Second update today, and probably 5th update in the last week. 

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At this rate, we'll hit 400 chapters in no time. 😉

--

A week passed.

It took that long for the Vaid to make the medicine for Saudamini, and as soon as she received it, she executed her plan with full force. She decided to slip some into Anirudh's kheer after dinner that night. 

On the other hand, Bondita was at school that day with her friends. 

It was lunch break, and they were all sitting in the cafeteria. 

Batuk had his hair disheveled, which the teacher's already scolded him for, and he was leaning back against his chair. 

Surabhi and Vikram were on either side of him, while Bondita was sitting across from him with Mallika on her side. 

"I'm so annoyed!" Batuk exclaimed dramatically. 

"What's new in that?" Mallika muttered under her breath. 

"My Big D is keeping me away from my nephew!" 

"It's all because of your own mistake!" Bondita snapped at him. "Who told you to go and announce such false ideas to Pati Babu?" 

"What false ideas ji?" Mallika asked curiously. 

"It's better we don't talk about it," Vikram said lightly, "After all, it won't make Batuk look good!" 

"What?" Batuk said, sounding angry. "All I did was go to my eldest brother and taunt him that I was in love with Boudi! And I wanted to marry her, and we would elope without his knowledge -" 

A loud gasp escaped both Surabhi and Mallika's mouths. 

"You did WHAT?" Surabhi just said, eyes wide. 

"That is disgusting ji! Incest!" Mallika just said. 

Bondita's hand found her forehead. 

"Relax!" Batuk said, "I wasn't serious about it! I just wanted a reaction out of him -" 

"And he reacted," Bondita snapped, "Are you happy now?"

"Batuk, how can you even joke about that?" Surabhi said, frowning. 

"I can do anything," Batuk huffed, "I can do anything to piss Big D off right now." 

Mallika had a textbook out on the table in front of her, and she just slammed it shut loudly, taking everyone by surprise. 

"I will get going now ji! I think some people's brain cells will rub off on me, and I might get dumber being here!" 

Vikram and Bondita's eyes widened, and Surabhi looked at Mallika with annoyance now. 

"You're always targeting Batuk!" Surabhi snapped at her. 

Batuk gulped - as offended as he was by Mallika's roast, he felt bad when Surabhi snapped at her.

"He deserves it! Do you even hear him? Your boyfriend is lousy and he's dumb!" Mallika snapped back. "Who goes to their older brother and claims he'll elope with his pregnant wife? Only someone who's an idiot will!" 

"Mallika, calm down," Vikram said, getting up to go over to her. 

Bondita said, "Mallika, this isn't the way to react. None of us agree with what Batuk did, but you... you know him right? This is how he is?"

Batuk just nervously chewed on his lower lip now, watching Mallika. 

"All of you tell him off, then you go back to laughing with him in five minutes! How will he ever learn?" Mallika yelled. "None of you really care about him!"

"What?" Surabhi gasped. 

Mallika glared at Surabhi straight now and said, "I can understand Bondita and Vikram. They let things slide easy, but they have a bond. Who are you Surabhi? You came to this school at the same time as me, and you just overlook all his mistakes!"

Surabhi's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe that Mallika was talking to her like this right now!

"Mallika have you forgotten that I'm Batuk's girlfriend? How can you accuse me like this?" she said loudly. 

"Calm down," Vikram started saying to Surabhi, "Everyone will hear, and you and Batuk will be in trouble."

"Nobody listens to me because I'm traditional, I'm not modern like you!" Mallika went on. "I don't come from a modern family! I'm not as beautiful as you! But even if my words are bitter, they're the truth. You... you're just misleading Batuk! By your beauty, by your weak opinions, and your false love!"

Batuk started to choke on his own saliva. Why was Mallika behaving like this? Why did she have an outburst?

Mallika continued, "Everytime I catch you and Batuk in not-so-nice positions, where you're so close, I cringe! Because this is a school, and we are students! Instead, you're romancing! You're doing well Surabhi, but have you seen Batuk's marks? Don't you have to encourage him to study if you really care about him?"

Bondita exchanged glances with Vikram. 

Vikram knew - he knew that Mallika had a huge crush on Batuk, and that was probably the reason for this outburst. She had been holding her feelings in for so long, that they were bound to erupt like this one day. 

"Mallika!" Surabhi yelled angrily now - this caused people's heads to turn. "Stop accusing me! If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't do any differently!"

"I'm not in your shoes! I should thank God for that!" tears rolled down Mallika's cheeks, and she suddenly grabbed her books and stormed away. 

"Bloody Hell!" Batuk just gasped, finally breathing. "She's scary!"

