The Day of Sports

Anirudh walked into the room expecting to have a long chat with Bondita but found her to be doing her skincare routine, that she had recently started a month back.

Baffling him, for she didn't need to do anything extra to her skin according to him.

But it was her body and he didn't say anything to her.

Bondita had just started applying lotion on her hands, when Anirudh had walked in. Anirudh sighed a little at the extreme measures that she was taking these days at her own skincare routine.

And a part of him wondered, whether it was done for the sake of that boy. He knew that, he had no right to think like that but the beast that was jealous inside of him made him think of a lot of scenarios that exhausted him into craziness regarding his Bondita.

"Bondita, from next time tell me, when your products are gonna finish. I'll order your products along with mine. You don't need to visit bazar yourself for these items"-Anirudh didn't know what made him say these words but he just wanted a conversation with her.

And he knew that Bondita wouldn't even open her mouth in front of him, if he didn't initiate the conversation these days.

Bondita was startled out of the stupor she was in, thinking of her dance competition. She was in the throes of ectasy thinking of the dress and the dance that will make everyone envy her.

So, Anirudh's sudden declaration made her a little irritated but she composed herself and answered him.

"Patibabu, I can buy the products myself. You don't need to trouble yourself for me. You are already doing so much"-Anirudh frowned at the words uttered by her and was about to say something but just thought to change the topic.

"Bondita, there is still time before bed. Do you want to go to the rooftop with me to spend some time?"-he asked her hopefully for he wanted to discuss some topics with her regarding her college. He was thinking of applying in the newly made Deenpur law college and the prestigious colleges in Kolkata for her education as well.

He wanted her to study in England for a long time but there was this selfish husband inside of him rising recently, that wanted to keep her close and watch over her these days.

Also, he wanted her to understand the situation of the cases by her own eyes in courts of their country. If she came here after studying in London, then it would take her a long time to acclimatize herself with the lawyers here. But if she from the first year, assisted him in the cases at the court of Deenpur, then it would help her to create an identity of her own here among the Barristers. He wanted her to not face too much issues at the hands of the misogynist lawyers like a few of his colleagues he had the displeasure of working with.

But he wanted to discuss this matter with Bondita and get her approval first.

He had already taken decisions about her life on his own and was still suffering because of it. And that was why, he wanted to get her approval first and foremost this time.

"Patibabu, we can see the moon from here as well and talk if we need to. But we should sleep early for tomorrow Batuk will compete in school and Uday has his hockey match too"-Anirudh frowned at her polite but well strategized refusal and just sighed at his fate.

They both got ready to sleep and Anirudh fell into an uneasy sleep at Bondita's behaviour about everything.

At times, she behaved extremely shy with him and at times her coldness made him scared about her thoughts regarding their marriage.

He didn't know, how to remedy it all!

"Batuk, don't worry at all. You'll win this."-Bondita told a nervous Batuk and he just nodded at her in nervousness.

"Batuk, eat this prashad (offering) of Kala Baba. I had went to him to pray for your win today. You'll win definitely, after eating this"-Trilochon fed Batuk an extremely large size Moti choor laddu (Sweetmeat) and Anirudh frowned at him while, Somnath pouted in jealousy for Trilochon never went to such an extreme for any of them.

"Kaka, stop being so superstitious. If he works hard, only then he'll win. He'll not win by your fraud Kala Baba"-Trilochon fumed at his ziddi (stubborn) nephew and was about to reprimand him but Bondita beat him to it.

"Patibabu, stop it. We shouldn't mock anyone's belief. If kakasasur ji believes that, it'll give Batuk strength then let him have it. And Kaka sasur ji, stop fighting with Patibabu. It is Batuk's day and you all should support him. Batuk, let's go."-Bondita walked out of there along with Batuk and the orthodox bachelor and the fitoori barrister went to sit on the chairs reserved for the family members sulking like little children.

"Batuk, go faster...go faster"-Bondita and even Anirudh this time screamed for him to go faster at the race. But Batuk since the beginning was running at the speed of a snail compared to the others. He couldn't run past the other athletes at all.

But still he was running at his own pace frustrating Anirudh and Somnath at his speed but Bondita was continuously screaming for him.

Making all the others at the ground glaring at her and a few ladies present there was muttering about her indecency but the Roy Chowdhury's were very much engrossed cheering for him to notice that.

Batuk felt like he was running for an eternity but still couldn't reach the finish line. He knew from the beginning, it was a stupid move to even sign up for it. But his pride as a Roy Chowdhury prevented him from withdrawing.

