I hope you enjoyed this weekend spree party! ❤️

-- 

The next time they went to school, Batuk kept quiet, not speaking to anyone. 

He knew that Vikram and Bondita wouldn't listen to a word he said! His words weren't valuable to them, so why should he speak? 

Batuk had to take matters into his own hands, to keep Vikram and Manika away from each other, but how?

He was incredibly stressed out, and that day, after school, when everyone was getting ready to leave, he glanced at Surabhi again. She wasn't looking at him, and she didn't look the least bit interested in speaking to him. 

"Ji, what's wrong? You keep looking at Surabhi. Did you stop fighting with her?" Mallika's sudden voice asked from beside him. 

Batuk turned to look at Mallika, glaring at her. 

"Why are you so interested?" he asked. 

Mallika frowned. 

"Why are you so irritated these days Batuk? You used to be so funny, but not anymore! You stay so annoyed all the time!" Mallika pointed out.

Mallika found him funny?

Perhaps that was the first time anyone complimented his sense of humour! Otherwise, people usually made sarcastic comments against it!

Still, he wasn't in the mood to listen to compliments. 

"You don't know what's going on, so stop blaming me," Batuk just snapped. "And leave me alone." 

"Okay ji," Mallika just said, and left the room, shaking her head, wondering why Batuk was so moody! She commented under her breath, "The moodiest person I've met in my life!" 

After Mallika left, Batuk glanced at Surabhi again, who still wasn't looking at him. 

She picked up her backpack and was about to leave the room, when Batuk got up and went over to her, taking her hand. 

"What are you doing?" Surabhi snapped, pulling her hand away from his and looking around. 

There were a few students remaining in the classroom, and thankfully they hadn't noticed Batuk's hand-holding. 

"Let's go somewhere," he said to her. 

Surabhi raised her eyebrow and said, "After the mean words from last time? Why should I go anywhere with you?"

"I know I'm being strange. I know it doesn't make sense. To me as well, it makes no sense," Batuk confessed. "Just come with me... please. I need you Surabhi." 

When he said he needed her, he had an innocence in his eyes, almost like a little child, and Surabhi melted. 

"Fine, let's go," she just said. "But don't make it obvious I'm coming with you!" 

"Yeah, okay," Batuk said, and stepped ahead of her so she could follow.

She kept a few feet distance between them as she followed him, glancing at him every few moments. As they were walking in the hallway, distance between their bodies, Mallika noticed that Surabhi while not beside Batuk, was clearly looking at Batuk and following him. 

Clearly, Batuk and Surabhi were going to meet somewhere privately. 

"Batuk is very strange," Mallika commented to herself, frowning. "I just can't figure him out."

-- 

That day, Manika entered the study room, where Anirudh was working.

She sat in front of him, and smiled at him pleasantly. 

"How are your lessons going with Vikram?" Anirudh asked her, looking up from his work and talking to her.

"Very good Anirudh. I'm learning so much! Writing is still a bit hard, but I'm getting better at reading," Manika explained. "Vikram is a very good teacher!" 

An excited smile reached her lips at the thought of Vikram too. Anytime she wanted to smile this way, all she had to do was imagine him! 

"I'm glad to hear that. And how is everything else? Are you okay?" he asked her softly. 

"I just miss Pratul," Manika told him, an ache in her chest. "I am staying strong, because I know he's fine... but I miss him so much." 

"He probably misses you too," Anirudh told her softly, "Even though he's a baby, it doesn't mean he won't sense the absence of his mother." 

Manika looked at Anirudh sadly and said, "I don't want him to miss me. I want him to be happy." 

"You want to see him, don't you?" Anirudh asked. 

Manika nodded. 

"Alright, let's try to figure it out. Maybe we can go together. You and me," Anirudh told her. "That way, they won't do anything to you." 

"And if they do something to you?" Manika asked. "I don't want anything to happen to you either." 

Anirudh smiled and he said, "Would they touch a Roy Choudhary? Kaka, Baba, would have them behind bars easily. I'm sure they know that." 

That was true. The Roy Choudharys were the most influential family of Tulsipur! 

"So we'll go and meet them. And we'll see if we can bring your son too," Anirudh told her. "If we can bring Pratul here, it'll be for the best... maybe we can even convince him to give you a legal divorce." 

"I wish he would just agree," Manika said to him, "Then your complications would be relieved, right?"

"Then most of the job would be done in a divorce case, if the husband agrees," Anirudh told her with a nod, "But I would still need to get custody of Pratul for you. That's another complicated case." 

"Is it complicated? The court won't allow a mother to keep her son?" Manika asked sadly. 

"They will claim that you can't give your son a good future. That you can't support him. You have no financial independence," Anirudh explained to her softly. "We have to prove that it isn't the case." 

"But it's true that I don't have a future. I don't have money, and I won't be able to give him a good life on my own, like my in-laws and husband can. How can I prove it?" Manika asked. 

