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Aniruddha stared at the clock on his chamber wall for the third time and verified its working condition by checking it with his watch. He had asked Bondita to come to his chambers at six. It was almost six-ten and there was no sign of her. The peon he had sent to call her in had also left. He wondered if she had gone home earlier than usual. But then would she not have informed him? He eyed the partnership deed he had prepared to be signed, going through the terms one last time before he decided to go downstairs and see where she was for himself. As soon as Aniruddha got up, taking the coat from behind his chair to go, gathering the paperwork of the deed, a knock resonated on the door as he straightened his glasses and found his most professional voice to ask her to come in. Bondita looked a little breathless as though she had run up the stairs and apologised in a hurry, “Sorry, sorry… Meghna had some issues with her computer.”
“There is a tech guy for that.” He narrowed his brows slightly at her words as she pulled the waistcoat she wore over her Kurti closer to her body and eyed the AC in his chamber at full blast.
“Yes, but she wanted help copying some documents. Now he is helping her.” Bondita insisted. “What did you need me for?” Bondita pressed her lips together as she looked up at him, and an amused smile formed on Aniruddha’s lips. Bondita gulped, looking away as she said, “Is it a new case? Because Meghna is downstairs and we can…” Her subtle reminder that they were not alone amused Aniruddha a little more. He cleared his throat, tossed the coat on the couch and sat down on it.
“Check the topmost paper on the desk.” He insisted. She looked a little unsure at his informal way as she went up to his side of the desk to collect the deed. Her hand stopped briefly at the papers as her eyes travelled to the new frame he had added to his desk, that of her in her lawyer robes, a picture Trilochon had insisted on clicking on the day she fought her first case. It was taken on Batuk’s digicam by Som. She eyed him briefly, removing his watch and holding his neck from tiredness as she picked up the papers and turned to leave.
“Where do you think you are going?” He asked with narrowed brows.
“Umm… to read and sign these?” She asked, unsurely. Aniruddha shook his head. “Sit here.” He patted the seat beside him on the couch, “Read and sign it.” Bondita looked a little unsure of his intentions as she eyed the closed chamber doors and the couch. Aniruddha knew what she was thinking as he moved a little to the edge to create a space between them, as if in a gesture to tell her that his intentions were purely professional. Bondita walked up to the couch and sat down.
“I have better pictures, you know.” She murmured as he frowned slightly, clueless at her words, tilting his head in her direction. She pointed her finger at his desk. “Better than that.”
“Oh.” He nodded, “I only had that.” He said nonchalantly.
“You can ask for it.” She shrugged. She read through the paper and looked around for a pen. Aniruddha took the one in his pocket and offered it to her. It was the pen his mother had given him. She looked up at him briefly while she took the pen, carefully avoiding touch as he said, “It is a big step for you, so I thought of bringing the lucky pen.”
“Thank you.” He watched her sign her name as Bondita Das and attach the date to it. “Here.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, staring at her as she nodded, “We are done here.”
“Welcome aboard.” He extended his hand in a very professional manner as she took it for a shake. But Aniruddha did not let it go. Instead, he drew her hand in between his, over her lap as her eyes widened. “Now about that… What more could I ask for?” Bondita leaned back a little at his words, her eyes giving away the warm rush of hormones in her body as she shook her head. “Wh… what?” She stammered. “You said I can ask for a picture. What else can I ask for?” He raised his brows, amused. She hesitated. “Meghna was saying…”
“Oh, shut up.” He placed his finger on her lips, making her stop as her eyes widened. “Meghna is not going to walk in here. Nobody would.” His fingertips lingered briefly on her parted, glossy lips as he fought the urge to taste them. His eyes travelled from her lips to her eyes, and he stopped. He got up, folding his sleeves as she watched him go up to the door of the chamber and latch it. Bondita panicked. “What … why…?”
“Making sure you run out of excuses.” Bondita looked away as Aniruddha looked amused, and he abruptly bent down in front of her on the carpet on his knees. Bondita’s eyes widened as she shifted a little in her place.
“What are you doing?”
