The air was filled with an overdose of elitism, the ambience was royal. The large dance hall was where the crowd had gathered, men and women, hand in hand, as they swayed their bodies together in the rhythm of the retro jazz.
The bearers were probably the busiest person, charged with the responsibility of filling up every single empty glass.

Bondita looked around. The high ceiling was artistically decorative, with murals on top.
'This looks like some sort of church from the medieval', she thought, eyeing the walls adorned with Victorian paintings adjacent to the ceiling.

"May I excuse your man for a minute please?" A female voice in sharp British accent drew her attention back to reality.
Bondita looked infront and smiled.
A lady in mid twenties wearing a pretty blue gown stood infront of her with a glass of wine in hand. She was visibly inebriated and swayed with the music with her gleaming eyes fixated on Anirudh.

"Hey Laurna! What a pleasant surprise... How are you here?" Anirudh had caught her sight and was smiling brightly.
He hugged her lightly and turned towards Bondita.

"Darling, this is my friend Laurna. Her brother and I studied together in London." Anirudh looked visibly happy.

"Loo, this is the love of my life, my wife, Bondita."

Laurna winked and smiled at her.
"I guessed right then. Such a beauty she is!" She looked around to find a bearer as she gestured him to refill her glass.
"So, Boo.. dit.. taa! Did he tell you about our longgg afternoon stories?" Laurna's face curled up in a mischievous smile.

"Um... Well... He keeps on telling me a lot of stories actually... Don't know which one you are referring to!" Bondita smiled back.

"Loo... First, it's Bon-di-ta... Pretty easy to pronounce. And, are you referring to our afternoon fishing stories? At Davidson's estate?" Anirudh asked her politely.

"Pretty much!" Laurna winked.

"I know those stories actually. Paul told me himself." Bondita replied.

"You have met Paul? Paul Davidson?" Laurna widened her eyes in surprise as Bondita shrugged.

"Small world Ms Laurna... Or shall I call you Loo too!" Bondita smiled brightly.
"I know about your sister Daniella as well. Sad indeed."

Laurna's expression changed for a moment.
"Oh, I didn't know Paul is here in India too." She looked thoughtful.
"Anyway, Anirudh, I would like you to meet someone... You remember Raymond?" She raised her eyebrows at him. "Bondita, would you please excuse us..."

Laurna tugged at Anirudh's arms and almost drunk dragged him outside the dance hall towards the pool area. Anirudh held his wife's hand and hushed softly before leaving.
"Shona, just give me sometime. I'll be right back."
It was clear that Anirudh had some grave intension in mind and under no circumstances he wished to displease anyone, specially any British tonight.
Bondita nodded her head gently letting him go.

Loo disappeared amidst the crowd taking a sharp bend towards the lobby. Bondita saw Anirudh disappearing with her too.

The party suddenly felt meaningless and shallow. All the glamour and gaiety seemed to be fading away into oblivion.
Bondita stood near the bar counter quietly, lost in her thoughts.

"What is a pretty lady such as yourself doing alone?" A husky male voice startled her from behind.

Bondita turned around.
A man was smiling gently at her. He was probably in his thirties, Bondita tried to gauge as her eyes fell on the scar on one side of his forehead.

"This?" The man chuckled playfully and touched the scar.
"This is my battle scar, born and brought up in England and with an English mother, I was serving in the British battalion." The man kept the wine glass on the counter and held his hand out.

"Hello, I'm Sailendra Richard Pal... And I seek the pleasure of dancing with you ma'am." The man bowed down a little and asked for her hand.

"Good evening Sailendra. Richard. Pal. Thank you for asking. But I don't really dance... Sorry." Bondita waved her hands expressing her denial courteously.

"Oh come on, pretty lady, just one dance." The man insisted.

Bondita looked out towards the door leading to the lobby, and caught a glimpse of Anirudh. He was laughing heartily as a middle aged woman had hugged him like they had known each other for a long time.

Sailendra snapped his fingers infront of her.
"Hey... Don't think so much... Just one dance." He tried to hold her hand as someone called her from behind.

"Bondita, come on, let's go dance."
Bondita smiled naughtily recognising the voice.
She turned around and rolled her eyes mischievously at Batuk as he gave a stern look at the man standing infront.

"Sorry... She is dancing with me actually." Batuk looked straight into the man's eyes.

"But, she said she can't dance." Sailendra replied promptly as Batuk let out a laughter.

"Oh don't you worry about that Sir, we've been dancing together since we were 9." He took Bondita's hand and skillfully brought her to the dance floor.

"What was that?" Bondita giggled as she placed her arms on Batuk's shoulders. Batuk held her gently as they swayed skillfully with the music.

"That's called rescue mission." Batuk smiled back.

"Did your Dada send you?" Bondita asked.

"Not really. You are my responsibility too Boudi. You are family."
He swirled her around twice and held her waist once again to move together with the music.

