This is a super long chapter! In fact, the longest chapter of MDMB! 

There are so many emotions in this one chapter, and I'd like your comments on all of it!

After this is a huge turning point of the story, and possibly a BRAND NEW book. 📔

Can you get this super long chapter to 1000 comments, and 420 votes? 😍

-- 

I put up this song some time ago on Instagram to describe the track - if you follow me, you would have seen everyone's guesses about it! I highly recommend you listen to this while reading the first part of the chapter! It gives great feels. 

https://youtu.be/0--IIqiqCiY

Do naina aur ek kahani
Do naina aur ek kahani
Thoda sa baadal, thoda sa pani aur ek kahani
Do naina aur ek kahani
Thoda sa baadal, thoda sa pani aur ek kahani
Do naina aur ek kahani

Two eyes and a story
Two eyes and a story
A little bit of cloud, little bit of water and a story
Two eyes and a story
A little bit of cloud, little bit of water and a story
Two eyes and a story

Darkness wasn't the only home of fear. 

The night that surrounded her was symbolic to the fear within Bondita today. This fear had overtaken her completely. Her heart, her soul, her conscience and consciousness. 

She paused by the study door, before she even knocked. 

She desperately wanted comfort from her Pati Babu. And he would give it. No doubt. 

But she wasn't ready to be healed. Not when she believed she didn't deserve it. 

So she backed away, her heart racing, her palms sweating. She was shivering and trembling. 

Tears were in her eyes, and Bondita slowly went to the kitchen, where she found two coconut shells. 

This was the only way she could face him now. 

If she wasn't Bondita. 

If she was someone else... someone who could approach him. 

After she got hold of the shells, she found some string, and strung them together, to make their coco phone. The phone that was such a big part of her childhood... their childhood. 

Hadn't he been a child with her, after all?

Bondita stumbled back to the study, with her coco shells. 

Then she took a deep breath, trying hard to be strong when she faced him. 

But she couldn't. Today, no matter what she tried, she couldn't find the strength he had imparted in her...

--

Unsettled feelings.

Emotions that were held in for far too long.

A guilt that needed closure. A past that needed to end to bring forth new beginnings.

It was time.

Time to finally end that chapter, to end the closed loops.

Bondita entered the study that night, where Anirudh was.

A dreadful feeling in her chest, as she realized that to climb the final stretch of the mountain, they would need to revisit the entire journey of thorns.

Three knocks on the study door.

That was all it took, for Anirudh to look up from the pregnancy book he was reading.

Bondita.

His Bondita was here.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering their encounter from earlier. 

She was avoiding him. Making silly excuses, just to be away from him. And he even yelled at her. 

He should apologize to her. Say sorry for yelling. Yes... that was right. Although he was still hurt about the fact that she wanted so desperately to go away from him. 

"C - come in Bondita," he said from the sofa.

She slowly opened the door.

And when she entered, he saw the small Bondita who he had married. The girl he had saved. The one who needed him. The one who depended on him.

She didn't look like the confident Bondita he knew. She looked like a terrified child, one who was existing in the frost of her own darkness.

She needed him.

Her steps were slow, as her anklets rung, bringing the slightest of sounds in the silent room. The room was lit with only a few lamps.

His eyes landed on Bondita's hands. They were trembling. And inside them, were two coconut shells, bound together by a thread.

A nostalgic feeling hit Anirudh, and he gazed up at her terrified eyes when she finally approached.

What had happened to her?

With her shaking hand, she handed him the coco phone, and Anirudh took it immediately.

Still standing, with a shaky voice, she said, "T - Tring Tring... Jamai Babu... it's Bondita's Maa speaking."

Anirudh felt his throat dry up and he answered, "M... Maa?"

Her eyes were glossing with tears, as she whispered, "It's t - time to end t - the saga Jamai Babu."

When he heard this, he felt an ache in his chest. 

Anirudh continued to gaze at her and asked, "It's the final stretch of our journey, is it Maa?"

Bondita sat down on the sofa next to Anirudh. 

It was the final stretch of the guilt that they had burdened themselves with. The final stretch of the pain their hearts held. It was the final stretch of this part of the pregnancy journey, which would lead to a full acceptance of their baby. 

