Chapter 4

[NOCOPY]

Part 4

Rathore: bye

Call disconnect…………………………

Arjun and Riya walked back to the NGO with ice cream cones in their hand.

Riya: Arjun

Arjun: ha?

Riya: thank you for everything

Arjun groaned: oh god Riya! please fir se nahi

Riya: tum itna chidte kyun ho?

Arjun: tum ghadi-ghadi thank you kyun bolti ho? aur waise bhi thank you toh mujhe kehna chahiye, tumhare bagair woh ring kabhi pakdi nahi jaati

Flashback

ETF office-

After the successful Dahisar raid, they got another chit with the same handwriting through an anonymous post. Unfortunately, it went wrong. The deal they were waiting for never happened at the designated time and place. Only much later, they came to know that it had already occurred elsewhere. They had faced quite a bit of flak from the commissioner regarding the same. Night fell by the time they finished the paperwork.

Liza: sir ab aage kya?

Rathore: hum apni duty karenge, aur waise bhi ho sakta hai ki woh jo koi bhi hai dobara tip de

Arjun: mujhe nahi lagta us par bharosa karna sahi hoga

Shree: par sir pehli baar toh theek tha

Chotu: nahi re, Arjun sir sahi bol rahe hai, aisa bhi toh ho sakta ki woh sirf humara vishwas jeetne ke liye kiya ko taaki humara dhyaan bat jaaye, ye deal zyaada badi thi

Arjun: exactly, isliye….

Just then the watchman came in and saluted.

Watchman: sir! ye koi chod ke gaya mere seat ke upar

He handed them a piece of paper. Ayesha took it from him and gestured him to leave. She opened it and was greeted by the same familiar handwriting. Ayesha read out loud.

Dockyard, shipment no. 157, 24th

For the lessons that the world needs to learn.

Arjun’s head snapped in the direction: kya kaha?

Ayesha: kya sir?

Arjun: neeche kya likha hai?

She was confused but read again: for the lessons that the world needs to learn

Arjun’s mind flashed to the night he had met the mysterious prostitute on the road.

“The world needs to learn a lot of lessons from you officer”

He grabbed his gun and ran out: main aata hun, taiyaari karo raid ki!!!

Rathore: lekin Arjun…

But he was already out

Shree: ye kya tha?

Ayesha: inhone abhi toh kaha ki bharosa nahi karna toh fir ab kya hua?

Sakshi: woh toh humesha se ajeeb tha chodo, lekin is line ka kya matlab hai?

They exchanged glances amongst themselves but no one had any idea.

Marve Beach, Lighthouse-

A lone figure was sitting on the rocks gazing the crashing waves. Her thoughts are broken by the sound of footsteps. Startled, she turned around and sees Arjun coming towards her.

Shocked, she stood up and faced him: tum? Tum yaha kya kar rahe ho?

Arjun(flatly): pathar todne aaya hu (She lowered her gaze) woh tips tum de rahi hona?

Girl: maine tumhe koi chits nahi di

Arjun raised his eyebrow: toh tumhe kaise pata ki woh chit par likhe the?

She scrunched her eyebrow and then sighed. Arjun came to her and sat on the rocks. She followed suit and continued to stare at the ocean whereas Arjun looked at her.

Arjun: naam kya hai tumhara?

Girl: Lailla

Arjun rolled his eyes: customer nahi hun tumhara, asli naam batao

Girl(reluctantly): Riya….tumhe kaise pata ki main yaha houngi?

Arjun: yahi choda tha jab mood nahi tha tumhara

Riya: is baat ki kya guarantee ki aaj bhi mera mood nahi hai kaam karne ka?

Arjun: agar nahi hoti toh jab tak nahi milti, yahi aata rehta

Riya looked at him: itna dedicated police officer aaj tak nahi dekha maine

Arjun: police waale dekhe hai?

