(Warning- *ahem* content ahead)

Pallavi's heart thudded inside her chest, matching with the speed of her legs as it exited the cinema hall.

Yes, she had taken the H route and there was no going back. By H route, we mean the Hotel.

Was this the right choice? She panicked over as she and Umang browsed through the nearby cheap hotels. Umang sensed her restlessness from a mile away and assured her that they wouldn't do anything if she wasn't comfortable for it. That they could just have lunch, talk and watch TV for the rest of the afternoon if she wished to.

But hotels weren't meant to watch TV. Something was bound to happen even if it didn't escalate to sex. It made her insides churn, both with dread and excitement.

Umang suggested to have soft corn as they waited for the cab on the way. As he went over the stall to give their order, Pallavi had an inkling to check him out. Of course she did that on multiple occasions but a proper check still availed.

With some self motivation, Pallavi turned to face his broad back and dropped her gaze to his jeans hugging his ass. Two seconds passed.

Only to turn herself to the other side, burying her face between her hands.

Oh, God, oh God, I can't believe I did that!! But his ass didn't look bad. Fuck, I'm a bad girl! Pallavi's mind screamed in embarrassment while I facepalmed for this protagonist.

As the duo reached the destination, the reality finally hit Pallavi like a ton of bricks. Would he hate if she fleed away right now? No, it would be foolish to back out now. It took a few calm breaths and some self talking to gather the courage for the next step.

Apparently, it was an Oyo hotel room. Pallavi recalled a past conversation she had with Karan about never being to Oyo. To think it would come true like this with a completely different man. Unbelievable! The hotel was small compared to other ones she had been with her family. Still, it was well furnished with dark tiles and decent looking walls. Both Pallavi and Umang flashed their IDs and paid the bill to the receptionist after which he handed them the room key to 301. Pallavi gulped.

This was it.

This was IT!

Pallavi and Umang climbed up the stairs, then through the narrow corridor of doors until they came across the one that wrote 301. Her heart was in her mouth by now.

Pallavi's face nearly went white when Umang put a lash on the door after they entered. Before it turned into a horror movie, Umang sat on the chair nearby and ushered her to sit on the bed.

"Ar- aren't you going to sit on bed?"

"No, not now. You look like you're about to faint so..." He said, the corner of his lips lifting up. "I'm fine here. You make yourself comfortable first."

"Okay," Pallavi replied. That was considerate of him.

Silence passed. Pallavi was worryingly staring at her mobile whose battery was only 10%. She asked for a spare charger from the hotel but they didn't have one. She then noticed Umang lit up a cigarette. It was his second one. He had purchased one on the way to the hotel alongwith two cans of cold drink and peanuts.

"Can I have one, too?"

"You sure?" He said indicating his cigarette with one brow raised.

"Yeah, I do smoke on rare occasions," Pallavi replied, recalling the times she smoked with Adhvik. As proof she took one and blew smoke out of it smoothly, thus proving her point. Perhaps guys liked that-- a rebellious one or that's what his dark eyes indicated as it accessed her. She eventually diverted away, being too conscious by it.

"See, I told you..." Umang said at one point when Pallavi coughed out some of the smoke but she still insisted.

Soon silence enveloped the small room, making it claustrophobic than before.

"Say something." Umang broke the ice.

"Um, I don't quite know what to talk about." And it was the truth. Just then, she had an idea. "Let's switch on the TV."

"Already did that. It's not working, see." Umang illustrated by trying to switch on the TV with remote but all it showed was a blank screen with no signal.

Silence.

"Would you like to eat something? We can order if you like. I'm not hungry though." Umang initiated.

"No, it's fine." She replied. They barely had enough time anyway.

Pallavi thought long and hard enough until she came up with the topic of aliens, asking whether he believed they existed. Although that wasn't a great conversation starter, it got them going. They talked about their experiences in college and jobs. Eventually, Umang shifted to lie down in bed, followed by Pallavi although she still kept her distance. Oddly, she wasn't as anxious as before.

"Do you want to know a secret?" Pallavi mentioned, compelling him to say yes. She added, her eyes twinkling. "My ex-boyfriend was someone from Mansur."

He raised a brow. "Oh, who?"

To answer that, she switched on her mobile even though it was on 5% battery and showed him a picture of her and Adhvik together. He nodded in understanding.

Pallavi shot him a blank stare, "Eh, I expected a more shocking response."

"Well, it's nothing unusual. People often hookup with their office employees in secret. I'm a bit surprised... Hmm, now that I think about it, you did seem fazed by Adhvik. You talked to him mostly."

"Aha, really?" Pallavi let out a nervous laugh. "At first I got together with him and now I'm in a hotel room with you. Both whom I met in the same office. So this is shocking to me, okay."

"But we haven't done anything yet." He stated, looking directly into her eyes as if to challenge her. She looked down.

* * *

A couple of awkward silences and small talks later.