He after a few more steps couldn't run anymore and sat there on the ground with a thud. He felt like his legs would have given up, if he had took a step more.

Binoy adjusted his chashma and sighed at his youngest son's antics, Trilochon uttered Nalayak slowly and Anirudh winced at his brother's display of utter stupidity on the ground. And Somnath winced for all the food that could have been consumed by him were wasted on him by his Boudi.

Bondita was being glared at by Anirudh and others as their reputation were being laughed at due to Batuk's antics.

"Our Batuk tried and that's the important thing and don't worry there is still weight lifting left. I am sure, he'll win the first prize there"-she confidently uttered and Trilochon agreed with her while, others frowned at the love showered on Batuk.

"Boudi, do you think I'll win?"-Batuk asked a nervous Bondita and she composed herself before giving him an appropriate answer.

"Batuk, winning or losing is not the end of everything. You are trying your best to overcome your fears and that's the most important thing. But no matter what, you are already an winner for me and everyone at home. Do you know why?"-batuk shook his head for he couldn't understand how a loser like him could be someone to be proud of.

Bondita sighed at him and said in a calming voice.

"Because Batuk, you have tried your best and even more than winning, your determination and courage to pursue your dreams won our heart. One failed attempt is not the end of everything Batuk. It is just the beginning of our journey"-Batuk got a bit of a courage at Bondita's words and smiled at her.

Anirudh had listened to them as well from outside and had got a new determination to fight for their marriage.

For no matter how many times he lost his fight, Bondita's words today had given him the courage to try again and again, until he melts her barriers.

Batuk was getting ready for the weightlifting competition. The last one of the day and Bondita was right next to him praying hard for him and Anirudh this time by seeing the level of her anxiety for her best friend had gently put his hands on her shoulder to calm her down.

Bondita felt her heart beat rising in a pathetic way at the touch of Anirudh. She felt goosebumps on her skin and a deep blush covering all of her fair face.

She wanted to lean on him and talk as much as possible about everything that was bothering her but at that very moment, she caught sight of Uday and Amrit walking to them and immediately felt immodest for standing so close to her husband in public.

Even if, he was a husband in name only these days.

Anirudh was blushing as well after placing his hands on Bondita's body. He just wanted to bury his nose in her sweet smelling neck and take a whiff of it. He wanted the moment to stop right there for him. So that, Bondita can remain in his arms forever.

But felt annoyance rise in his bones at the sight of him. He just wanted to whisk her away from there but was unable to do so.

Bondita tried hard to shake his hands off but Anirudh just glared at her and his eyes Sort of held an authoritative gaze in them that Bondita didn't say or do anything further and just stood there next to him.

Inwardly, she called herself an hypocrite for feeling that way. She wanted to get the touch of the husband that she wanted to go away from and at the same time she also wanted to spend quality time with one of her best friend.

Batuk had barely been able to lift the weights in front of the audience and had stumbled on his feet before giving up.

This time even Trilochon was ready to thrash him but Bondita reached Batuk and gently gave him the bottle of water to drink.

Anirudh and Somnath resisted the urge to laugh at their brother and Binoy had left even before the competition ended to avoid further humiliation.

"Don't worry, Batuk. These competitions are nothing in the face of your dedication and determination. One day, you'll reach the pinnacle of success and along with it, today's loss will feel like a dust to you. We are zamindars Batuk. We don't cry over such losses"-Batuk's head was hung low and Bondita immediately told everyone to go home for lunch as they were getting late and the sun was being more and more destructive for their skin.

Bondita bid an excited Uday goodbye, who had won his match against class Eleven's hockey team and reminded him about their competition and he reminded her to practice at home tonight to avoid mistakes tomorrow.

Anirudh, while driving the car glared at the image of the boy from the side mirror and sneaked a look at Bondita to find her looking at the passing roads of Tulsipur and thinking of something really hard for there were creases on her forehead.

"Boudi, I loved this payesh. Thank you so much"-Somnath told Bondita as he loaded his plate with a second serving of payesh and Bondita smiled at his appreciation of her cooking.

Appreciations like this made her hard work in the kitchen worth it in the end. She felt like a winner, when her family praised the food that she so painstakingly cooked for them.

Praises coming from Somnath meant a lot to her as the guy, who didn't even like her at the begining, hated her for a year these days shared with her his deepest feelings without any fears. Because, he knew that his Bondita Boudi won't reveal his secret to anyone. Not even to his Dada.

