Chapter 42

Bloomie

@bloomie

Part 42 [MEMBERSONLY][NOCOPY]

He took Riya upstairs and pulled her into a room. Riya stepped away, playing hard to get when he came closer. He grabs her hand and pushes her against a wall. Riya smirks. Manik traps her between the wall and him. He leans down to kiss her………………………….

Riya plunged the syringe in his neck before he could. His eyes widened in shock. The dose starts entering his system. He tries to attack her but falls down to the floor. Riya shakes her head in disbelief. She unlocks the door and goes outside. She locks Manik inside and goes up to the terrace. Arjun and Gokhale were waiting for her.

Arjun: ho gaya?

Riya: koi shak?

Arjun: never!

She smiles. The trio then abduct Manik and leave through the terrace to the waiting taxi.

Police station-

Manik was put in the lock up. The ETF’s endeavour in Mumbai too had been successful. They had 2 other raids lined up by next morning where Jagan used to work from.

Arjun: tumhari yaha ki formalities hone ke baad, ise Mumbai transport kar dena

Gokhale: sure sir!

Arjun and Riya leave the station. It was past 11 by then.

Riya: are we leaving now ya fir kal subah?

Arjun: raid haina? Abhi niklenge toh der raat hi sahi pahunch jayenge.

Riya: hm, toh check out kar lete hai

Arjun nodded. They check out from the hotel, grabbing a quick snack on the way. Arjun took the wheel. Halfway through the journey, Riya makes him switch places so he could rest for a while too. Riya was blasting romantic melodies to keep her focus. They had almost reached Madap when Riya saw a jam ahead of her. Surprised, she slowed down. She glanced at Arjun before looking straight again. Using one hand, she shook Arjun awake.

Riya: Arjun sir… sir! sir uthiye!

It didn’t take much, he was a light-sleeper. He stretched and opened his eyes.

Arjun: ha?

Riya: sir raasta jam hai

Confused, he sits up and straightens his seat.

Arjun: itni raat ko traffic kyun hai?

Riya (applying brakes): pata nahi, shayad koi accident hua ho?

Arjun: tum ruko, main dekh kar aata hu

Riya: ok

He watched the road for incoming cars before opening the door and stepping out. Riya sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against the headrest. Arjun returns after a few minutes. The sound of the door shutting makes her open her eyes.

Arjun: bad news

Riya: kya?

Arjun: landslide hui hai

Riya: what? Abhi kaha baarish ka mausam hai?

Arjun: yea but, the ground decided to break. Shayad koi mild tectonic earthquake aaya hoga. Nothing serious, sirf road block ho gaya hai

Riya: toh ab?

Arjun: Dono side traffic hai, police hai, disaster waale abhi tak pahunche nahi, and unke aane ke baad bhi time lagega. Atleast subah ke 7-8 bajenge

Riya: toh ab kya saari raat gaadi mein rahenge?

Arjun: us havaldaar ne bola paas mein ek lodge hai around 2 km peeche, par there’s a good chance ki bahot log yaha se gaye honge toh pata nahi jagah hogi ya nahi

Riya: lodge?

Arjun: gaadi se toh better hoga, ek baar check kar lete hai warna gaadi toh hai hi

Riya nodded. Checking the rear-view mirrors, she takes the car into reverse and makes a U-Turn. Fortunately, it wasn’t very hard to find. Unfortunately, Riya hated it. It looked like a typical 2nd grade lodge with green fungus on its structure and peelings on its walls.

She parked the car and they entered the lodge with their bags. A middle-aged man with a monkey cap sat at the reception desk.

Riya whispered: garmi ke mausam mein ye admi aise kyun baitha hai?

Arjun: tumhe kya usse? Marne do, tumhara chacha lagta hai kya?

She made a face. The receptionist scowled mentally on seeing the couple. Riya walked upto him.

Riya: bhaiya ek raat ke liye room ka kitna?

Receptionist: 5000

Riya: kya?! 5000? Is kabaad khaane ke liye?

He glares at her. Arjun and Riya look at each other. In the process, Arjun’s gaze falls on a paper stuck on the wall behind. ‘Cash only’. He gestures Riya to look. She follows his gaze and groans. She opens her purse and checks the cash.

Riya(softly): mere paas toh sirf 3000 hai, aapke paas?

Arjun: 4

Riya: toh ab?

Arjun: main ATM dhundhne ki koshish karta hu, shayad..

Riya: are itni raat ko kaha highway pe ATM dhundhenge aur upar se is kabaad khaane ke liye itne saare paise? Ise toh behtar hai hum gaadi mein hi so jaate hai

Receptionist: room chahiye toh bolo warna niklo, yaha ye sab kaam nahi hota

Riya: matlab?

Arjun(angrily): bakwas band karo apni!! (he slaps his ID on the desk) ETF!!

The receptionist’s eyes widened in shock. He starts fumbling for words.

