Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

A LAX SUNDAY

"Karan, tu aa raha hai, na, aaj?" Param asked.

"Haan, haan, bola toh", Karan said. He sifted through the papers, putting them in different piles. "2-3 ghante mein aa jaunga. Thoda sa kaam hai, par pakka aunga. Achha, suno. Baby kitna gussa hai?"

Param chuckled. "Gussa hai par tujhe dekhte hi saara gussa bhool jaayegi. Tu uski chinta mat kar. Kal bhi uchhal rahi thi ki tu aayega."

He smiled slightly. "Aur Bhabhi ko puchho, na, ki woh mere liye pancakes banaa sakti hain kya?"

"Use pata hai. Kal shaam ho hi mujhe bheja tha samaan laane ke liye."

His smile widened. He filed the organized papers. "Bhabhi ko kehna ki woh best hain."

"Keh dunga", he answered, chuckling a little.

"Bhaiya, main ghar aakar baat karta hoon. Thoda sa kaam hai, woh khatam karna hai."

"Theek hai. Bye."

"Bye."

He pocketed his phone, before picking up the files. He paused, seeing the notes he had made as a guide of PTSD and Monami. He picked up a pen, flipping to the page of 'Habits And Problems.'

'She can get panic attacks when she is reliving a nightmare too many times. She needs distraction and comfort.

Symptoms of Panic Attack- Uneven breathing, shaky hands, sweat, not responding when talked to, increased heart rates, crying. Might be different each time.

Note- Talking or humming is best for distraction, preferably while hugging her or touching her in some form for comfort. Try to spot before she gets a panic attack and distract her.'

He paused, thinking it over, before adding another note.

'Note- Way, way out of my league. Call Siddharth immediately.'

He capped the pen, staring at the page. He tilted his head, reading the notes over. His gaze lingered on the third point he had written almost a week before.

'She can get lost when she is thinking about a nightmare. She does not like to talk too much and prefers to think and deal with it herself. She does not like being touched and it is best to shut up and leave her to her thoughts because she might start to feel that she isn't getting her space.

Note- Needs to be analysed whether she is in the mood to talk or not.'

"Hadd hai", he muttered to himself. "Kabhi nightmare ke baad baat nahi karni hai aur kabhi karni hai. Kabhi yeh khud distracted hoti hai, kabhi ise distraction chahiye. Kabhi koi hug kare, toh panic karti hai, aur kabhi koi nahi kare, toh karti hai."

He heaved a sigh. He leaned against the back of the chair, staring at the notes.

"Monami Mahajan, tumhe samajhna chah raha hoon par tum toh samajh hi nahi aa rahi ho."

'Log ek baar mein samajh nahi aate hain, Sanju. Kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki koi samajh aa gaya aur phir agle din woh kuchh aisa kar deta hai jisse lagta hai ki hume toh kuchh pata hi nahi hai uss insaan ke baare mein.'

"Sahi keh raha tha Faizi. Mujhe laga tha ki mujhe tum samajh aa gayi ho- ek sherni jo apne aap ko duniya se chhupakar rakhti hai." He shook his head. "But you aren't that simple, Monami. Tumhaare baare mein har cheez complicated hai. Tum darr kar karti kya ho, woh tak simple nahi hai." He narrowed his eyes. "But tumhe toh main samajh kar rahunga. I accept the challenge."

He straightened up, picking the files again.

Monami Mahajan was a lot of things.

Entrancingly intriguing was one of them.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"... Aur phir, hum academy waapas aa gaye", Koel said.

"Hmm", Nikhil said, nodding. Koel chuckled at his serious expression. "Koel, tujhe lagta hai mujhe woh pasand aayenge?"

"I hope so." She propped the phone up on the desk, letting Nikhil get a better angle through the video call. "He's pretty nice. Sab use pasand karte hain."

"Aur woh mujhe pasand karenge?"

"Pakka", Koel said. "Maine use tere baare mein bahut kuchh bataaya hai. And he thinks ki tum dono ki bahut achhi banegi."

Nikhil smiled a little. Her mother bent down, leaning over Nikhil. "Dikhne mein handsome hai? Photo bhej, na? Agar achha nahi laga dikhne mein, toh manaa kar dungi."

Koel rolled her eyes. "Maa! Seriously?"

"Waise, teri Maa ne toh aise hi bola tha ki ladka dekh lena", her father called from somewhere off the screen. "Tune toh sach mein hi dekh liya. Itna seriously nahi lena hota hai har baat ko."

"Arey? Dekh liya toh achhi baat hai, na?" Her mother said. "Ab use achha laga, toh kya problem hai?"

