"All I want to do is, rescue you, protect you and make you feel alright!"

On a fine summer day, when mostly everyone in the Roy Chowdhary mansion was put for work and the ladies were busy in a few household chores. Anirudh had still not left for court. It was near afternoon and Bondita had already driven for work.

Anirudh was at home today. He had an important hearing tomorrow and so was preparing the last minute notes. Bondita had gone for a meeting with a new client from Deenpur.

He was sitting in his study, quite tired after reading a few files. Anirudh had stretched his body onto the chair, resting his head on the high head rest after he had removed his glasses.

Being a Barrister is just not as easy as people think! It's a profession that puts you between tonnes of papers and files to read and study! He thought to himself and smiled sarcastically.

"It was your choice afterall, Mr. Anirudh Roy Chowdhary!" He murmured to himself and shook his head, closing his eyes foe a while.

He vould hear Rudhi and her friends playing happily outside. They were nearly shouting and screaming their lungs out while catching each other in different new games!

And the loudest of them all was... Ofcourse his Rudhi! She'd gotten this from her Dad afterall.

"Dada" There was a knock at the door and Anirudh's mind was pulled out of his thoughts about the children from outside.

"Yes Batuk? Come sit!" Anirudh smiled and sat up straight, adjusting his cotton kurta.

"Were you sleeping?" Batuk chuckled as he sat down.

"No, I was just a bit tired. You tell me, how's work?" He asked, picking up his glasses and wearing them back as he finger brushed his hair back.

"Great! Kaka has always held this Zamindari so nicely, I'm also trying to be as efficient and Baba's business is also an amazing project with a lot of opportunities and learning." Batuk told, resting back on the chair as he talked to his brother.

"Sounds well! How's Mallika doing? Is she happy?" Anirudh asked with a soft smile.

Mallika had decided to become a housewife and though Anirudh always supported women to work outside too, he was equally fine with this idea too. Afterall, the job of a housewife wasn't any easy either!

"She's happy mostly, the chirpy girl she is. But the grief also surfaces quite frequently. It's just she loves kids so much that she always wants to be surrounded by them." Batuk told with a small smile of worry and admiration.

"She's a beautiful heart!" Anirudh smiled, feeling a rush of emotions in his heart and a pang as he thought about Mallika.

"Have you both talked anything about Adoption?" He asked, not sure if it was right to ask.

"Yes Dada. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Batuk spoke, sitting up straight now.

"Yeah, tell me?" Anirudh asked, sitting up straight as well.

.......

The kids were already a bit older by now. Rudhi was almost five and so were her friends. She had been doing fine in school and Anirudh always kept a close check with her teachers about her academics.

It was a fine evening when the kids were playing outside the house under the watchful gaze of Bihari Babu.

Rudhi, Rudra, Vansh and Monishika were all playing hide and seek together. It was Rudhi's chance to chase and find everyone and she was standing against a pillar, counting till ten so that everyone could hide in the mean time.

"Seven!" She shouted, her eyes closed with both her hands.

"No not so soon!" Rudra widened his eyes fearfully as he still couldn't find a place to hide.

"Eight!" Rudhi ignored him with a  giggle and counted further.

"I'm ready!" Monishika shouted, smiling with proud as she had hidden behind the main door of the Roy Chowdhary Haveli.

The kids weren't allowed to go far away from the Haveli and so mostly they all played inside the garden or just in the house.

"Nine! And Ten!" Rudhi shouted happily and clapping her hands, she turned around only to find Rudra still trying to hide.

"I caught you Rudra!" She shouted, running towards him and hitting onto his shoulder, as was the ritual of the game.

"But I hadn't found a place to hide yet!" Rudra pouted angrily.

"But that's how the game works! You're out now!" Rudhi told with pride and walked around looking for Vansh and Monishika.

"But Rudhi this is not fair! I'm still not put okay?" Rudra demanded, following her angrily.

"Here you are Vansh!!" She found him hiding behind Anirudh's black open car and Vansh just pouted sadly and then started laughing.

"Yes I am Rudhi Didi! Now let's find Moni didi!" He exclaimed.

