Chapter 60

Bloomie

@bloomie

Part 59 [MEMBERSONLY][NOCOPY]

Rathore: Riya ek coffee le aana please

He requested as soon as the lot reached the office. She nodded. Rathore went straight to his cabin. Ayesha felt disappointed. That was usually her job.

Chotu: hume kaam par nahi lagna chahiye?

Shree: hum shuru karte hai, Arjun sir?

Arjun came out of his thoughts and nodded. Something was weird about Rathore’s behavior. He seemed normal but he couldn’t shake off the feeling. Nevertheless, he shifted his focus. The case was important.

Arjun: shehar ka map chahiye mujhe 10 minute mein

Shree: ji sir

Rathore’s cabin-

Riya arrived with a hot cup of coffee. He stood up immediately.

Riya: shakar zyaada daali hai maine, your brain needs to work

Rathore lowered his gaze: Riya I, main jaanta hun main maafi ke kaabil nahi lekin uske ilawa aur kuch nahi keh sakta

An awkward silence rested between the two.

Riya: I… I can’t really say it’s ok

Rathore: ya obviously

She pursed her lips: maine, maine Arjun ko bata diya

He looked up in horror: and he’s ok with it?

Riya: nahi, he won’t be?

Rathore: toh fir usne mujhe ab tak zinda kyun rakha hai?

Riya sighed: maine sirf itna kaha ki mera abduction hua tha aur un logon ne hi mujhe force karke aapko jhooti khabar dene ko kaha tha. I didn’t say who or why

Rathore raised his eyebrow: and usne tumse pucha nahi?

Riya: pucha tha, maine kaha main baad bataungi, mana liye kisi tarah

Rathore: you think woh baahar se pata karne ki koshish nahi karega?

Riya snapped at him: maybe it has escaped your notice but we trust each other

Rathore took a deep breath: tum… tum use is sab ke baad bata sakti ho. I, I won’t resist to step down.

She looked at him sharply. She hadn’t really thought of it but obviously it was going to have repercussions for his career. Rathore sipped his coffee.

Riya: ek baat puchu? I’m curious

He nodded taking another sip of the hot beverage

Riya: you still like me?

Rathore: romantically? Never did. I don’t do love. Physically, karta tha but I stopped long back. Uh, Xora ke kuch din pehle I think. Uske baad toh aise hi faltu mein flirt karta tha par tumhe toh woh bhi samaj mein nahi aata tha. Honestly speaking, ETF mere liye kaafi unlucky hai us maamle mein

She raised her eyebrow.

Rathore: Roshni ke baad, main Sikandar aur Arjun mein itna ulajh gaya ki mushkil se time milta tha date karne ke liye aur yaha aane ke baad tum pasand aayi. Jo thi usse break up kiya fir pata chala tum mere kaam ki nahi ho. Angoor ke chakkar mein adrak bhi chala gaya haath se.

She shook her head in disbelief whilst scowling at him. If anyone else talked to her in this manner, she would have broken a bone or two of his.

Rathore: And then on top of that, tum Rawte ke camp mein jaa kar baith gayi. Ek baat batao, kya dikhta hai tumhe us, khadoos ke andar?

She smiled. A smile that mocked him.

Riya: wahi jiske liye aap mera khoon karne ke liye raazi ho gaye

He choked on his coffee. Spluttering, he glanced at her and then immediately away.

Rathore: ha woh, (gulping) sorry

Riya: right, well u stopped so I’ll give you credit for that

Rathore lowered his gaze. Never in his life he had thought he would encounter such a situation.

Riya: hume case par kaam shuru karna chahiye

She turned to leave but stopped. She was still angry at him.

Riya: Rathore sir I need to do something

Rathore: kya?

The next second his head was jerked with a slap. Although taken aback, he did not resist. He knew he deserved it. He knew he deserved worse.

Riya: ye mujhe abduct karne ke liye (she slapped him again) that’s for hurting my love! (she kicked him hard in the shin making him fall and howl in pain) aur ye hum dono ko alag karne ki koshish karne ke liye!! (sternly) the only reason I am not punching you is because aapki bigdi hui shakal ke jawab hum dono par bhaari pad jaayenge!

She spun on her heel to leave.

Rathore: Riya?

She turned her head. He opened his mouth to speak but his words choked him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he asked.

Rathore: tum mujhse nafrat karti ho na?

Riya: aapko farak padta hai main kya sochti hu?

He looked her in the eye: ha

Her expression softened: nahi

Rathore(surprised): kya?

