Bringing You Home
It was another morning when the ETF office was filled with fun and laughter. The Chief, ACP Sameer Damsingh Rathore was quietly smiling at the antics of his team while reading his file in the conference room. He let them do whatever they pleased till the arrival of a new case. However, it wasn't a case that arrived. Instead, a knock on the door brought a 26 year old girl who had a 360 watt smile plastered to her face and sent Shree and Chotu jump to the ceiling before running to hug her.
Rathore put his file to the side and stood up standing in line to greet her. She finished her reunion with her friends and saluted her boss. Before she could say anything, Rathore shrugged off the formality and hugged her. She laughed at his action.
Riya: kya baat hai? chutti ke baad itna pyaar?
Rathore: chutti? Madam chutti ek saal ki nahi hoti
Riya: are sir main kya karu? 1 inch ke gole ne 1 saal tak sula diya toh meri kya galti?
Rathore: ha, ha tumhari koi galti nahi hai Riya galti toh us criminal ki hai
Riya: of course!
Rathore shook his head in disbelief and introduced the girls to each other. It wasn't long before the chattering returned again and Rathore resumed his file. Riya's eyes darted about the place searching for the man she had been yearning to see since the 2 weeks that she had regained consciousness...Her Arjun Sir.
Rathore's ringtone announced the arrival of a new case and the team geared upto investigate the crime scene. As the day passed, Riya turned more anxious. Arjun was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't his reputation to take leaves. She turned to Shree the second Rathore left the conference room for a phone call.
Riya: are Shree, ye Arjun sir kaha hai? dikhayi nahi diye subah se
Shree looked up from his laptop unsurely. The team exchanged glances amongst them.
Riya: kya hua? Tum sab chup kyun ho gaye?
Ayesha: tumhe pata nahi?
Riya: kya?
Sakshi: Arjun ne police department se resign kar diya hai
Riya felt the ground beneath her feet snatched away: KYAA?!?!?!
Chotu: ha
Riya: lekin...Lekin Kyun? Aur Kab?!?!
Shree: Ri woh...it's a long story
Riya: TELL ME!!
Shree sighed: 4 mahine pehle ki baat hai, Rathore sir kuch security conferences ke liye Delhi mein the, main apni cousin ki shaadi ke liye Kolkata mein tha. usi beech ek case aaya, Prachand baba ka
Chotu: pehle hume laga ki mamuli sa fraud hai lekin baad mein pata chala ki bahot kaale dhandho mein uska naam hai. uski gang bahot badi aur khatarnaak thi. Unhone hume chakma dekar mujhe, Sakshi, Ayesha aur Liza ko bomb se baandh diya
Flashback
Arjun was busy scanning the bomb that was tied to his teammates. They were screaming and protesting for him to leave but he paid no heed. Finally, he was able to untie the bomb and he ran off with it.
The loosened ropes were easy for Chotu to break through and he opened the rest of them.
Sakshi(tensed): Arjun bomb ke saath akele chala gaya hai.
Ayesha wriggled free: hume jaldi unhe rokna hoga isse pehle ki woh fat jaaye, koi raasta zaroor hoga use diffuse karne ka
As the four of them freed themselves and were about to leave the rooms a ticking sound alerted them.
Liza: ye awaaz toh...
A blast originated from the pillar injuring all four of them severely though not fatally due to the distance they had managed to get away.
Flashback Ends
Ayesha: turned out ki jo pehla bomb tha woh fake tha, hum sab hospital mein behosh the.
Sakshi: aur is sab ka ilzaam Arjun ke sar par lag gaya ki woh Prachand baba ke saath mila hua hai
Shree: jaise hi hume ye sab news mili, main aur Rathore sir bhaag kar waapis Mumbai aaye lekin fugitive declare hone ke wajah se Arjun sir kind of bhaag gaye aur ye sab coma mein pade the, asal mein us factory mein kya hua ye kisi ko nahi pata tha. humare aane tak Arjun sir gayab ho gaye the aur commissioner sir ne hume is case se hata diya kyunki Arjun sir humari hi team ka hissa the. aur hum dono ETF ko aur in sab ko sambhalne ke peeche busy ho gaye. Upar se media humare peeche humara dimag kharaab kar rahi thi woh alag
Chotu: do-teen din baad Arjun sir waapis aaye toh pata chala ki Prachand baba hi Sikandar hai aur commissioner sir bhi uske haathon bik gaye the.
Shree: hum us waqt hospital mein hi the, Ayesha aur Liza ko hosh aa gaya. News dekhkar main aur sir headquarters bhaage par Arjun sir tab tak resign karke chale gaye the
Sakshi: aur uske baad hum mein se kisine Arjun ko nahi dekha
Ayesha: unka phone band hai aur jis lodge mein rehte the woh room bhi khaali hai
To say Riya was shocked would be understatement. She was completely blown off her feet.
