My dear readers! 

I've spent this whole weekend writing, hardly taking breaks, barely even sleeping. Each part is taking a lot of time to write (this one took 5 hours!). I'm not exhausted, and I would really love to post the next part soon! I'm enjoying this spree a lot! 

But it feels like I've left so many behind. Chapter 304 still hasn't reached 450 stars despite it being days since I've posted it, and I've posted 8 chapters including that! So there's a LOT for many to catch up on still.

Even the comments are decreasing in the last few chapters -- either interest is declining, or my readers are behind. I'm afraid it might get overwhelming if I post too much too.

So if you would like the spree party to continue, your participation is crucial! My whole weekend is dedicated to you all, but I would love to see a positive response in return too for the efforts. If the response is that many of you are falling behind, then it's better for me to post slowly. 

You tell me, would you like more parts, or for me to slow down? 

--

When Bondita went upstairs with Manika Didi, they noticed Vikram lingering in the hallway, outside of Manika's room. 

A blush appeared on Manika's face immediately when she saw him there, and Bondita suspiciously looked from Vikram to Manika, noticing something strange. 

Vikram's face turned red now as well! Just like yesterday, when he had hugged her Pati Babu! 

Bondita's eyes widened, a gasp escaping her mouth when she saw the colour on their faces, immediately understanding. 

"Ohhhhhhhh myyyyyy Goddddddddddddddddd!" Bondita squeaked. 

Manika's face turned even more pink, and Vikram looked at Bondita with wide eyes. 

Bondita looked at Vikram and with a cheeky grin asked, "You had an intimate moment with my Manika Didi too, didn't you Vikram?" 

Manika turned to look at Bondita with shocked eyes when Bondita said this, and even Vikram's throat dried up. 

"Oh - no... no..." Vikram gasped, choking on his words out of nervousness. 

"Manika Didi, Vikram had an intimate moment with my Pati Babu yesterday," Bondita informed, glancing at her with a smile, "So I was asking him, if he had that same moment with you!" 

Manika just looked at Bondita, blinking a few times, not even sure how to react. This was all too embarrassing! And what did Bondita mean, when she said that Vikram had an intimate moment with Anirudh?

"M - Mishti it's... not w - w - what you think," Vikram stammered, his face red, "And Bondita, it's - it's -- not..." 

"Ohhh, you're telling her how it really is," Bondita teased, "And you nearly gave me a heart attack when you were moaning about Pati Babu's loving hands on you!" 

Manika's eyes widened when she heard this, and she gasped. 

"What? Anirudh's loving hands?" Manika asked. "Intimate moment?" 

"Well... it... was a h - hug..." Vikram mumbled. 

Bondita grinned and she said, "I'll leave you two alone then! I'm very happy for you though. You two deserve it all!" 

Then she departed to her bedroom with a chuckle, truly happy for the two of them. 

Vikram nervously looked at Manika, who looked at Vikram with a small smile now, shaking her head affectionately. 

"You described your hug with Anirudh as an intimate moment?" she asked him lightly. 

"It... felt... intimate..." Vikram mumbled. 

Manika couldn't help but laugh, "Of course it was. When you get a hug from the one you look up to so much, it can only be classified as something intimate and sacred." 

Vikram's eyes lit up when Manika understood him, and he said, "So... then Bondita was right... because our hug also... felt intimate to me." 

Manika blushed when she heard this, and Vikram smiled.

Only he knew how much he had hyperventilated when he got home! First from Bondita's Pati Babu's hug, and then Mishti's! Oh, yesterday had been the best day of his life! 

"Were you waiting for me long?" Manika just asked, going towards her bedroom and opening the door. "Sorry, I went to visit Pratul." 

Vikram shook his head and said, "No, not long. And you can always take your time! I'll always wait for you!" 

Manika paused by the doorway and looked at him, a smile on her lips again. She didn't know where this was going to take the two of them, because if she thought about it, all she could see were problems with this relationship... they would never be accepted by society. 

But she didn't want to think. Right now, she felt light and happy. For just a little while longer... she wanted this happiness to last. 

"Maybe Batuk is right... but... I want to forget about all those things..." she just mumbled under her breath. 

