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The familiar two honks, the soft metallic click of the main iron gate, and the graduating gentle boot steps... Bondita knew it was her husband!

"Bondita..." Anirudh called her, out of habit, as he sat down on the couch in the hall room to untie the shoe laces. He had stooped down, his hands on the laces as another pair of creamy white hands joined him in the task.
"Shona... You don't have to..."
Anirudh looked up hastily.

"I have to... Not because I'm your wife... But because I want to." A beautiful smile played on Bondita's lips.

"You... You look extraordinary!"
Not only metaphorically, a glimpse of her glowing face had made Anirudh's jaws drop, literally, making him gape at her in awe.
"It's a crime to look this beautiful!" He gasped again.

Bondita didn't reply. Instead she pulled the shoes out of his feet and stood up in a playful swirling movement.

"Would you have dinner?" She asked gently.

"I'm starving...!"

"Great. Wash up and I'll lay the table." She turned to look at him in the eyes as he noticed a subtle playful smirk in her deep beckoning crystal orbs.

In no time, Anirudh had seated himself on the dinning table, his eyes fixated on her face, as water dripped from his freshly washed face, his hair had also gotten wet as the longer strands infront were struck on his forehead, making his face appear irresistibly innocent.

"Won't you change?" Bondita asked gently, serving him yellow pulao on a brass plate as her eyes too, stole glances of his dewy face.

"I'm starving...!" Anirudh's voice was hoarser this time as he repeated the words.

Bondita had been careful in preparing dinner for him that night. She served him with cauliflower roasted yoghurt, and his favourite mustard fish. And as her hand moved closer to serve him with the kheer, he grabbed her wrist and seized her movements.

"What?" Bondita shivered under his touch, his gaze piercing deep into her soul.

"I won't have desserts here..." His voice was throaty as he slowly bend down to kiss her empty wrist.
"You have beautiful hands Bondita." He murmured. "Just like the kheer."

Bondita's face had flushed at his words. She quickly withdrew her hands from his and sat down beside him instead.

"Tell me about work." She smiled brightly at him.

Anirudh had taken his first grub as her words changed the sensuous expression on his face for a moment. He sat upright and looked at her thoughtfully.
"Tomorrow is a big day Bondita... The first hearing of the case."

"It would be your fifty sixth win." Sparks played in her eyes.
"I can't wait to read all about it in the newspaper, Barrister Babu."

Anirudh's face became serious.
"This is more than a case Bondita... I'll have to win this."

"I know you will."

Anirudh sighed at her confident words.
"Whatever I did... The renewed petition, all these didn't go well with Neelmoni Mukherjee." He paused to chew the food once again.
"A lot of unpleasant history got unearthed. Neelmoni won't sit quietly, I know that for sure."

Bondita touched her husband's shoulder lovingly.
"Don't worry. The path of truth has many obstacles. We'll cross it together."

Anirudh smiled at her words, looking into her eyes gave him a rejuvenated courage, renewing his faith in the positivity of their relationship.

"What would i do without you!" He remarked, getting up from the table as Bondita pulled the plates to clear them.

"Don't Shona... I'll do it. This is not Tulsipur... Here, you don't have to..."

"I don't have to... But, I want to..."
Bondita smiled again, without letting him complete his sentence as she picked up the dishes and disappeared inside the kitchen.

Anirudh inhaled sharply, a scent of self content and happiness overwhelming his heart.
He washed his hands and slowly climbed up the stairs, towards their bedroom, but before entering, he smiled to himself and turned towards another room to his left.
The door was open, the electric light was dimmed, and in that scanty light he saw two sleeping figures, happily lost in their own world of dreams. His baby girl was sleeping in the cot, and beside her, on the bed lay his baby brother. This was probably few of those nights when his brother was home, sleeping peacefully, yet protective about his little niece.
Anirudh's heart was filled to the brim with contentment.
What more can a man wish for!
Two of his babies were sleeping blissfully infront, as his smile changed into a broad grin feeling the soft smooth arms of his third baby around his waist from behind.
He turned around swiftly and tied Bondita into a tight hug.

"My baby!" He kissed her nose.

"You mean baby's mother?" Bondita pouted.

"That too... But you'll always be my baby, my little Bondita."

His words had an heartwarming factor, a sense of gratitude, a fulfillment, and it touched Bondita making her feel the warmth that he radiated.

"They indeed look peaceful." Bondita eyed her daughter and brother-in-law sleeping inside, as she wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his chest.

"They do." He sighed.

"And, now I want you to rest as well... Peacefully... with your head on my lap."

Anirudh smirked at her words as in the following moment, he moved away from her embrace and stooped down a little, scooping her up from the floor in his arms.

"Barrister Babu... What are you doing?" Bondita hushed in excitement.

"Shh... As I said, we have a big day tomorrow, and I don't want to waste the night by sleeping."
He walked towards their dressing room adjacent to the bedroom with her cradled in his arms.