Riya: toh...toh ab woh kaha hai?
Liza: koi nahi jaanta, he has disappeared
Riya: koi nahi? kuch toh hoga! purane records mein kuch...
Chotu: kahi kuch nahi hai
Riya: lekin...
Rathore entered just then changing their focus back to the case. However, Riya was lost in thought mv "Arjun sir chale gaye? Kaha chale gaye?...mujhe kuch bhi karke unhe dhundhna hoga, woh aise kaise jaa sakte hai? unke bina ETF adhura hai (his face flashed before her eyes) I miss you.
A month passed by, Riya did everything in her power to try and find out about Arjun. His lodge owner had no idea and neither did the department's records mention any address. As Ayesha had said his phone was shut since 4 months. No other new number had been registered under his name either. Riya was losing hope at the continuous failures but something inside her kept her going on.
J.R. Birla School-
The last bell for the day had rung. The students were rushing to leave. Amidst the chaos a teacher was trying to talk on the phone.
Sheetal: ha...Riya? tum exit gate se kyun aayi?
Riya: are sab yahi se aa jaa rahe hai
Sheetal: are yaar tu bhi na! ab tu building ke paas aayegi toh opposite side par office ka entrance main wahi khadi hun
Riya(looking around): are itne saare bache hai mujhe kuch...
Sheetal waved her hand as she came into view. Riya smiled and waved back. She disconnected the phone and quickly ran up the steps. Sheetal hugged her.
Sheetal: kaisi hai yaar tu?
Riya: main theek hun, acha sun! jaldi yaha se nikal. Mera lunch time 2 ghante ka hai maine sir se permission lekar 4 baje tak ki permission li hai, it is 2 already.
Sheetal: ha meri ma, mujhe pata hai. tu aur teri duty
Riya: work is worship!
Sheetal: ha meri ma...
A peon came and handed Sheetal a paper.
Peon: madam ye woh cultural program ka proposal hai, principal ma'am ne bheja hai aur kaha hai ki aapko aur Arjun sir ko organize karna hai
The name alerted both the girls, both for different reasons. The peon left after giving his message.
Sheetal: are yaar meri kismat achi hai ya buri?
Riya came out of her reverie: kya matlab?
Sheetal: are ye jo banda haina? Woh bahot mast hai
Riya(confused): okay?
Sheetal rolled her eyes: are mera matlab, bahot handsome aur hot hai lekin...ek number ka khadoos hai. kisi se baat hi nahi karta?
Riya felt a spark in her mind. Handsome and khadoos? Name same...could it be?
Sheetal: khair isi bahane mujhe uske saath thoda time mil jaayega, par pehle use ye de deti hun. Uske baad nikalte hai
She looked around and her eyes fell on a man who was punching his biometric in the attendance machine. His back was to the girls yet both of them recognised him in an instant. Riya felt her heart beats rise.
He removed his thumb and flung the black bag he was holding over his shoulder and turned to leave.
Sheetal called out to him: Arjun!
Arjun looked in the direction. His steps faltered automatically as he saw the face beside Sheetal's. A warm feeling erupted in his chest. It had been ages since that feeling had enveloped him. His eyes locked with hers as he took slow steps towards them.
Riya's condition was no less. She felt as if the Gods had smiled upon her. How badly she had wanted to see him again and now that he was in front of here, all her knowledge of speech seemed to vanish.
Sheetal handed him the paper: cultural program ki zimmedari hum dono ki hai
Her words threw the couple back on earth. Arjun shifted his gaze to her and took the paper. He thrust it into the front zip of his bag and left after giving a nod.
Sheetal turned to Riya: dekha? Mujhe toh kabhi-kabhi lagta hai jaise kisine iske bolne par charge laga kar rakha hai, ek phrase ke 10 rupay, ek sentence ke 20!
Riya smiled: you never know, ab chale?
Sheetal: ha chal
Riya was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. She could barely go to sleep at night. She twisted and turned in her bed. She had been thinking of a plan the whole day and had decided to pay a visit to the school early next morning before going to office Mv "aapko ETF mein waapis laa kar rahungi main sir, ye mera vaada hai!
On the other hand, Arjun's condition was no less. He opened his cupboard and removed a photo frame of the original ETF team. His thumb softly caressed her face. He hadn't even been to the hospital since the incident 4 months ago but now, seeing her again, buried emotions threatened to resurface themselves. He hadn't realised how much he missed her till he saw her again but was disappointed that she didn't try and talk to him. Arjun shook his head and put the frame away sighing deeply, mv "shayad use yaad bhi nahi hoga ki koi pathar tha jise usne pighlaya tha.
