Alright. I'm back. Again. For some reason I am not able to upload updates on my previous topics. So I've decided to post them here instead. This is the previously untitled FF
"BACK TO WORKK" He roared.
Sighing his juniors did as they were told. They were actually bored of the monotonous life they lead but nevertheless they could only hope their work life would one day be interesting.
ACP Arjun Rawte, chief of the Emergency Task Force, looked at his juniors with disappointment. As usual. He couldn't actually understand what new could they have to talk when they were together everyday for more than 15 hours. Giving them the trademark glare he was known wide and across for, Arjun made his way to his cabin and slumped down on the sofa with a file in his hand.
A knock on the door pulled him out of his reverie.
"Come in " he says, exasperated. The day had just begun, what now? He didn't bother to look up from the file, pretty sure that it was someone who worked under him.
"Err, Sir?" a voice called out.
Arjun's head snapped up only to find Riya Mukherjee meekly staring at him.
"Hi... Good Morning, Sir" she says, visibly afraid of his reaction.
" 'Morning. Care to explain why you're here?" Arjun asked feigning indifference, .
"uhm", says Riya not sure where to begin.
Her senior raised an eyebrow, observing her. She was damn sure he could read the nervousness evident in her form yet the handsome devil had to play.
" I am back for completing my term as a Research Specialist. Raghav Sir called me a month ago because he wants me to complete the term I was originally appointed for"
Arjun couldn't label the emotions he was feeling. He could feel hope bubble in his chest but yet something told him she's not the same person anymore.
"Okayyy. But why am I hearing this now?"
"I have no idea. I was told you'd know beforehand. There must be some mistake. I'll ask sir and......." Riya started panicking trying to fish out the phone from her bag.
Arjun stood up, worried for the girl in front of him. "Are you okay?" he asks her bluntly
"Yeah... Why do you ask? Is something wrong? What did I do?" Riya looked down, embarrassed for some reason.
"Riya" Arjun calls out, calmly. That's the softest he's been with her and Riya could immediately feel the nervousness slipping away. She clenched her fists in a bid to pull herself together.
"Welcome back" he whispers kindly. Riya could only smile. Or atleast pretend to. She needed all the strength in the world to look at him. She's heard of it. Heard of how Arjun killed the man who had killed his wife. So called wife, apparently Roshni knew Sikander and all the love drama was a facade to bring the tough cop on his knees. The pain he had gone through was evident in his face. A beautiful face carrying some unshed tears and invisible scars..
"I'm okay" he tells her knowing what she must be thinking.
Riya let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding,"I hope you are" she says sincerely.
Arjun just shrugs and asks for her joining letter. Riya hands him and he signs it and updates something on the laptop on his desk..
"Did you meet the others?" he asks casually, waiting for the server to update Riya's details. He looked up and saw her cringing.
"I uhm.. Actually saw them outside.... Said hi" she looked away.
Arjun could only guess what had transpired. Its been four years. Four long years. They had moved on. They had found friends in the tough lady cop Ayesha, the naive journalist Sakshi and the nerd Liza.
However Arjun knew Riya would never blame them. Not even in her death. She's always been the one to cherish what she had and not cry about what she didn't.
Realising he had tread in the wrong waters, he picked up the land line, dialled an extension while motioning the nervous officer to sit. "Yash, in my room now. .
There's someone I'd like you to meet"
Riya closed her eyes as she heard him call for more people. She was already feeling out of place, the feeling was alien to her. Arjun couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She didn't deserve it.
As the door opened, Riya stood up and turned about.
"Riya, this is Yash. ACP Yash Malhotra. Second in command." Arjun does the introduction.
"Actually I am the chief here because in nawab se toh kuch hona nahi hai" Yash says. "Kya kaha tumne, 'This team is too incompetent for me to lead'"
"Hogaya?" Arjun asks exasperated.
"Haan. By the way Madam Aap kon?"
"Riya Mukherjee, Research Specialist" Arjun fills him in. "Rejoining today. Hopefully she'll stay longer than before" He adds. Riya raised an eyebrow at that. He wants her to stay??!!!!
