41

DAVID WELLINGTON

Her golden skin, that particular scent, something I avoided to prevent intoxication, that tangled mess of locks, resting on my pillow, it was a mesmerizing view overall. And i was fucking mesmerized. Women have been an easy to read subject for me- but never have i been caught too off guard to think twice before indulging into this.

As I placed a kiss on her collar bone, begging for my attention, i asked her, "Have you done this before?"

At my question, a cloud of uncertainty surrounded her, but nonetheless she nodded in a yes.

I felt the need to explain, "I am just asking so i know what limits i can push."

Her innocent eyes widened a little, giving fuel to my wicked ideas. But all that wickedness had an underlying protectiveness for her. If she was a virgin, I'd find myself highly inadequate and a worse man to engage with her, for her first time. If she wasn't, it puts us on an equal battlefield. Although, my level of treachery is beyond everything and I still feel she deserves the best, which is somehow not me.

For her pleasure and pain, it was all my responsibility, and though I may have a lot of drawbacks, her giving up before me speaks alot of her trust in me- the man she has loved without any expectations.

Among her sounds, mine, and our collective warm chaos, we found so much peace. In her arms, I truly felt home. And I tried my best to be her home too.

*

I was in my element, i could see. It's been about six months with her, and about seven to eight months of temporary celibacy (You call it celibacy for a man(whore) like me). But I wasn't careless, not for a second. I told myself, every passing second, that it was for her, not for me.

"If you feel any discomfort, just push me a little.", I told her and she nodded in urgency. But still, everytime I made a move, I checked for any signs of discomfort on her face. And, not to forget, I had to stay vigilant so I do not cause any harm to her heart.

She had held my face in her palms, and kisses it many times throughout the night, her adoration and love, spilling over. The look in her eyes, it put me at so much ease.

"You don't get to do that.", i pointed out.

"What?", her voice was considerably low, may be aware of the fact that we were insanely near.

"Look at me like that, and you are never leaving this bed.", I told her.

She blushed more if it was possible, muttered something under her breath and looked away. I only chuckled, and turned her face to look at me, memorizing each curve and corner.

*

The absence of warmth beside me, jolted me awake. I turned my head to my right to see her gone, and then check the time, on the clock to see it was about five in the morning.

Did she wake up that early?

I am sure i didn't leave her in the condition to go for gym. And the washroom was also shut and silent.

I sat up, the duvet falling off me, revealing I was in nothing but my boxers. Sighing, I looked for my trousers which were kept not too far from the bed.

When I got down the bed, I saw the remnants of the night on the floor. My shoes were thrown haphazardly, her heels probably lying somewhere in the dining room. My blazer and pants lying halfway on the table, and remaining on the floor. Accompanying the mess, was her oh-so-beloved lavender dress.

I wore my trousers and immediately went to pick up her dress. Dusting it off of any dirt, i gently kept it on the couch. I hope I've not torn it anywhere in the process of removing it. Hope will not spare me.

I noticed two things -absence of Hope, and my shirt.

I went to the balcony, a place I've found her, and I've been found way too many times. She was, unmistakingly, sitting there, in my white shirt.

A smile automatically formed on my face as I went to her. She felt me before I reached there, and she shifted a little in her place.

"Sitting here in the morning...in this cold...you want to freeze Hope? You should have told me, i would have pushed you in the refriger......Hope? You are crying??"

Her eyes were bloodshot, puffy and it was clear as a day, that she had hurriedly wiped her tears when she heard me come.

My heart fell like never before. Her crying, it is not something easy to let go. She barely ever cries, atleast not in front of me.

"Hope? Have I made you upset? Hope?"

I sat beside her, and made her look at me. And as if that was a trigger, her tears started flowing uncontrollably.

"God Hope! Why are you crying?", I tried wiping her tears, the anxiety within me gnawing every inches.

Her sobs, they were relentless, i couldn't stop them, no matter how much I tried.

Is she regretting being intimate with me?
Or was i really that bad?
Did she do it in the heat of the moment, and now regretting her hasty decision?
What could possibly go wrong?

I gathered the courage to ask her, "Are you regretting it all Hope?"

She sobbed more if that was possible, her tears and that crying making her face red, something i didn't like at all.

"See! Hope! If you are regretting, it's fine. It happens. You were not a virgin, but I understand. It happens. Especially with a manwhore like me. But I promise we'd never do that again, if I really hurt you that much. Just please don't cry Blossom!"

