Love in the Flats

He noticed his daughter Priyanka peep out from her room's door. He let her come out and just when she was about to enter the common bathroom, he shouted at her taking her by surprise.

"Oh! It's only 8 am. You can sleep longer beta. In fact sleep the whole day." He mocked her.

Priyanka shuffled uncomfortably. Nearly a woman now, letting her father see her only in a long shirt wasn't exactly her fetish. But his taunt got over her nerves.

"Papa seriously. I was studying."

"You've studied bloody enough." Kumar scolded her. He saw her open the latch to the bathroom door and stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Priyanka looked at her father like he was insane.

"I'm going to take a bath. What else would I go in here for?"

"Go later." Kumar gulped down the remaining water from his glass.

"If you get up late, you go late." Saying so he shut the door on Priyanka's face.

Priyanka was boiling with anger. She went to the second bathroom, but found that occupied too by her mother.

"Mom how long will you take in there?"

"Oh you're awake. I don't know beta. Try the other one."

'Oh for fucks sake' she thought and stormed out.

5.

"Yes, yes. I'm on my way. Just ten more—"Vijay stopped talking on the phone when he saw Priyanka, half dressed, loose hair with a towel tucked in her arm, banging on his door. He felt breathless looking at her and admired her audacity.

"Priyanka, what the fuck?" he opened the door and pulled her inside. He glanced around nervously and turned to face her. Priyanka had removed her shirt showing him her well-developed breasts and naked body. She flicked her hair back and saw Vijay staring hungrily at her. She smiled at him.

"Having dirty thoughts in the morning, are we?"

Vijay shook his head. "Priya you know about my job. . ."

"Shush." Priyanka silenced him by coming closer to him and placing a finger on his lips.

"Let me." she said as she began to stroke him through his trousers. Vijay could only hold so much. He knew if she proceeded further, he wouldn't want her to stop and even if he tried he would fail, before he pulled her down and fucked her. Priyanka began to get down on her knees, when he hoisted her up by her elbows and stopped her.

"Oh! You're such a dick" she said. "Anyway I too have college, so- what a miss." She turned back, arched her brown ass towards him and smacked it, before grabbing the towel from the ground and marching towards the bathroom.

"You know, you're one crazy girl." Vijay said to her retreating back. She opened the door, her eyebrows knotted in curiosity.

"Well, isn't that the reason you love me?"

Vijay fell silent. Seeing her face he said, "I don't love you. There's no love between us. There's just lust." Priyanka didn't say anything, instead banged the door to the bathroom as she went inside. Vijay left after a while, his mood completely spoilt.

'Fuck you Priyanka', he declared to no one as he walked towards the gate.

6.

"Dei, Vijay! Nillu da." Vijay heard a woman's voice call him. He stopped at the gate and turned back to see Sarita standing in the front of her house in the ground floor. She beckoned him to come close. Vijay went forward trying not to drool over her body that was being accentuated by her nighty, as he went near.

"Yes, tell me, aunty." He called her aunty as a tone of respect but she never liked it and always scolded him for calling her that. This time was no different.

"Don't call me aunty da. It makes me look old. Do I look old?"

"N...no...no aunt- sorry. I was just addressing you as..."

"No need for all that. You can call me Sarita. Ok?" Vijay was stunned but nodded.

"I need to talk to you about something. Won't you come in? Or are you getting late?" Vijay didn't say anything. His silence spoke for him.

"Look if you're getting late, go now. But today evening when you return, before you go upstairs to your flat, come and talk to me, ok?"

"Definitely." Saying so Vijay made an abrupt exit. He spotted the watchman and waved to him. The watchman waved back.

"What sir? You didn't come yesterday." The watchman asked Vijay as he opened the gate for him.

"Oh yes. Actually I was tired and fell asleep. But next time I'll be there. You all had fun yesterday I suppose?"

"Nothing different." Shakti, the watchman, said assuming a bored face. "The same things. The old man was complaining about his ungrateful son-in-law and your friend didn't stop cursing the maid."

"Who, Devi?"

"If half of what Anirudh said about her is true, then she is no Devi."

They both laughed and Vijay finally began walking to the main road, hopelessly late.

In Vijay's flat, Priyanka was towelling herself dry. She liked Vijay and not just because they had good sex. No, not just good sex, but amazing sex that satiated her. But of course she couldn't blame Vijay for thinking like that about her. That she was a whore. He wouldn't tell it to her face. He would be subtle about it. Her other boyfriends had the same issue with her. They thought that if she was left out of their sight for a moment she would be sucking stranger's cocks. Not that she couldn't but she didn't always think of herself as an attention seeking girl. It was not her fault that men of all age found her sexually attractive. She tried to resist the advances of guys around her but found it hard to refuse. And she was also addicted to sex.

Among all the guys whom she'd slept with though, Vijay was the one who was gentle when she wanted him to be and rough when she needed it. And he somehow seemed to understand what she wanted from him. The other guys whom she slept with only used her, fucking her when they wanted and parading her about to show off. Many of them had other girls too, but Priyanka was too nonchalant to give a damn about them.

Her parents, of course, never knew about all these activities and certainly didn't know about Vijay and her relationship and Priyanka intended to keep it that way. She always told Vijay to keep his room a bit tidy, but he seldom listened. When he did, the result was remarkable. Priyanka quickly put on her long shirt and began to climb the stairs after locking the door. But instead of keeping the keys under the doormat, she took it with her. She quietly entered her house and closed the door behind her. She heard water splashing from inside the bathroom in the hall. Her father was still inside. Good. She peeped into her parents' bedroom which brought her to a very vivid childhood memory that she managed to suppress quickly. It was a very embarrassing one. One that she'd wished she hadn't noticed, of her father ploughing himself deep inside her mother.

Inside the room, she saw her mother drape the usual peach coloured saree, paired with the brown blouse. It was the dress code for the school teachers in the school that her mother taught in. Priyanka satisfied that she'd not been seen went to her room and locked it. She had to get ready for college now.

"Shit" she muttered as she saw the clock realizing how late she was.

Mrs. Kumar or Anusha was busily preparing the day's lunch. She'd already set the table for breakfast and seeing no one eating yet she grew restless.

"Kanna! Come have your breakfast. You're late." From inside her daughters' room she heard her shout back.

"I know ma. You don't have to keep reminding me." Anusha then called out to her husband who was changing into his office attire.

"Yenge (a respectful term that a wife uses), don't you want to have food?" Kumar came out, his shirt ironed and buttoned, tucked into his pants. He saw the breakfast laid on the table. It was yesterday night's roti and potato curry. Bland.

"No need. I'm late anyway. Pack it for lunch."

"I already did." Kumar came to the kitchen searching for his lunch bag. Anusha busily frying papads pointed it out. Kumar didn't wait for her to step back, instead reaching over her hand and grabbed his lunch bag. Anusha looked at him amused at his hurried pace.

"Bye." She said after he closed the door. She then saw Priyanka come out and sit at the table, busily checking her phone.

"I've packed your lunch. Its kept here...uff" she knew her daughter's forgetfulness and so she kept it on the table. Then she proceeded to apply perfume over her, took a look at herself in the mirror and picked up her handbag.

"Ok, di, eat your breakfast. Don't forget your lunch and ...ok. Bye."

Priyanka waved without looking at her mother as Anusha left the apartment. As she was climbing down the stairs, she glanced around to make sure no one was near her, before taking her phone and dialling a number. She immediately got a response.

"Yes. I know I'm late. I'm on the way." She listened to the other side for a while before blushing and laughing at the voice on the other end of the call.