"Welcome Back!" Yash says warmly forwarding his hand. Riya shook hands, giving three firm shakes. Arjun rolls his eyes at that. Always the mannered one.
"So? When and where do I begin?" Riya asks to no one in particular.
Yash was about to answer when Arjun piped in "I'm not going to let you start just like that. I'd like to speak to your doctor before assigning you work. Fieldwork, however, is out of question, so don't even ask about it. For now, you'll have to share my cabin."
"NO"
"Kyu?" he asks her. He knew he'd react this way considering how gooooood he was with her in the past :/
She started fidgeting, leaving a stunned Yash. There was something between these two and he knew it.
"Uhm guys I'll meet you later. Bye" he says and goes away, not before giving Arjun a meaningful look.
Riya stood there, contemplating her decision to come back. She could feel her anxiety rising. The AC in the room did her no good, she was sweating profusely, just wanting the floor to eat her up.
Arjun was taken aback. He slowly moved towards her and took her hands in his. Feeling his touch, she jerked her eyes open.
"Are you okay?" he asks, worry dripping from every word.
"Yeah. Just nervous" she replies.
He leaves her hands and motions her to sit on the couch. Doing as she was told, Riya could see the softness and worry on his face. "I am fine, sir, really"
"That's for me to decide " he says rather mechanically. Riya hung her head down
"It's better if you share the cabin with me. . I mean I don't know, but Riya they've..... They've....."
"Moved on like a sane person should" Riya completes him. Arjun could only marvel at the woman in front of him. He was right, she'd never blame them. But true friendship never dies. Even if a person does. He had learnt that the hard way.
Sighing, he gets up and helps Riya do the same. "Go home now. Rest for a while. You need it."
Riya nods, knowing perfectly she needs a good sleep more than anything. She hadn't slept well ever since Raghav Sir called her. The bags under her eyes were a testimonial for that.
"If I were you I'd sleep in" He adds, handing her a paper he'd just printed and signed. "Give this to Nandini at the Reception. She'll have your iCARD ready tomorrow. And this" handing her a key "is a spare key to this room. This cabin is locked when I'm not around.I'll have a word with your Doctor and then we'll see where we can begin." She was about to go when Arjun called her.
"Riya"
"Sir? " she asks turning around.
"Take care" he whispers softly.
She gave him a smile and went out, her heart beating erratically.
Arjun watched her go, his mind all over the place.
PART TWO
Riya woke up with a gnawing headache. Holding her head between her hands, she made her way across the room, opened a drawer, pulled out some pills and popped one of them in her mouth and downed it with a glass of water. She hadn't even begun working yet.
"Sh*t" she screams, realising the time "Its 7:20 already? Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t. I have to be in office by 8." She panicked.
Grabbing a blue pair of jeans and a white shirt she rushed in the shower. All ready by 7:45am Riya locked the door of her flat and rushed down. Her stomach warned her of being neglected, but she had other important things at hand. Well, according to her. She didn't want to face the wrath of her super strict senior, not when he was so good to her yesterday. She only hoped the traffic, magically disappears. The ping of the elevator told her she's reached the ground floor. As soon as the doors opened, Riya made a dash towards the gate but had to stop in her tracks rather suddenly.
There he was, leaning against the SUV engrossed in his phone.
"Sir?" She calls out, causing him to look up.
" Chale?" he asks her casually.
"How...." Riya realises what she was about to ask.
Of course he'd know. Sighing at the surprising turn of events, she settled in the car beside him. Atleast she's spared of his taunts..... for now she reminded herself.
×××××××××××××××××××××××
"Yaar itni behrami se kyu maarte hai ye log" The journo whined, disgusted with the sight in front of her.
"Kyu? Kuch fashionable and modest tareeqa apnana chahiye tha?" Arjun asks, not amused at all.
"Matlab, maarna hi tha toh zeher deke maarta. Itna drama kyu?" Sakshi says, not wanting to start off the day with a bad point in Arjun's book.
