Benign Flame: Saga of Love by BS Murthy (sci fi books to read TXT) 📖

lunch and go to Sandhya’s place,” said Roopa to Chandrika, picking up her bathrobe.

“I know you would be restless till you meet her but tell me, how you are managing your home?” said Janaki in smile as Roopa went into the kitchen on her way to the bathroom.

“You’re welcome for inspection,” said Roopa smiling.

“Why won’t we come after you settle down,” said Janaki

“I hope you’re making the best of life,” said Ramaiah joining them.

“You should know how your father is worried about you,” said Janaki to Roopa.

“No need for that as he looks after me famously,” said Roopa thoughtfully.

After bath, in her eagerness to rush to Sandhya, Roopa joined her mother in the kitchen to pressurize her to speed up the cooking. But hardly could Roopa eat what her mother so fondly served her in time, and rushing in a rickshaw, she reached Sandhya’s place only to fumble in greeting Damayanthi at tête-à-tête with a guest.

When Roopa began to hop up the steps to Sandhya’s room, Damayanthi in concern sounded caution, and told her guest,

“She’s Roopa, Sandhya’s friend, looks like they are born for friendship.”

Storming into Sandhya’s bed without a word, Roopa overwhelmed her in a cyclonic embrace and buried her head in her sharp valley and excited by her touch for which she was craving, Sandhya wanted gratification for her soul as well with the timbre of Roopa’s tone. However, even as Sandhya parted her sensuous lips to initiate a dialogue, Roopa in all eagerness to savor them, closed in on them for deep kissing, and even when her lips were set free, Sandhya couldn’t give vent to her feelings past monosyllables as Roopa went on probing her labia with her craving tongue. But when Roopa’s clamor rent the air as Sandhya plunged her tongue into her surging vulva to savor its flavor, they both had gratifying feeling.

“Oh! It’s as if it were ages,” said Sandhya in embosom with Roopa.

“You make me die for you!” crooned Roopa into Sandhya’s ear.

“I’m going crazy craving for you,” said Sandhya longingly.

“Sad, we failed to make it before I was trapped in the wedlock,” said Roopa fondling Sandhya.

“But still so much life is left for us,” said Sandhya fondling Roopa.

“What if your ‘would-be’ won’t turn a blind eye?” said Roopa in apprehension.

“Shall I marry a blind man?” said Sandhya in jest.

“Jokes apart, what if he spoils our party?’ said Roopa in speculation.

“If it comes to that I would walk out on him,” said Sandhya mirthfully.

“Won’t it be far better if I too give myself to him,” said Roopa mystically.

 ‘That would herald our fulsome threesome,” said Sandhya dreamily.

“Given our love, no doubt about that,” said Roopa heartily.

 “By the way, how’re things with you?” said Sandhya

“There’s nothing wrong with him but nothing goes right for me. That’s the irony of it all,” said Roopa as though grasping the reality.

“Why this emergency landing?” said Sandhya in seeming innocence.

“Haven’t you posted the wings for me to fly into your nest,’ said Roopa looking at Sandhya endearingly.

“Lovey, for our love’s sake find a groom for me in your locality,” said Sandhya.  

“Good idea, but I’ve come to believe that I’m born unlucky,” said Roopa pensively.

“I swear that I’ll do everything to make you happy, our ménage a trois included,” said Sandhya overwhelmed.

“Know it’s your love that keeps my life going,” said Roopa, touched by all that.

“We’ll keep it that way, come what may,” said Sandhya, signing the kiss of contract with her lips.

“I know we would at any cost,” said Roopa, grabbing Sandhya’s lips to seal the agreement.

Buoyed by Sandhya’s commitment to their love and accompanied by Raju, Roopa called on her in-laws that evening.

“We’ve always felt you would make a good daughter-in-law,” said a satisfied Durgamma, after an hour-long enquiry. Taking leave in the end, Roopa promised to stay with them for a couple of days before she left for Hyderabad.

“The waiting is killing, bunk the post-lunch sessions,” Roopa said as she nestled into Sandhya the next evening.

“Is it to let all the tongues wag,” said Sandhya in jest.

“Thirsting for your wag,” said Roopa protruding her tongue.

“See how dry is mine,” said Sandhya showing hers.

“I’m all wet for that,” said Roopa shedding her sari.

“Your figure dear is flowing to perfection,” said Sandhya fondling Roopa in their embrace.

“Thank the change of the climes for that,” said Roopa naughtily.

“Don’t be mean, give credit to whom it’s due,” said Sandhya teasingly, squeezing Roopa’s breasts.

“Ok, let me debit from your account now,” said Roopa reaching for Sandhya’s crotch.

“Oh, how I feel wanted!” sputtered Sandhya in time.

“You make me live,” continued Roopa.

Next day, when Roopa went to Chandrika’s office, she saw her with a man of about thirty, and felt that he could be her beau.

“This is Roopa,” Chandrika introduced her to him.

“I am Anand the ever grateful,” he said folding his hands.

“Please, don’t make much of it,” said Roopa in embarrassment.

“Your gesture is love-saving for us,” he said nevertheless.

“I’m glad you’re happy, but how are you sure that I didn’t have an axe to grind?” said Roopa as though to shed part of her guilt.

“Even then, it doesn’t lessen our gratitude,” he insisted.

 ‘I don’t deserve it, though,’ she thought, but said, “I wish you all the best.”

“Thank you,” he said as he left them to exchange notes.

“How do you like him?” enquired Chandrika eagerly.

“He has got good features, you’ve chosen well,” said Roopa shaking Chandrika’s hand in congratulation.

