That Girl in the Bikini

Love Short Story – That Girl in the Bikini
Photo credit: lucasmalta from morguefile.com

A resort near a beach is full of variety of people some playing water games, other resting & having sand bath. In between the chaos & many people Ravi notices a young girl wearing bikini but of typical Indian nature uncomfortable with the dress &  unhappy. Sadness can be read from her eyes while her face wears a fake smile for the world. Ravi not wanting to but something was there which gets him attracted to her.

She is lawfully wedded wife of her husband who can be seen by his side forcing her for all things which she doesn’t want to. Her husband is a typical male & wants to own her wife. He wants to makes her forcibly drink wine but somehow she refuses & moves away from there. Ravi is the manager of that resort where the girl Sheetal & her husband have come to spend their holidays for a week. Ravi follows her & goes close to her to know more about her.

Sheetal is busy talking to her friend when suddenly he interrupts her asking feedback for his resort. Sheetal looks at him in no mood to answer him but forcibly trying to make her comfortable as she had never ever worn a bikini in her life. She did only for her husband’s wish but now cannot bear a single moment on the beach & wants to get back to her room. Ravi can see hesitation in her eyes & he handles her towel so that she can cover herself up. Sheetal cannot think how an outsider can know her feelings & her own husband doesn’t care for her. He is busy in his own world.

Sheetal now feels good & tells Ravi how she got married & through all her journey, a strange loneliness accompanied her. He can make out that she was living a compromise not marriage just because her parents can be happy. Ravi starts feeling bad for that girl though she belonged nothing to him. He just wanted to see her happy so he goes to talk to her husband. But it’s of no use. He is totally drunk & busy flirting with the other girls. Ravi sees all this & cannot stop himself & tries to make him remember that he is married. But Sheetal’s husband is in no mood to listen. He abuses him & even his wife & starts doubting his wife & speaking ill of her.

Meanwhile Sheetal comes over there & is shocked to hear the words of her husband & see his behavior. She goes at a corner of the beach & starts weeping. She never wanted to marry him but her parents wanted an NRI son-in-law who has lots of  wealth to buy their daughter happiness but she is not happy. Her husband wants to change her. For him she is a villager. Those who wear modern & short dresses are only civilized for him. She wants to live her own life & not to be treated as a doll who has to dress or undress herself as her husband desires. No one can understand her feelings except Ravi who lends his shoulder for her to cry. She starts liking Ravi & Ravi fell in love first time he saw her face. But initially he never understood that he was in love until when it was time for Sheetal & her husband to go back from their honeymoon.

When Sheetal comes to bid goodbye to Ravi he cannot stop himself from confessing his love for her. Sheetal cannot answer & doesn’t know how to react. She runs away & goes back to her room. Should she hear her mind or heart. She has also started loving her as he was the only person to understand her & help her whenever she needed. But the society will not allow her to think of anyone except her husband. Her parents will curse her if she leaves her husband. But the past few days were like death to her. She doesn’t want to be owned but loved by her husband so she decides to leave her husband. She knows that it won’t be easy but she had made her mind.

She takes out that bikini which her husband had gifted her on their marriage & gives it back to her husband with a note which says she loves someone else & wants divorce from him. She goes back to Ravi & accepts his love by saying that she will live with him forever & has left her husband for him. They were made for each other. Her husband tries to woo her by admitting his mistakes & asking her to forget him. But till then it was too late. She had started loving & respecting Ravi who was unlike other men.

Many years have passed by now. Sheetal has two kids with Ravi & now Ravi owns that resort in the name of her wife. Her family hasn’t accepted their relationship but Sheetal is waiting that one day her parent’s love will win over society.

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