"Bondita! bondita! bondita!" Bondita opened her eyes at the voice, groggily trying to make out the features of the person looking at her. As if woken up from a bad dream, her tensed face morphed into a relieved one when she saw her pati babu looking at her. She lifted her hand lazily to see if he was real or was it still the horrible nightmare she had just gone through. She caressed his cheek with her small fragile fingers and gave a ghost of a smile when she realised he was solid, and very very real. She tried to get up, but her body felt limp, as if has lost all the motor connections with the brain. But her eagerness to be close with him was so obvious, that Anirudh pulled her in his arms, clutching her tightly and gently, no matter how paradoxical it sounds. His one hand on her hair caressing them whispering soft shushings in her ear, as he could hear her whimpers , and his other hand on the small of her back preventing her from collapsing again by the way she was trembling. Bondita clutched his shirt in a tight grip. She felt as if she had fallen from a cliff and landed straight into his saviour's arms. How, when, what, these questions were as superfluous as was their surroundings to them. They had found their solace, their breath, their heartbeat back. They have got each other back.

Anirudh pulled her back to see her face, and his heart wrenched at the sight of her face which has lost all colours, as pale as ghost, nose bright pink, tear trails, mixed in the smudged kohl as if telltale signs of what she has gone through in past few minutes which felt like eons, eyes swelled and as crimson as....as....
As the blood dripping from her left cheek from an almost discontinuous patterned bruise in the shape of a circle. A full bite mark, ten teeth marks in two rows with a purplish hue, and scarlet trail trickling from its circumference like a tangent.
Her smudged bindi and sindoor, disheveled hair bracketing her face, and chapped quivering lips were not doing anything to ease his pain rather aggravating it. Bondita tried to seem brave as she saw his crestfallen expression, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, rather was too small to even lift her lip corners. But she was content that he was with her. Their eyes conveyed what they felt in that moment and finally when the adrenaline rush drained, bondita felt veil of darkness engulfing her, his arms too comfortable, too safe to stay awake, Even the noises of gunshots and shouting and crying in the background felt too faint to be heard.

"BONDITA! Bondita!" Anirudh patted her cheeks , his wet eyes widening in horror. His throat felt parched and voice hoarse with all the shouting and screaming.

" Rudh! Rudh ! Anirudh!" He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Saudamini. "Let's take her from here. Here ,police will take care."

Saudamini had driven the car straight to police chowki and found Trilochan and Binoy there. She told the whole story and the police followed her to the old dilapidated house. A police officer had broken down the already weary door and they rushed inside , only to found a british man holding Bondita tightly in his evil grasp and his face lowered over her face, followed by her death curdling scream that shook their insides. The officer shot the gun in air to claim their presence , shocking everyone. The british man lost the hold of Bondita, and she had collapsed on the floor in a heap.

Saudamini tried to console Anirudh continuously by saying that everything will be okay , but her words fell on deaf ears as Anirudh , seated at the backseat , was just murmuring sweet nothings in Bondita's ears, her head lying on his lap clutched by his arms close to his chest. His fingers were combing her disheveled hair tenderly as to soothe her, taking care not to touch her left cheek which now had dry blood chips on it.

The drive to home was a torturous one. As soon as the motorcar stopped in front of the haveli , he gathered Bondita gently in his arms like a porcelain doll and paced briskly in the haweli.

Shubhra was relieved to see Anirudh and Bondita. Binoy had called from the police chowki that they had got their children's whereabouts , but the condition in which her children were, squashed her heart. She rushed to them and kissed Bondita's temple , her tears mixing in Bondita's hair. Anirudh, oblivious of his surroundings took her straight to her room , and laid her down on the bed , her head still in his lap. Shubhra had already called a lady doctor beforehand in case needed, and took her to Bondita's room.

" Anirudh, leave her . Let the doctor see. She doesn't look fine at all. Let her be checked." Said Shubhra , her voice choking with emotion.

" No, no ,no . I can't leave her. She will get scared. She needs me." Said Anirudh as if in a trance.

" Aniruddh, don't be mad. Right now she needs medication. Let the doctor see. You will have to go out. Don't you want to her to get well?"

This caught his attention and he looked at Shubhra. She nodded her head. Anirudh once more caressed her forehead removing some hairs and putting them behind her ear , gently put her head on the pillow and reluctantly left the room in small backward steps his eyes not yet ready to leave her.

He paced to and fro outside her room till the doctor was inside. When the doctor came out, he rushed to her.

" Doctor aunty! My bondita is fine. Right? Nothing will happen to her. Tell me na how is she? "

" Relax, young boy. The patient is fine . She is just dehydrated and weak. Proper nutrition and rest is all she needs right now. Try to give lots of liquid diet and fluids to beat dehydration. Make sure she has soft food and that too from right side. Her left cheek is injured but luckily the muscle has not been breached. So just salve will work. Apply it thrice a day on the wound. Just take care it doesn't get infected. If she runs high fever, pus in the wound or unbearable pain , contact me immediately. But the most important thing is to watch her behaviour, make sure she soon comes out of the mental trauma and doesn't slip into depression".

