Annirudh hadn’t planned for this.
Hadn’t planned for becoming best friends with his wife,
Hadn’t planned for falling in love with said wife, especially after years he had spent pinning over Saudamini and her shallow beauty.
And he certainly hadn't planned on sitting next to her on their shared study couch, unable to concentrate on the case file in his hand, in favor of watching Bondhita’s eyelashes flutter as she fought the waves of exhaustion that tried to lull her to sleep.
It was adorable how hard she tried, determined to stay up and finish the last few pages of her university dissertation despite the fact that she had a long day and deserved a little rest.
“Mishti, tum thodi der aaram kar lo?” Annirudh suggests, patting his lap gently to indicate a makeshift pillow for his prodigy.
Prodigy. Right. Bondhita was just his prodigy.
A disgruntled huff leaves Bondhita’s mouth and a soft smile inches onto Annirudh’s face at the sound of it.
“Main thaki huyi nahi hoon Barrister Babu,” she crosses her arms and widens her eyes comically wide to stare at the notebook in her hand, “dekhe, main kitne dhyaan se padh rahi hoon, mujhe neend ki koi zaroorat nahi hain.”
Annirudh can’t help the endeared chuckle that leaves his mouth as he pulls Bondhita closer to him by the arm. “maine kab kaha so jao, maine kaha itne lambe din ki baad, thodi der lait jaogi toh acha lagega.”
Bondhita melts immediately at the words. Letting out a sigh coupled with a shy smile, “Shukriya your honour,” she mumbles out as she lowers her head into Annirudh’s lap, left hand coming to curl up on Annirudh’s thigh just below his head.
They both simultaneously read through their respective work . With Annirudh carding his fingers gently through Bondhita’s hair, scratching at her scalp as he goes. It earns him a cute little purr and his heart nearly explodes with happiness at the sound. Annirudh loves calming Bondhita down. Loves giving her the attention and care she deserves.
Especially since she won’t take the time to do it herself.
Bondhita is a busy girl. Trying to balance a full course load as well as a part time job as judge’s assistant and taking care of the house, wasn’t easy. She barely had time to feed herself, nevertheless set aside time for self-care. And Annirudh understood that drive about her; being the one that instilled it into her.
Which is why he took it upon himself to care for Bondhita instead.
As his wife, Annirudh was lucky enough to be by Bondhita’s side all the time. Being one of the most sought after lawyer in Calcutta he had a flexible schedule, thus Annirudh had far more time on his hands than Bondhita did. She even tried to lessen his wife’s burden by offering to cover the full expense of her university studies, but of course Bondhita wouldn’t let him. Determined to be responsible for herself.
Annirudh respected her for it. But he also wished Bondhita would let others help him more.
It had taken Annirudh some time to figure it out, but he managed to find a way to care for Bondhita in a way that wouldn’t make his wife feel burdened. In a way that showed her just how much Annirudh loved her.
Even if Bondhita only interpreted that love platonically.
It didn’t matter to Annirudh though, he didn’t need the affection to be reciprocated. He gave it freely, expecting nothing in return. And that action brought him more satisfaction than he imagined. Bondhita’s happiness was his own.
Annirudh learned to cook started cooking more often, and around the time he knew Bondhita would be stumbling through the front door. Casually praising his wife’s good timing as he sets the table. Quickly though, the charade of going to the cabinet to pull out an extra set of dishes in surprise, ended. And Bondhita no longer had any hesitation when she came home to a warm meal and an even warmer smile.
Then Annirudh started giving him small head massages—like her mother used to. Pulling Bondhita to sit by his feet and rubbing warm oil in her scalp and rubbing small circles into the base of her neck. He claimed Bihari used to do this for him back home in Tulsipur and wanted to show Bondhita how to do them, so the younger girl could in turn help him work out the tension in his shoulders. And although Bondhita often returned the favor, it was Annirudh who insisted most of the time, delighted to have the opportunity to help his wife relax.
Here and there Annirudh did many things. Bought an extra pack of stationary from the store and begged Bondhita to share them with him. Randomly showed up with a box of roshgullas from her favourite mishtan bhandar, just because “I had a craving!”