She said, "We have until the moon is in the sky, because as soon as the sun rises, we will have reached our Destination."

Once the sun rose, they would unite. They would live a new life. A life of warmth... not one of fear. Not one of coldness and despair. 

The misery would end tonight. 

"Then let's start..." Anirudh whispered, the same unsettled feeling reaching his own heart.

"I... I want to s - start by telling you about the a - abortion," Bondita cried, tears obstructing her vision, "I g - get n - nightmares until today. The darkest... moments of my life... I want to come c - clean about it. It - it haunts me... P - Pati -- Jamai Babu."

When Anirudh heard this, the coco phone shook in his hand. He just looked at her, his eyes widening slightly, the pain in his heart taking over. 

His Bondita had gone through so much. 

So much, and he... he had been lost in his own guilt. 

What kind of a husband was he? What kind of a friend was he? What kind of a Guru was he?

"The shadows... the shadows of that place," Bondita cried, "I... can't sleep... it feels like... like they'll s - snatch... my - my baby... that they'll c - come back and f - finish what I went there to start. It feels like my - my baby will l - leave. T - that they w - will go away from me." 

Choti si do jheelon mein woh behti rehti hai
Choti si do jheelon mein woh behti rehti hai
Koi sune ya na sune kehti rehti hai
Kuch likh ke aur kuch zubaani
O thoda sa baadal, thoda sa pani aur ek kahani
Do naina aur ek kahani

She used to flow in small streams
She used to flow in small streams
Whether anyone listened or not, she used to talk
By writing a bit and by reciting a bit
A little bit of cloud, little bit of water and a story
Two eyes and a story

She was sobbing uncontrollably now. Her shoulders were shaking, the tears rolling down her cheeks. 

Anirudh just wanted to drop the coco phone and engulf her in a tight hug. He wanted to comfort her in his arms, and take all of her pain away. Every bit of it. 

But he didn't. 

Because he wasn't her Pati Babu right now. He wasn't the emotional Pati Babu who would fluctuate and falter with every tear of hers. 

Right now, Bondita didn't need her Pati Babu. 

She needed her Guru. 

Her Guru who had to pull her out of the darkness that she had surrounded herself with. The walls that she was suffocating herself within. 

This Guru had to teach her how to stand on her own two feet again. 

Not rely on him for comfort. 

Once again, Anirudh Roy Choudhary had to set aside his own emotions, so that she could remember that she had everything she needed inside of her. 

Once upon a time, he had broken himself to build her in this way. He would do it again if he needed to. 

Right now, Anirudh just needed her to come to a self-realization. Not give her temporary comfort. But empower her permanently. 

"Bondita," Anirudh said into the coco phone, his voice deep and filled with pain. "How can they come and f - finish it Bondita?" 

"In my dreams, when I f - fall asleep, they come with coat hangers. A - and every time, they get one step closer. T - today... j - just now, t - they pulled my p - panties..." she couldn't even finish, and Anirudh squeezed his eyes shut painfully as he heard this.

This was hard on him too. So hard.

But he had to continue. 

His emotions meant nothing when it came to healing her. 

He took a deep breath, and opened his eyes again, looking at her with a sense of calmness, even though his heart was hammering and swaying in every which way inside. 

"If... they come in your sleep Bondita, c - can they hurt you when you're awake?" Anirudh asked her. 

"I... don't know," she whispered, holding the shell tightly. 

"Bondita, when we watch a movie on a projector, can those images come out of the screen?" Anirudh asked. 

Bondita shook her head. 

"Sometimes, in the movie, violent things happen. Sometimes scary things. Sometimes we get very emotionally attached and feel involved. We... cry. We are so invested in the movie. We relate to the characters. If something happens to the characters, it feels like it's happening to us," Anirudh said softly. "But in the end, we know that it's just a movie... right?" 

Bondita nodded. 

"Just like that Bondita... what you see when you're asleep, it's like a movie. It may... feel real. You may even get emotionally involved sometimes. But, at the end of the day, it's not real. Is that right?" Anirudh asked her. 

Bondita nodded slowly. 

He asked her whether he was right or not. He didn't impose his logic on to her. He wanted her to understand it by herself, and attain a state of self-realization.

