We were pretty regular as a couple. We did our usual movie and dinner dates, surprised each other on our birthdays and had arguments like any other couple. Neither of us was ready to admit that we were stuck in a rut. That we had grown so used to the comfort of coming home to each other, reading, eating, sleeping in each other’s presence that we didn’t acknowledge the fact that we needed to shake things up a bit.
Until he confronted me one day. Frustrated, confused and anxious about what the future held in store for us.
‘What are we doing?’
‘What are we doing?’ I repeated after him.
He reminded me of the times that we would manage to sneak in a kiss between classes in college, get handsy with each other at every prized moment that we got to spend together, make out religiously at the back of autos and cabs. We made an effort to know each other, to be intimate and adventurous together.
Starting from scratch felt like the only solution to me. What if we were strangers all over again? The classic trope. Spotting each other from the corner of our eyes, at a pub, sipping on our favourite cocktails, our fingers circling the edges of our glasses in anticipation.
So, we did exactly that.
I was in a black dress, with a dangerously low back slit. He was in a crisp white shirt, blue jeans and oxfords. Prior to this we had both gone shopping separately because the idea was to surprise each other in the best way possible.
After a long time, I had butterflies in my stomach on seeing the man I had known for almost half my life. As he sat on the other side of the bar, his eyes scanning me with an urgency, I was flattered and aroused at the same time.
In due time he came over. His face dangerously close to my ears, ‘Can I buy you a drink?’
And, of course, it didn’t stop at one drink. That night he was a detective on a mission and I was a popular writer of erotic fiction. His stories involved guns blazing and the echoing sirens of police cars, mine involved poetry which would send a shudder down many a spines. He was suave, charming and funny. And I was all for it.
He held me firmly by the waist as we waltzed around the dance floor. His stubble brushing against the side of my face, I could feel my heart beating fast. So, this is what I was missing out on, huh?
As things moved to our hotel room (we were strangers after all), we were completely besotted by this whole role play thing. We were still ourselves, but much more willing to live on the edge. Go off the grid, try something new. As a result, the sex that followed also was very exciting. We explored every inch of each other’s bodies as we were indeed meeting for the first time.
The first time we tried role play, completely changed the dynamics of our relationship. And I couldn’t recommend it enough.
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