Chapter 24

Riya softened her voice: hello?

Vikram was confused hearing the voice and checked his phone to make sure he had got the correct contact: Arjun?

Riya: ji woh toh nahi hai

Vikram: nahi hai? tum kaun ho? Aur uska phone tumhara paas kyun hai?

Riya: main…main (pretending to be shy) unki….woh hun….(then seriously) par aapko apna naam kyun batau? hum paraye mardon ko naam batati aur na hi unse baat karte hai, bye!

Vikram was getting more and more confused: Are Ruko Tum….Arjun kaha hai?

Riya: kaha na ki yaha nahi hai

Vikram: are waha nahi hai toh kaha hai aur uska phone uske paas kyun nahi hai?

Riya: are bhul gaye honge, ab gusse mein toh admi kuch bhi kar leta hai, toh kya woh apna phone nahi bhul sakte?

Vikram: gusse mein? Kyun?

Riya mv “sharam bhi nahi aati inko kyun puchte hue?” : hume nahi pata…woh hume apne kaam ke baare mein nahi batate.

Vikram: Toh Tumhe Pata Kya Hai?

Riya starts to pretend to cry

Vikram(irritated): Ab Tum Ro Kyun Rahi Ho?

Riya: aap….aap hume kyun daant rahe hai? rukiye….jab woh waapis aayenge toh hum unse aapki shikayat karenge fir dekhna woh aapki saari haddiyan tod denge

Vikram was shocked and afraid. No matter what the situation, if the girl was who she was saying to be Arjun would definitely render his children orphans.

He immediately tried to pacify her: NAHI!!!  Nahi dekho…tum…tum ro mat….main..main nahi daantunga tumhe. Tum Arjun ko kuch mat kehna

Riya: nahi! Hum aapki shikayat karenge unse aur fir woh aapko maarenge! Aur hum side par baithkar popcorn khaayenge!

Vikram(pleading): nahi please!! Dekho tum Arjun ko kuch mat kehna

Riya: nahi! hum toh unhe sab batayenge….hume bahot man kar raha hai popcorn khaane ka

Vikram felt like banging his head. She just wanted get him beat so she could eat popcorn?

Vikram: dekho, maine kaha na main tumhe nahi daantunga…tum bas Arjun se kuch mat kehna

Riya(complaining): par hume popcorn khaani hai….woh bhi live film dekhte hue

Vikram mv “Arjun ne kisi bachi se shaadi ki hai kya? Aur shadi kab ki usne? Hey bhagwan!”: nahi dekho…please tum use kuch mat batana…I’m sorry, main tumhe dobara nahi daantunga

Riya(calming): promise?

Vikram: ha promise…ab please mujhe bataogi ki Arjun kaha hai?

Riya: hume nahi pata ki woh kaha gaye hai, par bahot gusse mein the aur kisi Makhija ko bahot gaaliyaan de rahe the, keh rahe thi ki woh mujhe mere farz se peeche nahi kar sakte, sabse pehle usi ko sabak sikhaunga

Vikram’s eyes widened in shock and fell on his nameplate- Vikram Makhija

Riya: aur na, woh apni gun mein saari bullets bhar kar gaye hai.

Sweat beads started appearing on Vikram’s forehead: acha….tum na…ek kaam karo bas mera, jab woh waapis aaye toh keh dena ki use ETF office jaana hai theek hai?

Riya: lekin…

Vikram: ok bye!

Call disconnect

The moment the call disconnected Riya started laughing holding her stomach as Arjun stared at her in amusement.

Arjun: ye sab kya tha Riya?

Riya: are, unhone aapko itna tang kiya, thodi toh punishment banti haina? Upar se mera gaana rok diya, uski bhi saza! (Arjun shook his head in disbelief) waise Mubarak ho, aapka suspension cancel ho chuka hai, unhone aapko office jaane ko kaha hai

Arjun’s eyes twinkled: sach?

Riya: ha

He excitedly hugged her: thank you Riya!!! thank you so much! I love you!!

Riya: I love you too, ab office chale?

Arjun nodded.

Meanwhile in headquarters-

Vikram mv “ye kya keh rahi thi? Arjun gusse mein yaha aa raha hai….agar woh yaha aa gaya toh izzat aur jaan dono jaayegi!” : MISHRA!!!!!

His PA comes running inside: yes sir

Vikram: mere gharwaalon ko bolo ki hum do din ke liye chutti par jaa rahe hai Lonavla, unhe ghar seedhe farmhouse par bhejo main bhi yaha se nikal raha hun..bye!

Mishra: par sir achanak…

But Vikram had already run out the door not wanting to waste another second leaving his assistant in a lurch.

Arjun and Riya drove to the office. He was parking when Riya suddenly screamed.

Riya: OH SHIT!!!!!

Arjun(tensed): kya hua Riya? cheekhi kyun?

