half-girlfriend-chetan-bhagat

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hand down her back and moved her closer towards me. She continued to sleep, or continued to pretend to sleep. I placed my leg over hers, my boldest move yet. The smooth bare skin of her leg touched mine. Electric sparks shot through me. I resisted the urge to kiss her. I let my hand slide further down her back. As I reached her lower back, her voice startled me. ‘Mr Jha,’ she said. ‘Yes, Miss Somani.’ ‘This is not called sleeping,’ ‘You can sleep.’ ‘Oh, really? How do you expect me to with you all over me?’ I laughed. I brought her closer and lifted her face. I tried to kiss her but she turned away. ‘Control yourself, Madhav,’ she said. She tried to extricate herself. I didn’t let go. ‘Why?’ I said. ‘That is what we agreed to.’ ‘But why?’ ‘Just. Oh my God, I just felt your... Madhav, let me go.’ ‘Riya, come on.’ ‘Can you just let me go? You are hurting me.’ I let her go. She slid to the edge of the bed, away from me. ‘I want you.’ ‘No.’ ‘Please let me.’ ‘No.’ ‘You have to.’ ‘What do you mean I have to?’ she said. She sat up on the bed. She glared at me, her posture stiff. However, I was too consumed with my own feelings to cave in at this point. I had waited and played the patience game for too long. I expected her to yield to me now. ‘What is your problem?' I said.
‘What is your problem? I’m not a release for your horniness.’ ‘I didn’t say you were.’ ‘So why can’t you just stick to what we discussed? Nothing physical. Just close friends.’ ‘That doesn’t work.’ ‘Fine, maybe we can’t even be friends.’ I couldn’t answer her. I had run out of strategies and clever responses. She stepped off the bed, straightened her clothes and picked up her rucksack to leave. Anger mixed with desire. I grabbed her hand. ‘You can’t just play with me. I’m not your toy.’ ‘Toy?’ ‘You are using me. Until another guy comes along.’ ‘Whatever.You are trying to use me. Ruining a perfect friendship. Bye.’ I pulled her close to me. She sat on the bed again, right next to me. ‘It isn’t a perfect friendship. I am not fully satisfied.’ She didn’t like my answer. I bent forward to kiss her. She moved her face again. ‘Only once.’ ‘No.’ ‘Please.’ ‘I said no,’ she said, her voice firm. ‘I’m at my limit, Riya.’ I grabbed her shoulders. ‘Madhav, I haven’t seen this side of you. You are using physical force on me.’ ‘I want to say something.’ ‘What?’ ‘Deti hai to de, varna kat le.’ ‘What?’ I had said it in coarse Bhojpuri-accented Hindi. I had said: ‘make love to me, or leave’. Actually, that sounds respectable. If I had to make an honest translation, I would say: ‘fuck me, or fuck off’. Hell,
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Praise for the author Many writers
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First published by Rupa Publication
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For my mother For rural India For t
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expectations, Love accepts some fla
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‘Half-girlfriend,’ ‘What?’
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possible. ‘She used to like your
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‘I’d like to cancel a ticket on
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1 Where?’ I gasped, trying to cat
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‘Do you speak in full sentences?
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Piyush to translate what I had said
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‘I’ll do my best, sir.’
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passed the ball. The crowd tittered
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the next half. As her team meeting
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even Hindi. He meant: will you play
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‘Yeah. But if they do, then see y
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anymore. I wanted to fit into my ne
Page 35 and 36: We had played a half-court game; I
Page 37 and 38: iuinraon, the oldest princely state
Page 39 and 40: ‘They're ditzy. Forget them,' she
Page 41 and 42: The hands-on-hips pose meant no fur
Page 43 and 44: is bothering you. And, if something
Page 45 and 46: Police guards tell you to stop and
Page 47 and 48: ‘Even though you eat all my lunch
Page 49 and 50: me. ‘Madhav, please understand, I
Page 51 and 52: 6 She entered my room and I slammed
Page 53 and 54: ‘Good observation.’ I looked st
Page 55 and 56: 'No woman has ever meant more to me
Page 57 and 58: Shailesh said. 'What?’ I said. As
Page 59 and 60: ‘Shut up, fatso,’ Shailesh said
Page 61 and 62: I stepped inside. A maid gestured f
Page 63 and 64: ‘So thoughtful. This will keep me
Page 65 and 66: ‘It’s okay, uncle,’ Rohan sai
Page 67 and 68: ‘Riya, babe, you only got guy fri
Page 69 and 70: spring rolls. 'Madhav, so many gues
Page 71 and 72: Riya raised her eyebrows from the d
Page 73 and 74: ‘You are the new exotic creature
Page 75 and 76: ‘Have you been in love before?’