"You know my sister says-"

"You can shift a little closer," Umang cut her off with slight amusement in his eyes. Pallavi did just that albiet slowly and took that chance to do a once over at him. He was facing her side with his head resting on his hand on the bed with his elbow. "So you were saying?"

She swallowed. "Yeah, um, my sister said after a passage of time when you interact with your ex, you won't feel anything... Atleast not the pain you experienced that time. Just nostalgia. Is that true?"

"It is," Umang agreed. "It has been 3 years since my breakup and I don't feel a thing now. Although I was devastated that time. Also, our breakup was a bad one that involved arguments and calling names. We were immature. So getting over that was kinda easy. You should be glad that you two separated amicably and are still in touch. Trust me, it's a whole other matter getting over someone you despise."

"Well, I sobbed in his arms like anything," Pallavi said, blinking off her teary eyes. "I'm glad, but it's still hard because you mostly remember all of the good things and wonder why you separated in the first place. It's difficult."

"Oh Pallavi," He patted her head while she shed tears silently. "You shouldn't talk about him as much. The more you mention about him, the more you'll miss him, the more you'll cry. Although one cannot stop from recalling those memories but the least you can do is mention him less."

Pallavi nodded, silently agreeing with him. "Do you think I'll ever get over him?"

"Of course you will. Just see yourself a year later. There will be a change. Now remember what I said..."

Pallavi didn't talk about Adhvik from then on. Their conversation continued. With time, she gathered enough courage to allow him to hold hands. Umang took that liberty to run his fingers along her arm, bringing slight goosebumps to her skin. She finally voiced out a burning question that had been plaguing her mind.

"Will you be okay with um, my body type? I- I should tell you I'm fat. Of course it's obvious but you know it would be more if you..." She trailed not wanting to say 'take my clothes off' out loud yet.

Umang's lips curled in a somewhat sarcastic smile before he turned to her. "Pallavi, if I had a problem with you, do you really think I'd come all the way from home and then travel an hour on metro to meet you?"

Umang was staying in Gurgaon at a friend's house. He had traveled to Faridabad via Metro to spend time with her. Nothing could be more obvious than this. "No, you wouldn't then. I get it."

At 3:30 pm.

"I was wondering when we are gonna kiss... if you want to." He said, his eyes boring into hers as he stroked her hand gently.

If she wanted to? Who was he kidding? She could clearly tell from his dark gaze how badly he wanted to take her on right now. He was obviously running out of patience. Well, it wasn't like they had forever. She braced herself by taking a deep breath.

"I guess we could kiss now..." Her voice was small, her eyes looking anywhere but him.

By now, they were only a few inches away from each other. None of them moved, perhaps anticipating the other to make a move. Pallavi couldn't though as she was frozen in place. Instead she began to ease herself with a small talk. Umang only answered in a few words. The tension was thick as a fog that rendered her breathless.

"Um, perhaps we should first-"

It was like a flash of wind. At one instance she was speaking, at another her head was pulled towards Umang as he stole her lips with his for the first time. The kiss was gentle, yet she could sense the whirlwind of urgency within him. He smelled of fruit, perhaps from the toffee he had. Her eyes that were squeezed shut widened as he parted away.

"Sorry..."

"No, it's okay. Somebody had to make a move. I was just surprised," She replied over the beat of her erratic heart. What shocked her that she hadn't responded to his kiss At ALL.

Normally, in movies, two people would have gotten all over each other after this. Their kiss was supposed to be an ice breaker but in this case, it wasn't as they stilled in place.

Both were waiting for one person- Pallavi. Time kept on passing.

"Um, aren't you going to kiss again?" She finally asked, her voice shaky.

"Not every move will be initiated by me. You will have to do your part as well." He replied with a brow raised.

"Yu- you have a point. I should initiate..." Pallavi stated as a matter of factly and abided by her word by shifting to his side. Their eyes locked at each other before dropping to their lips. She swallowed. This was it. She inched towards his face. Their noses barely touched. She squeezed her eyes shut.

A second passed accompanied by another and another. Nothing happened.

She froze like a statue. Again.

Ugh, why was this so difficult? It was so easy with Adhvik. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. It was hard to get on with someone she barely-

"Oh, fuck it!" Umang voiced out over her chaotic thoughts and pulled her head to his, closing their distance once it for all. All their chatting over the past few months, planning and roaming they had done was condensed into one single moment. Pallavi closed a fist around the bedsheet as she felt her lips being caressed by his. She took a second to relax, another to feel until she placed a hand on the side of his face and kissed him back.

The ice broke.

From then on, it was a make out session. Umang managed to flip her around so that she could be on top of him. With each touch and kiss, Pallavi's walls were breaking down. With each contact, she melted until she could light her hidden desires into action.

"Kiss here..." She whispered, pointing her finger to the side of her neck. She moaned when he nibbled his lips there, feeling the current of pleasure travel down. She then moved her finger to a region on her shoulder. "And here..."