Riya: bahot saare, thode customers hote hai, thode extortion ke liye aate hai, thode humare liye kaam karte hai

Arjun shrugged: fair enough

Silence rested for a few moments.

Arjun: Riya, dekho, thank you for the help lekin please ye sab chod do, ye bahot khatarnaak hai aur agar tumhari gang ko pata chal gaya toh woh tumhare saath kya karenge ye tum soch bhi nahi sakti

Riya: main nahi chod sakti Arjun…

Arjun: tumhe mera naam kaise pata?

Riya: kothe par aaye the tab suna tha (he nodded and she continued) agar ab main peeche hat gayi toh khud ko maaf nahi kar paungi

Arjun: Riya tumhara dimag kharaab ho gaya hai? suicide hi karna hai toh isi samundar mein doob jao! Tum baat ki seriousness ko samaj kyun nahi rahi ho?

Riya: tum log kisi andar ke mole ke ilawa un tak kabhi nahi pahunch paoge

Arjun: uska ye matlab nahi hai ki hum kisi ki jaan ko khatre mein daal denge aur…

Riya cut him off: mere andar mere jism ke ilawa kuch nahi bacha Arjun, us din tumne uske andar ki bachi hui jaan ki raksha ki, usi ki dakshina samaj lo

Arjun: ye Pagalpan hai!! tum please samajhne ki koshish karo….

Riya: samajhna mujhe nahi tumhe hai…

Arjun: Riya please! Maine wahi kiya jo kisi bhi sahi dimag waale insaan ko karna chahiye tha aur moreover woh meri duty thi, tumhara kya lena dena hai is sab se? kyun tum ye sab kar rahi ho?!?!

Riya: kyunki aaj se pehle kisi ki himmat nahi hui ki kothe par aakar madam ji ko dhamki dene ki, mujhe bharosa hai ki tum log is gandgi ko saaf kar sakte ho

Arjun stared at her in bewilderment: tum…tum apne hi logon ke khilaaf humari madad kyun kar rahi ho?

Riya stayed silent for a few moments and then looked at him.

Riya: junior college mein thi main, ek din doston ke saath college ke paas ghum rahi thi. Achanak ek gaadi aayi aur andar ke gundo ne mujhe kidnap kar liya. woh log mujhe kothe par le gaye. Mujhe kuch samaj mein nahi aa raha tha ki mere saath ho kya raha hai, kyun ho raha hai, bahot dar gayi thi, lekin meri kisi bhi bheek ka koi faayda nahi hua, un logon ne mujhe dhandhe mein daal diya, shuru mein bahot cheekhti thi, har waqt roti thi, samaj mein nahi aata tha ki jism ka dard zyaada hai ya dil ka. Do mahine baad jab ek raat woh mujhe kisi meeting ke liye lodge mein le gaye the toh waha police ki raid pad gayi, us confusion ka faayda utha kar mein bhaagne mein kamyaab ho gayi, ghar waapis gayi ko mummy papa ko aise gale lagaya jaise janamo se unse door hu, maine unhe sab kuch bataya aur fir

Arjun: fir?

Riya gulped the lump in her throat: they disowned me

Arjun(shocked): WHAT?! Lekin….lekin kyun? Tum toh unki beti thi

Riya: ha par, unke liye…. Main ek prostitute ban chuki thi. Papa ne mujhe zabardasti ghar ke baahar nikal kar darwaaza mere muh par bandh kar diya, ye kehkar ki main ashudh ho gayi hun, kyunki main itne saare logon ke saath (she stopped in an effort to compose herself) main khud shock ho gayi, kabhi ye nahi socha tha ki mere apne maa-baap aise react karenge. Jaane ke liye koi jagah nahi thi, bas raaste par bhatak rahi thi, aadhi raat thi, aur dimag mein sawalon ki bauchaar, itne mein by chance ek regular customer ne mujhe dekh liya, toh woh mujhe apne saath le gaye, raat uske saath thi aur subah waapis woh mujhe kothe par chod gaya….dobara kabhi bhaagne ki ya resist karne ke liye wajah hi nahi mili

She sighed and hugged herself due to the cold breeze.