Surabhi turned to glare at Batuk. "Why were you silently watching her the whole time?"

Batuk stammered, "I... I was getting attacked. This was over m - me and my apparent d - dumbness! How could I s - say anything?"

"When she claimed our relationship was superficial, shouldn't you have stood up for us?" Surabhi argued. 

Batuk gulped again and said, "It's not superficial." He reached for Surabhi's hand but she yanked it away, and stormed off too. 

Vikram nervously ran his hand through his hair, causing it to get slightly messy, and Bondita looked at Batuk with a frown. 

"This is what happens when you mess around," Bondita said, sadly. "The people who care about you, all end up being your enemies. Don't push people away from yourself Batuk."

Vikram shook his head with sadness. He knew it all too well - the time he and Batuk had stopped talking because he interfered in his relationship with his Mishti. 

Batuk, in the name of goodness, always ended up making himself look like a villain. 

"We should go and talk to them," Vikram said. 

"Give them space. We should let them calm down first," Bondita suggested. "But Batuk, you should go and calm Surabhi down at least." 

Batuk just got up, his throat dry, and left the room. 

Except...

He didn't go to Surabhi. 

He went straight to Mallika. 

--

Sometime later, after things settled down, Vikram followed Bondita out of the school, onto the grounds. She wanted to be by herself, but Vikram had made a promise to her Pati Babu, that at school, he wouldn't let Bondita go anywhere alone in this condition. 

She pressed a hand to her belly and glanced at Vikram. "I wish... Pati Babu would feel the kicks of the baby," Bondita said. "The baby kicked more in the past week. And everytime I feel those sensations, I only think about him. How would he react?"

"He would be very happy," Vikram said softly. 

"Or angry," Bondita said lightly, and smiled, tears wetting her eyes. "Angry that someone is kicking me!"

Vikram chuckled and said, "Your Pati Babu is very unique."

She reached into the pocket of her school dress, and took out a letter. 

"After I sent him the letter to tell him about the baby's kick, he sent me this." 

She opened it and read it again. 

Bondita, 

It's great to hear that your pregnancy is going smoothly and normally. 

If there are any problems, tell Manika immediately. 

Focus on your well-being, and don't strain yourself. 

Everything is fine here. I'm very happy. 

I want you to be too. 

Barrister Babu

"He's very happy," Bondita said, smiling with her wet eyes. "I'm happy Vikram. I'm happy that he's happy." 

"Are you sure he's being truthful?" Vikram asked. 

"I can't say for sure... but I just have to trust him," she said. "And until the end, I'll trust him. Even if my worst imagination comes to pass, I'll never lose my faith in him. The world could tell me he left me, he could tell me he left me... but I will still have faith that he's guiding me from within." 

She pointed at her chest. 

"He's here Vikram. Inside."

Vikram just smiled at her. "I know that you two are unbreakable," he just said to her. 

Bondita hugged Anirudh's letter to her chest, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

"I won't be broken," she just said in response. 

-- 

Mallika was angrily leaning against the wall, at the back of the school when Batuk came over. 

"Oh Mallika," Batuk just said, hands sunk into his pockets, hair disheveled, and even shirt half out of his pants. 

Mallika looked him up and down, furrowing her brows.

"What are you doing here?"

"Are you mad at me?" he asked her. 

"Can't you see?" 

Batuk leaned against the wall beside her and glanced down at her. He was taller than her. She was near his shoulder. 

"I know you're mad at me," Batuk said, "But... bloody hell, I need to clear this." 

Mallika looked away from him, folding her arms. 

"Surabhi and I aren't superficial," Batuk said to her. 

Mallika squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to hear this!

"Surabhi gets me Mallika. She understands me. She understands the love I have for my Big D and Boudi, and she respects that," Batuk explained. "She knows she won't ever be first in my life, because they're first." Batuk took a deep breath and said, "And she cares about me... I also care about her. We're good friends on top of being boyfriend and girlfriend." 

Mallika opened her eyes and turned her face to glare at him. 

"Why are you explaining this to me?"

Batuk ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "You're right. Why am I?" he wondered. "Well, I just didn't want you to be mistaken." 

Mallika's nostrils flared with anger. She didn't seem like she could be satisfied right now. 

Batuk couldn't help but smile slightly now. Did her nostrils always flare like this when she was angry? 

"You're mad at me huh?" Batuk teased. 

"Are you trying to make me angrier?"

"Maybe," Batuk teased some more, and he couldn't help it - he touched her nose gently with his index finger, making Mallika's eyes go wide. "If your nostrils flare like this, I may need to keep on annoying you." 

"Why ji?!" she asked. 

Because you look cute... Batuk almost said it, but he swallowed his words quickly. 

