Ariya FF: The One I Love Last Chapter Pg 53 June 5, 2016 - Page 10

Chapter 4

As the sun slowly peeped in through the curtains lighting up the whole room, Riya slowly opened her eyes. She found her to be in her bedroom. She looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But she was alone in the room. She got down from the bed and sprinted off downstairs to see him. But he was nowhere to be seen. Dejected, she walked towards kitchen to prepare breakfast. Her gaze stopped over the sticky note carefully placed on the fridge door.

"Take care Riya. See you in office"

Even though the note was brief; it was enough to light up a smile on her face. She recalled how he handled her the previous day. Remembering about the previous day reminded her of Sakshi's revelation about her and Arjun's past. Riya flinched remembering that. She closed her eyes and recalled his past that he shared with her holding her close after everyone left. Shrugging off the unnecessary thoughts she concentrated on her breakfast. Soon she left for office.

The ETF atmosphere was tensed. No one forgot the previous day's events and revelations. It was hard to swallow for everyone that Arjun and Sakshi were together once upon a time. Even it was a shock for Rathod to know that Sakshi was the girl for whom Arjun was grieving when he became friends with Arjun for the first time. He had seen Arjun crying over Sakshi. He was an emotional wreck that time. That time Roshni managed to get him back to normal with her love. Arjun again fell in love. Rathod was the happiest person on their union. But that happiness also was short-lived. Roshni too left him. Rathod stopped being friends with Arjun as he felt guilty for not able to save his best friend from yet another heart break. After Roshni's departures from his life, Arjun became cold-hearted; it was as if he had built walls around his heart.

Rathod's thought process was broken when the conference door opened and Riya came in. Even though her eyes showed previous day's ordeal she had her enchanting smile on her face. Her one smile was enough to light up the atmosphere. Rathod looked around and noticed that Sakshi was yet to reach the office. He mentally thanked God for that. Otherwise he was not in a mood for the bickering session in the morning.

Shree saw Riya entering the conference room. He wanted to run to her but the promise he gave to Liza stopped him from going to her. He longingly looked to Riya and Chotu who were hugging each other. He missed their gang. Now a days Chotu also speaks with him less. Shree knew the reason behind that but alas he was helpless.

Riya saw Arjun walking in.

"Good morning Arjun Sir"

He looked at her. He gave her a slight smile and nodded his head in reply.

"Riya, get me one tea"

Riya was more than ecstatic to hear this. She nodded her head vigorously. She turned around to go when all of a sudden she came face to face with Sakshi who had just opened the conference room. Silence prevailed in the atmosphere. Riya meekly smiled at her hoping to get a smile in return. All she got in return was glare.

Sakshi gestured her to move out of the way. Silently Riya moved aside. Casting a loathing glance at her side, Sakshi walked to Arjun's desk and placed the cutting chai she bought for him.

"Here you go Arjun. I am sorry I am late today. You know what I was preparing this Chai in home. I know you love the Chai I make. So I made this and got it here in Thermo flask. And this glass is the same glass in which you used to drink tea in Our' home. I have kept it safe all these years because I know you love this glass of cutting chai. After all who knows you better than me?"

She stopped with a toothy smile. Arjun looked annoyed at her. He could easily figure out why she was doing all these. He didn't say anything but took the glass of cutting chai to drink.

Riya's happiness drained away from her as she saw him drinking the chai peacefully. She looked at Sakshi who have her winning smile. Riya gave a sad smile in return and walked to the pantry to prepare Coffee for her. It was paining her heart but she didn't want anyone to know it. She realized that she was a fool to build all those dreams around her and Arjun just because of the previous day's closeness. She recalled one of his dialogues;

"Riya, who told you that they left you alone? They are here, always with you. Even if they are not here, you won't be alone. Your Arjun Sir will be there with you, as your mentor and as your friend. I won't leave you alone. Now be a good girl and go to sleep."

Now as she starting thinking more, she realized that Arjun only told her that he will always there for her as her mentor and as her friend. He never told that he will be there for her as her lover and life partner. A tear drop trickled down her cheek with this realization. She hastily wiped it and started talking to herself.

"Don't Riya. Don't cry. He is going through a tough time. May be he still is in love with Sakshi, after all she is his first love. Since she hurt him soo much his heart is in denial. You should not go in their way and create problem. Don't let him know that you love him. If you can't give him happiness, don't go in the way of his happiness. Sacrifice your love for the happiness of the man you love"

Feeling determined she splashed her face with water washing off the tears. Taking the coffee for herself and Chotu she walked back to the conference room. She saw Sakshi and Arjun sitting near discussing some case details. She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat and sat in her seat. Chotu nudge her a little asking if she was alright. She blinked her eyes in assurance. All these were noticed by Rathod. He looked at Arjun who was engrossed in the case and Sakshi who was engrossed in checking him out. As if sensing his gaze Arjun looked up from the file. He raised an eyebrow at him. Rathod just looked at Riya and then narrowed his eyes at Arjun. Arjun as if understanding everything shook his head and went back to the file in his hand. Rathod sighed in frustration.

