The storm outside, came as the opera of the skies, the instruments determined to sing out, the trees and grasses as their percussion. Even the rain came in orchestrated rhythm, appearing as the master of the scene, yet arriving on unheard cue. Lightning cracked the sky sending heaven's light through the storms. Vidhi sat quietly, shuddering now and then at the loud scream of the thunder outside, as Anirudh poured himself another glass of Irish scotch from a decorative glass Jar.
"So, if Bondita is your grandmother, then why did you call me by her name when you saw me on the street today?" Vidhi muttered the question slowly, giving him time to illustrate an answer.
Anirudh looked at her, narrowing his eyes as he exhaled sharply.
"Don't you want to call your mother Miss Sengupta?"
"Don't change the topic Barrister. Why did you call me Bondita? Why did you bring me here?"
"You know why you are here." Anirudh paused." We both heard what that man said about hurting you."
"Yes. That man is my mother's boyfriend. And, he has hurt me before as well." Vidhi spoke softly lowering her eyes from him.
Anirudh clenched his fist under the table as he swallowed a sharp pang of anger.
"Well...he won't... ever... again." He uttered every word sharply. "And that's why you are here with me... I would protect you."
Anirudh got up from the chair and walked towards a wall shelf.
"And, why would you protect me? You don't know me... You don't know me at all!" Vidhita asked eagerly.
"Here, call your mother first and tell her you are safe." Anirudh didn't reply to her question, instead handed her a cordless phone.
Vidhi inched closer towards him and took the phone from his hand without any further resistance.
She dialled a number and pressed the phone to her ears.
"Hello Mom... "
"Vidhi.. Vidhi where are you?"
"Mom. I'm at a... at my teacher's place. Don't worry, I'm well... And, mom it's raining a lot outside, so..."
"Stay wherever you are Vidhi... Don't come home now!"
"What are you saying mom? Where will I go if I don't come back to you?" Vidhi's voice cracked.
"Vidhi, I screwed up... I took money from people who are not very nice. And now, they want you. Don't come home, love."
Vidhi could hear her mother's quivering words in between her incessant sobs... as she broke down into tears.
"Mom... What would happen now?"
"I don't know Vidhi beta... I'm so sorry... But, I promise I'll get us out of this mess."
"Mom..." Vidhi broke down as jets of tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Beta... Can I talk to your teacher once?"
Vidhi looked up at Anirudh with a tear stricken face as she held out the phone at him.
"Mom wants to... I told her you're my teacher."
Anirudh came forward and took the phone from her.
"Yes Mrs. Sengupta... Yes, sure... No problem... No, she'll be safe here... Ya sure, I'll keep her safe."
Vidhi stood there wiping her tears as she heard Anirudh speaking to her mother.
"Mrs. Sengupta, take your time, she's my responsibility now....
And, well... Um... I teach life skills!" Anirudh winked at Vidhi making her smile amidst her tears.
"Alright then, yes sure. Goodnight."
Anirudh disconnected the call as he came closer to Vidhi. He exhaled deeply, raising his right hand forward, as he wiped the tear strains away from her gloomy face.
"So, what did she say?" She asked him softly.
Anirudh touched her chin, lovingly, raising her head up as their eyes met with each other's.
"Your mom told me to take care of you... And, never to leave you alone... And, to be with you always."
"Wait... What? Did she just shipped me with you?" Vidhi widened her eyes as Anirudh couldn't contain his laughter.
"Haha... I don't really know what that means... But, yes.. you mom told me to keep you for a few days till she sorts things up... That's all."
"Oh...and, what about 'being with me always and all'? She raised an eyebrow at him quizzically.
"Well... That's called improvisation."
Anirudh laughed out heartily bringing down the heavy atmosphere inside the hall.
"Barrister Roy Chowdhury... I'm sorry." Vidhi suddenly lowered her voice in apology. "You got into unnecessary trouble for me... But, I promise I won't bother you much." She forced a smile on her face as Anirudh touch her head gently.
"You can never bother me Princess... Never!"
"Princess? Wow, my dad used to call me that." Vidhi sighed.
Anirudh kept his empty scotch glass on the shelf and extended his hands towards her.
"Come... Let's put you in bed. It's been a long day Miss Sengupta. You should sleep now."
Vidhi smiled tenderly as she held his hands.
"Why are your hands so cold?" She shivered a bit.
"The air-conditioning may be... I'm a calm person." Anirudh smirked at her as her face flushed instantly.
He guided her into the bedroom where she had rested earlier.
"The cupboard there would have nightgowns. Please change. And I'll get other essentials tomorrow." Anirudh smiled warmly.
"Um... I'll need my books. My SAT is due in two weeks, I need to study." Vidhi spoke earnestly.
"Absolutely... You'll get your books by tomorrow. Make a list and keep it on the dining table in the morning, you'll have them here by day."
"Thank you."
The warmth of this handsome stranger had touched Vidhi's soul. No one had ever been this good to her... It's almost surreal, it's like she was dreaming. But yet, the presence of this stranger was so strong that it felt real than reality itself.
Anirudh's compassionate nature, his smile, his scent... his masculinity... Everything was drawing Vidhi towards him like a lost tumbleweed floating in a river.
"Goodnight Princess. Dream well." Anirudh flashed a bright smile as he turned around to leave.
"Um... About that... So, you didn't tell me why did you call me Bondita?"
Anirudh stopped abruptly as he turned towards her.
"Why do you want to know?" His voice was grave and Vidhi felt a sudden chill running down her spine as if his voice had pierced her soul.
"I want to know because... because this isn't the first time I'm hearing this name."
Vidhita breathed shallow breaths as Anirudh came closer and sat on her bed.
