sorry guys for the delay as again i got held up with other work.
WINNING HEARTS
The next following days were spent getting more information about Rajveer and moulding into his character. Being the genious that R2 was he didn't find it that difficult to learn all his mannerisms, way of dressing, and way of talking, expressions everything was taken care of. The only thing remained were the minor differences in his features. He had to hide his olive green eyes with hazel ones and he had to make amendments to his nose.
He dressed up in uniform and stepped out of his room in the same manner as Rajveer and began showing off in front of Sonia who couldn't help but gloat over him.
"I know I'm hot." he smiled at her shamelessly.
She turned away from him quite embarrassed by getting caught staring at him. There was no way she was going to admit she was attracted to him, knowing his reputation. "Vanity is a person's biggest destruction."
"Oooooooooo I think I need to learn a few things from you." he began closing in on her until both of them were a breath away. "Why don't you teach me." he went even closer to her until both their bodies touched and he pulled her tighter towards him by holding her waist and then traced her face with his face sending sensual chills down her spine. He was well aware of the effect he had on her and he wanted to play around more so he carressed her soft lips with his thumbs, rubbing them over and over again making her moan out with pleasure. Then he cupped her face in his hands and gradually advanced towards her until their lips nearly touched, when they were abruptly interrupted by the loud ring tone of his mobile.
She came back to her senses by that and shuddered at the thought of what she was letting him do. She pushed him away whilst she straightened her slight dishevelled clothes. With gritted teeth he answered the call as he hated being interrupted like that. "Hello."
"If you're done playing twister, get your ass here right now." Bharghav ordered.
R2 pouted with anger and muttered a few insults under his breath, "you know what, you're going to be the cause of my babies ending up hungry. Now stop barking in my ear, I'm coming." He shut the phone with irritation and turned around to see Sonia was already by the door, about to open it. He rushed over and closed the door and leaned against it preventing her from leaving.
"Move out of the way!" she was in no mood for his games anymore.
"Itnee bhi kya jaldi hai." He touched her face again only for it to be slapped away by her.
"Keep your hands where I can see them. I told you before that you can't have your way with me, so now move out of the way and get to work, otherwise…"
Without notice he crushed his frame into hers and pinned her against the wall, "otherwise what?" he growled.
Sonia moved her face away from him trying to push him away but he was too heavy to even budge. Being so close to him was making her weak again and she didn't want to yield to him. "Seedhi tarhase hat jao."
"Finish what you were saying. Tell me what you'll do if I don't leave you."
"I'll…" she looked into his passionate eyes and was loosing her self control again. She was drowning into the pool of his seduction again. Her heart beats increased as he began moving closer to her until his mouth rested on the side of her face, breathing down on her bare shoulder. "I'll…" she closed her eyes as if allowing him to take her completely. She opened her mouth to speak again but he put his finger on her lips, stopping her from saying anything. Then he leaned forward from the side and brushed his lips with hers briefly. Then he kissed her again making it fierce and deep but then his loud ring tone disturbed them again. He cursed whilst raising his head away from her but he didn't move away from her. He picked up the phone and yelled, "I'm coming!" after snapping the phone shut again he made a move towards her but instead of landing on her lips he hit the wall as she moved away in the nick of time.
The only thing she wanted to do was to leave that place before she got even more distracted and ended up doing something she would regret later. She had to maintain the idea of not mixing pleasure with work. He didn't get a chance a stop her either so he just gave up and followed her out, vowing that he will definitely finish it later.
Oberoi Towers
"Listen up; there are a few things that you need to be aware of." Bharghav saw how R2 was clearly distracted as he kept glancing at Sonia and sending her various glances. "Pay attention."
R2 turned his gaze back at Bharghav and pretended he didn't know what he was doing, "umm what were you saying?"
"You can't just walk into that academy by looking like Rajveer. You've got to keep all his habits in your mind. He doesn't drink or smoke. He doesn't and I mean doesn't flirt around which you do so shamelessly." He pulled R2's gaze away from Sonia again as it was irritating him.
"What the f*** is your problem?" R2 was irritated as well.
"He doesn't use bad language," Bharghav said sternly warning R2 to mind his tongue. "He doesn't get angry quickly and he doesn't break discipline…"
"He doesn't do this, he doesn't do that. God I'm tired of hearing what this guy doesn't do." R2 mocked Bharghav, "I mean this guy is so boring. Tell me is there anything this guy does?"
