Shalini was still breathless from the aftershocks of that afternoon in the coaching classroom. Ravi and Prayush had worshipped her so thoroughly, so hungrily, that she could feel their kisses lingering on her skin even after she sent them home with a soft smile and a gentle kiss on their heads.
She had packed her books and locked the classroom with shaking hands, then returned to her small house, mind spinning, body humming with fulfilled cravings.
A week passed quietly after that day. Exams kept everyone busy. Avi studied hard, locking himself in his room with stacks of notes. Ravi and Prayush were buried in their own preparations, barely even daring to glance at Shalini when they came to class. It was a week of focus, a week of quiet, even for her.
She hadn't gone to Malika's house that entire week. Instead, Malika had come to hers, visiting during the evenings for chai, gossiping gently about neighbors and school news. They kept things calm and normal — so normal that even Avi began to think of Malika as his mother's caring friend, almost like a protective older sister to Shalini.
Flashback:
On Wednesday evening, Malika had come over wearing a simple cotton saree. She'd helped Shalini fold laundry while teasing her about being so busy, pinching her cheek affectionately and making Shalini giggle. That night, Malika had squeezed Shalini's hand before leaving, whispering, "Don't lose that goddess inside you, Shalu. Exams will be over soon."
Flashback:
One night after that, Shalini had lain awake remembering Malika's words. In the darkness, she'd slipped a hand between her own thighs, recalling Ravi's desperate moans, Prayush's gentle kisses, Ayu's worshipful, hungry devotion. Her breath had caught, and she'd muffled her cries against her pillow until her body shuddered with release. Then she'd slept, dreamless and calm.
Now, one week later, exams had finally ended. Shalini was in the living room with a steaming cup of tea when Malika arrived, her smile bright and easy. She hugged Shalini, kissed her cheek, and sat comfortably on the sofa as if it were her own home.
"How is my Shalu?" Malika teased.
Shalini laughed. "Busy, didi. Papers to check, papers to print — you know how it goes."
At that moment, Avi emerged from his room, stretching. "Namaste, Malika aunty," he greeted, polite and cheerful.
"Namaste, beta!" Malika replied with a warm grin. "How are you? How was your exam?"
Avi sat down next to his mother, picking up a biscuit. "It went well. Maths was tough, though," he admitted.
Shalini gave him a playful shove. "You did fine," she assured.
Malika looked at them both with a mischievous light in her eyes. After a moment, she seemed to remember something.
"Oh, Shalu, I meant to tell you — next week, there is a maha puja in my village, a very ancient temple festival. It happens only once every ten years, with a grand mela, music, stalls, the whole celebration for seven days."
Shalini raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Sounds like a huge event."
Malika nodded. "My family is helping organize it, and they put up tents for tourists to stay. It is all arranged. You should come with Avi. You both need a break, na? Exams are over, school holidays will start — you will enjoy!"
Shalini hesitated. "Arre, Malika, I have papers to check. Exam results — so much work still…" She tried to shift the conversation away, but Malika leaned closer.
"You think about it," Malika insisted, squeezing her hand.
Avi, who had been listening carefully, paused. The idea of going to a mela, seeing a big festival, maybe riding the train, excited him. "Mumma, it would be fun, no? Ten-day break means we can travel. Please think about it!"
Shalini sighed, ruffling his hair. "We will see after results come out, okay?"
But in her heart, she was already curious.
Later that night, after Malika had said goodbye and left, Shalini cleaned up the cups, wiping the table in thoughtful silence. Avi helped her in the kitchen, drying plates.
"Mumma," he began carefully, "I really want to go. It will be a new place to see. Please?"
She gave him a tired smile. "Let's see, beta," she said again.
After dinner, while she lay in bed, her phone pinged. A message from Malika lit up the screen:
"Shalu, I forgot to say — Ayu will also be coming straight to the village. No one knows you there, so you can be free, just like at my house. Think about it."