Next morning-
Riya went straight to the school's office and barged into the principal's cabin not caring the protests of the P.A and the peon outside. The principal glared at her and was about to shout but Riya slapped her ETF ID on the desk.
Riya: research specialist Riya Mukherjee!
Taken aback the principal gestured the P.A and peon to go outside and offered Riya a seat.
Riya: nahi thank you! mujhe aapke ek employee ki information chahiye
Principal: kiski ?
Riya: Arjun Suryakant Rawte
Principal: Chemistry professor?
Riya: kitne Arjun Rawte hai yaha par?
Principal: ek
Riya(sternly): Toh Fir Puch Kyun Rahe Hai? (The principal cowered) kya jaanti hai aap unke baare mein?
Principal: woh...unhone Chemistry mein apna major kiya hai aur isse pehle Dehradun ki ek school mein padhate the
Riya mv "Dehradun? Waah sir! fake history banana toh koi aapse seekhe. Dehradun jaise shehar mein koi cross-reference karne bhi nahi jaayega.
Principal: uske baad woh Mumbai aaye toh unhone yaha apply kiya aur unka record acha tha toh maine hire kar liya, koi problem hai officer? Humari school ki reputation toh nahi bigdegi na?
Riya glared at her: school ki reputation? Sharam aani chahiye aapko! Agar problem hai toh aapko bacho ke baare mein puchna chahiye aur aap hai ki...Disgusting!! (The principal lowered her eyes) Khair! Problem toh hai...mujhe unki har detail chahiye!!
Principal: problem hai? main unhe abhi fire...
Riya(sternly): Maine Details Maangi!!!
She fumbled: ji...ji...(she rang the bell frantically and the peon came in running) Gangadhar! Professor Arjun ki details lekar aao
Gangadhar: ji madam
He went out and returned within a few minutes with a file in his hands. He was about to hand it over to the principal when Riya took it from his hands and opened it. She quickly scanned through the page and reached to the address. Riya smiled internally and took the paper for herself. She dumped the file on the principal's desk.
Riya: agar Arjun s...(controlling) agar us professor ko zara si bhi bhanak lagi ki main yaha aayi thi toh mujhse bura aur koi nahi hoga! Samjhi Ya Samjhau?
The principal fumbled: ji...main unhe fire...
Riya glared: Jitna Kaha Jaaye...Utna Karo!!! Warna...
Principal: ji samaj gayi!
Riya: good!
She walked out with poise but as soon as she left the compound she jumped in excitement. She hailed a cab to take her to ETF office. As soon as the wheels of the taxi started rolling she removed the paper and read it again and again. She fished out her phone and logged into the system. She let out a silent prayer and entered the address to check if it was authentic. The page buffered and...
Riya: YESS!!!!!
The startled taxi driver pulled over: kya hua memsaab?
Riya: are bhaiya! Mera jeevan safal ho gaya!! Aap gaadi bhagao!!!
Though still confused, the driver continued the journey. Riya looked back at the phone screen.
Owner- Arjun S. Rawte
She kissed the phone and safely kept the paper back inside.
ETF office-
Riya skipped to the conference room but as soon as she opened the door...
Riya: Oh My God!!
Rathore and Ayesha sprang apart and she turned around closing her eyes. Ayesha turned red and started to look here and there. Rathore somehow managed to control himself.
Rathore: tum...tum mud sakti ho, Riya
Riya turned around with a teasing smile: chinta mat kijiye sir, maine U/A film jitna hi dikha
Ayesha: main..uh...coffee lekar aati hun
And tried to run away but Riya stopped her.
Riya: are nahi, nahi Ayesha, tum kyun jaa rahi ho? Hum ek kaam karte hai, main baahar khadi ho jaati hun, aap dono continue kijiye. Jaise hi koi aayega main aapko signal dungi theek hai? waise bhi Rathore sir ko tumse behtar coffee thodi milegi?
Ayesha hid her face in her hands.
Rathore: Riya!!!
Riya burst out laughing: ha sir?
Rathore: please get lost
Riya: main bhi toh wahi keh rahi hun sir, main baahar jaati hun aap dono continue kijiye
Rathore shook his head in disbelief and changed the topic: someone's happy today?
Riya: ha sir, main bahot, bahot, bahot khush hun!!!
Rathore raised his eyebrow: aur is khushi ki wajah kya hai?
Riya: woh sir, thodi si personal hai. (teasingly) kya haina? Main pura dhyaan rakhti hun ki mera personal baahar leak na ho jaaye
Rathore immediately tried to catch hold of her: Riya!!!
But she ran away laughing, leaving the couple to wallow in embarrassment. Riya couldn't wait for the day to pass. Everyone saw that she was happy and tried asking her too.
