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Please read and vote on all the parts from chapter 445, and don't skip chapters otherwise things will not make sense!

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--

There was no school the next day. 

Anirudh woke up first and went to take his sexual frustration out through his daily routine of Yoga. 

As he practiced his Yoga, he thought about how he could pacify Bondita. 

He could get her roshogullas, but he recalled the last time he tried that -- she had grabbed the roshogullas and locked herself in their bedroom as she ate them alone -- which meant locking him out of his own bedroom! 

No, the only option was to tempt her to a point that she would break her self-control. He had to seduce her to the point where she decided to drop this idea of torturing him. Her sweet torture was getting to be too much. 

When he got back to the bedroom, he noticed that she was still sleeping. So he went to take a shower. 

He came out with a white towel around his waist, an idea creeping up in his mind. 

Bondita was still asleep, but he made his way to her and sat down on the bed beside her sleeping body. 

He placed his hand on her hair and caressed it gently, leaning down and kissing her forehead lovingly. 

"Bondita, it's time to wake up," he murmured softly into her ear. 

She opened her eyes slowly, as he continued to caress her hair. The way he stroked her hair felt so good, and she wanted to melt back into her slumber. 

"Is it late?" Bondita mumbled. 

"Seven," Anirudh whispered to her, his lips still grazing her ear. 

Bondita smiled, feeling his lips on her ear. She loved being woken up by his loving gestures. 

His lips moved to her cheek and he pecked it affectionately. Bondita turned around slightly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down closer against her for their morning hug. 

Anirudh smiled victoriously. His plan had worked! Him approaching her so early in the morning, distracted her from her own plans!

Little did he know that Bondita wasn't distracted though -- just like his nearly naked self in the towel was seducing her, she was also teasing him. She was making him believe his plan had worked, only to leave him hanging once more. 

Plus, they had already decided that no matter what happened, how badly they fought, or how big their disagreements were, they would never skip their morning hugs, as long as they were in physical proximity to each other. 

Anirudh's body pressed against hers, as Bondita's hands ran down his bare back, feeling the slight moisture there. He wasn't completely dry from the shower. 

"Give me a kiss," Bondita whispered, and Anirudh smiled, feeling victorious all over again. 

He lifted himself slightly, and leaned towards her, placing his mouth over hers and kissing her lovingly. Bondita responded to his kiss for a second. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss and make the situation more passionate, Bondita broke the kiss, and pushed him up on the bed. 

She tried not to get distracted by his almost naked body, and his slightly wet look. It was hard, but she was able to manage. She had learned the heights of self-control by none other than her Pati Babu!

Anirudh sat up, wondering if she wanted to take control. He was ready to do whatever she wanted. 

He looked at her with desire as she sat up on the bed and touched his cheek gently, expecting her to climb up on his lap and get the passion started.

"Pati Babu, I have to get ready now, so that I can study," she told him with a smile. 

"So early in the morning?" he asked, blown away by her dedication. 

A part of him was slightly thrown off, because he wanted to romance with her for some time before she studied. However, the idea of her studying so early in the morning was making him proud too! It was a battle between two sides of his desire! 

"Yes, I don't have time for breaks," she just told him lightly, caressing his cheek lovingly. 

Anirudh looked at her suspiciously now, because the 'break' word almost sounded like a taunt since yesterday. 

"You are really going to study right now?" he asked her. 

"Of course," she told him, still smiling innocently. "My Pati Babu has one mantra. That is to study, study, study. How can I go against his word?"

Anirudh furrowed his brows and he said, "Wrong." 

"Is it?" she questioned, as she got up from bed and went to the wardrobe to choose a saree. 

Anirudh also got up, tightening the towel around his waist and approaching her. 

"I do have a mantra, but it is not the one that you're assuming." 

"Hmm, what is it then?" she asked, picking out a purple saree from inside the wardrobe and closing the wardrobe door. 

He smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders from behind her. He leaned into her ear, whispering, "Bondita, Bondita, Bondita."  

Her heart fluttered, a blush arising on her cheeks. 

It was true. She knew it. The amount of time she spent in his thoughts, in his heartbeats, in every pore of his body, every cell of his system was endless. There wasn't a moment he wasn't consciously or subconsciously thinking about her. 

Even though he may be saying the words study, study, study, what he was really chanting was Bondita, Bondita, Bondita.  

Just like that, every inch of her body only vibrated his name. Every atom that existed within her, and around her vibrated at his frequency, uttering his name only. 

He was the form behind her mantra. The deity behind her practice.

"But your words say otherwise," Bondita just whispered, turning around to face him. 

Anirudh pressed his hands on the wardrobe on either side of her. 

"I want to protect my Goddess," he murmured in response. "I don't want to gamble with her. Not even for a moment." 

Bondita's cheeks flushed and she whispered, "Giving into your temptations is not gambling. Our future will happen, no matter what. There is nothing that can stop us from achieving our goals. So we can choose to have fun while walking that path, or we can be serious through it all. I'd rather make the journey fun, wouldn't you?" 

