The mela had slowly started coming alive around them.
Bright colors fluttered overhead from hanging decorations while distant laughter mixed with the sound of old Bollywood songs echoing from cheap speakers. The smell of popcorn, fried snacks, dust, and sugar filled the cool morning air as people moved from stall to stall.
From the outside, the three of them looked perfectly normal.
Just another small group enjoying the fair.
But inside Avi's head…
nothing felt normal anymore.
As he walked between Malika and Shalini, his thoughts kept dragging him back to earlier moments he couldn't properly understand.
That strange smell from the hotel room.
When he had secretly smelled Shalini's leggings.
The scent had stayed stuck in his mind ever since — earthy, warm, slightly sweaty… mixed with something deeper he couldn't explain but somehow couldn't forget either.
And now…
after what he had accidentally seen near the taxi…
those thoughts had only become worse.
Avi himself didn't fully understand what exactly he was thinking or feeling. He just knew that every time he looked toward Shalini now, his chest tightened strangely.
And somewhere deep inside him…
he wanted to smell that scent again.
Lost in those thoughts, Avi kept walking absentmindedly ahead of them.
Malika noticed immediately.
One glance at his distracted expression was enough for her to understand where his mind had gone.
A knowing smile almost appeared on her lips.
So he's still thinking about the leggings…
Without wasting another second, she smoothly changed the mood.
"Avi," she suddenly said brightly, "come on, I'll take you to the best ride in the entire mela."
Her voice immediately pulled Avi out of his thoughts.
At the same moment, Shalini also leaned slightly toward him and added gently,
"Yes, Avi. Go with Malika aunty. You both should enjoy the rides."
Though her voice sounded calm, Shalini herself had already guessed what Avi was thinking about too.
She had noticed the way he avoided looking directly at her.
The way his expression changed whenever his eyes accidentally drifted toward her leggings.
And remembering what had happened in the hotel room earlier made heat rise through her body all over again.
Avi finally looked back at both of them before giving a small nod.
The moment he agreed, Malika and Shalini exchanged a quick hidden smile with each other.
Relief.
Amusement.
Anticipation.
All mixed together silently.
Then they began walking toward the rides section of the fair.
Avi walked a little ahead excitedly now, distracted by the bright attractions around him.
Meanwhile, Malika and Shalini walked side by side behind him.
The moment Avi moved slightly farther ahead, Malika leaned closer toward Shalini and lowered her voice.
"So…" she whispered softly near her ear, "call Prayush or Ravi and ask one of them to come here… if you really want discharge that badly."
The teasing words alone made Shalini's breath catch.
Malika noticed instantly.
A slow, wicked smile spread across her lips before she continued even more softly,
"And until then… I'll give you a task."
Shalini turned toward her nervously.
Malika's eyes gleamed with dangerous amusement.
"Find a hidden corner somewhere," she murmured calmly, "and pee there."
Shalini's eyes widened slightly.
Before she could react, Malika continued smoothly,
"Then make a small hole near your flower in your leggings… just enough to keep it open underneath."
The words alone made heat rush violently into Shalini's cheeks.
Malika's tone remained terrifyingly casual.
"Cover it properly with your kurti," she added. "No one should notice anything."
Then her fingers lightly brushed against the handbag hanging from Shalini's shoulder.
"And the cardigan you brought in your bag… keep it with you. Wear it over yourself if needed."
Shalini's heartbeat had become dangerously fast now.
Every instruction felt insane.
Humiliating.
Thrilling.
Malika leaned even closer for one final whisper. "And listen carefully…"
Her lips curved into another playful smile.
"You only move your kurti away after Prayush or Ravi arrives. Understand?"
Shalini stared at Malika silently for a few long seconds.
Her heartbeat was still uneven from the way Malika had whispered those instructions so casually into her ear.
Every part of her knew this was insane.
And yet…
slowly…
she nodded.
A faint, nervous smile appeared on her lips despite herself.