Shree: kya baat hai Ri? Bahot uchal rahi hai tu aaj
Riya: ha kyunki main khush hun
Shree: woh toh mujhe bhi dikh raha hai madam, lekin kyun?
Riya: pata nahi, mujhe subah se aise lag raha hai jaise aaj kuch bahot acha hone waala hai
Shree: well then, best of luck!
Riya: thank you!
At Night-
Arjun was sitting on his sofa, watching the news. The only link that he had kept with his past. The doorbell rang. Arjun glanced at his watch.
Arjun: is waqt kaun hoga?
He went to open the door only to find the porch empty.
Arjun: kaun?
But there was no reply. Shrugging his shoulder he closed the door and took his seat. The bell rang again. He went to open the door but again, there was no one. Irritated, he slammed the door shut again. Just as he turned, the bell rang again. He opened the door immediately and stormed down the steps.
Arjun: Kaun Hai??
He felt a shadow pass from behind and turned abruptly. There was no one.
Arjun: ho kya raha hai ye sab? (muttering) ab toh gun bhi nahi hai mere paas
Frustrated, he went back inside the house and slammed the door shut, vowing to not open it again. He turned to the sofa again but the ground swept off from beneath his feet seeing the figure standing in front of him.
Arjun(shocked): RIYA?!?!
Riya smiled: hi
Arjun: tumhe yaha ka pata kaise mila?
Riya: are woh aapki school ki principal bahot achi hai, maine ID dikhaya toh aapki puri life history batane lagi in fact woh toh aapko nikalne bhi waali thi par maine use keh diya ki uski zaroorat nahi hai, main handle kar dungi. I saved your job! Waise mujhe nahi pata tha ki 4 mahine mein Dehradun mein 3 saal ka work experience milta hai, aap sach mein great hai sir!
Arjun: chali jao Riya
Riya raises her eyebrow: kyun?
Arjun: kyunki ye mera ghar hai!!
Riya: Arjun sir, main aapse milne aayi hun aur apni baat kahe bagair main kahi nahi jaungi
Arjun waits for her to complete.
Riya: sir, please ETF waapis aa jayiye. Aap aise kyun chale gaye?
Arjun walks upto her: Tum Kuch Nahi Jaanti Ho! Mujhse door raho yahi behtar hai tumhare liye!!
Riya: sab kuch jaanti hun main. Prachand baba ne sabko blast mein fasa diya aur uska ilzaam aapke sar par daal diya, department mein kisine aapki baat par vishwas nahi kiya, yahi na?
Arjun turned his back to her: Chali Jao Riya!
It was getting difficult for him to control himself in front of her. She went in front of him. Gathering all the courage she had, she cupped his face.
Riya frowned seeing the unshed tears in his eyes: sir, commissioner sir bhi toh involved the. ab woh nahi hai toh kyun aap unki baaton ko dil par le rahe hai, ek criminal ki baaton ko maan kar aap apne career aur ambition se peeche kaise hat sakte hai?
Arjun removes her hands: Riya, kisi ko meri zaroorat nahi hai...
Riya: nahi sir aapko galat...
Arjun(angrily): Tumhe Lagta Hai Mujhe Department Ki Padi Hai? Commissioner Ki Padi Hai? Jiske Liye Maine Apni Puri Zindgi De Di, Jiski Wajah Se Maine Apni Zindgi Jeene Ki Wajah Kho Di! Usine Mere Imaan Par Kalank Lagaya!! Sab hospital mein ghayal the lekin Rathore aur Shree toh nahi the? woh toh koshish kar sakte the!! Sach Pata Lagane Ki Koshish Kar Sakte The? Aa Sakte The Mere Paas!!
Riya: aap bhi toh nahi gaye
Arjun felt tongue tied at the cross question
Riya: aap bhi toh ek baar koshish kar sakte the, atleast resign karne se pehle?
Arjun: kisi ko koi farak nahi padta Riya. kisi ko bhi gusse waale, khadoos boss ki zaroorat nahi hai. waise bhi meri kisi ke saath nahi banti aur nahi mujhe dusro ke kaam mein taang adane ka shaukh hai
Riya: theek hai, maan li aapki baat. Unhe farak nahi padta ki aap rahe ya na rahe...lekin mujhe farak padta hai, mere liye waapis aa jaayiye...I miss you
Arjun stared at her. Riya waited for his reply patiently.
Arjun sighed: main jaisa hun, jaha hun, khush hun
Riya: aap khush nahi hai, bas khush hone ki koshish kar rahe hai
Arjun doesn't reply. Riya stepped closer to him and their eyes locked with each others. She raised her heels to go higher and wound her hands around his neck to whisper in his ear.
