I'm considering going on a spree, so remember to vote and comment! Enjoy!

Also about the title, if you know MDMB, then you know. Any guesses to what it refers to? 🤭

--

Four months later...

Anirudh had a warm cup of coffee in his hands, as he stared at the newspaper article posted on the bulletin board in the study. 

The article that was posted in the Tulsipur Times newspaper after Bondita's victory. 

A smile appeared on his lips, as he re-read the article once again. Every single day, he would read this article with pride, with honour. It was the stamp of his and Bondita's first success in making a change in this society. 

There was a picture of him and Bondita on there, both of them smiling, with Anirudh's arm wrapped around Bondita's shoulder. The sides of their bodies were touching, and her head was slightly tilted towards him. 

Beside that, the header of the article read: A Young Lady Changes the Future for All School-Going Girls?

Below the header, journalist Shubham Bannerjee had written a very positive article about how a brave girl named Bondita Roy Choudhary had given a speech about menstruation, ensuring that girls would still be able to attend school at such a time. Shubham had praised Bondita a lot in the article, calling her an inspiration, someone who many women can make their role model in their lives. 

Anirudh loved that there was only one small sentence about him. The limelight was entirely on Bondita.

All Shubham wrote about him was: Bondita's husband Anirudh Roy Choudhary, is very proud of his wife, and supports her fully. 

When the article came out, Bondita had wished that Shubham spoke more about Anirudh, but Anirudh believed that this was Bondita's victory, and he was merely assisting her. And what Shubham said was the truth; it was short and sweet. 

Her name being out would be way more impactful than him getting recognition. Having a young, female leader was nothing short of a miracle, one that was unheard of at the time! 

The other person who was clearly not happy about this was his Kaka for two reasons.

The first one Trilochan Roy Choudhary made obvious, which was that many people were speaking ill of them, and their lives could be in danger if they continued down this road of fitoor. 

The second reason that Trilochan was keeping to himself, that nobody got a whiff about yet, was the fact that at Bondita's young age, the focus had gone from Anirudh to her. It was already a big thing in Trilochan's eyes that Bondita went to school. While he loved his Bahu and was trying hard to trust her, his nature was such that seeing a wife outshining her husband and having a whole article dedicated to her, was just absurd. 

The male should be earning more, the male should be the focus, and the male should be the one who everyone revered in this society! 

Already, having children was off the radar for Anirudh and Bondita, so much so that he knew they didn't even indulge in sexual relations. Anirudh may call her his wife, but he only brought her up like a student and another person to aid in his fitoor! How could Kaka ever support it? 

He kept quiet about this though, because he knew that neither Anirudh nor his Bahu would like such statements. He was still trying hard to trust his Bahu after all. 

Anirudh touched the article in the study gently, brushing his fingers over the headline, his cup of coffee in his other hand. 

Bondita had very recently started working on cases with him. He hadn't shown her much yet, except explain some terms. They were legal terms, and he was well aware that she may find it boring, but in the study, he was in his barrister mode, which meant that he was stern and serious. 

He could have sworn he heard her mutter under her breath 'Khadoos Babu' at one point, but he couldn't be sure. 

If he didn't have to go out today, he would have certainly trained her more. 

--

After school that day, Vikram and Batuk were about to go to the Roy Choudhary haveli together. 

"Where's Bondita?" Vikram asked, as the two of them exited the school. 

"She's teaching extra classes," Batuk just said, "She'll come home later." 

They had barely taken a few steps past the school entrance when Surabhi walked past them, not sparing Batuk or Vikram a glance. 

"Hey, Surabhi!" Vikram called out. 

Surabhi stopped in her tracks. 

In the last four months, Surabhi did hang out with the group, but she stayed closer to Mallika and Bondita, and at times Vikram. She barely even made eye contact with Batuk, let alone say a word to him. 

While Bondita and Vikram noticed this, they didn't make a big deal out of it, because they knew that they had their own thing going on. It wasn't something for them to interfere in. 

Only Mallika questioned Batuk about it once. 

"Ji why aren't you talking to Surabhi?" she had asked one day after class a few months ago. 

"Why does it matter to you?" Batuk had huffed. 

Mallika looked at him, her eyebrows crinkling together, and Batuk sighed. 

"I just don't like her!" he announced. 

"Don't mind haan, but that's not nice. You don't have to like her to say hello," Mallika had responded. 

"I don't care about being nice," Batuk just said, "And you stay out of it Mallika. It's got nothing to do with you." 

"Whatever ji. As long as the two of you are happy," Mallika just said with a shrug. 

"Very happy," Batuk just grumbled, and tried to ignore the strange feeling in his chest. 

Now, Vikram greeted Surabhi, when it was only them two with her, and Batuk looked away from her. 

Surabhi turned, focusing her gaze on Vikram. 

"Hey Vikram," she just said. 

"You were running past us, like you saw something scary," Vikram teased lightly. 

"Scary? No," Surabhi said with a forced smile, "I was just on my way home." 

"Us too," Vikram said. 

Although Vikram understood that Batuk and Surabhi weren't talking to each other, it still didn't stop him from tactfully trying to melt their animosity. 