“Coming from you, it’s a compliment,” said Chandrika in elation

When it was time for Roopa’s departure, the mates felt wrenched from one another. Neither was Janaki satisfied. ‘You were hardly at home,’ she complained. Seeing his daughter in a happy frame of mind, Ramaiah, however, thought she got reconciled to her situation at last and felt relieved at that. However, the three days she spent in her in-laws’ house, with the constant reference to Sathyam therein, made her experience the effect of his presence more in his absence, which made her feel that she was in the annex of her own home.

 

Chapter 8

Threshold of Temptation

 

Back in Sathyam’s arms on her return, Roopa felt as though she landed in the lap of reality after her reign in the realms of fantasy.

‘Isn’t he lucky in a way?’ she thought that night, lying beside Sathyam, fast asleep by then. ‘While he airs his dreams freely, I’m forced to bury my fulfillment at the bottom of my heart. Oh, whom can I tell how happy I’m in our lesbian love? What a paradox! Wasn’t it he that triggered my libido to explode in Sandhya’s embrace. But for that weak moment, could I ever have tasted the sweetness of a woman’s love in lovemaking!’

‘Is the same-sex syndrome abnormal?’ she asked herself. ‘What’s the yardstick to judge it? Why, both of us have that innate want, and suffer when we can’t have it. And when we make it, don’t we go to the depths of sexual delight and reach the heights of sensual ecstasy? Won’t our souls merge with our bodies to communicate our mutual craving in lovemaking? Love is our life-force, isn’t it?’

‘That we’re able to enjoy sex without guilt makes it normal after all,’ she seemed to feel at ease with her libido. ‘Maybe, woman could truly experience the beauty of femininity in lesbian lovemaking! Whatever, my same-sex fondness in no way hampers my weakness for the male embrace, does it? It should be no different for Sandhya when she gets her man, so what’s the hitch in being bisexual? It’s a different matter though that Sathyam fails to inspire love in me. Am I not the loser as my life is devoid of all that goes with loving a he-man?’

The mysterious thought of man’s love mystified her soul. Her intimacy with Sandhya and her exposure to Sathyam enabled her to visualize what was lacking in her womanly life. The more she valued her mate’s fondness for her, the cure for her melancholy, she was even more dissatisfied with her husband, which insensibly increased her innate craving for an enticing man of her own, and that made her daydream about him.

Roopa didn’t wake up until Yadamma came at nine and as Sathyam was about to leave by then, she said,

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Where was the need? Let’s go for a movie in the evening. I will ask Ramu and Meera to join us. Be sure you’re ready by the time I come home,’ he said affectionately.

“I’m sorry, you’ve to do without the lunch-box today,” she said apologetically.

“Don’t be so sentimental,” he said as he left.

“How are your people?” enquired Yadamma after Sathyam was gone.

“They’re fine but what’s wrong with you? You bunked yesterday and your sevens have become nines these days. Were you regular when I was away?” said Roopa.

“Ask ayya, if you’ve any doubt; your man is a good man, not like all others who have nothing but lecherous looks for the maidservants,” said Yadamma.

“How’s your Tara-amma?” enquired Roopa, and thought. ‘Why am I inquisitive about an unknown woman?’

“She’s fine but why don’t you meet her? I’ve already told her about you,” said Yadamma.

“What did you tell her?” enquired Roopa smilingly as Yadamma didn’t blabber on her own, for once.

“I’ve told her you’re good at heart and beautiful to look at,” said Yadamma in all innocence.

“What did she say?” Roopa couldn’t help but ask.

“I would love to meet her, that’s what she said,” said Yadamma.

By the time Sathyam returned, Roopa was still lounging in the hall.

“You had all the time in the world to get ready, I’m afraid we would be late. When I rang up Ramu he said he has a surprise for us,” he said in some irritation.

“What else it could be but their wedding invitation,” she said going to the bathroom.

When they reached the Skyline in time, leaving Roopa at the portico, Sathyam went to park his Lambretta. However, Ramu, who came on his Royal Enfield with Meera, spotted Roopa and dropped his companion for her company.

“How’s your trip?” Meera greeted Roopa.

“Ok, but you’ve become so scarce even before your marriage,” said Roopa in smile.

Soon Sathyam and Ramu joined them.

“We heartily welcome you to lend your hand in ringing our wedding bells, the first of next month,” Meera and Ramu invited the Sathyams in unison.

“Congrats, we knew it’s coming,” the Sathyams said in one voice.

As she didn’t find the movie engrossing, Roopa got bored. When she chanced to see Ramu and Meera at footsie, and finding Sathyam glued to the screen, she thought, ‘romance is all about inclinations’ and in the same vein, she took Sathyam’s keenness for the formula movie by way of an explanation for his ungainliness. For the rest of the show, however, she found herself following the footsie on the floor more than the happenings on the screen as the betrothed anyway were too engrossed with themselves to be aware of her voyeurism. However, when the screen flashed ‘The End’, the rendezvous of the engaged had ended to Roopa’s peculiar disappointment.

‘Life sans romance is like food that is stale and what is left of marriage divorced from love?’ she thought, as she got on to Sathyam’s Lambretta.

That evening, a week later, the Sathyams were at the much-awaited wedding of Ramu and Meera that was well-attended too. As Roopa looked gorgeous in her grey maroon Kanchi silk sari, finding her cut a figure in the gathering, Sathyam couldn’t help but gloat over his fortune. When in the end, after bidding adieu to the newlyweds, as they reached the parking space, Sathyam thought that it’s an irony that Roopa who should’ve adorned a palanquin had to ride the pillion instead. As her supposed deprivation made him feel guilty, he realized how much he loved his wife, and thought that he should acquire a four-wheeler one day.

When they reached home, Roopa could discern a change in his demeanor and attributed it to the satisfaction he might have derived from Ramu’s wedding. While she hit the pillow straight away, for long he lay by her side looking at her as it dawned