Chapter-4

“I have a plan!”, he said aloud to the team.

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*Present*

Rathore has helped Riya find another accommodation. All four of them are sticking to Rathore’s plan of not letting Arjun talk to Riya.

They wouldn’t leave them alone at all. If Arjun asked for anything, one of the three would jump in to help, much to his annoyance. Riya was still behaving indifferent, avoiding any possible chance of conversation or even an eye contact with our super cop.

They were all sitting in the conference room, working on a case. Suddenly, Arjun's phone buzzed and he went out to attend the phone call. As soon as he walked out, Riya stretched her arms and moved her neck left and right, exercising.

“Arjun sir se aankhein bachane k chakkar m gardan dard ho gayi h meri, neeche dekhte-dekhte”, she complained. The trio burst out laughing hearing that.

“Riya, kuch paane k liye thoda dard sehna pdta h!”, teased Shree.

“Haan, pr kaanon ko bada aaram h. 2 din ho gye, daant nahi khaayi. Kuch incomplete sa lgg rha h!”, she said flashing her dimples. Hearing this, they all started laughing again. Just then, Arjun entered. His eyes caught the glimpse of Riya smiling and their eyes met for a nanosecond, when she turned away her face again.

Arjun felt a sting in his heart. She is so mad at me, that she chooses to not even look at me. “I've really hurt her feelings. Will she ever forgive me?”

Rathore looked at Arjun’s face and clearly saw hurt in his eyes. He hated to see him that way, but right now, this was the need of the hour. 

Later that day, the team went to raid a hideout, which they believed belonged to a drug dealer who was somehow involved with Leena's case. They were engaged in a shootout, gunshots being heard from both the sides. And all this while, all Arjun did was stand in front of Riya, shielding her from any possible threat, without even exchanging a word. Whatever be their equation, Arjun always considered this as his responsibility. He would shout at her for not being able to shoot and risk everyone’s life along with hers, and still stand ahead of her like a rock during such situations.

The way back was another silent journey, with all 5 of them traveling together in the same ETF SUV. Arjun tried to concentrate on the road, stealing glances of Riya from the rear view mirror every now and then. He wanted to know what was she feeling. Was she still mad at him? 

Riya was lost in her thoughts, staring aimlessly at the stereo Arjun had removed from the car. Her mind was confused.

“He is the same man who got the stereo removed because he didn’t want me to listen to music in his car. The same man who scolds me ruthlessly for every minor mistake I do, and also for mistakes that I didn’t do. He got me homeless. But then, isn’t he the man who protects me every time, not caring about himself. He is not a bad person after all. Situations have made him like that. What he did was wrong, but I don’t think this should be stretched this far. He is apologetic, his face shows. Let’s just end it here. I will talk to Rathore sir.”

They reached the ETF office and got down one by one. The trio inside, while Arjun waited for Rathore to get down.

 Realizing that Arjun is not switching off the car engine, Rathore enquired, “Raute?”, to which he replied even without hearing him or looking at him, “Kuch zaroori kaam h!” 

Rathore didn’t enquire any further and got down, while Arjun drove off.

*Singh Mechanics*

Mechanic: Kya sir, nikaalte wakt hi kaha tha aapse, stereo k bina gaadi m kya mazaa? Ab dekho aana pada naa waapis lagwane!

Arjun gave a disinterested look, sipping his cutting chai.

Mechanic: Waise bura naa lagaein, to ek baat bataein, nikalwaya kyun aapne ye. Aise hi pooch rha hu, matlab....

He tried to find the right words after seeing Arjun glare at him.

Arjun: Gaadi m gaane bajte h, to log baat nhi karte aapas m.

He said softly, to the mechanic’s surprise, who had expected nothing less than a punch from the angry man standing next to him.

Mechanic: Kya sir! Aap chahte h k vo aapse baat kare. To seedhe bol dalne ka naa. Aapki baat kon hi taalega? 

He said the last words cautiously.

Arjun smiled. “Itni seedhi nhi h vo, k bolne se hi maan jaaye".

Mechanic: Are sir, log music system lagwate h k gaadi m kich-kich se bach sakein. Hmm.... pehle btana tha naa, love ka Maamla h. M pehle hi smjh gya tha. Lijiye , ho gayi aapke stereo ki ghar waapsi.

He said, moving out of the vehicle with his toolkit. By that time, Arjun's smile had already vanished. His drive back home was a journey of self- interrogation and introspection. 

He kept looking at the stereo, thinking about how Riya was looking at it in the evening. He remembered her smile and how she looked away in the conference hall, as soon as their eyes met. He remembered the mechanic’s words too. With a cocktail of emotions running through his mind, clouding his cognition, he drove as fast as he could to  his night-shelter, the Ravi lodge.

*ETF OFFICE*

Riya knocked the door of Rathore’s cabin. Rathore, who was busy on a phone call, gestured her to come in.

Riya spoke up as soon as Rathore hung up the call. “Sir, I think we should stop!”

“What?”, Rathore questioned unable to get the context.

“Troubling Arjun sir.”, she said in a low voice.

“And what makes you think that.? As far as I know, he still has not apologized to you for his wrongdoing.”, he said in a stern voice.

“I don’t need his apology. He was mad at something, and then he said something to me. Now he feels guilty and I think this should be the end.”

Riya’s eyes reflected an unknown emotion that Rathore couldn’t understand. There was concern, pity and ...

“Let’s just forget what happened and move on", she spoke interrupting his thoughts.

“Did his words hurt you Riya?”, Rathore asked almost instantly.

Riya: Huh?

Rathore: Were you hurt?

Riya kept mum and Rathore got his answer.

“Riya, I do not want Arjun to hurt anybody, even when he is hurting himself. I don’t want people to think anything wrong about him, or to dislike him. He might be short-tempered, sometimes irrational and egoist, most times says things that make him regret later, but trust me he is not bad at heart. I want the world to know that.  And I also want him to know that we care for him, and he is not supposed to take us for granted. So, I will do everything in my power, to make him realize that.”

Rathore said, with a heavy voice and moist eyes. Riya couldn’t stop herself from smiling at him. He indeed was Mr.Khadoos' best friend.

“You both are a love story from the heavens.”, she joked.

“Fine then.”, she said moving out of his cabin. 

“ He might realize any of this or not, but  I am glad atleast you have REALIZED your concern for him.”, she said closing the cabin door, leaving behind Rathore, who couldn’t help but think over her words.