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was the first to go. Apparently, she had burnt her food and she had come last in the task today. She hugged a few girls, blew Karan a kiss and walked up towards her room to pack her bags. A camera followed her while the rest of us looked on surprised."

" Now the time has come for Karan to pick the person he is most incompatible with. So Karan, after meeting everyone, who do you think should leave the House. "

"Karan looked sheepish and smiled,  Well, I think all the girls are superb. They re so"

unique in their own way.

"Aniruddh now insisted, as was the norm, on elongating the process,  But we need to know one name, Karan. "

"Karan took a deep breath. I could hear the  tension music track playing in the background. Then he looked straight at the girl who had caused havoc a few hours earlier and said,  Namrata. "

"Namrata looked shocked. She must have thought that after her make-out session with this man, she would have definitely survived this elimination. She stood there with her eyes wide open and jaw dropped. Then, instead of hugging anyone, she took out her middle finger and showed it to Karan and stormed off into her room. I almost burst out laughing, but the producers looked stern and so I just pursed my lips and looked down."

"Aniruddh announced that the rest of us could relax till the next task, while Karan and I were sent off for the date. But when the producer yelled,  Cut! I was told to go rest and that the date would happen the next day. I would have to wear the same clothes and be ready by 7 p.m. Karan left without saying a word to anyone and we all went upstairs. I realized that he was also affected by the elimination process. He was getting close to the girls. And I was just one of them. I went to my room to crash for the night. But I could hear the girls sitting in their room discussing the elimination and analysing it in great"

"detail. The game had begun, but now I wanted something else. I wanted to get out."

Thirty-four

"Karan picked me up at seven in the evening and instead of going for a quiet dinner, we went to a New Year s Eve party that had been arranged by the channel. It was a red carpet event with a host of television stars, models, the press and photographers. Most of the producers were huddling around Deepa who was waving her hand and a few went off to get her something. There were cameras on Karan and me as well. Karan behaved like a movie star as soon as he stepped out of the car that had been sent to pick us up."

"This was a side to him I had not seen before. I was shy and nervous. I followed him, pleading with my eyes to not be left behind. I felt awkward and out of place. But I knew I was looking pretty. The gown and the make-up that had been applied earlier in the evening, along with the jewels given by Gitanjali, made me feel like a princess. At least people were taking my photograph along with Karan s. I didn t feel like an old cow as was mentioned by the producers and girls yesterday."

"The rest of the girls were also there. But I was Karan s official date. We went to the party and the cameras followed us around as we met people and gave out bytes. We met TV stars from a variety of shows and were introduced to a few models who had gone from the ramp to TV and then to the silver screen. They towered over me and were wearing tiny clothes that showed off a lot of cleavage, legs, back or other body parts in ample amounts. I knew if Aditi were here, she would have fit right in. But I had always felt shy in public places and that side was emerging again. I needed to get a drink to feel at ease. I told Karan I needed a drink and he went off to get me one."

"In the meantime, a reporter came up to me and asked,  Hey, you re the chick who s on the date with Karan, right? "

I nodded.

"She continued,  So how does it feel to fall in love with a man who s loved by nine other women? "

"Suddenly I got my confidence back. I knew what I had to do. I turned around and said,  Love, sex and romance are all different things, dear. Don t ever get them confused! And I threw my head back and laughed. She giggled nervously for a bit and said,  Great! I ll see you around. With that she went off."

"Karan made me dance, which the cameras captured, along with our every move. But after that, the cameras left us alone and we could be natural. Or at least that s what we thought. I realized later that the hidden cameras captured our conversation and played it on national television which made the episode the highest rated on that channel for the"

show.

 Finally! he said and came and sat next to me on the bench. It was a starlit night. The crescent moon shone brightly and we watched the traffic go by. He then turned and kissed me.

" It s about time! I said naughtily.  What took you so long?  I didn t know if I was allowed, he winked."

" Oh honey, of course you re allowed, I said seductively. And then he turned and put his hand behind my head and pulled me towards him and gave me a slow, deep kiss. His tongue touched mine so softly, as if it was asking permission. I turned towards him and mumbled  mmm ."

