T2 FF :Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi...Discont note on page 134 - Page 79

Vishal pushed the sleeves up his arm quietly, avoiding looking at the emotionless face of aunty behind. For the past 15 minutes aunty was standing beside the door holding his morning black coffee, waiting for him to complete the pretense of keeping himself busy.

Vishal picked up the hair brush and stood in front of the mirror. But the moment he looked into it and the brush touched the hair, his eyes caught the pale distraught figure reflecting back behind him. She was looking at him straight with blank eyes, hiding the painful look.

His hands stopped on his head and he couldn't move his brush through the wet hair. He turned back looking around and dropped the brush on his bed. He could no longer avoid her. Walking closer to her he held onto the saucer which still held the steaming coffee cup on it. Aunty didn't loosen the fingers holding the saucer nor did Vishal pull it to himself. It was just a mere hold. A hold onto each other.

Vishal looked up at aunty and she nodded slightly forwarding the coffee to him, while he silently felt her grip loosen. She turned to leave but vishal held on her shoulder. She stopped but didn't turn back. She knew well what was coming up and didn't want to show her child, her own broken distraught state.

'I am sorry, mujhe pata hain maine kal raat jo bhi kiya wo...' he stopped feeling her step ahead to the door,

'I saw her..' he muttered as softly as he can, but aunty had sharp ears, she turned abruptly holding on the door, giving a terrified and scared look at him,

'kise?' she gasped at him, her eyes still holding the intense fear,

Vishal sighed and kept the cup on the side table. Picking up his brush he turned back at the reflection in the mirror.

'Nadiya,' he voiced out looking at the shocked woman in the mirror,

Aunty balanced herself from the sudden shiver that ran down her body. Again that same name. The name Vishal was aimlessly searching for all these past years. She still didn't have the least idea what the person behind this name might have done with him, but it definitely was the reason behind his wrecked, hysterical state.

She had heard him mutter this name a thousand times in his insane drunken state and when she would ask him about it, he would either give a scary lost look or he would bottle up all his anger and frustration from the whole day's search and hurt himself. It had become a common scene every night and somewhere Aunty had started guessing the story of his worn out life. The name vanished after he started moving out for missions few years back, until today, when everything again started circling around the same Nadiya'.

'Nadiya?? Kaha??' she asked him worried,

'Usiki shadi thi kal aunty,' he replied holding on the brush tightly in his fist,

'Shadi?, lekin tum dono to sameer ki shadi mein gaye the na?' she asked puzzled,

'haan, Sameer aur Nadiya ki shadi,' he replied,

'tum koi galti to nehi kar rahe ho vishal? Itne saal ho chuke hain, fir wo Sameer se kaise shadi..? tum itne saalo se usse dhoond rahe ho, achanak kaise, nehi vishal kuch galat hain,' she said touching his arms and turning him to face her,

'main jab usse mila tha, wo ek bar dancer thi, jo mujhe fir kabhi nehi mili. Aj party mein pata chala, wo koi bar dancer nehi thi Aunty, she is an undercover police officer, ACP Aisha Kapoor,' he replied with eyes burning red and nose flared,

He had just finished the sentence leaving aunty in a perfect shocked state when the door bell rang loudly alerting them.

Aunty pressed her lips, fisting her grip on his arm, trying to compose herself from the sudden shock. She could feel the rage Vishal was going through and looked at his sweating face. The door bell rang again and Aunty step away from him heading towards the door. She reached the door and turned back to find the otherwise jovial, cranky man now leaning with his palms on the mirror, shivering in anger and frustration.

Aunty walked away feeling helpless. She didn't have much to tell to this broken man in her house. She walked quickly to the door and opened it to find Riya who had already held up her hand to press the bell again.

Riya greeted Aunty and walked inside with Sameer and Aisha. Though Sameer initially protested but Riya was adamant to introduce Aisha to Aunty. Sameer couldn't ignore and Riya walked beside Aunty to introduce her to their new guest.

Aunty had masked her helplessness and dismayed state before she opened the door, but the sight of Sameer and his wife with Riya had instantly taken away all her faade, and she stood there bare unable to even hide her restless self.

Aunty kept looking at the calm and composed beauty clad in a simple white shirt and trousers, giving a hesitant smile at her. Nothing was so cunning and cruel in the look that would speak about her murderous instincts. Something that could kill her child beyond repair. But she couldn't go by this look of hers, even a wolf covered and masked herself with innocence when she roamed about looking for her prey.