"He is just as insolent as you." Bharghav gritted his teeth calming himself not to loose his temper as he knew that would only make R2 rebel more. "Let me get one thing clear with you," he leaned down near R2 to make him intimidated, "if you really think you can get away with this job by wasting half of my time then think again. You're going to finish this job by hook or crook. You better make sure and I mean make sure that you don't slip."
"Please get off me, you're making me very uncomfortable." He leaned back in his chair pretending as if he was really scared.
Bharghav moved back still not pleased with R2 as he knew that the guy was a crack head who played around in life not being serious about anything. "I'm warning you R2 that you better not slip. I'm going to let you do this job the way you want but keep in mind that there is always going to be a pair of eyes in the academy which will be on you and on your every move."
"Yeah, yeah, I got the point. Don't worry I always manage to reach the job to its satisfaction. I'm sure I won't give you any chance for complaints. So how am I to…I mean how is Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat going to enter the academy?"
"That's already been taken care of. There will be an announcement about how the wrong details had been filed about you and how…"
"Woah, woah, woah just hang on a minute. Is that your so called plan?" R2 laughed as if Bharghav had said a joke. "That's so not my style."
"Oh really, then what do you suggest?" Nair came forward shining his eagle eyes on R2.
R2 rolled his tongue in his cheek and then got up, "You said that this Rajveer dude was a very ummm…what do you say….was a very accomplished officer. Was one of the best right? His betrayal was taken too harshly and affected everybody's hearts so now when he's returning back with honour then he has to return back with honour. You get me?" He looked at both the major's faces but both of them had no expressions as if they didn't understand anything. He frowned and decided to explain again. "Let me try this again. Rajveer ko buree taraha se baizzat kiya tha or gaddaar sabit kiya gaya tha. Ab agar ose waapis laajaaraha hai to phir wo saare ilzaam waapis lene hoge na. To itna kuch hogaya to kya wo aise hee chalajaaehga? No, he has to be welcomd back with the pomp and show."
Bharghav folded his arms, "What exactly do you have in mind?"
"Hmm… how about something grander? Like a….I don't know umm…" he scratched his head trying to think of ideas then after a while smiled, "I know lets have a ball." He gave a wide grin.
"Ball?" both Nair and Bharghav were perplexed with what he was talking about.
"Yes ball. Let's have a mascarade ball where all the faces would be hidden. Then the unveiling would be more fun" R2 stood in a dream stance imagining it all.
"What rubbish are you talking about? You really expect to have that in the academy then you're out of your mind. Aisa nahi kabhi huwa hai or nahi kabhi hoga." Nair growled down R2's neck.
"Aisa kaafi kuch already aap log karchuke hai jo pehle nahi huwa hai." Both Nair and Bharghav stared at R2 with surprise as if they had been caught red handed. "Yes I've done my homework and I know what both of you've been up to. How you guys manipulated the whole thing and…"
"That's enough," Bharghav raised his hand in front of R2, "Kaafi kuch jaante ho tum. Mere khayaal se yeh tumhaare liye behthar hoga ke tum apna mooh band rakho warna nuksaan to tumhaara hee hoga."
"Correction, nuksaan hum dono ka hoga. Actually it wont affect me that much because I can get whatever I want without anybody's help but you here my friend need me otherwise your plan is never going to work. To yeh dhamki dene se pehle yeh baat dimaag me rakhna and I guess you allow me to do whatever I want."
Bharghav and Nair thought about it and decided there was no point in arguing with R2 because he was a dangerous asset for them who they couldn't afford to loose. Finally they had to bow down to his demands and agree to whatever he wanted. "You can have your ball but Sonia is going to go with you."
"Great! I was going to suggest that but I'm glad you did it beforehand." R2 beamed up with joy and winked at Sonia who gave him a disgusted look.
"Good, now that everything has been dealt with I guess this meeting's over. I'll inform you the time of departure until then make sure you're still underground."
"Oh don't worry about that, I'm certainly going to be under the ground." He grinned shamelessly at Sonia who understood his under statement and just rolled her eyes getting frustrated with his snide comments. She had to make sure she maintained distance from him other wise he would certainly jeopardise their mission.
KMA Ambala
Two days later a notice was put up in the main foyer and the corridoors of the academy which shocked many cadets especially the six cadets. Huda and Ali read it out to the rest of them.
"Mascarade ball? I can't believe that Brigadier would allow something like that in this academy. He doesn't even look the romantic type." Huda mocked BC.
"I'm sure this must have been someone else's idea." Yudi suggested.
"I agree with you Yudi bhai, as far as we've known Brigadier Chandoke he's a very strict and disciplined man. He couldn't get an idea like this." Ali joined in.