Receptionist: maaf karna saab, mujhe nahi pata tha. Room ka 900 hai

Riya: what the… loot macha kar rakhi hai. sharam nahi aati tumhe? pata hai landslide hui hai toh logon ka faayda utha rahe ho? license cancel karwa dungi main tumhara

Receptionist: nahi! nahi, madam aisa nahi hai, woh toh aap dono ko, ko pehchaana nahi. Isliye, maaf karo, main aapko discount de dunga

They continue to glare at him for different reasons.

Receptionist: main, main room deta hun. Ek minute (he bent down to get two room keys and presented it to them) ye lijiye saab, please license cancel mat karwana

Riya shook her head in disbelief. Arjun took the keys. Heaving a sigh of relief, the man forwarded the guest register which she started to fill up.

Just then, they hear the crying voice of a baby. They turn to the source to see a couple coming in with a 2-year-old child. The mother was trying to coax and coo it by rattling her bangles. The husband walks up to the reception.

Man: ek room chahiye

Receptionist: sorry, abhi aakhri do room book ho gaye

He frowns and glances at his wife and child: yaha aaspaas koi aur jagah hai?

Receptionist: Mahad mein hogi koi jagah

Riya looks at Arjun questioningly. Understanding, he nods.

Man: theek…

Riya: rukiye, aap ek room le lijiye, hum dono adjust kar lenge

Man: lekin…

Riya: are koi baat nahi, itni raat gaye aap bache ke saath kaha-kaha ghumenge, it’s ok

Man: thank you so much!

Riya smiles: no problem

The duo climb up to their room. It was small with a Queen sized bed, a mirror fixed on the south wall. A rickety table lay in front of it that passed as a dressing table. A chair stood in front of it. There was another door on the right side which led to the bathroom.

Her eyes darted around the room suspiciously. Arjun places his bag in a corner and observes her lost.

Arjun: kya dekh rahi ho?

Riya: chipkali aur chuhe

Arjun: oh, tumhare upar spider aa raha hai

Riya screamed and jumped into his arms while he started laughing. She glares at him, stepping away.

Riya: aadhi raat ko aise mazaak kar rahe hai aap?

Arjun: toh kaise mazaak karu madam?

She continues to glare at him. He chuckles and gestures towards the bed.

Arjun: tum bed per so jao, main neeche so jaunga

Riya: neeche? (she looked at the hard and not so very clean floor) neeche kaise soyenge?

Arjun: I’ll be fine Riya, mujhe tumhari tarah dust se allergy nahi hai

Riya: are lekin aise kaise? Blanket bhi ek hi hai, aap aise hi so jaayenge? (he was about to say something but she doesn’t let him) nahi, nahi, aapko dard hoga, aap bhi bed par so jaayiye

Arjun: acha main… (looking around) main chair par so jaunga, happy?

Riya: paagal hai aap?

Arjun: are tum…

Riya: shut up and sleep on the bed, please. Aadhi raat ko argument mat kijiye

Arjun: lekin…

Riya: lekin wekin kuch nahi, left side aapka, right side mera, ok? I trust you, good night!

Before he could protest any further, she marched to the bed. She took the pillow and sniffed it. Scowling at the stench, she put the pillow on the ground. She lay down, effectively cutting the conversation.

He sighed. Having no other option, he reluctantly moves to the other side of the bed. He glances at Riya. Shaking his head, he opens the blanket and covers her. Arjun messages Rathore that they are stuck due to a landslide and won’t be able to make it to the raids the next day. Setting an alarm in his phone, he lies down. However, sleep was far from his eyes. It usually was if he woke up in the middle of the night due to whatever reason. Nevertheless, he closes them.

Arjun is startled when he feels a weight land on his arm. He turns to see Riya sprawling over to his side. Smiling lightly, he gently holds her hand and picks it up. He shifts away and places her hand on the bed. He had just closed his eyes when she shifted to hold him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Arjun does the same thing again.

Annoyed at her teddy bear leaving, she shifts again, holding him tightly. Shaking his head in disbelief, he gently parts from her. However, this time she doesn’t let him and removes her hand from his hold to hug him again. Rolling his eyes, he waits a few moments for her to enter deeper sleep. Once she stops squirming, he shifts a little and tries to pull his hand away. Riya moans in irritation. She was coming closer and he tried to go behind only to realise he had reached the edge of the bed. Before he could think anything else, she hugged him, snuggling to his chest.

Arjun stares at her, a smile played on her lips. He looked behind him to see the floor and then to the space Riya had left on the bed. His gaze falls back on Riya. She looked so peaceful when she slept. It wasn’t like it was the first time he was seeing her sleep. He had seen her asleep before, every day while she was at the hospital but this… this felt different. Unknowingly, his arms wind around her. Gazing at her smiling face, he falls asleep.

Next morning-

Arjun’s alarm disturbs their sleep. His hand goes below his pillow to retrieve his phone and turn it off. Riya lazily opened her eyes. He smiles.

Riya: good morning!

Arjun(amused): good morning Riya, kabhi mujhe bhi mauka de diya karo

Riya(confused): kis cheez ka?

