One year later

"Pati babu! Pati Babu! What did you bring for me?" Squeaked Bondita.

"Ohh no! I forgot." Anirudh gasped mockingly as he pretended to forgot Bondita's gift.

"What? You forgot? Go! I won't talk to you." She blew her cheeks folding her forearms near her chest and made an angry expression.

"Sorry Bondita, next year . Shotti! "

"Next year! It is a whole year in between. No! Give it today. I know you are lying. You can't forget it ."

"Bondita! " Anirudh made an innocent face.

"Boudi, see! What baba has got me for poila baishakh!" Batuk shows her a mouth organ and rotates it infront of her eyes teasing her but backing away as she tries to hold it.
"What did Dada got you?"

Bondita looked at Anirudh , her bottom lip quivering terribly. Anirudh's eyes widened at the anticipation of full blown crying session of his little wife. "No, no ,no ! " He flailed his hands fanning her in futile attempts of stopping her from crying. "I've got, I've got . I brought it. Shotti. Don't cry. Don't cry."

But the dam of tears was already broken, and Bondita let out a loud sob.

"Heyyy! Please please please! Keep quiet. Or maa will come." When Bondita was in no mood to keep her wails silent , Anirudh pulled her in the balcony. "Bondita! Now don't cry na! I have brought the gift. Now why are you crying?"

"You are not lying, right?"

" No, i really have brought it . I was just teasing you."

"Then ,give."

"Wait here." Aniruddh rushed to his room and brought a wooden box with intricate designs , something in sanskrit was engraved on it.

Anirudh opened the box from both sides like a puzzle opening, Bondita peeked inside and saw a very beautiful wooden flute was kept in between various greenish blue peacock feathers.

Bondita put her hands on her mouth in surprise and looked at Anirudh. " This is for me?"

"Yes." Anirudh nodded happily.

"What is written on this box? Is it sanskrit?"

"Yes. It is written.

"

"Wow! It's such a beautiful thought." Bondita grazed her fingers on the wooden carvings. "But why did you gift me this? I don't even know how to play it."

"That's not a big deal. I'll teach you. Do you know playing flute promotes healthy breathing, core strength hand control and finger skill? "
Aniruddh made her sit on the swing and went behind her.
"Now, hold it like this in both hands and keep your fingers like this."Anirudh held Bondita's hands and placed them on the flute in desired position. Bondita's hands trembled and a shiver ran down her spine, as she felt Anirudh's chest touching her back, his arms around her making her skin tingle. Her fingers froze and burned at the same time, where Anirudh's cold fingers touched them.
What is it again?
Nowadays, its happening a lot, whenever Pati Babu comes near me.
Should I ask him?
What if he thinks I'm ill and takes me to doctor?
Injection? No no no!!
I'm fine . I'm fine.

"Bondita ! Focus! Now blow air in it." Bondita tried to control her senses and focused on the flute. She blew in the flute , but the sound was very shrill. Bondita winced.

"Bondita! Don't just force air in it. Place your lower lip on it so that it covers one third of the hole, and breath towards its edge. Open your mouth a little just enough to blow air or you will run out of air soon and start feeling dizzy. Like this." Anirudh , still standing behind her brought the flute to his lips, his chin touching her shoulder and blew air in it, releasing a mellow whispering music, robbing Bondita of the rest of senses.
A slight pricking of his newly arrived light stubble tickled her left cheek , giving her a delicious quiver.

"Bondita, where are you lost?"

"Huh!"

"Play it!"

"Y-yes." The sound was still very shrill like a whistle.

"Try again. It will improve with practice."

***
"Maa" Batuk whined.

"What happened batuk?"

"Dada gave Boudi a flute but didn't give me anything."

"Batuk, baba gave you a gift na. Only one gift in a day."

"Huh! Let my wife come. I will shower her with gifts but won't give a single gift to Dada and Boudi. "Batuk pouted.

Shubhra laughed. "Batuk, it has a lot of time."

"What? Why? Boudi was almost my age still she got married at 9. And I'm more than 12 still not--"

"Maa, why don't we marry batuk? We will get one more friend to play with? Haina Batuk?" Bondita intervened entering the kitchen.

Batuk nodded vehemently.
"Yes maa, get me married. Please . I'll take care of her like Dada does for Bondi."