Shalini felt a strange jolt in her belly. Free. That word sang through her veins. The image of Ayu's worship, Ravi's kisses, Prayush's sweet devotion, all returned in a delicious wave.
She bit her lip, her mind whirling.
A mela in an unknown village, far from the city, where no one would judge, no one would question. Maybe even Ayu waiting, hungry to adore her again.
She set the phone down and sighed, her heart pounding.
There was a tremor of guilt. But it felt so small now, a shadow of what it once was.
Her pulse was louder.
Shalini lay in bed, staring at the slow-moving ceiling fan. Malika's words echoed again in her mind, weaving between the memories of Ayu's warm breath, Ravi's trembling hands, Prayush's gentle kisses. Free… no one will know you there.
Her thighs squeezed together on reflex, a flush running across her belly. In that village, 100 kilometers away, she wouldn't be a teacher, or a mother, or the proper Shalini. She would be whoever she wanted.
She turned, clutching her pillow, eyes fluttering shut. A wave of guilt tried to creep back in — thinking of Avi, thinking of her work — but it was weaker now. The goddess Malika had woken up inside her was stronger, more certain, more hungry.
Avi's soft snore drifted from the next room, so innocent, so trusting. Shalini felt a bittersweet sting. I'm still a good mother, she reminded herself. This is mine. My secret.
Her phone buzzed again. Malika had sent another message:
"Trust me, Shalu. This is your time. You deserve it."
Shalini swallowed, heart hammering, and typed back a simple reply:
"Let me think. I will tell you tomorrow."
She set the phone aside and lay back, her body still warm from those dangerous memories. Images of Ayu meeting her at the village, of Ravi and Prayush's hungry eyes if they ever dared to join her, spun through her mind in a dizzy dance.
Her lips curled in a tiny smile, almost wicked.
Maybe, she thought, she'd let herself fall completely this time. No more excuses. No more half-measures.
As her breathing slowed, sleep finally claimed her, a secret thrill pulsing between her legs.
Shalini lay on her bed, the old ceiling fan rattling above, stirring the heavy summer air. Her mind refused to settle. Every time she tried to think about practical things — Avi's results, lesson plans, grocery lists — a darker thrill slipped in like smoke.
Malika's voice hummed in her ear: There no one will know you, Shalu. You can be worshipped like a true goddess.
Her hand slipped down her stomach, fingers trembling as they reached between her thighs. The memory of Ayu's tongue, his lips worshipping her until she sobbed, made her arch against the mattress.
What if he did that again, she thought, biting her lower lip hard, but out in the open? Maybe in a dark corner of the fair, or in a tent with only thin cloth to hide us, his tongue shameless on me while I watched the world go by?
A shiver rippled through her.
Slowly, she began to move her fingers in small, practiced circles, moaning softly into the pillow so Avi wouldn't hear. She imagined Ayu's face buried between her legs, eager, desperate, licking her until she forgot her name. She pictured Ravi and Prayush kneeling behind, watching, hungry, their own hands working while she put on a show for them.
A wild, raw heat spread through her belly.
Her breath quickened. The ceiling fan seemed to blur, the spinning blades matching the rhythm of her pulse. She let her hips roll, her back arch, her fingers pressing harder, chasing the shameful high.
No one will know me there, she reminded herself, a ragged moan breaking free, no one will judge me… I can be theirs, fully.
Her thighs clenched, body shaking as the climax crashed through her. She bit the bedsheet, letting the wave wash over her in trembling pulses, sweat beading on her chest.
Afterward, she lay limp and hot, trying to catch her breath.
A guilty twinge stabbed through her as she glanced toward Avi's closed door — but it faded quickly, smothered by a deeper, unstoppable need.
I'll decide in the morning, she promised herself, letting her eyelids drift closed. If I'm brave enough…
With that final wicked thought, she let sleep drag her under, heart still pounding from the taste of her own forbidden dream.