"W - what if it's a sign?" Bondita then asked, looking at him fearfully. "What if it's a sign that s - something bad is going to h - happen?" 

Dreams... could mean that, right?

"Bondita, there are signs in everything," Anirudh said to her softly. "Not just in dreams. And what's important isn't the fact that there may be a sign in your dream. But rather, how to interpret the sign. How do you know what sign you're looking for?" 

Bondita looked at her Pati Babu through her tear-filled eyes. Anirudh gazed into her eyes, holding himself strong. 

She had kept herself strong for him all this time. Now it was his turn. 

He had to be strong for her. 

"Pati Babu, what other sign can it m - mean?" Bondita cried, warm tears filling her eyes again.

What sign could it be, other than they may lose... their baby? 

"Maybe that you... love your baby very much," Anirudh said to her softly, causing her to stop crying and look at him with shock. 

As he said this, his own heart filled with warmth. He ached to go closer to his little Bondita again. 

Bondita was just stunned, hearing him refer to the baby within her as her baby. 

She could hear him speak like this all day long. It was like music to her ears. 

Thodi si hai jaani hui, thodi si nayi
Thodi si hai jaani hui, thodi si nayi
Jahan ruke aansun wahin poori ho gayi
Hai toh nayi phir bhi hai puraani
O thoda sa baadal, thoda sa pani aur ek kahani
Do naina aur ek kahani

It's a little known and a little new
It's a little known and a little new
It ended where the tears stopped
It's new, but it's still old
A little bit of cloud, little bit of water and a story
Two eyes and a story

"Can't that be the sign Bondita?" Anirudh continued softly. "Why does the sign have to be negative?" 

Bondita blinked a few times, lowering the Coco phone slightly, her heart already feeling at ease. 

As always, he had opened up a world of possibilities for her. 

"Pati Babu," Bondita said softly, "Then the nightmares..." 

"The nightmares must have been your conscience showing you... just how much you l - love..." Anirudh could feel his eyes moisten. "How much you love your baby. Just how much you c - craved to have the child..." 

And because of me, you were willing to let go of this deep desire of yours. 

He didn't say that out loud. This wasn't about him. She had comforted him enough already. Now he couldn't worry her. He had to be there for her, not the other way around. 

Bondita looked at him, looking at him in a completely new light. The warm tears that had dominated her eyes, now spilled out in a new form. 

The fears from the dream had been washed away. Not because of logic, but because of compassion. 

His compassion. To understand her. To give her the attention she needed. The love she needed. 

He didn't dismiss her for being irrational. He didn't try to push his beliefs onto her. He made her realize from within her, just how hyper-focused she had been on the negative possibility, that she failed to see the other side of the coin. She failed to see what else the dream could mean. 

Now that he shined the light on the other side though, it was all she could see.  

The sign wasn't that her baby was going away. 

The sign was that she... accepted her baby. 

Her two eyes... that told a story. 

From the beginning, since she found out about the pregnancy, just how much had she cried? How much had she wept, in many forms?

Her two eyes cried days in and out. She was filled with pain, guilt, despair, fear. All of these emotions had swept over her. 

In the end... her two eyes wept again. 

But this time, out of love. Out of acceptance. Out of desperation. 

She loved her baby. 

More than her own life. 

The culmination of her guilt, leading to the final acceptance could be summed by this line: Her Two Eyes, Some Clouds, Some Rain, and One Story. 

"Pati Babu, you always open my eyes to a world that I never knew existed," Bondita whispered to him tearfully. "The nightmares... weren't bad. They... only mean that I love..." A small smile appeared on her lips now, through her tears. "My -- O - our... baby." 

When she said that, his heart started to thump faster, and he could feel himself getting emotional. 

They hadn't openly spoken about their baby yet. 

Anirudh just looked at her compassionately, and he whispered, "Yes Bondita. There's nothing to be afraid of." 

Bondita could sense the hint of sadness in his tone, and she knew that there was a part of him that still held himself responsible for all of this. 

Perhaps the guilt related to his sexual desires had gone away. 

However, the fact that Bondita went through so much... 

He still blamed himself for that. 

"Pati Babu..." Bondita said softly. 

"Hmm?" Anirudh asked, looking down now. 