Riya: agar meri tumhari madad karne se kisi ek bhi 16 saal ki Riya ko aisa future milne se rok sakti hun toh main khushi-khushi apni jaan de dungi Arjun, please mujhe mana mat karo

Arjun could do nothing but stare at her. He couldn’t understand how she was so hardened and yet so empathetic. Her eyes hadn’t had a single tear as she narrated her ordeal to him. He was unsure of what to say to her. Collecting his thoughts, he finally spoke.

Arjun: main tumse vaada karta hun Riya, ki is ring ko khatam karke rahunga, if it’s the last thing I do but you have to promise me to be careful

She smiled lightly. The same smile she had given him when she had exited his car the other night. It was small but genuine. It showed in her eyes.

Arjun: par ek baat batao, agar tumhe khud ko chupaana hi tha toh woh line kyun likhi aaj?

Riya: pichli baar galti meri thi, maine do deal ki time, jagah reverse kar di, I knew tum log us par dobara bharosa karne se katraoge, toh maine socha if you felt familiar, it would be easier to trust

Arjun nodded.

Flashback Ends

Riya: Arjun tumhare bina…

Arjun: ha pata hai mujhe, firse jeevan katha nahi sunni mujhe (Riya raised her eyebrow) aur nahi toh kya? Tum kyun baar-baar firse usi jagah pahunch jaati ho? the entire point of bringing you here was ki tum us sab se baahar niklo. Why do you keep belittling yourself by thinking of the same things again and again?

Riya sighed: itna aasan nahi hai Arjun, jis par beet ti hai wahi samaj sakta hai

Arjun stopped and faced her: nahi samajna mujhe, aisa kisi ke bhi saath nahi hona chahiye, kisi ko samajna nahi chahiye (he cupped her face surprising her) Riya tum jo bhi thi woh beet chuka hai, aaj ye ho, jo mere saamne khadi hai aur tum jo banogi woh tumhara past define nahi karega, woh tumhara aaj decide karega aur ye tumhe decide karna hoga whether you want those shadows to keep lingering or you want to step out into the light.

She sighed: main koshish karti hun Arjun bas…

Arjun: main jaanta hu, bas har mat manna, mujhe pura bharosa hai tum par

Riya smiled whole heartedly taking his breath away. It wasn’t often that he saw her smiling like that. Still caught in her beauty, he leaned forward. Stunned, she was about to pull away when she felt his lips on her forehead. She closed her eyes cherishing the feeling that he invoked in her. He let his lips linger for a moment longer before finally pulling away. She slowly opened her eyes, a reddish tint appeared on her cheeks. Arjun felt like jumping in happiness.

Riya refused to make eye contact with him: uh…woh, mujhe neend aa rahi hai, chalti hu

She started walking and had barely taken a few steps when his fingers curled around her wrist. She stopped, feeling nervous but didn’t turn.

Arjun: chain se sona

She looked at him surprise and was greeted by his smiling face.

Arjun left her hand: sweet dreams

She nodded and ran away towards the gate of the NGO. The moment she disappeared behind the gate, he did what he wanted to….jumped up in excitement. His mind kept flashing her flushed after the kiss making his heart burst. How he wished to see that face every day for the rest of his life!

Flashback

Arjun and Riya were at the same place she used as an escape. They were discussing information when the clouds burst into torrential rain.

Riya: oh god!

She quickly got up and ran towards the lighthouse to take shelter. As she wiped the droplets from her hands and face she noticed Arjun was not beside her. She searched for him and saw him enjoying the rain.

Riya: Arjun kya kar rahe ho? bheegna band karo aur andar aao

Arjun: samundar ke saamne khule aasmaan mein bheeg kar toh dekho Riya

Riya: Pagalpan mat karo, get inside!

Arjun shook his head and disbelief and sprinted towards her. She shifted a little in order to give him space.