"You would need energy for tomorrow."
Her voice was almost a whisper as he placed her feet gently on the floor infront of the full size mirror.

"I'll... And that's what I intend to get from you tonight... My much needed energy!"

His words had reddened her ears instantly, as the crimson hue slowly started to spread all across her face.

Anirudh came closer and leaned a little forward, inhaling her scent sharply.
"Uff... This scent of yours will be the death of me." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I first got it on your graduation day, on the stage, when I had held you in my arms."

"I had slipped." Bondita pressed her lips bashfully.

"Hm... And, amidst all those people... This scent made me almost lose it... I had this strong... strong urge to hold you tight and kiss you... right there, right on the stage."

Bondita lowered her gaze and covered her face in her hands in shame.
"Isshh...!"

Anirudh smiled.
"Though... I did kiss you that night, if you remember."
He walked towards the chest of drawers and opened the leather briefcase that he had kept on top of it.

"I remember. It had rained that night."
Bondita murmured softly.

"Yes. And, that was the first of our many... many kisses... "
He took out a large envelope and walked back towards her.

"What's this?" Bondita inched a little closer, her eyes fixated on the pretty red enveloped adorned with a large glittering cut-out of a heart.

"It's for you." He handed it to her.
"Keep it safe, will you?"

Bondita nodded her head.
"It's sealed."

"Yes." He smiled.
"Don't open it now, not until I tell you to... Just keep it safe."

"I will." Bondita turned the envelope over to read the handwritten words written on it.
"The tales of my love for you...  What is it Barrister Babu."

Anirudh cupped her face lovingly.
"It's the tale of my love for you... Exactly as it says." He paused to look deep in her eyes.
"If anything ever happens to me..."
Bondita shivered at his words and covered his mouth with her palm at once.

"No, Shona... I want you to listen."
His kissed her palm instead and spoke again.
"I want you to open it if you ever think it to be the right time."

"What do you mean?"
Her lips were quivering in an unknown fear.

"You would know... If such a time comes."
He kissed her hands again.
"But, as of now, tonight, I want to love you Bondita... Love you like never before." He looked at her aesthetic face and caressed her cheeks gently with his knuckles.
"All these past nights, lying in my office cabin, I've only dreamt about this moment... "
He traced his fingers along her jawline, moving down to her chin and then up to her puffy lips.
"You look extraordinary tonight... Like a dream!"

"Different?"
She asked.

"A bit... Yes."

"May be because I'm not wearing Sindoor." She turned around to face the mirror.

"May be... But, I like this different you... Reminded me of the night when I had first touched you, in Dehradun."

"I remember." She hushed.

"It's a strange paradox Bondita... To me you are never unfamiliar, but yet, everytime I come close to you, I find you different, new!" His eyes bore deep into her face, as a sensuous seriousness enveloped his entire being.
"But, no matter what, you always look like a reflection of myself, my wife!"

"Even without the sindoor?" She lowered her eyes on the mirror, as he inched even closer and snaked her from behind.

"Even without sindoor." His lips automatically moved down to the crook of her neck.
"You don't need sindoor to be my wife Shona."

"But, everybody says..."

"I don't care what everybody says." His breath was warm on her skin, his nose nuzzling on her neck.
"It's your life... It's completely upto you if you would wear it or not. You shouldn't wear it because of social compulsion..." He kissed her neck again, making her shiver.
"If you wear it, it should be because you want to... Don't let the society fool you Shona... You are mine... With or without any of these..." He picked up the sankha kept on the dressing table and brought it closer to his face.
With a swift movement, he turned Bondita around, facing him, as his hands caressed her face with the cold sankha held in his fingers.
He placed the bangle on her lips and pressed his lips on top of them, making her feel the cold and warmth of the touches at once.

"Don't break them..." She murmured, "it's not even a year."

"It's been eleven years tigress..." He hushed back.

"Do you trust me tigress?" He had asked her again.

"I do."

"Then let's play a small game... Open this robe of yours and meet me in the bedroom in five minutes... Alright?" He tugged at the black satin robe that she had worn, covering most of her body.

"Alright."

"And, yes... Keep the envelope safe." He smirked.
"See you in five Tigress... Come prepared for the battle." He winked at her seductively making her spine tingle.

It hadn't rain, but the storm outside was still howling. Luckily, the electric light was still there, and in that flickering yellow light, Bondita saw Anirudh turn around and walk inside the bed, opening his suspenders one by one and pulling his tucked white shirt out of the trousers.
He flexed his shoulders once and at that moment Bondita knew in her heart that she had already lost the battle, even before it started...
And for once, she felt the thought of losing to be oddly satisfying!
Bondita smiled, pressing her eyes shut, as a soft chuckle escaped her lips.

"Ishhh...!!" she murmured.

....................