Aunty was the only one who had witnessed vishal's agony and pain, at an immensely close proximity. The sight of her shattered, drunk child's vulnerable state and her own helpless sufferings flashed in front of her bringing out her hidden annoyance and pain in front of her. She stepped back from the door looking at Aisha with a shocked tearful gaze which didn't go unnoticed by any of the three.

Riya felt the sudden tensed atmosphere the moment Sameer and Aisha stepped in and the change of expression on Aunty's face. She had always known aunty to be a friendly happy lady and had even seen her mingle well with Sameer earlier. Thus the sudden change in her brought lots of questions in her mind. She quickly moved closer to aunty and held onto her hands. She felt aunty shiver at her touch and snatch away her cold palms.

'Aunty, kya hua? Ap thik hain?' Riya asked her concerned,

Aunty didn't reply. She kept looking at the couple in front. What she had heard a few minutes back was right in front of her eyes. Nadia, no ACP Aisha Kapoor, the reason, she was once about to lose her lone child. The reason her child has become a loner. The reality was getting more sour now. She is Sameer's wedded wife and Riya's friend. The other two people she has trusted and loved after Vishal.

Riya called them inside trying to make up for the sudden strange atmosphere. Aunty felt Sameer touch her feet and she held out her shivering, cold hand spontaneously. She touched his hair and blessed him with a tear rolling down her cheek. Sameer straightened and frowned at her sudden emotional outburst but she smiled and looked away, to wipe her tears.

She had just wiped her cheek when she felt Aisha touch her feet and Riya introduce her loudly, holding her by her waist. She fisted her palm trying to control herself. Aisha waited for her to bless but the hand remained fisted. Aisha stood up straight confused and looked at Aunty with a quizzed gaze before looking back at Sameer, who was as bewildered as Riya. All three waited there looking at each other while Aunty composed herself and called them inside for breakfast, quickly running away from the mess.

But it wasn't the right time. Vishal came running down throwing a bag on his shoulder. His hurried footsteps down the stairs caught everyone's attention and all looked towards him. He was still buckling his belt around the waist looking down carefully not to miss a step.

Aunty stood at her spot numb. She could feel her throat going drier and a tension built up inside her. Her mind had stopped working and she didn't know how to avoid the meeting of two. She looked at him while he came down adjusting his belt and dragged the bag firmly on his shoulder.

'Aunty, main kuch din ke liye bahar ja raha hu, kuch urgent kam hain, ap dhyan se rehena, ill call you,' he hugged her warmly, when Riya's voice alerted him,

'Aisa kya urgent kam hain Vishal? Aur kaha ja rahe ho?' she asked him with her hands on her waist,

Vishal turned at the voice. He had taken all this time to compose himself back to his usual self and he was quiet successful to mask his vulnerable state from others. He turned towards riya, faking his usual cheerful laughter, and a mischievous glitter, when his eyes caught the lady beside Riya and all his faade went loose.

There she was standing right in front of his eyes. The disastrous scene that had destroyed all his resolves, strengths and stabbed his bleeding heart, it all came in front of his eyes and he started shaking in rage.

Riya hadn't missed the sudden burst of anger that flashed his face but before she could ask him, she heard a soft gasp beside her. She looked at her side and found Aisha standing there shocked, looking at Vishal. Riya looked up at Sameer but he seemed to be in the most bewildered state, alternating between all others present there, with an utterly confused expression towards Aisha.

Aisha was still reluctant about stepping inside the house and had looked towards Sameer, when she heard the quick footsteps and looked towards the stairs. There she found a man clad in usual casual clothes buckling up his belt while his feet balanced every step on the stairs. The face was downcast and she couldn't get a clear view, with the light stubble that was only visible from her side.

She waited for the sudden intruder to finish off before she made an excuse to escape from this awkward situation. But the moment he got down and started speaking with Aunty, the voice brought out the long lost memories in her mind and she looked at him carefully. She could no longer hear a word of the conversation nor understand it. She was back to her days, when she had posed the sassy, seductress nadiya.

Aisha heard riya call out to him and knew he would soon turn to her, but her limbs had given up on her strength and she couldn't even move a leg aside. In the next few moments everything stood still when finally the man turned and they faced each other. She couldn't even move her gaze from him. She could feel his face pale and then that sudden gust of furious madness that ran through his body. The strong accusing gaze again came penetrating through her nerves and she gasped.

