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--

For the rest of the day at school, Bondita didn't speak to Batuk or Surabhi. 

Mallika noticed everything. Observant, she was. 

She went to Batuk during lunch break and said, "What's going on ji? It seems like Bondita isn't speaking to Surabhi now, and you are overly happy with her. Such changes!" 

Batuk looked at Mallika, furrowing his eyebrows. Why did she always want to know everything that was going on? 

"Why do you need to know?" he asked. 

Mallika looked at him and said in an accusing tone, "Your behaviour is odd Batuk. I just can't figure you out!" 

"As is yours!" Batuk just huffed. "I can't figure you out either!"

"But really, what's happening ji?" Mallika questioned. "You and Surabhi have been behaving strangely as it is, and now Bondita! What's wrong?" 

Batuk furrowed his brows again and said, "There were just some problems, but it's sorted now. You don't worry. And... you should be careful of being around Boudi today. She isn't in a great mood." 

Mallika just looked at Batuk blankly as he warned her. 

"Will she get mad at me too?" Mallika wondered. 

"She's my Dada's shadow, and my Dada has a bad temper," Batuk just said with a shrug. "She might not be mad at you, since Boudi's usually more sensible, but today she doesn't even seem to be in the mood to listen to her senses! So you should just try to hang out with Vikram! Avoid her wrath. I'm only saying this to protect you!" 

He gave her a small grin, believing that he should be hailed as a hero for this!

"Vikram? Why not with you?" Mallika questioned. 

"Because I'm busy," he told her, and looked around for Surabhi. 

He needed to spend some time with his new girlfriend after all. 

"Busy? Why?" Mallika questioned again curiously. 

"I'll talk to you later," Batuk answered, and then he walked away, not answering her question.

"So strange, he is," Mallika just said to herself after he left, shaking her head. "It seems like he talks in code!" 

-- 

That day, Anirudh was in the study with Manika, and he was about to find out about a huge revelation. 

"I wanted to ask you something," Manika told him. "But it's... strange." 

"What is it?" Anirudh asked her softly. 

"Well, Anirudh, what do you think of... someone..." Manika gulped nervously, "Falling for someone who it's impossible to be with?'

Anirudh raised his brows and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Manika answered, "Firstly... if someone is married to someone else..."

Technically, even though her divorce papers were signed, it still needed a couple of days to get processed by the courts. Also, she had fallen for Vikram while married. Surely, their whole premise was wrong! 

Anirudh eyed Manika suspiciously now. It was too much of a coincidence for her to be talking about anyone else right now. 

"Who are you talking about?" he asked. "Are you talking about yourself?"

Manika looked down, almost guiltily. 

Anirudh smiled, feeling quite happy as he noticed her expressions which confirmed it for him. He would be very pleased if Manika was able to move on with her life. 

"Manika, there's absolutely nothing wrong if you have fallen for someone else. In fact, love is the most freeing feeling. Why would you let it bind you down?" he asked. 

Manika looked up at Anirudh and said, her heart aching, "It's impossible Anirudh!" 

"Nothing is impossible, if your heart is there," Anirudh told her firmly. 

Manika shifted her gaze lower, and Anirudh placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

"Who is it?" Anirudh asked her softly. 

Suddenly, when Anirudh asked her, she had tears in her eyes and she shook her head adamantly. 

"No, don't ask me," she said, feeling ashamed. 

"Why?" Anirudh asked. 

"It's embarrassing," she whispered, still looking down. 

"Hey," Anirudh said softly, and touched her chin, gently lifting it up so that she could look at him. "There's nothing embarrassing about it. I'll help you." 

Manika took a deep breath, looking up into Anirudh's eyes, and she said, "I know you'll help me. You've always supported me. But..." She gulped, and she said, "This is really wrong. I... I..." 

Anirudh let go of Manika's chin and gripped her shoulders firmly, saying, "Manika, do you consider me your friend?"

"Yes Anirudh, my best friend!" she told him seriously. 

"Then don't hide things from me," he warned. "I don't want my best friend to hide anything from me." 