Anirudh leaned slightly closer to her and said, "Of course. If we can get there by having fun, why not? But can we do that? That's the question."

"Of course we can," she whispered back. 

He leaned even closer to her and said, making her heart flutter again, "My dear Bondita, you are the one who taught me to live, to relax, to enjoy myself." 

Bondita was feeling somersaults in her stomach again as his face approached hers, and she pressed her back against the wardrobe. 

"So will you allow romance in the middle of work?" she asked softly. 

Anirudh stopped moving his face, a few inches away from hers, and he frowned slightly. 

"I knew it," she said with a heavy sigh. "When we were making the pads and preparing for our speech about menstruation, you were okay with the idea of make out breaks. But not anymore!" 

Anirudh sighed as well and said, "Bondita, that was one project. This is your entire future. This is the foundation of your entire barrister career." 

Bondita smiled at him and said convincingly, "Think about it Pati Babu, if my foundation is memorable, don't you think my entire barrister career will be banging?"

What a choice of word, Anirudh thought. Banging. 

"You think about it. I am going to shower, and then I will spend my entire day studying! This is what makes you happy, so I'll do it! You'll be proud of me!" 

Then she ducked under his arm and went inside the bathroom to shower and get ready. 

Anirudh just shook his head slowly, his heart melting -- the sexual frustration was overwhelming, but her points were valid. 

Maybe it was true, that loosening up while they worked on their cases was not such a bad idea after all. Maybe romance breaks were perfectly fine, and he really was overthinking it. 

However, there was still time for his rigid walls to melt regarding this matter. It definitely wasn't going to happen overnight, and Anirudh was firm about this! After all, in his mind, it was a matter of her entire future!

-- 

Vikram had come early in the morning to continue teaching Manika. 

She was only practicing writing the first line -- Ka, Kha, Ga, Gha, Na (क ख ग घ ङ), however Manika was having a difficult time writing, her alphabets were looking not so appealing. It was incredibly difficult for her, having never done this before.  

Vikram was sitting next to her, both of them on their own chairs behind the desk in her bedroom.

"I can't do this," Manika said with a sigh, glancing down at her rickety lines. 

"Yes you can!" Vikram said with encouragement, "Nobody is perfect right away. You'll learn fast, trust me."

Manika turned to look at Vikram, and she was taken aback because he was sitting quite close to her -- not in a way that was uncomfortable, but rather, maybe she was noticing the proximity between them now.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

What was she noticing exactly?

"Are you okay?" Vikram asked her, and her eyes opened again.

She didn't know.

Was she okay? Why was she noticing Vikram's closeness so much?

For a long time, she felt like she had a special connection with Vikram. She attested it to the fact that he took extra care of her, and that's why they shared this bond. However, even though he took care of her, it was strange how her insides had been filling with a certain warmth and happiness for the longest time. It was a deep warmth, as if it penetrated into her entire soul. 

Not only that, but these days she was noticing everything about him. 

From his physique -- he was tall, about a head taller than her, so she could rest her head against his shoulder if she wanted to. This was yet another absolutely strange thought she was having! Why was she having thoughts about their height difference?  

Vikram had a well-defined jawline, a straight nose bridge, and eyes that were shaped like almonds, dark brown in the center. His eyes were so beautiful, with lashes that many girls would be jealous of. 

He was handsome. Inside and out. She was only noticing the outer appearance now. 

What she noticed wasn't limited to only his appearance though. She noticed his behaviour too -- to the point that she even admired the way he was with his friends in his subtle gestures at the dinner table last night. 

Manika used to fondly taunt Anirudh because he never understood what he felt for Bondita, for a long time. She wasn't oblivious to matters about feelings and love. She could sense these feelings inside of her, and it was quite frightening.

Because, if what she was suspecting were to be correct, it would be a sin! She couldn't ever feel these things for someone else!

She was married and it was forbidden.

So she wanted to push these ideas away from her system. She couldn't even imagine these things about Vikram, her marriage being the biggest reason for it. 

"Bondita's Manika Didi..." Vikram murmured again, noticing that she seemed out of it, "Let me get you a glass of water."

Manika reached to grab hold of his arm to stop him. As soon as her fingers closed around his arm, she felt her insides heat up and she immediately let go of him.

It was like no matter how much she tried to push away these thoughts, they were staring her right in the face, just with the simple way her body was responding to his presence. 

Vikram looked at her with concern, and she just gasped, trying to change the subject, to divert her mind,  "I... I... my writing is terrible. I won't l - learn this."

"It's not!" Vikram said right away, and reached to take her pen from her so he could teach her better.

When he reached to take it, he tried to avoid touching her hand because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but Manika gripped the pen more tightly, feeling her body break out into a nervous sweat.

"May I have the pen?" Vikram asked her softly.

Manika looked at his face again, and she gulped nervously.

No Manika, what you're seeing is temporary. It's a façade. You are craving support. You are craving love. It isn't real. You can't hurt Vikram. And you cannot sin! You are a married woman, for God's sake! Get yourself together! You cannot ever have a life filled with that kind of love again. 