"Great, I'll get going then..." Surabhi just said, and gulped nervously, trying hard not to look at Batuk. 

Batuk could feel his heart racing, a sweat erupting on his brow. Why was he getting the urge to go after her?

"Bye," Vikram just said, and Surabhi turned around and started to walk away. 

Vikram turned to look at Batuk, who was pointedly looking the other direction and teased, "Batuk, she's gone. You can stop sweating now." 

Batuk breathed a sigh of relief, and faced forward again. 

"I wasn't sweating - oh..." his voice trailed off towards the end, because his eyes landed on Surabhi's back, his gaze falling onto her bare legs, his heart hammering once more, and he felt sweaty all over again. 

Ever since that dream, there had been many instances where he caught himself peeking at her legs, at her body, at her like he was craving to get closer. 

He still didn't know, four months later, what the hell was wrong with him. He was so convinced that he hated her, but he was also sure that he wanted to erase this distance between them and talk to her again. 

There was one last thing he was sure about, and that was the fact that he wanted to also do much more than talking. 

"Oh?" Vikram questioned, looking at Batuk suspiciously. 

"N - nothing! Let's go," Batuk just said, and started to increase the paces of his strides. 

Vikram shrugged and followed Batuk to the Roy Choudhary haveli. 

-- 

By the time they got home, Anirudh had already gone out. Binoy was doing some work outside. Trilochan had taken Sashwati out for some fresh air, and Sampoorna was busy making dinner inside the kitchen. 

Batuk and Vikram were hanging out by the living room, laughing about a classmate who got in trouble earlier that day by the teacher, when something unexpected happened. 

Suddenly, footsteps began to rush their way. The sound of anklets chiming at an urgent rate.

Vikram and Batuk both looked up to see Manika running towards them, looking extremely worn out.

"Bondita's Manika Didi," Vikram said breathlessly, his heart leaping the moment she appeared in front of him.

It had been months, so many months since he had seen her last. Ever since she had her baby in the hospital, Vikram didn't get the opportunity to see her or hear her voice again. 

He had missed her.

Batuk just turned to look at Vikram, raising his eyebrow, and wondering when he would be saved from his impossible love!

His best friend had fallen for someone who he had no chance of ever getting, and he was extremely concerned!

Manika stopped running when she saw Vikram and Batuk there, her gaze fixed on Vikram.

All of her problems just seemed to melt away, and she felt incredibly light all over again, just by merely seeing him.

A smile appeared on her lips, and she walked to them slowly.

As soon as she saw him, it hit her just how much she missed him. Just how much his positive smile, and kindness had once filled her days with happiness. 

With everything going on in her life, she didn't get a chance to think so much about him, but now that he was in front of her, all she wanted to do was... hug him? 

"Bondita's Manika Didi, you were rushing here. Is something wrong?" Vikram asked her, sounding worried.

Manika looked at Vikram, her smile suddenly falling as she was reminded of the traumatic event that just happened at home.

It didn't matter how happy Vikram made her, the truth was that her life was a mess. Her home was a mess. The trauma of what just happened was too much for her to even process. 

She fell to the ground, shaking, her eyes filling with tears.

Vikram immediately fell to the ground in front of her.

"I - I can't t - tell you Vikram," Manika sobbed, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I... I don't want you to b - be sad. It's not... app-propriate too."

Vikram's heart ached with sorrow as he watched her. He wanted to comfort her, to place a hand on her shoulder, but he didn't know if she would like it.

Regardless, she was crying though, and he couldn't leave her without support. So he extended his hand and placed it on her trembling shoulder.

"You can tell me anything," he just told her softly.

Manika shook her head through her tears, and then a sob escaped her lips, as she turned around and buried her face against Vikram's chest, sobbing heavily.

She didn't think when she did it. She just knew that she was craving comfort. She was craving his positive energy. His homely arms. Although she had been close, while distant with Vikram in all this time, she didn't like the idea of distance anymore. 

Not when she felt like merely an empty shell now, who only knew how to cry. 

Batuk's eyes widened so much that they nearly popped out of their sockets! His best friend was done for now! He even got a hug!

"Oh no!" Batuk mumbled under his breath. "Vikram will never recover from this hug! A hug for Vikram probably means a lifetime commitment!" 

Vikram wrapped his arms around Manika, his heart beating incredibly fast. He knew she was sad, and his heart hurt to see her sad, but a part of him was feeling so nice to hold her in his arms. He gently rubbed her back, his heart feeling like it could burst at any moment. 

"Please tell me," he murmured to her, as she sobbed against his chest, her tears soaking his school uniform.

Batuk looked at Vikram, and shook his head slowly. 

Manika was only two and a half or three years older than them. She wasn't so old. She was probably 19 maximum. However, even he knew that older girls and younger boys never could happen! On top of that, this older girl was married and had a child! It was like three nevers in one! 

"Don't Vikram don't..." Batuk murmured under his breath, and then placed his hand on his head dramatically. "I can't take this anymore! I will only die out of concern if I remain here!" 