"Batuk?" Vikram asked, furrowing his brows by the doorway. 

What did Batuk have to do with anything? 

Manika's eyes widened, when she realized that Vikram probably didn't know the reason that she didn't talk to him for all this time. 

"Oh... uh... he..." she started, feeling nervous now. "He really cares about you." 

Vikram looked at Manika with confusion. 

"Cares about me? How so?" Vikram questioned. 

"I... I don't want to be a wedge between your friendship..." 

"Mishti," Vikram said, looking her firmly in the eyes, "Tell me. What did Batuk do?" 

Manika looked at Vikram nervously, and said, "He... told me... about your feelings..." 

Vikram now had an incredibly pained look in his eyes. 

"He... really... did?" Vikram asked with disbelief. 

Manika nodded and she admitted reluctantly, "He said he was worried about you. He didn't want you to be hurt... that everytime you looked at me, you'd constantly be reminded that you can't have me. And he wanted me to save you... so he pleaded with me to stay away from you." 

The pain in Vikram's eyes got worse, as a feeling of betrayal stabbed him. 

"Vikram, when he said that, I only heard concern, not any ill intentions," Manika said to him, "He didn't want to do anything to hurt you... he truly wants you to be happy." 

Vikram took a deep breath, trying hard to control the emotions he was going through right now. The pain in his chest, the wetness of his eyes... this was too much. His best friend... his own best friend, did this? 

"He told you... and you believed him?" Vikram asked Manika, sounding heartbroken. "You believed that I would be happy... if you kept yourself away?" 

Manika looked at him, pain in her eyes too, and she said, "I didn't know Vikram. I didn't know what you felt exactly... I only knew Batuk's version of it. I only heard your version yesterday!"

Vikram continued to look at her with pained eyes.

She continued, "And I didn't want to ruin your future! We have... no chance if we look at it realistically. Even if we accept our feelings... how can we be together? Do you know how society will shame us? And I... I have a baby Vikram. Pratul is my life. I can't leave him. Batuk knew about all of this, he knew that we can never be together! And this pain in your eyes right now, he wanted to save you from it!" 

Vikram shook his head, and he said, "Mishti, I was happy, even if we weren't together! I was very happy just loving you! I didn't need to be with you... and about tomorrow, I don't know what it holds. I don't know whether we can be together, or not. I really don't know if our relationship will be able to stand further struggles and tests... but I know one thing. It's that I want to try! If you're by my side, then just the effort is worth it! Whatever the result may be!" 

Tears flooded Manika's eyes when he said everything so sweetly. 

"Why do you love me like this?" she just asked him, choking on her words. 

"I don't know... I don't have a reason. I just... I just do! I love you. Very much Mishti. Very, very much," Vikram confessed, looking at her sincerely, heavy emotions in his voice. 

The way he said I love you to her, made Manika's heart flutter despite her tears. 

"Vikram..." she murmured, "I want to... I want to try too. If you're beside me, then the effort is worth it for me too. It always has been! I just... didn't want you to go through heartbreak if it didn't work... but if you're okay with an uncertain future... then I'm also, okay with this. As long as you will be okay." 

Vikram smiled at her and said, "I will be perfectly fine Mishti!" 

"Then let me tell you something that you deserve to hear, and I haven't told you yet," Manika said to him, her voice cracking. 

Vikram's heart hammered in his chest, as she continued. 

"The truth that you should know Vikram. The truth that this Mishti whom you have given a new identity to, also loves you... very much. I love you Vikram. A lot!" she confessed sincerely. 

A big smile appeared on his lips at her confession, and upon seeing his smile, Manika also smiled, her heart warm and full. 

They were standing right by the doorway of her room, so they were lucky that nobody heard them! 

Despite the beauty and perfection that Vikram felt in this moment though, there was a deep pain in his heart... he got his love, but was it at the cost of the friendship he could give his life for? The friendship he had with Batuk?

--

After Bondita got changed into her green saree, wearing it how she normally did, she went to the kitchen to make her Pati Babu a cup of coffee. 

Bihari Babu was there and he gasped when Bondita came in to make coffee. 