"We stopped after a few minutes and looked at each other. Then I turned and took a sip of my drink and said very indifferently,  You know you have to eliminate me. "

His look showed he was completely baffled with my statement.

"I then asked, very casually,  Tell me, Karan, which of these girls do you really like? He looked at me and said,  Besides you? And here he smiled and continued,  Um & Ramneek s interesting. My mom will be happy with her & Shalini is so diametrically"

different & Pooja is intelligent and would be able to continue her career in USA &  he was talking as if the girls needed to adjust to his life and he would never adjust to theirs.

" See, darling, you re confused. You came here to get married. To find a correct bahu, according to what Aniruddh told us on the first day. And you know I m not that. So why are you wasting your time with me? I asked, matter of fact."

"He tried to defend himself,  But I like you! "

" Yes, but that s not enough and we both know that, and after a thought, I added,  Why did you eliminate Namrata? "

"He swerved around and looked at me,  I m not supposed to explain to the girls why I eliminate them. "

"I kept quiet. Then I said with affirmation,  Karan & seriously, how about you eliminate me and save yourself some pain later? "

" Kaveri, I don t know what to say, he felt dejected. I had hurt his ego. Here was a twenty-five-year-old man who had come onto a show looking for some fun and to pass time. He had not expected to get emotionally involved with the women or that a woman would be rejecting him!"

" I thought we had something special, he said."

" I ll tell you what, I said, mischievously,  Why don t we do something very special before we go our separate ways? "

"He looked up at me. I raised my eyebrow and smiled. He looked around and pointed to the party where the journalists were and said,  With the reporters here? "

"Just then, we saw a hot air balloon on the lawns at the back with a man standing near"

"it. We both thought of it at the same time. We went down the stairs and to the man there. The signage said,  See Mumbai by night and it charged a ridiculously high price, which"

"was why no one was going for it. But we told the man that it was for our reality show and that the producers would pay for it. So he agreed. After showing us the safety measures, he sent us off on the balloon! I couldn t believe it. It was quite an escapade. We told each other stories, laughed out loud, pointing to places that were our favourite haunts and what we d done there."

" Oh my God, see that house? That was my first girlfriend s house.  I didn t know you ve lived here? "

" Oh yes, till I was five. "

" You had a girlfriend at five? Wow, you started early! "

" How early did you start? he winked at me. I didn t want to tell him that it d barely been a few months ago! And then I did it again. I surprised myself. I pulled him closer to me and kissed him. Sensuously. Passionately. Hungrily. And this time it was longer, deeper and sweeter. When he started putting his hands under my gown, I didn t stop him. I took off his jacket and kissed his neck. We slowly undressed each other, our eyes taking in each other s bodies, and lay on the floor of the balloon. It began to shake and we felt a little nervous, but the thrill prodded us along. He slid his hand under my gown and started caressing my breasts. I moaned softly into his ear and flicked my tongue around his ear lobe. He shuddered in delight. I picked up my gown and straddled myself across his legs. He ran his fingers down my back slowly unzipping my gown. I unbuckled his belt, all the while kissing him. He was no longer surprised. He wanted me then. Pure wanton lust in his eyes. I ran my nails down his chest. He had a smooth body and firm pecs. My heart started racing. This was the second man I would have sex with, and I wasn t even in love with him. But as soon as he sucked on my nipples, I grabbed his hand and lead him to another erogenous zone. My hand slipped into his pants and he wiggled out of them. He was ready. Hard. Firm to the touch. A slight gasp escaped from his mouth. I stroked him slowly and felt him shudder."

 Are you ready? he asked.

 Are you? I asked back defiantly.

" Yes. Oh, yes, he pleaded. And then I sat myself down on him as gently as I could. He fit into me perfectly. Our hips sealed together. We immediately went into a routine, breathing in patterns and touching each other all over our naked bodies. It was new, fresh and completely what I needed. We kept kissing each other as he stared into my eyes muttering,  God, I want you. I groaned in delight as he pulled me closer and I bit him on his neck to stop myself from screaming. I felt so ecstatic. Let the girls see the bite and feel jealous that their man had already been  taken !"

