This is the 2nd part of the spree! Please press star on all the parts of the spree! ♥

And join the party by showering your comments! 🥳

Enjoy!

September, 1950

Tears leaked out of her eyes, and she sobbed, "Why is it that everytime I want to protect you, it never works? Why Pati Babu? Why?" 

Anirudh just watched Bondita, in a state of shock. 

And as she cried, with her knees held to her bare chest, like a little girl, Anirudh couldn't help but feel the shock in his system leave.

Her quivering body. Her intensity to protect him. Her tears. 

He knew exactly why she hid this from him. 

Bondita just sobbed into her knees, her face hiding against her kneecaps, arms around her face. 

Anirudh inched closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. 

"Bondita," he said in a heavy voice. 

She shook her head against her knees. 

"Look at me," he said softly. 

She shook her head again. 

Anirudh moved in front of her, and gently held both of her arms. 

"Bondita," he said softly, and pulled her arms apart. 

Then he cupped her cheeks, gently tilting her face up. 

Her eyes were swollen and red. 

"Do you think I'd be disappointed?" Anirudh asked her softly. 

Bondita shook her head, choking on her tears. 

"I'm disappointed," she whispered. 

"Why?" he asked her, wiping the tears on her cheeks away with his thumbs. 

"B - because I w - wanted to protect you and I - I couldn't," she sobbed. 

"Bondita, you always protect me..." he whispered, stroking her hair. Then he pulled her close, her naked body on his, as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. "You held such a big thing within? You suffered in silence?" 

Bondita squeezed her eyes shut, her tears falling onto his shoulder. 

"Did you think I'd be unhappy?" he murmured to her, his nose gently rubbing against her hair. 

She just sobbed against his shoulder, her hand moving up his shoulder blades, rubbing her palms against them as she sought his comfort. 

"I'm happy Bondita," Anirudh whispered to her, his eyes welling up with tears. "I'm very happy. We're going t - to be parents again." 

Bondita started to cry harder, and Anirudh rubbed her back in a soothing manner. 

She couldn't bring herself to say the reason. The reason why she didn't want to tell him. 

But Anirudh understood. 

"The situation is delicate," Anirudh whispered to her. "I know that we're hiding because our lives are in danger. That anything can happen to us at any moment. But Bondita, we might make it out of here alive too." 

Bondita dug her nails into his skin gently, holding on to him for dear life and crying even harder. 

He caressed her hair comfortingly and he murmured, "W - When we make it out of here, we'll have another member of our family." A smile reached his lips through his tears, "We - We'll bring home good news to Tulsipur. Everyone will be so happy. Imagine Ambika and Girish... their excitement. And Bhavani? She won't be the youngest anymore." 

Bondita was sobbing uncontrollably. 

How she wished that was true... 

"Bondita..." Anirudh whispered, "You're still crying. Aren't you happy?"

She finally whispered back, breaking her silence through her cracked voice, "I'm... I'm very happy... b - but... we - we chose a life like this. We're only giving pain to everyone who loves us. We're giving pain to our children. Our family..." 

"Did you forget why we started this?" Anirudh asked her softly, into her ear. 

She pressed her nose against his neck, inhaling his scent and calming down slightly, "I.... I don't regret our choices. We've made a difference in so many people's lives. So many others have been illuminated with the rays of knowledge thanks to the path we chose. B - But... what about our family? What about our kids? What about this... this unborn child?"

Anirudh broke the embrace and looked directly in her eyes. 

"Am I being selfish Pati Babu?" she whispered, "That after all these years... I'm thinking about our family?" 

Anirudh took her hand and held it comfortingly. 

"Bondita, we can surrender. We can tell everyone that we won't do this anymore. We won't... mend society. We won't bring change. We won't be revolutionaries anymore." 

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. 

"No!" she gasped immediately. "Why would we do that? What will happen to all of the people we teach? Everyone who is working hard alongside us to make change? What'll happen to them?"

"They'll find a way themselves," Anirudh said to her firmly. 

"No!" Bondita refused, shaking her head vehemently. "They'll struggle so much! Society will go backwards. All the impact that we've made until now will be destroyed. Pati Babu, I cannot leave them alone!" 

"But our family? Our kids?" Anirudh asked her softly. 

Bondita looked at Anirudh with wide eyes. 

"Are you selfish Bondita?" he asked her, a small smile now on his lips. "Now you tell me."

Bondita sniffled, teardrops of realization sliding down her face. 

Anirudh made her realize... that perhaps her mind had faltered for a moment, but she would never be able to go against her heart. Against her purpose. 

She had chosen this path, because it was meant for her. Her heart and soul was beating for revolution. Just like him... she was also a revolutionary. 

Til this day, he was her Shikshak Babu. Teaching her the greatest of lessons. 