"When will she wake up?"

"A few hours."

"Thank you doctor."said Shubhra . The doctor nodded and left.

Anirudh ran into the room and sat beside Bondita ,his eyes moistened and his face laced with worry , agony and a ton of guilt kept on his heart like a big boulder, guilt of not saving her, of taking her to that dangerous spot in first place. It was all his fault. All his... All his...

"Anirudh, beta, did you also get hurt somewhere?" Asked shubhra worriedly.

"No, maa. I'm fine. But Bondita..." Said Anirudh grievously.

"She will be fine shona. You go and freshen up".

"No, I won't leave her for a moment."

"Anirudh, i will have to clean her and change her clothes also. You also go and then you can come. Maybe till then she wakes up. If she sees you like this, she will feel bad right."

Aniruddh nodded and left the room reluctantly.

Anirudh was in his room when he heard a knock."come in."

"Rudh."

" Mini, what happened? Is Bondita fine? Did she wake up? " Anirudh was about to dash out of his room when Saudamini held his wrist.

Anirudh looked at her confusingly. "What?"

"I am sorry , Anirudh. I shouldn't have left Bondita. I feel so bad. But at that time, I was so desperate to escape that place, that I didn't think of the consequences you both would face. I had thought you would just come soon. I even waited for a few minutes in the motorcar but I got worried that I might lose the chance to escape. I now understand what she is to you, and what you are to her. I am very ,very sorry." Tears fell from Saudamini's eyes.

Anirudh breathed deeply and wiped jer tears gently. " It's okay , Mini. You are not at fault. Your decision was correct. In fact, if you wouldn't have brought police , I don't know what those filthy men would have done to my Bondita." He spoke with gritted teeth." I should say thanks to you for saving us."

"No, Rudh. Thanks to you. You both saved my life, not caring for yours. I should thank to Bondita also."

"Mini, uh...I..I.."

"What is it? You know you can share anything right."

"Yeah....uhm....."Anirudh rubbed his nape of neck and hesitated." The thing about our marriage. I'm sorry for breaking your hopes. I really wanted to go to London, but just to study. I can never ever think of settling their leaving my family here. Leaving my country is not even in my far dreams. I just got distracted initially and said yes to your baba's proposal. Sorry for turning my back towards you at the last minute".

"It's fine. Really. You anyways wouldn't have been happy there . Your life is here, and now your heart is also here."

"What? I don't understand". He asked confusingly.

Saudamini gave a soft smile. "The way you say my Bondita , the sparkle in your eyes when you are with her , the way you care for her, her smallest scratch is like a slash on you , your heart is really here."

Anirudh looked away uncomfortably , feeling awkward discussing these things. Anirudh was a mature and responsible boy and even the brightest student in school but when it came to interpersonal skills , he couldn't be called a skilled person. His reserved nature had always spiked Saudamini's interest in her mysterious childhood friend. But it was Bondita who was unleashing his emotional side to the world , making him vulnerable to the matters of heart, which he still had to have grip over.

" Mini, uhmm ....one request. Don't say such things in front of Bondita like love and second marriage and all . She is naughty but she has a sharp mind. She very easily catches unfamiliar words . She will keep on asking questions in such matters, which I have no answers for."

"So, you won't marry me?"

"What? Marriage? Second marriage? Ahem... first of all this is not my place to think, kaka decides on these matters." He tried to ward off the question.

"If the matter was in your hands, what would you have decided, Rudh?"

"I would have said no." Anirudh was sure about his answer.

Saudamini's expression fell." Is it because of Bondita? Because how she will react? "

"Yes, it's about her but not because how will she react, but because how will she be affected. Though she is very kind at heart, but there are some things that she doesn't like to share like her doll champa, her favourite roshogulla". Anirudh chuckled. "She doesn't let anyone sit on her bicycle. She is so peculiar about her notebooks. I once wrote something with pen on it. And she gave me a long lecture on how using pen spoils the books, how it can be reused if only pencil is used in it. And somewhere I feel in my heart that I am one of those possessions of hers. Sharing me won't go well with her. And hurting her will never make me happy, never let me live in peace. So my answer is no. All i can give you this time and every time this question arises is my apology. I'm sorry."

Saudamini just smiled at him, too overwhelmed to say anything and left.

As soon as Saudamini left, Batuk entered the room huffing, "Dada, come fast. Boudi is crying very much and she is asking for you."

Anirudh didn't need another calling. He rushed to her room.

"Pati babu!" Bondita wailed.

Hey fellas! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I would like to know which part touched your heart.

Anidita's first hug?

Mini-rudh's conversation?

Many of you asked to change mini's character, to make her positive. I tried to keep it realistic. Teenage impulsiveness , her feelings , her understanding. So she was kind of grey as we all are.
What do you think?

Waiting earnestly for your opinions . Thanku 😘