The room was dimly lit with half drawn curtains, and lightning flashed through the glasses like a jolting sword.
Vidhi looked at Anirudh earnestly as she spoke again.
"This might sound wierd to you. But, I dream strange things... And, in my dream... I always hear someone calling me by that name... Bondita!"
Vidhi paused, as her thoughts drifted back to an unknown realm of apprehension.
"I don't know what it means Barrister... And then, today I heard you call me by the same name... And, see... I ended her here with you. Don't you think all these are quiet unrealistic?"
Anirudh was looking at her anxious demeanor as he suddenly turned his gaze towards the thunder struck glass window.
"There are things and phenomena in this world that can't be justified with realism and rationale." He paused. "There is a reason why I called you Bondita... But, I don't think it's time yet for you to know it."
"What? Why would you say that? It's my life... And, I definitely need to know... So tell me..." Vidhi urged him with a strong exigency and Anirudh was left with no other option but to come closer to her, cupping her face in his hands.
"Look at me Miss Sengupta." He told her in a cold piercing tone as Vidhi reluctantly raised her eyes to meet his glance. She saw his iris changing its colour, as his pupils dilated in a sinister manner.
"What the he..."
Vidhi couldn't complete her sentence as she heard Anirudh's grave voice once again.
"You will forget all about the question that you asked about Bondita. Do you..."
Vidhi's pupils dilated as well. But, before Anirudh could complete his sentence, a deafening, sky tearing thunder muffled his voice as the blinding light dazzled Vidhi's eyes.
She quickly moved a few steps backward as her face furrowed up in a serious expression.
"What the hell? What were you just trying to do?" Her voice was firm yet laced with a sharp fear. She frittered her eyes in panic as she stretched her hands out resisting Anirudh's nearness.
"Don't come any closer... " She cried out.
Anirudh stood rooted at his place.
"Miss Sengupta... I didn't mean any harm... You have to trust me." His voice was calm.
"Then why aren't you telling me why you called me Bondita? You said Bondita Roy Choudhury is your grandmother, so why did you call me by that name?
Vidhi's voice was quivering from anxiety and uncertainty.
"Listen to me Miss Sengupta. You want answers, I'll give you. But, it might feel odd... unbelievable...!" Anirudh replied softly.
"I don't care about odd stuffs anymore... I dream odd things everyday! I'm a freak Barrister... It can't get any more odd!"
Anirudh didn't reply. Instead, he stood there thinking for a few moments before he spoke to her again.
"Wait here. I'll be back in a minute."
He walked out of the room as Vidhi sank in the soft bed, burying her face in the pillow, as tears of distrust and loneliness flew down her eyes, flooding her only sense of comfort with foreboding... the handsome stranger's arms!
The rain fell incessantly outside the window, flooding the whole world outside, as vidhi lay on the bed, gasping for breath in between her sobs.
It was after some minutes that Anirudh Roy Chowdhury returned back to her with an old album.
"You were looking for answers, I believe you'll get it here." He handed the old album to her and she sat upright, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
Anirudh kneeled infront of her, facing her as he held her hands in his.
"Don't cry... Please... Your tears are precious... Extremely precious!" He hushed the words looking at her eyes.
His words made her eyes wail up ever more and an unknown buried emotion of loneliness and dejection arose in her heart.
"My tears mean nothing!... to anyone in this world."
"You are wrong. Your tears mean everything to me... And, I can do anything to make them go away." Anirudh looked right into her eyes and she felt his gaze piercing her heart slowly with a gentle warmth.
She took a deep breath and adjusted herself on the bed, as she slowly opened the first page of the old, yellow album.
There were greyscale pictures of a woman... a beautiful woman, wearing traditional sarees, beautiful gowns at times, her eyes... her nose... her lips... even that small dark mole on her left chin... All were familiar to Vidhi.
In one of the pictures, the woman was smiling, and the camera had captured the subtle dimple on her cheeks.
Vidhi tried to smile forcefully as her hands automatically reached upto her cheeks, feeling the dimple on them.
"This are my pictures...!" She gasped in acute astonishment, looking up at Anirudh with a dazed gaze.
"But... But, it's not me! How is this..." Vidhi couldn't speak any more as her voice choked in an amalgamation of unknown emotions.
Anirudh sat down beside her on the bed and pulled out an old envelope from his pocket.
"Read this..."
Vidhi took the letter like a enchanted soul, as her eyes started to skim through it.
"It's... It's... But... How is this possible?"
Her hands were shaking as she started to feel a sharp ache in her heart.
"Calm down... Calm down Princess... You're having a panic attack..."
He quickly inched towards her and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her, as he pulled her close to his chest.
"Shh... Count to ten... Princess... Count to ten."
Vidhi followed his instruction as her breathing started to normalise. She closed her eyes inhaling his mesmerising scent as she spread her arms, clasping him back.
"Feels good?" Anirudh asked softly.
"Yes..." Vidhi replied. " So, this lady in the photograph... She is..."
Anirudh didn't let her complete the sentence.
"Yes... She is Bondita Roy Choudhury."
Vidhi inhaled his scent sharply, trying to sink in to his words as she dreaded the next answer.
"And... as per the letter... " She murmured the words.
"Yes. And as per the letter... YOU ARE HER... BONDITA!"
Anirudh replied calmly as another deafening thunder struck the earth, shattering some window panes somewhere. And, Vidhi moved yet closer to Anirudh's body, clasping him with all her might, eliminating all gaps in between them that had existed in this mortal world.
"I'm scared... Don't leave me." Vidhi hushed into his neck as Anirudh swallowed hard, feeling an ancient, forgotten impulse coursing through his veins. He snaked her body tighter, burying his nose in her hair, as he breathed out the words.
"I won't... Ever!"