Chapter 3

He saw Riya walk away from him at the office, and had felt a sharp tug at his chest! He had informed the Commissioner that he had an important business to settle, before he could start working on the lead obtained on Sikandar's case.

Arjun had walked out of the Police Headquarters and dashed off towards Riya's house. He was surprised to find that she hadn't reached home yet. Her apartment was only about 20 minutes away from the ETF office. Why then was she taking hours to reach home? He glanced at his watch one more time and saw someone approach the door. He heard the door unlock and had held her hand, the very next moment!

Riya's head shot up at the sudden contact. She scrutinised the figure carefully; her eyes were already droopy and her vision had turned hazy because of the crying all day. She took a step forward and looked carefully; it was indeed him! Who else could those black, soul-penetrating eyes belong to! 

She jerked back and freed her hand from his grip and pushed the door open. He followed her inside as she walked in, taking baby steps, not moving her eyes from his!

Arjun snatched her bag and placed it on the floor; he held her shoulders gently and made her sit down on the couch and crouched on his knees in front of her. He gently took both her palms and held them in his; her gaze had now shifted to their intertwined hands. Arjun hooked his index finger under her chin and gently made her look at him. He squeezed her palms tenderly so as to grab her attention and then whispered, 

'Riya, I'm sorry!'

Her eyes flew up to meet his and he felt her tremble beneath his hands. He looked into her eyes and was shocked! They were blank and emotionless. He had expected her to be sad, depressed or even angry and lunge at his throat! But her indifference; he wasn't prepared for it, and hence it hurt even more!

He let go of her palms and gently cupped her face, 'Riya.. Please kuch to bolo..'

She blinked her eyes finally and let out a mocking laugh, 'Kya bolu, SIR!'

His head shot up at the sarcastic tone in her otherwise composed and sweet voice. He gently caressed her cheek with his thumb and that made her jerk! She jerked his hands off, slightly knocking him backwards on his ankles. Staggering to her feet, she looked straight into his eyes,

'Kyun aaye hain aap yahan? Aapko toh apne naye mission ki preparation karni chahiye na, SIR? Aur kya sun na chahte hain aap?'

He took a step forward to hold on to her arm, but she silenced him with a wave of her hand, 'Don't touch me, SIR!'

Arjun was slowly losing his patience with her. He grabbed her arms and pulled her forward, making her crash into his chest, 'Riya, let me talk!'

Riya had had enough of this! She held his arms and forcefully jerked them off herself, 'Don't you dare touch me!' She saw him falter a bit and his eyes popped out.

'Samajhte kya hain aap apne aap ko? You're not the only one who's lost your beloved! You're not the only one mourning the death of your loved ones.. You're not the only one who's life had come to a standstill..'

She tugged at his sleeve and made him face her a bit aggressively. She cupped his jaw between her fingers, 'I lost my parents 5 years back! They were on their way to my graduation ceremony and guess what, Boom! A maniac had decided to blow up the very train that they were travelling in!' She released her hold on his jaw slowly and slumped to the floor,

'I lost both my parents in that blast.. I was orphaned.. Woh dono mujhe chodkar chale gaye; mujhe akele chodkar.. I didn't know what to do! I was shattered.

Aapko pata hai, maine apni jaan lene ki bhi koshish ki thi, lekin afsos, Nani ne sahi waqt par aakar mujhe bacha liya tha!' She heard him gasp at that.

 'Kaafi waqt laga tha mujhe uss haadse se ubharne mein.. Lekin phir maine apne mann ko samjha liya.. I gathered myself up, coz I had to get them justice.. I joined the police force, and this is the very reason I wanted to be a part of the ETF; iss ummeed ke saath, ki ek din mera unn ke kaatilon se saamna hoga..'

She glanced at him and saw him stand there with his arms folded and attentively listening to what she had to say. That composed look of his, riled her up even more! She saw him walk ahead and hold her hand, he was again dragging her to the couch. She struggled, but in vain, he wouldn't release her. She winced in pain as his fingers dug into her tender wrist.

Her eyes shot up with rage and she lunged at him, 'Just leave.' She saw him open his mouth to protest, 'Sir, maine kaha leave me alone!'

Arjun pulled her closer to himself, 'Riya! Meri baat suno toh..'

She pushed him with all her might and had finally managed to break free off him, atleast physically.

'Aap samajh kyun nahi rahe ho? Meri zindagi mein waise hi kaafi pareshaniyaan hai, bohot dard hai.. Maine bohot mushkil se apne aap ko sambhala hai.. Lekin iss baar, nahi ho payega mujhse Sir! 

Nahi sun ni hai mujhe aapki koi bhi baat.. Mujhme itni himmat nahi hai.. Main toot jaoongi.. Please chale jaiye yahaan se!'