Her sobs didn't stop at that. If I would have not known, I'll mistake it as some physical pain, which it wasn't. I checked on her before we slept. I also asked if she was feeling any discomfort in the aftermath.

My heart was hurting with each sob of her. That was the time, i realised that Hope crying is my worst nightmare.

I started raking my mind for some solution and then found one, "Wait! Let me call Erica. Only she can console you. Or may be I can call your brother."

Calling her brother meant getting ready for some punches. I hurt his baby sister after all, but who cares as long as she stops crying.

"I'll be back in a minute. Please stop crying Hope."

The throbbing in my heart was real, unreal to be exact and i immediately stood up to call Erica and make a call to her brother, most probably.

But as soon as I stood up from the couch, she pulled me back. And before i could recover, she hugged me so tightly, that if I wasn't a strong man, she would squeeze me to death.

"Don't go anywhere. Nobody can console me other than you."

Her words were drowning in her sobs, but they were clear nonetheless.

I stilled in her arms, letting the situation finally get to me. In panic, i didn't hear what she wouldn't openly say. But when she held me, her grip, stronger than the one we had in the night, i couldn't help but realize the real thing.

This wasn't regret. This was longing. It was not the aftermath of us getting intimate, it was actually the years long feelings that she had suppressed within. They were flowing out now, the dam broken.

I held her gently, allowing her head to rest against my heart. No words of consolation can work right now. I know the longing that is love.

'Nobody can console me other than you.'- That is probably the most Hope has ever spoken of her feelings for me.

I gulped the lump in my throat, and slowly caressed her head, her red hair sprawled on my chest. If I ever cried for the misfortune I faced in my life, it would probably be this same way.

She loved so much, without saying anything to anyone. Now that it was in her hand, her heart has still not stopped hurting from the years long misery. And as much as I know Hope, she still doesn't fully consider me as her own.

I continued to hold her, till her sobs turned to sniffles.

I cannot ask her why she was crying. She won't tell me. She may love me a lot, but I still don't have access to her heart. And i cannot complain.

We sat there for long, the sun was finally coming up, but I could feel her breathing getting more stable. We haven't slept for long. And she surely didn't sleep more than me. So when I was assured, she's deep in her sleep, I picked her up without much movement, and took her to the bedroom.

Her hold on me was tight, but slowly and gently, I made her lie in the centre of the bed, and covered her with the duvet. Closing the curtains to block any sunlight, I adjusted some pillows around her and then left the room, my own sleep long forgotten."

*

HOPE WELLINGTON

When I woke up, the world looked hazy, somehow a little disoriented.

"Good morning sleeping beauty! Or shall I say Good afternoon?"

That jerked off all the sleep from my eyes, and I looked in his direction to see him sitting on the edge of the bed, setting an elaborated tray. He was dressed in fresh clothes, but not in his office attire. It was his cargo pants, and that hoodie that I wore a few days ago. Somehow, he looked so much relaxed, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Am I too late?", I asked.

He shook his head, "No Hope... you're not at all late. The world is just a bit early."

I rolled my eyes at his attempt at sarcasm, and then noticed the two mugs of steaming coffee.

"Coffee...", I sighed, my eyes softening at the view. I think I only need a coffee to recuperate.

"Go and brush your teeth. And yeah, don't look in the mirror too long. Okay? I've prepared a bathtub for you, but you'll get that only after this delicious breakfast, made by 'the greatest Wellington' of all times."

I made a face, but somehow, left the comfort of the bed to go to the washroom. Thankfully, I was wearing my denim shorts underneath his shirt. Otherwise, I am sure he would have taunted me like a vicious mother in law.

The visions from the last night clouded my mind, and my face turned red, as I brushed my teeth. Rinsing my mouth, I took a few deep breaths to calm down, and go before him with my normal face. Because he loved my red blushing face, as much as I hated it. And he's never the one to keep his opinions to himself.

As I stood there for two minutes, my eyes wandered to my collar, where something deep red was peeking from behind the fabric of the shirt.

I furrowed my eyebrow, and opened one top button of the shirt to look at it. To my horror, this was a hickey, peeking from my shirt.

I came out of the bathroom, ready to thrash him, "David! You gave me a hickey."

He looked like a thief caught red handed, "Listen Hope! It happens...and don't call it a hickey. It's a love bite!"

I flared in anger, "Love bite my foot! How the hell am I going to hide this...it's at my collar bone for God sake!"

