need you to show me my room. I badly need to use the wash room. Also I want to change into something warmer.”

Sanjay didn’t look too pleased. He grip loosened. I immediately elbowed out of his grasp. “Do you want me come with you and show you to our..” started Sanjay but I cut him off.

“No need. We got it. Faizi knows where the room we stay is. Don’t you Faizi?”

“Yep. I will show it to her, sir. You guys please carry on.”

None of the men looked too pleased by this development. “Come on Faizi. Let’s go.” I say already starting to walk ahead not wanting to give them anymore chances to try to make me stay. I was sad, upset and disgruntled. I resented Sanjay more than ever at the moment. Blinking  back the tears that were threatening to escape my eyes I covered the distance to the main building in quick strides and went out of sight of everyone. I could feel Faizi following me not so far behind. I subtly brushed away my stray tears before he could catch up with me.

“You allright Boss Lady?” he asked as he caught up with me.

“Uh huh! Yea! Thanks for coming to my rescue back there” I say gratefully.

He just shrugged and said “You seemed like you could use it. Don’t take what happened there to heart Deepika. They all have been drinking since the moment they arrived and is clearly very drunk and a little out of control now. They are otherwise quite nice people.”

I didn’t reply back as I felt myself getting choked with tears again. He must have noticed as he didn’t push to keep the conversation going and just kept walking ahead.

How is this man with whom I was only barely familiar with able to pick up my silent cues with such ease? I wondered looking at the back of his head with a melancholic smile as I followed him. We reached outside again through the back of the building where I could see stone pathways in all directions leading upto various cottage and buildings of the resort.

“That is the cottage where I stay.” he said pointing at a mud colored building a little up ahead. “Your and Sanjay Sir’s cottage is that way.” He said pointing to another pathway that seemed to go downhill while simultaneously starting to walk on it. “It’s just around that curve.”

I nod and follow him, grateful for his company. “Where are the others? The Ladies and kids ?” I asked looking around. There was no sign of anybody else on surrounding cottages.

“There is a small stream a little south of here. They must have went there to let the kids play in water.” 

“I see.” The narrow pathway curved up to another mud colored cottage standing a little isolated from the others. 

“Here you go.” Faizi said pointing towards it. 

“Nicee. Thanks a lot Faizi. If you don’t mind, can you wait a few more minutes. I will quickly change and come. Then we can go to your cottage together and get those chocolates you were talking about earlier.”

“Oh about that. I just made that up to get you out of there. I don’t actually have any chocolates with me. Sorry !!” he said sheepishly.

I broke out laughing not at all upset about getting another hope of getting something to eat getting dashed.

“But I am sure some of the ladies will have somethings with them. I have seen some of them carrying fruits. You get changed and come. Then we can head over to that stream I was telling you about earlier. They will be there.”

“Its a plan. Please wait for a few minutes. I will be back in a jiffy.”

“Sure no problem. Take your time.” 

“Thanks a lot. And really sorry for the trouble.” I say moving towards the door and trying to wrench it open. It didn’t budge.

“Faizi. This seems locked.” 

“Oh you don’t have the key? It must be with Sanjay Sir. He must have locked the door out before he left.”

I froze as I heard that. I began to shake. Ever since I stepped out of my bedroom early this morning it has just been just one misfortune after another. Nothing was going my way today. First I wasted a precious hours getting ready which lead to me missing both breakfast and lunch. Then it turns out the dress I chose to wear was not at all suitable for the occasion and had totally the opposite effect of what I was intending. I wanted respect and ended up getting treated like some sort of cheap hooker. And now I was freezing, hungry and locked out of my own room. Everything seemed to be going against me and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I knelt down on the floor and sobbed finally releasing the emotions that have been building up inside me.

“Hey Hey Hey. What happened? Why are you crying? Is it the key? We can just walk back and get it from… “ Faizi asked alarmed at my sudden breakdown.

I threw down my phone in rage and screamed. “I am not going back up there.” 