Riya: main kal aapka wait karungi
She slowly parted away and turned to leave but stopped abruptly. She swiftly turned and kissed his cheek mumbling a goodnight and ran out of the house.
Arjun stared at her disappearing shadow. His hand automatically went to his cheek where she had kissed him. A conflict arose inside of him as her words repeated in his mind.
"Mujhe farak padta hai, mere liye waapis aa jaayiye.
Riya entered ETF the next morning with a new hope in her heart. If Arjun didn't turn up she was going to have to find some other way to fix him. Rathore's ringtone announced the arrival of a new case and the team arrived at the crime scene.
It was a wedding house. The groom had been murdered in the storeroom. But the catch was, that the doors and windows were locked from the inside. When family found him missing, they started searching the whole house and had broken the door of the store room open. The situation puzzled ETF. How could a man be murdered inside a room which was closed from the inside? They hadn't discovered any secret door or compartment either.
Sakshi: bichara shaadi ke din hi maara gaya
Riya turned to Rathore: sir aankdo ke hissab se kisi important event mein honewaale crimes 68.3. % cases mein us event ko rokne ke liye kiye jaate hai
Chotu: shaadi rokne ke liye dulhe ka hi murder? Shaadi rokne ke aur bhi raaste hai
Liza: par dekha jaaye toh ye sure shot hai
Shree: lekin Ashish (groom) ka hi kyun? Kisi aur ka bhi toh kar sakta tha woh khooni...anybody close?
Rathore: ye sirf shaadi rokne ke liye nahi hai, ho sakta hai ki Neha (bride) ka koi boyfriend ho jisne Ashish ka khoon kar diya taaki woh aur Neha apni zindgi jee sake
Ayesha: aisa hota toh woh use bhaga kar bhi le jaa sakta tha
Rathore: nahi, dono ki families influential hai is wajah se security bhi bahot tight thi waha, bhaagne ka sawaal paida hi nahi hota
Riya: ha sir, ho sakta hai ki uska boyfriend unke status ka na ho isliye ghar waale unki shaadi ke khilaaf ho aur isliye unhone Ashish ko raaste se hata diya ho? Main ek kaam karti hun, main uske baare mein pata lagati hun
Rathore nodded: Shree tab tak tum sabke call records nikalo, Ayesha check karo agar kisi ke list mein koi gadbad waala number hai ya nahi
Ayesha/Shree: yes sir
Riya went outside to her desk so she could work quickly and started removing Neha's details. Unfortunately, even after searching high and low and talking to all her closed ones, she found no clue to another man in her life or any other motive that she might have had.
Dejected, she started walking back to the conference room when suddenly all the desk job people stopped their work and stood up in shock and wonder. She could swear she even heard a mug drop and break and files dropping at atleast 5-6 desks. She turned in the direction everyone was staring at.
And there he was... ACP Arjun Suryakant Rawte in all his glory, strutting like he owned the place. Riya beamed. Only she knew, the amount of self-control she was using to not jump up in joy. Arjun walked to her.
Arjun: tumhare liye nahi aaya hun, apne liye aaya hun
Riya smiled and stepped closer. She removed his shades so she could see him properly, amusing him.
Riya: jo aapke liye hai wahi mere liye bhi hai (she tucked his glares in his jean pocket) samjhe ya...samjhau?
She winked at him. Arjun rolled his eyes and started walking towards the conference room while Riya followed him.
Conference room-
All eyes were glued to the evidence board.
Shree: sir call records mein toh kuch nahi mil raha hai. Na Neha ke na Ashish ke family members mein se kisi ke call records mein koi gadbad nahi mili hai
Liza: ha sir aur hairaani ki baat toh yeh hai ki jab use goli lagi toh kisi ko gun ki awaaz kaise sunayi nahi di? Ekto ye darwaaze khidki band the toh khooni baahar gaya kaise? Aur post-mortem ke hissab se goli 10-12 feet ke distance se chalayi gayi, khidki ka kaanch bhi tuta hua nahi hai...(confused) sir ye sab kya hai?
Arjun: khidki khoon ke waqt khuli thi!
All eyes turn to the voice. Their mouths opened agape. Chotu fell from his chair. Rathore forgot to sip from his tilted mug causing the hot liquid to fall all over his shirt.
Rathore(shouting in pain): AAAHHH!!!
His scream brought everyone out of their trance as quickly as they had gone in. Ayesha hurried to Rathore with Riya's box of tissues. Shree and Liza helped Chotu stand up. Sakshi ran and hugged Arjun.
Sakshi: Arjun!!!!! Tum waapis aa gaye!! Tumhe pata hai humne tumhe kitna miss kiya??? koi aise gayab hota hai bhala..