Manika looked at him, blushing slightly as she thought about telling him about Vikram. Although she felt embarrassed and guilty, her heart also fluttered over these feelings. 

Anirudh took a deep breath and said, "I'm not pressuring you. I shouldn't do that... even as your best friend, I have no right to force you into telling me things you don't want to share. You have your personal life, your personal space. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but this is something that I know is eating you up inside. It's better you share it with me so that I can clear your mind." 

Manika looked at him with a smile. 

"Your thoughts are so..." she started breathlessly. She couldn't even finish her sentence. That was how breathtaking his thoughts sounded to her right now. "No wonder he's such a big fan of you." 

Anirudh couldn't process the compliment. Now he was feeling embarrassed as well. 

Manika continued, "I always knew how great you are, but everytime I hear these things you say, it just keeps reminding me. It's as if I'm seeing you for the first time every time... and I guess he feels the same way."

"Who Manika?" Anirudh asked her again.

"Vikram," she answered, and blushed. 

Anirudh's face turned red as he remembered the praising session that Vikram and Bondita had gone on the other day. He was well aware that the boy was a fan of him. 

Then suddenly, the dots connected in his mind, and Anirudh gasped, "Manika... did you fall for Vikram?"

Manika's smile fell and she gulped nervously, giving it away with her expressions.

But, a smile reached Anirudh's lips now.  

He had even approved Vikram for Bondita once upon a time (albeit in a heartbroken state), so how could he not approve such a gentleman for Manika?

"What exactly is the problem?" Anirudh asked her, smiling with happiness. 

"Age, Anirudh. And he's from the north. I have a baby. He's still a student. There are so many issues," Manika informed. 

"Manika, you're hardly three years older than him. And look at me and Bondita. Look at our age difference. 11 years. If there's no issue with the age difference between me and Bondita, why should there be between you and Vikram?" 

"Because a woman is not supposed to be older than a man!" Manika informed. 

Anirudh frowned. 

"Says who?" he asked. 

"Everyone!" 

"They're wrong. The most important thing is that the man and woman have to mentally match. Then they can have a good relationship... and Vikram, he's very mature," Anirudh said, "So this age issue is out. You said, you have a baby... so? Can someone with a baby not have a romantic life?"

Anirudh continued, "He's a student. Yes, he is. There is time for him to get some freedom in his life -- from his parents, and financially too. He has to study. He can't stop that and neither should he. You will have to wait a few years before you two can get married legally and live comfortably... but if you two love each other, then the wait is worth it." 

Manika looked at Anirudh with shock as he spoke about marriage. She hadn't even gone that far in her own thoughts yet! But then again, she didn't believe that they even had a future together. 

"About him being from Banaras, it doesn't matter. Where there is love, all these things are not important," Anirudh said firmly. "People made these rules so that the husband and wife have a common ground, so that the difference in cultures don't cause them to fight. However, as long as you two have an understanding and trust in each other, then all of these differences don't matter!" 

"Anirudh," Manika just said in response, a faint blush on her cheeks, but a pain in her heart, "I can't ruin his life." 

She understood Anirudh's points. They were logical. She even agreed. However, there was an important fact, and that was that Vikram's life would be a mockery in society, along with hers if she followed her feelings. He had a bright future, and she didn't want to snatch that from him. 

Anirudh sighed heavily. 

"Manika, does he also feel the same way about you?" Anirudh questioned. 

Manika blushed hard as she recalled Batuk's confession. 

"I... I think so," she confessed, her heart hammering. 

A smile reached Anirudh's lips. If Vikram and Manika felt this way for each other, then he was very happy. He didn't think he could find a better couple for each other after him and Bondita. The characteristics that each of them had would complement one another very well!

"You used to roast me so much Manika. I think it's time for me to roast you now," Anirudh told her lightly. 

Manika looked at him with shock. 

"Why are you overthinking?" he asked her. "Do you want to be the same Anirudh Roy Choudhary who spent so much time refusing to accept his feelings for Bondita? Do you want to be the Anirudh Roy Choudhary who was in big denial? Do you want to be the man you once mocked?" 