“Hey hey hey its allright!!” Faizi said rushing to my side and tentatively wrapping his arms around my shoulder. I didn’t resist and let him comfort me. Gradually my sobs died down and I was able to get a better hold of myself. He kept gently rubbing my arms. I wished that hand had the audacity to go a little more down and caress my waist which was still stinging a bit from Sanjay’s rough hold earlier. Damn! What the hell am I thinking?

I gently shrugged out of his half embrace, admonishing myself for where my thoughts were going  and muttered.

“Thanks. I am really sorry about that. Just having a really bad day. And being cold and hungry on top of it isn’t really helping.”

“Oh I can help with both those problems. You stay here. I will quick go and get the keys from Sanjay Sir and get some snacks for you, while I am at it too.” 

I nodded gratefully. 

He helped me sit down on the steps and began to walk back. As I watched his retreating back suddenly I felt like I don’t want to be alone. 

“Hey wait up!!” I called out.  

He paused and looked back. I stood up and jogged to his side. “I will come with you till the main building.” He smiled and nodded. We walked back in silence. As we reached back however the main building was crowded than before and there was some commotion going on. It looked like the women and kids were back. A hysterical lady seemed to be questioning all the kids there while the other woman struggled to calm her down.

“Last I saw them they were sitting under that large tree near the pond making paperboats”. A small girl animatedly explained to the distraught woman.

“Hey Prakash. What is going on?” Faizi asked a tall dark curly haired guy who was passing by.

“Shamna Beegum’s sons Arif and Afsal are missing. They are nowhere to be seen.”

“What? How? When?” Faizi asked alarmed.

“No idea. We already checked all the cottages. They don’t seem to be in any of them. Most of the guys have already left to go look for them in the woods. Help us man. Not many men left that are sober. We need to find them before nightfall. And its already starting to get darker.” 

“Ofcourse. I will start right away. Deepika you wait here. I will….”

“I can help. I will come with you.” I interrupted him.

“Are you sure?” He asked looking at my attire doubtfully. It is going to really difficult to traverse the woods in this. Not to mention exposed. But I didn’t feel good about being left behind with these hysteric ladies whom I haven’t even formally met yet.

“I will be fine. Let’s go.” I said prompting him.

“Fine. Lets go and check the area along the stream. Come on.” he said quickly heading in the westward direction in quick steps. I had to jog uncomfortably in my heels in small strides that my saree allowed to keep up with him. Uggh why is every dress and accessories that deemed attractive on women is also the ones that restrict her free movements the most?

The resort wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. It was a group of small cottages built onto the slope of a mountain. Except for the areas cleared for the resort itself the surroundings were all covered by the dense foliage of the jungle. It was not possible to see anything beyond the thick cluster of tree lines that surrounded the resort. 

Sanjay turned his car onto a narrow dirt path that branched off the main road, leading to a large clearing designated for parking. A few cars and a couple of minibuses were already stationed there, looking out of place amid the lush greenery. The ground was still damp and muddy from recent rain. I groaned at the thought of navigating through the muck in the fancy stilettos with pointed heels I was wearing. Walking up the stone pathway that led to the resort buildings would be even more of a challenge.

As I stepped out of the car, I was momentarily taken aback at the feeling of sudden chill that assaulted my senses which was very different from the comfortable coldness of the air conditioner inside the car. I shivered as I got caught in the cool breeze that was blowing outside, feeling it punishing me for daring to come here in this skimpy dress that left so much of my skin in open contact with the air. I felt that coldness on the bare skin of my arms, neck, and belly like the prickling of tiny needles that were injecting chilliness into my very veins.

I looked at Sanjay jealously who was shrugging on a thick jacket over his already thick full sleeve t-shirt not even bothering to offer it to me even though he has clearly seen my predicament. Instead, all he gave me was a smug YOU DESERVE IT FOR BEING SO DUMB look. 

I huffed and quickly picked up my duffel bag and started walking ahead of him with ginger steps so as to not get my saree dirty on my way towards the resort. We must have walked a few yards when I realized something was amiss.

