Epilogue [MEMBERSONLY][NOCOPY]
Rathore was at the coffee machine when Arjun came to find him.
Arjun: Rathore ke bache tu yaha hai? main kabse tumhe dhundh raha hu
Sameer added sugar and stirred his mug: kyun kya hua? Aur tu mujhe kyun dhundh raha hai? Riya ke saath jhagda kar liya kya? (Arjun tries to speak) dekh bhai! mujhse aur sehan nahi hoga, tum dono apne ye jhagde control mein rakho, tum dono ke chakkar mein puri ETF mein maatam cha jaata hai
Arjun: chup kar kaali zubaan! Aur meri baat sun!
Rathore: kya hai?
Arjun: mujhe kal leave chahiye aur main tumhare is office ko kal ke liye personal use ke liye istemaal karnewaala hun toh jo jaisa ho raha ho, hone dena! Meri jaan ko pareshaan mat karna zyaada sawal puch kar, Samjhe ya samjhau?
Rathore raised his eyebrow: sirf kal personal kaam ke liye use karoge? Itne din, khule mein Riya ke saath kaam ke time flirt karte rehte the uska kya?
Arjun rolled his eyes: dekh tu mera bheja mat kha, chup chap leave de warna main khud sanction karunga
Rathore leisurely sipped from his mug: kaise? Khud application likh ke khud hi sign kar dega?
Arjun: ha
He looked up to see if he was serious. Arjun was as stoic as he could get. Rathore muttered curses under his breath. He could lecture him about discipline and etiquette being Chief and all but that would just result in Arjun not even informing him the next time and just doing whatever he wished.
Rathore: tu leave par hoga toh office kaise use hoga?
Arjun: tum apna kaam karo, leave de rahe ho ya nahi?
Rathore: na bolunga toh nahi loge?
Arjun: of course lunga
Rathore gritted his teeth: ja jaa kar kud ja kahi se, huh!
He stormed out mumbling curses at him while Arjun chuckled behind him.
Next morning-
Rathore gathered everyone in the conference room to announce a case. Riya felt weird, she hadn’t seen Arjun since she arrived and now he wasn’t there during the case as well? She contemplated asking Rathore when Chotu did.
Chotu: sir Arjun sir nahi dikh rahe
Rathore: woh leave par hai
Chorus: KYA?!
Riya: kyun?
Rathore smiles and places his hand on her shoulder. Normally, it would be comforting but Riya could sense a hint of sarcasm in his expression.
Rathore: maana ki woh tumhara boyfriend hai aur woh tumse baat karta hai lekin kya haina? Hum jaise mazduron par Arjun Rawte kabhi daya nahi karta (sternly) mujhe nahi pata! Tum hi pucho! Tumhe pata hona chahiye!
The others giggled while Riya rolled her eyes. However, she was still lost in thought mv “leave kyun li unhone? Kuch bataya bhi nahi?”
Rathore: chalo!
They picked up their necessities and were about to leave when a man entered the room with a paper bag in his hand. He was wearing a green uniform with the words ‘Ferns and Fairies’ on the jersey.
Rathore: yes?
Man: Miss Riya Mukherjee?
Rathore(sternly): tumse matlab?
The boys had grown even more protective of her after the incidents.
Man: sir woh unke liye parcel hai
Rathore: kisne bheja hai?
He lowered his eyes: sorry sir par unhone kaha ki sirf ma’am ko note milna chahiye
Rathore: toh fir dafa ho jao!
Riya: sir, please relax. Dekh toh lu pehle aur ye akela hi toh hai
He squinted at her and then the man. Thinking something, he nodded.
She stepped forward: main hu Riya
The man snuck his hand inside the bag and removed a small basket, the size of one’s palms. It was filled with red and white roses. Her face lit up on seeing the flowers. She promptly extended her hands and he placed it in her palms. He then removed a postcard and gave it to her. Riya held the basket in one hand and took the card.
“Ye khubsurat se phool ek khubsurat si ladki ke liye.
-AR”
Her face turned red as she read the words. The team is confused seeing her blush.