Days passed after that incident. Arjun and Sakshi got quiet closer in the professional front. He never scolded her or get angry with her during the office time. She took care of all his needs during those times. But apart from that, on the personal front, Arjun maintained a distance. Nevertheless Sakshi was happy. She knew that it is only a matter of time before Arjun fall for her completely.

ETF got a case in which murders are taking place mysteriously in a closed room. There was no forced entry in the murder sight. So far two murders have taken place. Rathod split up the team into three. Rathod and Chotu will go to one murder sight. Arjun, Sakshi and Riya will go to the other one. Shree and Liza will be in the ETF office assisting them. The team quickly dispersed and went to their respective work.

Rathod-Chotu

The duo reached the victim's house whose name was Vijay Chatterjee. They checked the place and found that the victim died in a closed room. There was no way someone could enter there. They checked around and got no clue. Instructing Chotu to arrange the body to send Forensic lab, Rathod started dialing Arjun's number to let him know his discovery.

Arjun's SUV

Arjun parked the SUV roadside as he attended Rathod's call. He patiently listened to him asking questions often. Then he cut the call and processed the information Rathod gave him.

Riya: "What happened Sir? Is everything alright?"

Arjun jerked out of his thoughts hearing her voice. It's been days that he heard her voice directed towards him. It's not like she never spoke to him. But whenever she spoke it was related to some case and moreover she never initiated a conversation. So her sudden question caught him out of guard.

"Yes. Everything is alright. Rathod called to inform that they couldn't find any clue in Vijay's place. They have sent the body to Liza to forensically examine it. Then only will come to know what the reason behind his death is".

Riya nodded in understanding. Giving her a small smile he started the engine. Sakshi who was a silent spectator to all these fumed. She smirked evilly as she realized the perfect way to hurt Riya.

"Arjun..."

"Hm..."

"Do you remember our college days in which I, you and Karan used to go for long drives?"

He stilled for a moment and then nodded.

"It was really fun, wasn't it? You remember when we went to the beach and we three played in the water."

A smile appeared in Arjun's face as he remembered those days.

"Yeah it was fun. Then Karan and I threw you in water."

"Yes, and I got muscle cramp. You guys were really bad."

"Oye hello. I was the one who lifted you in my arms and walked back to the car"

"So what? You are the person who made me twist my legs in the first place. By the way you were happy because you got a chance to lift a beautiful girl like me in your arms"

"Yeah yeah. A beautiful fat girl. You were soo heavy. Thinking about that now also I feel pain in my arms"

"Arjunnn..."

With that Sakshi whacked his arm slightly. And then both burst out laughing. Sakshi from corner of her eyes looked at Riya who had her face turned to window and was busy in wiping the tears away. Arjun who was still laughing saw Sakshi' movement. And he realized that Riya is also with them. He cursed mentally for allowing himself to relive all those fun filled days. He adjusted his rear view mirror such that he can see her. When he saw the tears flowing from her eyes he felt like killing himself. Rest of the journey he was quiet occasionally glancing at Riya.

Once they reached the victim, Ketan Singhaniya's place, he instructed Sakshi to go forward and Riya to stay back in the car. Sakshi started protesting but his one glare was enough for her to shut up. As Sakshi walked into the building, Arjun came out of the car and opened Riya's door. Riya was looking everywhere except Arjun. He pulled her chin up. She had her eyes closed not to show him the pain. He sighed. Cupping her face he started kissing her face everywhere except on lips as if taking away all her pain. Riya shivered under his kisses. She felt all it to be a dream, to be kissed by her Arjun Sir like this. More tears fell from her eyes. Arjun sucked all those tear drops away.

"Open your eyes Riya"

She nodded in denial.

"Please Riya"

She slowly opened her eyes.

"I am sorry Riya. I couldn't control myself when I recalled all those moments. Me, Karan and Sakshi were best friends back then. Karan is Sakhi's elder brother. We were like a family. Me and Sakshi were just friends back then. Those friendship days were most fun filled days in my life. That's why I couldn't control myself. I am sorry"

His words died in his throat as Riya kept her palm over his mouth silencing him. She nodded in No'.

"Sir, you don't have to say sorry. You have all the right to relive your memories and be happy about it. After all it's your life. Then why are you saying me sorry Arjun sir? Anyways leave it. Let's go inside. Sakshi will be waiting for us."

She started walking away only to be pulled back into Arjun's arms. She looked at Arjun wide eyed.

"First of all, I don't like when someone walks away from me when I am speaking to that person. Second of all, I don't care a damn if she is waiting for us. But I do care if a tear drop is falling from your eyes. You are special to me Riya. The last thing I want is to make you cry. Please don't cry for a person who has a lot of baggage in life than you will ever imagine. Now stop crying, Samjhe ya samjhau?"