"Batuk, don't you remember, Pandit Ji had said few years back that your marriage should be done after you turn 18 for your longlife and wellbeing. We have already bethroted you to Ganguly Babu's daughter Adrika."

"That Adrak(Ginger)? Noways! I will marry someone pretty like Boudi." Bondita blushed at his comment, Batuk rolled his eyes.

"Batuk, don't say like this. When you saw her, she was just 7 , when she will grow up, she will be beautiful for sure . And more than external beauty, we should look for internal beauty. A person's nature , their behaviour , their values. Isnt it?"

Batuk rolled his eyes and ran away.

***
Two new students Aditya and Vanessa had taken admission that year in Bondita and Batuk's class.

Batuk was already mesmerized by the fair color and pink cheeks of Vanessa, but couldn't gather enough courage to talk to her even after two weeks of sharing same classes. Vanessa talked to Bondita as she was the only girl beside her, but rarely looked at Batuk, who yearned for just a single glance.

One day, when the school was over, Bondita , Batuk and Aniruddh were about to leave the school on their bicycles.

"Pati Babu! Wait! Wait!"

"What happened?"

"I forgot my water bottle in the class."

"I'll bring it."

"No, I'll bring it. I remember where I forgot it."

"Ok. Come fast".

Bondita dashed to her class , only to find new boy Aditya engrossed in his notebook scribbling something , making exasperated faces".

Bondita being Bondita couldn't stop herself from peeking into his copy." You are doing it wrong. Minus and minus when multiplied become plus but plus and plus multiplied don't become minus.It remains plus. That's why you are not getting the equation correct." Bondita took pen from his hand and corrected the equation in his copy.

Aditya's eyes widened as he saw that sum got solved within seconds. " Wow, you are so intelligent ." Aditya finally looked at her, he hadn't noticed her this closely before," and beautiful too." He whispered.

Bondita's cheek got painted in blotches of red as she heard the word ' beautiful'.
Pati Babu never called me beautiful.
Aditya thinks I'm beautiful.
"Thaankoo." She said blushing.

Adita chuckled at her mispronunciation.

"What ?" Bondita asked confusingly.

Aditya shook his head in negation. " Nothing, you're cute." And laughed , showing his pearly white smile.

Bondita came out of the class talking to him , blushing profusely at his sweet talks, and bid him goodbye.
Nobody ever talked to me like this.

"Bondita! Bondita! Where are you going?" Anirudh interrupted Bondita as he saw her walking in the opposite direction of home.

"Huh?"

"Did you find your bottle? Why did you take so much time?"

"What bottle?"

"Your water bottle Bondita, for which you went to the class."

"Oh! That! Uh... I didn't find it. I think someone took it away."

"Let it be. We'll buy a new one."

"Hmm."Bondita hummed absentmindedly.

Anirudh touched her forehead and neck with the back of his hand. "Why are you so flushed? Your skin is warm too. Are you feeling feverish?"

"N-no I'm fine. Just ...just tired." His touch took her off guard.

"Maybe because of heat. Put this on your face, you won't feel sunlight on your face." Anirudh tied his handkerchief on her face. Bondita lifted her eyes and looked at Anirudh. He was about one and a half head taller than her.
Did he always look this good?

***
"NO! Don't throw them. Give me my bag back. My homework!!!" The girl cried as a group of boys tossed her notebooks and her bag to one another. She was trying to catch , but failed in front of the tall bullies.

"STOP! Give her bag back."

"What if we don't?" A boy asked smugly.

"Then you don't know what this zamindar can do. One call at your home, and your fathers will come crawling at my door step for forgiveness."

The boys stunned suddenly as they knew that the zamindar in front of them wasn't bluffing.
"If I saw you again troubling any student , consequences won't be good."
They tossed the bag in the girl's arms ,and left making sullen faces.

"Th-thank you". She gave a soft smile.

"Welcome miss. Don't worry . Now they won't trouble you."
Grinned Batuk.

*Clears throat* First crush of adolescence! ❤️❤️❤️
Like first feather in the hat of our love lives. Isn't it?
They make us smile, blush, cry ,and teach.

Ps: my first crush was in 6th class ☺️☺️.(nobody asked me. okay Sorry.!😂)

Pss: Thanku so much for your lovely comments and suggestions. Looking forward for more on this chapter.😘😘😘