"B - But our kids... they're still suffering. They're so unlucky to have us as parents," Bondita sobbed. "We should have never had kids if we wanted to do this." 

"Maybe. Maybe that's true," Anirudh murmured to her. "But... will our kids not be impacted by our choices in a positive way too? Won't Ambika and Bhavani get to go to school freely, because we fought for women's rights?" 

Bondita nodded slowly in understanding.

"By creating a better future for the world, haven't we created a better future for our children as well?" he asked her softly. 

She nodded again. 

"Then Bondita, do you think that they won't feel the effects of our hard work?" he asked her. 

Bondita sniffled and she whispered, "But they w - won't realize Pati Babu. They were born as our k - kids. They're not part of a normal family." 

She continued, "Ambika until today, doesn't realize the privilege she has because we have sheltered her so much from the outside world. She goes to school with girls in Tulsipur, because we've made that impact in our hometown. She... she will see us as terrible parents... if - if something happens to us... she will say we chose the world over her... she will say we d - didn't care for her..." 

"She won't," Anirudh said to Bondita firmly as he gazed into her eyes. "Ambika might be immature right now, but she's young. She has time to understand things. But, she will realize Bondita. She will understand as she grows older, why her parents had to leave her... why they chose this life." 

Bondita nodded, and she whispered, "Sorry Pati Babu. I am just so emotional --" 

Anirudh brought his finger to her lips, gently pressing against them and murmuring, "Don't apologize for being emotional. I can only understand what you must have gone through, by holding your emotions in for all this time."

"I j- just wish... nothing happens to this baby Pati Babu. I know that Ambika, Girish and Bhavani will be safe. We moved away, so that they w - would be. But, this baby?" Bondita whispered. 

Anirudh looked at her with a small smile now, and brought his hand down to her bulging belly. 

"And here I thought you gained weight from stress," he murmured, shaking his head slowly. "Our baby will be fine Bondita." 

"Are... are you sure?" she asked, looking at him fearfully. 

"Until my last breath Bondita, I'll make sure to protect you two," he vowed to her. 

Bondita brought her finger to his lips this time. 

"I can't let anything happen to you either," she sobbed. "Pati Babu, if s - something happens to you, h - how will I --" 

Anirudh pulled her hand down from his mouth and whispered in a serious tone, "Even if something happens to me, you must live. You must breathe... at least for the sake of our child." 

He caressed her belly lovingly. "Our baby, Bondita. Our baby needs their mother more than they need their father." 

"Not true," she shook her head. 

"The baby can't survive without you," he told her firmly. "And I'll do everything it takes to keep you two safe." 

Bondita just threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. 

"N - nothing will happen. To the three of us. Nothing will happen," Bondita cried. 

Anirudh smiled and he said, "Nothing will happen. But... now we aren't alone here anymore." 

Bondita smiled through her tears now and she whispered, "Y - yes Pati Babu. We're going to be parents again." 

Anirudh broke the embrace and looked at her lovingly for a moment. "You've been this crazy for as long as I've known you. How could you hide such a thing from me?" he asked her, shaking his head. 

Bondita sniffled, and she whispered, "I learned how to be crazy from you." 

Anirudh chuckled and leaned close to her, gently rubbing his nose against hers. 

"I love you," he murmured. 

"I love you too," she whispered. "That's why I... h - hid this. Because I love you more than a - anything, and I c - couldn't see you suffer and worry for another l - life." 

Anirudh leaned towards her and kissed her lips softly. 

"I know that you love me," he whispered against her lips, "And you would go to any lengths for me. But now you won't keep things within anymore. You'll tell me everything. Understand?" 

Bondita nodded, letting out a choked sob against his mouth. 

Anirudh kissed her softly and whispered, "Don't take any stress. It's not good for you or the baby." 

She nodded again. 

Anirudh closed his eyes, tears rolling down his own cheeks now. He pressed his mouth harder against hers and kissed her deeply. Both of their tears mixed together as they kissed. 

He wouldn't let her take any stress... 

He was here to that stress. 

He would carry the burden on his shoulders now. 

Because the truth was that... he really was worried. He really was worried not only for Bondita now, but also for their unborn child. 

This was what she knew. And this was why she hid it. 

His heart was beating harder out of anxiety and fear, and Bondita kissed him even more deeply, because she could feel his unsaid words. She could feel that although he said he was happy, he was also terrified. 

She tried to distract him from his stress, by holding him closer, by loving him harder. 

And he pulled her closer and closer, because they only had each other. 

They only had each other's love... and each other's support...

Until the last days, this was their reality. 

--

I hope you enjoyed this part! 

Most of the next part is already written, so leave your comments and shower your votes on both parts of this spree, and I'll post it ASAP!

Thank you! ♥