"Fiddling with fidelity" : My entry for the Get Published contest

The Idea

The story is about two brothers and their cousin, each of whose love lives has taken a very different trajectory. The cousin, the wealthiest and eldest among the three is a two-time divorcee. Raised with middle-class values, he still wishes desperately to settle down and is about to hesitatingly tie the knot for a third time. Among the brothers, the elder’s marriage is passing through a rough phase, teetering on the edge of a divorce. The younger brother is struggling with an online relationship with a girl studying abroad.

The lives of these three individuals become intertwined as the words and actions of one unwittingly alter the lives of the others. Bonds strain and bonds snap as the story progresses.

What Makes This Story ‘Real’

It’s a story that derives inspiration from the lives of people I am acquainted with on a very deep and personal level. It talks about the very real problems which the institution of marriage today faces-most of all, the rapidly eroding faith in its validity in today’s confused times.

Extract

A flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by a thunder loud enough to split his eardrums. Jayanta breathed deeper, staring at her lips. Panting softly, she licked her dry lips, making the blood rush through his body.

He remained still. A low rumble vibrated in his chest and he found himself leaning towards her.

He shouldn't do it. This had to stop!

But he did it anyway. He reached over and his hand instinctively went to her hair, damp and inviting. His mind spun, reeling over whether he should pull back while there was still a chance. But at the next flash of lightning, she flung herself into his arms. And her lips into his.

Her lips were soft and sweet. Like several layers of chocolate, with whipped cream and cherries between them. She leaned closer to him, just a little at first, then farther, and Jayanta could feel the raging beat of her heart against his chest.

The illicit and amoral nature of the passion throbbing in her heart tugged at the back of her mind. But it was hard to concentrate on that when Jayanta’s lips felt so soft, yet firm. They wrapped around hers like a perfect fit.  Biting a chunk off the forbidden fruit, the excitement sent goose bumps racing across her skin.

She let out the softest of sighs as his lips flowed down her neck, inch by inch, like a rush of hot water. They then grazed over her earlobe.

Endnote: This is my entry for the HarperCollins-IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs from Yashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.