"Are jo bhi ho, per at least maza to aaehga na. Wow Naina we're going to have so much fun." Pooja was jumping around getting excited but then she saw Naina's crest fallen face so sobered down a bit and tried cheering her friend up. "What happened Naina? Come on, me itnee khush horahee hu or tu hai ke yu udaas kharee hai."
"What's there to be happy about Pooja? It's just one another function of this academy, just a show, nothing else. Or wese bhi me is ball me shaamil nahi hone waali." Naina spoke coldly.
"We know that it is but we all are part of this show now so no matter how much we hate it we've got to go along with it." Alekh came and consoled her because only he out of everyone understood her. "Dekh Naina me jaanta hu ke tujhe yeh sab bilkul acha nahi lagta lekin tujhe yeh sab karna hoga. You can't just leave everything. Yeh yaad rakh ke hum sab pe abhi bhi nazar rakhee jaarahee hai. Aisa na ho ke teree yeh haalat ka fiada wo saala mogambo phirse uthaayeh. You've got to show upfront that you've forgotten everything and now moving on."
"It's easier said than done Alekh."
"I know but you've got to try. Isiliye tu is ball me bhi aayehgee or mazae bhi karegee." Alekh made sure Naina agreed and didn't argue any further. He knew how Rajveer's death was still fresh in her mind but by fretting over it wasn't going to solve anything. If they were going fight then they had to be strong rather than be weak and frail.
That night was the mascarade ball which was held in the foyer. It was lit up with different colour lights and various decorations. When the cadets entered they felt as if they had stepped in a completely different place. It was the same foyer but for that night it had been transformed into a party club. The cadets all were dressed in blue and white with different masks on their faces collected from the entrance; all were mingling, talking and dancing with the music in the background.
All the six cadets decided to turn up together looking smart in blue and white. Naina had been hesitant but Huda was persistant so she was dragged along with them. When she entered she remembered the fresher's ball of how things had been so different then. How the place had been decorated in the same way but the situation was different. The people were different. She was different. Each step down towards the foyer reminded her of Rajveer's entry of how he had won so mnay hearts that night. Nothing was the same anymore.
Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder which made her turn around with surprise and then she was horrified. She couldn't believe who stood in front of her.
"Mujhe dhoond rahee thee na?"
"Sir...aap…" she was too shocked to speak as Rajveer was standing in front of her.
"Tumne mujhe dil se yaad kiya to me kese nahi aata." He took Naina's hand in his and looked at her intently. "This is for you." He held out a gold and black mask for her which she accepted and put it on her face from which only her eyes were hidden. "Aaj bohat khoobsurat lag rahee ho." He whispered near her ear making her blush.
"I thought that I'll never get to see you again." She nearly had tears in her eyes.
He cupped her face in his hands, "I couldn't possibly stay away from you now could I? tumhara pyaar mujhe dunya kee har kone se keech laata hai to phir is baar kese nahi aata."
She rested her hands on his, "Promise me you won't leave me again."
"I promise." He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead as she closed her eyes. Then when she opened her eyes she was shocked again as Rajveer disappeared somewhere. She searched here and and there around her but couldn't find him. She couldn't understand whether it was her imagination or was he still here? The hairs behind her neck were standing up which indicated that she felt his presence so he certainly was here. Perhaps she was too overwhelmed with the emotions and plus she had been too nostalgic, due to which she thought that she had seen him.
"Naina, come on you're still standing here." Pooja came and dragged Naina down the stairs in the real party. Everyone was either dancing with their respectable partners or was just chatting around with drinks or food. The music in the background was blasting at a high volume which made it hard to even hear yourself. Naina was still lost in her thoughts to realize where she was going or what was happening but soon she noticed the surroundings and frowned. She was standing in the middle of the dance floor so she made her way towards the side near the food counter and just on looked the dancing couples.
"Good evening cadets." BC's voice boomed through the microphone which made everyone pause and the music was also stopped. "As you all know that this mascarade ball has been held in the honour of that one special officer who has returned back after have had a bad fall. You all must be dying to know who he is, but it shall be revealed in a short time. Until then do enjoy the evening cadets." He left the centre stage back to his previous place.
"Who could this person be?" Ali discussesd with the rest of his friends.
"Can't figure it out but whoever it is must be very important. Khair lets dance guys." Huda reached out for Naina but she declined as she was in no mood to have fun. He felt rejected but then understood so went off with another girl on the floor. A romantic number was put up which made everyone slow dance, as if something was in the air. She just stood there looking at her friends enjoy themselves.