If it was forbidden, if it was a sin, why was her body craving for such a forbidden thing? Why did she want to get closer to Vikram? Why did she want to confide in him, find comfort in him, and find solace in him? 

Why couldn't her body go with the flow of the universe? Why did it have to rebel like this? 

And why was her heart hurting so much at the idea that the man in front of her was someone she just shouldn't think about? 

Manika slowly released the pen so he could take it. 

He wrote the letter Ka slowly for her, showing her again. 

"You know the language already, you just have to learn to read and write it. Most of your job is already done because you understand it," Vikram said reassuringly. 

Manika looked at Vikram, pain and hopelessness in her eyes. 

"What if I understand something," she said softly, "But I don't have the chance to learn to read and write it? What if I want to get to know it, like these letters? But I can't because... it's not within my reach?"

Vikram looked at Manika, surprised by her vague words. 

"Bondita's Manika Didi, everything is within your reach," he told her softly, "You can have everything you want, and I want you to have everything." 

He was so kind to her, and her insides were reacting a certain way over his beautiful mind, more than anything else. 

"Vikram, some things in life just aren't meant for us," Manika said softly. "And maybe the best thing to do is to be okay with it." 

Vikram looked at Manika, a lost look in his eyes. 

"I think that everything can be meant for us, but maybe not in the way we expect," he told her softly. 

Just like you. You are definitely meant for me. To show me the bliss that comes from taking care of another. To allow me to experience the happiness of love. Even if I'm not meant to be with you, it doesn't mean that you're not meant for me. You're still meant for me, just in a different way. So Bondita's Manika Didi, I do believe that you are meant for me, after all. 

Manika smiled at him and said, "You always make things so positive." 

Vikram chuckled, lightening up, and said, "There's no reason to make anything negative. Experiences are inherently neutral, and our mind is what sways it to be positive or negative. Our perspective is what is most important... then even the most scariest, saddest of things, can be approached with a smile." 

Manika looked at Vikram, feeling lost in this new world yet again. 

"Just like you smiled, after your experience," Vikram told her softly, his heart hurting as he recalled what Manika went through with her husband. "You also make things positive." 

Manika smiled at him, and Vikram smiled too, upon seeing her beautiful smile. 

"I learned from you and Bondita," she said softly. 

"Bondita's Manika Didi --" he started. 

"Don't call me that anymore," she interrupted. 

"Then?" he asked her, his face turning a slight shade of red. 

He hoped she didn't ask him to call her Didi!

"You can call me Manika," she said. "Just Manika." 

"That's rude!" Vikram said right away, "You're older!"

Manika frowned. Did he have to remind her? 

Even if she wasn't married, it wasn't like they could have gotten together in the first place. There were many reasons against them. 

The biggest reason was that she was older than him. Also, he was from Banaras, and she was Bengali, part of a family who had lived here in Bengal for generations.

Even if everything else worked out, they could have never been together. So she shouldn't even think that this was ever possible. 

"If you really want me to call you that... I'll call you anything you want," Vikram continued softly. "But I have an idea." 

"Idea?" Manika asked, surprised. 

"Let me give you a nickname," Vikram said with a smile, "That way I won't have to take your name!" 

Manika couldn't help but smile, her heart fluttering. 

"What nickname?" she asked curiously. 

"Mishti," he said. 

"Mishti?" Manika gasped. 

"Although Bondita's Pati Babu claims that your words are bitter sometimes, they always sound sweet as sugar to me. You're very sweet... Mishti," Vikram said with a sweet smile. 

"That name suits you way better," Manika pointed out lightly. 

"See, you think I deserve such a name. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is sweetness. So if you think I'm sweet, then your gaze is the one which is the most sweet," Vikram said with a smile. "So from now on, you're Mishti."

My Mishti.  

Manika smiled again, her cheeks turning pink, as he called her Mishti. Nobody had ever called her so fondly before. 

"If that's your wish," she said softly, a blush on her cheeks, her heart fluttering again. "Then I will be Mishti... for you." 

-- 

Precap: 

Bondita tries to seduce Anirudh inside the study, while Anirudh tries to seduce her outside of it. 

Who will win this game of seduction?  

On the other hand, Batuk is getting tense again, seeing Vikram and Manika's closeness. 

He reaches out to Surabhi once again, feeling like neither Bondita or Vikram understands his plight. Will Batuk finally be able to forgive Surabhi? 

-- 

Did you enjoy this chapter? 

I loved writing it, and really enjoyed penning ManVik's progression too (I guess this is the most common ship name, although ViNika is common too). Vote here to make it official, ManVik or ViNika? Whichever gets the most votes will be the official name. 🤭

Did you enjoy the Anidita scene? 

Did you enjoy the ManVik/ViNika scene? 

What did you think of the title when you first saw it? What did you think it meant? 🤭

Are you excited for the precap? Who do you think will cave in first this time -- will it be Bondita or Anirudh? 

Are you excited for more of SuraTuk? 

Are you still enjoying this spree party? 😈🤭🎉

Do join the party by sharing your comments and hit star on every part! Love you all so much! Your responses are like fuel! ❤️