It all started on a lazy Saturday evening. Ghazals from my Jagjit Singh playlist streamed out of the living room speakers as I poured a glass of red wine each for both of us. We had nowhere to go this evening. It seemed like ages since we had spent a quiet weekend at home, neither going out nor entertaining anybody at home. Just the two of us. And it felt serene. Relaxed. Peaceful. As is our won’t, we were working together in the kitchen. Shweta was referring to a recipe book, as she prepared the various ingredients that go into a Khow Suey, while I was dicing and slicing all the veggies that constitute my favourite Greek salad. We enjoy the bonding experience of working together in the kitchen. We chat about our day as we prepare a sumptuous and hearty meal, to be devoured later over watching together the latest flick or listening to our favourite music, at the end of a long tiring day. And today being a weekend, there was no rush to wind up early. I could already feel that this evening was going to end on a very romantic note. The wine glasses were already out and I was rummaging through the online grocery we had ordered to toss up something else apart from the menu we were working on.
The holiday deal
I was on my third glass of wine while she was on her second when we moved into the living room with our full plates. By the time we finished our meal and drained the last drop of wine from the bottle, we were both feeling good. My mobile buzzed. It was a message from Sharad, my close friend from work. Shweta and Sharad’s wife Swati are friends. Sharad had been pushing us to go on a holiday to Ooty next weekend and it seems he had found some good online deal. The deal looked good so I gave him the thumbs up to go ahead with the bookings. As soon as I told Shweta about the trip plans getting finalised she grinned naughtily. “So now you will have the opportunity to ogle her. I know why you agreed to this trip with them,” she winked. Normally I would have blushed and protested but the wine had made me reckless. “Yes. Why not? But don’t think that I haven’t noticed how the mere mention of his name turns you so naughty and horny in bed,” I countered. We had an on-going game of fantasy where Sharad and Swati’s names would often crop up when we made love to each other. She blushed. She even sometimes wore the silk robes that Swati said she usually buys. I would go ga-ga over this idea. I grew more reckless, “Do you think they too think about us as we do about them?” “All couples do,” was her reply. “What makes you an authority on all couples? Oh, I guess their wives come and confide in you,” I remarked a bit sarcastically.
A mutual feeling
“I don’t know about all the wives but yes…. Swati did confide. She has a crush on you,” she answered with a glint in her eyes. “What? How do you know?” “She admitted to me while we were at Megamart last week. What’s more, she told me that even Sharad likes me a lot.” I couldn’t believe my ears. The woman at the centre of my fantasies had a crush on me. I felt elated. Suddenly, I remembered how Sharad had casually mentioned an online dating site where couples posted their profiles to meet together in an intimate setting. He had mentioned that he too had recently made his profile there and got friend requests from all sorts of people. He even encouraged me to join this website. And what was the word he was using? Swapping! I had thought it was just a passing phase. That is, until now.
The penny drops
Things suddenly fell into place. Swati mentioning her interest in me to Shweta, Sharad telling me about this swapping site, the weekend trip plans. I discussed my hunch with Shweta. At first, she found it preposterous that Sharad and Swati were interested in swapping with us. However, the more we discussed it, the more probable it seemed. Finally, she asked me point-blank, “Do you want to do it with her?” I knew this was the moment of truth. Restraining my excitement, I tried to reply as calmly as possible, “Only if you will allow me to. And are you ready to get intimate with Sharad?” “I don’t know. This is too much of development all of a sudden. Fantasizing about it was okay but to actually do it …” she trailed off. “See if we ever were to do such a thing with someone, I can’t think of a better-looking couple and closer friends than them.” “I know, but what if this affects our friendship?” “Exactly. Our friendship is so strong that they are the ideal people to try this with. We have fantasized about them so much in bed. Isn’t it time to do the real thing?” Related reading: 8 things every husband secretly wants in bed. Shweta didn’t reply immediately. But I got her answer later in our bedroom. The unparalleled passion of our lovemaking told me that our discussion had planted a seed in her mind. As we both climaxed simultaneously I felt closer then ever to her in life. Related reading: My sex life with my husband is good but I still feel like masturbating.
The adventure begins
Next morning, I called up Sharad to finalise the finer details of the trip. Before hanging up, I mentioned casually that I was making a profile on the website he had mentioned, The Adult Hub. There was a stunned silence followed by a sheepish laugh from him. I realised that what we were embarking upon would need a lot of honesty and open communication between all four of us. Little did I know that it would test the limits of our relationships more than I could have ever imagined. Both Shweta and I started preparing for the trip. We made a whole lot of online purchase from T-shirts to towels to swimsuits and jackets. We wanted to look cool and trendy. I specially got a pair of danglers for Shweta and she gifted me a new leather purse. We were super excited.
