the doctor would be here real soon....
he wondered....
withstanding the pain
wasn't so troubling anymore....
it was her condition dat saddened him....
he knew it was just fever..but.....
he felt her forehead again....
& dis time she stirred a bit.....
he instantly backed-off....
a little too fast perhaps...
sending a sharp shooting pain
in his waist again....
dammit!!!..he pressed his wound...
nd slowly limped to the little kitchen
in dat cottage....
wat was it???
shit!...
mom kya pilaati thi bukhaar mein...??
he rubbed his chin..lost in thought....
adrak waali chai??
nahi...woh to cold mein....
a..a...
the bell rang...
the doctor had arrived....
he came in..smiling....
"how're u captain?"
"main to theek hoon par..."
"aah!..your wife....
kal inki shakal hi bata rahi thi ki
yeh bimaar hone waali hai....
i told her to rest...but
she insisted on looking after you...
wives!..i tell u!...
meri waali bhi aisi hi hai...."
he felt naina's pulse....
"my God!!...kaafi tez fever hai....
she slept in these wet clothes itself..."
he shook his head...
"yeh li jiye..."
he handed him some medicines...
& told him the necessary details....
"inki saree is dry now..
i'll cover her up with a blanket...
aapke liye zyaada movement theek nahi hai...."
"oh no...it's ok doctor...
main kar loonga....thanx....
aapko subaah-subaah disturb..."
"oh please...meri duty hai...
fulfill to karni hi padegi....
who'll know better dan u...
main chalta hoon..."
& he left....
raj prepared tea for the two of them....
"nia..."
he whispered in her ear....
sitting next to her on the bed.....
she didn't stir....
taking the tendrils off her face..
he tried again..."gud morning"
gently placing her face in his lap....
he kissed her cheek..
"nia...itne pyaar se utha raha hoon...
ab to utho...."
"ummmmm..."
she hugged him in her sleep....
unintentionally touching his bandaged wound...
"shit!!"..he pressed his lips..
eyes tightly shut...
swallowing in the pain....
"kya hua....sone do na ra......"
his name brought back terrible memories...
& she shot up ...wide-awake...
she trembled seeing him there...
"tum...are u alright?"
he smiled....
"i'm so sorry....pata nahin kab aankh
lag gayi....u need something??...
aur tum yahaan kyon baithe ho raj??!!
lie down & rest for god's sake!"
she ordered him....
while he continually looked at her...
lovingly...
"naina...do u have any idea dat
u'r burning with fever?"
"fever?"
to her it was a new term...
"ab yeh mat poochna ki woh kya hota hai?"
"oh c'mon raj!...
mujhe yahaan apne upar sharam aa rahi hai..
& u'r trying to act smart!...
main so kaise gayi yaar???!!"
she questioned herself...frustrated....
"come off it nia!!...
u'r not a superwoman...!
thak gayi to so gayi....
mere hisaab se to tumhaare
jaisa bewakoof nahi hai koi...
tumhe pehle hi so jaana chahiye tha na..."
he sounded angry..
"why d hell are we fighting?"
she wondered aloud...
"for the very simple reason dat
u don't care a bit about your health!"
"as if u do!..kal hero banne ki kya zaroorat thi...
mere aur us aadmi ke beech nahi aana chahiye
tha tumhe! what if..?"
"kuch hua?"...he cut her...
"haan hua!!"
"main zinda hoon na..."
"to marna chaahte the kya??"
she said sarcastically....
"zaroorat padti to shaayad mar bhi jaata..."
he concluded the discussion...seriously...
"chai ki band bajaadi...
thandi ho rahi hai...."
"tumne chai banaai...are u nuts??"
"meri maa..."
he folded his hands...
"no more lectures please..."
she smiled....
he handed her her medicines...
as she brushed ...
"doctor aaye the?"
she enquired...
back in the room...
sipping her tea...
"hmm..
by the way...
u didn't change out of your saree?
kuch zyaada hi pasand aa gayi thi kya?"
"don't be dumb!
mujhe jab yahi yaad nahi ki main soyi kab...
to change karna was out of question!"
"really...."
he came close to her ...
"aur mere clothes??
woh change karna yaad tha tumhe?"
his hands pulled her closer &
she snuggled into his arms..
she blushed...
"a...mere paas aur koi ...
option nahi tha..."
her eyes widened...
"but i swear!!..maine kuch nahi dekha!"
he laughed out loudly...
"aankhen band thi kya?"
he chuckled...
"well...sort off..."
she smiled back....
"anyway...bahut romance ho gaya...
ghar chalein...."
