Present Day

Hearing the word Maa from this elderly man's mouth, made Bondita's heart feel warm. It was a strange feeling, one that she couldn't quite understand, but she brushed it off quickly, as she smiled at him. 

Not only Bondita's, but Anirudh's heart also felt warm when he heard this man named Girish refer to Bondita as Maa. But he didn't pay any heed to the feeling, too surprised by the fact that his last name was also Roy Choudhary. 

"We call those who are like our daughters, Maa," the man explained, and Bondita nodded, familiar with Bengali culture after all. "I hope you don't mind." 

"Of course not," Bondita said softly. "You can call me Maa." 

Anirudh walked over to Girish and handed the identity card to him. 

"Thank you," Girish said, looking at Anirudh with his deep brown eyes. 

He was almost Anirudh's height, but his back was arched slightly, shrunken from old age, and there were many wrinkles on his face. His grey hair was thick, and his fingers were trembling around his cane.

As he looked at Anirudh, a wave of familiarity hit him and he murmured, "You look very similar to how my Baba did." 

Anirudh blinked with confusion for a moment, as Bondita looked at Anirudh, as if she knew what he was talking about. She had no idea who this man's Baba was, but the conversation seemed oddly homely and familiar. 

"I... do?" Anirudh asked. 

Girish smiled and said, "Quite close. What's your name, Baba?"

Just like females were referred to as Maa, often males were referred to as Baba as well in Bengali culture. 

Anirudh smiled, his heart warming, and he said, "Anirudh... Roy Choudhary." 

Bondita was feeling a wave of unknown happiness, hearing this man refer to Anirudh as Baba -- the same happiness she felt when he referred to her as Maa. 

Girish's eyes went wide when he heard Anirudh's name, and he immediately clutched on to Bondita's arm for support, feeling like he could fall over -- it was almost like he had rights to hold her like this. 

Even though he had a cane that he could hold on to, for some reason, his first instinct was to grab Bondita's arm. It was like her support was stronger, than the cane he held in his other hand. 

"W - What...? can you r - repeat that again?" Girish stammered as he held Bondita's arm. 

"I noticed that your surname is also Roy Choudhary," Anirudh said, understanding why he must be shocked. 

Girish looked at Anirudh, his already old face, growing pale as he confessed, "You have my Baba's first name too." 

Anirudh furrowed his brows and asked, "Anirudh Roy Choudhary? Is it... that Anirudh Roy Choudhary? The social reformer? Is he your Baba?" 

Girish nodded, a pained look appearing in his eyes, and Anirudh's own eyes widened now. 

Bondita was just watching between Girish and Anirudh, not sure what was happening, but somehow feeling like she was a part of this too. 

"That Anirudh Roy Choudhary was my grand uncle," Anirudh told him. "Then that means... you are my uncle? You and my Baba are cousins? You're my Batuk grandpa's nephew?"

Girish's eyes grew even more wide as Anirudh confessed a series of truths. 

"My Chachu..." Girish said, finally letting go of Bondita's arm. 

When Girish let go of her arm, she felt a strange cold sensation, like something was missing. Him holding her arm, just felt right. 

"You know him?" Anirudh asked, in a state of disbelief, "But he said he lost contact with all of you! He had been trying to find you!"

Girish's eyes got glossy and he let out a wet cough first before saying, "We moved away from our home after Maa and Baba's deaths." 

Bondita felt an ache in her heart when she heard this, and she asked, "Where did you go?" 

Then realizing that this was Anirudh's family matter, and she was interfering, she just looked down, her throat feeling dry, and she said, "Sorry..." 

"It's okay Maa," Girish said softly to her, "Our family moved to another town in Bengal. I never got to meet my Chachu, but he had left a letter for us... he had signed it as Super Chachu so that's what my siblings and I all referred to him as. Our Super Chachu." 

Super Chachu -- Anirudh nearly smiled, hearing this. His Thakurda used to often brag about how cool he had been back in the day. But he knew that his Thakurda's life was full of pain too -- he had been separated from his family, and always yearned to meet them again. 

"Thakurda has always wondered about you," Anirudh said sadly, "He has always thought about his family." 

"Is he... alive?" Girish asked. 

Anirudh nodded. 

"He is." 

Girish looked at Anirudh and said, "I would love to meet my Super Chachu." 

