"Hello?!" He spoke into the phone lazily.
"H-Hello, A-Arjun..." A panic-ridden voice spoke back.
Arjun immediately knew who it was. He would have recognised that voice even in his
sleep. What caught him off guard was the way her voice shook. Sitting up straighter on the
couch, he spoke calmly,
"Priya, kya hua??"
"A-A-Arjun...m-m..." Her speech was not at all clear. She kept taking deep breaths as if
trying to calm down, as if she was having a panic attack.
"Shh, shhh Priya, calm down. Kya hua?? Tum kaha ho?" He was already getting up, ready
to take the car keys and head to wherever the hell she was. But, all he heard from the
other end was shaky breathing and crying. She was on the verge of complete breakdown.
"Ar-Arjun!" She let out a gut-wrenching sob.
His insides turned cold.
He knew with sudden finality that this would be the last time he'd speak with her.
Arjun woke up, drenched in his own sweat. A cold, tingling feeling ran down his spine - as if
someone poured ice cold water on him. Sitting up on the couch that became his bed since
marriage, he ran a frantic, slightly shaking hand through his hair. Placing both his elbows
on his knees and head bowed down - he took deep calming breaths.
He only thought of moving on from his past and only slightly started to put in some effort -
the most dreaded day of his life came back in a nightmare, staring him in the eye - daring
him to move on.
With the pulse on the side of his head throbbing dangerously fast, he got up, getting ready
for his morning run.
His eyes determinedly avoided the sleeping form on the bed.
~oOo~
Arjun was the man to avoid at all costs that day. Even Sameer got the wind of his mood
and tried his best to not get on his wrong side. No one dared to speak directly to him. No
one dared to talk about anything but the case they were working on.
As the hours passed, he buried himself in work. He knew nothing but his work. His mind
raced to solve the case on hand, thinking both like a criminal and a cop. He did not let it
wander anywhere else. The work gave him an escape route from the reality and the
stabbing pain in his heart.
He and Sameer were the only ones left in the office. It was almost eight in the evening.
"Tu ghar chele jaa Sam. I will be staying a bit longer. I already informed security" Arjun
spoke, his eyebrows pulled together as he went over the victim's file for the nth time that
day. Two whole minutes passed by before he realised that his friend did not respond.
Finally looking up, he found Sameer gazing at the floor, a faraway look in his eyes.
"Sam?"
"Hmm?" He hummed his eyes still fixed on the floor at his feet.
"Kya soch raha hain? Meine kaha tu ghar chele jaa"
Sameer's eyes finally landed on him, sadness flickered through them before he quickly
masked it, "Nahi mein bhi rukh tha hoon..." He tried to sound casual but Arjun knew better.
"Mein thik hoon Sam" The words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them. He
regretted saying those words out loud immediately. Because, one - he was anything but
alright, and two - It was like an open invitation for his friend to talk and lay down his view
on his behaviour since morning.
Arjun was certainly not in the frame of mind for a talk at the moment.
"Arjun tune security ko inform kardiya ki tu rukh raha hain...aur...aur Sakshi ko??"
Sameer's tone of voice was hesitant, like he was afraid Arjun would blow up at any
moment. He was not wrong in his thinking.
Arjun was, in fact, at the verge of a breakdown.
But, instead of completely losing it like Sameer expected, he took a deep breath and stood
up.
"You are right. I should head home"
Sameer looked at him in surprise before shaking his head and walked to him. Stopping him
in his track, Sameer spoke guardedly,
"I-I am not saying you should head home. Bus itna kar, Sakshi ko inform kar do. Arjun...if
you need some time off...that's...I can understand that" He paused thinking and continued
a second later, "How about we go out for a couple of drinks...it's been a while...let's..."
"Sam, thanks but really I should head home"
With that said, Arjun slowly headed home. He knew Sameer more or less guessed what
was bothering him, and was trying to be the friend in need he has always been. But, tonight
Arjun didn't want to talk his way through the pain and anger, tonight he just wanted to
ignore it.
However, as soon as he reached home and saw his wife anxious, irritated and at the verge
of tears, he knew he should have taken up Sameer's offer and blown off some of that
steam.
Because what happened next was not something he had seen coming.
SIX
Marathi TV
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