Barrister Babu: The Journey Ahead

The One She Chose

Bondita had wanted to do this for a long time. She wanted to be close to him ever since she could feel her hormones raging for the first time, shortly after she hit puberty, but back then she was too young to understand what anything meant. Even now, she didn't fully know. All she knew was what she had seen commonly being done in London -- and that was kissing. If she lived here in India, perhaps she wouldn't even know that. 

She studied to become a barrister, so biology was not taught to her in London. Even if she wanted to find out, she didn't know what to look for, or which book to look for it in. 

If she was truly being honest with herself, all of this was an excuse. In London there were plenty of opportunities she could have found out about sexual education, from having a chat with the friends she made there to inquiring about it. Bondita had an inquisitive mind after all. 

The truth was that she forcefully refused to find out anymore about this topic of romance. She wanted to learn from her Pati Babu who was also her Shikshak Babu. Just like he taught her about every phase of her life growing up, she wanted to learn this from him too.

From teaching her about the changes to her body when she hit puberty, he taught her about menstruation, about good touch and bad touch, self-defense -- why wouldn't she learn something that seemed so deep from him too? Why would she choose to learn it from textbooks in London when she had her Shikshak Babu right here?

But Bondita couldn't wait to make the first move. She missed him too much. 

Her fingers curled up around the front of his shirt as she leaned closer to him. She just had to get more of him. Hugging him wasn't enough anymore. 

Their lips were only a few inches away from each others, when Anirudh held the hand Bondita had on his shirt, and he turned his face, Bondita's lips landing on his cheek. 

Her lips grazed the stubble on his cheek, and she felt a sensuous prickle on her lips. 

"Bondita..." Anirudh said, and turned to look at her, deep in her eyes. 

Anirudh looked at his Bondita with eyes filled with nothing but love. His love for her was something that was so deep, it was beyond any desire or lust. He treasured her and worshipped her. Bondita used to always say that he was her God, but the truth also was that Bondita was his Goddess. She was just so sacred, so pure to him, and he was afraid of messing with their bond even a little bit. 

"Pati Babu," Bondita said, feeling hurt that he had turned his face, but also her heart beating very fast from just feeling his cheek with her lips. 

Wondering how to explain this to her, Anirudh sighed and stood up, holding Bondita's hands and pulling her up as well. She had grown to his shoulders, and the sight made him smile, even though they were in quite a serious situation. 

He had seen all the phases of her, from when she was just as tall as his waist, until she reached his chest -- then he had to send her away, and now when she was back, she was up to his shoulders. 

Anirudh wanted to treasure all the changes in her. He wanted to know everything about her without missing a single thing. He couldn't rush things. He had to make sure that no matter what happened, she would still be the same innocent Bondita. Even in the last few letters she had sent to him, that innocent Bondita he always knew was there. He couldn't even think about hurting her. 

That was why, all these years, even though he knew how deeply he loved her, he kept it to himself. 

Anirudh Roy Choudhary had mistaken love twice in his life. 

The first time, was with Saudamini, his childhood friend. Maybe he had been attracted to her because she was the only woman in his life at the time, or he was too young and immature to understand love, but he had mistaken his attraction for love.