To that he muttered something under his breath, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

Something dawned upon me, and then i opened another button and God help me the amount of red and bluish marks that welcomed me.

I realise my skin was pretty sensitive to touch. But his doing is very much deliberate.

He looked at me, a little smug, "You see Hope...I was a painter. You were a canvas. And I made an art. You get that?"

I wanted to hit him fine face with a baseball bat, but somehow controlled it.

I needed a coffee, to deal with this man, and my own emotional turmoil.

"Give my coffee!"

"Be a little gentle Blossom..you're my one and only wife. Aren't you?"

His infuriating self beckoned me to the bed pointing at the breakfast. And i was very hungry.

The pancakes and that sandwich looked good. I took my mug, and sipped the coffee, the first shot of caffeine, calming my nerves in an instant.

He forwarded the plate of sandwich to me. I picked it up and in the first bite, it tasted perfect.

"You called Eric to make it?", I knew he can't cook that perfectly. He chuckled sheepishly, "I was hoping you wouldn't know."

"He uses tofu, fried in a particular way. You are too dumb to do that."

He made an unimpressed face at me, and i continued munching on the sandwich with delight, ignoring the looks he was giving me. Our eyes though, didn't leave each other. There was an underlying current of understanding between us. Somehow life made more sense after last night.

And today, this morning, I was about to blurt about all my sufferings since the start, and complain about each and every pain that I held within for so long. But as soon as I looked at his face, the fact dawned upon me, that he wasn't just the man I loved. He was not only my friend. Life has been as cruel to him as it was to me, even more. I cannot burden him with my own complaint. I cannot let him carry the weight of my love, when I know, he doesn't deserve anything that can hurt him.

He lost his parents at a young age, his wife at his prime, still he cruised through it all. He was trying his best to make a better life for us, thus, i cannot give him more to ponder and regret about.

He didn't bring up my crying again. He didn't ask me the reason- something that would have put me in a very thick position. He didn't mention i cried. Infact, if I didn't know better, I'd think I only dreamt of it.

And somehow, that made me fall in love with him, a little more than I have already fallen.

*

"Mumma! Dadda bad bad bad!", I nodded with him, totally agreeing. His dad had a flair in being the most annoying man on Earth. And thankfully, my son shared the same opinion as me. He was making Oliver bite the centre of his palm, something the little baby couldn't do, and so he got irritated like never before. I had prohibited him from biting anywhere else, and David took advantage of that.

Now we were both lying on the couch, our cheeks attached, as we bitched about his father.

"He's a bad boy."

Oliver nodded his little head.

David was settled on the floor, a little away from us, leaning on the couch and staring at her, amused.

"No choco fo Dadda!"(No chocolates for Dadda!)

"No kisses also."

Oliver lifted his head and looked at me, us forming a consensus at that, "Yeah Mumma! No kissie fo Dadda.."

"You both plan everything against me. I am not going to give in."

Give in meant, we both wanted ice cream, but according to David, the weather is turning colder, so no ice cream. Unfortunately, we had nothing left in the fridge. Me and Oliver have already rummaged it for like four times.

"David! You know I can still order ice cream from my phone."

He smirked in return, "And Hope...you know I can order all the security to prohibit any delivery that is in the name of Hope Wellington."

"You're so vicious."

"Says the woman who threw away my beloved wine cellar."

I closed Oliver's ear using my palm, "Fuck you David!"

He only smirked wider, "Gladly. Just tell me the time and location. I'm all in."

*

TWO AND HALF YEARS AGO

It was a late night for them. Nobody wanted to miss Erica's celebration. And he definitely can't because she was waiting for him since two weeks just so she could celebrate her success with her brother.

David cheerfully greeted and interacted with everyone. The best part was telling Erica that he caught Eric smoking, which was a big fat lie. But who cares! Erica was disappointed and Eric was hysterical. And he sat back and laughed. Everyone in the family knew Eric doesn't smoke and he won't for the death of him. But this was the highlight of his evening.

However, he also noticed Venus being dull, since the start of the evening. He asked her a quite many times if she was feeling any discomfort. This is his constant question since he came to know they were pregnant. But today, it was a completely different thing. She was quiet, looked sad, and somehow not present in the moment.

