Ajnabee - The ecstasy of one sided love. ( completed )

Chapter 42

As the morning sun began to cast its golden rays through the windows, the room was bathed in a soft, warm glow, illuminating the quiet scene . Outside, the world awakened to the bustle of a new day, the distant sounds of life carrying through the stillness of the morning. But inside the walls of their home, there was only silence—a silence that spoke volumes of the emptiness that now filled their hearts.

Anirudh woke up as the rays of the sun entered through his windows causing pain in his eyes . His back pained as he slept in sitting position all the night . His hands hurt because he held a crying Bondita entire night . She held on to him the entire night as if her life depended on him . At last she slept after being exhausted with the crying . He too was exhausted to get up ...so he stayed there like that , holding her to him , gathering memories of her touch , her smell , her grief . he wanted to have it all . Her sadness was as much as dear to him as her happiness and learning they shared the same grief he never wanted to leave her for a second . He never wanted her to go through the same pain he has gone through ...knowing it will kill her from insides .

But as he woke up ..he realized she wasn't in his arms anymore . He glanced at the clock and it was 10.00 o clock in the morning . he hasn't slept that late in years . He was late for court ...but court wasn't his concern ...Bondita is . 

He went outside and to his surprise she was nowhere to be seen . Trilochan was sipping his tea holding a newspaper , Batuk was ..well he had never seen him with a book , but it appeared to hi he was writing notes . Bihaari was cleaning table and koyeli was maybe in the kitchen . Somnath just came from outside which surprised him because usually in this time he would be in his hospital . 

" Som tum bahar se kahan aa rahe ho ? yeh tumhara hospital duty ka time haina ? aur Bondita kahan hai dikhai nahi de rahi hai ? " 

Som was startled suddenly hearing his questions , his brother never really asked him about his whereabouts . Hearing about Bondita he felt sad . " Hospital jaa hi raha tha dada ...bas file bhul gaya tha ..aur Bondita yahan nahi hai . Main subah subah Swaati aur usse ghar chod kar aya hun " 

" oh "

oh ! All he could let out was an oh . Because he felt too lost , he felt too empty , too numb to let out anything . What he could have said anyway ? what he could have said that please Bondita don't go i will be lost without you i am drowning in grief . He felt the heaviness on his chest fearing it will never be fulfilled with joy but he felt something else more than his own feelings ...which was her pain . He knew the ..bab-incident has affected her in ways more than she should be affected . And he was afraid that she would go through some horrible and threatening thoughts once he has gone through , but he was alone at that time and she have Swati . He could trust Swati even if she was insufferable . She loved Bondita and he trusted her to take care of her . 

" dada aap kahein to main usse le ayunga wapas " Somnath asked as he clearly saw his brother getting lost in thoughts . 

" nahi " that came out too fast and loud . " mera matlab hai ..rehne do usse kuch din wahan par . wahan par rahegi to uska mann halka ho jayega ...jo hua " he clenched shut his eyes " it was too much for her . waise bhi itne dino se kaam kar rahi hai exhausted ho gayi hogi . let her stay ...usse pareshaan karne ki koi jaroorat nahi hai " He said defeatedly and went up to his room . 

All the members watched him with a hint of concern . The fear of old Anirudh coming back to them clawed their hearts but they were more worried about Bondita . It hasn't been a day the baby was gone ..she has lost her smile . She had the mask on until her parents took her away but they all could see the swollen eyes and the loss in them . She looked remarkably similar to Anirudh the day he lost his mother . All of them lost a part of him that day , his smiles , the twinkle in his eyes , the softness , the selflessness he carried instead they got a cold , distant and aggressive Anirudh who was the complete opposite of him . They were assured that Bondita won't be cold like him ...but still they feared she would change .