My Destination, My Bondita

51 - Dreams and Love

"Pati Babu! Pati Babu!" Bondita was screaming.

They were in the study, and Bondita was crying.

"Bondita, don't cry," Anirudh was pacifying her, wiping her tears. "I can't see you cry like this." 

He picked her up in his arms and sat her on top of his desk so that she could look at him closer to his level, but she still cried uncontrollably.

"Why don't you love me Pati Babu?" Bondita sobbed.

Anirudh blushed and he leaned towards her, kissing her cheeks one by one.

"Bondita, do you really believe that I can't love you?" he asked her softly as she looked at him with her hopeful eyes. "I love you very much. Very, very, very much. And I want to spend my whole life with you, as your husband."

Anirudh chuckled as she squeezed her eyes shut, a blissful look on her face after hearing his confession. 

Then he leaned closer to her... so close that their lips were just about to touch. 

In all of this, he radiated love and only love. There were no lustful intentions. Just the desire to love her. 

Anirudh woke up with a start, sweating. 

He had been dreaming. 

Somehow, his hand was tightly around Bondita's stomach, and he let go of her quickly. As loving as that dream was, it had still done things to his body that he could not expose her to. 

He ran his hand through his hair and sat up quickly, gulping. His heart was beating so fast, and there was a flush on his face. He glanced at Bondita who was still sleeping peacefully. 

Then before she woke up or noticed anything strange about him, he got out of bed and ran out of the room. 

When he got back to his own room, he fell on his bed and took deep breaths. 

The dream had been beautiful. It felt so heart-warming and soothing. The way that he confessed his love for her in his dream felt like a load had been lifted off his chest. The way that he kissed her cheeks and was leaning towards her to kiss her lips was an act that felt like instead of tying them down, it could free them. 

But alas, it had just been a dream. 

Anirudh looked around his empty room, his heart suddenly hurting. He held Bondita in his arms every night as they slept, but holding her like this, so freely, with no barriers between them was something that he didn't even realize that he had been craving to do. 

"What's wrong with me?" Anirudh asked, his heart aching. "It was just a dream." 

No, he couldn't overthink such a thing. After all, it was only a dream. Just because he dreamed that he confessed his love to her, didn't mean that it was real. 

Later that day, both Anirudh and Bondita went to Manika's haveli. When they entered, they were greeted by her father and the rest of the family members. 

Anirudh and Bondita sat down in the living room beside each other. Manika's prospective groom still hadn't arrived. 

"Pati Babu," Bondita whispered to him. "Can I go and see Manika Didi?" 

"Yes," Anirudh told her, and she got up and went to find Manika in her room. 

Manika was getting ready inside her room, and Bondita excitedly entered, closing the door behind her. 

"Hi Bondita," Manika greeted. 

Bondita went to her Manika Didi who was seated in front of her vanity. She took the earrings that Manika was trying to put on and helped her in wearing them.