Anirudh's eyes lit up and he asked, "Really?" 

Girish nodded. 

"Then take my number," Anirudh said, "And I'll talk to my Thakurda and you can come over!" 

Girish smiled at Anirudh and he said, "I would love that... wow, how could I have run into a nephew I didn't know I had?"

Anirudh smiled warmly at Girish as they exchanged numbers. 

Rimi and Neil were watching with shock, at what a small world this was. 

"Did you know that Anirudh had a long lost family?" Rimi whispered to Neil. 

"Kind of, but he never spoke about it much. I know more about his own immediate family like his parents," Neil said to Rimi. 

Rimi smiled and said, "I guess there's a lot to decode about this Anirudh Roy Choudhary." 

"Certainly... and I'm sure Bondita can take on that task," Neil said with a playful smile. 

"Oh, she would love to. Trust me, she may look innocent, but her mind is so not!" Rimi said with a giggle. 

Bondita turned to look at Rimi, with an irritated look, because Rimi had said that loud enough for her to hear. 

"Thank you Baba," Girish said to Anirudh, "I have always wondered where he was... and now I will finally get to meet him." 

Anirudh looked at Girish fondly and said, "Anytime... jethu?" 

"I guess I am your Jethu," Girish said with a smile, lightly chuckling. "I should go now. I have an appointment... but we will keep in touch, yeah?" 

Anirudh nodded, "Certainly. We will." 

After Girish left, Anirudh and Bondita were both walking in a daze, as Rimi and Neil followed. 

"I understand Anirudh, but why does Bondita look so lost?" Rimi asked. 

Neil shrugged, "Who knows." 

As they were walking, in a daze, Anirudh's hand found Bondita's, and he laced their fingers together, catching her by surprise. 

A blush reached her cheeks as she looked up at him. His thumb lightly caressed her finger, as he lead the way forward. 

"I never thought I would meet someone from my family, Bondita," Anirudh confessed. "For years, it had only been my immediate family." 

Bondita listened to him, as she felt the warmth of his hand against hers. 

"Thakurda will be so happy Bondita. So happy. He said he had made a lot of mistakes in the past... and because of those mistakes, he wasn't able to be with his Dada's children," Anirudh explained, feeling emotional, "I always wanted him to be relieved of these burdens, and it seems like finally, he can be." 

Bondita just looked at Anirudh with a soft gaze as he went on. 

"Sorry, am I rambling?" he asked her, turning to glance at her, "I'm boring you, aren't I? You probably aren't interested in my family... and why should you be? You barely even know me." 

Bondita smiled and softly confessed, "It's true that I barely know you, but it feels like I'm closer to you than everyone else." 

Anirudh stopped in his tracks in the middle of the mall and turned to look at her, a certain look in his eyes that was making her knees feel weak. 

A blush reached Bondita's cheeks, as she glanced around nervously. 

Rimi and Neil also stopped behind them, wondering what they were up to now. 

"Do you know how badly, I want to take you home with me right now?" Anirudh told her, his voice thick with desire. 

Bondita's blush deepened and her already weak knees grew even weaker. 

"Then do it!" Rimi exclaimed, "What are you waiting for? Bondita's dying for it too."

Bondita wanted to hide her face right now -- she felt embarrassed by Rimi, extremely embarrassed. 

Anirudh smiled and he asked, "Do you want to come with me then?" 

Bondita was about to nod and accept his request to go with him, when her phone started ringing. 

She pulled her hand out of his, and reached for her phone, where she saw his name. Paritosh. How many times had he already called in the last few hours? This was at least the fifth time!

Rimi groaned loudly and said, "Don't answer it." 

Bondita ignored her and brought the phone to her ear, answering, "Hello?" 

"Where are you Bondita?" Paritosh demanded. 

"Still at the mall," Bondita responded. 

"Still? Why are you at the mall so long? After marriage, are you planning on draining my money?" Paritosh demanded, and Bondita felt a heavy frustration fill her insides.

Rimi didn't know what Paritosh was saying to Bondita, but she could sense that something was off, because Bondita did not look happy. 

"Hang up," Rimi mouthed. 

"I'm busy right now. I'll talk to you later," Bondita said to Paritosh. 

"Wait," Paritosh said, "Forget about your mall. Let's go out somewhere." 

"I already made plans." 

