April 18, 2013 11:55pm, Karachi, Sindh His head was throbbing, the dull ache felt like a constricting band. He rubbed his temples and tried to concentrate on the laptop screen. He was working on a very important project, the deadline was looming and he wasn’t even half way through. He opened his favourite website on Google chrome and started downloading… porn. The internet speed was dead slow that night, he stubbed another cigarette in the already filled ash tray, had a look at his not so beautiful devoted wife, who was sleeping like a baby… baby, they didn’t have any, not that he missed having one, but he did miss making one with her. She was his first, he never knew whether he loved her or not, but she definitely did. They were best friends. It was a long time since he met her, and he just could not shake her image out of his mind. He let out a sigh, turned off the lights, and left his marital bed, went to the guest room with a single bed. All he could think about was her, in all her glory, her hair smelling of fruit, her long, lithe, legs. The tears she shed when he broke her heart, on a hot June day. The task bar showed that the download was complete. April 18, 2013 11:56pm, Lahore, Punjab He woke up, why? He had no clue, his throat was dry and he was drenched in sweat. It was a pleasant night, and then he remembered the last thing he did before slipping into sleep; he received a call from his crazy girlfriend, who for the hundredth time threatened to dump him and commit suicide. Why do girls behave like that? He hated the fact that he loved her. Why can’t she be a bit more sensible, a bit more mature, like someone else, like her. And just the thought of her was enough to make him, wild, wide awake. So different from his girlfriend, She was 10 years his senior, and he had a crush on her the minute he saw her, and she knew it. She used to call him her eye candy. And he loved the way she looked at him with her huge brown eyes and smiled, a kind, warm smile. They were good friends. He suddenly had an urge to grab her, tell her that he is not a kid, not anymore, he was a grown man, and he needed her, desperately. Horrified, he remembered that he did that already, and it didn’t work out the way he was hoping for. He tried to cross his limits and she was furious, they never spoke again after that evening in March. He picked up his iPad and logged in to Facebook, and started stalking her profile, all his blood rushed to his groins. Two huge brown smiling eyes were staring from the screen. April 18, 2013 11:57pm, Bhera Interchange, Motorway He tried to keep awake; he was heading to Islamabad, and was supposed to attend a meeting early in the morning there. He left Lahore late that day and it was still a long drive, he so wanted to be home at that time, with his beautiful kids and his better half, who waved him good bye with a sloppy kiss and a sleepy hug. He felt tired, she was tired as well. Both of them were tired, probably of each other too. He grabbed a cup of tea and started sipping the brown sugary liquid. A memory flashed in his mind. The memory of a sweaty September night, a few years back. He wasn’t alone then, she was with him. He could never forget her, tried hard though. But a part of him always remembered her and her pretty hands, hands with a magical touch and beautiful long fingers. He recalled that night, the night she cried her heart out in front of him, telling him how devastated she was, she trusted him as a friend, and he proved that he was a good one, a very good one indeed, and he was glad that he redeemed his benefits that night. He took out his phone and scrolled on the contacts list, her number was saved with a fake name, He went to the text menu, and read the racy raunchy texts. April 18, 2013 11:58am, Los Angeles, California It was a crisp spring day and he woke up pretty late, still a bit light headed. He ran his fingers through his thick grey hair and took off his glasses, he felt relaxed and satisfied. He thought about his steady girlfriend and the night of passion they spent and grinned. And then he remembered her, the petite, perfect, innocent, silly brunette, 17 years his junior, who called him her ‘man friend’. You are not a boy any more, she teased him. She made him feel young, wanted and was introduced to him by the family as a possible match. He was very fond of the way she giggled. Giggled she not, when he sort of dumped her and said he will give her an answer in 60 days, as he was not sure if he wanted her in his life or not. The last clingy text he received from her was on Valentine’s Day. He scrolled down his emails, and was happy to see the confirmation of a Hawaiian holiday for two in a couple of weeks’ time. He completely forgot he owed her an answer or an apology. April 18, 2013 A minute before midnight, somewhere in the parallel universe She, the one with long lithe legs, huge brown eyes, beautiful hands, and an irresistible giggle, did a Viennese waltz on the beat of rugged breaths, in the arms of a new friend. The original post appeared here.