She kept on ranting to Arjun who was laughing internally seeing everyone's reactions apart from being surprised at their happiness to see him. On the other hand, Riya was sternly looking at Sakshi and Arjun wondering why Arjun was letting her hug him. Her heart sank a little realising that she was the one in coma and had no idea what had been transpiring between the two of them all the while.
Sakshi(separating from him): oho! Main kabse bole jaa rahi hun aur tum kuch bol hi nahi rahe ho
Shree(giggling): Sakshi, sir ko bolne ka mauka toh de
Rathore wiped off as much as coffee as he could and stood up: Rawte! (Arjun turned to him) tum kabhi bhi, bina logon ko dil ka dohra diye bagair idhar-udhar nahi ghum sakte?
Arjun: agar tum ek mug bhi nahi sambhal sakte toh ETF ke Chief kyun bane ho?
Rathore chuckled and hugged him, surprising him further: tumse jhagda karne mein jo maza hai woh Chief banne mein nahi hai
Arjun too hugged him back. The rest of the team joined in engulfing the two bosses in a bear hug.
Arjun: case abhi bhi hume hi solve karna hai, kaam par lage?
They groaned and let go.
Rathore: apni theory ko explain karne ka kasht karoge?
Arjun: zaroor
The team muttered curses under their breath. Their khadoos bosses would never change. Arjun moved towards the board and pointed at a photograph.
Arjun: dhyaan se dekho, is khidki ki kundi par dhaage ke tukda laga hua hai aur waisa hi dhaage ka tukda (pointing to another photograph) darwaaze ki kundi par bhi laga hua hai.
Rathore: toh?
Arjun: toh yeh ki jab darwaaza khola gaya toh khidki andar se lock ho gayi hai. khooni ne baahar se goli chalayi, silencer ki wajah se kisi ko awaaz sunayi nahi di aur fir khidki par dhaaga baandh kar use band kar diya is tarah se ki jab darwaaza khule toh kundi apne aap lock ho jaaye.
Shree: lekin khooni...
Arjun: khooni unhi guests mein se hai, jo darwaaza khulne par andar gaya aur jisne dhaaga kheench kar tod diya jiski wajah se woh kisi ko dikhayi nahi diya bas khidki aur darwaaze ke lock par uske tukde reh gaye
Rathore shook his head and muttered: ye kabhi nahi sudhrega (aloud) ab khooni kaun hai ye bhi bata do?
Arjun: sabse pehle room mein kaun gaya tha?
Riya: sir, sab log Ashish ko dhundh rahe the, uske chacha Manohar aur uski friend Rachna use dhundhte hue waha pahunche, unhone darwaaza toda aur andhere ki wajah se Rachna uski body par gir gayi
Arjun: toh bulao is Rachna aur Manohar ko! Do haath maaro apne aap pata chal jaayega ki khoon kisne kiya hai
Rathore: ha chalo bulao dono ko, Chotu! Ayesha utha kar lao unhe!
Arjun raised his eyebrow at him: kya baat hai?
Rathore: pehla din hai tumhara, ek din toh compensation de hi sakta hun. Opinion difference kal se karenge
Arjun: suit yourself.
Rathore glanced at Chotu and Ayesha who nodded promptly. As predicted, a little of special ETF dose and Rachna confessed out straight that she and Ashish had been dating. But Ashish was too chicken to let his family know of the love affair and agreed to marry Neha. Angry at the incident, she had vowed revenge and created the whole plan.
Sakshi(dreamily): wow Arjun! Tum kitne smart ho, aate hi case solve kar diya...aaj na (forwarding her hand) tum mujhe apna autograph de hi do. Mauka bhi hai dastoor bhi, itne dino baad ETF mein kadam rakha hai, tum toh celebrity ban gaye! Aur main toh humesha se tumhari fan hun, par ek baat batao! Tumne pehle kyun nahi bataya ki tum aanewaale the. main tumhari chai lekar aati na?
Rathore: Sakshi thodi der ke liye apni bak-bak band karogi?
Sakshi: nahi bilcul nahi (staring at Arjun) itne dino baad apne pyaare se jaan-e-man ko dekh rahi hun. Kyun hou main chup?
Arjun shook his head as laughter erupted from the team...except Riya. She was surprised at all the open flirting Sakshi was doing and even more so by Arjun's silence. Somehow, she managed to keep a smiling a face and gazed down.
Rathore: main tumse baat kar bhi kyun raha hun? (turning to Arjun) kaha the tum itne waqt tak? Bina kuch bataye aise hi gayab ho gaye?
Arjun: man nahi lag raha tha toh break le liya
Rathore: break? 4 mahine ka koi break hota hai?
Arjun: tumhe jo samajhna hai samjho
Rathore: kyun? Main kyun samjhu? Tumhara samjhe ya samjhau nahi lauta tumhare break se?