He did a lot. And Bondhita started to notice.
She wasn’t completely oblivious. As her mood started lightening and her energy increased, she was able to think clearly enough to pick out the patterns. To notice that everything that was making her feel better had Annirudh attached to it. Annirudh and his kind heart and tender gaze. It was impossible to not fall for someone like him. Someone so intelligent and caring, and beautiful and just so much fun to be around.
Bondhita never had a chance. She was smitten from the day she understood what marital relationship meant.
But Annirudh only cared for Bondhita like a mentee, a responsibility, out of a kind heart and nothing more. And Bondhita was okay with that.
Because at least she still had Annirudh by her side.
So perhaps as he snuggled onto Annirudh’s lap and let her eyes flutter closed, she indulged himself in the fantasy of a world where her relationship with Annirud was more romantic. Of this moment meaning something more than just calming touches from a friend who knows how stressful of a day she’s had. She lets herself imagine what it would feel like to receive soft kisses against her hairline and gentle nibbles on her earlobe.
What Annirudh’s voice would sound like if he whispered a gentle “I love you,” in Bondhita’s ear. She shivers at the thought.
“Areè, thand lag rahi hain?” Annirudh exclaims with worry, having felt the slight tremor.
Bondhita curses his mind and overactive imagination for betraying her body into ruining the tender moment.
As Annirudh rises to grab a blanket, Bondhita nearly shrieks at her to stop, grabbing onto Annirudh’s hand as she sits halfway up, “No! Don’t get up.”
Annirudh chuckles and manages to maneuver off the couch, with Bondhita’s hand still gripping him, “Main sirf chaddar lene jaa raha hoon, abhi gaya aur abhi wapas aaya, Mishti.”
Bondhita doesn’t know what kind of boldness rushes through her at this exact moment. Perhaps a result of her hazy sleep deprived mind, but she doesn't want Jimin to leave her. Just wants to sit in his arms a little longer.
“No,” she insists, voice firm and eyes pleading, “aap his razai ka kaam kar de, sirf mere paas baithe na thodi der.”
Annirudh pauses. A beat of silence passing through them and Bondhita’s heart races as anxiety begins to prickle under her skin. Did she go too far?
“Thik hain, Mishti” Annirudh mumbles out, sitting back down on the couch cushion slowly, turning his body so his back leans against the sidearm, body twisted at the waist as his legs hang off the side still due to Bondhita’s seat right next to him. The realization that Annirudh is trying to lay down so they can cuddle washes over Bondhita with delight as she scrambles up so Annirudh can stretch his legs out.
When Bondhita settles onto his chest, Annirudh is terrified his wife can hear his heart racing. Can feel how much of a nervous wreck he is in this moment. He desperately wants to play it cool, like this isn’t the first time Bondhita has asked for something like this.
Of course they’ve touched and kind of snuggled close to each other during movie nights, that concept isn’t new for them. They’re naturally touchy people, giving and receiving love through fleeting touches with not only each other but their family as well. But this is different.
Laid across the couch with Bondhita on his chest, her head curled into the crook of Annirudh’s neck and arms clutching on his waist. This is far more intimate than anything they’ve done. And it scares and delights him at the same time.
It takes Annirudh a moment to figure out what to do with his hands, hesitantly curling one around Bodhita’s salwar clad waist to hold her closer and letting the other thread through her hair to continue the small scalp massage he was giving her earlier. And for a moment everything is going well; Annirudh tries to fall back into the headspace of just taking care of Bondhita. Of just easing the stress from her body with his touches.
Until she glances down and looks at Bondhita’s sleepy little face, lips slightly parted as she lets out little puffs of air across Annirudh’s warming skin through his white kurta.
She’s a vision. With the pale orange glow of the setting sun filtering in through their windows and bathing Bondhita in its glow. With her long dark eyelashes nearly brushing the tops of her cheeks with every breath. With her cute little nose tucked right against the collar of Annirudh’s kurta.