Even though Riya couldn't understand half of the things which he was saying, she couldn't help but nod her head obediently as she heard his SYS. Arjun chuckled seeing that. Placing his hand on her hips, he lifted her up and settled her in the SUV's bonnet. Riya shrieked in surprise and looked at him wide eyed. He nudged her knees apart and moved forward to settle himself between her thighs. Sneaking his hand around her waist he pulled her towards him. With a swift motion, he captured her lips with his and started kissing her passionately. Riya stood there numb. Her first kiss, that too with her Arjun Sir. Tears started flowing from her eyes. Sensing her tears he broke away and started kissing her tears away. They were interrupted by the loud shrill of Arjun's phone. He took out his phone and the display read Sakshi'. As Arjun attended the call Riya tried to move away from him. Sensing her attempts he pulled her to his chest and started talking with Sakshi. She tried to get away from him but he forcefully kept her head close to his heart. Giving up she leaned in his embrace. She could feel his chest heaving up and down and his heartbeats.

Once he finished the call with Sakshi, he looked at the girl in his arms. Dropping a kiss on her head he parted a little. He again placed his hand on her hips and helped her get down. Holding her hand, he started walking towards the victim's house.

Sakshi saw them coming inside hand in hand. She fumed seeing that. She looked at Riya who was looking at Arjun like a lost puppy. Arjun's lips curved into a smirk as he saw the anger in Sakshi's eyes.

ETF, Forensic lab

Liza thoroughly checked the dead body. She found a white color powder in the nose. After doing some experiments she got the result and she was shocked. She ran to Rathod.

"Rathod sir..."

Rathod looked at her panic stricken face.

"What happened Liza? Is everything alright?"

"No Sir. I found out the reason for death. This person died because of a poison called XYZ'.

"XYZ?"

"Yes sir. This poison is really dangerous. Any direct contact with the body can be dangerous."

"Oh Shit. I should inform Rawte about this"

Same time in Ketan's house.

On Arjun's instruction Riya was searching for any clue. Arjun and Sakshi were interrogating the family members. Riya slightly opened the window and looked out. Suddenly her gaze fell on a small camera lens on the outer part of window. She stretched her hands to take it. But it was slipping from her gloves clad hand and the lens was too small. Sighing she removed her glove and took it. She went back to join Arjun and Sakshi.

"Arjun Sir"

He turned around to find a beaming Riya. One look at her and he could understand that she found something.

"What is it Riya?"

She dropped the lens to his glove clad hand.

"Sir, I found this outside of the window pane. Don't you think it's odd?"

His eyes narrowed at this new found information. It was definitely odd. He took a poythene bag and sealed it for further investigation. Suddenly he got a call from Rathod.

"Rawte"

"Yes Rathod."

"The victim died because pf a poison called XYZ. Any direct contact with that poison can be dangerous. So make sure that you three use gloves before touching any clue"

"Yeah sure. We already have our gloves on"

He cut the call and started thinking about the new information. Suddenly he realized something. He turned around and looked at Riya's right hand which had no gloves on. His eyes widened in fear as he saw Riya about to faint down. He screamed her name and ran to her. She fell into his arms. He lifted her up and ran towards the SUV followed by a bewildered Sakshi. He instructed Sakshi to drive to ETF as he sat in the back with Riya in his embrace. He had already removed his gloves and now had his arms wrapped around her figure. He started patting her cheeks.

"Riya, please wake up. Please..."

But his pleadings didn't have any effect as she remained immobile. Arjun started whispering sweet nothings into her ears.

As soon as the SUV reached ETF, Arjun opened the door. Lifting Riya in his arms, he ran to the forensic lab like a maniac. Rathod and all others were already waiting for them with the antidote for that poison as Arjun had already informed them about Riya's condition.

Arjun stormed inside like a tornado with Riya in his arms. He saw a chair and went and sat there with her in his arms. Everyone looked at him bewildered. Seeing everyone stunned, he barked;

"What the hell are you people thinking? GIVE HER THE DAMN ANTIDOTE. "

Everyone came out of their reverie. Liza immediately came forward and gave her the antidote. As per Arjun's instruction, she also cleaned Riya's hand which was exposed to that poison.

"Sir, Riya will be fine within an hour. Thankfully she was exposed to only a small amount of poison. She needs rest"

Arjun nodded his head. Lifting her up again he walked towards the rest room where there is a small bed. Placing her gently on the bed, he took a blanket and tucked her in. he then got up. He took out his gun, his glass and wallet and kept those on the table nearby. He then walked back to where Riya was lying and got onto the bed with her. He pulled her flush against him. Taking the blanket he covered them with the blanket. He started stroking her back as he looked at her peaceful face.

The other ETFians where shocked to see all of these. They had followed Arjun as soon as he took Riya from the forensic lab. Everyone have a genuine smile on their face except Sakshi. Sakshi was angry beyond limit. Her all the hard work went in vain because of just one case.

"Arjun..."

Arjun looked annoyed at Sakshi who had broken him out of his peacefulness.

"WHAT?"

She was taken aback by the anger in his voice. Arjun then looked at Rathod.

"Rathod, tell all of them to leave from here. I will stay with Riya till she feels better. And as far as the case is concerned, I know you can solve it without me."

Rathod nodded in agreement and instructed everyone to leave Arjun and Riya alone. Sakshi went away reluctantly feeling dejected and heartbroken.