Arjun slowly got up... mumbling a small thanks to Sameer... Sameer just nodded... the cold vibes were not yet broken... but Sameer realized that maybe at this moment he needed him...
As Arjun reached the house his feet froze... he didn't know what to do... he couldn't feel he could face her...
"Kya baat hai Sir..." Ayesha asked...
"Ayesha... she doesn't deserve a guy like me... I am afraid.. agar ussne mujhe reject kar diya toh main marr javunga... I want her to stay happy... mujhe kuch samaj main nahi aa raha hai..." Arjun confessed and sat on the same clearing where Sakshi had sat before...
"Arjun tu aisa kyun..." Sameer started to be stopped by Ayesha...
"Sir... don't mind par aapne usse ab aisa bana diya ki shayad aapke siva koi aur usse handle bhi na kar paaen... and let me tell you one thing... Karan is a flirt... agreed... par woh humesha Sakshi ko apna choti behen maanta tha... point two... aapko darr lag raha hai ki Sakshi aapko reject kar de... can you then fathom Sakshi ki kya haalat hui hogi when she came to know about this sudden divorce... aur phirse aap wohi gaana ga rahe ho... she deserves a better man... aapko pata hai in this idiotic thinking of yours aapne Sakshi ko kisi ke layak nahi choda... tod diya usse..." Ayesha glared at Arjun then tugged Sameer's arm...
"Chodo Sameer... yeh kya samjhega... Sakshi se pyaar hi nahi karta... God knows why peeche jaa raha hai!" Ayesha growled and held Sameer's wrist and walked off...
Sameer tugged along when Arjun shouted "SHUT UP AYESHA!!!!"
"Kyun... maine kya ghalat kaha hoga... suddenly you must have realized ki there would be no one to serve you food nor iron your clothes... ya phir you might have been bored of her..." Ayesha was interrupted by Arjun...
"BAS! BOHOT HO GAYA!!!" Arjun barked...
"Main kuch na bolun toh tum bakti jao.. aur Sam... listen... I do need her more than anything in my life... har roz jab waapas aata hoon toh main bas ghar aake yeh hi dekhta hoon ki Sakshi kaha hai... aur woh jab chup chap beith ke report likhti hai toh I feel happy that she is safe... she is one of the very tangible reasons I am still alive.. uss ke haath ka khaana... just the exact amount.. however I would want it... jab main raat ko sota hoon toh mujhe pata chalta hai when she puts the blanket on me... bohot baar I felt like grabbing her hand and pulling her next to me... but I was scared... our relation was too fragile..." he blasted on her... his breath fanning in the cold air...
Seeing Arjun's anger Sameer had cocooned Ayesha in his arms protectively... he was going to say something when Ayesha placed a finger on his lips...
"Acha... toh ab kyun jaa rahe ho tum uske paas? Haan... why... relation jab itna fragile hai..." Ayesha retorted...
"Because I was wrong... I admit it... shayad hum ek nayi shuruaat kar sakte hai... where I will give her every happiness of the world... shayad ussko mere paas laa sakta hoon... shayad jo baatein hum unkahi rakhte hai jab ek saath beith te hain... woh baatein keh sake... I notice every time she steals her glance towards me... every time she makes the tea for me... uski coffee main kitna amount of sugar aur milk chahiye yeh sab pata hai mujhe... it just took me a hell of a lot time to know this... but I want her back..." Arjun fumed and sat on the grass holding his head on his hand...
"Aur yeh sab kyun?" Ayesha asked...
Arjun flared up and stormed towards Ayesha but Sameer tightened his grip around her... "NO!" Sameer flared at Arjun as he kept Ayesha enveloped in his arms...
"Nahi... Ayesha ko bata doon why... samaj main nahi aata tum logo ko haan? It's because I love her... damn... I LOVE HER... I LOVE SAKSHI..." Arjun cried out...
"Her relatives gave us a nasty glance once when I had picked up Sakshi in my arms and rushed towards the hospital so as to she can meet her father for the last time... the comments they gave us were horrible...I promised her dad..." Arjun told them...
"SS...sak.." her father breathed through the mask... his eyes pointing towards Sakshi who was huddled near my chest... she had fallen asleep...
I clasped his hand... "Uncle... main Sakshi ka khayal rakhoonga... usse kuch nahi hone dunga... trust me..." I promised and her father smiled...
After an hour he passed away... Sakshi controlled her tears in front of her family members... she refused to be dropped by me but I was adamant... I didn't realize then why did I find it so necessary to be with her at the time of distress...
As she walked in her home it was filled with her relatives... her chachas and chachis... they had even brought their extended families along with them...
"Strange... mauth main aaye hai ya shadi main!" I thought looking at their bubbling excitement...
A lawyer was sitting in between... "Thank God Sakshi ma'am aap aa gayi hai... yeh sab keh rahe hai ki Anand Sahab ki 10 crore ki account aur 5 crore ki property in sab main bate jayenge?" he asked...
I frowned... oh yes... property and money... I realized well enough what they were here for...
"Nani.." Sakshi asked...
"Nahi.. sirf aapke do chacha aur chachi aur unke bhatije aaye hain..." The lawyer said...