"Why do you think you're learning how to read and write Manika?" Anirudh told her, standing up and walking over to her. "It's all for a reason. I have a plan for you, and we will definitely get you custody of Pratul."

Manika stood up too, facing him. The confidence in Anirudh's voice made her heart warm up with hope. 

"I don't even know how to thank you enough Anirudh." 

"You don't have to thank me. You would have done all of this on your own, if you had the tools and the skillset to. I'm sure of it," Anirudh told her confidently. 

Manika smiled at Anirudh, wondering how he could be so inspiring and still have this much faith in her.

"Manika, you've always been strong. You still are. I always admired you. From day one," Anirudh told her fondly, as he recalled the first time he met her. "You know that too." 

"Yeah, I know, you stole my earring," Manika teased. "As a symbol of your love for me."

She said it with sarcasm. 

No matter how much time passed, it seemed like she was never going to stop teasing him about his delusional love for her!

Anirudh laughed and he said, "Why wouldn't I believe that? After all, you are remarkable. Not just me, any man would have fallen for you!"

His love for Manika was forced at that time, it was an attempt to not think about Bondita, for various reasons. 

Manika grinned at his compliment, and was about to reply, when they heard a noise.  

The sound of anklets moved away from the study. 

Anirudh immediately realized that his wife had overheard. He could detect the chime of her anklets any day. 

Anirudh's eyes widened, and Manika just raised her eyebrows, noticing his expression. 

Judging from his expression, it must be Bondita who heard their conversation. 

"You never told her?" she gasped. 

Anirudh shook his head, his face pale. 

"I never thought she needed to know!" Anirudh just said, looking at Manika, a scared expression on his face.

"Seriously Anirudh?" Manika asked, and was about to say something sarcastic to him, when Anirudh started to leave.

"Bondita!" Anirudh called out, rushing out of the study after her.

Manika just smiled to herself as she watched him go, and shook her head. Their relationship was very endearing. 

As Anirudh went to look for Bondita, his heart was beating fast. His wife had found out about his past forced love for Manika, except she probably thought that it was real!

How was he going to appease her now? 

-- 

Surabhi followed Batuk to an empty lane on the streets of Tulsipur, where nobody was around. 

"What are you here to do?" Surabhi asked him. 

Batuk turned to face her. 

"I dunno... I..." he said, and then he stepped towards her. 

Surabhi stepped back, her back hitting the side wall of a brick building. 

Batuk's hands touched her shoulders gently, and then he pulled her body close to him, hugging her, and resting his cheek on hers gently. 

Surabhi blushed. 

So he wasn't only about kissing, that meant. He could hug her too. 

Her arms wrapped around him, as she embraced him back, her heart fluttering. 

"I dunno, for some reason, I can forget things when I'm with you," he just murmured in her ear. 

"Really?" she asked, feeling quite good about herself. 

Batuk pulled away for a moment and looked into her eyes. 

"Yeah," he said, glancing at her lips, suddenly wanting to kiss them again. 

Surabhi's cheeks turned pink, and she closed her eyes, when she saw him looking at her lips. Batuk leaned towards her as soon as she gave that acknowledgement, and captured her lips in a soft kiss. 

His hands were wrapped around her body, on her back, as he deepened the kiss, feeling the release of hormones in his body. 

This was fun. This was amazing. And this was the perfect way to relieve his stress! 

Surabhi was also quite enjoying this. 

Until... 

Batuk's hands started to move up the sides of her body, towards her chest, and she immediately pushed him off. 

"No Batuk," she said breathlessly. "Keep your hands on my back." 

Batuk pouted. 

"It's too soon," Surabhi just said. 

"How's it so soon?" Batuk asked, "I've known you since the beginning of the school year." 

"Yeah, but our relationship is not so smooth," she just told him, with a frown, "And I don't want you to touch me there!" 

"Fine, whatever," Batuk just said, and placed his hands on her back, pulling her body close and kissing her deeply once again.

-- 

Anirudh went to their bedroom, where he was certain Bondita must have gone. 

However, he couldn't find her there. 

He even checked the bathroom, but she wasn't there either. 

That was when he heard a sound, in one of the cupboards of their dresser. 

Anirudh couldn't help but smile, adoring her. 

He went to the dresser, and fell to his knees, opening the cupboard where he knew there was an empty space inside. It would be cramped, but it was big enough for either of them to fit. 

When he opened the cupboard, he saw that she had her knees up, holding them against her chest.

She looked at him. 

And there were tears in her eyes, her chest heaving up and down with heavy sobs. Her nose was even running.  

Bondita was crying.

-- 

This was probably the longest spree so far! That was eight chapters this weekend!

Did you enjoy this chapter? 

Did you like the AniKa scene? 

The SuraTuk scene?

How will Bondita react now?

Did you enjoy the spree party? 🎉

I would love to read your comments! And please press star on all the parts! 

Love you all so, so much. Thank you for your great response in the comments throughout the spree party. I am so very grateful to see your excitement! It makes me the happiest! ❤️