"Bahurani, in this state, should you sit down and make coffee?" Bihari asked. 

Bondita looked at Bihari and said, "Thakumaa said that I can do everything normally, Bhaari Babu!" 

Bihari scratched his head and nodded. 

"Yes, you are probably correct, that sounds true," Bihari agreed. 

As Bondita was making the coffee, she inhaled the fragrance of the ground coffee. It invaded her senses, making her craving for it stronger. Thakumaa had told her she could drink up to two cups of coffee a day, but she was really holding herself back, deciding that less was better. 

She had never liked coffee anyways! So it was very odd that she was craving it! 

After pouring it into a cup, she placed it on top of a saucer on a tray, and inhaled the scent with euphoria, all the way to the study room, where her Pati Babu was reading a pregnancy book. 

"Pati Babu... kaapi!" Bondita said and went over to the desk, placing the tray down, and then taking the cup and saucer out, setting his coffee up in front of him. 

Anirudh looked up from his book as soon as Bondita walked in. 

"You came back from school safely?" he asked her. 

Bondita nodded, still inhaling the scent of the coffee. Ohhh, it was heavenly! 

"How was your day?" Anirudh asked, picking up the cup of coffee, and bringing it to his lips, taking a sip. "Any trouble at school?"

Bondita pouted slightly, when the coffee moved from its place on the saucer, because the smell got fainter now. 

She just took a step towards Anirudh behind his desk, causing him to look up at her with shock. 

Why was she coming so close to him? 

"No trouble Pati Babu," Bondita murmured, her throat feeling dry, wishing she could get a taste of that coffee... or at least, a very... very strong smell of it. 

Anirudh's hand shook a little bit as she approached even more closely, and he quickly put the cup back down, wondering what Bondita was upto. 

Bondita had come right beside him, standing tall right next to the armrest of his chair, her eyes on the cup of coffee longingly, and then she turned to look at him, at his lips, where he had just taken sips of the bitter coffee. 

"What's wrong Bondita?" Anirudh asked, suddenly feeling nervous to have her so close to him. "Are you okay?"

Bondita glanced at his lips with desire, just wanting to get a close whiff of the coffee... from his mouth, it must be even better! 

Two of her favourite things at this moment combined! Her Pati Babu, her eternal favourite, and coffee, her current favourite, even though she hadn't even tasted it yet! 

What a heavenly combination that must be! 

"B - Bondita!" Anirudh gasped, because she had bent down slightly towards his seated figure, her face approaching his, as the scent of the coffee from him invaded her nostrils in the most pleasant way. 

"Mmm..." she moaned with delight, her nose a few inches away from his mouth, and Anirudh's eyes widened, looking at her like she had lost it!

What was she moaning about? Madame hadn't done anything to him, and she was moaning? What was happening right now, exactly? 

Definitely, losing one's mind is a pregnancy symptom. Now it's confirmed, Anirudh thought. 

He spun his seat around so that he could face her, and he stood up, making her look at him with slightly wide eyes. 

Anirudh held the top of her arms and said, "You have already made me a cup of coffee, even though I didn't ask you to do so, but now it's time for you to rest. No more exhausting yourself!" 

Bondita pouted, wanting to ask him if he had read any such thing in his pregnancy books! But as she was trying not to argue with him, she didn't say a word, and nodded immediately. 

"Okay Pati Babu," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. 

Anirudh looked at her, stunned that she had given in right away. 

She had been doing this quite a lot. 

Something didn't feel right. 

Bondita turned around and started to walk out, leaving Anirudh to watch her go, in a state of confusion. 

Why wasn't she arguing with him like usual? Why wasn't she putting points and trying to convince him to do the things she wanted?

-- 

A little while after dinner, Anirudh was in his study, still reading, when Bondita approached him, just before she was about to head to bed. 

After the coffee incident, she had studied quite a bit, and now she was actually very, very tired. Her body felt incredibly drained. 

"Pati Babu, I'm going to sleep," she told him softly, rubbing her eyes. 

Anirudh looked up from his book behind his desk, noticing how tired she looked. 

"Why do you look so tired?" he demanded right away, standing up and approaching her. 