“Oh Shit !! Sanjay !!” I said coming to a sudden halt. “I think I left my phone inside the car.” I said disgruntled with myself for making yet another dumb careless mistake. He threw me another exasperated expression.

“For God’s sake Deepika!! Are you determined to waste as much of my time today or what?”

“If you are in such a hurry just give me the keys and go on ahead. I will walk back and get it myself.” I said staring daggers at him.

He looked like he wanted to argue. Then he just threw me the car keys which I scrambled for a bit awkwardly to catch, dropping my bag into the muddy ground in the process. Sanjay picked up the bag quickly before it got even dirtier and said sarcastically.

“I will carry this. Please don’t leave those keys inside the car as well. We need it to go back. ” 

“HA HA very funny” I retorted and stomped away turning my back to him. Inside I hoped he would wait until I came back. I didn’t want to enter the resort alone. Still, my ego didn’t let me turn back and look. Not until I have reached all the way to the car.

And he was nowhere to be found. In fact, I seemed to be the only living soul in the parking lot now. I took a deep breath, opened the car door, got inside, and just screamed, at the top of my lungs, venting out all my frustration and beating the hell out of the steering wheel.

That felt good. I sighed and rested my head against the steering wheel for a while gathering myself. Suddenly there was a knock on my window. I looked up startled. A blurred face of a man loomed outside the fog-tinted window. He rubbed on the glass trying to remove the fog to peek inside. I cursed myself under my breath and lowered the glass. I thought there was nobody within earshot and the car would muffle the noise from going outside too much. Clearly, I was wrong.

“Are you alright mam?” the man asked concerned.

“Oh yea ! I am good. I was just…..ummm… it’s just….a cockroach !! a cockroach jumped on me and I got scared” I answered flustered and embarrassed scrambling to find excuses for my odd behavior.

“Deepika? Is that you?” 

I started at being addressed by my name and did a double take at the man. It took me only a few seconds to recognize that handsome face.

“Faizal?? “ I asked in surprise. 

“Wow. So it is you.” A gorgeous grin spread across his face happy at being recognized by me. Faizal used to be my senior in my old college. Though we have never interacted with each other much we have always been very much aware of each other’s existence. He used to be one of my secret admirers. I smiled widely at him and got out of the car.

“What are you doing here?”

“Was about to ask you the same thing”

“I just arrived  here with my husband. He organized a getaway here for his colleagues. He went inside ahead of me a few minutes ago. I left my phone here in my car, so had to rush back.”

“And got attacked by a cockroach while you were at it?” he asked laughing. 

“Uh ..huh.. Yeaa..it just flew at me out of nowhere. Must have flew inside when I opened the door earlier to get out.”  I answered animatedly complete with action hoping he would buy it.

“So it must be still inside. Do you want me to get rid of it for you?”

“Oh don’t bother. I have killed it. By the way you haven’t said what you are doing here.” I asked trying to change the subject.

“Oh! I am here on an office trip as well. “ He said nonchalantly. 

Then suddenly his eyes grew wide as he noticed the car beside me.

“Wait a minute! This is Sanjay’s sir’s car. Don’t tell me you are his wife.” he said looking at me in wonder.

“As a matter of fact, I am. How do you know ….ah !! “ I trailed off as it suddenly dawned on me that Faizal must be working at my husband’s company as well.

We were now both looking at each other with newfound wonder now. If only I showed more interest in Sanjay’s work affairs I would have found out about my secret admirer from college working at my husband’s office. 

“I am surprised you not only recognized me but know my name as well,” Faizal said pleased.

I smiled back at him a little embarrassedly. I couldn’t blame him for thinking that. I used to be pretty arrogant back in my college days due to my popularity and good looks. I was very much aware of most of my open and secret admirers and I spent all my college years pretending they didn’t exist or treating them as though they were beneath me. I took great pride in dating the rich and popular guys of the college and enjoyed the vanity that came with it.  Faizal was one of those silent admirers that preferred to watch me from distance longingly. He has never dared to approach me either probably because he thought I was out of his league or because I always used to hang out with the popular crowd in college. A pity since he was one of the very few whose attention I actually used to enjoy. That is why I easily remembered him though we have never talked to each other before.