"It's strange how lonely your heart could be."
Naina turned around after hearing the sudden voice. She found a quite handsome man standing in a silk blue shirt. She couldn't make much of his face as half of it was hid by a black mask but his lips however looked familiar. And then there was his voice which reminded her of someone too.
"I've been observing you for some time and my heart feels for how you're standing here all alone when all your friends are enjoying."
"I don't like dancing." She didn't want to mingle too much with this starnger and wished that he would leave her but he didn't seem to move an inch.
He came closer to her, "oh come on a beautiful girl like you can't possibly deprive yourself of such an amzing thing. I would be honoured if you'll dance with me."
She turned around to refuse to him but there was something about him. Something about his eyes which had her hypnotised. It felt so familiar that she couldn't say no and automatically her hand fell into his and she moved along with him towards the floor in a trance. She swayed along with him with her gaze fixed on his eyes.
dil se dil milte hain
do badan se badan milte hain
dil se dil baby when i look at you
milte hain baby all i want to do
do badan se badan wanna make love to you you you
sin ne sin ne ne yora sin ne sin ne ne yo
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
dil se dil milte hain
do badan se badan milte hain
"What are you thinking?" the man also had his gaze fixed on Naina.
"Pata nahi per aisa lagta hai jese maine aap ko kahi dekha hai"
tuney hi behkaya meri saanson ko
tuney hi behkaya meri aankhon ko
toofan se chalte hain teri aahon mein
tham jaaye rehne de baahon mein
He twirled her around and then brought her closer to him with her back resting against his chest.
deewana baby when i look at you
ho jaaun baby all i want to do
kehta hain mera mann wanna make love to you you you
sin ne sin ne ne yora sin ne sin ne ne yo
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
"Really, what does your heart say?"
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
"My heart has betrayed me several times."
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
"Perhaps you should learn to first trust your heart then." He twirled her around again and then clasped her other hand in his and continued the dance.
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
madhoshi chhayi hain aaisi tann mann pe
jadoo sa chalta hain koi dhadkan pe
hathon ko de de tu mere haathon mein
aaja na ab meri baaton mein
dil se dil baby when i look at you
As she danced with him she remembered her dance with Rajveer at the Sainik farm and somehow this man's touch and the way he held her felt the same. What was about this guy which made her so drawn towards him and why did he remind her of Rajveer?
milte hain baby all i want to do
do badan se badan wanna make love to you you you
sin ne sin ne ne yora sin ne sin ne ne yo
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
It was as if he read her thoughts, "Don't let your heart betray you this time. Open your eyes and you'll find reality in front of you." he whispered in her ear which sent strange vibes through her.
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
This man was certainly a mystery.
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
She was dying to see the man behind that mask to clear all her doubts. She could feel a familiar presence around her.
sin ne sin ne ne yo ve no
As the dance ended he slowly took her hands towards his lips and laid a soft kiss. Then he disappeared again in the crowd leaving her in a daze.
She thought, "Could this be him? Nahi aisa nahi hosakta, per phir mujhe onka ehsaas kyu horaha hai. Mera dil yu zoro se kyu dharak raha hai? Those eyes were just as captivating as they always use to be. That sweet smell, everything is so familiar. Aakhir yeh hai koun or mujhse baar baar chup kyu raha hai?" she roamed around the hall in search for him to make sure it wasn't another figment of her imagination. It felt so real so how could it not? "Where is he?" Still there was no sign of him. As she was walking suddenly she bumped into someone and to her surprise it was him.
"Phirse tumhare dil ne mujhe yaad kiya to me chala aaya."
"Who are you?" she wanted him to remove his mask as she couldn't take the suspense anymore.
"Ask your heart." He noticed how she was deep in thought, "yesssss don't fight it, but accept it."
By the time she looked up again he was gone. Why was he doing this with her? Naina made her way around in the attempt to locate him once again. Perhaps he was just someone else playing with her so she shouldn't give him much importance but her heart didn't agree. She felt helpess against it and got urged more to find this mystery guy and unveil him. She knew it was him but now she wanted confirmation.