Smiling sadly, she left. He continued to stare in the direction that she left mv “kya ladki hai ye? Kabhi mere samaj mein nahi aayegi”

A few minutes later, they were all in the conference room. Shree rolled out the city’s map on the table.

Ayesha: kaafi saari jagah obvious hongi, we can keep an easy eye there, CST, Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus

Riya: Bombay Stock Exchange, Taj, Gateway, Government offices

Chotu: markets! Bhuleshwar, Crawford, Bandra linking road

Shree piped in while typing everything into the joint database: mandir wagera, Mahalakshmi, Siddhivinayak, Haji Ali, Mount Mary

Ayesha: sabzi mandi!

Chotu: sabzi mandi? Come on, tum auraton ki akal humesha kitchen par kyun pahunch jaati hai?

Riya: kyunki tum mardon ki akal waha tak pahunch hi nahi sakti aur woh wholesale waale vegetable markets ki baat kar rahi hai

Chotu looked down sheepishly: sorry

Rathore: 99 blasts hai. unka pattern serial blasts karna hi hoga. Agar alag-alag time pe karenge toh pehle blast pe hi curfew lag jaayega aur bheed bhag jaayegi

Arjun: aur woh time subah jaldi nahi hoga, jab log sabse zyaada ghar ke baahar honge tab, peak hours. Subah 9:30 se 11:30 aur shaam ko 5 se 7:30

Riya: shayad woh log schools ya colleges ko bhi target kare

Rathore: right, especially aise schools aur colleges jo posh areas mein ho, jinke students zyaada ho ya fir purani heritage ho

Ayesha: malls, theatres

Arjun flipped the marker: us din honewaale events, conferences, exhibitions, Shree! list nikalo zara uski

Riya: oh ya, kaala ghoda chalu hai

Chotu: aur woh log high profile log bhi target kar sakte, koi minister wagera

Ayesha: Bingo! Even diplomats

Riya: aur agar koi foreign nationals ya fir VIP’s aanewaale ho toh woh bhi

Rathore: ok so informers activate karo, sabko kaho ki alert pe rahe. Sabse pehle puri list taiyaar karo, uske baad intelligence gather karna shuru karo, jaise hi R&AW se information aati hai (taking a deep breath) jaise hi R&AW se information aati hai hume Sikandar ke liye plan par focus karna hoga

Chorus(except Arjun): yes sir!!                                                                  

Time is an illusion. More so, when you have a ton of elephants to move. Nobody in the teams ate or drank properly. Sleep was a luxury they couldn’t afford. At the end of two days, R&AW had three hideouts of Sikandar one of which was his bungalow. Their intelligence confirmed that Sikandar himself operated from his bungalow. The other two were used solely as storage purposes.

As ETF changed their task, the media was fed with the news of the scam. The police department silently stepped up their work. By the end of Sunday, they had close to 70 places that were likely to be targeted. In addition to that, they also had a few faces to look out for and follow. The rest? They had to wing it. Only spontaneous alertness could save them.

On Monday night, the ETF packed up to the airport. Rathore had used some of his contacts for a safe house where they would prepare for the operation.

The atmosphere was more or less dull due to exhaustion and the bridge was still to be crossed. They checked in and got through the security with their ID cards, courtesy of their weapons. It was 10:30 p.m., exactly an hour before their flight. The journey to Goa was 1 hour and 25 minutes long. It would be beyond midnight when they landed.

As they waited for boarding, Chotu and Liza decided to make the most of it and get food. Riya was with Arjun when Rathore gestured for her to come to the side. Arjun raised his eyebrow. Riya lowered her gaze and went to him.

Riya: getting second thoughts?

Rathore: second? more like second hundred

Arjun watched in confusion. Rathore’s back was facing him and he was conveniently covering Riya. He couldn’t even see their expressions. What was going on between them that was a secret?

Riya: ab jana toh hai hi

Rathore: mujhe dar lag raha hai Riya, maine sirf kehne ke liye nahi kaha! Mujhe aur Arjun ko pehchan ne waale bahot hai waha

Riya: isliye toh hum aaj raat hi nikle, hum raat ko pahunchenge, aur subah hume attack karna hai. kisi ko pata chale usse pehle it will be over

Rathore rubbed his temple. Sweat beads appeared on his face in worry.

Rathore: I’m still scared Riya, agar Arjun ko kuch

He stops abruptly and takes a deep breath.

Rathore: pakka na? kuch nahi hoga?