He then stomped out of the room, wondering where on Earth his Dada was! He should be handling his friend, instead of his best friend being set up for heartache! 

In the living room, Manika just sobbed, "A - Anirudh... w - where's A - Anirudh?" 

Vikram held Manika against him and whispered, "I don't know... he went out I think..." 

"O - out..." she whimpered. 

"If you think that I'm worthy enough, then please tell me. Maybe I can help you..." Vikram said to her softly, still rubbing small circles on her back.

Manika squeezed her eyes shut against Vikram's chest, feeling so warm in his arms. He was holding her so lovingly. 

How could it be that Vikram, who she only met for a brief time, could hold her more lovingly than her whole family? 

"Vikram... your mind... I want to protect it... I don't want to e - expose it to these things," Manika cried. 

Vikram shook his head, his heart aching, and he said, "What's the use of protecting this mind when in return, it can't protect those I care about? Tell me, what's troubling you... did something happen at home?"

Manika lifted her face from Vikram's chest, her eyes red. 

"Vikram..." the words barely were making it out. 

Vikram took her hands and held them gently. 

"I'm with you," he told her seriously. "You can say anything." 

"W - when I delivered Pratul, the doctor had said to not... not... for one year..." she gulped. 

Pratul was her son. 

Vikram's heart ached, understanding what she meant. 

"Not... be physical?" Vikram asked quietly. 

Manika nodded. 

"The doctor said that if I were to be pregnant again this year then it'll put me and my baby in big danger," Manika explained tearfully. 

"T - then?" Vikram asked, his heart suddenly feeling hard as rock, as he already saw the worst coming. 

"My husband was g - good about it... until n - now..." she confessed. 

"H... he..." Vikram started, his own eyes getting wet. 

"I told him no, I begged him..." Manika whispered, shaking her head, more tears escaping her eyes. She couldn't even look at Vikram, so she looked down. "I begged him to please not do this b - but he f - forced m - me. He said h - he had enough. He said he is a man."

If Vikram wasn't holding her hands, his hands would have balled into fists by now. 

"I asked him, how about me? Does my life mean nothing?" she whispered, "And his words cut me so deeply, that after that I lost all my willpower to fight." 

"What did he say?" Vikram asked, his jaw clenching and his teeth gritting with anger, as he looked at Manika with a fiery pain in his eyes. 

"He said that it's not hard for him to find another wife to warm his bed, and that I should be lucky that I could die to serve my husband," she whispered, shivering. 

More tears poured from her eyes, as Vikram's entire body grew enraged. 

How could anyone do that to Manika? How could anyone do that anyone? 

"I'm so sorry V - Vikram. I didn't mean to tell you t - the details, but A - Anirudh wasn't here. I w - wanted to d - die... and w - when I saw you I saw hope," Manika sobbed. "Did I traumatize you? Did I hurt you?" 

Vikram looked into Manika's red eyes, and his own eyes grew pained. He reached to her cheeks, and wiped her tears away. 

"Anyone can get a wife, but nobody can get a Manika, nobody can get a gem, " Vikram said, as he caressed her cheeks gently. 

He had once imagined what it would be like to hold her, but he never wanted to hold her in a circumstance like this. 

He could sacrifice everything, just to see a smile on her face. 

Then before Manika knew it, Vikram had wrapped his arms around her again, hugging her once more to him, trying to somehow soothe her with his hugs. 

Manika also wrapped her arms around him and clutched the back of his school shirt tightly. 

"I - I think I will be okay... I have to be, but I still t - troubled you," her words got muffled into his shirt. "I'm sorry Vikram..."

"I'm sorry," Vikram whispered, his eyes wet and pained.

I'm sorry that I wasn't older, and didn't meet you first... I'm sorry that I didn't fall in love with you and make your world beautiful first. I'm sorry I was born too late. I'm very, very sorry about that.

-- 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My eyes got wet while writing it. 🥺

Did you enjoy Anirudh's proud moment? 

The Batuk/Surabhi tension? 

The scene between Vikram and Manika? 

Are you looking forward for more? What will happen now? 

From the shower chapter, the votes have been low, even though the views are the same or higher. 

Get all the parts from chapter 241 to 450+ stars, otherwise, this story will really end soon. I don't want to repeat myself over and over again. Next time, it'll be an announcement that the story is ending. 

I know you can do it, as you've exceeded my expectations and blown me away many times. It's not easy to take time daily to write updates, but I still do it because I know many of you are waiting. If I feel you aren't eager, then I also won't feel like writing. Your votes = TRPs. Maintain them, and I maintain the story. They fall and story goes off. That's the formula. 

After this track there's another track which I know is awaited by many of you... sooo I would hate to have the story end before that! So vote! Don't skip it! (On another note, any guesses what this track is? 🤭)

But I am loving all of your support through the comments. The chapters have been getting so many comments, and it warms my heart. I really, really am grateful to those of you who are voting and commenting. You make my day, and make me excited to post more. ❤️🤗

There's a chance that I'll post yet another part or even go on a spree today. Would you like me to post more? Love you all so, so much!❤️