Aisha felt Riya touch her arm and she looked away. She ran her palm abruptly on her neck and temple, wiping the sweat beads hurriedly. She gave a look back at Vishal but he had also turned his eyes away from her. She looked on while he hugged Aunty muttering something to her and then walked closer to them. A quick bye to Riya and a formal shake with a word of apology with Sameer, he walked out of the house not even sparing a glance at her.

Aisha left out a sign looking at his retreating back and turned back to find another pair of eyes in front of her.

Sameer

In the spur of the intense moment she had forgotten about him completely. With the flashes of those deadly moments in front of her she had forgotten, nadiya was still completely unknown to Sameer. Except for the name and one of her dangerous mission, he didn't know anything about her. She blinked away her eyes from him and she knew, it had increased his curiosity more.

'ACP Vishal Malhotra,' Sameer voiced out softly looking at her with a close frowned gaze.

She looked at him with an utter shocked gaze now. Everything was so not understandable. How did Mac turn into ACP Vishal Malhotra. So, he was an undercover...No...

She was utterly confused how to react to the whole scenario when Riya held her palm and called her. That was a narrow escape. She nodded at Riya and stepped ahead, to find Aunty had already disappeared inside the kitchen. Aisha had just taken a few steps towards the dining table with riya, when Sameer called out from behind.

'Riya, aj nehi, hume late ho jayega, hum chalte hain, ETF mein sab aa chuke honge,' he spoke up sternly looking at Riya,

'Sameer, tum log..' riya started but again Sameer stopped her, walking close to her,

'Aj nehi riya, fir kabhi, Aunty ko bhi bata dena, and take care,' he fondly patted her cheeks and turned to the door.

Aisha was feeling worried now. Riya looked back at Sameer, confused at his sudden change of mind. Sameer stopped at the doorstep and turned back at them.

'Chale aisha?' he asked scrutinizing her, and then smiled at Riya.

Aisha nodded and walked ahead. She hurried to the door and in the next few moments she was sitting inside the car with Sameer, which zoomed towards the ETF office.

Riya closed the door and returned back to the table. Everything in her life has suddenly changed. The night before with Arjun on the terrace and now Vishal and Aisha. Why did vishal react so awkwardly when he saw Aisha? How was Aisha involved in all these stuffs? Did they know each other? When and how? Why was Aisha silent all these while? Lots of question without any proper answer.

She saw Aunty still working in the kitchen quietly. It was unusual. She would usually call her for help or talk with her loudly from inside, making her presence felt. It was all different today. She needed answers.

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ETF members had an extra dose of mischievous giggle today. It was there chief's and colleague's first day at work after marriage. Owing to the previous day when they had finally started their life together, Shree and chotu was on some more moody discussion about the new role their chief had started playing in his life. The listener being a disturbed Aisha, who continuously kept staring at Sameer's cabin was adding fuel to their already burning leg-pulling fire.

A loud sound of tapping footsteps and then the conference room door open, giving entrance to the angry young cop, fell the whole conference room into pin drop silence. Shree was back inside his laptop, chotu was sipping an empty cup of his favourite beverage and Aisha looked at the door, while Arjun walked inside with long angry steps and dropped on the chair, banging his gun on the table.

Aisha knew something had transpired between Arjun and Riya the day before as Riya too was disturbed when they had opted to drop her back to her place in their way towards the ETF. Sameer had even tried to speak to her, but she ignored stating that she was just tired. They hadn't bothered her more, but now looking at Arjun, Aisha knew there was something between them.

Arjun asked her for a file and Aisha walked out to get the required one, when she happened to cross Sameer's cabin. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him through the glass partition. He was sitting quietly looking at a distance, rotating the engagement ring on his finger.

He was lost in his thoughts and Aisha knew it was she, he was thinking about. She didn't know if she was already quiet late, but she had tried to speak about her guilt to him. But everytime she tired she had to stop. Undercover operations were supposed to be the biggest and deepest secret in a Police Officer's life. An undercover operation needed lots of sacrifices, mistakes, crimes and lots of such deeds which might not be approved by a person living a normal life.

Aisha being one of the most dedicated and diligent undercover agent had spent most of her life undercover and thus had involved herself in every such stage when humanity could be threatened or her life could be through a miserable state. Though she had successfully saved her dignity and integrity each time, but that escape again left her in loads of guilty stricken days. But the sudden appearance of an old guilt in front of her have made her vulnerable and now she was looking around for a place to shed the toughest mask she had put up and confess her guilt.