She heard him whisper a sorry; she raised her eyes to look up at him,

'I don't want your sorry, Sir.. You don't need to apologise.. But please, mujhe mere haal pe akela chod dijiye.. Please!'

She felt him walk away from her, towards the door. Holding her head in between her palms, she slumped to the floor.. He was actually going.. He's leaving me.. I might not see him ever again! I love him.. And now I've lost him!

She heard the door shut and let out a wail and began sobbing hysterically; only to feel a gentle palm land on her shoulder. Her head shot up and there he stood, gazing at her with such tender emotions in his eyes, she'd never thought he was capable of portraying. He slowly wound his arms around her and made her stand on her feet.

She staggered to her feet, muttering something, struggling to break free. She felt him tighten his hold on her arms and looked up at him. His eyes held raw pain and fierce determination; she shivered inwardly at the intensity of his emotions.

'Bohot bol chuki ho tum, ab meri baat suno!' She turned away not wanting this conversation to take place. He however seemed possessed! He grabbed her hand again, only for her to resist him.

Annoyed with her antics, he yanked her hand and pulled her close. She stumbled and crashed against his chest, raising her eyes to meet his. He was pleading with her to stop struggling and to hear him out. But she would have none of it; she wriggled against his lean, muscular chest and tears flew out of her red and swollen eyes.

Arjun held her left arm and twisted it behind her back, eliciting a shriek from her. She winced in pain and shut her eyes. They stood still in that state for a few seconds; however, before she could open her eyes, she felt his lips crush down on hers!

Her eyes flew open with the sudden action of his; she could feel him tugging at her lower lip, begging for entrance; one hand gripping her waist while the other still held her twisted arm in place. She stood still, not being able to move!

Arjun realised her reluctance, but his control was slowly spiralling away.. He nipped her upper lip; she hadn't given up protesting yet. He still felt her trying to break free. He couldn't let her go! He needed her to know what she meant to him.. And well if this is what it took to pacify her, he would do it!

He let go of her arm and his hand quickly moved to grip the back of her head, even as he poured his love and pain into the kiss. He bit her lip, repeatedly until she gave up and offered him an entrance. He felt her respond to him as her hands flew to the back of his neck, drawing him further into her.

He tasted her! The damage had been done, he couldn't hold back anymore; and he didn't. He took her to a new level of passion with his need for her. Arjun's hands were in her wavy hair, with his fist gently holding a chunk of her hair, and his other palm kneading into her waist.

Riya had completely surrendered herself to him, by now; her mind was in frenzy. She met his demands with a passion equal to his, her fingers woven in his hair and her body pressed against his! He heard her moan against his lips, and softened the kiss.

He slowly withdrew from her, still holding her close to him. He looked at her; she looked divine; with her eyes shut, her lips parted, and her heart beating frantically against his chest. He slowly removed his fingers from her hair and tenderly caressed her cheek; that undid it! Tears started streaming down her shut eyes and a muffled sob escaped her lips. He let go of her waist, only to engulf her in his arms.

Riya hugged him back, as if, clinging on to her dear life. He stroked her back softly, muttering incoherent words into her hair trying to soothe her.

They separated after a while, and both sat down on the floor, with Riya's head resting against his shoulder and Arjun's arms wound around hers.

She looked into his eyes and saw pure love in them; he was gazing at her with an intensity that made her heart do a quick somersault!

But then there were important things to deal with! This what had just happened wasn't normal,  'Arjun! Yeh?'

He silenced her by placing his head in her lap, 'Riya, please hear me out first.. I beg you!'

She ran her fingers through his hair, urging him to go on.

'Main khud nahi jaanta ki yeh sab kab hua.. Bass itna yaad hai, ki main badalne laga tha.. Tumhari har choti se choti baat mujhpar asar karne lagi thi.. Be it your red flowery clip, your pink pen, your tears, your smile, the way you threw you hair back, your non-stop ranting about statistics; everything had started affecting me!

Maine bohot koshish ki, tumhe bhulane ki, tumhara khayal apne dil se nikalne ki; ab tak bass apne aap ko yahi samjhata raha, ki shayad main tumhare liye sahi nahi tha aur mujhse door rehne mein hi, tumhari khushi thi!'

He saw her eyes pop out, 'Aur phir, ek khauf bhi tha, jisne mujhe majboor kar diya tha tumse door hone ke liye!'

He swiftly sat up and held her both her palms in his, 'Roshni ke saath jo hua, uske liye main zimmedaar tha.. Naahi main Sikandar se dushmani mol leta, aur naahi woh Roshni ko itni berehmi se maarta..' 

She quickly placed a finger on his lips and shook her head, as if to stop blaming himself. He held her palm and placed it on his chest and gently held it.