“Could tell you the same thing.” I teased.

“Oh come on. There wasn’t a single person in college who didn’t know who you were. You were the college beauty queen. I on the other hand was a nobody. “ 

“Nobody? You are kidding, right?  If anybody was anything it was you. Football team captain…. party leader….. How could  I not recognize the person who single-handedly organized more than half the strikes that ever happened in our college.” I said laughing.

“Ah! That’s how you know me!” he said, sounding a little relieved.  I smiled inwardly. He was still under the impression I have never noticed his stares and sideways glances in college. 

“Yes. Still, I must say you have changed a lot. Nothing like the rowdy wiry guy I remember. You look good.“ I said eyeing him appreciatively. It was indeed true. Back when I knew him in college he was a tall wiry guy with a shabby hairstyle and disheveled appearance due to the hapless way he used to wear his shirts with a few buttons unbuttoned at the top. Now however he was looking pretty dapper in a maroon hoodie and camouflage cargo pants. His frame looked bulkier and his jawline chiseled beneath his fancily trimmed beard. His hair was longer, almost shoulder length and looked nicely conditioned. I used to find him quite cute even back in college days. But now he looked downright irresistible.

A slight blush rose in his cheek at the compliment. He ran his hand through his wavy shoulder-length hair with a little shyness and said adorably. “Right back at you. You look even more beautiful now than I remember. ” I felt my own cheeks heating up at the compliment as I felt him eyeing me  up and down appreciatively. His eyes paused just a second longer on my exposed hip. For some reason, his appreciative glance at my midriff filled my stomach with butterflies.

 “Is that so? “ I asked with a naughty grin and cocked my hips to the side letting my navel come into plain view. I don’t know what possessed me to do that.

A tingle went down my spine filling my belly with butterflies as I saw his eyes widen and darken with desire at the sight of my navel. 

“Well, you look quite dashing yourself with your new get-up. Quite a changeover from that old shabby Faizal I remember”  I said grinning feeling pleased at finally getting the reaction that craved from someone since morning.

“Yes..well…Ummm…I mean thanks!” he said flusteredly wrenching his eyes from my midsection to look at my face. 

The effect I had on him was like a balm to my injured self-confidence. I took a moment to relish in that small sense of power before standing properly and covering my midriff better with my pallu. After all, for all my attraction towards him, I was still a married woman and was here with my husband. I didn’t want to give him any wrong ideas.

“By the way what were you doing outside all by yourself.”  I asked changing the subject.

“Oh I just came out to look around and have a smoke. Most of the men have already broke out their bottles and started to drink up there.  I didn’t want to get drunk yet. So I thought I would come out and explore the surroundings a bit. By the way aren’t you feeling cold in that?“ he asked indicating my saree.

“Oh yea. I am freezing.” I said crossing my arms and rubbing my shoulder. A cold wind blew at that moment making me shiver even more.

“I hope you have brought some thicker clothes. It’s only going to get worse towards the night.”  

“Don’t know about thick. But I did bring some spare clothes for the night.”  I said thinking of the t-shirt and shorts I had brought along wear for the night. “To be honest when Sanjay told me about this jungle resort trip my brain only registered the resort part and totally omitted the jungle bit. And I had no idea it was going to be high range too on top of that.  By the time I realized it, it was already too late. And so here I am at the middle of nowhere looking as though I just came out of a wedding function.”

Faizal laughed “Well the dress may not be suitable for the occasion but it certainly looks damn good on you.” I grinned at him feeling slightly better. “But if you haven’t brought anything warmer I have a spare sweater in my room. It may be a bit oversized for you but would keep you warm.”

“Thank you. I will keep that in mind in case I can’t find anything I can borrow from Sanjay’s luggage bag.“ Just then a strong wind blew making my saree flutter and shift it violently off my torso exposing the full expanse my bare stomach. The large tree whose shade we were standing under swayed making the leaves drop all the leftover raindrops it were carrying over myself and Faizal like a mini 5 sec rainfall. 