"Say it... please." 

Ek khatam ho toh doosri raat aa jaati hai
Ek khatam ho toh doosri raat aa jaati hai
Honthon pe phir bhooli hui baat aa jaati hai
Do naino ki hai yeh kahani
O thoda sa baadal, thoda sa pani aur ek kahani
Do naina aur ek kahani

When one night ends, another one comes along
When one night ends, another one comes along
The lost words come once again on the lips
This is the story of the two eyes
A little bit of cloud, little bit of water and a story
Two eyes and a story

Anirudh looked up at her with his wet eyes.

That was all she needed to say. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Tonight was the night that they had to tie up all the loose ends, and come out of this fully. 

"Bondita... it's b - because of me, that you went through all of this," Anirudh confessed. "You put yourself through so much. You went to a w - warehouse to get an abortion. The b - black market. You almost... put a c - coat hanger --" he couldn't even finish, because it hurt him so much to say it.  

"Bondita... you... suffered countless nightmares. You didn't even want to have an a - abortion... but because of me, you... you tried so hard to... stop all this. You suffered... so much. And what did I do... I c - couldn't even be there for you... when you did so much for me... You needed me the most Bondita. And I? I just... I..." His voice was cracking, the tears sliding down his cheeks. He couldn't go on anymore. He just couldn't speak. He was done. Broken from inside. 

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she heard him. She shook her head immediately. 

"You never left my side," she cried, "Not for a single moment! You might not have been happy, but you never left me alone! You never made me go through anything alone! In fact, the opposite. You took care of me." She sniffled, and she said, a little lightly, "Over cared actually."

"But I couldn't keep you happy Bondita... when this whole time, you kept suffering from nightmares... all because you wanted me to be happy," Anirudh cried, bringing his hand to his eyes, and trying hard to wipe away the tears so she wouldn't see him break down -- even though it was futile now. "If - if it weren't for me, you would have never gone to the warehouse Bondita. I know."

"How can I tell you Pati Babu? What you mean to me?" 

"I know..." Anirudh whispered, his heart aching. 

"Then why do you blame yourself, when you would do the same for me?" she asked him. 

Her tarks... again. 

If he were in her shoes, perhaps he would have done the exact same thing. 

No, not perhaps. 

He definitely would have. 

What couldn't he do for her? He could light this whole Universe on fire for her. 

Couldn't she do the same for him?

"The... baby... almost... didn't come because of me..." he then started. "You always... wanted us to be p - parents. You always, wanted us to experience this. I was the one. I always stopped you from dreaming about it. I always stopped you from even thinking --" 

"Pati Babu, but you weren't wrong," Bondita whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I haven't gotten far in my pregnancy, but I can already foresee... what you were trying to say." 

"What do you mean?" Anirudh asked, bringing his hand up to his cheek and wiping away the wetness that left his eyes. 

"I'm exhausted for much of the day. I get nauseated. I have to urinate very often," Bondita listed out, "I have to eat more often." 

"S - so?" Anirudh asked, "What does that have to --"

"How would my Pati Babu, who only wants my comfort. Who only wants me to be a barrister, and do well. To succeed. To empower not only myself, but the whole world. How would he, be okay with me going through all these symptoms? And on top of that, studying?" Bondita asked softly. "It's hard as it is to manage both. When we have our baby... it'll be even harder." 

Anirudh looked at her with shock, as he registered her words. 

Bondita continued firmly, "You were always only thinking about my future. You were always trying to protect me. So that I didn't have to go through all of this. How could you have been wrong? You can't Pati Babu. For me, you can never be wrong. My Guru is always right. And even if I wasn't biased about you, you weren't wrong to not want this. You were right Pati Babu. Absolutely right. Now was not the time. There was nothing wrong about your thoughts." 

"Bondita," Anirudh cried, wanting to reach forward and hold her. 

As if on cue, she scooted closer to him on the sofa, and he gripped her hands desperately, as if she had something in them that could ease his hunger. 

"You weren't wrong Pati Babu. You weren't wrong at all to want us to have kids later," Bondita said to him softly, as he squeezed her hands. "You were absolutely right. The timing was wrong. Completely wrong." 

"But life... life took another turn..." Anirudh sobbed. 