Anirudh watched curiously, wondering who Bondita was talking to. 

"Cancel them, your to be husband is taking you out," Paritosh informed. 

Bondita's eyebrows furrowed and she said, "I made plans before you asked. I can't cancel them. I have a life outside too." 

"I will tell Aunty then, that even before marriage you're disrespecting me," Paritosh threatened, and Bondita breathed sharply.

"Why must you tell Mami anything?" Bondita demanded. "Isn't it between us?" 

"Of course it is, but you are hardly speaking to me. Should I pick you up from the mall?" 

"No, I don't want to come! I told you, I am busy," Bondita said, growing frustrated. 

Anirudh watched Bondita with concern. Clearly whoever Bondita was speaking to wasn't someone who was making her happy, and he didn't like this. 

"Bondita you've never spoken to me like this --" Paritosh started in a threatening tone, but Bondita ended the call. 

"That asshole," Rimi swore, but she was glad that Bondita remained firm and didn't give in to him. 

It was perhaps the first time that she saw Bondita doing this with Paritosh, and she was very proud of her best friend. 

It seemed like Anirudh could unlock these sides of her! And today, clearly, for Anirudh, Bondita stood up against her so-called 'fiancé'. 

Rimi was growing more and more appreciative of their bond -- it was something so different from what she had ever seen before. How magically, her best friend, could defy the whole world for this man. 

"What's going on?" Anirudh asked, sounding concerned, "Did Sanjay contact you again?" 

"Not Sanjay!" Rimi started, but Bondita grabbed Anirudh's hand, taking him away from Rimi and Neil, her eyes filling with tears. 

"Bondita?" Anirudh asked, sounding very concerned, as she pulled him outside the doors of the mall, where there was a cool breeze, causing her hair to fly everywhere. 

Rimi and Neil followed them out. There were quite a few people outside, by the parking lot, coming in and out of the mall, but Bondita didn't care. 

She gripped Anirudh's hand more tightly, and stopped a few feet away from the entrance doors. She turned to look at him with intense eyes, her hair flying everywhere.

Bondita held back her tears, and she confessed, "I want to hug you!" 

Anirudh blinked a few times, not expecting this sudden confession. 

"I want to kiss you!" Bondita continued tearfully. 

Rimi couldn't help but smirk, as Neil watched with wide eyes. 

Anirudh's eyes went wide too, as Bondita so boldly confessed this. 

Of course, he wanted to hug and kiss her too. More than anything else, he was desiring her, craving for her, yearning her in every possible way. 

"I want to stay beside you!" Bondita continued. "I d - don't want to go back to my Mama and Mami's house!"

Anirudh watched her, his expression neutral now, as she confessed to all these things. 

"I'm going to be in so much trouble if I go back," Bondita finally sobbed, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Will you take me with you? Just for today?" 

Anirudh reached to her cheeks and wiped away her tears. 

"Hey," he told her softly, "Stop crying, first of all." 

Bondita just sniffled. 

"I - I don't want to p - pressure you," she sobbed, "R - Rimi is there for me too. S - she always lets me stay in her room, if I want to, for the night b - but I want to be beside you."

"Ouch," Rimi muttered to Neil, "She chose him over me!" 

Neil laughed and he said, "If you feel alone, you can come over to my place." 

Rimi looked at Neil with a glint in her eyes and she said, "I may take you up on that offer." 

Anirudh cupped Bondita's cheeks and said softly to her, "Let's go then." 

"R - really?" she asked, looking up at him, as he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. 

"Yes," he said to her, "Let's go home." 

"I a - always trouble you --" 

His finger found her lips shushing her lovingly, and as he felt the softness of her full lips, he had to take a deep breath, because they were beckoning him closer. He had to remind himself that they were in public right now. 

"It's not at all troubling Bondita," he said softly to her, "You don't know how much I want this." 

He looked at her with desire and continued, "I'm a man, Bondita." 

Something that should scare her, was oddly turning her on, and a smile appeared on her lips through her tears, as she whispered against his finger, "And I'm a woman, Anirudh." 

He smiled too and leaned slightly closer to her, saying in a voice thick with desire, "Silly, I'm talking about the things I want to do to you, as a man. I'm warning you of what might happen if you come over. You can re-think it if you want." 