Her thoughts broke with her phone buzzing inside her palm and she composed herself. Receiving the call she walked ahead towards the lobby.

About half an hour later when Aisha walked passed Sameer's cabin towards the conference room, along with the file, her eyes automatically darted towards the glass wall and she found Sakshi sitting inside facing her back, and Sameer leaning on the table beside her, holding her palm on his lap and telling her something.

Sameer had a serious concerned look while Sakshi was quietly sitting with a downcast head.

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Sameer was disturbed from the time Vishal came in front of Aisha. He had known Aisha for the past few years now from the time she had joined ETF after her under cover was blown by Arjun. Aisha did show her initial anger and hatred towards Arjun and the rest of the team too, including him but gradually things started changing.

Riya was still a part of the team then and the irresistible friendship between her, shree and chotu, brought some changes in Aisha's nature too. She started mingling with them breaking her usual formal faade.

Though her initial relation with him was mostly of a chief and his subordinate, it wasn't long when they had started a budding friendship silently. It was Aisha who had first spotted Riya's closeness towards Arjun and had supported Arjun towards his affair with Riya. Had it not been Aisha's matured and sharp nature, Arjun would still be fiddling to propose Riya.

Sameer and Riya would become mere spectators when Aisha would hit and scold arjun for his negligence for his health when he over stressed himself, or scold him for his laziness when he would avoid spending time with Riya in her usual shopping trips. It would always come as a surprise to them when Arjun would silently adhere to her words. Though Sameer knew arjun would later avenge from the lady itself this but Aisha liked it that way. So, Sameer would keep up with Riya and throw aisha to Arjun, when ever situation got out of hands. Such was their strong friendship.

But then slowly things started changing. Sameer knew he had started falling for this brave and stubborn lady and it was gradually taking on his nerves. He had started feeling butterflies in his stomach when ever Aisha would come close to him, he would feel panting and angered when she would stay close to Arjun, he would miss her when she would company Riya for her outings.

It was an uneasy feeling when she was around and an emptiness when she would leave. The chief couldn't even confess himself to anyone, until one day Arjun and Riya caught him and made him confess his feelings. He did but it was restricted to only three of them. Confessing in front of Aisha was a long way and all of them knew this.

Though Riya and arjun, poked him blackmailed him and did all sorts of nuisance they could, he was always a sacred, sweating, dumb child in front of his lady. Years flew by and he couldn't speak a word to her about his feelings but now after years of togetherness, he had come to know of her feelings too. They knew each other enough to understand their unsaid words and feelings.

Finally years of togetherness bound them in the sacred bond and now, after all the struggle they are finally knotted to each other. But never, not even once, in this tenure, Sameer had seen her so nervous and scared, specially for a stranger like Vishal.

Then did she know him? He too worked undercover, was that way they connected?? Even if they do, why was she so scared? She surely had some secret which he had not known and was scared to ask her. It wasn't that he was scared of the truth, but he was scared that she would misunderstand him. He trusted her with everything he had and only a simple guy cant break lose it.

Thus he had quietly taken aisha out of Vishal's house, without another word with anyone. Not even Aunty. His instincts have not failed and he was sure Aunty too knew something about Aisha which had changed her attitude so much. Aisha was now his personal life and and he couldn't spoil it for any sudden truth.

However, whatever was the matter it couldn't affect his professional life. That was his rule and he strictly followed it. Thus, he had reached and entered the ETF office, without a glance at aisha. He had kept the matter at rest now. It needed patience and a calm self to understand and accept. He needed his time and space to decide how he wanted it to come from aisha. So, he had kept Aisha at a distance too.

Signing loudly he had opened onto the laptop to check on the morning mails. That's when his gaze stuck at one particular mail sent by Sakshi. He opened it instantly and there it was. Her sudden resignation from the job. It was another shock for him and he couldn't accept Sakshi to take such a decision without informing him. It angered him and he instantly called her to meet him, before he accepted the letter.

He picked out the print out of the letter and kept it on the table. Leaning on his chair he waited for his subordinate to report to him. He knew he needed a composed self to deal with her. She was hurt by Arjun and he couldn't repeat it with her. Thus was his silent loneliness inside his cabin from the morning.

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