"Yes, it did," Bondita agreed. "It took another turn. And I - I got scared too. I couldn't handle what happened..." 

"You always looked at things in a positive light," Anirudh said hoarsely. 

"Even I failed this time," Bondita cried. 

Anirudh shook his head. "My Bondita failed? Impossible." 

She couldn't help but smile through her tears now. 

"You have... a very unique perception of your Bondita," she whispered. 

Sometimes he thought of her as the epitome of innocence, and sometimes he thought of her as perfect. She made her fair share of mistakes... but for him, she could never be imperfect. 

He saw her the same way that she saw him. 

Anirudh let go of her hands and brought his fingers to her cheeks, caressing them lovingly. 

"What does fail mean?" 

Bondita felt her heart flutter, remembering the lesson he had given her after she was unable to defend herself properly at school in front of the Principal. 

"First attempt in learning," she whispered. 

"Shabash Bondita," Anirudh said with a soft smile now, as he wiped her tears away. "So if you learned from your mistake, then that means it's not a failure anymore. It's a success."

Bondita's heart fluttered, as she gazed at him. 

"So... did we not fail?" she asked quietly. 

"No Bondita," Anirudh said, still caressing her cheeks. "The timing was wrong, yes, but only because we planned life a little differently. But Bondita... you know something?" 

"What?" she asked. 

"Time doesn't flow according to our plans. We have to adjust our plans according to time. We can't control the time... but we can control our plans," Anirudh said. "We can be flexible."  

Bondita smiled, as he imparted such beautiful wisdom to her. 

It couldn't be a failure... because the lesson was learned. 

Nobody looked at Thomas Edison as a failure for creating the lightbulb. He failed a thousand times before making it, but he was seen as successful. Because that success was a result of those failures. 

Failures were like a bed of roses. A bed that was necessary, for greatness to bloom. 

Failure wasn't something to be feared, or looked down upon. It wasn't a waste. In fact, it was a necessary part of life. 

And in this beautiful bed of roses that had bloomed, was an acceptance. 

An acceptance of both the mother and the father.

"Pati Babu..." Bondita said softly, "Can I ask you something?" 

"Mhmm," he murmured. 

Tears filled her eyes once again, and her voice cracked. "Do you know what I t - thought, after I found out about the pregnancy?" 

"What Bondita?" Anirudh asked her, looking at her with pain, yet intensity. He wanted to know it all. Everything. 

"I... I thought... our love... has become a curse," Bondita sobbed. "I begged our baby... to go away... to find better parents. I cried to Thakumaa and begged her so much to take the baby away. I... I was desperate Pati Babu. Desperate to not h - have our baby." 

Anirudh's heart was aching. Desperately aching. He couldn't hold back anymore. He just wrapped his arms around her and finally pulled her against his chest, so that she could breathe in his scent and calm down. 

"It's in the past now," he said to her softly. "I also... wished a lot of things Bondita." 

Bondita's hands found the front of his shirt. His silk white pyjama shirt. She gripped the material tightly. 

"Yes... it's in the past," she whispered, her words muffling against his shirt. 

He nodded, his chin resting on top of her head for a brief moment. 

"Are you... okay now?" she managed to say. 

"I'm okay," Anirudh just said, caressing her hair, as she snuggled against his chest. 

Bondita lifted her face to look at him, to gauge his facial expressions. 

"And what about what... my... health? You... left me in Krishnanagar because you were worried." 

Anirudh looked at her, feeling a pang in his chest. 

He brought his hands to her cheek, and moved her hair back. 

"Bondita, do you know what I realized?" he asked her. 

She shook her head. 

"When... you were kidnapped. When those men... took you..." Anirudh felt his blood boil as he remembered them. "They told me... that you died." 

Bondita's eyes widened slightly when she heard this. 

Anirudh took a deep breath. 

"I felt... numb. Empty. Before I got angry... I felt a deep void... like time and space ceased to exist. It felt like my insides were blank Bondita. I never felt anything like it before." 

Bondita looked at him, feeling a shiver run through her spine at the mere thought. She couldn't even imagine what he must have felt. 

"But I learned something when that happened. I learned that life... is... unpredictable Bondita."

Bondita sat up straight, looking at him with compassion and love. 