“Zzzzzzzzzzz…” I hissed involuntarily shrugging up my shoulders and squeezing my eyes shut as I felt the cold drops of water on my face, neck, back, and belly. I just stood like that shivering for a few seconds waiting for the wind to subside. Once it did I slowly opened my eyes to find Faizal standing there with his eyes transfixed on my belly like he was witnessing one of the most beautiful sights he ever beheld. I didn’t have to look down to know what has captured his undivided attention like that. My belly was not only fully exposed but was sprinkled with hundreds of tiny raindrops courtesy of the wind. I could feel some drops still trickling down my curves. I felt paralyzed and rooted on the spot by the sheer intensity of his lusty gaze on my belly, my ego refusing to let me move my limps to cover myself back up as it drank in his attention. I became acutely aware of a single large drop that was moving in a straight line right down the center of my belly and I could tell his eyes were following its path waiting for the moment it reached its destination. Instinctively I slightly pulled in my belly easing the movement of that aspiring raindrop and hissed again in pleasure as I felt it entering my navel. Faizal’s expression was priceless. A look of pure exhilaration and wonder at having witnessed something staggeringly sensual. I smiled pleased and happy at his unabashed show of interest on a part of my body that I held so dear to me and reluctantly adjusted my pallu back in place although haphazardly.

Faizal blinked as though coming out of a daze and slowly looked up to my face and grinned sheepishly seeing my knowing smirk.

“It’s probably going to rain soon. We should get inside.” he said more to break that awkward moment than out of any real concern for rain.

“Yea! You are right. Let’s go.” I say nodding grateful for that subtlety and start walking slowly towards the resort buildings.

My simmering anger and resentment calmed down somewhat after a while as I sat in the car observing the countryside listening to some old Lucky Ali songs. A few hours must have passed when my stomach growled loudly making me grudgingly aware that I haven’t had anything to eat since morning and it was nearing midday now. I slowly put down my earpods and threw a sideways glance at Sanjay wondering whether I must ask Sanjay to stop by some shop for a quick breakfast. As though he heard my mind he suddenly turned towards me. Or maybe it was the sound of my growling stomach that he heard.

“Feeling hungry Darling?” he asked with a false smile.

I had a feeling this was a smartly laid trap to lead me towards another round of berating rather than any actual care for my well-being. Still, it was worth a try as I was too hungry to care. 

“Umm..Yes?” I replied.

“Well if we started the journey at least TWO HOURS prior like we were supposed to we would have had ample time to stop somewhere for a quick breakfast and make it to the resort in time for the grand buffet I have arranged for lunch. Now thanks to you uselessly wasting an exorbitant amount of time we don’t have time to stop for breakfast and will be lucky if there is anything left of the buffet by the time we reach there.”

I knew it. It was a trap. I sank back into my seat scowling and plugged back on my earpods, crossing my arms tight across my stomach finding some comfort in the pressure exerted on top of my empty stomach. At least my belly would look extra slim since it’s so pitifully empty. I consoled myself.

Another few hours passed by. The pleasant landscapes we were traveling through slowly evolved into dense forests. The roads kept on getting steadily narrower and uneven as the journey progressed. 

“Oh, Shit!”  Sanjay whispered suddenly bringing the car to a screeching halt while looking ahead in dismay. I followed his line of vision and was confronted with sight of  a giant 12 ft elephant standing in the way a few meters ahead of us, totally blocking our path. The sound of the screeching brakes caught its attention it looked our way. I tensed in my seat scared out of my wits as Sanjay quickly put the car in reverse gear and started driving backward putting a good amount of distance between us and the wild elephant.

The elephant kept looking at the our retreating car for a few more seconds as though daring us to come forward before going back to its leaf snacking as though nothing happened. 

“Shit! What will we do now? Is there another way to get there?” I asked Sanjay.

“Not that I know of. Let’s just wait for a few minutes and see. It will probably move on its own once its done eating.” He said already flipping out his pack of cigarettes and getting out to smoke.

