Chapter 11
A new dawn comes up with new challenges!
Everyone was sitting inside the conference room, waiting for their chief and second in command to show up. There was also one more person who was missing. Yes, Riya. She too hadn’t come up yet. The ETF boys had some idea that if Riya was living with Arjun, she might as well come with him while the girls thought that she was indeed some full of herself lady as she hadn’t arrived with the team. Though they knew that she was the third in command yet they had thought that she would arrive before the two bosses.
After a few minutes, Sameer entered the office while the rest of them wished him as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. He looked around for a second to see if Riya or Arjun were there but he found none. Just then the ETF phone rang and a case was reported. He then dialed Arjun and asked him to come fast and also to bring Riya with him but before he could say something Arjun said that Riya would be late as she had her appointment today and would come directly to the crime scene. They would connect her with the phone while they discussed the case and then she would join them at the crime scene with all the information she would be able to gather. Arjun came inside the conference room in half an hour to find everyone reading a case file as he deduced it to be new case assigned to them. Sameer then briefed the case as everyone including Riya heard it and they went ahead to the crime scene. The girls were confused on not finding Riya with them. But as they reached the crime scene, their confusion was cleared as they could see a very focused Riya looking at the two dead bodies very intently. The case was about a man and a woman who were murdered in their own house while one of the windows was broken and the things inside the house were scattered as they found the locker empty.
Sameer: Riya, did you find something?
Riya nodded her head slightly without looking away and then bent towards the body. She suddenly looked at the rest of the team saying;
Riya: Sir Kisi jaan pehchan waale ne kiya hai ye murder. Most probably, someone who has the keys of the house and can enter here whenever they wish to.
Sameer looked at her with an eyebrow raised while Arjun had already started with his investigation. While Chotu, Shree and Aayesha started with their works, the rest of the girls looked with their brows furrowed. Sakshi then asked;
Sakshi: Riya, how can you say that the murderer is someone close to them? Don’t you see the window is broken and door is closed from inside. It means someone came inside through the window.
This picked up the interest of the rest of the team except Arjun. He didn’t say anything and kept checking the house for clues. While everyone looked at Riya, she went near the window saying;
Riya: I did see everything Sakshi. But I guess you missed something. Majority of the glass shards are outside the window and not inside. If the window would have been broken from outside it would have fallen inside but here that’s not the case. Your second opinion about the door. Well, you are right, the door is closed from inside. That means that the person had access to the keys of this house.
The team was impressed by her work while Arjun smirked in his head. The girls now could see that she did had something in her that gave her this place in ETF as well as maybe in the lives of the ETF boys too. After a good six hours of running and investigating they were finally able to catch the culprit.
The team was back in the office to complete the paperwork of the case. While the team was in their cubicle, the three in commands sat in the cabins. Sameer had his own cabin while Riya had to sit with Arjun, not because she didn’t have a cabin of her own but because Arjun had made sure that she would always be in front of his sight so that he could keep an eye on her and also make sure that she is alright. Arjun had directly talked to D.I.G. sir regarding Riya and it was decided that she would be working with Arjun and also her work load would be decided by him.
At first when they got to know about the notice regarding Riya having to share cabin with Arjun, Sameer already had some idea that it was his best friend who had done it whereas the juniors Shree and Chotu were happy and laughing in their head on noticing the horrified eyes of Riya. The girls on the other hand were very much shocked as they had thought that Arjun would definitely not allow anyone in his space but he said nothing. Riya was yet another story. She was tensed thinking about the consequences if she had to be with Arjun. She felt heat rushing to her cheeks as she remembered their nights in his house and also on the terrace that morning. Arjun as he looked at Riya knew what she was thinking he smiled at her face, a smile none other than Sameer could detect and it confirmed his suspicion.
As everyone was doing their work, they saw Riya moving out somewhere. After a few minutes they again saw her entering with coffee mugs. Sameer was sitting in the conference room along with the others except Arjun as they were checking and comparing the files, they all had worked on. Riya gave everyone their coffee with a smile while the girls looked a bit shocked on finding their preferred coffee in the mugs.
Riya: Don’t see me like that. I ain’t a research specialist for nothing.
As she moved towards Arjun with a cup, Sakshi stopped her.