“Tying my shoelaces. What else do you think I am doing?” He shrugged, making her sigh as she shook her head. Aniruddha eyed her embarrassed face, a little amused as he let go of the shoelaces he pretended to tie and held her hands in his instead, making her look up at him.
“You didn’t say yes.” He said with a shrug as Bondita narrowed her eyes at him.
“You didn’t ask anything to say yes to.” Bondita shook her head. Aniruddha smiled with an agreeing nod. “But the elders did.”
“I will talk to them then.” Bondita tried to get up, but there was no space between him and the couch to pull herself into a standing position. She looked unsure. Aniruddha smiled. “Fine.” He held her hands firmly in his, as he sat up beside her on the couch and said, “Bondita Das, when you came into my life, I had no purpose or direction in life. You gave me a purpose. In you, I found someone who truly needed me, and honestly, that felt good. To be needed, to be looked up to.”
“Such narcissism.” She shook her head, trying to fight back her overwhelming emotions from reflecting on her face. Aniruddha ignored her comment as he stared briefly at her hand in his and continued. “I have seen you in your innocence, and you still amazed me with how mature and intelligent you were. Then, when you left, life stopped briefly for all of us here, even though none of us is going to admit it.” He looked up at her sparkling eyes as she nodded, urging him to go on. “I am not a strong-hearted person, but I am not expressive either. One thing you are always taught as a man is not to let emotions show. I missed you terribly, but I never reached out because I felt that you didn’t need me anymore. I used to go by your college and your hostel, wondering if I should gather the courage and meet you.” Bondita narrowed her brows at his words, if she found it hard to believe. “Why didn’t you?” She asked. Aniruddha shook his head. “I was scared that I would see you don’t need me anymore. That you have friends, and you are probably embarrassed by me. It would shatter the little hope I had when I waited for my friend to return.” Bondita looked at him as though she could not believe his thoughts.
“Why would I be embarrassed by you?” She shook her head. “I thought you were married, and you don’t remember me as much.”
“Would you not have known if I…” Aniruddha looked up at her awkward face and smiled faintly. “Choose Mini?” Bondita looked up at his words, unsure of what he knew. He shook his head and continued. “The day Jethu said you wanted to return home, I insisted that I bring you, just like I brought you home the first time. I was honestly a little intimidated because the woman I met was nothing like the girl I knew.” Bondita opened her mouth to protest, but he did not let her. “You were quieter, more collected, more womanly.” He shook his head. “You thought before you spoke to me. I found that odd.” Bondita tightened her grasp on his hand as she nodded. “I was scared you would not like me to behave like I did.”
“I was looking for that girl I knew everywhere. You came by for dinner for the first two days, and on the third, I expected you there for no reason at all. I could always fall back on you, knowing you would be there for me, whenever I needed you, even though you left without a goodbye.” Bondita could feel his voice choke as he stopped, and she leaned in nearer to him, letting go of her left hand and placing it on his chest. “You know I don’t want to know all this. We can speak of other things.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I want you to know that I felt scared of losing you when I was the one who decided to act cold so that I don’t become unhealthy dependent on you. Especially when you spoke of Alamethi, I felt like I was losing you again.”
“I promised you I would never leave.” She reminded him as he nodded. “Yes, but I did not want that to be a hindrance, something imposed on you.”
“Did I ever make you feel like that?” Bondita shook her head. Aniruddha looked up at her moist eyes as he inhaled. “No. But I wanted you to know that following you there, choosing you was the toughest decision I made.” Bondita nodded, murmuring, “I know.”
“It is not impulsive or because I was lonely before you came. It was because when you came, I saw in you everything I ever wanted. But…” He held her hand over his heart, saying, “I was scared because of all the differences we have.”
“You sound like Thamma when you say that.” She frowned. “What differences are you talking about? We work on the same things, we believe the same…”
“You know, when you turn thirty-five, I will be fifty.” He reminded her. Bondita’s eyes widened in amusement. “So?”
“So, I can’t run around, or be as active as I am or…” He could not utter what came to his mind as Bondita blushed at his unsaid words. “And when I am older, you will still have a career and…” He reminded her as she nodded. “You will stay at home and take care of the family, and I will work after you retire.” She shrugged.