"Your... death at that time shook me. But... what's true is that I experienced it all in that single moment. A world without you... I was but an empty shell. I couldn't exist. However, that's just a possibility Bondita. It's not real until it happens." 

Bondita nodded, looking at him tearfully. 

"Pati Babu," she said sadly, "You went through so much while you were saving me." 

She inwardly taunted herself. It served her right that he had been mad at her! How much struggle he had to go through, just to find her! He even had to hear her death news. No wonder he had been upset. He should be more upset!

"I went through so much, to learn this truth. That we don't know what tomorrow holds. We only have the present. If it's someone's time Bondita, they will go. It doesn't matter what their present conditions are," Anirudh told her. 

Anirudh continued, "In our body, we have around 37.2 trillion cells. Any one of them can decide to rebel, and turn cancerous. We have so many functions keeping us alive -- a brain that manages all the systems. A heart that works so hard to beat. Lungs, kidneys, intestines. It's really a miracle that we're alive. At any point, if one of these systems stops functioning, we're done Bondita. This is why, we should always treat our bodies well. We should always be mindful of what goes in our body -- what he eat, what we drink. How we live. We should always respect our body. It works so hard, just for us."

Bondita looked at him with a soft smile. "Pati Babu, in our scriptures it says, that our body is a temple. It's sacred." 

Anirudh smiled back at her now. 

"So you're really not worried about my health?" Bondita questioned again. 

Anirudh sighed and he said, "Bondita, I am. Of course I am. But... perhaps, you leaving Thakumaa's like that was meant to happen, because it opened my eyes. It showed me reality. It taught me that life is uncertain, as it is." 

"So should we... enjoy the moments we have?" Bondita asked softly. "Instead of worrying, and being afraid?" 

Anirudh glanced at her. He feigned a serious expression and asked, as if he had no idea what it was, "Enjoy?" 

Bondita sighed and said, "Ohho Pati Babu! Do you not know how to enjoy?" 

Anirudh smiled and he said, "I'm joking. Of course. We've spent enough time being miserable Bondita. Let's enjoy now." 

"You won't yell at me right?" she suddenly asked, feeling like pulling his leg a little bit. 

Anirudh glanced at her, remembering the moment from earlier. A sigh escaped his lips, and he said, "I'm sorry for yelling earlier Bondita." 

Bondita just shook her head with a smile, and reached for his hand. 

"It's okay Pati Babu. I'm used to it!" 

She was teasing him. But she was telling the truth anyways. She was used to it. And in fact, she found his anger cute!

Anirudh frowned slightly. Did that mean his yelling had no effect on her? 

"One more thing!" Bondita then said, causing him to look at her inquisitively. "Pati Babu... you know that... they were trafficking girls for adult magazines? That's why... they were kidnapping me."

Anirudh looked at Bondita with a pained expression, and he nodded. His insides still boiled at the thought that they were going to do such a thing to his Bondita. If Chandrachur didn't shoot Ritesh, and if Bondita hadn't stopped him, then Anirudh was convinced that he would have murdered all those men for sure. 

"Pati Babu, if that's how they get pictures for adult magazines, against a girl's will. Then..." she hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should ask this question. The question about his magazine collection. 

She didn't doubt her Pati Babu. Perhaps he had been young. He didn't know better. Maybe he wasn't aware back then, that the girls were treated to that kind of life.

Or... maybe he did know... and he used them anyways. Even if that was the case, Bondita would never think ill of him. She trusted him whole-heartedly. She had no expectations, and no confinements for him. 

"Ask Bondita," Anirudh said, already anticipating what her question was. 

"How come... you have those magazines?" Bondita finally asked softly. "As far as I know my Pati Babu, he would never participate in something like this. But... if you don't want to answer... it's okay --"

Before she could finish, he already said, "I knew Bondita. I knew from a young age, how the magazines are published." He took a deep breath and played with the fingers on his lap gently. 

Bondita took his hand and said, "It's okay, you don't have to justify --" 

 "No Bondita. It's not that," Anirudh said, and glanced at her, as she squeezed his hand. "Yes, there are unethical ways to source those magazines. However, there are people who go into the business willingly. The magazines in my collection... are from people who chose to be there." 