" No drama huh? You're talking of no drama?" The ACP spat, reminding her of the stupid drama she did to gain his attention a while ago, feigning injuries on her leg.
" Arre,... Mein..."
"Shut up. Crime scene hai ye koi debate nahi chalri news channel par" he says before she could begin one of her emotional lectures.
"Gloves!" he calls out to no one in particular and Shree scrambles to his feet and brings out a clean pair of them from his bag. Arjun was checking the pockets of the man for any identification, since the face was distorted to a great extent and fingers burnt. On finding nothing, he got up to scan the surroundings and that's when he realised where they were.
On the same street where Raghu Sir once had a house. On the same street he fought her, mistaking her for an intruder. On the same street he had met her.
He looked around for her, only to find her engrossed in her phone. "Perhaps she's trying to find something" he thought. He'd hate to admit it but he was disappointed. He had hoped for some reaction on her part.
Sighing he got back to the matter at hand and began searching for clues.
Having scanned the place thoroughly, all of them made way to the SUVs rather disappointed. Arjun, Riya, Sakshi and Liza got in Arjun's car, the one that didn't have the ETF logo on it's bonnet. Nothing scares the public like the police department's logo. Which is why Arjun prefers to commute in his own car. Meanwhile Shree, and Ayesha joined Yash in the official SUV.
Arjun made Riya sit beside him, despite the journo's pained efforts. Riya grimaced when she saw Sakshi's seething look towards her. She proceeded to secure her seat belt when she felt a pat on her shoulder. "Yes, sir?" she asks turning towards the ACP. He pointed his finger in the direction from which they'd just arrived. Confused, Riya turns to look out of the window. "Remember?" he asks her.
She turned towards him, now understanding what he meant. "I'd rather die than forget that" she smiles at him, assuring him that that memory was etched in her heart forever. Arjun smiled slightly, much to the shock of the two ladies in the back seat.
"Toh tumhe smile karna bhi aata hai?" Sakshi asks him, as the SUV speeds down the road.
"Smile karna kise nahi aata hai?" Riya asks her.
"Maine Arjun ko kaafi time se Jaana Hai" Riya closes her eyes when she hears this.
"Magar kabhi, I repeat, kabhi smile karte nahi dekha"
"I'm sure Riya would agree otherwise. " Arjun counters the double meaning statement. He could see the pain on Riya's face and didn't want her to go through this. He knew how it felt.
Hearing Arjun's rather surprising statement, Riya smiled. "Haan."she says and closes her eyes again and leans back on the headrest. The headache made her dizzy.
Arjun sighs. He didn't like this. Whatever this Riya had become
---------------------------------
AT THE ETF HQ
All of them assembled in the conference room waiting for their seniors' plan of action.
"Riya, have a minute?" Shree asks her, causing Arjun to look up from his phone. "I need to speak to you".
"Uhm yeah sure" she says.
"Chalo" he says and was about to drag her out when Arjun's rude interruption stopped them.
"Kisi ka murder hua hai aur tum dono ko gossip karna hai? Get back"
Riya heaves a sigh of relief and gets back to her place beside Arjun. "Shree Pata karo kisine haal hi Mein missing report likhwayi hai. He's a male probably around 35-40 , suffers from skin problems and works near or in a factory"
Phir kya tha? Sakshi lag gayi apne actual job pe.
"Arre wah tumher kaisa Pata ye sab?"
"He has patches on his hands near the elbows and some on the chest. And his shoes have traces of grease and oil." Riya voices out loud.
"Chalo tum Mein se kisi ka dimag toh Chal raha hai." Arjun taunts them. And that sent the others scurrying to find whatever they could.
Riya just stared at Arjun. "What?" he asks.