I groaned internally. Great! We are going to end up wasting even more, time now. It was already past 2 pm as it is. My small hopes of getting there atleast in time to catch some last remnants of lunch started slowly fading away. Sanjay knocked on the car window and showed his half finished bottle of whiskey offering me a drink. I shook my head politely declining his offer to fill my stomach with alcohol instead of any real food. 

I looked ahead at the elephant willing it to move away and clear our path. But the elephant didn’t seem to be in any hurry to finish its task at hand as it kept on chewing away leisurely whatever it was eating without so much as budge.

Minutes kept ticking away. Sanjay helped himself to another 4 pegs of whiskey and finished smoking 2 more cigars. Finally after what seemed like eternity the elephant finally started to move again throwing us a casual side glance which looked suspiciously like it was smirking before disappearing into the woods.

“Thank God!! Finally…” I muttered as Sanjay got back inside the car and started the ignition. The journey resumed once again. I couldn’t wait to reach the resort now. And roads didn’t make it easy. It was narrow, uneven, and looked wet and clogged with water due to some recent rain and the sides were steep falls since we were steadily climbing to a high range now. About one hour more hour must have passed when Sanjay finally got off the road to a dirt track and I could finally see the resort in the distance.

Hmm! Perhaps I should show a little more skin. What if I exposed my navel too?? I thought as I adjusted the pallu of the saree I was wearing. I slipped my thumbs into the waistline and pulled it down a little more letting more of my midriff skin breathe. Then I carefully folded my pallu into smaller pleats and laid it over my shoulder and checked myself in the mirror. 

Oh My! I giggled at my own reflection in the mirror seeing my deep oval-shaped navel glaring back at me shy and blushing for being left out in the open like that. What an alluring sight it was? Any guy would go weak on their knees if they see me like this. 

“Deepikaaaaaa………….will you please get out already?” I started as my husband Sanjay’s exasperated angry voice carried into my room from beyond the closed door for the …how many times it was again? I lost count after three.

“Coming….Just a couple more minutes..” I yelled back the same excuse I have been telling since past couple of hours and went back to the task at hand. It is ok. His anger will dissipate as soon as I step out of the bedroom and he sees how good I look. After all, he was going to introduce me to his employees for the first time today. I am sure he wants me to look my best. After self-convincing myself of the righteousness of my decision I went back to examining myself. 

Hmm. Can’t deny that leaving my navel exposed like that raised the oomph factor of my appearance by like a 1000 times. But I couldn’t forget the fact that this was still Kerala. Wearing a saree like this in a conservative state like Kerala was like an open invitation to get slut-shamed. And that was the last thing I wanted. Then again these people I am about to meet were all software professionals. Surely, they are a much more modern and sophisticated crowd. They will have a much more open mindset. Wouldn’t they? I bet all the ladies are going to come dressed in modern outfits. Still just to be safer I suppose it is better to tone down on the skin show a bit.

So I readjusted the pleats into slightly wider ones and checked myself in the mirror once more. Perfect! My pallu was covering my navel now but only by a few inches. A generous amount of my curvy hip was visible. My love handle peeked out sensously begging to be caressed by some strong masculine hands. My mind conveniently presented me with a mental image of a strong powerful hand placed firmly on top of my exposed curve and squeezing. Ufff! I gasped almost feeling that squeeze on my skin instantly making my insides clench deliciously.

“For God’s sake Deepika. For the 100th time. Please get out already. “ Sanjay’s furious yell carried over again this time accompanied by a loud rattling bang on the door. I jumped startled out of my wits at the loud sound. 

“Yes! Yes! Coming! Just a moment” I said hurriedly checking myself in the mirror one last time. I am usually very critical of my appearance but today even I had to admit that I looked exceptionally good. The dark green saree and the matching sleeveless blouse I was wearing complimented my creamy and flawless skin texture nicely. My hair which I have spent a considerable time conditioning now laid loosely on my shoulders all wavy and shiny. All around I was looking quite classy and beautiful if I could say so myself.