Riya: ye main kaise keh sakti hu sir? main bas itna keh sakti hun ki jo bhi hoga, hum sab milkar uska saamna karenge

His eyes moistened. He controls himself quickly. She looks at him sadly. He sighs and nods.

Rathore: par tumhe mujhe ek vaada karna hoga

Riya(surprised): kya?

Rathore: agar kisi bhi wajah se main nahi pahunch paaya, tum Arjun ka saath nahi chodogi. Use Sikandar ka saamna akele nahi karne dogi

Riya: sir…

Rathore: promise me! Tum usse pyaar karti hona?

Riya remained silent. Rathore had almost killed her because of his promise. She wondered what he would do if she unintentionally fell short in delivering.

Rathore(firmly): chup kyun ho? kaisa pyaar hai tumhara?

She flinched. He mellows down immediately on realising what he did. But it was too late. He felt guilty seeing fear on her face because of him. His chest sank rapidly. A choking feeling overcame him. His hands started to feel wet mv “Shit! Firse… I am sorry Riya, I am so sorry. Please mujhe maaf kardo, please. Oh god! I am despicable. Tum meri itni help kar rahi ho aur main… ugh!!”

“Vaada karo… vaada karo!”

Riya: main, main…

Rathore looked away: it’s ok, jao

She did not like to leave conversations hanging but she was happy to make an exception. Clearing her throat, she hastened back to Arjun’s side.

Arjun: kya hua?

Riya: huh? Uh kuch nahi

Arjun: mera matlab, kya baat hui?

Riya: oh, darasal, um kal… kal ke liye, kuch, khaas nahi (she sighed seeing his poker face) main aapse jhoot nahi bol sakti aur na hi bolna chahti hu

His chest sank.

Arjun: tum mujhse itni baatein kyun chupane lagi ho?

Riya: Arjun aisa nahi..

He lowered his head: I liked us better before

Riya froze. He walked away silently, wheeling his handbag. She did not go behind him. She did not have the courage. Her hand automatically goes to her neck. Her best comforter, her mother’s chain was not there. She cursed herself mentally. She should have brought it along considering Rathore’s absurd behavior.

Help arrived in the form of Shree, who dragged her along to eat. Though she did not feel like it, she was grateful for the distractions.

As they boarded the plane, she remembered who her seat was next to. The aisle was booked for another passenger. He was already in the middle seat. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she asked.

Riya: kya main baith sakti hu? Ya fir kisi ke saath exchange kar lu?

Arjun looked up to see her. He answered coldly.

Arjun: baitho

Riya lowered her gaze and settled in her window seat.

Two rows behind them, Rathore and Ayesha were in a similar position. Shree, Chotu and Liza were sharing a row ahead on the opposite side of the aircraft. Chotu immediately fell asleep. Shree put on his headphones and dived into his laptop.

Rathore did not even pay attention to the airhostess who requested him to straighten his seat for take-off. It was when Ayesha shook him that he came out of his stupor. Apologising, he straightened his seat. She watched his scrunched eyebrows and frowned. He barely reacted to the flight taking off either.

Ayesha: kya hua sir? aap kuch dino se pareshaan lag rahe hai

Rathore: pareshaan na hou toh aur kya karu? aarti utaru Sikandar ki?

Ayesha smiled: nahi, par agar aap itne pareshaan rahenge toh team ka kya hoga?

Rathore sighed: ye sab jitna aasan dikhta hai utna hai nahi Ayesha

Ayesha: dikhne mein bhi kaha aasan hai sir? hume sirf 70 ke baare mein pata chala hai aur usme se bhi 100 % guarantee sirf 20 ki hai. and sabse zaroori baat (whispering) agar 99 ke baare mein pata bhi ho toh bomb squad ke paas itna manpower bhi nahi hai ki sab ek saath handle kar sake isliye plant hone se pehle rokna hoga

Rathore: thank you for adding the tension I did not realise

She giggled: come on sir

She placed her hand on his, making him stare at them in shock.

Ayesha: we’ll get through                                                                             

He looked up in surprise: tumhe sach mein aisa lagta hai?

Ayesha: ha

Rathore: kaise? IM ne tumse kaha ki unka plan flop hone waala hai?

She chuckled: nahi, mujhe bharosa hai hum sab par… aur aap par

He gazed into her eyes: main toh yaha hun, patake toh Mumbai mein hone waale hai

Ayesha(amused): true lekin kya pata yaha agar sab theek se ho jaaye toh waha bhi madad mil jaaye

Rathore smiled and nodded.

