The stormy evening led to a turbulent night as large drops of rain poured on the roof of the black Mercedes like a splashing waterfall.
Anirudh Roy Chowdhury drove silently, occasionally stealing glance at the pretty young girl sitting beside him. She was looking outside the window with a forlorn expression on her face. Her body was carelessly leaned against the cosy comfort of the seat. She was playing with a strand of her long brown hair, rolling it around her fingers as her eyes stared at the darkness with a blank expression on them.
Anirudh looked at her drawn eyes as her pain reflected in his heart. His eyes moved further to her playful fingers as he let out a soft chuckle drawing Vidhi's attention towards her.
"What happened?" She asked her as her expression changed immediately making her sit up alert on the seat.
"No... No... Miss Vidhita Sengupta... I'm not a kidnapper... And, neither do I have any wrong intension." Anirudh spoke without looking at her, as his eyes were fixated on the front window, wiping the invigorating rain from his view.
"Infact, if you give me any address... Any relative may be, I can drop you there."
Vidhi furrowed her eyebrows.
"Wait... How did you know what I was thinking?"
"Isn't it simple... You were quiet, evident that you were lost in some thought. And, then suddenly you sat up all alert, looking sharply at me."
Anirudh smirked, making Vidhi gasp unknowingly at his charismatic magnetism.
"Umm... Well... You seem to be the detective type. What are you? Sherlock Holmes, Bomkesh Bakshi..."
Vidhi smiled at her own words.
"Well... As I told you, I'm Anirudh Roy Chowdhury. But, I have definately read about Holmes and Bakshi." He threw a subtle glance at her again.
"So, Miss Sengupta, shall I drop you somewhere? I don't want you to come with me against your will."
"I don't have any relative..." Vidhi paused. "Oh, wait... My friend Siri..." She was about to say something but her thoughts were suddenly drifted back to Siri's birthday party two years ago, and how her father had tried to grope her in Siri's bedroom. Her jaws clenched at the thought as she clutched her pleated school skirt and let out a deep breath.
"You know what Mr. Roy Chowdhury... I don't have anywhere to go... So, I guess..."
Vidhi didn't complete her sentence as she turned her face again towards the window, as a single tear of helplessness rolled down her eyes.
But, what she missed was how Anirudh's muscles had stiffened in anger while she was thinking about the unpleasant memories of her past.
"Do you want to call your mother?" He asked her slowly, letting her sink into the situation.
"No... She won't care."
The heavy rain poured incessantly as Anirudh Roy Chowdhury finally pulled in his car inside a large metal gate. Two security guards opened the gate readily as they saw the car approaching.
Vidhi looked out...
And, in the shadowy shower whatever she got a faint glimpse of, it made her gape in wonder.
"Is this your house?" She asked in a surprised tone.
"Yes."
"And, no one stays here but you?"
"Yes."
"What are you? Some prince or something?" Vidhi turned around to look at Anirudh.
"Not exactly. But my grandfather used to be a Zamindar."
"Straight out of the pages of a fairly tale Mr. Anirudh Roy Chowdhury... Not bad."
"Not Mr... It's doctor... Dr. Anirudh Roy Chowdhury." Anirudh smiled warmly as he parked the car inside the garage.
"Doctor... So what are you? Cardio.. neuro... Gyno?" Vidhi let out a soft chuckle as she asked her question...
There was an air of ease around them and Vidhi could feel the intensity of it. This was probably the first time she had spoken and smiled so much after her father's death.
She scanned his angelic face, expecting an answer of her question.
"None actually." Anirudh smirked. " I'm a doctor of law."
"Ohh... You mean a lawyer?"
"Not exactly. Not just a lawyer. In older times, people used to call us Barrister... But now, we're called as a doctor."
"So you are like what... A doctorate degree holder?... Wow!" Vidhi murmured.
Anirudh smiled gently as he got down from the car and held the door open for Vidhi.
"The main mansion is divided into three wings... I live in the east wing, and that's exactly where you would be staying as well." He instructed her slowly guiding her to a lift that would take them from the garage straight to the east wing living room.
"And, what about the other two wings?" Vidhi asked casually.
"The mid wing is mostly used for business meetings and stuffs like that... And,... " He paused for a moment, finding the right words to express. "And, the west wing is deserted... Broken and unsafe in a way... So, no one goes there."
Vidhi nodded her head as the lift door opened with a light 'ding' sound.
"I have two house-helps, but there won't be here tonight... So, I guess it's only you and me Miss Sengupta."
Vidhi looked up at him and smiled.
"So, you stay here all by yourself at night? The building looks, I don't know, kinda spooky... Aren't you scared?"
"It's my house... Why will I be scared? And, the house-helps would come early in the morning. I'm generally a late riser, so they'll help you with everything you need.."
"Late riser?" Vidhi asked sharply
"Ahan... I get sleep pretty late at night, so I sleep late till day." Anirudh explained as he smiled cordially at her.
"Another insomniac... I see..."
Anirudh smiled at her words.
"You speak a little mature for your age Miss Sengupta."
"Life has taught me to be mature I guess Mr. Roy Chowdhury... I mean Dr. Roy Chowdhury." Vidhi smiled back as she narrowed her eyes at him sharply.
"You know what... The doctor sounds weird... Feels as if you would start treating me right away... So... I guess I'd like to go for the original address." She paused flashing a bright grin on her face.
"How about I call you... Barrister Roy Chowdhury... Or say, Barrister Sir?" Vidhi grinned again. "Oh wait... Even better... How about, 'Barrister Babu'!"
She eyed his face once again as she turned around to lower her backpack on a desk below as she felt a sudden chill of air on her neck...
"Huh... ". Vidhi turned around as the reduced distance between them startled her. Anirudh was standing very close to her as she could feel his breath on her face. She had just turned around for one second... And, Anirudh was standing at a distance in the sprawling lavish living hall... Then how could he....
Vidhi couldn't think anymore, as she heard his throaty voice hushing words in her ears, making her heart skip beats again.
"Say that again..." Anirudh hushed.
"What?" Vidhi murmured under her breath as her entire existence was acutely aware of his magnetic presence.
She felt that same jolt of electricity running down her spine as she swallowed a lump in her throat nervously.
"Call me by that name... Again!" Anirudh hushed as she felt a tone of sudden urgency in his voice.
She fluttered her eyelashes timidly, as she stuck out her tongue a bit to lick away her dry lower lip.
"Barrister Babu..."
Vidhi saw Anirudh's eyes close as he let out a deep sigh...
"What ha.. happened?" Vidhi asked nervously, licking her dry lip again, unintentionally and Anirudh moved a few steps away from her, leaving her in the trance of his enveloping enchantment.
"Nothing." He let a deep sigh. "I like the name Bondi... I mean Miss Sengupta... You may call me so."
"And you can call me Vidhi... Um.. Vids.. if you like." Vidhi smiled nervously.
Anirudh didn't reply. Instead, he smiled gently at her.
"Let me show you your room... So that you may freshen up... And, I'll get us some dinner."
"Sounds like a plan.. " Vidhi cheered.
"Hey, you are sure you won't kill me after that right?" She chuckled nervously.
Anirudh furrowed his eyebrows in astonishment, clearly amused by her question. He slowly moved his hand up to his throat and pinched it a little.
"No... I won't... 'Shotti'!"
Vidhita's head started to reel as the entire room spun around above her head. She pressed her head with her hands as her knees wobbled in a strange anticipation. Her eyes felt the familiar heaviness, drooping down unwillingly.
And, the last thing her mind registered before everything went dark was that same swishing sound that rang in her ears in a soft reel.
'Bon-di-taa...'