Married Woman Read Online Free PDF Page A

distractedly.
    ‘Marry me. Do you want to?’
    He took his hands away and stared at her. ‘Isn’t it a bit early to decide that?’ Astha felt she had offended him.
    ‘Well, you know, otherwise—’ she trailed off, trying to look as cute and disarming as possible.
    ‘Good God, is that what you are worried about? I’m not the type to let a girl get pregnant, what do you think I am?’
    Astha realised she was sounding very un-hep, but she couldn’t help it. She had to know how safe she was. ‘Marriage‚’ she persisted, ‘you know—’ She inched a little further away from him.
    ‘Oh God, all right. We might get married. One day.’
    His mouth closed on hers, his tongue was exploring, while Astha choked and wriggled frantically.
    ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked letting her go. ‘Don’t you like it?’
    ‘I don’t know‚’ she mumbled non-committedly.
    ‘Well, let’s find out.’ Rohan was beginning to sound impatient.
    Astha had volunteered to go with him in the car. Her body had registered excitement when he had parked in the darklane. When he bent close to her, she had been overcome with dread and longing. There was no going back. She offered her lips, trying not to shrink into the seat.
    ‘God you’re so stiff‚’ said Rohan shaking her a little bit.
    ‘Sorry‚’ she mumbled.
    ‘This is not some kind of torture you know.’
    Astha didn’t know what to say. Rohan let her go, also silent. Finally he said, ‘Give me your hands.’
    She held her fists tensely out. Slowly he moved his thumb around her wrist, stroking the closed hand open. He kissed the fingers, nails, palms, he felt the small hair on the back with his closed lips. Astha felt something flow inside her as she stared at his bent head. She had never been so aware of her body’s separate life before. After a little more of this he dropped her at their secret corner.
    She got out of the car reluctantly. Something hadn’t happened. But then again, something had. On the whole the encounter left her anxious for more.
    When Rohan at last slid his tongue into Astha’s mouth she was putty in his hands. Her neck, her ears, her throat, eyes, chin, lips, all had been explored, and this time her strongest feeling was gratitude.
    *
    This was the start of numberless kisses in the car. The only problem was in finding a place sufficiently isolated.
    To Astha all places looked the same, but no, muttered Rohan, his eyes scanning various deserted spots, his fingers kneading the palm of her hand, not that one, not there, that’s not safe, while Astha burned with impatience. Finally before rolling up the windows he always put out his hand and locked the door from outside.
    ‘Why are you doing that?’ Astha asked.
    ‘Precautions.’
    ‘Against what?’
    ‘Just.’
    Astha was not really interested. All she wanted was forhim to start, so that the world could fall away, and she be lost. This is love, she told herself, no wonder they talk so much about it.
    One evening, they had parked in their usual dark corner in a by-lane off Akbar Road. Rohan liked Akbar Road, he considered it among the safest places he could find.
    Astha had slid as far down the seat as she could go without dislocating her hip. Rohan was lying as much as he could on top of her without dislocating his own. Their eyes were closed, their breathing audible. Absorbed in what they were doing, they did not hear footsteps approaching, did not see faces pressed against the windows on either side, eyes peering down at them.
    The car shook, hands banged violently on the glass, rattled the handles. Astha and Rohan jerked upright, the whole car was swarming over with threatening bodies trying to get in.
    ‘Oye, oye‚’ they shouted, leering and grimacing, furiously working the handles. Rohan frantically turned the key in the ignition, pressed the accelerator, the old Vauxhall shook and roared. The men fell off as he sped in reverse down the dark lane, lights off. They ran after the car