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Fiction: Shashi was married once. An unexpected encounter with another man reignites her desire

Scroll | July 23, 2026 9:39 PM CST

I was ready at 5 pm. No hair oil. Focused on talcum powder. Nirmala brought out a small bottle of scent she had borrowed from a friend and sprayed generously around my neck. A sweet smell enveloped us, transporting me instantly to a distant dreamland. Everything was perfect.

“Athige!” Nirmala poked my arm and giggled, cupping her mouth.

Athe brought a fresh string of jasmine from the neighbour’s house and pinned it to my hair.

“Athige, you look like a film heroine.” She winked, and we both laughed when we saw Vishnu enter.

“Oh, you are ready.” He ran his eyes over me and pinched his nose as if to indicate the scent filling the room. “I will come in ten minutes. Let me freshen up,” he said, disappearing into the bathroom.

He came out exactly ten minutes later.

“Shall we go?” He asked after running a comb through his hair. I nodded, and we walked out of the door as if we had done this a dozen times before. I waved at Nirmala. Athe smiled, gave a head nod of approval, and I followed him out as his wife, feeling the Bangalore breeze on my face for the first time in days.

Vishnu did not walk; he almost ran. His strides were long,...