The chicken sandwich, the omlette, the glass of fresh orange juice, all were immaculately arranged on the table and Vidhi started devouring the delicious food in no time.
"So tell me Sampurna Maa, he never comes for meals?" Vidhi asked, munching her sandwich happily.
"Not that I can remember of." Sampurna smiled back.
"And how long have you been staying here?"
"Well, honestly, I don't remember, I suffered from amnesia and I can't seem to remember anything about my past." Sampurna paused, as her face reflected a thoughtful expression.
"Well, the day I got back my senses, I was lying down in the back quarters of this mansion where I live now. Master said that I have no family and have been living with them since childhood... But, I don't remember anything."
Vidhi widened her eyes.
"How long was it ago?"
"Ten years I believe!" Sampurna said calmly.
"So, Sampurna Maa, did you see the Barrister's parents or anyone here?"
"No... Never, it's always him. He travels a lot for his work and has spend very little time here in this mansion." Sampurna replied.
"Wow... He has been working for the last ten years! How old is he?" Vidhi suddenly furrowed her eyes in a question.
"I don't know... Twenty five... May be twenty six... It's hard to tell actually, as I've always seen him like the way he is!"
"Strange!" Vidhi rolled her eyes.
"You never thought of leaving or trying to know about your past?"
Sampurna smiled at her question as she pulled a chair and sat beside her.
"No Miss, I haven't. I have everything here... This mansion, serving him and now you... This is my life and I'm happy."
Vidhi smiled back at the calm composed demeanor of this middle aged motherly lady who say infront of her. Her simplicity had touched her heart as she suddenly extended her hand to touch Sampurna's arms.
"I like you Sampurna Maa... I promise I won't trouble you much."
The duo laughed heartily at the words as suddenly Vidhi's eyes hitched at a green tattoo on the lady's arm.
"What's this? What does this say?" She pointed at the tattoo with her eyes.
"Oh... That's a name... It says 'Shireen' in Urdu." Sampurna replied.
"Wow... You can read Urdu?"
"Not that I remember learning it... But, yes, I gues I can read the language." She smiled brightly at Vidhi.
"And, why Shireen? What does it mean? Is it a name? Or?"
Sampurna got up from the chair and took the booklist from the table.
"I don't know Miss... I don't have answers myself... "
A sad forlorn expression clouded her face as Vidhi tried desparately to cheer her up.
"So, it's you and me then." She said. "And I bet you cook delicious... Looking forward to have lunch with you Sampurna Maa."
The lady smiled again.
"Sure Miss. I generally eat alone... I'd be glad to receive your company... See you at lunch then."
Vidhi picked the dishes up and kept them into the kitchen sink adjacent to the huge dining hall, as her thoughts drifted back to the letter once again.
'If Bondita is supposed to be born again, then why wait for a hundred years? Won't the husband be already dead by then? If not....'
Vidhi's thoughts ran like a wildfire...
'If not already, he is born again as well!... But, then why did the Barrister find me from the streets?
And, moreover, what is his interest in uniting his dead grandparents? Wierd!'
Vidhi rolled her lips and exhaled sharply as she walked inside her room in leisurely steps.
She pulled her backpack and took out her biology book, flipping through its pages in acute attention.
The day rolled lazily as Vidhi devoted her time preparing for her upcoming examination in the quiet peaceful ambiance of the mansion. She had received new books before afternoon as her heart danced at the fresh smell of the new pages. All her thoughts, all apprehensions was erased from her mind as her serious gaze poured into grasping the concepts in the books.
She took a break during the lunch, chatting her heart out with Sampurna as they ate the sumptuous food, enjoying every bit of it.
The sky had started to grow dull and it was around six in the evening, when she finally finished the last set of integrations from a past paper.
"Someone is studying all day."
Vidhi looked up at her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the handsome young man standing infront of her. She smiled brightly welcoming him inside the room.