It takes every ounce of Annirudh’s self control to keep from peppering little kisses all over her face. Across her cheeks, her eyelids, her brow bone. To the top of her nose and the curve of her jaw. To each temple and at the center of her forehead.
To her pouty pink lips.
Annirudh wants to kiss Bondhita so bad.
He must have been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Bondhita had opened her eyes. Those big round eyes, staring up at him with this unabashed adoration that makes Anirudh’s entire body tingle. How long had she been awake? How long had she seen Annirudh staring down at her lips?
“Mis-Bondhita--” Annirudh breathes out hesitantly.
“Aap kuch karenge,” her voice comes out quiet but filled with certainty.
“Kya?” Annirudh looks down at her incredulously. There’s no way she could know what Annirudh was about to do. If she did, she wouldn’t be encouraging him.
Would she?
“kya app kuch karenge,” Bondhita says again, coming up on her elbows so she’s hovering a few inches above Annirudh’s face, eyes drooping halfway closed as she too glances at Annirudh’s lips, “Jo aap soch rahe hain.”
Annirudh’s heart flips, the rush of nervous exhilaration pounding through his blood stream, thrumming through his veins.
Is he really about to do this? To finally kiss his wife?
He leans up and drops a gentle peck on the tip of Bondhita’s nose, “iski baat kar rahi thi?” he whispers, looking into Bondhita’s eyes for any signs of discomfort.
“Haan,” Bondhita sighs out.
“Aur yeh,” ANnirudh presses a kiss to Bondhita’s cheekbone, pairing it with another to the opposite side.
Bondhita blushes slightly, a pretty pink dusting across her cheeks as she nods.
“Aur kya yeh bhi?,” Annirudh’s voice is barely a whisper as he peppers another two onto Bondhita’s eyebrows which gets him a breathy giggle and a shaky “ haan.”
Annirudh’s hands have found their way up Bondhita’s body, snaking across her skin to cup her face as he leans in closer, only a hair away from her trembling lips.
“Aese hi?” he mutters out before pressing forward and crashing his lips onto Bondhita’s waiting ones, earning himself a little whimper of pleasure as Bondhita kisses him back.
And oh does she kiss him.
Bondhita feels as if she’s been waiting a lifetime for this moment, never having imagined Annirudh to want her in the same way. To want to kiss her and touch her and hold her. To see her as his wife and not just a mentee. The feeling was beyond her wildest dreams.
The way Annirudh’s lips pulled at his, the way he languidly licked into Bondhita's mouth while grabbing at her hips so he could move him to straddle Annirudh while they made out. It was all so much hotter but also so much sweeter than she expected.
That was the pleasure of kissing someone who knew your soul inside and out.
“Iss pal ka kabse intezaar kar raha tha main,” Annirudh pants, resting his forehead against Bondhita’s as they take a minute to breathe.
“Main bhi,” Bondhita admits with a breathy laugh, “Hum dono kaafi buddhu hain?”
“Shayad,” Annirudh admits with a blinding grin, “Par ab tum meri budhu hon,” he pecks Bondhita’s lips.
“Meri pyaari,”
kiss.
“khoobsurat si,”
kiss.
“hoshiyaar, Mishti.”
Kiss, kiss, kiss.
Bondhita’s entire face colors at the attention, eyes dropping shyly because she can’t even look at Annirudh’s intense gaze.
Her hands reach out and grip Annirudh’s shirt to pull him up closer, chests touching as he flicks her eyes up, looking at him through her lashes.
“Main to hamesha se aapki thi,” she whispers, just before leaning in to press another deep kiss to Annirudh’s swollen lips.
Lips that stretch into a smile, unable to quell the happiness that pulses through him.
A mirror image of Bondhita’s own, thankful to finally kiss the man she loves.
I should never write OSes--because I am no good telling stories in less than 2000 words.
Here's my take on how Ani-bondhita's confession might go--Hopefully Saudamini is in her own house by then and not bothering our favourite couple.
To clear things up==they two live in calcutta while rest of the family leaves in Tulsipur--i didn't exactly care for the nuances of the story just wrote down whatever came to my mind.
I hope you enjoy it. Let me know how you like it.
~Aashna
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