Riya: are aapko chotein lagi thi na? kaise lagi thi? Maine socha subah puchungi, ab kaisa lag raha hai? dard ho raha hai? main bhi kaisa sawaal kar rahi hun? Of course dard ho raha hoga…I’m so sorry, mere dhyaan se nikal, hospital jaa kar aate….aap ek kaam kijiye aap hospital chaliye, ek baar check karwaate lete hai…

Arjun: Riya! Riya relax! I’m fine!

Riya: lekin…

Arjun: sach mein Riya main theek hun, dard nahi ho raha hai mujhe, thodi chubhan si ho rahi hai but I’ll be fine

Riya: nahi sir, pichli baar bhi….

Arjun: pichli baar mujhe khud nahi pata tha Riya isliye chupaya, sach mein main theek hun

Riya: pakka?

Arjun: ha Riya pakka

Riya: lekin aapko itni chotein kaise lagi?

The previous night’s incident flashed before his eyes and he sighed: not a big deal Riya jaane do

Riya(stubbornly): jab tak aap nahi batayenge tab tak na main yaha se hilungi na aapko hilne dungi

Arjun took a deep breath: acha baba theek hai, batata hun…darasal main drive karte-karte highway par pahunch gaya, mera dimag kharab ho gaya tha, pehle woh Javed, fir Rathore fir Commissioner, achanak tire puncture ho gaya toh mujhe aur gussa aaya, tire change karne ke liye dickey ke paas  gaya aur tools nikal raha tha. par ittefaq se gaadi road ke turn par khadi thi aur dusri aur se gaadi aa rahi thi toh takra gaya

Riya shot him an incredulous look: WHAT?!?!? AUR AAPNE….

Arjun(desperately trying to calm her): it was an accident Riya aur usne mujhe end moment par dekha, toh brake bhi laga diya tha lekin not soon enough toh main gir gaya aur thodi chotein aa gayi…..that’s it! Calm down!

Riya(tensed): Arjun sir aapko hospital jaana chahiye tha, aap ghar tak kyun…

Arjun held her hand: Riya, I’m perfectly fine okay tum fikar mat karo, agar mujhe thoda sa bhi theek nahi laga toh …. Toh ha, main ek baaju baith jaunga aur fir zor se chillaunga ki (dramatically putting his hands on his ears) Riya!! Bachaao!!!

Riya shook her head at his antics: bas, bas itna drama karne ki zaroorat nahi hai…sirf Riya ghar chalo bolenge toh kaafi hai

Arjun takes an informal bow: thank you….(Riya gives him an amused glare) ab chale?

She nodded and the two made their way to the conference room.

The room on the other hand was in dead silence. Rathore had somehow managed to convince Vikram into letting Arjun stay in the team. Vikram had been really pissed and yelled at him for his changing thoughts and opinions.

‘Arjun’s suspension is cancelled’ was the last statement heard in the room. Rathore had closed his eyes and was resting on the headrest of the chair. Several thoughts and unspoken gestures continued among the team members. None of them knew how Arjun would react when he returned more importantly…if.

Riya’s outburst in the morning had shaken their socks off. Ayesha was still reeling under the tension of her husband’s anger outburst which had caused the mess. She would have practically chewed Riya out if the situation was something else but here, he was at fault and she could never support anything that was wrong. Sameer needed to sort out his priorities, only then would they be able to function as a team.

The others could only wonder where Arjun had disappeared. They had thought atleast Riya would be knowing where and how he was but apparently not. True, he was strictest boss they had ever met but that didn’t mean they hated him or wished bad for him. Moreover, Riya had the gut to barge into office and slap their Chief. They had seen that she was brave but this? This was electrifying!

All their thoughts were broken by the sound of the conference room door opening. All 6 of them straightened immediately as relief washed over them seeing Arjun arrive with Riya but wait….didn’t Riya not know where Arjun was? An awkward silence hung in atmosphere.

Shree didn’t know what suddenly came over him: Sir! Pathan Lala pakda gaya

Arjun and Riya both were startled. While Riya remained rooted to the ground, Arjun rushed to the interrogation room to see him.

Riya: kab?

Shree: kal, Javed ne muh khol diya

Riya sat on her seat: chalo kuch toh acha hua (her gaze fell on the full plates of breakfast in front of everyone) ye kya? Vrat hai aaj sabka?

Chotu looked on with an innocent face: sabke bagair kaise khau?

Riya felt a little guilty: sorry yaar, mere chakkar mein tum logon ne khaana bhi nahi khaaya

Ayesha(tired): chakkar bahot hai Riya, (she took her plate and started to eat) mera toh dimag band ho chuka hai

Riya: pakka naraaz nahi hai mujhse?

Ayesha smiled genuinely: nahi hun

Seeing Ayesha start, Chotu pounced on his plate. The rest slowly followed suit…all except Sameer.

Shree tried to relax the atmosphere: lagta hai Arjun sir Pathan ka muh khol kar hi waapis aayenge

Liza: ha, waise bhi unke haath ki padne ke baat, ache bhale hospital pahunch jaate hai.