He rolled his eyes as everyone tried hard to contain their giggles.
Arjun: bahot lame joke tha
Rathore: tumse zyaada nahi
Arjun glared at him as Rathore gave him a cheeky grin.
Ayesha: are aap log kaha faaltu ki baatein lekar baith gaye, ab jab sir waapis aa hi gaye hai toh celebration toh banta haina?
Chotu: ha khaana!!!!
Liza: Chotu, woh khaane ki baat nahi party ki baat kar rahi hai
Chotu: are toh khaane ke bina koi party thodi hoti hai?
Ayesha: Chotu!!!
Arjun: itna hyper hone ki zaroorat nahi hai, mujhe party mein koi interest nahi hai
Sakshi: Arjun hum tumse puch nahi rahe hai, hum tumhe bata rahe hai
Arjun: theek hai toh fir, tum log shaukh se party karo main chala
He stood up picking up his gun earning protests from everyone.
Rathore: Rawte khadoos mat ban, sabka man hai toh ek din aa nahi sakte?
Arjun: ha toh us ek din ko aaj hi hona zaroori hai?
His words brought a smile on everyone's face
Shree: toh sir Sunday ko?
Arjun rolled his eyes and nodded: theek hai
A wave of cheer passed through the office as they all retired for the day. Riya slipped away quickly wanting a little time to sort out her feelings.
On the other hand, Sakshi was able to take Arjun's lift taking the pretence of meeting him after a long time. Arjun, not wanting to listen to an extra monologue agreed to take her home. As they drove out, his gaze falls on Riya trying to hail a cab and pulled up in front of her much to Sakshi's disdain.
Arjun: baitho Riya, ghar chod deta hun
Riya, noticing the look on Sakshi's face refused: nahi sir, main taxi se chali jaungi, thank you
Arjun: main puch nahi raha hun Riya, chup-chap baitho
She gazed at Sakshi and tried to come up with an excuse: are sir main, main Tardeo rehti hun, mera ghar ulti disha mein pad jaayega
His eyes easily caught the reason for her abnormal behavior mv "toh ye baat hai, madam insecure ho rahi hai.
Arjun: seedhe-seedhe baith rahi ho ya fir baahar aakar zabardasti karu?
Her eyes widened in shock: main...main...baithti hun. And quickly sat in the back seat.
Arjun started off again and started towards Sakshi's house first disappointing her. But that wasn't going to stop her...no. She continued her blabbering to Arjun who gave one-word inputs here and there.
Riya sat quietly all the while at the back. Arjun adjusted the rear view mirror so he could see her. He shook his head in disbelief thinking about the useless conclusions she was arriving to in her head.
It wasn't long before they reached Sakshi's house. Sakshi got down and turned back to him leaning on the window.
Sakshi: Acha Arjun...
Arjun: good night Sakshi, Riya aage baitho main tumhara driver nahi hun
The two ladies gave him an exasperated look. Sakshi shifted from the door so Riya could sit ahead but did not leave and retook her position again.
Sakshi: tum bhale abhi mujhe chup kara do lekin ab tumhe office aana hi hai aur apni date toh main tumse lekar rahungi!!
Riya put her head down. She felt like running away from the place.
Arjun: itna over-confidence acha nahi hai
He started the ignition and sped off without waiting for Sakshi to answer him. The car remained silent till Riya directed him.
Riya: bas sir, yaha par rok dijiye
But Arjun didn't slow down. He drove straight confusing her.
Riya: sir! mera ghar peeche reh gaya.
Arjun: pata hai
Riya felt tongue-tied: pata hai?...mat..lab? aap...hum...kaha jaa rahe hai?
Arjun: jaha main tumhe le jaa raha hun
She looked at him in confusion and then to the road. Unable to understand what was going on, she sat fidgeting with her hands trying to look at him every now and then but his face was the same... blank.
Arjun on the other hand was enjoying all her confused emotions. However, not wanting to drag things, he increased the speed of the car to reach their destination faster. Riya was bewildered when she saw him stop at a secluded corner of the beach. She turned to him but he just unfastened his seatbelt and got out the car. Unsure of what to do next, she followed suit and walked behind him. He climbed on top of the rocks and sat there enjoying the ocean breeze. Riya too climbed and stood there waiting for him to say something but he didn't. She sighed and sat beside him.
Arjun finally decided to look at her: thank you
Riya looked at him shock: kya?
Arjun: mujhe waapis bulaane ke liye. Tum sahi thi, main khush nahi hun bas hone ki koshish kar raha tha. aaj waapis aaya toh aise laga jaise...jaise khaali pan dur ho gaya.
Riya: ab toh waapis gayab nahi ho jaayenge na?