"The experience was completely different from my first time with Arjun. Karan was lovely. He was the toy boy I needed to be under to get over Arjun. He had a body that didn t tickle when I touched it in parts, and he moaned loudly without a care about"

whether the whole of Mumbai heard. And this time I was surer. I felt confident. Because

"I had lost my virginity to Arjun, I was always a little hesitant and wanted him to take charge most of the time. But with Karan, I took the initiative. I did everything as if it was the last time I was doing it. And he enjoyed it thoroughly and I commanded him like he was the schoolboy I needed to punish! It was the ride of a lifetime. And the ride lasted as long as we both wanted. Then we descended."

That having sex on a hot air balloon was risqué made this experience a truly memorable one.

"We quickly wore our clothes and just as we were about to land, he asked,  Are you sure you want to be eliminated. "

"I replied,  I ve made up my mind! "

What a way to bring in the new year!

Thirty-five

"A few days later, once I had got out of the House and got my apartment arranged again, and paid off pending bills, I called Aditi to check how she was doing."

" Yo, gurl! Wacha up to? I asked."

" What is wrong with you? What is that accent? Did one of those women teach you that? she asked, all surprised."

" No Adu. I was just teasing you, I laughed confidently."

" Okay, so I need to meet you. I need to hear all about this guy. And, by the way, I m only up to the second episode, so what happened? How did you get eliminated? Tell me all! She had been following the show on TV and had become a mini celebrity in her colony because she knew me. And I had become a major celebrity once I got out of the House, since my photo was on posters all across town. It felt good."

 I will. I ll come over soon.

"Later when I went to her house to meet her, her cast was gone and her glow was back."

"There was something different about her. I was going to find out soon enough.  You ve recovered well, she mentioned, as soon as we let go of our long hug.  So have you, I replied happily."

 Of course! I have parents who are looking after me day and night.

"That was the difference between Aditi and me. While she might complain about her parents, she actually loved them and needed them around. Whereas I loved my parents, but I definitely couldn t have them around for too long since they caused more stress than good."

"After I gossiped about each of the girls, the headless-chicken producers and the dishy host Aniruddh, I started on Karan. By the time we had had two cups of tea and binged on some homemade hot, crisp samosas, I was feeling completely relaxed, as if we were back in our old days of living together where we would chat through the night."

" Karan, I said, biting into another samosa,  was the antidote for Arjun. "

" Oh, are we talking about him now? Can we? I mean are we allowed to say his name? she asked, with mock seriousness."

"I laughed,  Yes, darling. Arjun! There. It doesn t hurt that much anymore.  But it still hurts a little? she asked, knowing me fully well."

 It always will.

 Do you want him back?

"I thought about that and said honestly,  Yes. But on my terms. "

"She nodded her head somberly but smiled in a moment and asked,  Okay, so tell me about Karan! He looks gorgeous on TV. "

"We talked about Karan, my date with him, what the girls thought about him and then we came to the last night together."

 You what?

"I nodded,  I had sex with him in a hot air balloon! "

She was aghast.  How could you? I thought you could only have sex with your soulmate? and she used air quotes for the word soulmate and rolled her eyes.

" Ha ha, I mocked, as I crossed my legs and made myself comfortable on her bed.  But seriously, I had some connection with Karan, even though he was only twenty-five. "

"Aditi didn t believe me. But I knew I had. I wouldn t have been able to do what I did if I did not feel something for the guy. Karan made me realize that what I thought about myself was more important than what a man thought about me. And all along I had wanted to please Arjun. I only felt good when he thought I was looking good or when he was in a happy mood. But with Karan I always felt good. He had thought I was sexy, hot and intelligent even when I had brushed him off. He had wanted to go out with me. With a room full of gorgeous women, he had spent the last few minutes of the past year with me instead."

That & was a connection.

"I walked over to the window and looked down at the greenery below. It was late in the night. Aditi s parents were away for a few days and there was no one at home. I missed this. I missed spending time with her, having someone to come home to, someone who had a full time servant who could make hot samosas. Then I asked what she had been up to for these past few weeks."

" Well, I ve got some news too. I got a proposal for marriage. "

" What? I asked, completely astonished. The imperial bad girl was going domestic? I couldn t believe it."