"Yes... I did study a lot today... After a long time and I'm happy." Vidhi closed the books and kept them aside, making space for Anirudh to sit on her bed.
Anirudh smiled warmly.
"So, what's the plan now?" He asked her, sitting on the bed, as he faced towards her.
"May I?" He asked her again, as his hands moved up gently to her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. He smiled mischievously, noticing how her ears had instantly turned red.
"Um... Plan... As in... You tell me." Vidhi murmured the words awkwardly.
Anirudh got up immediately. He extended his hands asking Vidhi to hold it as he spoke softly to her.
"Let me take you somewhere special... Get up."
Vidhi held his hand like a possessed soul as her heart started to flutter in his touch. The touch felt cold, yet sensuous!
Anirudh held her hands and guided her outside the room as they passed across the dining hall towards a spiral staircase leading further up towards the east.
"Where are we going?" Vidhi asked.
"You'll see in a minute."
Anirudh led her towards a large door and stopped. He left her hand and took out a large metal key from his pocket.
He put the key inside and turned it around as the door opened with a sharp creek.
"Wow!" Vidhi gasped at the sight.
At the first sight, it was like a dreamland, some fairy tale that she could only visualise in her loveliest dream!
There were beautiful white statues of angels, adorned with strings of colorful flowers... There were marble seats arranged meticulously at one side. A clear rectangular pool was at one corner of the open spacious rooftop overlooking a beautiful flower swing. The reflection of the swing fell on the blue crystal water of the pool, making it appear aesthetic. Everything was mesmerizing as Vidhi stood still, gaping at the view like an enchanted soul.
"This is marvelous!" She exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands, as she slowly stepped inside to take a closer look. Anirudh had crept behind her, and lowering his face to her ears, he asked her softly.
"Did you like the place?"
Vidhi jumped up at his sudden words and turned around to face him.
Her eyes ran through his body once again. He was wearing a black shirt and a grey chinos trousers, and at that moment it became difficult for her to gauge which sight was more breathtaking!
"Umm... Yea... This place is awesome!" Vidhi murmured the words. "And, so are you..."
Anirudh smirked at her words.
"Thank you." He replied politely.
"Now let me show you around."
He stretched his hand out asking for her hand once again, as he expertly guided her around the rooftop.
Vidhi sat on the flower swing and hummed a tune to herself.
"Ummm... Can't tell you how much I've missed that voice." Anirudh pressed his eyes shut as he stood behind the swing, giving it a light push to make it sway in rhythm.
Vidhi stopped abruptly.
"What do you mean by you have missed this? You haven't ever heard me sing!"
Anirudh opened his eyes, acclaimatising with the reality.
"I meant I haven't heard anyone hum like this in a long time!"
"Ohh...." Vidhi laughed out. "Why, doesn't your girlfriend sing? Or girlfriends may be!"
"That's a fair point. But sadly I don't have any." Anirudh replied softly.
"You know what... It's so difficult to believe that a man like you doesn't have a girlfriend." Vidhi smiled suspiciously rolling her eyes.
Anirudh didn't reply. Instead, he held the strings of the swing ceasing it's movement as Vidhi turned around to face him.
"What do you mean by a man like me?" Anirudh smirked, turning her face into a crimson hue.
"Um... Well, rich... Young... Handsome... " She murmured the words.
"So you think I'm handsome?" Anirudh suddenly bent forward, inching his mouth closer to her ears as he hushed the question to her, making her feel goosebumps.
"Um... Yeah... Anyone would say that." Vidhi whispered a reply nervously.
"I don't care about anyone... I only care about..."
Vidhi didn't let Anirudh finish his sentence as she quickly jumped up from the swing and started to walk forward towards the clear pool.
"Hey... These looks amazing! But, this place kinda looks old."
"Yes... It's after ages that someone entered here... I generally don't get time." Anirudh replied calmly.