"Cadets! Now the time that all of you've been waiting for. The time of the unveiling has arrived. This officer is not only one of the efficient and best ones but is also a brave young soldier. This officer has served his country well by fighting to protect it at all costs. Unfortunately due to some misleadings and wrong information this officer was accused of being a traitor when in reality he was serving his country, trying to protect confidential information, and not worrying about his own life." The six cadets exchanged glances as if they knew that story. "Aap me se kuch cadets bhi is wardaat se waakif hai who had also fought bravely to bring justice per haalaat hee kuch aise the jiskee wajese onke saath bhi na insaafi huwee. But now things have changed. Now the truth has come out and now justice shall take place. That officer shall be rewarded by getting back his honour and dignity which he had lost. Before I present him in front of you I would like to take this moment to thank all those cadets who actaully helped in solving this case. They've really shown an act of bravery and courage. Their names are, cadet Amardeep Huda." People applauded whilst Huda looked stunned, "cadet Ali Baig, cadet Pooja Ghai, cadet Yudi Sahani, cadet Alekh Sharma and cadet Naina Singh Ahluwalia." All of them were surprised to receive such attention because they couldn't remember doing any such deed. They didn't even know who this officer was so why were they being praised? Now Naina's anxiety levels had increased and she wanted to find this guy immediately. "These cadets have certainly shown a lot of courage and have also shown that truth doesn't stay hidden for long." Everyone continued clapping and cheering for all of them. "I'm sure all of you must have guessed by now who this officer is whom I'm talking about. Cadets let me present him to you."
Everyone waited, holding onto their breaths as to who was it. The six knew who it was but didn't want to believe it because according to them it was impossible. They wanted to know what new game was being played with them.
Soon a man came out of the darkness and stood on the stage facing everyone. He had worn a silk blue shirt with a black mask still not revealing him. His eyes were searching for someone as if that person was the key of his lock. Then he saw her pushing through the crowd trying to get in front. He smiled as he had her just where he wanted, yearning for him. He took the mike in his hands, "good evening cadets," as soon as that voice echoed in everyone's ears the six cadets knew who it was and all of their hearts all of sudden were filled with happiness. They couldn't believe it was actually true. "It's so nice to be here again after a long time. At first I thought I would never be able to stand here again but I guess fate plays a clever game with you and so here I am again." He looked at Naina again who was waiting with anticipation for him to reveal himself. He knew that she had recognised him but still wanted to see with her own eyes. "Some of you already know who I am but for those of you who are still confused…" with a whip flash he removed the mask off his face making everyone gasp with either shock or surprise. Some were pleased to see him back and some were finding it hard to believe. The six cadets remained flabbergasted with their mouths open as they still couldn't believe that he was actually back in the flesh. "Yes that's right, I'm Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat and I'm back. I'm back." the second time he looked at Naina intently as if he was directing it towards her. "Some of you thought I was dead and some of you thought I'd been imprisoned somewhere but now all of that has been buried in the past and now it's time to move on. It's time for a new beginning and I'm sure all of you will join me in this new awakening."
Again the hall roared with applause whilst Rajveer gave the mike back and walked off the stage into the crowd towards the six cadets. "You all are the most to be thanked for because it was you who had faith in me and helped me get through the worst times. If it wouldn't have had been for you then I wouldn't have had stood here."
"But sir we don't even know what happened and…" Huda tried reasoning with Rajveer.
"Sssh don't discuss anything here. We'll talk about it later, for now just enjoy the party okay." Rajveer met all of them and shared some laughs here and there. His eyes wondered off to Naina many times in between, who was trying to hide from him. Soon when the others had dispersed away, he and Naina were left standing there. She felt awkard around him as if she was meeting him for the first time. He moved closer to her until his mouth was near her ear, "so my dear, what did your heart say?"
She couldn't utter a word because of the overwhelment. This was like a dream coming true. He was here in the flesh right in front of her. This was no dream and she wasn't going to wake up and find him gone again. But why was he playing hide and seek with her? She raised her head only to find him gone again. Her mind was exploding with different emotions that she felt dizzy all of sudden. She needed air so she walked towards the exit of the foyer leading into the corridoors.
Meanwhile Sonia was lurking around the desserted corridoors of the academy, searching for something when an arm pulled her into a corner and she crashed onto a heavy chest. Strong gripped arms had her wrapped around and a naughty grinned face welcomed her.
"Are you looking for me?"
She tried struggling out, "leave me! If somebody sees you like this then everything will be over."
"Things have just begun so they can't really be over. I was expecting you to be in the ball."
"Yeah well I was there, keeping an eye on you and obviously you were fooling around as usual. What were you doing getting too close to Naina?"
"Hmmmm…" he grinned shamelessly, "Jeaslous are we?" he pulled her waist closer to him, "You didn't like me close dancing with her did you?"
"I don't care what you do," tried pushing him away but he was a like a rock, "as long as you don't foil the plan."
"Relax sweetheart. I've got it all under control as now it's all about winning hearts."
end of part.
Jhanak
20