"How do you... know?" Bondita asked softly. 

"That's the thing Bondita," Anirudh told her, gazing into her eyes, "You're asking the right question. Even though, these magazines were marketed to claim the women had a choice... the truth is, that we won't know what's really happening inside the industry." 

"Pati Babu, it's a scary industry," Bondita whispered. 

"It's very scary Bondita," Anirudh agreed, "So many girls, and sometimes boys too, get trafficked everyday... and we don't even know." 

"Can we... help them?" Bondita asked. 

Anirudh looked at her, a slight pain in his eyes. 

"Maybe one day..." 

"I'll be a barrister Pati Babu," Bondita whispered, looking at him with desperation, hoping that he wouldn't turn her down now. 

Anirudh just looked at her softly, his heart filling with hope. 

"Bondita --" 

"Please Pati Babu, don't say no," Bondita begged, "You said yourself that the timing may not have been right, but we just have to adjust our plans. Not give up on them." 

Anirudh swallowed the lump in his throat and he said, "Bondita... I don't want you to give up on any plans. I'm not saying that..." 

"Then... I can still be a barrister?" Bondita questioned. 

"Of course. When did I say no?" Anirudh asked. 

Bondita looked at him with a relieved expression. 

"But," Anirudh said, and a feeling of dread filled Bondita's chest again. "Bondita, now is not the time to think about it. First, let's focus on the pregnancy. Later on --" 

"Pati Babu," Bondita whined, glaring at him cutely now. 

Anirudh sighed and he said, "Bondita, we have to take things one step at a time. I didn't say no. We just have to get through this phase first." 

"Both -" 

"No," Anirudh told her firmly. 

Bondita breathed sharply. 

"I want to help those women Pati Babu!" Bondita told him, "When I went to the warehouse for the a - abortion... I felt so bad, for leaving those women in there screaming. At the time, I was so filled with shock and dread, that I didn't realize what Manika Didi was saying. She said that I reminded her of Anandibai Joshi. How she used her misfortune to her advantage. And that poor choices can also lead to empowerment."

"And I realize now Pati Babu, that this experience was fated to happen. So that I grew aware of this hole in society. So that one day I can help all the women who feel like they need to resort to black market abortions! Pati Babu, I can't just ignore people who need help!" 

Anirudh looked at her, pride filling his chest. 

This was his Bondita. 

He wanted to cup her cheeks and cry out Shabash Bondita. 

But not now! Now she had to take care of her health and only her health. 

"Bondita just because we decided that life is uncertain, and we never know what tomorrow holds, doesn't mean that you can be reckless," Anirudh told her firmly. "You have to focus on what is priority."

"What's priority?" Bondita demanded. "What can be more priority than our dreams?" 

"Bondita, don't you know?" Anirudh hissed at her. 

Bondita looked at him and said, "As far as I know, our dreams are the highest priority Pati Babu." 

Anirudh was unable to stop himself from raising his voice, even though he just apologized to her a few minutes ago about it. 

"BONDITA, OUR BABY IS THE HIGHEST PRIORITY RIGHT NOW!" he yelled at her. 

Bondita looked at him, stunned. 

Our baby. 

From his mouth. 

Oh... music... 

Music to her ears, and to her tear ducts too. 

"Say it again," she whispered breathlessly, trying not to cry.  

Anirudh looked at her, his face flushing. 

"W - what?" he stammered. 

Bondita reached to his chest, sliding her hand across it, feeling the silk material and the urge to get closer.

"What you said. Repeat it," she demanded, holding her tears back. 

"I was talking about... our highest priority..." Anirudh mumbled. 

"Which is?" Bondita pushed on. 

Anirudh's face turned red, and he stammered, "Y - you heard --" 

Her cheeks were burning too, and she whispered, desire filling her system, "I want to hear it again." 

"B - baby..." 

"Whose?" Bondita questioned. 

"Y... your..." Anirudh gulped. 

"Mine and?" Bondita asked, scrunching the material of his shirt in between her fingers. 

She was holding back the urge to pull on the material and bring his mouth to hers directly right now. 

When he yelled 'Our Baby'... it was emotional, and also oh so hot!