"Where did you learn to dance like this Mr. Batakrishna?" Bondita pressed a naughty smile in her lips.

"From Dada... He is an amazing dancer himself." Batuk held Bondita's hands and flipped her skillfully with the music.

Bondita smiled and looked over Batuk's shoulder, as her eyes fell on Raimoti standing with a group of girls with her gaze fixated on them.

"By the way Batuk, tell me something, what were you laughing about with Raimoti earlier?" Bondita rolled her eyes at him.

"Who?" Batuk asked casually as they swayed with the beats.

"Really now? Raimoti, Neelmoni Mukherjee's daughter."

"Oh, her. Yeah so she saw the white skinned Britisher polishing my shoes and asked me how much did I pay to make him do that."

"Oh." Bondita pouted.
"She is pretty, isn't she."

"May be." Batuk shrugged.

"Come on Batuk, you know it's high time you find a responsibility for yourself." She pinched his arm lightly giggling vibrantly as a free flowing waterfall.

"Not every woman is as understanding as you, boudi. It's your fault that you don't have a twin sister." Batuk joked.

The music continued and so did the light banter between the two.

"Excuse me, may I have a dance with him."
Bondita stopped and smiled as Rai came to the dance floor and stood beside them.

"Sure... Please." Bondita flashed a bright smile on her face as she let go of Batuk's arms and guided Rai to take her place.

Batuk rolled his eyes at Bondita as she mouthed an encouragement to him and left.

Batuk sighed as Rai held his shoulders gently and looked into his eyes.

'The girl is indeed beautiful', Batuk thought. The music continued and so did their gentle swaying.

"Hi." Rai broke the silence.

"Hi." Batuk replied.

"You seemed to be a good dancer... I couldn't control the temptation of such a dance partner." Rai smiled mischievously making Batuk blush a bit.

"Learnt it from my brother." He hushed.

"And he taught you to blush this sweetly as well?" Rai hushed back. "Your cheeks have literally turned red."

Batuk bit his lips in embarassment.
"It's a bit hot in here... Suffocating actually." He murmured awkwardly.

"Is it? Oh! Then I know exactly the place where you'd like it." Rai broke from the dance and tugged at Batuk's arms leading him out of the dance floor.

"Where are you taking me?"
Batuk asked.

"Under the fountain of cool breeze covered with a sheet of sparkling stars."
Rai smiled.
"I'm taking you to the terrace."

The evening rolled in it's usual glamour, busy guests chattered away their mundane existence, no one noticed the two young couple leaving the dance floor, barring three pair of happy eyes.

Bondita smiled as she saw them leave.
Anirudh had returned back to her, and along with him was Neelmoni Mukherjee. They too saw the duo excusing themselves to seclusion.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Neelmoni Mukherjee raised an eyebrow at Anirudh with a meaningful smile.

"Well, if they like each other... Then..."
Anirudh smiled back.
"But, it's a little too early for Batuk to marry I guess..."

"Not for my daughter though... She is of the age I'd say. And a progressive family like yours would be good for her." Mukherjee Saheb patted Anirudh's shoulder.

"What do you think, Bondita?" Anirudh asked his wife.

"I'd say, excellent idea... Let's get them engaged. Marriage can follow later." She smiled brightly as her happiness reflected in the eyes of the two man standing with her.

"Settled then. But, let's hear it from them first." Neelmoni Mukherjee raised a toast towards Anirudh and Bondita and the couple too, raised their glasses to him.

"Do you think I should drink?" Bondita hushed.

"I don't see why not, if you are comfortable." Anirudh hushed back as his eyes locked his gaze on his enchantress.

"What if I..."

"Don't worry... I'm there with you... And I don't mind a little inebriated version of you tonight." Anirudh winked naughtily at her, sliding his free hand around her bare waist.

"Why? What do you have in mind?" Bondita asked taking a sip from the glass.

"I'll tell you once you finish the glass." Anirudh looked around subtly before bending down a bit towards her, planting a soft kiss on her right ear.

Bondita gasped, gulping the liquid in one go.
"Tell me."

"I'd like to tie you up tonight, and worship you!" Anirudh lowered.

"How?" Bondita blushed as her eyes met his.

"You know, the way you have never been worshipped before." He bit his lips as his heart too started to feel the heat of the moment.
"Shall we go home, Bondita?"
Anirudh squeezed her waist seductively sheathing her from the prying eyes around.

"Don't... People are looking."

"Let them... " Anirudh held her hand and gently pulled her towards the dance floor.

"You know why they are looking?" Anirudh smiled.

"Why?"

"Because, I've the most beautiful woman in my arms tonight... And every freaking soul is jealous."

Bondita blushed at his words as her hands found his shoulders, wrapping him in an intimate embrace.
The music continued, and the duo swayed with it, but, it was different this time. The jazz was fuming the undeniable passion brewing inside the duo, leading them to a seductive foreplay in the form of skillful swirling movements, and dance was definitely the last thing on their mind!