Forcibly Yours

(◕‿◕)||𝕀 𝕒𝕞 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕊𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕥||

Ruhanika gaped. Her brain felt as if it had left the chat. Just like what happened in the exam haul. Involuntarily, she blurted, "Oh nice."

Shilpi choked on her wine.

"Shit—I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Ruhanika said, mortified. "I meant... ugh."

Shilpi wiped her face with a laugh. "I know. It was kind of nice. But maybe don't say it out loud like that?"

"You're not... sad?" Ruhanika asked, eyes wide.

Shilpi looked at her, really looked. Under the glowing club lights, Ruhanika's nose and cheeks were flushed pink from the cold. She looked like a curious child.

Shilpi couldn't help herself—she pinched her cheek and smiled. "It was nice because... he was cheating on me with his boss. It was an arranged marriage. I didn't want to get married so soon. I was terrified, honestly. Wanted to earn my own money first.

 But my parents kept saying, 'He's a good guy. You don't get proposals like this twice.' So I caved. I was just 22."

She paused, her voice steady despite the weight of her words.

"He was good-looking. Kind, even. And just when I began to depend on him, to focus on our marriage... he cheated on me with his boss."

Ruhanika's mouth fell open. "So... wait," she gasped, her hand flying to her lips. "He was gay? He had an affair with his boss? Oh my god real life BL!"

Shilpi stared at her for a moment—then burst out laughing, pounding her hand on the table.

"Oh god," she laughed. "Dheer must have the patience of a saint to put up with your questions."

"I don't want to hear it!" Ruhanika said, annoyed. "You can't even tell a story properly and you're judging me? You should've started with the gender. Basic storytelling, Shilpi!"

(Side note: Sorry if this sounds silly, but I'm Ruhi. Ruhi is me. I don't watch BL, okay? I watched one drama because Bright and Win were there from F4 Thailand. But this whole gay thing? It's been living rent-free in my brain. 

I still remember that group chat with my best friend and our guy FRIENDS—us simping hard on them, in front of them while the guys patiently told us to calm our imaginations. 

Now when I think back... pure second-hand embarrassment😶. I always thought did they ever had a second thought about that. Bhai agle din dono ne aankhe char kaise ki hongi.)

"Okay, okay, my bad," Shilpi said, raising her hands. "So let's do this properly. My husband was male. His gender: male. His affair? Female. FEMALE."

"Still," Ruhanika said softly, "why aren't you sad?"