The fact that they were on a dry spell wasn't helping her peaked emotions, plus the pregnancy hormones. She was feeling so much all at once. 

She whispered, "I... can't have a baby alone Pati Babu." 

She wanted him to scream it again! 

"Mine..." Anirudh finished. 

"Yours and mine?" Bondita asked, her cheeks burning. 

Anirudh swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded nervously. 

"Our..." Anirudh repeated, glancing at her now, his gaze falling down to her belly, where his Little Bondita was resting. 

"Our?" Bondita urged. 

"Our... baby..." Anirudh whispered, and Bondita squeezed her eyes shut with excitement, her heart hammering hard with happiness, her mouth curving upwards into the happiest smile. 

"Our baby," Bondita repeated, opening her eyes, and grinning at him. "We're having... a baby Pati Babu. Our baby." 

Anirudh looked at her, unable to stop the upward curve of his own lips now. 

"We're having a baby," he said breathlessly. "We're... having a baby." 

She nodded, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. 

Anirudh looked at her with a grin, bringing his hands to her cheeks, and cupping them lovingly. 

"Bondita... we're... having a baby!" 

Bondita nodded again. 

Anirudh suddenly stood up, making her look at him with shock. 

He then grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet, catching her by surprise. 

Then without another word, he picked her up in his arms, making her eyes widen with even more surprise! 

All of a sudden, she was spinning! In his arms! He was spinning with her, out of immense happiness! 

"Bondita, we're having a baby!" Anirudh exclaimed, tears in his eyes. "We're having a baby Bondita!" 

He suddenly wanted to shout it from the rooftops! He wanted to announce it to the whole world! 

The existence of his Little Bondita! This was so special. It was the first time, he was being so vocal about it with such a zeal! 

"Pati Babu," Bondita gasped breathlessly, as he continued to spin with her. 

She closed her eyes and rested against his chest, until he finally stopped, gasping for air. 

She started to giggle, unable to help it, upon seeing his excitement. Anirudh laughed too, feeling so jolly, and livelier than ever. 

All of a sudden he plopped back down on the couch, holding Bondita against him on his lap, hugging her closely and cuddling with her.

Her giggles got muffled into his chest, as he caught his breaths through his laughter. 

She squeezed her eyes shut happily, her heart hammering with happiness... and...

At the proximity... 

As soon as he caught his breath, he realized how close they were and where his hands were... 

On the small of her back, against her curves... 

Suddenly, there was a blush on both of their faces, and the two of them felt a tinge of nervousness... 

As if this was the first time. 

The very first time, they were about to get intimate. 

Just like they fell in love all over again. Just like they had their first kiss all over again. Just like they opened up emotionally and accepted each other all over again. 

Now... would this be their second first time? Would they love each other physically... all over again? 

She rested on his lap, raising her face and looking at him nervously, as he also looked back at her. 

Bondita wondered why she was so nervous. 

This wasn't the first time... yet it was. 

Anirudh gently ran his hand up her bare lower back, as she shyly looked down. Her hands were caressing the material of his soft shirt, tracing his collarbone through it. 

"Bondita..." Anirudh said softly, his cool fingers brushing over her warm spine, making her tremble on his lap. 

"Y - yes?" she squeaked nervously. 

"Can I... take you... to bed?" he spoke barely above a whisper with pauses between the words to accommodate for his heavy breaths. 

Bondita's face turned red.  

-- 

This part is so long. The equivalent of three chapters! Did you enjoy it?

What did you think of the emotional talks? 

The life lessons? 

Anirudh and Bondita talking about their baby?

Anidita's romantic end to the chapter? 

Any moments that stood out to you/that you enjoyed? 

The kidnapping track had one more purpose -- to wrap up the fear that Anirudh had around Bondita's death. I always try to tie things up in an interweaved way like this. 🥰 Did you like this? 

They talked out most things in this track. Minus one more thing which I'm saving for a dhamakedaar scene. Can you guess what it is? 😍

How is Bondita going to respond to Anirudh's proposal? 🙈

How excited are you for the next chapter?

Please please leave your comments and press star! Love you all! 😘

(Btw - also to those of you who guessed it, the song symbolizes their acceptance of their baby(ies?) - do naino... refers to 2? Maybe? 😉  ♥)