On the other hand, Riya felt her insides burning. She was looking out the window. The silence between them had always been comforting but today it was killing her. He wasn’t even looking at her. Her eyes started stinging. Checking for the seat-belt sign, she hurriedly stood up to go to the washroom.

Arjun stared in the direction that she went. He pursed his lips to stop their quivering. He stared out the window. Secrets. They had always caused him pain. His family had murders. He had lost Roshni. Then, Sam had walked out of his life. Now, Riya was hiding things from him.

He couldn’t understand why they kept things from him. Why did Roshni wait till the last moment to tell him about her origin? Why did she not trust him enough? Did she think his love was so weak that he wouldn’t even bother to hear her side? Did Riya feel the same? Was he falling short somewhere? What was it that he was doing wrong?

He closed his eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek.

Washroom-

Riya was crying at the sink.

“I liked us better before”

“promise me! Tum usse pyaar karti hona?”

A pair of angry, red eyes flashed in front of her. Supposedly, the last thing she would have seen if God hadn’t blessed her. A chill went down her spine. Fresh tears streamed down her face.

She splashed water on her face again and again. Yet, they refused to stop. She cursed herself mentally. She did not have time for all this now. They had much higher stakes at the gallows.

Finally, it was a knock on the door that managed to shake her out.

Riya(controlling): Just a minute!

She quickly splashed cold water on her face and pulled out tissues from the dispenser.

Arjun had thrown his head against the seat. He opened his eyes feeling Riya walk across to her seat. He saw her from the corner of his eyes as she opened her hair and pulled them to a side. He felt a punch in his gut seeing her wet lashes.

Before she could start playing with the loose ends of her hair, he placed his hand on hers. She looked at him in shock. His voice cracked as he entwined his fingers with her.

Arjun(softly): I miss her Riya. Main chah kar bhi is baat ko jhutla nahi paa raha ki uske raaz ne kahi na kahi uski jaan le li. Main tum par ek kharoch bhi bardaasht nahi kar sakta. Kya main tumhare bharose ke laayak nahi?

She tears up: Arjun, main isliye sach nahi bata rahi kyunki mujhe aap par bharosa nahi par isliye kyunki main aapko aur dard nahi dena chahti hun. Main jaanti hu… aaj nahi toh kal aapko sachayi pata zaroor chalegi aur na hi main aapse chupaana chahti hu lekin is waqt main nahi chahti ki aap apne maksad se hat jaaye

Arjun: Riya agar tumhe kuch ho gaya toh meri jeet kaise hogi?

Sniffing, she placed her second hand on their joint palms.

Riya: main aapse vaada karti hun ki is wajah se mujhe kuch nahi hoga. Agar khatra hua toh main aapko usi waqt bata dungi (a lone tear falls from her eye) please mujhse dur mat jayiye… bahot dard hota hai

He brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping it off.

Arjun: mujhe bhi

Picking up their hands, he placed soft kisses on the back of her palm to assure her. Smiling, she inched closer. He was going to kiss her cheek when their moment was interrupted by titters.

Taken aback, they turned to see the middle-aged lady on the third seat muttering audibly something about values and PDA whilst having her head buried in a stupid magazine. Why was she even awake? 95% of the passengers were sleeping.

Arjun rolled his eyes while Riya placed her hand on her mouth to control her laughs. Shaking his head, he pushed up the seat handle between them and wrapped his arm around her. She kicked off her shoes and pulled up her legs snuggling to him. Arjun placed a soft kiss on her forehead and they dozed off for the rest of their journey.

On the other hand, Liza was getting bored. Chotu was asleep and Shree was busy in headphones. She cursed the coffee she drank at the airport. She should have known better than to consume caffeine when they were already short on sleep. She nudged Shree but he did not pay attention. Grumbling, she raised herself and turned behind to see if Riya or Ayesha was awake.

Close to squealing, she hit Shree’s shoulder. He pushed her hand off.

Liza continued to pat his shoulder: Specky!!

Sighing, he lowered his headphones and looked up to see her staring at something in delight. Rolling his eyes, he lifted himself. His jaw dropped to the floor. He fumbled for his iPad.

Liza: kya kar rahe ho?

Shree: are Arjun sir aur Ri kitne cute lag rahe hai, ek picture toh banta hai

She giggled as he focused the camera and took multiple shots. Still not satisfied, he walked out of his seat and went to their row. The lady saw him and scowled. Shree did not even see her. He clicked a few more pictures and went back to his seat to show Liza so they could collectively gush over them…………………….