The walk home was a blur. I floated through the colony, a ghost in my own body, my mind replaying the events of the afternoon in a lurid, euphoric loop. Janaki's praise, Prakash's pathetic worship, the taste of my victory still fresh on my tongue. I was a prince. The word echoed in my skull, a mantra, a truth so profound it felt like it had been etched into my very bones.
I burst into the apartment and I locked myself in my room, the click of the lock a sound of pure, triumphant finality. I stripped off my clothes, my movements clumsy, eager, and collapsed onto my bed, my body still humming with a residual, electric energy.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, my mind a whirlwind of strategy and conquest. Devi and Kushi. My two queens. My foundation. How the fuck was I supposed to get them into my bed?
Devi was a fortress. A high, impenetrable wall of maternal affection and genuine kindness. She treated me better than my own father ever had, her care a warm, comforting blanket that was also a cage. She saw me as her son. Her project. The stray puppy she was nursing back to health. The thought of seducing her, of crossing that line, was so absurd, so unthinkable, that my mind recoiled from it. It was like trying to figure out how to climb to the moon. There was no plan. No option. None.
My thoughts shifted to Kushi. She was different. She was a crack in the facade, a flicker of curiosity in the darkness. I remembered our disastrous encounter, my clumsy, insulting words, her cold, silent retreat. The first thing that came to my mind, the only thing that seemed to make any sense, was to apologize. I couldn't think of anything else. It was a pathetic, scrawny plan, but it was the only one I had. It was the first step. The first move on the board.
Later, at dinner, the aroma of Devi's cooking did little to distract me. I picked at my food, my mind still racing.
"How was your day, Sid?" Devi asked, her voice a cheerful, oblivious melody.
"It was good," I mumbled, trying to sound casual. "Hey, I was wondering… have you seen Kushi around?"
Devi's smile faltered slightly, a flicker of concern in her eyes. "Oh, no. She and her husband went to visit their daughter. They'll be gone for a couple of days. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," I said, my voice a little too quick. "Just… haven't seen her in a while."
A wave of relief washed over me, so potent it was almost dizzying. She wasn't here. That was it. That was all.
"When will she be back?" I asked.
"I think in another two days."
I had a reprieve. Two whole days to figure out my next move.
*---*
Two days had passed in the blink of an eye. I was ready to go to the gym once again, my body aching with a familiar, satisfying soreness. I was just about to leave when I saw her. Kushi. She was standing at the main gate of the colony, her back to me, her body a soft, familiar silhouette against the bright morning sun.
A surge of pure, unadulterated joy shot through me. I ran towards her, my heart pounding in my chest. "Kushi!"
She turned, and a small, hesitant smile spread across her face. She seemed… softer. Mellowed. The cold, hard edge from our last encounter was gone.
"Sid," she said, her voice a soft, gentle murmur. "Hi."
We started walking towards the gym, the silence between us heavy, but not uncomfortable. It was a silence full of unspoken things, of second chances.
"Kushi," I said, my voice a little too loud, a little too eager. "I need to apologize. For the other day. What I said… it was rude. It was stupid. I'm so sorry."
She stopped walking, her eyes locking with mine. They were soft, sad, but not angry. "You don't have to apologize," she said, her voice a low, quiet whisper. "You were right. And I… I made a crass remark too. I shouldn't have just… run off like that."
The air between us shifted, the walls of pretense crumbling away. We started talking, really talking, for the first time. She opened up, her words a quiet, hesitant confession.
"I'm not happy, Sid," she said, her voice a little shaky. "With my husband. With my life. This trip… it just made it all so clear. How alone I am. How… empty."
My heart ached for her, but a part of me, the dark, manipulative part that Janaki had awakened, saw an opportunity. A perfect, beautiful opportunity.
"Kushi," I said, my voice a low, confident growl. "If there's anything I can do… anything at all… to help. Just say the word. I'm here for you."
She looked at me, her eyes wide with a fragile, desperate hope. "Thank you, Sid," she whispered. "That… that means a lot."
When we reached the gym. Her eyes looked at the large text on the building, a flicker of insecurity on her face.
"You know," she said, her voice a little hesitant. "I think… I think I'd like to join too. To get into shape. To… feel better."
"You should," I said, my voice a gentle, encouraging purr. "It's a great idea."
But inside, I was screaming with joy. I was doing cartwheels. I was punching the fucking air. She was joining the gym. She was putting herself in my world. The snare was tightening. And the hunt was just beginning.