"mann to nahi hai...par...."
he kissed her soundly...
"jaana to padega na"..
he winked....
& she shook her head...
looking at him....
"wat?"
her gaze turned naughty...seductive...
& his eyebrow shot up......
crushing her as close as possible...
the wound forgotten...
he whispered..
" aise na mujhe tum dekho,
seene se laga loonga....
tumko main chura loonga tumse...
is dil mein chupa loonga
.....................................................
"whose car is dat??"
she'd driven back home....
with raj by her side....
"mujhe kya pata?...."
they saw a car standing outside her house.....
"raj..bhaiya ko kya bolenge?
obviously he'd have realised ki hum...."
"andar to chalo..
dekhte hai kya hota hai"
he held her by her wrist...
.....................................
"lagta hai dono aa gaye"
navin told sumone sitting next to aalekh....
"raj will be shocked to see you here...
Tehzeeb tum upar jaao....
waise bhi i need to talk to them..."
the lady got up & went upstairs....
he opened the door.....
"& just where d hell were
the two of you??!!"
he didn't even let them enter....
"nanoo!..andar chal ke bataaye.."
naina tried to brush him aside...
"nahi!...wat's goin on?
tum dono saari raat baahar the na?"
"hang on!...tu kab ghar aaya?..."
raj asked him
"kal raat ko hi!"
"what!..but u said u'll be with B.C.
the whole night!"..
"plan change ho gaya!....
ek minute!...
i was d one questioning you guys!...
akele raat ko...."
"romance kar raha tha teri behen ke saath!!"
raj told him boldly..
as naina froze...
stunned by the truth in his words...
atleast a partial truth....
"oof!..bakwaas mat kar...
aao andar..."
navin let them in...
as he walked in front
naina whispered to raj..
"marwaane ka iraada hai kya?
what the hell were u tryin to do?!"
"kisi samajhdar ne kaha hai...
jab sach chilla kar bolo...
to sabko jhooth yaan
mazaak hi lagta hai!"
he winked...
"kisne bola hai?"
"sant rajveer ne!"
"oof!!"
"kya khusar-pusar kar rahe ho dono?"
aalekh asked....
"kuch nahin....baahar car kis ki hai?"
naina stopped navin...
"nia!!...you're havin fever...
aur..."
he just noticed..
"tune saree.....?"
he looked at raj ...troubled...
"are u guys dating each other?"
"a..bhaai...kal raat..."
naina told him about the attack....
& diverted the topic....
smartly changing it....
"what!..."alekh shot up...
"raj...tu theek to hai?"
there was a genuine concern in his
voice....
"absolutely!...thnx to her...
madam ne saari raat meri seva kari hai...
aur ultimately khud bimaar ho gayi!"
"tum dono gaye kahaan the?"
navin asked...
"dat's not important navin!...
police mein complaint file karni chaahiye...
these attacks are becoming too frequent...."
aalekh suggested....
"no!!..."
naina shouted...
"nahin!...police involve nahi hogi is case mein...
end of any discussion!"
"tumne shuru hi kahaan hone di!"
aalekh dropped his face...
"rocky!!...."
she shut him up with her glare....
"pooja ke ghar kya hua?"
"kuch nahin!...
woh tumhe chod kar kisi par yakin nahi karti!"
aalekh answered...
"she refused to hand over the tape to
us...sirf tumhe degi..."
navin completed....
"maine hi kahaa tha usse...
not to trust anyone else...
i'll tell her ki tum dono
mere saath hi ho..."
"hadh hai!!
ab apne credentials apni behen
se proove karaane padenge!
kya din aa gaye hain!!
anyway...u guys go rest...
pata nahi kitne patthar tod kar aa rahe ho!"
..................................
the woman upstairs
was forgotten....
.................................
TRING-TRING...
her phone rang....
"hi yudi....
haan....wat??!!"
the colour from her face drained away...
"dead!!!...are you ...sure??"
she stammered...
her world reeled....
ek aur murder....woh bhi....
she rushed out to tell everyone...
dropping the phone...
oh God!...
yeh nahi ho sakta!
her face once again masked with fear..
tears rolling down....
.................................
she ran down d stairs....
& wat she saw left her shocked....
there stood raj...hugging a woman...
picking her up...kissing her forehead...
she couldn't see who it was....
but one thing was clear....
this extremely beautiful woman...
dressed up in that gorgeous skirt...
with a model figure...
wrapped away in her fiance's arms...
had evoked her whole-hearted jealousy!
who d hell is she?!
who gave her the right to touch him!!!?
raj..u better back-off or....
i'll strangle her!!
98