Chapter 27

 

EPISODE – 39

 

A sudden movement of someone's fingers on her back sent shudders down her body. She hastily turned back to see a warm, familiar, smiling face.

"Raj!" She exclaimed.

"Hi!" He planted a kiss on her cheeks.

"Hi! But tum yahan kya kar rahe ho... Aur woh bhi out of your uniform."

 

This surprise encounter was too pleasing for her to believe it to be true.

"Maya ko Dilli Haat ghumane aaya hoon. Woh nayi hai na Delhi mein." He smiled teasingly and winked at her.

"How nice!" All her pleasure of this unexpected meeting went kaput in a moment and a frown replaced her smile. Her tone was sarcastic.

 

He laughed.

"Maya ka naam lete hi tumhari shakal dekhne layak hoti hai."

"Huh! Like I care about this Maya."

"Problem kya hai Maya se... Bharosa nahin hai mujhpe."

She glared back at him and walked out of the shop without a word.

 

"Waise main tumhein batana bhool gaya....." He followed her, trying to tease her a little more but Naina cut him in between.

"Tum kuch aur bhi bhool gaye ho."

"Kya?"

"Tum Maya ke saath aaye ho mere saath nahin. Woh kahin tumhara wait kar rahi hogi."

"Correct. I think I should go. Waise main busy rahunga so don't disturb me for a few days with your calls aur uske baad agar time mil gaya to I'll see you." He said non-chalantly.

 

He stood their wearing a smirk looking at her who was now loosing her temper.

"Okay baba I am sorry. Mazak kar raha tha and your expressions has told me ki it was a bad joke. But I really want to know ki tumahari problem kya hai Maya se."

"Yahi ki tum jaanboojh ke hamesha mere saamne Maya-Maya karte rehte ho... Kabhi Naina-Naina nahin kar sakte kya?"

"Jab se tumhein mila hoon usi din se Naina-Naina kar raha hoon, for one reason or the other... It's just that ab tum shayad sun nahin paa rahi ho."

"Jaise mujhe jo sunna hai woh tum bada bol paa rahe ho!" She retorted

 

He stopped walking as he heard that comment. For a while they both looked into each other's eyes quietly.

 

"Forget it... Ab seriously batao... yahan kya kar rahe ho?"

"Dilli Haat is one of the most crowded hang out zones of Delhi which makes it an easy and may be a desirable target for terrorist activities. Isliye hum log is tarah ke areas ko High Security zone mein divide karke baari baari without uniform check karte hain."

"Oh! Aur tumhari woh kal ki info ka kya hua?"

"Nothing! Kisi kaam ki nahin thi woh information."

"Oh! Lunch ke liye chalein?"

"I am on duty."

"Yahan khade ho ke mujhe dukhi kar sakte ho but mere saath lunch nahin kar sakte."

 

He smiled and stroked her cheeks with his finger.

"Jaise tumhein dukhi kar ke main khush reh sakta hoon. And for your kind information, Maya is happily married.... Captain Mrs. Maya Tarun Shergill."

 

Naina squeezed her tounge between her teeth.

"Pehle kyun nahin bataya?"

"Because I did tell you that I love the red of your nose when you are angry..."

She blushed.

"... And the red of your cheeks when you blush."

 

She planted a quick peck on the corner of his lips.

"Bahut zyaada busy ho kya?"

"Haan."

"Okay!" She said disheartened.

"Lekin I think I can spare around 30 minutes for you."

"Sach!" Her eyes lit up and a big grin ran across her face.

 

He patted on her head and put his arms round her shoulder and headed towards the nearby food stall.

 

Naina told Rajveer about her meeting with Alekh and his bewildering apology.

"Ismein itna surprising kya hai... Maine to tumhein pehle hi kaha tha ki Alekh ko akela chod do."

"Tumhein ismein kuch surprising nahin lagta? I mean a sudden drift in his behavior...."

"The only thing surprising is why did he apologise. Woh to kahin pe bhi galat nahin tha."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Tumne abhi thodi der pehle Maya ke naam pe kaise react kiya tha." He tried to remind her.

"Woh to main..."

"Don't try to justify yourself. Main bhi agar tumhein kisi aur ke saath woh time spend karte dekhunga jab tumhein mere saath hona chahiye tha to mujhe bhi bura lagega. It's not a big deal. Aur phir, come to think of it, Alekh ya uski insecurity, nothing was uncalled for. He read what we could not."

"But Raj... Whatever! Forget about it. Kuch aur baat karte hain."

"Jaise ki..."

"Jaise ki.... Ammmm..... Tumhara kaam khatam kab hoga?"

"Pata nahin... But I am sure ki we can find better topics than either Alekh or my job, to talk about."

"Yeah... I know." She answered in a bored tone.

 

Rajveer got up from his chair and shifted it near Naina. He placed it so close to Naina that as he sat, his shoulder brushed against her's. He took her right hand in his left and kissed it. He hald it strongly in his grip as the two took their lunch quietly. After a while, she kept down her spoon and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Raj Bhaiyya se baat karo na... Please! Mujkhe acha nahin lagta Bhaiyya ko bina bataye..." Her mood was a bit low and she was almost pleading.

 

Rajveer kept quite for a while and then he answered in an intense tone.

"Tumne abhi thodi der pehle jo kaha tha... did you mean that?"

"What?" She looked at him slightly confused.

"Yehi ki after being so close to each other for quite some time now, you are still waiting for me to say something that even I know I haven't. Are those words so important to you?"

"Kyun tumhare liye important nahin hai?"

"Mere liye sirf tum important ho... Uske baad... Kuch nahin."

 

She smiled and shook her head.

"Let it be... Jab tak tum mere saath ho I am fine... Aur agar kabhi tumne mujhse duur jaane ke baare mein socha bhi to tum fine nahin rahooge."

 

Rajveer chuckled.

"I think I am very well aware of that."

He saw his watch and it was time for him to leave.

"I got to go now. I'll see you soon."

He gave her a quick peck on her lips and rushed out. But there was something in his eyes that caught her attention, though she could not comprehend that.

 

********

 

"Goodmorning Alekh." She greeted him warmly as she crossed him in the corridor of Radio Station while rushing towards her RJ Console.

"Hey!" He smiled back at her.

 

She quickly went inside her console. She was already late. Just five minutes to go and she hasn't checked the equipments yet and revising her script was also due.

"What a start... Aaj ka din Pucca kharab jaane waala hai. I have never ever been so late." She mumbled under her breathe as she checked all the equipments. She read the initial few lines of her script and it was 7.

 

"Good Morning Delhi! Aapki is usual morning ko beautiful aur good banane ki apni koshish ke saath it's me RJ Naina only on radio Mirchi, 98.3 FM...... Abhi baje hain subah ke saa...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhh........"

 

Her loud scream filled the air before it fell unusually silent...