Chapter 1: The one after the pitch
Abir's day had begun 24 hours ago. He had spent it almost entirely cooped up at his desk in office, with short breaks for tea and cigarettes. This was quite the norm in his field of advertising. The sun had come up and was shining brightly when a visibly exhausted Abir waved his anxious bosses goodbye as they headed for a big client pitch. He and the rest of his team were given the reprieve to go home and rest.
Abir contemplated going home. The idea seemed especially appealing to him as it was almost afternoon and the local trains would be relatively empty. And if he was swift enough, he might even get a seat for the journey.
He took a last drag of his cigarette, one hand flicked the butt away and the other one stretched out to hail an auto rickshaw. But, before he could tell the auto rickshaw driver where he wanted to go, he got a text from Meera. Reading it brought an unexpected smile on his face - Congratulations on surviving the pitch Mr. Copywriter. It's time to get rewarded. Come home.
She seemed to have a telepathic connection with him. Having dated for 3 years, she always knew what he needed the most, and when he needed it. Today was no different. Abir guessed that her parents weren't home, and that there was a small window where they could meet privately. She lived at the other end of town, which meant taking a train in the opposite direction. Abir thought for a second about his mom, who would be waiting at home, with his favourite lunch time food. And his warm bed, where he just couldn't wait to crash. But the comfort of home cooked food and a familiar bed was nothing compared to being in bed with Meera. He quickly texted his mom that he had to stay back in office for a couple of more hours and told the surprisingly patient driver to take him to the nearest local train station.
The last few weeks had been tough on both her and him. She had been busy with her MBA exams, spending all her time and energy buried in books and notes. And he had spent most of his time coming up with a pitch-winning campaign for a big prospective client. They had both gotten accustomed to each other's schedules and rarely had any fights about not being able to give each other enough time. But they both longed for each other, so much so that it would become hard to concentrate on their respective tasks at times. He would send her horny 'hello's and she would respond with hornier 'hi's. Just the thought of finally seeing her after all this time made him smile and his heart race a bit. He wasn't surprised to notice that his jeans had already become a little tight near the crotch. This reminded him that he was out of condoms. Funny how the body signals what it wants!
The train ride to her part of town was breezy, but the wait seemed a little too long to a sleep deprived Abir. He kept texting her, so as to not fall asleep on the way and miss the station. She kept replying with photos of her waiting at home, the pictures getting racier by the minute.
As he neared her apartment complex, he sent her a text -- I'm downstairs. Instead of texting back, she called him and said hurriedly, "Just keep talking on the phone and walk past the guard. He won't try and stop you. Pretend I said something funny... now laugh..." Her instructions guided him safely past an already sleepy guard, who couldn't care less about the visitors. But she had her reasons for being secretive and he didn't argue.
Two flights later, he rang the bell. A stumble here and there followed her as she arrived at the door and opened it for him. The first thing he noticed was her smile, wide as ever. And then his jaw dropped. She wasn't wearing a single thing. Not even undergarments. Not even the lingerie they had so fondly selected, together. She stood there, her breasts inviting him inside, a modest bush covering her wetness. He continued to gape at her, while she pulled him inside, not wanting to stretch the moment too far.
Abir was already in a daze and now, blood was far away from his brain cells. He dropped his office bag and a parcel that he was holding and pulled her into a kiss, hungry for her lips, thirsty for her scent, craving to feel her breasts, running his hand all over her back, pushing her against the wall, breathless, but unable to stop himself. She grabbed his hair and squeezed it as she felt his teeth bite her lips. They both pulled out of the kiss together and took deep breathes, smiling at each other. And then they hugged. Something about the hug made every worry melt away. In one swift motion, she yanked his t-shirt off and hugged him again, their skin now touching each other, their sweat mingling. They fit into each other like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.