"Boudi! Boudi ! Bo-"
Shetukala's running feet came to a halt when she saw batakrishna on the terrace, doing push-ups, that too shirtless. His wheatish skin glistened with sweat droplets. His muscles flexed and extended in a rhythmic fashion , sending her own heart in arrhythmia. His hair slick with sweat were matted on his forehead. He was so lost in counting that he didn't notice her. The jingling of her payal broke his concentration when she moved towards him in a frenzy. As soon as he looked towards her, she turned red. Ready to run, she turned away.

"Shetu! Wait!"

"Ji." Said shetu still not facing him.

"Will you do me a favour?"

"Ji." She nodded timidly.

"Sit on me."

"Ji???" She turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"No! Sorry. That came out wrong. I mean sit on my back , while I do push up. I need to increase my endurance."

"I...how can I?" She shifted uncomfortably on her feet.

"Why not? Come , hurry up or I'll lose the heat. " He tried to sound non-chalant.

Shetukala contemplated a bit , before moving towards him. She sat on his back with her legs still touching the ground.

" Sit cross legged . Your half of the weight is on ground, thus defeating the purpose."

Shetukala lifted her legs and shifted on his back to sit cross legged. "Am ...am I too heavy?"

"Not at all. Ready?" Batakrishna smiled.

"Hm."

As soon as batakrishna lifted himself, Shetukala lost her balance and her palms landed on his shoulders. " I .. I'm..s-sorry." She stammered.

"Hold onto me."

"Y-yes."

Batakrishna started his exercise, or rather his torture on shetukala , who was feeling as if she has sat on a ferry wheel, pulling and pushing air out of her lungs. Her nails dig in his shoulders, heart galloping like a winning horse in a horse race. Her breaths became labored , even though she was not the one exercising.

Batakrishna controlled himself from groaning when her palms squeezed his shoulders and the tender touch of her toes was nowhere helping him in the situation. What have you got yourself into Batakrishna Roy Chowdhury? Planning your own funeral!

Finally after third set, he lowered himself stomach flat on the floor.
"Shetu! Move!"

No response.

"Shetu!"

No response.

"Shetukala!" He said a bit louder breaking her dwam.

Shetukala opened her eyes. "Huh!"

"I said I'm done for today. Move or you plan on sitting on my back for whole morning taking sunbath?" His voice had a teasing tone.

"Ohh..." Rose petals fell on her cheeks reddening them. She moved herself so fast as if his skin burned her, well it did figuratively; and ran downstairs lifting her saree up a bit.

Batakrishna shook his head in amusement, a soft smile tugging his lip corners.

***

"Shetukala, try to remember. How many were there?" Said Aniruddh calmly , but holding the last remanants of patience in him.

"I'm trying...Dada. They were.. three. Yes ..three.."

"Last time you had said four. If you keep on changing your statement like this, opponent lawyer will see it as a flaw. Minutes of cross examination and all your statement and testimony will crumble down in a heap."

"Sorry, dada ." Shetukala started weeping. Bondita started rubbing her back to console her.

"Shetukala ....please don't cry. I don't want to hurt you by making you go through all of that again. But for justice, you will have to remember thoroughly. We haven't even made a complete statement sheet yet in last two weeks and your hearing is next month. We don't have much time. We have to accumulate evidences also." Said Aniruddh gently.

"Dada..... What do I do? I can't remember anything clearly." Shetukala cried.

"We can get you medical help. By some psychologist or some psychiatrist."

"Means?"

"Means who can help you come out of this trauma. Who can channelize your emotions and feelings in a positive direction. Help you in controlling your thought process."

"You think I'm mad?" Her voice broke.

"What? Of course not! Shetukala! Just like our body sometimes suffer from ailments, be it a minor cold or a severe chest pain, they need a doctor to treat them physically. Similarly when our mind is ill, we need a psychiatrist. There is nothing to feel shame. You need not worry what others will think. Everything will remain confidential."

