Chapter-6

Arjun tried to read Rathore’s face, it had a blend of emotions- ‘Nervousness’ being the dominant one. Rathore had settled next to Arjun, he shifted in his chair anxiously, preparing himself. Gathering courage, he opened his mouth, “Rawte! Vo..”, not knowing how to start. Just when the door banged open and Chotu entered.


Rathore looked at him annoyed. “Sir, vo Arjun sir ke liye khana laya hoo. Unko dawai khani h naa.”


“Very good! Thank you, ab jao.”, Rathore almost snatched the food packet from his hand and shooed him out of the conference room.


Rathore handed over the food to Arjun and asked him to finish it. This time he decided to sit exactly in front of Arjun, so that he can analyse his reactions, and for his own safety, of course.


He settled in his chair and saw Arjun busy with his food. “Rawte, there’s something very important I need to speak to you about. You need to...”


The door opened again and Rathore almost pulled his hair in frustration. “What now?”, he shouted. A scared Shree fumbled with words, showing the bottle of water he had brought for Arjun. “Sirrrr, paa...ni.”


He quickly placed it in front of Arjun and began moving out, when Rathore spoke up,” Riya, vo bhi aa rhi hogi?”


Arjun was enjoying all of this. Rathore, the ETF Chief, frustrated over not being able to talk to ‘HIM'. He found it funny.

“Haan sir, vo sir ki dawaai..” stammered Shree and stopped midway seeing Rathore’s annoyed face.

Just then, they heard footsteps and knew Riya was here too. Arjun kept looking at Rathore’s face suppressing his smile, while Rathore just folded his arms across his chest. As soon as Riya walked in the room, she saw the three men staring at her. Arjun stretched his hand in front of her and she handed over the medicine she had brought for him.

“Ek ghante k liye teeno gayb ho jao, aur nazar mat aana", Rathore jumped out of his seat and shooed them out of the conference room just like a herder does to his cattle.

Arjun was just surprised at his eagerness to speak to him.


“Tumhe aise kabhi nahi dekha Rathore!”, he spoke worriedly .


Hearing this, Rathore’s last string of patience snapped.

“Ye hi problem h tumhari Rawte, tumhe kuch dikhai hi to nahi deta. Case k saboot dikhai dena kaafi nahi hota h Rawte zinda rehne k liye. Tum kabhi apne badle mein andhe ho jaate ho aur kabhi apne gusse mein.”

Arjun was shocked. What was wrong with this man. He had been dying all this while to scold him.

An angry Arjun stood up from his chair to leave the conference room, when Rathore began speaking again.

“Haan, walk out kr do. Jaise hi kuch aisa bolo jo tum sunna nahi chahte, to gussa karo aur bhaag jao. Par aaj to tumko sunna pdega Rawte. Tumhe sabak sikhana bhi to zaroori h.”


Arjun’s eyes widened at his last words.
“Riya tumse baat nahi kar rahi, achcha nahi lgg rha naa tumhe?  Abhi to sirf Riya nahi kr rhi, bhot jaldi sab baat krna bnd kr denge tumse. Agar tum sabko aise hi dukh dete rahoge. Sb tumse door ho jaenge Rawte. Aur ye mat kehna k tumhe kisi ki zroorat nahi, sb jaanta hoon main.”


His words had silenced Arjun. These were truth bombs he was dropping on him today and he was not clearly ready for it. But what surprised him was the fact that he still knew him inside out.

“Roshni chali gayi Rawte, main janta hu, tum use insaaf dilaana chahte ho, m bhi chahta hu, vo meri bhi dost thi. Par jo tum kar rahe ho, vo galat h. Roshni ye to kabhi nahi chahte hogi. Tum apne aas-paas k logon ko dukh de rahe ho, Roshni ko dukh de rahe aur khud ko bhi dukh de rahe ho. Dekho mujhe, Shree, Riya, Chotu ko, kuch hi log bache h jo tumhari fikr karte h, tumhare aise attitude k bawjood. Aur tumhe is baat ki bilkul value nahi h. Sb chale jaenge Rawte, aur tum sirf pachhtate reh jaoge. Tumhara ego...”

Arjun pounced on Rathore as a predator before he could speak any further. He pinned him to the wall aggressively,  holding his shoulders.

“Don’t you drag Roshni into any of this. And what do you mean by my ego? Tumhara ego bhi kuch kam nhi h. Tumne kbhi apna ego side m rkh kr ye baat accept kri, k tum galat the? Maine tumhe kitna yakeen dillane ki koshish kri k Sikandar h, or tum nahi maane. Ab jab khud Commissioner Sir ne ye baat maan li h, tumne apna ego side m rkha kya?”, he left Rathore’s shoulders with a jerk.


“Aur rahi baat meri, mere ego ki, to maine Riya se maafi maange ki koshish ki thi, usne hi mujhe mauka nhi diya”, he said shrugging his shoulders.