Riya: tum sach mein…

Before she could say anything else, he grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.

Riya(shocked): Arjun kya kar rahe ho? chodo mujhe

She tried to go back but his grip was firm. Her hands tried to cover her head but it was no use.

Arjun: ek baar baahein faila kar ise mehsoos toh karo Riya, aisa lagega jaise duniya ki har khushi mil gayi hai

Riya: You’re Mad!!!

Arjun chuckled: I know that, koshish toh karo!

She cursed him for putting her there.

Arjun: come on Riya…..ek baar

She groaned and brought her hand back down. He left her hand knowing she wouldn’t run away. She took a deep breath in an effort to relax her stiff body. She raised her head to feel the raindrops on her face. A sense of peace started trickling down her body. Her eyes closed.

Arjun smiled seeing her. Noticing her hesitant frame, he stepped behind her. His palms held hers. Riya gasped feeling his breath near her ear. Their eyes locked with each other. He gently raised her hands along with his, throwing them open to the downpour.

He whispered into her ear: just feel Riya…mehsoos karo is baarish ko

As if in a trance she obeyed him, looking back towards the sky and closing her eyes. He was right. Bliss was washing over her. Her lips curved into a smile, bigger than what he had seen before but as genuine as it was.

He slowly left her hands and stepped away. Her arms stayed open. It was as if time froze for her. Not just for her actually, for him as well. In that dark night and pouring rain, he saw Riya as who she really was, the one that had been buried years ago. Something stirred in his heart, a feeling invoked and then he realised, she was the most beautiful person he had ever met. All he wished then was to capture her image forever.

Flashback Ends

Arjun leaned against the car, smiling to himself. With the same happiness rushing through him, he got into the driver’s seat and drove back home.

On the other hand Riya banged the door of her room shut. Her heart was still beating wildly. The second she closed her eyes, she saw his, looking at her as if she meant the world to him. Her forehead was still tingling with the feel of his lips.

Her eyes shot open mv “oh God! Riya stop! Aisa nahi ho sakta…control yourself!” Evening her breaths she changed and laid on the bed. But no matter how hard she tried, the visual of him kissing her refused to leave her mind. Sighing, she dug her face into the pillow and tried to sleep.

Two days later-

Arjun had dragged her out for his post-exam party or rather hers. They were driving back towards the NGO from the restaurant.

Riya: Arjun ek baat batao, tum ETF mein ho na?

Arjun: ha

Riya: ACP ho na?

Arjun: ha?

Riya: ETF ke second-in-command ho na?

Arjun nodded unsure of where the conversation was heading.

Riya: toh fir tumhare paas itna free time kaha se hota hai mujhse milne ka?

Arjun raised his eyebrow: Riya, kahi tum ye toh nahi kehna chahti ki main tumhe pareshaan karta hu?

Riya looked away to hide her smile: maine aisa kab kaha? Main toh bas puch rahi hu

Arjun: acha? Toh fir ye bhi bata do ki tumhare man mein achanak ye sawaal kaha se aaya?

Riya: nahi main toh bas aise hi puch rahi thi

Arjun: kyun puch rahi thi?

Riya: bas yu hi

He pulled up at the ice cream cart: yu hi kyun? (rolling down the window) bhaiya do Vanilla!

The middle aged man smiled seeing them and nodded. Arjun turned back to Riya.

Arjun: bolo

Riya: uh…let’s walk na

She unfastened her seatbelt and got out of the car. Arjun squinted. He got out as Riya took the cones from the vendor. He paid for them and took one from her. Riya started walking.

Riya: waise tumhari meeting thi na aaj? Kaisi gayi?

But bypassing Arjun Rawte was only a dream. He was not going to let go of her so easily. He continued to tease her.

Arjun: baat mat ghumao, meri meeting mein tumhe koi interest nahi hai, seedhe-seedhe batao ki kya keh rahi thi……………………………