wooing Meera Rai

alcohol

"Women's perfume."

"What?"

"You are wearing women's perfume."

He rolled his eyes. "Give me a fucking break, Meera. I came from an office party. Of course I am going to smell like women's perfume." He lay on the bed, his legs sprawled to either side and a sigh escaping his lips.

Meera glared at her husband. The number of late-night parties, get-togethers and shifts were getting out of hand. But more than that, it was the different scents, hair strands and the lipstick marks on his shirts that scared her. What she thought was a rough patch in their marriage, was now becoming a roadblock.

"And the lipstick stains?"

He opened his eyes at once, sitting back on the bed. "The what?"

Meera proceeded to provide the evidence she needed to prove her stance. The soaking wet shirt from the washing machine was thrown on the ground.

"Waterproof lipstick mark." She said, her eyes welling in tears. "And that's not the only shirt."

He quickly got on his feet, his eyes scanning the shirt which was thrown away and then at his wife. "Are you insane?" He accused her of being stupid, holding her by her arms with a grip that was for sure to leave a mark. "Do you even know how expensive that shirt was, Meera?"

She tried getting out of his grip, but failed. "You should have told her that too before she used her lipstick on it."

"God-damnit Meera. You are being ridiculous." He yelled at her, their voices drawing attention from the messy room. "How is that whenever I have a remotely good time, you always bring me down? What is about you that makes me wanna kill myself?"

Meera gulped. His words and his actions were hurting her lately. More than usual. But, it was the alcohol. It really was the bitter liquor that made him say things he didn't mean. He was going to vouch for it too, tomorrow. Blame the liquor for his venomous words.

"I went to a party. Where women were also invited. I hugged a few. Danced with a couple. That's it! And if I had to cheat on you, why would I leave any evidence behind? I am not that dumb." He explained himself, stinking so much that Meera couldn't help but flinch at the proximity. "It's not my fault that you are a lonely, ugly woman with nothing better to do than think that your husband is cheating on you." He pushed her away, shaking his head at her in disgust.

Meera couldn't help but cry. She could hear her heart beating so aloud that it would rip off her ribcage. Her insecurities, coupled with the words of her drunk husband were clearly not a good match.

"How is that you are allowed to hug other women, and I am not allowed to even shake hands with any men?" She countered, really pissed at the turn of events.

His lips twitched in an ugly frown; eyes reddened. "So now you want a free pass to fuck other men too?" He held her by the arm, so hard that she had to whimper in pain. "But given the way you look, no man would ever look at you, forget touching you. And since I married you, I really need to see other prettier women as a compensation for you."

Meera's arm was stinging by the time her husband was done with her. He was slowly turning into a monster, and the kind that Meera didn't expect. It happened so suddenly yet so that Meera had no idea what was coming her way.

"Be glad, Meera that you have an understanding husband who still loves you despite your... face. If it was anyone else, they'd be sticking their dicks to a hole in the wall if it came to that."