He cupped her cheeks and looked directly into her eyes, observing the minutest of details that were in them. 

"Oh... I don't know..." 

"It must be school!" Anirudh started, getting agitated inside at the possibility. 

Bondita shook her head, and before he could change his mind about sending her to school over this, she immediately said, "No! Not at all! I'm going to sleep right now! Good night Pati Babu!" 

Anirudh looked at her, frowning slightly, and he said, "Good night. And... don't wake up early." 

Bondita just forced a smile and said, "I'll go now..." Then she smacked her forehead lightly. "Ohho! But I forgot one thing!" 

"What?" Anirudh asked her, furrowing his brows. 

Was Madame going to do something strange again? Like come close to him and moan like earlier?

He was already on the defense, prepared for her advances this time!

"Pati Babu, my sindoor is almost finished. I needed to get a new packet. There's one in the closet in our bedroom... but I have to dig around a bit. I'm not sure where exactly I've left it. I'll get that then go to sleep," she told him. 

Anirudh couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she wasn't doing the strange thing from earlier again. Why? Why did he wish that she came to close to him, came near him, in the midst of his presence again? 

He should be happy that she was behaving casually... but for some reason he craved that attention that she usually gave him. That desire for him that she made evident!

"No need," Anirudh said right away. "I'll find it for you. You only need it for tomorrow anyways, not right now." 

Bondita looked at him, actually feeling really tired, but also not wanting him to work because of her. 

"Bondita, go to sleep," Anirudh ordered. 

She nodded finally and said with a yawn, "Okay... good night Pati Babu. I'll leave the room unlocked so you can put the sindoor inside." 

Anirudh nodded curtly, and Bondita walked out of the study room. 

He watched her go, his arms feeling cold and empty all over again. 

Oh, how he wished he had just given her a hug at least! But somehow... this separation was making him re-evaluate every one of his moves, that even going near her was something that was difficult to do without a mixture of emotions surfacing.

-- 

Anirudh stayed in the study for a little bit longer, after Bondita had gone to sleep, reading some more. That was when he noticed Sampoorna Maa lingering by the doorway, and he immediately felt a cold feeling of fear fill him. He was feeling the chills in his spine. 

Before she could come and talk to him, Anirudh grabbed his phone and placed it to his ear, pretending like he was in the middle of a call. 

"Yes... ahh... yes, the case details..." Anirudh said into the phone, "Yes... take your time... tell me..." 

Sampoorna paused by the doorway, realizing that it would be a while, so she just turned around and left, not getting a chance to speak with Anirudh today either. 

Anirudh put the receiver back down after she left and breathed a sigh of relief. 

The wounds from the last time she spoke to him still hadn't healed, and hearing from her, would only drive him further away from Bondita... and Anirudh was afraid. He was afraid that if Sampoorna Maa got to him again, what if he hurt Bondita more?  

No... it was best to stop this at the source. He couldn't talk to Sampoorna. 

Anirudh closed the pregnancy book he had been reading, and finally started to go through his letters one by one. It was time to write responses to them. 

It was a few hours later, when he picked up the next letter... titled: For Pati Babu

Anirudh's eyes widened when he saw this. 

"Bondita?" he gasped, "You wrote me a letter? When?"

He immediately opened the envelope and took out the letter. 

-- 

Precap: 

Anirudh goes to Bondita's unlocked room, with tears in his eyes after reading her letter. 

"Bondita," he cries, tears trickling down his cheeks. "You told me to find you after I read the letter. I'm here Bondita. Your Pati Babu is finally here." 

-- 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

What did you think of the ManVik scene? 

The Anidita scenes? 

Anything else that stood out to you/that you enjoyed? 

What will happen now? 

Are you excited for the next part? 

If you're excited, then do shower your votes and comments on all of the parts! 

Love you all so so so much! It is out of my love for you all, and the love you have for me too, that even after 300 chapters of MDMB, I'm still inclined to give such big sprees with full interest. I want you to realize what exactly all of you mean to me, and how much I really respect and value you all. These stars and comments are formality, but the reality is that, I LOVE YOU, and that cannot be measured by these things. ❤️❤️❤️