Safar Khoobsurat hai Manzil Se Bhi (A Mature AniDita Fanfiction)

You made me yours with a smile!

They had picked up a lot of pace as the sun started shining on them brightly. They had to find the stream as their journey ahead depended on it's direction. 
They were now running when Bondita's foot hit a small rock and she fell down.
Letting out a painful yelp, she realized to her horror that she had landed in a puddle of mud. 
Aniruddh was quick to help her out of the mud, but she caught the mirth that he was trying to control. 

Forgetting her woes as a wave of irritation hit her, sticking her hands on her waist, she asked angrily, 

"Mien gir gayi aur aapko hassi aarhy hai Sakha babu?"

Controlling the urge to laugh out loud, Aniruddh quickly apologized,

"Nahi nahi Bondita… Aisi baat nahi hai… lekin tum…" 
He had to stop because of the laughter threatening to erupt. 

"Kia mien?" She asked, thoroughly irritated. 

Bending down in front of her with suppressed mirth, he said,

"Mien aaina babu hun na tumhara. Zara dekho tou apne aapko meri aankhon mien. Poori sar se paaon tak keechad mien doobi hui ho Bondita." 

She gasped at his reply, and while he had now let go of his mirth and was chortling uncontrollably, she felt her irritation dissipating slowly as a smile came to her lips watching him laughing. 
He was mostly so serious and his ‘laughters’ were also quite careful and calculated. He didn't laugh that much either, anyway. 
But today, in a situation where they were running for their lives in a thick dense jungle and with the constant fear of encountering animals ahead or getting caught by Thaku maa's men, here he was ...guffawing so happily, letting himself lose completely in the moment without any burden… as if everything was fine. 
His carefree laughter was a sight to behold...something that made Bondita absurdly happy too as her heart filled with tenderness on noticing how he referenced himself as her "aaina babu." 

Finally controlling his mirth, he looked at her smiling sheepishly. 
Feeling a sudden gush of love and tenderness, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and started wiping her face gently with it when she said lovingly,  

"Aapki hassi kitni khoobsurat hai. Aap ko hamesha hassta muskurata rehna chahiye."

His hand stilled on hearing her sweet remark, and then, smiling softly,  he said,

"Jab tum sath hoty ho, mien tab dil se hassta hun Bondita. Tumhien yaad hai Shadi ke baad woh din jab humien tumhare gaanv jana tha aur tumne meri poori study ki kitaabon ka pahaad jama ker dia tha sath le janay ke liye, aur phir khud hi unke beech phas gayee thyn?"

Recalling the incident and how he had laughed wholeheartedly then also,  she smiled and said, 

"Kitni silly thy na mien…"

Cleaning her hands now with his handkerchief, he replied, 

"Silly nahi thyn… Bilkul raw si...kacchi si mitti ki gudiya jaisi thyn tum. Buht pyari. Sab se alag...Aur bilkul saada. Koi pretense nahi...koi chalaki nahi. Janty ho Bondita, uss waqt ghar per sab ko lag rha tha ke mien tum per ghussa kerun ga aur naraz honga meri kitaabien chhoone per. Lekin mujhe hassi agayi thy apni chhoti si gudiya jaisi patni ko uske size se badi badi kitaabon ke beech dekh ker. Mujhe hasta dekh ker sab heiran reh gaye thay… mien khud bhi. Aur tabb mujhe realize hua tha Bondita ke woh tumhari wajeh se tha."

Pure love and joy rushed through her blood as she realized what he had confessed. 

She was his reason to smile…
She was his key to happiness! 

Rising up on his feet, laying his hand gently against the side of her face, he asked, 

"Buht chot lagy hai Bondita?"

When she shook her head in negative, he said,

"That's good. Abhi stream per pohanch ker tum apne aapko clean up ker lena. Aur sari ki tension na lou. Mere bag mien mere aik extra pair of clothes hain. Tum woh pehen lena."

Nodding her head, they quickly picked up their pace to search for the stream.