A Soft Confession in Silence
The ETF office was buzzing with a different kind of energy that morning. Teddy Day wasn’t something one would associate with a team of crime-solving specialists, yet here they were—Shree and Chotu had taken it upon themselves to make sure even the toughest of officers weren’t spared from the spirit of Valentine’s Week.
Riya entered the office, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, a slight smile playing on her lips. The memory of the previous day—the dark chocolate, Arjun’s not-so-denial—lingered in her mind like an unfinished symphony. Had it really been from him? Or was she just imagining things?
As she walked to her desk, she was greeted by a sight that made her blink.
Right in the middle of her workspace sat a small, adorable brown teddy bear, holding a red heart stitched with the words, “Tum muskurao toh din ban jaaye.”
Her breath hitched.
For a few seconds, she simply stared. The soft fur, the neatly embroidered words—it was simple yet… personal. Too personal.
Before she could even process it, a loud whistle pierced through the air.
“Whoa, whoa, whoaaa! Yeh kya hai?” Shree’s voice was practically gleeful as he bounded over. “Riya, kisi ne tumhe teddy bear diya? Aur woh bhi itna cute?!”
Chotu leaned over, eyeing the plush toy with a grin. “Yaar, mujhe toh lagta hai jo bhi banda hai, woh definitely serious hai.”
Riya gulped, quickly picking up the teddy as if that would somehow make it disappear. “Mujhe nahi pata kisne rakha,” she muttered, avoiding their prying eyes.
Shree crossed his arms, smirking knowingly. “Haan, haan. Chocolate wali mystery solve bhi nahi hui thi, aur ab yeh.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Riya, kahin kisi khadoos ACP ka kaam toh nahi?”
Her heart skipped a beat at the suggestion. But before she could react—
“Iss bakwaas ke liye ETF ka kaam rokna zaroori laga tum logon ko?”
A deep, authoritative voice cut through the room like a sharp blade.
Silence fell instantly.
Riya turned, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the teddy bear. And there he was.
Arjun Rawte.
Dressed in his usual black, his sharp gaze flickered over the scene before landing on her. His eyes barely glanced at the stuffed toy in her hands before shifting away, but she saw it—that brief pause, that fleeting second of hesitation.
Riya’s pulse quickened. Could it really be…?
“Tum log kaam kar rahe ho ya naye naye theories bana rahe ho?” Arjun’s voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath it.
Shree, never one to miss an opportunity, grinned. “Sir, bas ek chhoti si mystery solve karni thi. Yeh teddy kisne diya, yeh samajhna zaroori hai.”
Arjun shot him a pointed look. “ETF ka kaam zyada zaroori hai.”
Shree and Chotu exchanged glances before backing off with dramatic sighs. “Theek hai, theek hai. Par yeh mystery abhi bhi unsolved hai,” Shree whispered to Chotu as they walked away.
That left Riya standing alone, clutching the soft teddy, while Arjun remained where he was, watching her with an unreadable expression.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, slowly, Arjun turned toward his desk. Just as he was about to walk away, Riya spoke.
“Sir.”
He stilled.
She hesitated for a second before stepping closer, the teddy bear still in her grasp. “Agar yeh kisi aur ka hota, toh aapko koi farak nahi padta… hai na?”
Her voice was soft, probing. A silent challenge.
Arjun’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, but when he turned to look at her, his expression remained blank. “Tumhe kya lagta hai?”
Riya inhaled sharply. That was not a denial.
For a brief second, she saw something flicker in his eyes—something deep, something unspoken. Something that made her want to push further.
But before she could, Arjun spoke again, his voice lower this time.
“Agar tumhe pasand hai, toh rakh lo.”
Déjà vu. The same words as Chocolate Day.
Riya’s fingers curled around the plush toy. This was not a coincidence.
She bit her lower lip before looking at him once more. “Aapko teddy bears pasand nahi, right?”
Arjun’s brow arched slightly. “Usse kya farak padta hai?”
She tilted her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “Jisne diya usse padta hoga.”
A charged silence fell between them.
Arjun didn’t respond. He simply looked at her—longer than necessary, his dark eyes holding hers in a way that made her breath catch.
And then, as if breaking whatever spell had taken over, he simply said, “Meeting in five minutes.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Riya watched him go, a small smile tugging at her lips.
He would never say it outright. He would never admit it.
But actions spoke louder than words.
And right now, a tiny brown teddy bear was saying everything that Arjun Rawte never could.
Edited by SarafWasima - 6 months ago
pasand hai toh rakh lo 
hume ye banda bhi pasand hai, dil mein band kar le? 
Anupamaa
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