In a moment of naughtiness, I cocked my hips to a side and smiled devilishly at myself as a generous expanse of my belly and my oval-shaped navel came into view tantalizingly. Feeling giddy as I imagined myself capturing the attention of all those fine gentlemen who work under Sanjay.  I imagined them trying hard to not let their eyes stray towards my navel which will be playing peek and boo behind my pallu in accordance with my movements. And I will pretend not to notice them while drinking in and basking the glory of all those stares on my sexy midriff. 

OK! Enough fantasizing. Time to get out. I hurriedly picked up my duffel bag which contained some change of clothes, toiletries, and some other fancy makeup items, and quickly stepped out of my room, already brainstorming ways to cool off Sanjay’s temper tantrums in my head . 

He was impatiently pacing up and down the hallway looking ready to rip open someone. He rounded upon me as soon as he heard the door open. His eyes were looking bloodshot with anger. I slightly recoiled taken aback by the anger and resentment his eyes held. Beside him on the small round table laid a half-finished bottle of Signature whiskey and a glass. Meaning he has been drinking while waiting for me.

Uh! Oh! This is not Good. OK! Defensive maneuvers. Quick. Think Deepika Think!. Time to test my killer moves. 

“How do I look ?” I asked coyly flashing a winning grin, as I striked a pose with one hand folded above my head like a supermodel making my pallu shift aside from my belly by itself in the process and giving him a grand view. He has never exhibited any sexual attraction towards me or my body to date. So I didn’t know why he should start now. Still, it was worth a shot.

He looks at me up and down with a look of incredulity. Not quite the reaction I was expecting. 

“Deepika..” He started in a deadly low voice that sliced through my heart ominously. “Where are we going?”

“Umm. To a resort?”

“Great. So you know that. And what sort of resort?”

I shrugged and said, “A big and fancy one I suppose since it is for all your employees.” I answered confused and bewildered. What is up with this sudden interrogation?

“It is a FREAKING JUNGLE RESORT DEEPIKA.” he exploded. 

“Oh !!” it finally dawned on me why he wasn’t pleased with my getup. I was most definitely not dressed appropriately for the place we were heading. My stomach dropped. What was I thinking? 

“Oops Sorry. I didn’t think….Please give me 2 more minutes. I will quick change and…”

“HELL NO! You already wasted two freaking hours getting dolled up in this stupid dress for no reason. You are not wasting another second. Go get  in the car.”

“But…”

“IN THE CAR…NOW!!” he roared.

I glared at him angrily my eyes starting to sting with tears and stomped towards the car, wrenching open the door with more force than necessary and closing harshly making the whole car rattle at the impact. I threw the duffel bag to the rear seat and sat looking sideways blinking back the tears that was threatening to escape my eyes. Sanjay got in after me with a scowl and started the car.

Of all the men in the world, I could have married why did I marry this man? We were incompatible in every way. Truth be told I knew exactly why. I just didn’t want to admit it. I got captivated by Sanjay’s immense wealth and social standing. That is one of the main reasons why I decided to marry him despite him being more than a decade older than me. Plus he also seemed like a well distinguished gentle man at the time with good looks. I never stopped to think why he waited till his late thirties to get married.

The marriage was a disaster in every way. After marriage it didn’t take long for me to realize that Sanjay has zero interest in me. He needed a good looking and sexy trophy wife to show off to the world. He had no interest in caring for me. The mechanical loveless sex we used to have on the initial days of our marriage dried up completely within a few months.  

From the outside to a casual viewer I might seem like one of the most fortunate women in the world. I lived in an expensive and posh villa. Sanjay was CEO of a reputed IT firm and a very successful and wealthy one at that. I had all the material comforts a woman could ask for. But I would have happily traded all of these for a loving husband and a satisfactory sex life. 

I was determined to not utter a single word throughout the journey. I didn’t want to get into an argument. But I still wanted him to feel my wrath. It was still very early in the morning when we started our journey. The uncomfortable silence between us must have started bothering him as he began attempts at making light conversation 2 hours into the journey. But I plugged in my ear pods and sat staring outside determinedly ignoring him. He signed and kept on driving.