Contract Lovers

At ten in the morning, Monica was still lying naked on the spacious double bed. She was awake but didn't want to get up or put on clothes, relishing in this lazy indulgence. At that moment, her phone rang. It was Prathik calling, and he said, "Mon, our contract is expiring at the end of the month. You should start looking for a place to rent soon." Monica ran her fingers through her messy hair, mumbling and nodding absentmindedly. With the phone resting on the pillow, Monica stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling somewhat at a loss. She was Prathik's contracted lover, with a contract term of one year, and it was about to expire at the end of this month. Monica met Prathik a year ago while singing in a bar. That night, Monica sat on the stage with a white wooden guitar, wearing a loose checkered dress, looking both charming and delicate. That night, Prathik drank a lot. He intended to rush onto the stage to present flowers to Monica, but the alcohol suddenly surged up his throat, and he vomited, soiling Monica's checkered dress. Unlike other girls who might have screamed in panic or disgust, Monica quickly put down her guitar, took the flowers with one hand, and supported Prathik's arm with the other, softly saying, "Take it easy on the drinks; too much isn't good for you." Seeing the situation, a few men and women who came to the bar with Prathik hurriedly ran onto the stage, apologizing to Monica while helping Prathik down. Monica calmly left the stage, changed her dress in the restroom, and returned to play and sing: "Open the window to see the white birds at the horizon, thinking of your mint-flavored smile..." as if nothing had happened. Leaving the bar, Monica stood by the roadside with her guitar slung over her back, waiting for a taxi. A white BMW stopped in front of her. Prathik leaned out of the car and said, "If you don't mind, I can give you a ride." Monica was about to refuse, but Prathik was already out of the car, holding the door open for her. And that's how Monica met Prathik. After a few dinners together, Monica and Prathik naturally found themselves in a hotel room and in bed, without it being clear who seduced whom; everything just seemed to happen naturally. Monica in bed was a different person from the one singing on stage, wildly tearing at Prathik's clothes, leaving a circle of red, round bite marks on his chest. After everything was over, Monica stood naked under the faucet, eyes closed, rinsing off. Prathik stood at the bathroom door with a mischievous smile, watching Monica shower, saying, "I couldn't tell, you're so dignified on stage, but so wild in bed." Monica didn't open her eyes and said, "I haven't had a man for over half a year, maybe I was just starving." Prathik laughed heartily; he'd never heard a girl call making love "eating a man" before. It later became a catchphrase for Prathik and Monica when flirting over the phone. Prathik would ask on one end, "Hey, are you hungry?" Monica would giggle on the other end and say, "Hungry!" Then Prathik would drive over to satisfy Monica's hunger, or at least partially. Mon signed the contract with Prathik because her mother called, saying that the family needed to renovate the house for Mon's brother's wedding. Although Mon was living in the city, as a singer performing in bars, she didn't earn much money and was just getting by. So, after one of their hookups, Mon brought up the idea of borrowing money from Prathik. Prathik asked, "How much do you need?" Mon gritted her teeth and replied, "A hundred thousand. I'll give you an IOU; this money is a loan and has nothing to do with us sleeping together." Prathik hesitated for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll give you a hundred and twenty thousand. The condition is that you be my contract girlfriend for a year." Mon said, "Do you want to keep me caged like a bird? Well then, alright, we have a deal." In fact, by this time, Mon had already fallen in love with Prathik. What's the difference between a contract and marriage, anyway? It's just a piece of paper with a stamp! One has a term, and the other isn't necessarily forever. During the day, Prathik went to work, and Mon, like a little housewife, would buy groceries, cook, and tidy up the house. Then, she would dress up beautifully and fragrantly, waiting for Prathik to return. Life was sweet, leisurely, and comfortable. Mon had even forgotten that she and Prathik were just contract partners; how could the contract be ending so soon! Mon had never asked Prathik about his line of work or who else was in his family. However, Mon could sense that there must be another woman in Prathik's life, perhaps his wife or another contract girlfriend. This was because Mon could always faintly smell other women's perfume in Prathik's car and on him. Fortunately, no matter how late it was, Prathik would return to Mon's bed every night. Previously, Mon had never asked, but now that the contract was about to expire, Mon decided to use the remaining time to get to know the man she had been with for a year.