Manika smiled as she recalled those days. 

"Anirudh, I'm not denying my feelings for Vikram. You're still the world's slowest man!" Manika said with a giggle now, and Anirudh frowned. 

It seemed like she still had the upper hand in roasting him. 

"All I'm saying is that I want the best for him. I don't want him to be trapped with me," Manika added on. 

"I said the same about Bondita, Manika. I thought that she should be with Vikram, because he's a great boy, and I thought she liked him too. But I was a fool," Anirudh confessed. "I wanted the best for her, and only later on I realized... well she made me realize that the best for her was me. And trust me Manika, there can be nobody better for Vikram than you. You two suit each other perfectly." 

"I don't know..." she just said, a fear in her heart. 

"I can't force you. You have to think about it and understand it for yourself," Anirudh told her with a sigh, "Just like you tried very hard to convince me back then, I still had to go through the struggles and turmoil, only to realize you were right in the end. You will also realize I'm right. So I won't interfere in between you two Manika. I want everything to happen organically. But... if you need me, for guidance, for support, for anything, I'm here." 

Manika looked at Anirudh with a smile and she said, "Thank you Anirudh." 

Manika knew that Anirudh had always set Bondita free. He had never tried to bind her. However, now she realized that as freeing of a lover Anirudh Roy Choudhary was, he was also a freeing friend. One who knew how to let his friend struggle, experience, and learn about the world in her own time and way. 

Just like Anirudh Roy Choudhary never shackled his wife, he also never put shackles on his friends. Such was the man that he was, and such was the woman that Manika was now aspiring to be.  

--

That afternoon, when Vikram came for their lessons, Manika was waiting. 

He sat down on the chair next to her in front of her desk, and the first thing she said with a smile was, "Vikram, the divorce papers are signed." 

An ecstatic feeling hit Vikram's heart, as soon as he heard that Manika was freed from that marriage of hers. This was the best thing he could hear! Not because of his own feelings, but because she was out of her shackles now!

Vikram grinned, and he said, "That's great Mishti. I'm so happy! And Pratul? What about him?" 

"Anirudh will probably have to start a custody case," Manika informed sadly. "I don't think I will get him so easily." 

Vikram positively said to her, "Don't worry Mishti! Bondita's Pati Babu is a great barrister! He will certainly get you custody of Pratul!" 

A glimmer of admiration hit his eyes as he spoke about Bondita's Pati Babu! 

Manika smiled, feeling more confident with Vikram's words. 

"He is great," Manika agreed. "By the way, I've practiced and I think I'm doing better at writing." 

"Can I see?" Vikram asked. 

Manika showed him her work, and he looked over it, a smile on his lips. 

"Perfect, your writing is a lot better now. We can start to form words with the aksharas now," Vikram told her. 

"Actually Vikram... there was one thing... I wanted to ask you." 

She felt a lump in her throat, and she was nervous as she spoke. 

"What is it Mishti?" he asked her softly. 

"I'm very grateful you are teaching me... but you come here everyday for me, and I... I don't think it's necessary. Now I know how to write the aksharas, so if you give me tasks, I can do it on my own... you don't need to be here all the time Vikram." 

Vikram looked at Manika, shocked. 

She didn't want him to come here? 

"Oh..." he just said softly, his heart hurting a little bit, but then he smiled positively and said, "Yes, you are right! You've done so well. And you're a fast learner. You definitely don't need me!" 

Manika smiled back at him and said, "Thank you for understanding." 

Then she looked down at her desk, feeling slightly guilty for doing this. But she just wanted the best for Vikram. Her life was so complicated, and she didn't want to drag him in the complications with her. 

She knew that Anirudh had a point... perhaps she was behaving like how he used to behave about Bondita, but it was hard now that she was put in the same shoes as well. She had observed Anirudh's and Bondita's journey very closely, and it was easy to comment when she was watching it from afar, but living through it was a completely different experience. 

Manika now understood the struggles and pains that Anirudh had gone through first hand. 