Bondita said back, "You silly, I was also talking about the things I want to do to you, as a  w - woman..." Her stomach was performing somersaults as she said this, her heartrate speeding with excitement. With each and every second, she was getting more and more comfortable with him. "Why do you think men have all the fun, hmm? Don't we women have needs too?" 

Anirudh was blown away -- one by her confession, two by her boldness, and three by her arguments. What an argument. What a jaw-dropping response. He wished he could kiss those lips which just knew how to speak the most clever things, right here, right now. 

"So you have needs?" Anirudh questioned seductively. 

Rimi and Neil were both watching with wide eyes. Rimi, especially, was shocked to see this bold side of Bondita. Her inner desires, were coming out, and that too, so casually with Anirudh! It was like this was not new to them! Like they had spoken in this flirtatious tone thousands of times before!

"I think I have a need for you," Bondita just murmured, her body throbbing with an aching desire. 

"Oh Bondita," Anirudh just groaned, and moved his hand from her cheek, over her ear, into her messy hair which had flown everywhere thanks to the wind. He was touching the back of her neck and holding it, trying to feel her, trying to get closer to her. 

He needed her so badly now.

Bondita shivered with excitement as she felt the gentleness yet firmness of his touch. 

"Hurry up and get a room, or you'll do everything here!" Rimi just said, her eyes wide. Neil chuckled beside her.  

Anirudh nodded, and grabbed Bondita's hand, practically ready to rush off with her, when Rimi stepped forward and held her arm to stop her. 

"One second, a little girl to girl talk first!" Rimi said, and Anirudh nodded, letting go of Bondita's hand, and stepping a few feet away with Neil to give them some space. 

Bondita turned to look at Rimi, her heart beating fast with excitement at the prospect of going with Anirudh. 

Rimi leaned into Bondita's ear and whispered, "Don't you dare feel guilty about that Paritosh idiot. As far as I'm concerned, you're not committed to anyone, so don't hold yourself back for a man who doesn't even care about your self-respect." 

Bondita looked at Rimi, and gulped, asking, "Are you sure... it's right?" 

"Damn yes girl," Rimi said, with a nod, "Just ask your heart, if being close to Anirudh is wrong." 

Bondita could feel it in the depths of her heart, that being close to Anirudh wasn't wrong. It felt like the most right thing. This intimacy that she was yearning for, couldn't be wrong. It was like she was only yearning to know her own self. 

"And a guy who thinks he owns you, you don't have to respect his feelings. Respect your own feelings and follow what you want, not what he wants. We'll handle him after. Go and have fun babe," Rimi just said. 

Bondita smiled at Rimi, and threw her arms around her, hugging her. 

"Hey, save this closeness for Anirudh," Rimi teased, "And I'm proud of you, for finally unleashing this sexual beast who I always knew was hidden inside of you." 

"S - sexual beast?" Bondita stammered, her face red, at Rimi's choice of words. 

Rimi just laughed and said, "Go and unleash it on Anirudh. He's dying for you." 

Bondita turned to look at Anirudh with a blush. 

Then without another thought, she ran towards him with urgency and took his hand, lacing their fingers together like they depended on this hold to exist. 

"Ready?" Anirudh asked her, squeezing her hand with his fingers. 

Bondita nodded, her face glowing. 

"I just want to forget the world," she confessed, "I just want to be with you... fully." 

He looked at her with desire, a smile on his lips, as he said, "Oh, I have no intentions of stopping today. You're about to enter a dangerous territory, missy. Think again." 

Her heart leapt with desire, and she whispered, "Please just hurry and take me home. I can't wait any longer."

Anirudh was swearing in his mind, her desperation for him turning him on more than everything else. 

Only he knew how he was stopping himself from kissing her senseless in the middle of this parking lot right now. 

Without another word, he took her to his car, so that they could freely enjoy this dangerous game of seduction that they were playing with each other. 

-- 

Precap: 

As soon as they entered his place, Anirudh trapped Bondita against the wall, pushing her purse off her shoulder, and letting it fall to the ground. 

Then he leaned towards her to finally enjoy her lips, after a long month apart. 

-- 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

Anything that you liked the most/that stood out in this chapter? 

Will they finally do the deed? 🙈

Any predictions for the future? 

Are you excited for the next part? 

Vote and share your comments, and I'll try to upload the next part faster! 

Love you all so much! ❤️