"Yes Bondita, this is really delicious"-Anirudh told a smiling Bondita and she felt a fluttering in her heart at his praise for the man, who was scared of even praising her at one point in fear of her growing expectations as well as running away from her had transformed into this doting version of her husband.

But his praises unwillingly made Bondita remember the times, Anirudh used to praise Manorama to make her come back to her studies and the times he had spent with her to help her in her so called "Muhim" (Mission).

She remembered those times as a lesson to never let a man be the reason for her degrading herself. She often hated herself for the extent, she had went to secure her 'Marital Rights'.

The stunts she had pulled along with the tattoo on her hand made her often ashamed of herself.

Because she had seen Anirudh's disappointment clearly that day. She had in a way forced him to take such steps. She used to think in her agony.

But there was a darker side of her that used to whisper to her about the different scenarios of Anirudh bringing Manorama into his life regardless of her actions.

Whenever she used to think of such possibilities, she used to cry in the washroom with the excuse of taking an extra shower due to the prickly heat.

She during those two months without Anirudh in Tulsipur had encountered fantasies of running away to a far away place but used to chicken out at the last moment due to the experience of Heeramandi.

She had made a selfish plan and decided to only leave him after at least being a little self dependent in the matter of money and education.

Perhaps, it was selfish of her but she hadn't executed her plan yet because the wife in her wanted to spend a bit more time with her husband.

Who only thought of her as a 'Special Responsibility'.

Bondita's musings broke at the sound of Trilochon walking to his room and Bondita immediately got her cue to start taking the dishes back to the kitchen.

"Bondita, are you excited to dance tomorrow?"-Anirudh asked Bondita as she came out of the washroom.

A few days of staying together had made her a little less awkward and she didn't bother with her pallu too much.

She was almost comfortable with him but whenever his letters used come in front of her eyes, her guard used to go up once again.

"Yes, Patibabu. I am very excited to dance. It has always been my desire to dance like in the talkies that I had seen. I know, you may think that I am overreacting but I am really looking forward to it."-she in between talking had sat right in front of Anirudh, who had a direct view of her swan like neck that was still glistening with little drops of water from her night time shower.

"Bondita, can I ask you for something?"-she looked at the hesitant man, who had sacrificed his everything for her and just nodded at him.

She at that moment felt at his soft tone that, if Anirudh asked her then she would probably even give him everything that he would never asked for even herself and give him every right that her husband would never ask from her because he never wanted her.

Anirudh didn't know, how she would see him after his request but today he wanted to be a part of Bondita's first dance as her husband.

"Bondita, I have always been a part of your many first's. I...I Bondita, will you give me the honour of sharing a small dance with you? I know, it's your competition tomorrow and you need plenty of rest but Bondita, can you give me this?"-Bondita was caught off guard at his words and didn't know what to say for a moment.

She remembered the moments, when Anirudh had refused to share even the same proximity with her. Using the shield of others. He didn't want to be in the same vicinity as her and today the same man wanted to dance with her in their now shared bedroom.

Bondita felt lucky at his words for a moment but thought to clarify his reason of wanting to dance. So that, her heart doesn't get high with hopes of love from him.

Anirudh almost took her silence as her reluctance and smiled sadly at his fate. He was about to get up from the bed, when Bondita's hesitant but somehow hopeful voice said.

"Why Patibabu? You don't like my....I mean, why do you want to dance with me of all people?"-incredulity was clear in her voice and Anirudh felt his heart cry out at her words. For, what she was saying broke his heart.

His own little Bondita was questioning him for her trust in him regarding her was fluctuating minute by minute.

"Bondita, you are my wife, my student and my lo....Since your childhood, I've been your first teacher and first everything. But tomorrow, you'll dance with someone else in front of the people. And I'll just watch from afar. Bondita, I've never been jealous before. But your proximity and thought of dancing with him is making me very territorial and incredibly frustrated. I know, I am sounding crazy Bondita but I just want to be a part of your first ballroom dance. I know, I am not in any position to ask you for anything but"-Bondita talked before Anirudh had a chance to say anymore.

Bondita was very stunned at his confession of being jealous and territorial about her. If their relationship was normal then she would have rejoiced at his confession.

But this time, she only felt pity at herself for neither was she his destined heroine nor his chosen bride. Who he was in love with.

But, Bondita could never refuse this man in front of her. No matter what state they were in today, still her heart would jump to fulfill his every wishes and desires.

For Bondita never knew, how to say no to her Patibabu.

Even if for him, she was just a responsibility that he was attracted to these days.