“Tumne bhi to nhi diya tha Rawte mujhe, vo mauka.” Rathore said teary-eyed. Arjun's anger melted and guilt took over.

Rathore was not wrong. After Commissioner had announced that Sikandar existed and his case would be given to ETF, Arjun had seen guilt in Rathore’s eyes. Rathore tried to talk to him, but Arjun was too stubborn. He kept his hurt above their friendship. Not realizing, Rathore was hurt as well.

Rathore scanned Arjun’s face, saw guilt written over it and knew the iron was hot, it was the right time to strike.

“Maine hi mana kiya tha use tumse baat krne ko!”, confessed Rathore.


Arjun was dumbfounded. Rathore was behind all this. He had asked Riya not to talk to him. Riya had been avoiding him all this while because of him. How dare he?

He jumped over him. Rathore was not expecting anything of this sort, so he lost his balance and landed on the floor, but taking Arjun down with him too.

Arjun held his collar and started shouting, “Tumhe moral science teacher banne ko kisne kaha h? Tumhe pta h m kitna pareshan hu pichle 3 din se?”

Rathore, tried to free himself and replied, “Tum to sirf 3 din se preshan the, aur mujhe jo 3 saal se preshan kr k rkha h, uska hisaab bhi do.”


“Tumne ye kiya kyun?”, a frustrated Arjun spoke.

“I wanted you to REALIZE..”

“Don’t give me that ‘love ka Maamla h’ wala answer. I am not taking it from you atleast, Sam.”

Both were shocked. Arjun, because he called Rathore with that name after all these years. While Rathore got the shock of his life. “LOVE"?, he thought to himself. “I wanted him to realize his MISTAKE, he realized his love? For whom? Clearly, not for me! Is it Riya? No! What? Yes! That’s why he was so restless all these days.

Shree and Chotu entered the conference room after all this noise, and were shocked to see their bosses on the floor, holding each other’s collars.

Seeing them, Arjun and Sameer got up, dusting their clothes. Sameer hugged Arjun. Shree and Chotu couldn’t believe their eyes. Arjun finally gave up and hugged him back. “I am sorry, Sam”, he whispered in his ear. “I am sorry too.” Chotu smiled while Shree held onto his arm for support, feeling dizzy at the unusual sight.

To make their conditions worse, Arjun turned to them and apologized to them as well. Shree was on the verge of fainting.

Rathore spoke up, “Now you'll come to know that your this boss isn’t that khadoos.”

“They thought I was KHADOOS?”, he said, faking anger.

“BADA WALA", Rathore replied enjoying.

“No Sir!”, they said defensively.

They took a sigh of relief when Rathore burst into laughter and Arjun smiled. They hugged Arjun and Arjun looked at Sameer, remembering him telling how much they loved and cared for their Arjun Sir.

“Sir, Riya ko bula kar lata hu, use to shock hi lgg jaega!”, Shree said excitedly.

Rathore stopped him, “Ruko Shree. Shock to abhi bhot saare lgenge.”

The three men eyed him in confusion. Rathore smiled and said, “Mujhse nahi, apne Arjun sir se poocho. Vo bataenge kya Maamla h?”

Shree and Chotu looked at Arjun, waiting for a response. It was then, that Arjun realized what he had said to Sameer in a fit of anger. He looked at Rathore and yes, saw the same teasing look on his face, the one he saw in his eyes, in the morning.

Arjun nodded in a “NO", trying to sweep off the matter under the carpet. But Rathore wasn’t stopping today.

“Arjun Sir, aap btaenge sabko, aakhir baat kya h? Aap kyu itna bechain h aaj kl Riya se maafi maangne k liye? Hamko bhi to pata chalna chahiye k hamare plan ka kya asar hua aap par?”, Rathore stood between Shree and Chotu, keeping his hands on their shoulders.

Rawte was shocked. “All of you planned it? The trio chuckled.

“When? And why?”

“I'll answer that for you. When Riya called me in the middle of the night, asking me if she could spend the night in the ETF Office, because she had no place to go.”, Rathore’s facial expressions changed. His voice full of concern and disappointment.

Arjun lowered his gaze. He knew he had done something wrong. “I feel sorry!”, he said in a guilty voice.

“Sir, you need to say that to Riya and not us.”, Shree tried to make him understand.

“And not just that, you need to tell her a lot of other things.”,  Rathore winked at Arjun.

“Sameer, will you stop, please", Arjun almost pleaded.

“Not today, Arjun. Tumne bataya nahi inn dono ko tumhe kya realize hua h?”, Rathore continued teasing him.

“Sach mein?”, shouted an excited Chotu, understanding what Rathore meant.

“Nahi!!! Rathore...”, but his voice fell on deaf ears of Rathore and Chotu, who were laughing like maniacs.

Shree was clueless. “Mujhe bhi batao!”
“Kuch nhi Shree!”, Arjun tried to convince him.