Page 77 and 78: I had proposed to her. The least sh
Page 79 and 80: said in a baby voice. I took that a
Page 81 and 82: secretary must have asked a hotel i
Page 83 and 84: 11 We had practised for less than t
Page 85: I went back to my book. ‘What do
Page 89 and 90: She stood up to change her seat.
Page 91 and 92: 12 Six months later After my break-
Page 93 and 94: asshole doing here? It's amazing ho
Page 95 and 96: isk steps away from me. ‘Riya,’
Page 97 and 98: 13 We walked out to her car. She ha
Page 99 and 100: Our eyes met. Maybe it was my imagi
Page 101 and 102: ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘It’s fine.
Page 103 and 104: more dignity than I thought I had.
Page 105 and 106: 14 One year and three months later
Page 107 and 108: The other interviewers cleared thei
Page 109 and 110: ‘It’s just a way they express l
Page 111 and 112: ACT II Bihar
Page 113 and 114: class, rest low class’ bullshit t
Page 115 and 116: ‘Like whom?’ ‘The over-educat
Page 117 and 118: I folded my hands to wish both men,
Page 119 and 120: ‘SMDC didn’t send anyone,’ he
Page 121 and 122: The difference between seventy kids
Page 123 and 124: answers for us.’ ‘I am from her
Page 125 and 126: treatment,’ I said. ‘Now the vi
Page 127 and 128: not declined the ticket.’ ‘What
Page 129 and 130: 18 I reached the Raj High School pl
Page 131 and 132: tray from her. Mrs Ojha touched my
Page 133 and 134: My mother knew the political game.
Page 135 and 136: 19 I prepared a proposal for Ojha a
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I smiled. I did go to the best Engl
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‘We are a poor school. We don’t
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20 'Speech?’ my mother said. 'In
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‘So what do I do?’ ‘You work
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hotel called Nest, provided I didn'
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‘I’m Madhav,’ I said. ‘All
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22 I returned to Dumraon after my P
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I looked around. I wondered if I sh
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lobby, my eyes fixed on the entranc
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23 We sat at a corner table and had
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‘Nestle. I am in sales, for their
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‘What?’ ‘Ask me things. I wil
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famine. I bought the two-rupee tick
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‘All the time.You should come som
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8. Calling call centres and choosin
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‘All we have for peace in this ci
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choosing my words with care, afraid
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inaugurated her hot plate and utens
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There isn’t much to see in Dumrao
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27 Savitri tai served us daal and s
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‘Sometimes.’ My mother didn’t
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My mother did not respond. Riya too
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28 'I have a confession to make,’
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‘Can we please not do all this ot
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the quality of the kiss, or what di
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29 'So this is the famous Dumraon R
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I moved to class IV and then to cla
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‘You are so sweet. There is no ne
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Riya had not reacted much to her fa
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‘You want to sleep here?’ No an
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indignant. Samantha had called me o
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the royal family,’ Samantha said.
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‘And in this backward Bihar is th
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Students took over the stage again.
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talk later, okay? I need to rush. I
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‘Many people are coming home for
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I asked you to stay back last night
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‘Where is that divorcee friend of
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‘Sure, sir. Sir, I will move her
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notice period.' ‘When did she res
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‘Just take them,’ I said in a f
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the gifts that arrived from London
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‘I am not comparing anything. I w
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silence. So I walked up to the beds
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'I don’t want anyone,’ I said.
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35 Chanakya Hotel, Patna Madhav con
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from her in years,’ Madhav said.
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36 After Chetan Bhagat left, I rema
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urger and a large order of French f
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‘Ah, no wonder Michael said you h
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37 'Name?’ the officer at the imm
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done an MBA from Harvard after Step
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I reached the southeast corner of t
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38 You bagged a Gates Foundation gr
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‘Everything? You thought she was
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singers are?’ ‘Too many, my fri
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39 The Gates Foundation’s head of
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Shailesh gasped. He covered his mou
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40 'No Indian singer here. I’m so
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vegetables, arrived on our table. I
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around Pylos. I used to live here e
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41 'I'm so ashamed, I can’t even
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‘Thank you, Madhav. I look forwar
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42 Of course, my visit to Union Squ
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‘I actually have to go home.’ T
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43 'Surprise!’ A crowd of people
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Saturday and Sunday. Each table had
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whispered to Shailesh, making up wh
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Where can I get a cab?’ 'Want one
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it said. ‘C’mon, Madhav. Be ama
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You're beautiful, it's true.' The b
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‘Sorry, I left because I got scar
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She unzipped a side zipper and step
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‘Tourists spend a day with our ki
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Table of Contents girlfriend My pho
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