Vikram just continued to grin at her and he said, "I'll come once a week instead then. And I'll look over your work and give you more tasks. If you need my help, you can always call me! But you've done great so far. I don't even think you need me!" 

His eyes lingered on his Mishti for a moment, as he basked in her beauty. Ever since she had Pratul, it was true that she looked different. Maybe she had gained weight. But Vikram still found her the most beautiful person ever. 

And as always, he was willing to love her in his thoughts -- he didn't need to be with her or speak to her to find his happiness in her. 

After all, he never believed he had a chance anyways. 

He was born way too late for that. 

-- 

A few days later, Bondita was working on a case. 

This case was filed by a farmer who sold vegetables on the street. 

Apparently two women fought over his last brinjal, and in their fight, they ended up ruining the whole selection of vegetables from the farmer. They had thrown the rest of the vegetables he owned, after creating a scene. Some they had thrown on each other, and some they had thrown out of anger on the ground. There were splattered tomatoes on the street and a mess of ruined vegetables! This caused the seller to file a case against the two ladies. 

Bondita was trying hard not to yawn as she read through this. Even though the premise was kind of interesting, it was yet another case of suing. 

She had gone through so many disputes, but wasn't even able to read a true crime case yet! 

"Birristira Babu, when can I read something interesting?" Bondita finally asked, as Anirudh was writing notes about another case he was working on.

He looked up at Bondita and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, gazing at her with a raised eyebrow. 

"These are interesting cases Bondita." 

"No they're not!" Bondita pouted. "I want to read something about robbery, violence or murder!" 

Anirudh nearly gasped at Bondita's imagination. Her fantasies were not just related to their sex life, but rather, she had fantasies regarding barrister cases as well!

"Bondita, as a barrister, you have to be unbiased. You have to help those in need. There are definitely people who need help in robbery, violence and murder cases. But in these dispute cases, there are people who are equally needy," Anirudh said firmly. "Look at this vendor. He lost all of the food he grew. He hardly makes enough money to get by. Doesn't he also need help Bondita?" 

Bondita looked at Anirudh, pouting and said, "Of course! I'm not saying he doesn't need help! I will do my best as a barrister to help everyone who needs me. I won't be biased! Shotti! But can't I be curious about the other cases too? Can't I take a peek into the more intense cases that you do?"

Anirudh glared at her, and she leaned back in her seat with a pout. 

"Focus on what I tell you to do Bondita!" he said sternly. 

"I am!" she just said, her heart dropping slightly, and she sighed heavily, feeling like her voice wasn't being heard. 

When was she defying his orders? She was only requesting to see other cases! 

"I'll continue reading this. Sorry for disturbing you Barrister Babu!" 

She said Barrister Babu in the tone that he didn't like, and Anirudh frowned. Was she upset with him? 

He shook his head and focused on his work again. After all, whether she was upset with him or not, he was here to guide her, and she had to follow his orders here. She wasn't in this study as his wife, but rather as an intern. 

Her pouts and demands wouldn't work here. 

The hour passed, and Anirudh finished with his work.

He put his pen aside and looked up at Bondita. She had her elbow on the desk, her hand balled, her cheek pressed against her knuckle, resting against it as she read the case. 

Her eyes were slightly red, like she had been straining them by reading the small font for too long. 

A small smile reached his lips as he admired her, his heart softening. Even when she worked so hard, she looked beautiful to him. 

He knew that she wanted to read criminal cases badly, and perhaps he had been harsh.

Bondita had been very good about listening to him for all this time, after all. There couldn't be a more obedient intern than her. He couldn't even scold her for not following his orders since she had followed each and every one with perfection for all these days. 

It wasn't wrong of her to speak her mind and heart. There was nothing wrong with desiring to study more intense cases. 

She was an intense girl after all, and who knew this better than him -- he knew of all intense forms of her in the bedroom too. A blush reached his cheeks as he remembered her fantasies. 

Anirudh took in her form as she flipped the page with her free hand, her eyes travelling across the document, still following his orders like an obedient student. 

Her pallu was off her head. Her hair was flowing down her back, and some strands were stuck between her knuckle and cheek in a slightly messy way. 