Chotu: Ri kaun hai? bata mujhe! Tu gussa mat ho, main dekhta hun us kamine ko!
Her eyes widened in horror: nahi Chotu! Main… main gussa nahi hu
Chotu: toh fir tu itni laal kyun ho gayi?
Ayesha: Chotu, ye laal gussa se nahi sharam se hui hai, haina Riya?
She gave her a fake glare in response. But Ayesha was Ayesha. She grabbed the card before Riya could even realise it and read it aloud. And they all understood who they came from.
Sakshi: kya baat hai? Arjun khud nahi aaya toh usne tumhare liye phool bhej diye, haaye! Kya pyaar hai
Riya blushed further: are chup raho tum sab! (grabbing the card again) Ayesha tu bhi na!
She only giggled in reply. Rathore smiled and gestured to the florist to leave. He somewhat understood Arjun’s words. He was talking about sending her flowers. But then, why would he inform him? There was definitely something else also that he had done. He comes out of his thoughts on Riya’s pleas for the teasing to stop. He chuckled at the plight of the poor girl. Composing himself, he barked orders for them to leave.
Riya heaved a sigh of relief. She carefully placed the basket and slipped the card into her purse before leaving.
It was the murder of a wealthy 16 year old teenage boy when he was alone at home while his parents were out for a party. The case progressed into him being a drug addict and creating a blackmailing ring to get money for it. Thankfully, for the team Vivek was able to recover data from the boy’s laptop. The team zero in on a list of high suspects and break for lunch.
Canteen-
They were all chatting and trifling away while their order came. As they finished their lunch, the server came with another tray and placed it in front of Riya. She was surprised to see a bowl of Rasgullas on it.
Chotu: Rasgulla!!!!!
Vivek: mithaiyaan kabse banne lagi canteen mein?
Sakshi: ha hume bhi do
Server: sorry sir, ma’am, darasal ye toh Arjun sir se kaha tha isliye, sirf Riya ma’am ke liye hum lekar aaye hai
Riya blushed red as the other’s jaws dropped to the ground.
Rathore teased her: dhyaan se dekho Riya, ek aur love letter hoga
She barely raised her eyes, having no courage to face any of them but looked around and saw a postcard underneath the bowl. She silently slipped it out.
“Ye mithaas anginat meethe palon ke liye.
-AR”
Liza: Yaar ye Arjun sir bhi kamaal hai, leave par hai fir bhi Riya ko chodne ka naam nahi
Chotu: are bhaad mein jaaye unki leave, mujhe bhi Rasgulla khaana hai!!!
He looks at Riya longingly. She giggles. There were 2 in the bowl. She leisurely popped one into her mouth, moaning in pleasure as the sweet melted in her mouth. It was absolutely delicious. She passed the other one to Chotu who grabbed it in delight.
Excusing herself under the pretext of washing her hands, she gets away from the table before anyone could tease her any further. Her heart raced as she recalled the lines on the post cards. Though she had gotten accustomed to his flirting and quick romances, this side was something that she had not seen before at all.
She fished out her phone and tried calling him. However, his phone was switched off. She frowned. The operator had given her the same message when she had tried calling him in the morning to thank him for the flowers.
It was roughly 6 pm when they were able to nab the culprit, a fellow student who was one of the victims of blackmailing. However, the bigger bridge was to handle the famous parents and their drama along with their threats which they hurled freely at the ETF. In the end, it was Ayesha and Chotu who managed to throw them out, earning a pat on the back from the Chief.
Rathore: good job guys! That should be enough for the day, report kal se likhne baithna
Vivek jumped in delight: thank you sir!!
Ayesha pulled his cheek: are, are mere baby ko ghar jaana hai?
Vivek: aaahh!! Ayesha! Chod yaar
She giggled and pulled harder before finally letting go. He looked at her annoyance.
Vivek: main koi baby nahi hun samjhi
Riya ruffled his hair: toh kya ho? kitne cute lagte ho tum gusse mein (pulling his other cheek) bilcul bache ki tarah!