"It's fun," he just said, looking away. "But you called me dumb inside! I should be the one who's angry!" 

"Well, you are ji! What can I do, but tell the truth?" Mallika questioned. 

Batuk glanced at her again and said, "You want to reform me huh?"

Mallika shook her head and said, "No, I just think you can make better choices." 

Batuk said with a shrug, "But can't everyone make better choices? Nobody is perfect."

"Nobody is perfect," Mallika agreed, "But when you have the potential to be..." Her voice got breathless, and her eyes watered. "Why don't you try?"

Batuk looked at Mallika with shock. 

"Potential to be... perfect? Who... me?" Batuk was shocked - this seemed like a compliment from her! 

"Nevermind ji... I just can't tolerate some things. Surabhi... she should take a stand when she's your girlfriend, but she's misleading you," Mallika said, shaking her head. 

"She's not my teacher," Batuk groaned. "Why should she take any stands to reform me? If you're so concerned about it, why don't you try to find a solution, instead of blaming others?"

Mallika blinked a few times. 

"You want me to find a solution? So you're saying that I have permission to try and reform you ji?"

Batuk couldn't help but chuckle now, and he said, "You can try..." Then he leaned slightly closer with a smirk. "Ji."

Mallika could hear her heart thud in her chest. 

Was he... flirting with her?

Or was this just him having fun? 

She gulped and said, "Okay then, I will... call you out for all your mistakes!"

"I'd like to see this," Batuk said, having fun with Mallika. 

He wondered if she'd do anything more than she normally did.

She was something, that was for sure. 

Something unique. 

"I have to go and pacify my girlfriend now - because of you, she's angry," Batuk said, clicking his tongue playfully.

Mallika didn't know whether to blush at his playful tone, or be sad that he was going to Surabhi now. 

"H - How are you going to pacify her?" she just asked. 

"I dunno, I have to figure it out. Batuk Roy Choudhary, might be dumb according to you... but you know, he has skill. He can make girls melt into puddles," Batuk teased. 

Mallika blushed, her cheeks turning a slight pink colour. 

"See ya later Mallika," he said, and then departed from there. 

After he left, Mallika placed her hand on her fast-beating heart, and nearly fell to the floor against the school wall. 

"What was that?" she just gasped breathlessly. "I'm doomed!"

--

Anirudh was in the study, sitting on the sofa, feeling tired. 

His mind had been on Bondita and their baby all week. How must it feel for a baby to kick? He had read all the books, but he still wanted to know.

"A woman needs her husband's love the most during her pregnancy," Anirudh said sadly, "Yet, the situation has turned out like this. I wish... I could just leave everything and come to you." 

He just needed a reason. A push. Even if it was a small one. 

And like his wish was heard, Saudamini entered at that exact moment, a bowl of kheer in her hands, made especially for him. 

"I made dessert for you," she said with happiness, and stood in front of him, offering him to take it. 

"I'm not in the mood," Anirudh said, looking away.

"I cooked with my own hands," Saudamini said with a pout, "Won't you have the kheer?"

"I'm not hungry, and it's late -"

"Please Anirudh, please have it. I made it especially for you," Mini said with a pout.

Anirudh finally nodded. Mini had already heard Bondita's name... and he couldn't risk her suspecting him for any reason now. 

With a sigh, he took the kheer, and took a few bites.

Saudamini then leaned down and whispered into his ear, "I'll be in our bedroom, getting ready for you. When it hits, come to me. I'll be waiting. We'll have a lot of fun tonight..."

Anirudh didn't understand what she was saying, so when she pulled back, he just looked at her with a strange expression. 

"I'll wait, Anirudh. Come fast," she said playfully, and then she left. 

By then, he had already eaten most of the kheer. It tasted a bit different. 

"Maybe I'm just used to Bondita's kheer," Anirudh sighed. "I can't get used to another taste." 

After Mini left, he put the remaining kheer on the side and groaned, "Oh Bondita..." Then after a few moments, he felt sensations in his body. 

Arousal sensations. 

"What is happening?" he wondered.

Why was he so turned on? 

It was also like he couldn't think straight anymore. 

"Bondita," this time it came out more like a moan. "I need you Bondita. I'm coming to you." 

--

Precap: 

"This is good, good for the baby," Anirudh murmured. 

Bondita was pinned on the bed, with him looking at her with an aroused expression. 

"When a husband and a wife make love during pregnancy, it's so healthy," he said from above her, his voice husky. 

--

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! 

What did you think of the school scenes? 

The much-requested Mallika-Batuk scene? 😲

Anirudh ate the kheer... and you've read the precap. What will happen? 

Are you excited? 🙈

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