Her orange Banarasi saree was wrapped around her body tightly. Anirudh tried to look down to where her exposed stomach was, but he couldn't see from his position behind the desk. 

His hormones were suddenly spiking out of control as he admired her, and he could feel his pants tighten around his waist. 

Anirudh's eyes moved up her body to her chest, and he suddenly felt the urge to remove the cloth from there and squeeze her breasts. 

His pants got even tighter around his waist at the thought, and suddenly he didn't want to hold himself back anymore. 

Anirudh took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, "Bondita... come here." 

Bondita looked up, her eyebrows furrowing slightly, wondering what he wanted now. Was he going to give her another case and tell her to read it simultaneously? She wouldn't put it past him. 

Regardless though, she always listened to him, and now she would too. She pushed her seat back and stood up, walking over to him behind the desk and looking at him expectantly. 

Anirudh looked up at her from his seated position and asked, "You want to take on tougher cases, right?" 

He tried hard not to shift in his seat, since his pants had become quite uncomfortable to sit in. 

Anirudh reached for her hand, and caressed it gently, feeling her fingers quite intimately. 

Bondita looked at him with surprise when he said that, but she didn't answer because she didn't believe her ears. She didn't want to get excited for him to shatter her dreams again! 

Anirudh looked at her with desire, and he murmured, "Bondita... I am willing to give you a promotion to tougher cases." 

Bondita's heart jumped and she asked, still trying hard not to get too excited in case this meant something else, "Really?" 

"Mhmm," he said, caressing her fingers gently. "But for that... you need to satisfy your Barrister Babu." 

Satisfy? Of course, the first thing she thought about was the dirty, romantic side of things, but no way could her Pati Babu initiate such a thing in the middle of work hours! That too, in such a hot way! A promotion? This was a fantasy she believed only she could come up with! 

"I will tell you everything I have learned. All the new terminologies, the format, the way everything gets scheduled," Bondita started, "You will be satisfied by my knowledge." 

Surely, he was asking about this. 

Anirudh then pulled on her hand hard, making her fall onto his lap. She gasped as she sat on his thigh, her legs in between his own legs. He pressed his two legs against hers, trapping her legs in between them. 

Bondita's heart started to hammer, as his arms wrapped around her waist, his fingers brushing over her stomach. 

"No missy," he told her in a thick voice, "If you want a promotion, you will have to satisfy your boss in other ways." 

Bondita's cheeks went crimson red and her eyes widened as she finally realized that she wasn't the only one who could think of hot fantasies! He had mastery in this matter too!

She trembled against his lap, and he had to hold her even more firmly with his legs and arms, to make sure she didn't get so dizzy with excitement that she fell off his lap! 

Bondita just couldn't believe it! Her fantasy was about to finally be fulfilled, and that too just the way she imagined it! With no pre-planning! Spontaneously, in the middle of work! And her Barrister Babu was initiating it!

Anirudh looked at her with intense eyes and he said in a thick, yet stern voice, "Just sitting here looking hot won't cut it. You have to do something. If you want your promotion, then hurry up and satisfy your boss."  

Bondita blushed even harder, and this time, she collapsed against his chest, taking deep breaths to control her excitement. 

She was finally going to fuck her Barrister Babu! 

-- 

Precap: Ahem ahem. You get the point. 😉

-- 

I hope you enjoyed this part! I made this a longer part, because I know how excited many of you are (including me!) for the next track.

Are you excited for the precap scene?  😉

Did you enjoy the scene in the beginning with Mallika-Batuk?

Manika-Anirudh's scene? 

ManVik's scene? 

And finally, Anidita's scene? 🙈

If you would like the next part quickly, you know what to do.

Hit star, and share your comments!

By the way, if you're looking for something deep and layered to read, that goes into the depth of the show and characters, then I highly recommend a book called Setting It Right by Doc_Ash and ashley_m_1993 here on Wattpad. They do justice to every character and theme and each line is written with careful consideration and meaning. ❤️

Love you all so much! 💜