"See! Vansh is a good boy Rudra, he listens to me!" Rudhi rolled her eyes at Rudra and Vansh just smiled happily at the praising.

"Go! I won't talk to you Rudhi! If you say I'm out, I'm going home and not playing anymore!" Rudra huffed angrily, folding his arms.

"This is not right, Rudra! My Maa says that we should always accept our defeat." Rudhi frowned at him and turned around to find Monishika.

She quickly found Monishika too and the two girls giggled happily. Monishika already didn't like Rudra as much because he would never let her play with her best friend alone.

"Fine! I'm a bad boy so don't play with me! Katti Rudhi!" Rudra shouted making Rudhi look at him with a sad frown.

"Why are shouting Rudra? I didn't do anything wrong." Rudhi said defensively but she was already feeling scared about Rudra not talking to her.

"I don't want to play with you all! You're not my good friends!" Rudra said angrily, almost crying now, but trying real hard to control his tears.

"Rudra Beta don't fight with your friends!" Bihari Babu who was quite old now, came to the kids, trying to handle this little fight.

"Okay! Don't talk to us then!" Monishika shouted instead, she was always a bit more short tempered, while Rudhi cried easily.

"Yeah Fine! Kattii!!!" Rudra shouted and stormed away back to his home.

Rudhi just kept looking at him and feeling terrible. Tears slipped down her cheeks and her little nose turned really red now. Her brows had formed a tensed frown as her chin wobbled and she started crying.

Rudra was her best friend and she never liked fighting with him.  Infact Rudhi never liked fighting with anyone at all!

"Rudhi Baby don't cry!" Bihari Babu bent down and gently patted her head but she just continued to sob.

"I'm sorry Bhari Kaka!" Rudhi cried before running inside the house.

She was running to the study, crying loudly now. She just wanted to rush to her Baba and tell him all about she was feeling. He would surely make her happy maybe, or even if not, her Baba was her happy place!

Bihari Babu followed her to make sure she didn't trip and hurt herself, while Monishika and Vansh followed them worriedly too.

......

Bondita was in the court, sitting in her cabin after her meetings ended.

She had a lime of worry on her forehead as she looked down at the single red file lying on her desk.

"Calcutta? 1 week!...." She murmured to herself as a sigh escaped her lips.
"How will I live without Pati Babu and Puchki for such a long time?" She pouted sadly but stood up and tucked the file into her handbag, walking out to the parking area.

Looking around she saw that the sky was all painted in a beautiful shade of orange and purple as the evening had sheathed the bright afternoon in its calm, soothing blanket.

How she wished she could admire this beauty with her Pati Babu, sitting on the sea shore. But all this was just a dream now. After becoming parents, it wasn't that easy to steal some time for themselves.

They wished and longed for long walks without the worry to reach home soon as their daughter must be missing them.
All date nights outside in a restaurant, were tinted with a guilt of leaving Rudhi alone at home with her grandparents. Every late night party was rushed in a worry that Rudhi had school the next morning and she won't sleep until her Baba pats her with his night time stories.

Bondita just sighed and sat inside the car, driving back home as quick as she could.

"I don't know why.... But I miss you, Pati Babu..." She murmured to herself and just sighed, focussing on the road ahead.

........

""Batuk! I won't agree to this one. I mean, it's not a wrong plan but the idea behind it is something that I can't support so easily." Anirudh pursed his lips, gently scratching his chin with her fingernails.

"I know Dada, that's why I came here. I want to know if not this, then what?" Batuk asked desperately.

"Batuk, listen to me. Running away to London or Italy is a great option! Infact anyone would've done this if they were in your place. But will this change the thinking of the people you're leaving behind? Shouldn't we just stay here and change the whole mindset with our actions? Or atleast just try to fight this society?" He asked, standing up as he and Batuk waled to the nearby glass window.

"You're right Dada, but I don't know if I'll be able to...." Batuk started doubtfully.

"Why wouldn't you? You're my brother! And I'm sure my brother is capable enough to fight against all odds for his love!" Anirudh gently touched his shoulder and Batuk just nodded looking down.