“You have thought this through?” He sounded surprised.
“Have you not?” She asked, placing her head on his chest as he patted her hair with a smile. She let her arms wrap around his back as he pulled her in an embrace and kissed her forehead lightly. Bondita was a little unsure as she heard his heartbeat against her head, and she murmured, “I have something to tell you, too.”
“Umm hmm?” He asked, wrapping his arms around her.
“I… used to… have a crush on you…” Bondita blurted as he narrowed his brows, placing his chin on her head. “Used to?” She ignored the sarcasm in his voice as she continued in all sincerity.
“Umm… don’t be mad, I was fifteen and I had nobody else around…” She bit her lower lip, unsurely.
“That is your excuse?” He sulked, “You had a crush on me because there was nobody else around?”
“No… no…” Bondita looked up at his face, trying to read it. “I … thought it would go away if I moved away.”
“Is that why you left without a goodbye?” He asked. Bondita did not respond. Instead, she admitted, “I was wrong. When I saw you the first time after all those years, I knew I was wrong. I always…” Her voice faded.
He nodded, oddly unbothered by her confession. Bondita drew out of his embrace with narrowed brows.
“Why are you not reacting to this?” She asked suspiciously.
“Because I realised that a while back, when I read your letter.” Aniruddha shrugged. Bondita gasped as she punched his arm, surprising him, “You said you never read it.” Aniruddha looked a little startled at her sudden attack and rubbed his arm. “After… you came here … way after…” He shook his head as he rubbed his hurt arm. “Uff.”
“And you were okay with it?” Bondita asked with a slight hint of disbelief.
“I don’t know how I would have reacted had I known a decade back.” He answered truthfully. “I was blissfully unaware, and it doesn’t matter now, does it?” He watched Bondita shake her head reluctantly. “I did not intentionally want to hurt you.” He made her nod. “I know.”
“And I want you to know you don’t have to settle now because people expect you to. You can take your time. You can choose to wait till you are ready.”
“I know.” She nodded with a smile. Aniruddha exhaled. “But I want to know… when you want to… It's a yes, then?” He raised his brows as she sighed and shook her head.
“What is the question, Moshai?” She urged, narrowing her eyes at him. Aniruddha chortled at her words. He let go of her hands, went down on his knees on the carpet, as she gasped with a mild protest. “No. No.”
“Bondita Das, will you marry me? And answer this quickly, for my knees will hurt. I am old.” She chuckled at his words as she nodded, leaning in, brushing her nose against his as their foreheads touched. “Yes. Yes, I will marry you.” She pulled him up beside her on the couch. “And unlike what you think, I have waited half my life for this, so no, I will not wait for a better time. I know my career will not be hampered, and yes, I am sure.”
“And change your surname to Roy Chowdhury?” She frowned slightly, breathing in against his lips as she held his face with her palm, and he sat closer to her. “Why?”
“Because Bondita Roy Chowdhury sounds better.” Aniruddha smiled. “I have thought of that too.” He kissed her lower lip gently as she smiled against his lips.
“I will think about it.” She said, drawing him closer in an embrace as she tilted her head and found his lips on hers. He pecked at her lower lip slowly, as she deepened the kiss as though she was impatient. He smiled against her lips at her gesture, letting his hand travel to her waist and pulling her closer as her mouth opened slightly and his tongue found hers.
In the next moment, as Bondita anticipated his hands to travel to where they had not dared to go the day before, he forced himself to move away as she eyed him. “I have a serious question.” She nodded, quickly hiding her disappointment.
“Would you like a separate chamber as a partner or a shared one?” He asked.
“Sharing with whom?” She raised her brows.
“Someone who promises to behave themselves and not distract you.” He smirked. Bondita blushed slightly as she shook her head and asked, “And what about the days the person fights with me?” Aniruddha drew her closer in his embrace as she placed her head on his shoulder, and he murmured into her ear, “No matter how big the fight is, the person will always accept defeat before the day ends and come back to you. He is really scared of you, just so you know.” Bondita looked amused as she drew out of his embrace, blushing profusely as they shared an amused laugh and she hid her face in his chest, feeling a strange sense of completeness she had never felt before.