Vidhi sat down on the brim of the pool and dipped her legs into the cold clear water. She was wearing a cotton shorts teamed with a white t-shirt that Sampurna had arranged in the cupboard along with her new books.
"Wanna come here and sit? I bet you'd love the water." Vidhi asked without turning around to look at him.
Anirudh slowly walked towards her and perched himself beside her, as he started to fold his trousers.
"You really want me to dip my legs in here?" He asked.
"You bet!" Vidhi smiled gorgeously making his heart flutter in delight. He touched his feet in the water, adjusting to the cold as he slowly dipped them inside the pool.
"This really feels good. Thank you Miss Sengupta."
"Why do you call my Miss Sengupta? You can call me Vidhi or Vids if you'd like." Vidhi looked into his eyes.
Anirudh smiled at her and raised his hand slowly, reaching her face. He traced an outline of her beautiful face lightly with his fingers as he spoke the words slowly.
"May be... Someday... I'll call you by your real name."
"Real name? You mean Bondita?" Vidhi murmured.
"I have a few questions in my mind Barrister... May I ask if you don't mind?"
Anirudh nodded his head slightly.
"Please do."
Vidhi narrowed her eyes framing the questions in her mind one by one.
"So, according to the letter, if I'm Bondita, then why does it say that the husband would have to wait a hundred years to meet her again? Because nobody lives for a hundred years!" She paused.
"And, if I'm really born after a hundred years, then where is the husband?.. I mean your grandfather? Is he to be reborn somewhere as well? And, am I suppose to fall in love with him or what... I mean how does this work really?"
Vidhi stopped, looking expectantly at his face, as she desparately searched for answers.
"And of everything... I'm curious why you are so desparate to unite your grandparents? I mean you can very much have your own lovestory you know!"
The last words made her face flush in bashfulness as she looked away from him.
Anirudh didn't reply. Instead, he suddenly kept his hands on hers, startling her to the core.
She felt as if wild electric currents ran madly throughout her body, surging from the point of his touch.
"I wish the answers were so easy." Anirudh finally replied, exhaling a deep breath as he looked at her eyes, tying her in an intense gaze.
"Miss Sengupta... Can we go with the flow?"
"What does that mean?" Vidhi murmured. "What if instead of falling for the reborn grandfather, I fall for someone else?"
Her lips quivered under his gaze.
"Someone else as in?" Anirudh asked, as his fingers touched her lips tenderly, tracing an outline.
"As in... The grandson!"
Vidhi muttered the words in a trace as her heart started to thud inside her chest.
"You heartbeat had increased!" Anirudh leaned forward and hushed into her ears.
"You can hear them?"
"Yes..." Anirudh whispered again. There was a hint of indomitable sensuality in his tone that was natural.
"And,... and what else can you hear?" Vidhi murmured nervously.
"Everything... Your rapid breathing, the heaved heartbeat, and your unrestrained desire to touch me..."
Her hand was still in his palm as he slowly moved it up, making her touch his chest.
Vidhi shuddered at the feeling.
She felt his strong muscular chest under the thin cotton shirt as a sharp jolt ran down her spine.
"Can you feel my heartbeat?" He asked her.
Vidhi nodded slowly and took a sharp deep breath. And in the next moment, before Anirudh could fathom her thoughts or reaction, she pushed him with all her strength, making his lose his balance and fall in the water.
"Go fish..." Vidhi giggled as she saw Anirudh's drenched silhouette. The water had soaked his body completely making his shirt transparent, and revealing his eye-catching physique.
Anirudh had still held her hand and he tugged at her gently making her trip and fall on him into the water.
'Spashhh...!' the sound reverberated through the air accompanied by laughter and giggles.
Vidhi had fell on Anirudh's soaked chest as his strong arms snaked around her waist firmly to support her stand inside the pool. Their bodies were pressed together as Vidhi fumbled nervously at the abruptness of the situation.
Anirudh smirked at her playfully.
"Now let's play fish together... Shall we!"