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A very holi for everyone..may yours days be filled with loads of colours of happiness and properity..Chapter 17
Arjun was stunned at her sudden arrival and closeness.Her weight against his chest made him lose his balance and he stepped back a few steps.He held her back to steady her in his arms.
He felt her smile against his chest and looked up at riya.She was quitely standing at the same place,looking at them with despair and loss in her eyes.She had finally realised what destitute and emptiness means.
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The feel of guilt engulfed him more when Riya silently turned and walked up the steps to the door.She waited there looking at the closed door.He knew she had tears in her eyes,he had seen her wiping them quitely.His arms loosen the hold on sakshi and fell at his sides.
Sakshi felt his hand softly move to his side and she looked up.He was still looking at riya.She kept the hold over him and turned her head to look at the direction he was looking.She found the girl standing at the door of his house.She turned towards her still holding his hand in hers.
'hey tum yaha kisi se milne ayi ho?'she called to her,
Riya turned towards her and looked at her and then Arjun.Her eyes didnt leave his,neither his left her face,which was filled with guilt and remorse.She didnt know how to answer the question,she was asked.It was her own home someday,she owned it and now there was someone treating her like a stranger.
Riya looked away,hiding the tears that had again accumulated in her eyes.Arjun came out of the trance when Sakshi held his waist again,clutching his shirt.He unhold her hand on his shirt and turned her to him.
'ye riya hai sakshi.she met with an accident.she is not well,so wo kuch din yahi rehe rahi thi..'he replied her still doubtful about how much to tell her more,
'riya?mein sakshi.sorry mujhe nehi pata tha tumhare accident ke bare mein,kaisi ho abhi,'sakshi asked her showing her concern,
'mein abhi thik hu sakshi,bas abhi chali jaungi,'she replied looking at arjun.
'ohh per mein to aj hi ayi hu,tumse thik se mila bhi nehi,koi nehi mein tumse milne aa jaungi arjun ke sath,waise tum arjun ko kaise janti ho?aur tum kaha reheti ho?'sakshi told her chirpily,
'wo mein..'riya started but stopped.She didnt have an address.
Arjun understood her dilema and came forward.
'nehi riya,abhi bhi haath puri tarah se thik nehi hai tumhara,you will stay here until you are completely cured,'he almost ordered her,
'arjun mein kaise..'Riya started but couldnt complete looking at Arjun's blank face.
Sakshi looked confused at both of them.She was not able to get the relation they shared.She tried to analyis their reactions but none of them actually reacted.Everything that happened was hidden somewhere inside their hearts,but they never surfaced on their face properly.
Sakshi looked on while Arjun came forward and unlocked the door.He gave a brief look to riya and then turned to sakshi.
'sakshi,mujhe office jana hai,tum chalo mein tumhe ghar drop kar deta hu,'
'per arjun mein to..'she said but arjun had already turned his back and went away to get the
car,
'chalo sakshi..'he called her from the car and a utterly confused sakshi sprinted towards him,waving at riya.Riya gave a slight smile in return and the car zoomed away,misting the area with a wind of dust.
Riya turned back to get inside the house but the empty house and its ruthless,shattered self rushed to her again crashing down all her hopes and desires.
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The drive started not with the happy note as she had expected.It had been seven days she is out of town,out of his sight.Sakshi had missed Arjun every moment of her stay at her home but looking at Arjun and Riya's presence at his house was arising a lot of questions in her mind.She needed an answer to each of them but then one look at arjun's expressionless face and she knew she would not get the right answer to any of her questions now.She needed to wait for the right moment to place her questions.
She was continuously slealing glances at Arjun which didnt go unnoticed by him.He knew she wanted answers,but her sudden entry into their already distraughted life had numbed him beyond limit.He was doubtful about her reaction to the truth but she had to know someday and the day was very close,might be today itself.