Vivek: Riyaa!! Kya yaar tum log humesha…
Liza: nahi beta, nahi dekho bado se aise baat nahi karte…. Buri baat hai
Sakshi: uff! Ye aaj kal ki generation, sunti hi nahi kisi ki
Chotu: ha, manners kaha gayi tumhari?
Vivek groaned in irritation. It had become routine for the team to tease him because of his age. But! As much as he relented it, he secretly loved the affection they showered upon him. It felt like he belonged. It felt like home.
Vivek: main ghar jaa raha hun!
Rathore: sambhal kar jaana, bike ko 50 ki speed se upar chalaya na toh ghar aakar maarunga samjhe? Aur bade baap ki bigdi hui aulaad ki tarah traffic rules mat todna
Vivek: sir aap bhi?
The others chuckled. A knock resounded on the door. They turned to see Sharad from the research department. He had a rectangular box in his hands.
Riya: ha Sharad bolo
Sharad: ma’am, ye aapke liye courier aaya hai
She took the box from his hand. It was wrapped in a baby pink gift wrap with a golden bow on it.
Vivek: oh my god! Teesra gift? Arjun sir itne romantic hai?
Ayesha glared at Rathore: ek wahi toh hai
Rathore mv “had hai ye toh, ye admi pata nahi kaha baitha hai aur baithe-baithe meri band baja raha hai”
Liza: are Ri, sirf dekhti hi rahogi ya khologi bhi?
She tinted red and carefully opened the wrapping. She wasn’t one to hoard wrapping papers but since it was Arjun, she tucked it into her purse. A patterned cardboard box revealed itself. She placed it on the table and lifted the lid.
She squealed in surprise on seeing a dreamcatcher in front of her. She gently held the thread and raised her hand to pick it up. It was a mixture of pink, blue, and purple shades with multiple feathers at its tail. It was made of laces and crystals. Riya was mesmerized on seeing its beauty. Her eyes slowly moved down. She gasped on seeing the second layer. The smaller circle had A and R hanging on it as charms. Her heart was overflowing with emotions. How she wished to hug him tightly!
Rathore cleared his throat breaking her trance. She looked at him and he pointed to the box. Inside there was another postcard.
Her face sparkled as she grabbed the piece of paper.
“Ye haseen sapne aanewaali haseen raaton ke liye
-AR”
Her eyes moistened as she recalled how he helped her with her nightmares, comforting her at every step of the way.
Ayesha: Riya?
She smiled whole heartedly. Quickly but softly placing the dream catcher back in the box, she grabbed the bouquet in another hand while stuffing the box into her purse and ran out.
Chotu: ise kya hua?
Rathore smiled: overdose
Vivek: I still don’t believe ye sab Arjun sir ne kiya hai
Liza: beta, bado ki baat mein beech mein nahi bolte
Vivek: Liza!!!!
Laughter erupted in the room.
Riya’s apartment-
She was fidgety the whole ride on the taxi. She wanted to see him desperately. She knew his phone would be switched off again so she didn’t bother to call. She removed her flat keys while paying the driver. Nestling the basket in the other hand, she hoisted the purse on her shoulder and sprinted into the building.
The elevator ride had never seemed so long that it was feeling then. Though, no one knew where Arjun was or what he was doing the whole day, she had a feeling he would meet her after all he had done. Her heart told her he would come.
The elevator dinged at her destination. She got out and thrusted the keys into the lock. Hurriedly opening the lock, she entered in. Riya closed the door behind her. Placing everything on the sofa, she looked around for signs.
And Arjun didn’t disappoint. The French window was open. She knew she had closed it when she left. With a smile tugging at her lips, she went towards the window.
It was dark. She stepped on to the terrace and it lit up. She gasped seeing the fairy lights all around. She walked in slowly, taking one step at a time. Her table and chairs had been decorated for a candle light dinner. The fragrance from her flowers only made the atmosphere more soothing. Her gaze darted around for him and there he was!