Arjun: tum par trust karne ka

She squinted before she realised how close their faces were. Hell! She realised she was literally on top of him. Her eyes widened in shock and she sprang away from him. She looked away, cursing herself in embarrassment.

Riya fumbles: aap… aapne, uthaya kyun nahi? aise saari raat… kyun?

Arjun: tum itni chain se so rahi thi ki uthane ka man nahi hua

She looks up, flushed. He came closer. Her breath hitched as he whispered in her ear.

Arjun: waise sach kahu toh mujhe koi problem nahi hai

She looks at him in surprise. He winks at her. She blushes and pushes him away making him laugh.

Riya: main… main haath-muh dho kar aati hu

She ran into the washroom before he could tease her any further.

Much to her chagrin, Arjun actually decides to have a bath in the godforsaken place. He, on the other hand, couldn't understand why it was any different. They watch the news to make sure the road is clear before checking out and heading straight to Mumbai.

It was afternoon by the time they reached. Arjun headed to drop Riya home.

Arjun: zyaada der mat karna, hume office jaana hai, I’ll pick you up in an hour

Riya: ok

She removes her seatbelt and steps out. Realising something, she turns again.

Riya: sir?

Arjun: ha?

Riya: aapko bhi bhook lagi hogi, lunch?

Arjun: uh, ok

Riya smiles. He parks the car in her driveway. There was a Royal Enfield Bullet parked near the wall.

Arjun: tumhari hai?

Riya: papa ki thi, ab meri hai

Arjun: use nahi karti?

Riya: traffic mein maza nahi aata. Raat ko ya fir subah jaldi chalati hu, marine drive par kya hawa aati hai… uff! Heaven on earth

He chuckled in reply. Arjun is amused as they climb up the porch. The outer walls were painted like brick kiln. The main door was like a miniature oak door. On either side, there were flower pots. Three lanterns hung as porch lights. Riya inserted the keys and opened the door.

A sense of calm washed over Arjun as soon as he stepped in. His eyes darted around. Riya pulled open the curtains to let light inside. A home theatre system was installed on a turquoise green wall. A money plant was on the side that bordered it. Below it, there was a fireplace. A comfortable couch lay across the television. In the centre, a soft rug was laid on the ground. There was a wooden table on it. A number of indoor plants were scattered along the wooden flooring. The ceiling was carved like a mandala with lights hanging from it.

Arjun(whispering): wow

Riya grinned: come, I’ll show you around

She led him to the master bedroom, again an oak door. It was her parent’s room. It reminded Arjun of vintage palaces. There was another French window on the opposite side covered by heavy curtains. A king-sized, canopy bed was pushed against the north wall, one wall had been transformed into a bookshelf. The top rung had 3 medals that belonged to her father. A desk and chair was lined up near it. There were wooden closets on the third wall. A dressing table was arranged adjacent to it.

Arjun: kisne banaya ye sab?

Riya: wait till you see my room

Arjun looked at her in anticipation. She held his hand and pulled him along to her room.

The door was wooden again but had a floral design on it unlike the others along with being a lighter shade of brown. Two of her walls were painted with pastel blue and pink respectively while the other two with white. Her closet was pushed into the wall providing more space. There was a huge window on the left wall. To his surprise, there was a hammock filled with comfortable cushions hanging from the sill to a hook on the adjacent wall. A mattress was laid on the floor with cushions again. There was a small bureau next to it. Her bed was in the centre of the room and it was unconventionally, round. It was made comfy with pillows and soft toys. A thick quilt was at the opposite end, ready to pull on. Behind it, a punching bag hung from the ceiling. A small shelf on the wall had a set of dumbbells sitting on it along with a pair of fingerless gloves. There were indoor plants lined up against the window. From somewhere there was a constant flow of rose and jasmine aroma.

Before he could reel in from the beauty of the room, she tugged at his hand again. Riya made him sit on the bed. She smiled at his confusion and pulled up her legs. Turning behind, she pulled a rope. A canopy fell from the ceiling with fairy lights trailing along it.

Arjun dropped behind on the bed: shit! tum apne room se baahar kaise nikalti ho??

Riya laughs: kaha tha na pehle mera room dekhiye

Arjun sighed contently: mujhe neend aa rahi hai

Riya: what? No! mujhe nahana hai, chaliye baahar jayiye

Arjun: Riya this is not done, mujhe thodi der chain se rehne do

Riya: chain hi aapko (pulling him out of the day) chaliye baahar jayiye

Arjun: are tum dusra room use kar lo na

Riya: nahi! go!

Arjun: lekin…

Riya: bye!

Arjun put his hand on the door: acha lunch ka kya? Uske liye bulaya aur ab tum nahana jaa rahi ho

Riya: obviously pav bhaji aur Manchurian, aap Manchurian order karo, main aakar pav bhaji banati hu, bye!

Arjun: are suno toh…

But she slammed the door shut. Arjun cursed under his breath and went to the living room. He settled comfortably in the couch and ordered the Manchurian for them……………………….