Continued from the previous part...

Reaching Tulsipur the next day early morning, they both drifted to sleep after the tiring journey.

It was afternoon. Anirudh and Bondita slept in their room. Anirudh had spooned her from behind, his neck buried in her neck. She wrapped her hands around his hand, that snaked around her waist tightly. He had held her so close to his heart in his sleep as if she was the only reason it was beating.

Suddenly a knock at the door woke them up. He opened up his eyes trying to adjust in the bright afternoon light and she wiggled in her sleep. Anirudh went and opened the door yawning. Maa stood there smiling with a tray serving lunch for both of them.

"Kab se so rhe ho dono... Chalo kuch khaa lo." She instructed and he nodded in his sleep and moved a bit to let her in. Bondita was still sleeping and didnt realise anything.

Maa kept the tray on the small table and went near Bondita. She softly caressed her hair lovingly and spoke softly, "Uth jao Beta!... Kuch kha lo!..."

Bondita opened her eyes feeling the motherly love and seeing her mothers in-law, sat up smiling at her.

She hugged Maa and said, "Aami tomaake khoob Bhaalobaashi Maa!"

Maa patted her head and said, "Aamio tomaake bhaalobasi baccha!..."

She kissed Bondita's forehead and went away smiling.

Anirudh was all the time leaning to the wall and seeing all the love with his eyebrows raised. He was really happy about what he was experiencing!... Being a Barrister, he had seen many marriages being called off just because the wife and the mother-in-law didn't get along. But he was blessed, quite jealous too though.

He closed the door behind Maa and sat beside Bondita on the bed. He pulled her cheeks lovingly and said mimicking Maa, "Aamio Tomaake Bhaalobaashi Bacchaaa!..."and they both ended up laughing.

"Hmm... Let me take a shower first, till then you can sit here getting jealous." Bondita said standing up from the bed. He held her hand and pulled her down on the bed again, to his eye level.

"And what if I say that I have other plans?..."he asked smirking at her seductively.

"What plans?" She asked looking down, her face getting crimson red.

"Maybe not wasting time in bathing seperately!", he said smirking again and she looked up at his with widened eyes and her face painted in a red blush.

"Pati Babuuu!... You are too muchh!...."she said surprised and ran away to the washroom, freeing herself from his grip.

While he leaned back and lied on the bed on his back, his head rested on his crossed hands.

"Haayee!... I love her!..."he said to himself.

______________________________________

It was evening when Anirudh and Bondita sat back in the study discussing an important case. Bondita was, for now, working under his guidance and learning from her Shikshak Babu. But it was not she who was learning, he too was learning a lot from her.

"It's a clear case of theft Bondita!...Subhaash is a poor farmer, he might have needed money. And robbing the rich landowner was the way he found!", he suggested.

"No pati babu!...We just can't reach any decision so soon. We need to be careful!.. And plus we haven't caught him with the money yet!" She argued.

"And I dont understand, if he really wanted to rob, he would have robbed the whole Tijori!... Not just 5 thousand. When he to knew there were atleast more than 30 thousand in the safe." She spoke making him think about it.

"I really feel that the landowner himself lost the money or something like that and is framing thr poor man now!" She announced what she felt.

"Hmm that could be true too!... Well, I have asked a few men to keep a watchful eye on both. Let's see what we get." He said trying to figure out the case.

"But I must say, my Barrister Babu is really clever for a new learner!" He said smirking at her and she giggled.

She cleared his table, because she didn't trust him too for that, while he kept staring at her.

She kept away all the files and kept their diary on the table in front of him. He looked down at it and smiled raising his eyebrows in excitement.

It had been long since they exchanged letters. Maybe because now they were quite open with each other and didnt need any medium to speak their hearts.

She smiled at him blushingly and gestured him to read the diary. He quickly picked it up and before opening it stretched out his hand to her. She accepted it wholeheartedly and he pulled her on his lap.

(Ahem-Ahem!🙈)

Bondita gasped at the sudden closeness and looked down, fluttering her long curled eyelashes.

He wrapped his arms around her, embracing her from the side while she rested her head on his shoulder, inhaling his intoxicating fragrance.

She blushed hard as he opened the diary.

He opened the page she had marked with the bookmark and gasped!

It was a poem!.. A poem written by his Bondita!... He looked at her surprised and she smiled back blushing.

He forwarded the diary to her saying, "I want you to read it to me!....Please!"

"No!. No!.... Pati babu!.... I can't... I feel really shy!..."she said covering her face both her palms.

He kissed her plams and said lovingly,"pls na jaan!... Read it to me... Only for once!... If you want I will close my eyes!... Shotttiii!..."

She frowned at him and taking the diary murmured rolling up her eyes,"Okay Fine!...Drama King!..."

"Only of my Drama Queen."he said before closing his eyes with a soft chuckle.

How cute he looked!...She felt like kissing him then and there itself!... How cute he looked!... But she controlled and started reading the poem to him.

She read,

"आपके लिए क्या लिखूं मैं?

कलम पकड़ना ही आपने सिखाया है!

दुनिया की नजरों में जैसी भी थी

आपने पूरे दिल से अपनाया है

इसीलिए तो कहती हूँ पति बाबू,

दुनिया में बस आप अपने हो

बाकी तो हर शख्स पराया है...

जब कभी मेरा मन घबराया, समझ में कुछ भी ना आया, आपने ही तो हाथ थामा है रक्षक बन कर...

चाहे दुख हो या सुख, हमेशा मुझे सही मार्ग दिखाया है मेरे मार्गदर्शक बनकर!

आप चाहे मानें या ना मानें,

इस रिश्ते में प्रेम सदा से था!

क्योंकि यह रिश्ता बोंदिता का अनिरुद्ध से नहीं,

आपके दिल का मेरे ह्रदय से था!❤

आजतक थी जो ज़िम्मेदारी, अब वो आपका प्यार है...

जिसका आपने एक सपना दिखाया था, अब उसके मन में सपने हज़ार हैं!....

प्रेम की इन कलियों को कभी मुरझाने नहीं दूंगी,

पति बाबू आपको मैं खुदसे दूर कहीं जाने नहीं दूंगी!...

आज लिख के कह देती हूँ,

बोंदिता अनिरुद्ध से कितना प्यार करती है यह मैं आपको कभी भूलने नहीं दूंगी!... ❤"

Bondita looked at him after she finished speaking.

Anirudh's eyes were closed, yet tears rolled down on his cheeks. She leaned forward and softly kissed his tears and wiped them off. Anirudh quickly opened his eyes to look at her and hugged her tightly.

He wanted to hug her the tightest!.... He was too overwhelmed to even speak.

"Kaise Bondita?!.... Kaise?.... Kaise likhi yeh itni pyaari kavitaa?!....", he said with his voice drenched in the tears of love!...

She replied, still hugging him,"Bas aapke Pyaar mein Pati babu!... Aapke pyaar ne mujhe sab sikha diya hai!..."

She smiled at him and he kissed her forehead lovingly.

"Main nahi jaanta ki kaise thankyou bolu tumhe.... Aaj tumne mujhe jo khushi do hai na jaa, main tumhe bata hi nahi sakta!... Aur iss kavita ke ek ek shabd ko main apni aakhri saans tak nhi bhulunga!..."he said cupping her face and looking deep into her eyes.

Her eyes too welled up now. She leaned forward, and softly kissed on his cheek and then placed a soft kiss on his lips.

Felt a jolt of electricity pass through his body!....He caressed her waist and kissed her back, passionately now!...

Today she had spoken the