A few minutes later, they parted away, catching their breaths. They were still fully clothed except Umang who had removed his shirt previously to reveal a black tank top underneath. Pallavi had her eyes closed for the majority of their makeout so she wouldn't be held down by her embarrassment. Now that her eyes were awake, she was pulled down to the stark reality. She covered her mouth with her hands.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Sure," Umang replied and shifted aside for her to get out of bed. His eyes followed her, a smirk building his lips. "Don't be surprised by what you see when you come back."

Pallavi whipped her head to him, her expression grim. "What I'll see?"

"You'll see." He placed his hands behind his head, making himself comfortable. "Perhaps some lack of clothes or..."

"Do no such thing, okay," Pallavi warned, raising her finger but then broke off into a smile. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this so understand..."

"Fine, I won't."

"Pakka na."

"No way."

"Umang!"

"I'm kidding now go."

Pallavi made sure to do her business as well as wash herself in the bathroom. Before exiting though, she asked Umang if he abided by his word. Fortunately, he still had his clothes on and was only lighting a cigarette. God, that was his fourth one now or fifth, she didn't know anymore.

"I'm hurt though. Don't you wanna see what's underneath these clothes?" He raised a brow.

"I want to," Pallavi admitted, climbing next to him while looking elsewhere. "It's just that..."

"Relax, I'm only pulling your leg. I understand."

Henceforth, they caught up right where they left off. As opposed to her feelings earlier, Pallavi was starting to get more comfortable with Umang. As their hands began exploring beneath their clothes, he sought permission before pulling off her top to reveal her in a black bra. He officially became the second man to see her like this. Eventually their clothes came off one by one as they reached the stage of their arousal.

As Pallavi began stroking him, she lowered her gaze to take a good look at his erection. Her eyes popped wide.

It was bigger and thicker than Adhvik's. Don't tell me you're going to put that thing inside me.

But apparently they were at the point of no return. Umang fished out packets of condoms from his bag. He tore one of them and wore it. Her mouth formed an O as she observed keenly. "Someone came mighty prepared."

"Yup, I always go for protection. Um, by the way, I might come early since it's been a while... Hope you don't mind," He admitted sheepishly. She placed a hand on his face, assuring she wouldn't mind. After getting into an accessible position, he asked. "Are you ready?"

Oh my God it's gonna hurt! "Uh- huh."

Indeed it hurt when he entered but surprisingly, he wasn't done yet. "Did I go all in?

"Oh yes, you did. I can feel it." Pallavi replied, exhaling as she felt herself filled.

"But I can't. I can go more."

Are you trying to kill me? She glared at him but then twitched her lips down. "Please don't."

But the jackass didn't listen as he went all in nearly making her scream. He immediately drew away but she convinced him to go back in. She had to get used to it if she wanted to enjoy.

It took some time for her v#gina to get used to it but once they were, there was no holding back. Pallavi and Umang unleashed their pent up sexual desires they had been withholding for so long. Especially Umang who left no stone unturned as he moved his hips to a rhythm. He orgasmed quite early which was quite expected from someone having sex after three years.

Pallavi watched in slight amusement as Umang dumped the condom into the dustbin then settled down with his back against the headboard. He took a long drag of who knows which 'nth' cigarette and added cooly. "Just wait for me. I'll be back up in no time."

Pallavi raised an inquisitive brow. "Aren't you tired or anything?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Not at all. We are just getting started, babe."

She recalled how Adhvik used to power nap after he was done. Then again, he took his sweet time to orgasm. It made her realize how men functioned differently when it came to sex.

A few minutes later, Umang became hard again thanks to Pallavi's special assistance. He fingered her for a while until he told her to come on top of him this time. She gladly obliged. Just when she thought he was done after a while, he told her to crawl on all fours to enter from behind. This time he took a while by trying different positions, one of which she hadn't done with Adhvik either. As much as one didn't admit, being overweight did hinder in some of the saucier sex positions. Which was why it was more surprising that Umang was able to penetrate her without much effort.

It was like Pallavi had entered a new realm with Umang. What shocked her was they were able to have good sex without a single sex chat or call prior to that. It was empowering to be feeling this way after a long time.

A crazy thought crossed her mind. If she could have sex with someone she shared no feelings with, then maybe she could fuck anybody.

Okay, that was going too far. Of course she didn't mean she would pick anyone from the street and start humping. By the time she was done, she laid down with her eyes wide open, pondering over all that transpired over the past one hour.

"Why are you facing that way? Come here," Umang ushered facing Pallavi's naked back. Slowly, she shifted to his side and laid her head on his arm. Ah, the cuddling! Damn did she miss that bad. They covered themselves with the duvet for which she was grateful about as it covered her body and embarrassment.

* * *

This will continue but I cut it here to bring the chapter to a sizable length of 3k words. Should I do this for previous chapters as well that were long? Perhaps I'll have more readers if I keep my chapters short. Lol!

Anyway thoughts on this chapter. Was it yay or nay?