"Hmmm."

"We will continue tomorrow. I want you to think about it. We will arrange a psychiatrist soon. If this helps, things will become much smoother." He nodded at Bondita to convey her to help shetukala. Bondita nodded back.

Shetukala came out of the study , where she and Anirudhh used to discuss the case details. At the same time, Batakrishna came in front of her with some files in his hand. Her teary eyes met with his for a fraction of a second before she looked away , dabbing them with her pallu. Before Batakrishna could open his mouth to speak something, she walked away.

Batakrishna was in big dilemma , whether he should ask shetukala what was bothering her , or he should just let her be, thus respecting her privacy.
Her tears were his pearls too precious to be wasted.
After pondering over for a few hours, his feet made way towards her room. He knocked once, twice and then thrice but to no avail. Was she not in her room? He peeked into the room. Empty. He turned away to leave but a euphonious humming caught his attention. He walked towards the back door of the room connecting it to verandah. She was sitting on a mat, in an orange saree. Her voluminous , shiny black hair were touching the ground. Oblivious to her surroundings , she was coloring her hands with aalta. Her scarlet painted feet laid on a paata (a small wooden stool used to sit while bathing). Her saree was a few inches lifted upwards so as not to smear it, thus revealing her unblemished creamy legs. When he came near her, before he could ask something , she said, " I was waiting for so long for you. Why did you take so much time? "

Batuk gulped.
Waiting ? For Me? What for?
His eyes were too stubborn to look away.
Don't look, don't look there. Do you want to be tagged as a creep or what? Even if she would have told you before, she won't after this.

"You had promised that you will do a hair massage for me, like my maa used to do."

Promise? When did I?

"In return , I'll give you a good body massage. I had learnt from our daai maa, who used to stay near our home. I know how much you get tired when you come from college. I saw you yesterday, so weary."

That's true , College is quite tiring nowadays. But massage? From her?
Batakrishna felt her throat turning parched and ears turning red.
What should he do?
Well the offer was too tempting to deny. Served in a silver platter only for him.

He took the wooden stool from behind and sit behind her.

Now what? Just gather her hair and start massaging? With oil or without oil?
As if on cue, his eyes landed on a bowl of oil kept beside. He dipped his fingers in it and touched the mid hairline of her scalp , gently , very gently , just like he used to check sensory stimulation on his patients with the stroke of brush.

"Put more pressure."

Batakrishna complied and pressed her scalp with the tips of his fingers.

"Uhmmmmmm !!! Boudi! Your hands have magic. You remind me of my maa." She moaned as she felt deep nudges on her scalp.

Batakrishna's hands froze ,more due to her moaning sound creating havoc in his heart than due to the fact that all this was supposed to be done by her boudi.

Now what? Continue massaging as if he has heard nothing. Or run away thus embarasing both of them. Or just tell her that it was him all along , and get drowned in shame.

"Boudi, why did you sto-" Shetukala held his wrists smearing them in red, to resume the massage but her eyes widened when she realised the hands massaging her were not of Bondita, rather can't be of any woman. But very manly. Manly!
Her head turned so fast in a whiplash, Batakrishna thought she would snap her neck. Their eyes locked , her wide in realisation , his confused in dilemma.

Now what? Jerk her hands? Let her hands stay on his ? Was massaging still acceptable?
He cleared his throat. Shetu came out of daze and tried to scramble up to stand. But Batakrishna held her shoulders.
"It's okay. You....you... don't need to run. I can do this."

"D-d-daactar babu! I ....I thought you are ...boudi."

" Do I look like boudi? " Batuk smirked.

"No... I ..i mean I thought it was Boudi who came into the verandah. I just heard the footsteps and assumed you to be her." Shetukala closed her eyes realising what all she had said.
Body massage? Really? Dharti maa! Engulf me just like you did to ma sita. Now this shetukala can't live in this world with so much emabrassment.

"It's okay. You also helped me in the morning. Now is the time to payback only if you don't mind. Remember what I told yesterday. No debts! " Batakrishna smiled.