"Maine kab kaha problem hai?"

"Matlab toh woh hi tha, na?"

"Koel, ab toh tune bhi suna. Bol, maine ek baar bhi yeh kaha?"

Koel sighed, shaking her head. Her gaze met Nikhil's, and he facepalmed, shaking his head. She chuckled. "Ek kaam karo", she said. "Aap log ladh lo, main baad mein call karti hoon phir."

"Arey nahi nahi", her father said. "Phir tu apne doston ke saath chali jaayegi, aur dhang se baat hi nahi hogi." He walked into the frame. "Teri Maa toh hamesha ready rehti hai ladne ke liye."

"Papa, aap dono hi hamesha ready rehte ho", Koel said. "Saara blame Maa par mat daalo."

"Dekh, yeh aisa hi karte hain hamesha", her mother said.

"Arey, bas, bas", Nikhil interrupted. "Phir se mat shuru ho jaana."

Koel laughed, as her parents stared at him, affronted. They huffed, making Nikhil facepalm again. "Aap logon ka kuchh nahi ho sakta."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Subah subah itni #fresh air hai, na?" Chitra said, taking a deep breath. "Training waale din toh #drills ki wajah se enjoy hi nahi kar paate."

"Mumbai ke pollution se toh bahut better hai", Koel agreed.

Sid slung an arm over Bala's shoulders. "Bol, Bala G bro. Kuchh special chahiye tujhe birthday ke liye?" He asked. "Yaa apne hisaab se khareed lein?"

Bala grinned. "Bhai ji, main toh khushi khushi le lunga sab kuchh. Main toh bas isi baat par khush hoon ki mujhe taufe mil rahe hain."

"Yeh janamdin tujhe hamesha yaad rahega", Prem ji promised.

"Hum balloons aur decoration toh laa hi sakte hain", Suman ji said. "Sid aur Bala ka kamra sajaa denge, aur Suman ji healthy khaane mein hi kuchh aisa banaa hi degi jo tujhe pasand aayega."

"Guys, raat ko baithkar discuss karte hai, na? Trainers se permission bhi le lenge", Koel said. "Aur jo samaan chahiye hoga, woh special permission lekar weekday par hi le aayenge."

"Abhi ke liye, gifts!" Sid cheered. "Bala G bro, apna gift tu apne birthday waale din hi dekhna. Toh, isliye no coming close jab main shopping kar raha hoon."

"Same", the rest echoed.

Bala looked at them. "Toh main kahan jaaon?" He asked.

"Kahin bhi chala jaa", Koel said. "Thodi shopping kar le, kuchh khaa le. Kisi ko call kar le. Humaara thodi der mein ho jaayega, phir sab ek saath ghoom lenge."

He sighed disappointedly, randomly going into one of the shops as everyone dispersed.

"Yeh kaisa lagega use?" Suman ji asked, holding up a cologne.

Koel shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Woh Sid ka lagaata hai, na? Uske paas apna hoga, toh use achha lagega", she reasoned. Koel nodded in agreement. She smiled, moving to the counter.

Koel idly strolled around the shop, trying to spot something Bala would like. She ran her fingers over a leather jacket. He often eyed Sid's quietly. She checked the size, before grabbing it and turning to the counter.

She paused, glancing at the colognes. She inspected them, picking up one that looked good. She opened it, spraying a little on her wrist. It smelled good.

'Faizi ko pasand aayega kya?' She thought. She glanced around, before dropping her head and staring at it for a few thoughtful seconds. She grabbed it, moving to the counter.

"Yeh dono, please", she said.

"Yes ma'am", the girl said.

"Aap gift pack karte hain?"

She nodded. "Par extra charge hoga."

"No issues. Dono gift pack kar dijiye, alag alag. And uh... alag alag pack karna."

"Sure, ma'am", she said, scanning the items before beginning to wrap the items up. Koel smiled a little. 'Bas... dono ko pasand aaye.'

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Karan inserted the key into the slot, twisting it. The engine roared to life, and he pulled out of the academy, pausing at the gate to flash his ID for the sign out.

'Chalo', he thought. 'Cheezen finally thodi settle down ho rahi hain. Cadets bhi schedule mein aa gaye hain aur Mission Euphoria bhi khatam. Ab training aur spy par dhyaan dena hai.'

He slowed down, seeing a familiar girl walking down the road. He stopped next to her, and she looked up.

"Kya baat hai, Rani Sahiba?" He asked. "Academy mein exercise kam hoti hai kya jo paida nikal gayi ho? Kahan jaa rahi ho?"