“Kya kuch nahi. Riya sahi tumhe GADHEDO kehti h!”, reasoned Rathore.

“Are Shree LOVE ka maamla h!”, shouted Chotu, whacking his head.

Rathore burst out laughing hearing that, while Arjun covered his face with his palms, shaking his head in disbelief.

Shree was unable to believe anything happening around him. He felt as if he was dreaming. “Love ka maamla?”, he questioned.

“Stop saying that everyone, please!”, Arjun pleaded.

But the trio started laughing again.

“Sir, par Riya se bhi to poochna padega”, said Chotu and everyone stopped laughing.

“Riya ke dil mein kya h ye hum sab to pata h, bs usko samajhne ki zaroorat h.”, said Riya’s bestfriend Shree. And the hidden message was conveyed to all.

Arjun blushed hearing that.

“Aur agar khud nahi samjhi, to hum REALIZE krwa denge. I have a plan..!”, said Rathore making Shree and Chotu laugh. Arjun just looked at them and thanked the stars.

“To hum planning karte h, tum jaa kr Riya ko zara ghar drop kardo, Uska message aaya h, uski nayi landlady ne kuch naya tamasha kara h.”, sighed Rathore.

“Fir se?”, questioned Chotu.

“Riya ko bade hi faaltu ghar milte h, sahi m.”, they said retiring in their chairs.

“Sach m, badi tension rehti h mujhe uski. Pata nahi kb tk chalega ye?”, said a tired and worried Rathore, massaging his temples.

“Zada time nahi", Arjun winked at them and moved out of the conference room leaving them flabbergasted.

*PARKING*

Arjun was already seated in his SUV, waiting for Riya. He turned on the stereo, so that she notices it. Just then, he saw her walking down the stairs. It had been so long since he last saw her full face and not her hung down head.

She opened the door, cribbing about something, thinking it to be Rathore in the driver seat.

“Aap!”, she asked shocked.

“Haan main, andar baitho.”, he ordered and she followed.

Just then, she heard Lata Mangeshkar sing.
“Yunhi koi mil gaya tha,
Sare raah chalte chalte"

She instantly looked at the stereo shocked and then at Arjun’s face. He suppressed his smile and turned on the car engine.

Riya pinched herself, not believing her surroundings.

Five minutes into the ride, Arjun spoke all of a sudden, “Riya, I am sorry!”

Riya looked at his face, she knew he felt guilty all this while and wanted to apologize, that is why he was here today. It was good that he could get this burden off his chest. And this apology was required by her too, so said Rathore sir.

“Main jaanta hu maine gusse mein tumhe kayi baar hurt kiya h, aur mujhe aisa nahi krna chahiye tha. I feel embarrassed and ashamed the way I acted, and I can’t justify it. Bus tumhe ye yakeen dila sakta hu, aisa kabhi dobara nahi hoga, I promise.”

Riya turned off the stereo and Arjun was startled. “Is she hurt? Did I say something wrong?”, he thought.

“Kya hua?”, he asked without wasting a second. The last thing he would want now was hurting her.

“Nahi, vo stereo chalta h to baat nhi hoti.”

Arjun breathed in relief and smiled at her remark.

“And haan, it’s OK. I forgive you.”, Arjun let out another deep breath.

“Yahan se left”, Riya instructed him with directions and he followed. It was after so long that he was feeling this happy.

“Tum chaho to main tumhari land lady se baat kar sakta hoon.”

“Nahi! Please nahi! Yeh dekhiye mere haath, jude hue hai!”, she snapped instantly, folding her hands and bowing her head in front of him. Arjun burst out laughing at her remark, to Riya’s surprise.

Riya saw him laughing for the first time. Life had tested him so many times, given him scars that even time cannot heal, but even he deserved his share of happiness.

“Kya hua?”, Arjun asked seeing Riya lost.

“Ghar aa gya mera”, Riya said, embarrassed at being caught.

“Are, aa rahi hoon, Aunty", she answered her landlady’s call.

Getting down the car, she muttered, “Pata nahi ye kab tak chalega?”

“Zada nahi”, he answered smiling to himself.

Riya turned back hearing him say something. “Bye Sir, thank you and good night.”

“Aur ye jis dawaai se aapko ye wala side effect hua h naa, vo roz subha 2 goliyan lijiyega.”

Arjun grinned.

“Something’s definitely wrong with you today.”, she said moving into her building.

“M chalu saath m?”, he shouted, teasing her.

“Nahi!!!”, she said and ran into the building.

Arjun laughed at her antics and started the engine. He drove towards his home, smile never leaving his face. He turned on the stereo and began humming with the song.

“Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche har zabaan par,

Sabko maloom hai aur sabko khabar ho gyi”

****The End****

Thank you everyone, who is reading this.🖤🖤🖤
This story has given me so much joy, and I hope you liked it too.
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