“Certainly. We already spoke with one of our recent graduates and he was eager to help you.” She opens the door to her office and a young man steps inside. “This is Ganesh. He’s been working here since he finished and probably knows this campus better than anyone else.”
“Thank you so much, Kaveri. It’s great to meet you, Ganesh. Shall we go?”
“Yes, sir. Please come with me.”
I follow Ganesh out and he points out everything as we pass it, adding a story to every corner of the school. He even goes on to tell me how he was begging on the beach when Kaveri offered him a bed for the night and enrolled him in school. Tears prick the back of my eyes and I blink furiously to keep them at bay.
As we walk the halls and peer into classrooms and the dining hall, I’m impressed with how many students there are. It’s also incredibly clean, which comforts me. A lot of government facilities aren’t hygienic and it’s one of the biggest issues Nihal and I faced while attending those meetings. At the back of the main building is the sports ground overrun with weeds. I take a couple of pictures and Ganesh walks with me while I measure the space.
“What’s your favourite sport?” I ask as we return to the shade.
“Hockey,” he replies instantly and when I smile, he blushes. “I also like cricket. And basketball.”
“Do you play any of them?”
“Everyone plays cricket. It is very popular.”
I’m already calculating how much money and time it would take to turn the grounds into a proper cricket pitch and construct a turf field for hockey. Probably more than we can afford, but it’s worth looking into.
“Mr. Patrick. Can you tell me about winning the medal?”
I grin and pat him on the back. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
He looks so happy, all the pain in my chest fade away as we return to the main building. He shows me to the staff lounge where he offers me coffee, then we sit at a rickety table and I answer every single one of his questions. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time. It’s clear he had dreams of being an athlete, but didn’t have access to sports or someone to guide him through it. Every time I attempt to dig into his past, Ganesh talks around it quite skilfully. Like someone who’s been avoiding talking about themselves for years.
“Thanks for spending the afternoon with me, Ganesh.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
I want to correct him, but also understand the need for those lines and titles, so I leave it be. Instead, I say, “If you’re still here when I return, maybe we can work together?”
“How do you mean?”
“We can play hockey. I’ll teach you, if you want.”
He stares at me in surprise and then mumbles something in Tamil. This whole time we’ve conversed in English and he’s stumbled over a few words, but I know exactly what he’s saying.
“Fantastic. I’ll see you soon.”
Thanks to the ridiculous traffic, I get home later than expected and walk in to find Tamara in the kitchen in another pair of tiny shorts and one of my T-shirts. Her curly hair falls down her back as she stretches onto her toes to reach for the bag of chips I stashed on the top shelf. She doesn’t know I’m here, because she’s grunting and cursing me. I set everything on the table by the door, toe off my boots and despite telling myself to walk away, my chest is pressed to her back as I grab the packet. I know I should move, especially when she leans into me.
I don’t recognise the sound Tamara makes, but my dick does and he twitches. She feels it and makes the fucking sound again. I back away and set the chips on the counter beside her. Then I’m walking to my room, closing the door behind me. Get a fucking grip, man. I lean against the wood surface with my eyes closed and breathe slowly. My balls are heavy and my cock aches for her.
Tossing everything on the bed, I strip out of my clothes and wrap my hand around my dick as I step into the bathroom. The freezing water helps erase the blistering Chennai heat and the way my body burns. I stroke myself hard, squeezing the tip as I press a hand to the shower wall. My brain instantly fills with images of her from that night, her soft body arching for me and sucking me in like her life depended on it. The way her legs wrapped around me as she begged me to fuck her harder.
I groan, fucking my hand, hips moving fast. The sound of her moans and the way she whimpered my name as I fit three fingers inside her makes my head fall forward. My eyes slam shut as I twist a hand around the base of my cock and drag it up slowly. Exactly how it felt when she was being a brat and I thought teasing her was a good idea. When the image of Tamara on her knees with her ass up in the air as I pounded into her enters my mind, I lose all control and come so hard, I paint the wall. I grunt as I pump my hand until I’m spent and stand under the water to catch my breath.
A long hot shower follows and when I’m standing in front of the mirror afterwards, I hate myself a little. Yes, this was the first time I’d seen Tamara in a week and sure, we’re avoiding each other. But I’m supposed to be taking care of her, not jerking off to thoughts of her. I never want to be just the guy who knocked her up.
“I want more than that,” I tell my reflection.
I want everything.
Twenty. A husband?
Tamara
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve postponed my sessions with Dr. Sunita, but it’s safe to say she’s suspicious I’ve done something bad. She’s not wrong. Problem is, I’m afraid to look her in the eyes and say everything’s okay. Turning Patrick down was the right thing to do. I’m just feeling really bad about it. I was protecting myself, and maybe him. Neither of us know what’ll happen if we go on one date. We’re having a baby together, but I’m not ready to be emotionally invested in this man again.