The moment Malika saw her agree, a deeply satisfied, naughty smile crossed her face before she immediately returned to talking normally, as if the conversation they had just shared had been completely innocent.
A few minutes later, the three of them reached the outer rides section of the mela.
Most of the rides had only recently started operating, so the crowd there was still very light. Bright bulbs flickered lazily around the giant rides while workers shouted instructions half-heartedly and old music echoed faintly through the open space.
As soon as they reached one of the larger rides, Shalini quietly walked over and bought two tickets before handing them to Malika.
Then, lowering her voice carefully so only Malika and Avi could hear, she asked softly,
"Where can someone freshen up around here?"
Malika instantly understood what she meant.
A dangerous little smile touched her lips.
"Try looking behind the rides," she replied casually. "Maybe you'll find some hidden corner there."
The way she said it sent another wave of heat through Shalini's body.
Still, she simply nodded softly.
Then turning toward Avi, she forced a normal smile onto her face.
"Don't trouble aunty, okay? I'll be back."
Avi nodded absentmindedly while looking around excitedly at the rides.
Leaving Malika and Avi near the line, Shalini quietly walked away.
Her pulse grew faster with every step.
She moved toward the backside of the ride area and noticed several mela shops lined up there, most of them still closed at this early hour.
Looking around carefully, she finally spotted something hidden deeper between the stalls.
A narrow passage.
So narrow that even one person would have to turn sideways slightly to walk through comfortably.
After hesitating for a moment, Shalini slipped inside.
The moment she entered, she discovered a small square-like hidden area completely surrounded by the backs of the shops. From outside, nobody could see inside unless they specifically entered through the same narrow path.
The place smelled faintly of urine and dampness, making it obvious that many of the shopkeepers probably used this hidden corner themselves.
That realization instantly made Shalini uncomfortable.
Her eyes nervously scanned around for somewhere safer.
And then—
she noticed a middle-aged lady stepping out from behind a cloth curtain nearby.
The woman spotted Shalini too and walked closer curiously.
"What are you doing here, madam ji?" she asked casually.
Shalini quickly answered,
"One shopkeeper aunty told me I could come here for the toilet… but this place feels too open. Anyone could walk in."
The woman immediately understood and pointed toward the cloth curtain.
"You see that curtain?" she said. "Go behind that side. No one comes there. Some of us lady shopkeepers arranged that place for women."
Relief instantly crossed Shalini's face.
"Thank you," she said softly before heading toward the curtain.
The moment she crossed behind it, she realized the place was far more hidden than before.
The space extended deeper inward, and a little farther ahead there was another narrow hidden path almost impossible to notice unless someone intentionally searched for it.
And because temporary toilets had already been placed throughout the mela grounds, most women probably never even came this far inside.
Which made it perfect.
Shalini quickly looked around once more to make sure nobody was there.
Then, with trembling fingers, she lowered her leggings slightly and finally relieved herself, exhaling shakily as the pressure eased from her body.
But even after that…
the aching heat inside her still remained.
Almost instinctively, her fingers drifted toward her flower, teasing herself lightly through shaky breaths.
The moment she began nearing the edge again—
she stopped.
Immediately.
Malika's warning echoed inside her head.
No release until I allow it.
Shalini bit down softly on her lip before forcing her hand away.
Her entire body trembled faintly from the denial.
Then, after gathering courage, she carefully made a small opening in her leggings near her flower exactly the way Malika had instructed earlier.
Once finished, she quickly covered everything properly beneath her kurti before taking out the cardigan from her bag and slipping it over herself for extra concealment.
Even though nothing obvious could be seen…
the knowledge of what she had done made her face burn with unbearable embarrassment.
And excitement.
Taking one final nervous breath, Shalini finally walked back out from the hidden area.
Once she reached a safer distance near the rides again, she pulled out her phone and quickly called Prayush.
The call connected after a few rings.
Keeping her voice low, she said,
"I'm near the backside of the giant ride inside the mela… you and Ravi come there."