"C-City m-market", Monami answered.

"Aa jao, main chodh deta hoon. Baitho", he said.

She paused hesitantly, before opening the door and climbing in. "Th-Thank you."

He nodded, pushing down on the accelerator. "Baaki sab cadets ke saath kyun nahi gayi tum?"

"M-Mujhe th-thoda k-kaam tha", she said.

"Toh Ustaad ji ko keh deti. Woh kisi ko kehkar tumhe city tak chudhwaa dete", he said.

She looked away. "M-Main nahi ch-chahti thi m-meri w-wajah se k-kisi ko t-takleef ho."

He sighed. "Monami... agar tumhe kuchh ho jaaye, yaa tum safe naa ho, us mein logon ko takleef hogi. City tak chodhne mein nahi. Yeh raaste sunsaan hai aur dono taraf jungle hai. Insaan aur janwaar dono se khatra hai. Agli baar se aisa mat karna", he scolded lightly. "Ustaad ji ke paas nahi jaana, toh mere paas aa jaana. Yaa Faizi yaa Sanju ke paas. Theek hai?" She nodded. She turned her head to look out, watching the trees pass by silently.

He turned his gaze back forward, quietly driving to the city. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled to the side, taking it out. Bhaiya.

"Ek minute", he said to Monami. He accepted the call. "Haan, Bhaiya?"

"Chhote, kitni der mein aa raha hai tu?"

"Aa raha hoon. Raaste mein hoon."

"Jaldi aa, na?" He snapped. "Sadiyan lagaa deta hai."

He rolled his eyes. "Aa raha hoon. Teleport nahi kar sakta main. Thoda toh patience rakh lo."

"Arey, tere patience ke chakkar mein Baby ne mera sar khaa liya hai. Subah se sau baar sun chuka hoon, 'Chachu kab aa rahe hain?' Har do minute mein puchhne aa jaati hai.'

He smiled slightly. "Raaste mein hoon. Aadhe ghante mein pahunch jaunga. Time bataaya toh tha. Ab main drive kar loon, ya yahin ruka rahoon baat karne ke liye?"

"Toh kar, na, drive? Mana kisne kara hai? Ghar aakar baat karte hain. Aur jaldi aana, warna yeh Baby... Arey, Baby, abhi Chachu se baat kari hai. Aa rahe hain, meri maa. Raaste-" He cut the call.

Karan shook his head slightly, pocketing the phone again. He pulled back on the road, taking a turn that will take them to the city.

"S-Sir?" Monami said. He glanced at her. "S-Sorry."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Sorry kyun?"

"M-Meri w-wajah se aap l-late ho r-rahe ho. Aa-Aap m-mujhe y-yahin ch-chodh do, m-main b-baaki ke r-raasta ch-chali jaungi", she said.

He rolled his eyes. "Do baatein", Karan said. She looked at him in surprise, immediately raising two fingers. "Pehli." She kept her middle finger down, holding the index finger up. "Main ghar jaa raha hoon. Late ho bhi gaya, koi tsunami nahi aa jaayegi."

"Aur d-doosri?" She prompted, raising the second finger again.

"Mere ghar waalon ko hamesha complaint rahegi, chaahe main kitna bhi pehle chala jaoon. Sunday ko dopehar mein jaata hoon toh kehte hain subah aana chahiye tha, subah jaata hoon toh kehte hain kal shaam ko hi jaata. Aur kabhi kabhi toh kehte yahin reh le." His lips curled up slightly.

"Must be nice", she muttered, probably to herself.

"Kya?" She shook her head. "Must be nice kya?" He pushed.

"M-Must be n-nice knowing ki k-koi hai jo aa-aapka itna b-besabri se i-intezaar k-kar raha hai, ki k-koi aapse i-itna py-pyaar karta hai." Her voice trailed into a softer, longing tone. His eyebrows furrowed.

"Tumhaare ghar par bhi toh koi tumhaara wait kar raha hoga."

She shook her head. She chuckled a little, uncharacteristic bitterness in the sound. "M-Mere Papa toh s-sirf yeh w-wait kar r-rahe hain ki m-main kab f-fail hongi. Kab aa-aakar yeh k-kahungi ki m-mujhse n-nahi hui yeh t-training." Her eyes welled up with tears.

Karan's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Your Dad's in for a long, fruitless wait then", he said. "Tumhe naa main haar manne dunga, aur naa tumhe training chodhkar jaane dunga. Meri best cadet ho abhi. One of my best commandos banogi tum."