Riya smiled lightly: khul jaaye toh acha hai bas I hope ki uske pakde jaane ki khabar se Sikandar alert hokar bhaag na jaaye

Shree: Riya please shubh-shubh bol, hum gareebon par atyachaar mat kar

Ayesha: atyachaar se yaad aaya, Riya tumhari chot..

Riya(horrified): nahi! Tumhe nahi pata!

Ayesha: kya matlab?

Riya (checking the door): please tum mein se koi bhi Arjun sir ke saamne mat bolna ki maine khud chot lagayi hai warna ETF ka agla case mere murder ka hoga…maine unse jhoot bola hai ki ghar par lagi hai..please unke saamne galti se bhi mat bolna

Ayesha: ha theek hai, woh toh hum nahi kahenge par, ye toh batao ki ab kaisi hai?

Riya: the…

Sameer finally spoke: Riya?

All eyes changed their direction. Riya looked at him for the first time since she had arrived.

Rathore: tumne kaha tha ki tumhe nahi pata ki Arjun kaha hai

Riya(sternly): kaha tha aapne bhi bahot kuch tha sir…lekin har baat sach nahi hoti. And if you think I am going to apologise toh woh aapko galatfehmi hai. for your kind information aapke us careless behavior ki wajah se jaan jaate-jaate bachi hai unki [referring to the accident] Toh Mujhse Bilcul Bhi Umeed Mat Karna Ki Main Apne Kiye Ke Liye Pachtava Karungi!!!

Her revelation stunned everyone. Rathore somehow spoke ahead.

Rathore: I…I don’t expect you to. (he sighed and lowered his eyes) Riya..main jaanta hun tumhe meri baat ka vishwas nahi hoga lekin sach yahi hai ki mera iraada woh bilcul nahi tha. Maine gusse mein jo muh mein aaya bol diya…I didn’t expect ki uska us par itna gehra asar hoga, it was an honest mistake and…….I’m sorry for it. Sirf uske liye nahi balki kal jab tumne mujhse leave maangi aur maine nahi di uske liye bhi.

Riya: maafi aapko mujhse nahi unse maangne ki zaroorat hai jo aap karenge nahi. Mera aapse koi lena dena nahi hai. aap office ke andar mere Chief hai aur uske baahar ek ajnabi, that’s it! Lekin iska ye matlab nahi ki baahar main aapko unhe hurt karne dungi…Aapko Kya, Agar Kisine Bhi Unhe Chot Pahunchane Ki Koshish Ki Toh Sabse Pehle Main Uska Encounter Karungi!!! Aur ha! Agar Dobara Aapne Unke Saamne Ek Aur Adchan Daalne Ki Koshish Bhi Ki (Sternly) Toh Nakli Case Bana Kar Suspend Karwa Dungi, Yaad Rakhna!!

Rathore koi jawab nahi de paata. Uske paas kehne ke liye kuch hai hi nahi. Woh jaanta hai is baar galti uski hai aur Riya ke thapad ne use saza bhi de di hai. room mein chupi bani rehti hai.

Shree apna throat clear karta hai: ahem…uh? Woh Lala ka interrogation chal raha hoga na? main…recording dekh lu sir?

Rathore nod karta hai. Shree Liza ko apne saath conference room ke baahar kheench kar le jaata hai.

Liza: are Specky tum mujhe kyun saath le aaye?

Shree: are kya karu yaar? Meri fat rahi hai andar un teeno ke saath

Liza: kyun?

Shree use innocently dekhta hai: Riya subah kitni gusse mein thi fir Ayesha ko gussa aaya fir Rathore sir ko commissioner sir ki daant padi ab Arjun sir aaye hai Riya aur Ayesha ke beech toh man mutaav nahi hai, Rathore sir aur Riya ke beech bhi koi prominent problem nahi hai, Riya handle kar degi lekin Arjun sir aur Rathore sir?

Liza: unka kya?

Shree use samjhaane ki koshish karta hai: are tune suna nahi Riya ne kya kaha? Arjun sir ki jaan jaate-jaate bachi…Riya ko gussa jaldi nahi aata hai, case ke time par bhi nahi, aaj tak usne sirf ek baar unchi awaaz mein baat ki jab Arjun sir ki tabiyat kharab ho gayi thi aur Sakshi use tang kar rahi thi

Liza: are tum gol-gol kyun baaton ko ghuma rahe ho? Kya kehna chahte ho? Saaf-saaf kaho!

Shree(irritated): Are Meri Maa! (woh use ek kone mein lekar jaata hai taaki koi sune na) kal Rathore sir ke stunt ke chakkar mein Arjun sir ki jaan jaate bachi aur is wajah se Riya ko itna gussa aaya, lekin Arjun sir kaha gaye hum mein se koi nahi jaanta, par jaan kaha jaayegi? Kahi unhone…suici…

Liza(horrified): PAAGAL HO GAYE HO TUM!!!.....................................