By the ledge, in a black suit with crossed arms and a soft smile on his lips. Their eyes met and locked with each other. Holding her gaze, he walked towards her. Stopping 5 steps away, he went down on his knee and held up his cupped palms.
Her eyes widened in surprise. Not because there was a ring or a flower but because he held something much more special. Something that was a reminder of their beautiful journey of falling in love with each other… the pink pen, the rose clip and the silver Ganpati coin.
Arjun: Ye pyaar bhara insaan, ek pyaar bhari zindgi ke liye?
She didn’t even know how to react anymore. Her heart was surging with emotions. Her body was heating up exponentially. She could feel her cheeks color in a shade that probably did not even exist. All she could do was move her head. And so she did! She nodded her head frantically.
Arjun grinned and stood straight. He stepped towards her with the pen in one hand. Coming close, he tucked it into her jean pocket, tugging her towards him.
Arjun: pen hai?
She covered her mouth to control her giggles. Controlling herself, she picked up the coin from his hand and slipped it into his shirt pocket.
Riya: lenge toh koi nuksaan nahi hoga sir
Arjun pursed his lips to contain his smile but wasn’t able to. He raises his hand with the clip in his hand. She closed her eyes as his fingers brushed against her temple. He clipped on the pin in her hair.
Arjun raised his eyebrow: ab nauseekhiye se paala pada hai toh
He left his sentence hanging. They glanced at each other and burst out laughing. She threw her hands around his neck and he snuck her close, hugging her tightly.
Arjun: kya tum mujhse shaadi karogi Riya?
Stunned, she looked at him: sach?
Arjun pecked her nose: sach!
A wide grin appeared on her face: HAA!!
Arjun squeezed her to him, lifting her feet above the ground in happiness: Riya!!!
They stayed like that for a few moments before he set her down. Their arms remained around each other.
Riya: pata hai mujhe kaise lag raha hai?
Arjun: kaisa?
Riya: jaise ki aapke dream catcher ne mujhe ek haseen sapna diya hai (Arjun beamed) par aapne apna phone kyun band rakha? Pata hai main subah se (lowering her gaze) aapko miss kar rahi thi, mujhe aapko thank you bolna tha
Arjun: agar nahi rakhta toh mujhe dekhkar tumhari aankhon mein ye chamak kaise dekhta?
Riya(shyly): woh toh humesha chamakti hai aapko dekh kar… bas aaj thodi zyaada hai
Arjun: wahi toh dekhni thi
She hides herself in his chest as he chuckles. He kisses her forehead.
Arjun: dinner?
Riya nods her head. He smiles and takes her to the table, pulling out a chair for her. She giggles. Arjun uncovers the food and takes his seat while she serves them.
Arjun: waise Riya, mujhe tumse ek baat puchni hai
Riya: puchiye na
Arjun: jab tum jaanti thi ki mere dil mein tumhare liye feelings hai toh fir mere paas aane par confuse kyun ho jaati thi?
Riya: mujhe nahi pata tha
Arjun looks at her in confusion: par tumne toh kaha ki, maine tumhare pyaar ke ehsaas ko adhura nahi rehne diya, jab tumhe usi waqt pata tha toh…
Riya: are nahi, mujhe nahi pata
Arjun: toh fir tum aisa kyun kehne waali thi?
Riya: woh toh isliye kyunki aap us time bhi kabhi mujhe aisa mehsoos nahi hone dete the ki mera pyaar adhura hai, aap humesha meri care karte the, meri madad karte the isliye mujhe us mein sukoon milta tha
Arjun just stared at her. He was amazed, no doubt. What he didn’t know was what he should be amazed for? Whether her selflessness or whether her not seeing things right under her nose.
Riya: aap mujhe aise kyun dekh rahe hai?
Arjun smiled and shook his head: kuch nahi
He took her hand and kissed the back of her palm making her blush. She lowered her eyes and the two spent the night dreaming about their future together.
Officially The End………………………..
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Saraf Wasima Islam Saba @SarafWasima
+ 7
2 years ago
I WANNA KILL YOU 😭 PROPER ROMANTIC SCENE KYUN HI HAIN INKE 😭