Her lips twitched up in a smile. "Th-Thank you", she whispered.

"Waise, apne Papa ko mention kara tumne, par Mumma ko nahi?" He asked. "Tumhaare Mumma support karte hain?"

Her smile dropped immediately, and she glanced down at her hands. "H-Hote toh z-zaroor k-karte", she said softly. She smiled a little. "Woh h-hain n-nahi ab. Sh-Shaheed ho g-gaye."

"Shaheed?" He asked in surprise. "Tumhaare Mumma defence mein the?"

She nodded. "A-Army d-doctor."

'Badi baap ki bighdi aulaad hogi yeh.'

'Outdoor adventure sports ke camp ki tarah treat karegi ise.'

'Wo ek spoiled, rich privileged kid hai jise lagta hai ki woh hum normal logon se bahut upar hai.'

He pressed down on the break, halting on the outskirts of the market. Monami smiled at him. "Th-Thank you."

"Monami", he stopped her. She looked back at him, her hand on the handle. "Woh..." He paused. "Main tumhe spoiled, privileged kid samajhta tha. I am sorry."

Her eyebrows furrowed, a small, confused smile tugging her lips up. "Aap al-already s-sorry b-bol chuke hain." She smiled. "It's a-all in the p-past n-now. M-Main bh-bhool g-gayi hoon, aap bhi bh-bhool jao. Thanks f-for the r-ride. Bye." She opened the door, hopping down. She waved at him and he lifted a hand back.

His fingers curled back down, and he gripped the steering wheel. He stared after her for a few seconds, watching her leave before he pressed down on the accelerator, turning to the direction of his house.

'Woh h-hain n-nahi ab. Sh-Shaheed ho g-gaye.'

'R-Rani woh j-jo apne l-logon, apni m-mitti k-ke liye apni jaan bh-bhi de sakti hai.'

'Rani w-woh jo apne d-desh ke liye j-jeeti ho, a-aur d-desh ke liye m-m-mar jaati ho.'

'Yeh kya apni maa ke baare mein baat kar rahi thi uss din?' He thought. 'Jaise baat kar rahi thi uss din, tab bhi lagaa tha ki jo isne kaha, iske liye woh kuchh mean karta hai. Apni maa ke baare mein baat kar rahi thi kya yeh?'

"Jitna tumhaare baare mein jaanun, Monami", he said aloud, "utna hi tumhaare baare mein sochne par majboor hota hoon. Tumhaari har baat mein aisi cheezen hoti hain, jo pehli baar mein naa main dekh paata hoon, naa sun paata hoon. Jo bahut, bahut baad mein samajh aati hain mujhe." His lips curled slightly. "Aisi kitni cheezen hain jo tumne mujhe already bataa di hain apne baare mein, par main dekh yaa sunn nahi paaya hoon?"

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Monami stared at the white board. 'BALA'S BIRTHDAY PLANNING' was sprawled on the top in Koel's scribbly handwriting. She hadn't realized they were on a mission.

"Okay, everyone", Koel said seriously. "Our mission? Bala ka birthday achha banana hai."

"Ek baat bata", Sid said. "Tere andar Prem ji ki aatma aa gayi hai kya? Itna dramatic?" Koel threw the marker at him, and he caught it. His eyes lit up. "Marker jiske paas, captain woh."

"Mera marker hai woh", she snapped. "Waapas kar."

"Uh-uh", he said. "Ab tu baith, aur main plan karta hoon. Waise bhi, Bala mera roommate hai. By that logic, sabse zyaada haq mera banta hai uspar." He hopped to his feet, dodging Koel's swipe for the marker. She let out a frustrated groan, sitting down.

Monami chuckled slightly, hugging her knees as she sat on Sid's bed. The seven all had gathered in Sid and Bala's room, using their Sunday evening to plan a good enough birthday party for Bala.

"Okay, so sabse pehle, permission", Sid said. "Hume Karan Sir se permission leni hai. Preferably cake banaane ki, aur thoda junk food ki aur haan, rooms mein khaana laane ki. Uske baad hum apna plan of action decide karenge. Now, the big question. Kaun jaayega puchhne?"

There was a pause, as the cadets stared at each other.

"Bhai ji, main jaunga toh Karan Sir ji mere 'happy birthday' ke naam par mujhe hi mombatti ki tarah jalaa denge", Bala said. "Itna bhi yaadgaar nahi karna. Main nahi jaunga."

"#No way", Chitra said.

"Monami, tu chali jaa", Suman ji said.