Sakshi: Riya, you don’t know he doesn’t drink coffee.
Riya at first was startled by her voice as she shouted suddenly. But then she smiled at her saying;
Riya: I know Sakshi. But I couldn’t find munna anywhere. Looks like he isn’t here today.
Sakshi: He doesn’t bring chai here now. She took out a thermoflask bottle from her bag and poured a cup of chai. Don’t worry I bring chai for him every day. I will give him this.
Riya looked at the cup in her hands as if asking what should she do with that to which Sakshi said with a shrug;
Sakshi: Come on, you can throw it in the dustbin. You know Arjun would do the same if you give him that.
Riya flinched on her tone as her heart sank as she was again reminded that things had changed here. And maybe for good. She just flashed a smile towards Sakshi and sat on the chair while Sameer has had enough. He now understood why had Arjun been so keen on keeping Riya with him. If it would have been anytime back when Riya was apart of the team previously Shree and Chotu would have chopped off the head of the person who dared to talk like that to her but today they just kept looking as if their words were muted and they couldn’t do anything. Sameer now could see that it was not at all comfortable for Riya to be in the same room as them. Sameer had always looked at her as if she was his baby sister. At first when she was the only girl, Sameer always felt protective of her and it hadn’t changed yet and so he decided to make sure that his sister was comfortable and safe.
Sameer: Sakshi, you can keep the chai back in the flask. Riya has already prepared the coffee and it would get wasted if she throws it.
Riya was about to deny it when Sakshi said;
Sakshi: Sameer, you don’t know how much Arjun is addicted to his cutting chai. Have you ever seen him drinking coffee? As for Riya’s coffee, it will get wasted even if she gives it to Arjun. He will definitely throw it.
Sameer now felt as if someone had stabbed him in his heart. He knew his Arjun like the back of his hands and this girl was saying that he doesn’t knows him. Of course, his Arjun is a chai person. But he does drinks coffee that too only Riya’s coffee and he had seen it before.
Sameer: Let Arjun decide it Sakshi. Riya go give it to him.
That was when Arjun entered the conference room and looked at everyone who were looking back at him with different expressions. He saw a cup in Riya’s hand and moved towards her taking it from her hands while taking a seat as he took a sip from the cup. When Sakshi saw Arjun taking a sip, she thought that now he would definitely scold Riya but she was proven wrong when Arjun said nothing and asked them to show him the paperwork as he would sign them. Everyone in the room looked on shocked except Sameer who knew his best friend a bit too much. Sakshi looked at him as if he had grown two horns while he glared at them all. All of them then went on to do their work with so many shocks and questions in their head. The questions were not only because of Arjun but also because of Sameer. None of them knew about the relationship their bosses shared before they became ETF officers and today by the way Sameer had said something about him that too with so much confidence it made them confused. Riya on the other hand knew about Arjun and Sameer.
She had seen a picture of Sameer along with Arjun and Roshini in Arjun’s apartment but didn’t said anything to him. Not only there, she had known about from the time she joined the mission to nab Sikandar. She knew it would must have hurt Sameer to hear someone saying like that about his friend and their friendship. She then decided to make the friends realize how much they need each other and also how much they miss each other. She was now sure that if she pushed a bit, they would definitely be back to being friends or maybe the best friends. She had thought to start planning something soon but before that she wanted to talk to both of them. She knew that talking to them would give her some insight of their thoughts about the whole circumstance at that time and also the situation they are in today.
Riya looked at both the men thinking of when she could talk to them and also how? This was something very much close to their heart. They were close to each other’s hearts yet they weren’t realizing it. And Riya was determined to make them realize that. Afterthinking for some time, she decided to talk to Sameer while she will go to his cabin with the files. As the research department is hers, she would be the one who will discuss what and how will they put things in the file. Whereas for Arjun she decided to talk to him when they go back home. Thinking all that she again got busy in her work waiting for Sameer to go back in his cabin.
Hello people, so here’s the next chapter as I had promised. I don’t know if it is up to the mark. Do tell me your views. What do you think about the team and the bonding they share and the changes that are coming? As said before Riya’s character will be very much changed from the show now. She is dangerous yet you can find her being vulnerable. Do tell me if you find any mistake.
Till the next time, take care, stay safe and keep smiling.
CID
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