Arjun smiled: nahi jaunga
Riya felt her heart warming up as she saw his lips curve and lowered her gaze.
Riya: if you don't mind, ek baat kahu?
Arjun: kaho
Riya: aapko zyaada wait nahi karna chahiye, we never really know how much time we have with the ones we love the most. Aap...(controlling) Sakshi se keh dijiye ki aap use...pyaar karte hai. aapke na hone ki wajah se us par kya beeti hogi ya koi nahi jaan sakta aur ab waapis aane ke baad bhi aap use mixed signals de rahe hai.
Arjun felt like laughing out loud but controlled himself: ha tum sahi keh rahi ho, mujhe apne pyaar ka izhaar kar dena chahiye. par...kaise karu? mujhe toh kuch samaj mein nahi aa raha hai. mera first time haina?
Riya looked at him sceptically. Arjun gestured her to come closer as if telling her a secret. Riya leaned forward and he whispered in her ear.
Arjun: maine Roshni ko kabhi propose nahi kiya, usine kar diya tha informally
Riya: KYA??
Arjun: ha
Riya: matlab?
Arjun: are woh hum dost the na aur fir woh pyaar mein badal gaya. Humne toh confess bhi nahi kiya tha. Fir ek din hume uske ghar par the aur main use irritate kar raha tha toh woh bhi gussa hokar bolne lagi ki agar main use aise hi pareshaan karunga toh woh shaadi se pehle hi mujhe divorce de degi, and uske parents bhi us waqt ghar par hi the toh uski maa ne kaha ki shaadi toh kar lo, uske baad divorce ki baatein karna fir maine bhi bol diya ki main toh kabse ready baitha hun, aap bas date nikalo toh bas...aise hi shaadi ho gayi
Riya dropped her head in her hands: I don't believe this!
Arjun looked at her innocently: are Riya tum toh ladki hona, bolo na koi idea. Kaise propose karu?
Riya looked at him blankly mv "had hai ye toh? Apni sauten ko kaise propose karna hai ye bhi main batau?
Arjun: help karo na
Riya took a deep breath to calm herself and then said: Arjun sir...
Arjun: lekin ha, zyaada complicated cheezein mat kehna. Kuch aisa kehna ki main abhi jaakar use propose kar saku, tumhe pata haina main zyaada bol nahi sakta
Riya: abhi?
Arjun: ha, mujhe aur der nahi karni, tum mujhe batao aur main propose kar dunga
Riya rolled her eyes and muttered: ha kyun nahi?
Arjun: kya? Kuch kaha tumne?
Riya: soch rahi hun!
Arjun: oh par...ek problem hai
Riya: ab kya?
Arjun: woh abhi toh late ho gaya hai main ring ka arrangement kaise karunga? Woh reject toh nahi kar degi na?
Despite feeling sad she couldn't help but melt at the eagerness in his eyes. She smiled and answered.
Riya: nahi sir, woh nahi karegi. Ring ya rose nahi, pyaar ke liye feelings se zyaada aur kuch zaroori nahi hota hai. bas aapki feelings genuine hai isse zyaada kisi ladki ko aur kya chahiye? (the cheer re-appeared on his face) aap bas uske paas jayiye, uska haath pakadiye, (staring into his eyes) uske aankhon mein aankhein daaliye aur keh dijiye ki aap usse kitna pyaar karte hai
Arjun: itna lamba procedure? Koi shortcut nahi hai?
Riya came out of her trance: shortcut?
Arjun: ha ye teen steps haina? Koi one step method nahi hai? jise woh samaj jaaye ki main usse pyaar karta hun?
Riya felt angry now. Here she was, trying to help her own love to propose someone else and he wanted shortcuts.
She stood up: Ha Haina Shortcut, Ek Kaam Kijiye! Jayiye Aur Seedha Jaakar Use Kiss Kar Dijiye, Sab Samaj Jaayegi!!
She spun on her heel to leave but the next second he caught arm and crashed her into him, planting his lips on hers giving her the shock of her life! As his hand slid around her waist and she realised she wasn't dreaming, she melted into his arms.
Arjun touched her forehead with his: so...accepted? ya fir...aur yakeen dilaane ki zaroorat hai?
Riya blushed red and hugged him tightly: accepted
Arjun smiled and kissed her forehead. They parted away after a few seconds.
Riya (suddenly remembering) : par sir Sa...
Arjun(breaking her): tum kulfi khaogi?
Riya (confused): kya?
Arjun pointed behind at a distance where a vendor was wheeling his kulfi stall. Riya looked in the direction involuntarily.
Arjun: woh dekho! Kulfi waala
Riya: lekin...
Arjun: chalo kulfi khaate hai!
Ignoring all her questions he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and dragged her to the vendor...
The End...
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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