Just as they changed into comfortable clothes, he made her sit before him. She was not well lately, her health giving up frequently. He has been there, prioritising her health over his office work. When he was away on his business trip, he still monitored her health every now and then. But he wouldn't say she was anywhere near perfect when it came to health. Unknown to her, he had scheduled a doctor's appointment for her, and asked Erica to accompany her, as he'd be absent for some more days due to his groundbreaking infrastructure project in Argentina. It was a direct public private collaboration, and he was going to be the chief architect of that project. For that, he has to visit the site, with his elaborated team to bring real ground inputs for his work.

"Now tell me Venus. What's wrong?", He asked her after making her calmly sit before him.

Venus looked at him, for a moment too long, and then looked away, "Nothing."

Women. The word 'nothing' alone meant a whole lot of things.

Atleast now he was sure it was something.

"I am not letting you go to the bed unless you tell me what it is. Even if we have to sit on this couch forever."

She struggled. Which was rare. Generally, they fought it out. Like that is what they have been doing for years. But this time, she hesitated.

After much pestering, she finally relented, strangely asking him, "Who is Hope?"

He made a confused face at that. She was asking as if she didn't know who was Hope.

He chuckled, "What are you asking darling? Hope is Hope. She's mine and Eric's long lost friend. More mine because you know how Eric is. But thanks to Erica's management that we reconnected."

Venus just left an exasperated sigh at that, as if the answer didn't satisfy her.

"What is it with her Venus? Now that I remember, she left the party mid way. Wait...what's the date today...16th October.", and then realisation dawned upon him, "...her father's death anniversary."

A guilt surrounded him. Sure he claimed he was her long lost friend. But then he forgot the one day she always felt low on. On top of that, he joked with her like always. As if that was what she needed.

"I am really a dick! I should have controlled it. It was her father's death anniversary."

Venus, on the other hand, was observing him wonder about Hope. There was an unmistakable concern for her. But concern is nothing she can get jealous for.

"You were just friends with her?"

She ignored his monologue, and abruptly stopped his wondering over Hope.

"Ofcourse I was just.....wait! Venus....are you doubting me."

Unlike the usual trust between couples, these two had it wavering between them. And David considered himself solely responsible for it. In this marriage, they had a lot of love. And David trusted her alot. But she didn't trust him fully- in the women's department. And that was because of his past deeds. He never held it against her. He was trying to be better after his marriage, and he'd continue to try his best.

"I am just asking if you and Hope ever slept with each other."

The suddenness and the frankness of her question hit him like a blow. Talking of Hope, that way, especially on this day, seemed so inappropriate.

And he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Venus...I told you. Hope and me were friends back then. I never thought of her inappropriately. There was no place of any affair between us. You'll have to trust me on this."

Venus didn't. She had seen Hope's eyes tonight. Not once, not twice, but quite a many times since she first met him, and David was in the room.

Hope was a quiet un-bothering woman, but now everything about her was bothering her. The start of the night, she saw Hope looking at her husband, not in the way his admirers did, but in the way that told clearly she longed for him. Then she slipped her mask back on. Trying to be normal. Laugh, interact. But as soon as her husband appeared anywhere in her vicinity, her back would unusually stiffen.

Venus thought she was probably having an eye for David. Like all the other women who wanted to have him for themselves. She was used to the attention. But then her heart refused to accuse a woman that way.

When women pounced on every opportunity to interact with her husband, Hope tried everything to dodge it. Now when she thought of it, Hope was never present at any event they hosted, despite Erica complaining alot about her absence. Today, David and Venus, unexpectedly surprised Erica. Nobody knew of this surprise, other than Eric. And probably that is the reason Hope was caught in the fire.

"The way she looks at you. It's not normal.", she said quietly.

Puzzled, David came nearer, "Venus. Nothing is abnormal. She's just an introvert girl, who's not very social with men. Last time I learned, she's not even dating anyone. As i expected of her. I always said she'd grow old alone with a few cats if she didn't talk with men."

"I am not talking about men. I am talking about you. Was there something between you two? Even if it wasn't physical."

He was offended. Not only because she was accusing him. He was used to accusations, and didn't mind them. What offended him was Hope's name being dragged in such a disgraceful way.

"Venus! Hope was a good friend. She is. Just because I was a Playboy, it doesn't mean that every girl in my contact only ever slept with me. Hope was different. I respected her. And as my wife, i expect you to respect her too. Do not call her out inappropriately."

*

To be contd.(Two years ago)

I know I've been irregular, but please be generous with likes and in line comments. I need to know what I am writing is not sheer crap🥹.

Thank you. Hope you enjoyed. Next update in two-three days.