"I'm actually waiting for you to say something equally bad to balance out the compliment you just gave to me"
"Well then you're wasting your time" He smirks and is about to leave but turned around and said "By the way, I spoke to your doc and the ministry. We've decided to let you work on only two conditions : One you are to work under me. Not as a direct part of the ETF. Which means I'm the only person whose orders you need to follow. You are not answerable to anyone here . Anyone . And two : I'll set you a limited amount of work everyday. So as to not exhaust your strength "
Needless to say, everyone was shocked. For starters, Arjun was speaking to her in a soft tone that none of them had even heard. Plus Arjun's concern for her swept them off the floor.
Riya could only stare at him. She always knew he had a soft spot for her but today he's crossing the limits he had set himself. She couldn't let hope bubble in that direction. She couldn't, she was far too damaged for that.
Arjun could read her face. His practice has come in handy. For some, Riya might be a difficult person to understand but for him it wasn't so. One look at her and he'd understand what's up with her.
"Rest for now. We'll see what we can do after some developments in the case. Go to the cabin and take a nap or something. You look tired." He says.
"Yeah", she says and speeds off towards his cabin. Scratch that, their cabin.
Shree only stared after her. He knew she was hurt with the lack of support they were giving her but he was okay with the fact that there's atleast someone who'd look after her. He looked upto Arjun. His discipline,his dedication, his determination was something the techie wanted to imbibe in his life some day. He knew if Arjun is around her, nothing or nobody can harm her. Sighing he gets back to his work.
------------------------------------------
Riya tried to calm down. Her anxiety was worsening. Ever since the Xzora-2 incident, Riya was prescribed some daily medicines and a couple of weekly injections and IVs.
Since this was the first case ever, her doctors had experimented a lot of different medications and methods on her. Some worked, others didn't. The ones that were prescribed to her currently were doing great for her, physically. Mentally they were not. She was prescribed some very strong and potent painkillers which sometimes induce anxiety and stress. She tried therapy, but everytime her mind refused to cooperate.
She drank a glass of water in one go, oblivious to the pair of eyes watching her. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm down. Uneasiness showed up in her form. She started fidgeting nervously and pacing the room in uneven steps. Tears started streaming down her face and for the millionth time she cursed herself for coming back.
Arjun had been watching her from the glass door. He hated to see her like that. She was someone who'd always been there for everyone. And now here she is fighting her inner demons all alone. She had been there for him, even when he didn't want her around. But truth be told, he found comfort in the way she looked and smiled at him.
Arjun was familiar with what she was going through. After all he too had been a victim of the merciless anxiety. He had struggled with suicidal thoughts for a very long time and this instinct showed its colours in his recklessness. Knowing how overpowering such thoughts can be, he was about to run in and comfort her, but he stopped dead in his tracks. What would he say to her? He very well knew words don't do anything to reduce the pain. He knew he couldn't comfort her not when he wasn't at peace himself.
Agitated with herself, She laid down on the couch snuggling close to the lil cushions on the sides and closed her eyes. She had slept well last night and that was beginning to show its effect on her.
Arjun saw her lying down and went back to the conference room, startling everyone. He was never seen in the room longer than necessary. He preferred to work in complete silence, which was scarce in the conference room. Sighing, everyone went back to their works.
---------------------------
In the lounge
"Yaar, I feel so bad for ignoring her then" Shree tells his muscular friend.
"I haven't even met her yet. Subah Subah Kaam pe bhehdiya Yash sir ne. Kaisi hai woh? Abhi wahi smile karti hogi na? Kaha hai? Milna hai mujhe usse."
"Arre mere Bheem so rahi hai. Khadoos ne usse rest karne ko Kaha. Sabr kar. Uthjaye gi. Tab milna."
"Ye Acha hai. Koi toh aaya Arjun sir ko sudharne ke liye. Magar ek problem hai."
"What?" the techie asks.
"Sakshi"
"UhOh. Ab toh I feel even bad for ignoring her. Liza nahi hoti toh seedha hug kardeta. Ab Jaake hamari baat bani hai. Aur Pata nahi kyu, aaj kal lab ki jagah conference room Mein hi rehti hai."
"Tu fikar mat kar. Hum Riya ki baat kar rahe hai. Samjh jayegi"
"I guess so" Shree says hopefully and the two of them make their way to the mess.
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