Bondita had concluded that, Anirudh was probably attracted to her and that was the reason of his doings. She thought that her presence near him for so many years had resulted in this and decided that as soon as she goes away his attraction would fade away as well.

Ohh, how wrong she was and what stupid conclusions, she had reached!!!

"Sure, Patibabu. Let's dance"-it felt as if Anirudh's dead heart had started pumping blood again at her words and he jumped from the bed in such an excited way that Bondita smiled at him.

Anirudh felt that he was dreaming but Bondita's smiling face gave him the idea that it was the reality that his Bondita was going to dance with him.

"Then my lady, shall we dance?"-he had extended his hands to her and she gingerly placed her hands onto his. Anirudh firmly clasped her hands pulled her closer to him but at the same time kept her at a little distance from him for her comfort.

Bondita's hands felt clammy as she held onto Anirudh for their dance. But her happiness was suddenly skyrocketing due to their close proximity.

"There is no music Patibabu"-Bondita attempted for the last time to stop herself from his torturous but delicious presence.

Anirudh's lips curved a small smile at her words and he placed his hands on her shoulders and made her do the same. And whispered to her.

"Our heartbeats are our music bou (Wife). Feel our heartbeats as they sing for us"-Bondita felt herself wanting to cry as she said to herself.

"I wish your heartbeats sang for me Patibabu. I so wish".

Anirudh twirled Bondita around a few times before slowly humming a tune that she had never heard before.

The tune was adding to this romantic and seductive atmosphere of them perfectly.

And Anirudh felt the desire to stop the time and hold her completely in his arms. He had danced with Saudamini before but never had felt the urge of stopping the time so that she never goes away from him. But with Bondita, he had the urge to forever keep dancing with her by stopping the time.

Bondita felt herself being dipped a little and then Anirudh straightened them both and pulled her even closer to him. He could feel her hot breaths on his neck at their sudden closeness.

Anirudh then stepped away from her but still twirled her around with a smile on his face. Taking note of her expressions and the brightness of her eyes as she also performed the steps that she had seen in the talkies.

Bondita had let go off all her inhibitions and was dancing with him. Not caring about the future for the first time in a while.

She wanted to always keep this memory of their moment with her, even if he becomes someone else's one day.

Anirudh smiled and pulled her closer to himself and whispered close to her ears making her close her eyes in ecstasy.

"Put your feet on mine Bondita"-she felt herself frowning as she had never heard of such things before.

"But why, Patibabu?"-Anirudh's groaned at her words but instead of answering her lifted her up and placed her feet on his own.

Bondita almost immediately in fear put her hands around his neck like a garland and this time Anirudh wanted to groan as her hands on his body was giving him different sensations. Along with that, her bosoms were very close to his chest.

He has never felt like, he was feeling at that moment.

"Now, we continue dancing Bondita"-Bondita and Anirudh smiled at each other and continued dancing for a while. With Anirudh in control of her steps and literally maneuvering their steps as he wished.

Bondita unknowingly in passion was about to place her head on his shoulders and Anirudh was so close to her neck that he resisting the urge to place a kiss there.

But the grandfather clock of the Haveli rang at that exact moment. Making them break their trance and Bondita awkwardly stood away from him and Anirudh was taking heavy breaths for he didn't know, what he would have done if the clock hadn't rang.

"It's getting late, goodnight Patibabu"-Bondita hurriedly said and quickly covered herself with her blanket. Trying to get rid of her smile and blush.

She was thankful for this memory, for it would be something that she could cherish for a lifetime, after she goes away from him.

She felt a tear slip away from her eyes and quickly rubbed it off to not alert Anirudh.

Anirudh smiled at her adorableness and switched off the light that was still on in their room and quickly slept on his side of the bed.

He was reminiscing their dance and her expressions and suddenly felt his eyes fill up as for the first time in a long while, his Bondita was this close to him and had been this happy with him.

Today, she hadn't worn the mask that she usually wore around him and Anirudh Roy Chowdhury the atheist, prayed to the Goddess to better their relationship just like this and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

(This is one of my favourite dance scenes. And I imagined our Anirudh and Bondita, while writing it. Dancing exactly like this)

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How was the chapter?
Did you like their proximity at all?

Sorry for not being regular at updating. I had just got my third dose of vaccine and feeling a little down.

I am for the first time setting a goal of this chapter getting 100 votes at least.

So, do vote on this chapter and comment as well for it would make my day.

And thank you to all my regular voters and commenters...I love you all for supporting me from day one.