Shetukala nodded slightly and sat tongue tied. She covered her now dried legs quickly with her saree and brought her knees to her chest.

Batakrishna now started the hair massage with his expert fingers. Shetukala held the saree on her knees in a tight grip. When his fingers touched her neck and back in order to gather her voluminous hair, she bit her inner cheek to stifle her moans at the feel of his slender fingers.

Batakrishna was amazed at the feel of her hair in his hands. They were so soft, silky like a freshly knitted silk yard. He remembered her drying her hair on the terrace a few days back. When she shook her head , water droplets dispersed in air as if dark clouds were freeing rain from their captivity. Wet entangled locks fell on her face , hindering his view of her etheral beauty.

His long fingers submerged themselves into the black tresses trying to sort the tangles , but themselves getting entangled in them.

"Dactar babu! Use the comb." Shetukala said softly.

"Y-yes. " Batakrishna start combing her hair. " Shall i make braid?" He asked hesitantly.

"You know how to?" Shetukala sounded cheerful.

"I do."

"How?"

"There was no woman in our house. So I and dada used to make Boudi's braids when she went to school. It took a lot of effort. I was the one who taught dada to make her braid. Otherwise he used to make them uneven." Batakrishna said proudly.

Shetukala laughed. "And from where did you learn?"

"Uhm....a girl in my neighborhood taught me." Batuk murmured but shetukala heard it.

"Did you made her hair also like this? " There was a bit disappointment in her voice.

"Huh! Noooo. We... Umm.. don't tell this to anyone okay. We used to practice on dolls." Batuk said sheepishly.

Shetukala laughed out loud. Batakrishna has never heard such mellifluous laughter before, like jingling bells, pouring honey in ears. Her shoulders were shaking. He has never enjoyed being laughed at so much.

Batuk meticulously quilled her hair in two braids with great precision as if tying surgical knots. Her tresses snaked around his fingers capturing them.
If the way to arms of freedom is so mundane, I would love to be caged in these black locks forever.

"Done! Do you want to see in the mirror?"

"NO!" Shetukala shrieked." Not the mirror. Not the mirror."

Batakrishna looked at her quizzically.

"I...i mean you tell me how do I look?" Shetu stood up to face him.

"Very beautiful. Like a school going girl who has bound all the wisdom and dreams in her braids. When they will open , only happiness and success will descend like a waterfall."
Batakrishna said in a dreamy way.

"Someone is becoming a poet nowadays. Is it Rai's effect?" Said Bondita coming in verandah with an oil bowl in her hand.

"Rai?" Asked batakrishna.

"Rai! Raimoti Mukherjee! She is the one good at poetry. Isn't it?"

Batakrishna looked at Shetukala, who was looking at him in confusion.

"No, boudi. It's nothing like that."

"That I will decide. Since, you have done the work of my share, I think I've no use here anymore." Bondita amused eyeing them both teasingly.

Batakrishna and shetukala looked away in embarassment.

"Bondita! Bondita! Where is my blue file?" Anirudh called.

"Ohho! This Barrister babu. Never keeps his things in place. I don't know what will he do without me." Bondita smacked her forehead lightly and left.

Shetukala was about to go but Batakrishna held her wrist in his oily hand.

"What?" Shetukala asked while looking down.

"Is the body massage offer still on table?" He asked teasingly. " I'm in, if it is. You know college is a bit hard nowadays." He winked.

Shetukala closed her eyes turning all crimson and snatched her wrist from his hand and ran away.

Batakrishna looked at his own wrists , again this girl has left her scarlet stains on him.

Listen to the song above to feel the chemistry between Shetukala and Batakrishna.

*********

Thanku everyone for such a wonderful response to the first chapter. I am crying happy tears to receive so much love from you all. ❤️❤️❤️ A big thank you for voting, commenting and also for following me. 🥺🥺

Please leave your honest opinions on it.

.