"Iqbaal kaka... aap ko toh pata hai na ki papa kya chahte the... aur unke will main kya hai..." Sakshi told the lawyer..
"Haan.. chalo.. beith ke baat karte hai... arrey Arjun sir aap... mujhe.. umm aapse kuch baat karni hai..." the lawyer told me and we went in... everyone was shooting glances at us...
"Yeh ladka ho ga koi... Mumbai main akeli rehti hai.. pata nahi kis kis ke saath ghoomti hai.." once chachi spoke and I felt like boxing their face personally...
Suddenly their over love for Sakshi was suffocating... they cared for her... gave her condolences... and I saw the two young lads... one seemed to be the cousin of Sakshi.. and the other seemed to be the cousin of the cousin of Sakshi...
The 2nd guy tried to be over sympathetic with her... as if I didn't understand the main reason...
"Sir... I am afraid ki shayad yeh log Sakshi beti ke saath... you know.. assets milaake she has around 25 crores more... yup.. a rich girl.." the lawyer said...
"Aap chinta na kijiye... I just know what to do.." I said...
Next day afternoon there was a small ceremony held.. I reached there early in the morning... as I looked at her I was shocked...
She was pale... wearing an off white saree... her eyes showed dark circles... she seemed to be crying... "Good Morning Sakshi.." I said softly..
She wiped her tears away... "Morning.." she whispered back...
"Kya hua..." I asked...
"Woh... kal raat.." she couldn't complete and burst into tears as I engulfed her into a tight hug...
I slowly made her sit next to me... rubbing her cheeks I consoled her when her relatives came in... they started throwing disgusting looks at us... but I didn't care a damn...
The pandit came and started the small rituals...
As she sat.. Vishal (the over sympathetic guy) sat really close to her and often touched her hands... her waist... her shoulder...
Sakshi shifted uncomfortably... she got up and went to a room... I noticed that her some Chacha, Chachi and Vishal followed...
I on behalf of her paid the pandit and slowly everyone left... I silently went towards the room... to see only chacha chachi... Sakshi and Vishal were no where in sight...
"Kaha hai Sakshi?" I asked...
"Uske hone waali pati ke saath... tume kya?" her chacha answered...
I grabbed his neck "The last time...WHERE IS SHE?" I growled...
Chachi had become scared... "Oye gunda... hatto.. main police..."
I threw the Chacha away and looked at Chachi "Really kisko bulaogi..."
When I heard Sakshi's scream..
I turned towards the locked bathroom...
"SAKSHI!" I screamed...
"ARJUN.." She screamed back...
Chacha and Chachi cowered in fear... I banged open the door to find the lights off... I switched it on and the sight in front shocked me...
The shower was on... Vishal and Sakshi were in the corner... a part of her blouse was torn... her saree was thrown away...
I grabbed Vishal with his hair and banged his head on the wall... blood spurted out...
I threw him on the floor... kicking him... "How dare you touch her!" I barked at him...
I picked up the entire table and crashed it on him... he groaned in pain but I didn't stop fighting him...
Suddenly police members came in... "Ab niklo... yeh admi mere bhanji ko forcefully rape karna chah raha tha... mere saleh sahab Vishal usse bachane gaya tha aur dekho kya haalat ho rahi hai... arrest karlo isse..." Chacha told the chief...
And the minute the chief looked at me I nodded at him... he sent a woman police to check the washroom... the other police took the half dead Vishal with him...
"Arrey yeh..." Before Chacha could complete I slapped him...
"Main hoon Arjun Suryakant Rawte... the Assistant Commissioner of Police!" I barked at him...
Their faces paled... grabbing his shoulder I told him to speak up... "Woh... Sakshi agar Vishal se shadi karta phir saare property Vishal ka jo hum teen baat lete..." he said...
I clenched my teeth and slapped the Chacha again...
When I heard a sob on the door... Sakshi was standing near the washroom door... she had tried to wear the torn white saree... but it was almost invisible... she clutched a side of her blouse...
I just went up to her... I caught her cheek and wiped out the bleeding corner of her mouth... she hugged me tight and burst into tears...
I removed my kurta and gave it to her to wear it...
She slipped into that... controlling her sobs... she clutched my vest tight... I felt her body going loose...
I picked her up in my arms... "Sakshi... get up..." I ordered her and sat on the couch... patting her cheeks... she slowly came to consciousness...
By then everyone gets collected into the room... seeing me in just a vest and Sakshi in my kurta everyone looks at me suspiciously...
The chief gives me a salute and leaves the room... I can understand what happened... Sakshi is flustered... she doesn't know what to do...
The lawyer uncle too was flustered... he didn't know how to handle the gossip mongers...
When one of them asked me... with a sarcastic look... "Lagte kya ho Sakshi ke?"
When one of the ladies asked... "Aise behave kar rahe hai jaise pati hai..." she sneered... "Yeh woh ACP lagta hai na..."
I held Sakshi close to me... her big eyes looked into mine... I wiped the tears away.. clutching her tighter I said...
"Ji.. main hoon ACP Arjun Suryakant Rawte... aur..." I said to find them all looking at me...
I pressed Sakshi's hand tightly... I looked into her eyes again for a brief moment...
"Aur?" Someone asked...
"Sakshi ka Mangetar..." I completed...
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Anupamaa
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