"She told me that her parents had been asking her for a long time to find someone. She had been looking for the  right person the last couple of years but they had all turned out to be just great one nighters instead of great companions. So she told her parents to choose someone and knowing how obedient she was, she agreed to the guy they d selected for her. He was from a good, middle class, Maharastrian family, with a decent government job which not only ensured a small house and a small car, but also a steady income."

" Aditi, I said, finding it a little difficult to believe,  you re going to get bored of your life. I mean I m already bored hearing about your life from you before you have begun it! "

" Shut up! she said, pushing me away playfully.  I ve realized something, Kavu & there is no such thing as the perfect husband. There is no such thing as the perfect marriage. And there is no such thing as the perfect wife. So I plan to do the one thing that"

is perfect. Make my parents happy.

" Aw, come on! I said exasperated. I couldn t believe this was coming from her."

 Your parents will die in about twenty years and then you ll be bored and unhappy.

"God, you might be bored and unhappy in two months of this marriage, but will you stick with him for your parents? I couldn t believe this. She had been the one to tell me to go after Love. And here she was giving up on it so easily."

"She tried to rationalize,  There is no such thing as unhappiness or happiness in a marriage. It is how you make it to be. Romance is you taking the initiative for being so. Sex is when you pull down his pants and demand it. And conversation happens when you talk and ask for a response. It s all when you want it. And if you want it. "

"I couldn t believe her, so I asked,  And what happens when you get bored? And you find another man & more attractive? And then you have the urge to go with this other man who excites you or is better looking or flirts with you in a bar? "

"Aditi thought about this and said,  You know everyone wants change continuously. But honestly, I ve had so much change that it will be nice to have something permanent."

"When your expectations are not met, you want a change. But what if you change your expectations? Then you just might be happy! "

"I took some time to think about that. Then I had another thought. Why was I trying to convince her to not be married? If she claimed she had been unhappy for a long time with so many men, maybe this was a good thing for her. And then there was me. I had believed in finding the Great Love, a soul mate, who I would get married to. But she saw that that had led me to be alone and single as well. I suppose she had wanted to believe that my theory was the one that worked. But it had not. Not one of our theories had worked. According to her, the next logical step was to get into an arranged marriage."

"The roles had changed. So I stopped arguing and decided to be happy for her, albeit a little sceptically."

" My God, Adu, you ll get married and go away. What will I do without you? I said suddenly, with wide eyes."

"She hugged me and said,  I ll move down the road, stupid. Everyone lives in Planet Lokhandwala! "

"We chatted till late that day and I spent the night at her place in her room. It was as if we were back to being roommates, chatting till dawn. Aditi had decided her course of life. She might never be the famous director she set out to be, but I knew she would be"

the perfect wife.

Thirty-six

"After my stint in television, I decided I had gained enough confidence to deal with more people in larger groups. I started putting my connections to good use. I went on the Internet and became a part of an organization that helped tourists from different countries plan out their activities. So pretty soon, I was helping groups coming to Mumbai, telling them where to stay and taking them around the city, as well as fixing them up for sight seeing of neighbouring towns. I became a tour operator with a difference. Instead of a regular travel agent who just did the bookings, I became a friend to these people."

"It was actually very challenging. I realized there are a lot of people who want to visit India but they were scared of being mugged, having communication problems, or scared of being put up in an awful hotel by tour operators out to swindle them. Here, I was a real person with a profile picture who would be on Skype, chat with them telling them about their plans before they came. And then I would plan their holidays tailor-made to their needs. And everyone would have a blast. And I had a blast. And I made a lot of money. Because even if I wasn t in it for the money, the people loved me so much that they tipped me really well over and above my fees."

"There were people who only had four days and there were people who had two weeks. I had to figure out what they should do within their budget, so that they could have a wonderful glimpse of India. There were honeymooning couples who wanted spas and beach days and there were families who wanted the historical sites to educate their kids and there were female travellers who wanted cheap shopping during the day and exciting clubs at night. It was a wonderful plan."

Until I met Aaron.

"Aaron was born and brought up in San Francisco. Although his father was originally from India, Aaron had never visited India as a