Her eyes widened. "M-M-Main? Main k-kyun? Tum s-sab h-hamesha m-mere s-saath hi aisa k-kyun k-karte ho? Maine k-kya b-bigadha hai? L-Last time, t-tech ke liye p-puchhna tha, m-mujhe aa-aage kar diya. Aur ab bhi?"

"Kamini, pichhli baar toh tu chup chaap khadi thi mere saath", Sid said. "Bola toh maine tha. I went last time, toh main iss time nahi jaa raha."

"Par tujhe toh achhe lagte hain woh?" Prem ji said.

"Prem ji, I like him. It doesn't mean he likes me. Party ke liye puchhunga toh mujhpar hi bhadak jaayenge."

"I think Monami going is a good idea", Koel said. "I really think Karan Sir has a soft spot for her."

"Suman ji ko bhi yeh hi lagta hai", Suman ji said. "Yaad hai, jab tu locker room mein giri thi, toh Karan Sir khud tere saath rahe the jab tak tujhe hosh nahi aaya tha."

'Woh toh sirf isliye kyunki woh mujhse information chahte the', she thought. 'Par ab yeh toh nahi bol sakti. Kahan phas gayi hoon main? Phir, bomb ke paas pahuncha denge yeh log. Pichhli baar toh nahi phata, par party ke baare mein puchhungi, tab toh pakka seedha phatega bomb.'

"Bro, correct bol rahe hain", Sid said. "I think tu Karan Sir ki favourite hai. Agar tu puchhegi, toh sabse zyaada chance hai ki haan hogi." She looked at him, wide eyed. "Bro, Bala ka birthday tujhe special nahi manaana kya?"

She heaved a sigh. She nodded. "Par m-mood d-dekhkar. A-Abhi abhi m-maine unhe k-kisi ko d-daantte hue s-suna tha."

"Done", they echoed.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Hi", Faizi said.

Koel smiled at him, sitting down on the stairs. She glanced around. The stairs they met on was hidden in plain sight at the back of the academy, barely anyone passing through. It looked on at the gardens, leaving her relaxed every time she was there.

"Aaj toh tum sab cadets bahar gaye the, na?" Faizi asked. "Kaisa raha?"

She shrugged. "Bala ka birthday aa raha hai, aur usne kabhi apna birthday celebrate nahi kara. Toh hum sab uska birthday extra special plan kar rahe the, toh aaj sabne gifts liye uske liye aur phir idhar udhar ghoome, thode games khele, masti kari, junk food khaaya, and back to academy."

"Tumhaara kya plan hai birthday ka?"

"Monami Karan Sir se permission legi pehle. Phir, jitna woh allow karenge, uss hisaab se hum decide karenge."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Monami permission legi? Woh hi kyun?"

She shrugged. "Hume lagta hai Karan Sir has a soft spot for Monami. Woh unki favourite hai. Agar woh puchhegi, toh humaara chance haan milne ka zyaada hoga." Faizi's face broke into a grin. "Kya hua?"

He shook his head, chuckling. "Kuchh nahi."

She eyed him, before letting it go. "Main tumhaare liye kuchh laayi hoon."

"Humaare liye?" He asked in surprise.

She reached into her jacket pocket, producing the gift packed cologne. "Yeh lo", she said, holding it out. "Aapke liye gift."

He took it. "Is mein kya hai?" He asked.

"Kholkar dekho, na?"

Faizi ripped the paper off, smiling a little. He turned the bottle over, inspecting it. "Yeh kis liye?" He asked.

"Main kya tumhe aise hi gift nahi de sakti? Bala ke liye dekh rahi thi, toh yeh dikh gaya. Mujhe laga tumhe achha lagega."

"Bahut achha hai", he said. He leaned closer a little, and Koel's gaze dropped to his lips. They were inches from hers. Heat rose to her cheeks and her heartrate picked up. She closed her eyes as he leaned closer. His lips touched her cheek, pressing a soft kiss. "Shukriya", he whispered.

Her eyes opened as he pulled away. His lip curled into a slight smile, almost as if proud of the effect he had on her. She took a deep breath, glancing away. She jerked her head down in a nod.

The bell rang in a distance. "I should go", she said, standing up.

He stood up too, nodding. "Good night."

She turned around. She paused a little, turning back. She leaned up, pressing a kiss on his cheek. Faizi's eyes widened in surprise. She smiled slightly. "Good night." She turned around, running off.

Faizi shook his head a little. He chuckled to himself, a hand raising to his cheek where her lips had touched him. He turned the cologne over in his hand, his smile widening. He shoved his hands in his pockets, beginning to walk back.