• AdiYa FF ~ The Hookup •

• Chapter 1 •

Stretching his arms, Aditya woke up after he heard some noise. He ignored it thinking it was his wife, Pooja. He smiled remembering how pleasurable last night had been. It was romantic and passionate and it was almost surprising, since they had been on a dry spell for about half a year.

Aditya sat up on the bed and yawned as he looked at the wrinkled bed sheet.

Well, last night was kind of wild.

With a smile on his face and dishevelled hair, he shifted to stand up. The wind flowing through the open window caressed his body making him even more aware of his naked state. Almost feeling parky, he quickly stood up and began walking towards his wardrobe to pull out something to wear. As he walked, he stepped on something rubbery and crumbled. He stopped to look down at the source of the weird texture and realised that it was a used condom.

Of course, what else would it be?

He felt gross looking at it and decided to throw it out later. Aditya reached his closet and pulled out a tee-shirt and tracks. As he wore his clothes, he saw his uniform on the floor. It astonished him for a second because no matter what, he would never treat his uniform like that. He treasured it more than anything else and to have it lie on the floor, all ruckled up, made him think of how much he had wanted it last night.

Aditya remembered that it was his and Pooja's anniversary party the night before and it kind of made sense that they got intimate. Pooja had been out of town for the entire week heading a collegiate art program and Aditya could not have been huffier at her for not being there on such a special day. But she had made it to the party and it was probably the excitement of having her there that ignited the romantic spark, again.

She had made it to the party at the last minute... right?

The doubt slowly crept into his mind, almost like a venomous snake. It horrified Aditya that he was doubting whether his wife had made it to the party or not. Because if she hadn't, then...

"Adi! I'm home!"

...and the snake bit.

While Aditya stood there, in front of his closet, he felt someone wrap her arms around his torso from behind. And that, was Pooja which clearly meant that she had just gotten home and it was obviously impossible for them to spend the night with each other when she was out of town the whole time.

"I'm sorry, baby. My flight got cancelled at the last minute. I came to you as soon as I could."

Aditya didn't know how to react. His heart started racing as the situation became lucid. He had spent the night, a very fervid one, with someone else. It could've been stranger for all he knew. He had cheated on his wife, his best friend.

"But it isn't too late now, is it? I'm so sorry, Aditya. Please don't be mad."

Aditya heard Pooja apologise and it ached his heart because he should've been the one apologising, a thousand times or even more. What he had done was absolutely unforgivable and he didn't have it in himself to face her.

So held her hands and took them off his torso. Slowly, Aditya turned towards her and saw her nervous expression. She was probably nervous because she thought he would be mad. He was mad, but at himself. So mad, he knew he wouldn't even be able to look at himself in the mirror from then on.

With a swift movement, he hugged her. Pooja lost her balance for a second owing to the force of the hug but Aditya caught her. His guilt didn't allow him to look at her and this was all he could do.

"Adi, I knew you would forgive me. Happy Anniversary, love. I missed you."

Every word that came out of Pooja's mouth seemed like a dagger accentuating the wounds of his guilt even more. He wanted to tell her that he had missed her too and explain to her that it was all a mistake. But he remained tongue-tied, still trying to process how he let this happen. He didn't know what he could say that would make him any less of a cheater.

Especially when, the worst part of the whole situation was that he had liked it. He had liked it more than any other night he had spent with Pooja and that thought alone, made him want to slap himself.

When his father cheated on his mother, the sixteen year old Aditya was furious with his father because nothing justified cheating, nothing. Now, he felt the sixteen year old boy looking at him and repeating the same words. His mother had forgiven his father and he had been so disappointed in her for letting a man treat her like a pushover. Now, he had put Pooja in that situation. What could he expect out of her when he couldn't even forgive his own self?

His conscience overpowered all his emotions and it was like watching the foundation of his marriage of three years, fall apart in front of his eyes. It wasn't just a mere crack in the institution that he had promised to give his everything to for as long as he lived. It was like having a wrecking ball swaying just close enough to knock it all over.

 From where he was standing, he could see the taunting souvenir of the night before, still lying there.

When he looked at it last, it reminded him of the night that he regarded as probably the most beautiful and sultry night of his life. But now, the night reminded him of an inexcusable sin and all he thought about was, hiding the latex piece from his wife so she couldn't find out about his actions before he mustered up the courage to tell her, himself.
 
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