'Uski cheekhein aaj bhi mere kaanon mein goonjti hain, Riya! Uski woh dard se bhari aankhein aaj bhi mujhe chain se sone nahi deti.. Maine usse apni aankhon ke saamne dum todte hue dekha hai!'

She squeezed his hand reassuringly and he moved his palms to cup her face, 'Aur main tumhare saath aisa kuch hone nahi de sakta.. Meri wajah se agar tumhe ek kharonch bhi aayi, toh tum nahi jaanti main kya kar baithoonga! Isliye, sirf isiliye, maine aaj tak tumse apne dil ki baat nahi kahi..'

'Ab aur nahi Riya, main ab aur nahi bhaag sakta, naahi sach se, na apne aap se aur khaaskar na tumse!'

'Lekin yeh baat bhi utni hi sach hai Riya, I won't be able to tolerate you being hurt, your tears kill me, your frown breaks my heart.. Aur isliye mujhe tumse door jaana hi hoga.. '

He looked into her eyes,

                                          Haan tera saaya toh main hoon
                                          Par sang tere na reh sakoon..

                                          Haan iss safar mein, toh main hoon
                                          Par sang tere na ruk sakoon..

                                          Main hoon shab, tu subah
                                          Dono jud ke judaa..

                                          Main hoon lab, tu dua
                                          Dono jud ke judaa

                                          Madno.. Mashuko.. Dilbaro..

                                          Madno re..

She gasped and clutched his shoulder and shook her head violently. 

'Main aap ko kahin nahi jaane doongi.. Aur akele toh bilkul nahi.. Main.. main bhi aapke saath chalungi. Aap shayad bhool rahein hain ki main bhi ek ETF officer hoon!'

Arjun smirked and looked at her, 'Waise mujhe aurat ki kabiliyat par ab bhi shaq nahi hai; lekin nahi, tum mere saath nahi chal sakti.. Its way too dangerous.. I won't risk it!'

Riya was still not convinced and held on to him, 'Arjun lekin agar aap..'

He saw her eyes brimming with tears and kissed her forehead, 'Mujhe kuch nahi hoga.. I promise to be safe; please trust me!'

'I had given up on life after Roshni left me, I have been living a reckless life until now.. My life's sole aim was to punish Sikandar and seek justice for Roshni.. I used to think that it was the only thing that could cure my pain. But that was before you walked into my life, Riya!'

'And that is when I realised how completely wrong I had been.. You were able to see right through me! Unknowingly, you brought me back to life. 

You were the only one who could annoy the hell out of me, enough for me to break everything around me into a million pieces; and yet, you were the only one who made my heart beat again!

Your passion towards your work, your tender and caring nature, your feisty yet shy attitude; your eyes often reflected my pain, and that's what pulled me towards you, a sign that my heart was still alive!'

He cupped her face and looked straight into her eyes, 'You're the cure to my heartache, Riya!'

She couldn't fight her tears anymore and crashed into his chest. He kissed her hair, 'I will be safe Riya, I will come back to you; you know why?' She raised her eyes and looked up at him and saw him smiling..

'Because I want to spend the rest of my life, learning statistics and percentages!  Ab samjhi, ya samjhaun?'

She flashed one of her dimpled smiles and stole his heart away yet again. He kissed her forehead and slowly got up and made her sit on the couch comfortably.

She saw him walk into the kitchen and sighed, 'What had she done in her life to deserve him?'.

                                          Tu hi to har pal bandha hai..
                                           Lamhon ki inn zanjeeron mein..

                                          Tu hi to har dum raha hai
                                          Khwaabon ki har taaberon mein..

                                         Tu hi to har din dikha hai
                                          Dhundli ujli tasveeron mein..

                                         Tere hi to hai khusboo mujh mein haan, Madno re
                                         Tere hi to hai khusboo mujh mein haan..

                                         Ab tu hi to har su, har jagah
                                         Ab tu hi to har su, har jagah..

He felt her gaze on himself and turned back, 'Coffee?'

She shook her head in negative, 'Ab mujhe bhi aapki cutting chai ki aadat daal leni chahiye, hai na SIR??'

He grinned and reached her in a few steps; he backed her up against the wall, and snaked his arm around her waist, 'Waise main tumhe ek important baat batana toh bhool hi gaya, Riya.'

She looked up at him quizzically and felt something cold slide along her finger. He lifted her left hand in front of her, which now had a white metal band sparkling against her ring finger. She gasped and her eyes flew to meet his, 'I love you Miss Statistics!' 

Hope you guys liked it.. I really do! 

Well, I've left the rest for speculation.. May write another SS on the future plot.. Just saying, maybe..  

Anyway, that's the end of Madno Re.. for now!