"No need for that!" Their talks were suddenly interrupted by a sweet yet stern voice.

"Bondita?" Anirudh murmured even before he turned.

Bondita kept down her bag and walled to them with firmness.

"Pati Babu, you shouldn't force Batuk and Mallika to stay back for the sake of fighting the society and changing its mindset." Bondita spoke, shocking Anirudh now.

"B.. But why would you even say that Bondita?" He frowned.

"Because that's not something everyone has the strength to do!" Bondita answered, before turning to Batuk.
"Batuk, you and Mallika can go ahead with whatever you both find the most suitable and comfortable for yourselves and your child!" She smiled with hint of tears in her eyes.

Batuk just smiled warmly at his Boudi and walked out of the study to talk to his wife about all of this.

"Bondita? I still didn't get you!" Anirudh asked, the frown not eaving his forehead.

"Pati Babu... I just want to say, that you cannot force someone to fight back to the society if they don't wish to!" Bondita spoke.
"We can't even imagine the pain they might be suffering. So in this case, is it even right to force them to stay back and be in the society, fighting every moment? Who would know better than you, that fighting people's mindsets is the most painful and the toughest fight ever?" She added as Anirudh looked down feeling a pang in his heart.

"So you mean no one should ever fight back the society?" He argued.

"Only if they wish to, they should fight until they win! But only if they think they can and they really wish to!" Bondita answered.

"And you shouldn't forget Pati Babu, not everyone in this world is Anirudh Roy Chowdhary! Not everyone will have the valour and courage to fight the society with all their strength! That's a trait you have, not Batuk or anyone else!" She smiled, gently touching his hand as she could sense a bit sadness emerging in his system.

"Hmm.... Maybe you're right!' Anirudh sighed in defeat as yet again his Bondita's Tarks had forced him to agree with her!

But I still can't fully digest this fact and I'll rethink before Batuk takes his final decision!" He added.

"Take as much time you want!" She smiled, wrapping her arms around his arm and resting her head against his shoulder with her eyes closed in ecstasy.
"And always remember that I love you!" She murmured with her eyes closed.

Anirudh too smiled and placed a soft kiss on her head.

"I love you more! How was your day?" He asked gently touching her hand which was wraped around his arm.

"It was great! I've a case lined up, which will require me to leave for Calcutta for the next week." She told casually.

"A week?" Anirudh pouted sadly.

"Shall I not go?" She asked looking up at his eyes with love.

"You must go Bondita! No compromises with work." Anirudh smiled instead with quite a strict lool that he managed to enact well now.

"Yes Sir!" Bondita giggled and hugged him yet again.

"Come back soon okay? I'll miss you!" He kissed her forehead and rested his chin against her head, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yes Pati Babu, I know....." She rolled her eyes at him but as soon as she lifted her head to look at him, she felt her head spin and her throat gag.

It was a familiar feeling, yet a new one! She instantly covered her mouth with her palm, looking at Anirudh with wide eyes. He too looked at her with confusion.

Then without another word, Bondita ran out of the study, covering her mouth tightly.

Anirudh too followed her, but was stopped midway as Rudhi came running to him and hugged him tightly.

He just held her instinctively, still looking at Bondita as she ran up to the washroom. He wanted to go behind her but Rudhi won't leave him. Infact, he looked down to see huge teardrops in Rudhi's eyes.

.......

What do you think will Anirudh do now? Will he leave Rudhi behind and go to Bondita first?
(Quite a dharm sankat🤪)

What do you think about Anirudh and Bondita's perspectives about Maltuk's problem?

Will Batuk and Mallika leave for their plan or will they stay back?

What do you think about Rudhi and Rudra's fight?

Will Anirudh be happy about this one, coz he already doesn't like that Rudra Boy?!😈😂

What do you think happened to Bondita? Why did she run upstairs?

....

Comment your views on this one guys!!!❤️

Don't forget to vote!🌟
Your love means the world to me!!!❤️ I know it's been so long that I posted, but believe me, I'm busier than ever before!!!🙂😩😂

Love, Author!❤️

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