'koi important case hai?'she finally asked him trying to start a conversation,
He looked at her confused and she clarified herself,
'tum ne mera ek bhi phone call nehi uthaya,thik se baat bhi nehi ki,aur abhi bhi office ja rahe ho,isliya,'
'haan kam thora zyada hi tha,'he replied still looking at the road,
'mein bhi chalu?kuch help..'she again tried but in vain,
'nehi,tum aj rest karo,kal ajana,'he replied back staright,
Sakshi stopped herself from any further banter.Arjun wasnt in the mood and one wrong move from her end and Arjun would dump her right at the end of the crossing and leave.He had done it earlier.Though she knew he might not do it now,but she wasnt sure.She leaned back on her seat and took a bottle of water from her bag.Gulping down some water she closed the bottle.Keeping the bottle on her lap she looked outside.It was getting cloudy.Rain would start any moment now.
He looked at her once and found her looking down lost in her thoughts.He knew the questions going in her mind.She would have asked him if not for the earlier encounters when he had always shooed her out when she had ever asked him anything personal.
But he knew today he had to answer.He was wondering how to start the conversation when his phone started ringing and he parked the car at the side of the road.He looked at sakshi while he picked the phone call,it was from his mentor Ex ETF chief Raghu Tripathi.
'haan Sir,'he picked up the call,
'kaise ho Arjun?'he asked him,
'mein thik hu sir,ap sab kaise hai?Aur sheen?'
'hum sab thik hai.Mujhe wo tum sab ko aaj raat party mein invite karna tha,aj meri anniversary hai,ussi occasion pe ek party rakhi hai,Sameer ko maine bata diya ab tumhe bhi,sham ko ghar pe aajana,koi bahana nehi samjhe..'
'Jee sir,mein aunga,'he replied with a smile,
'Aur haan ETF team ko bhi bata dena,mein unhe alag se nehi invite kar raha,'he informed,
'its ok sir,mein inform kar dunga,'
'great to raat ko milte hai,zaroor anaa,warna sheen se samajh lena,'he said laughing,
'Yes sir,'he replied with an equal gesture.
the phone disconnected and he looked back at Sakshi.She had a smile on her lips too and her eyes were sparkling.He signed and informed her about the party and that she had been invited as well,as she is a part of ETF team now.Sakshi was excited to know about it.
She instantly jumped up with the news and started planning for the evening party.Everything around and every doubts in her mind had taken a rest while she made herself busy with the present plans.Arjun was happy that the situation,the awkwardness changed but he knew it was just before the storm.He relaxed for the moment and drove away towards her house,all the while listening to her non stop banter.
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Sameer and Ayesha were working in the Conference Room when Arjun walked in. Ayesha looked at the usual arrogant Arjun and tried to interpret his face but there wasnt anything visible.She knew Sakshi was in town and that would surely build up some new walls between him and riya and also his confrontation of the truth would come up anytime.Arjun felt her gaze on him and looked at her.Their eyes met and that when Ayesha felt a helpless emptiness in his eyes,but it vanished the moment it arrived.
Sameer's voice brought back both of them and Arjun sat down on his chair,looking away but not at anyone particular.Sameer was gathering the information recieved from their investigation on the prathibha and supriya's family and house.
Chotu and Sameer had searched their house and found a few important documents.One among them was an insurance paper and it was similar to the ones found in the other two victims house,brought by Arjun and Ayesha.All of them linked to George who worked at the insurance office and an agent.
Shree had brought in the records of the marriages registered at the registrar office and also those missing other than the records of the four victims.The theift at the registrar was surely done to prevent ETF from getting the required evidence.
All of them scanned through the records.There were 7 such records which were missing from the files but they being already fed in the database could be retrieved.There was nothing much suspecious about them but they planned to check on them the next day.
Also getting evidences of the insurance papers Rathod and Arjun planned to visit the insurance office next day and question george,the prime suspect now.
Everything discussed and planned Rathod alloted the duties to his team officers and dispersed.They had an late party to attend at the Raghu Tripathi's residence.All retired for the day.Sakshi had informed Ayesha about her attending the party tonight and that disturbed her big time.
***********
Ayesha went to Arjun's cabin to speak to him but found him busy searching for something in the drawers.She went to ask him but Rathod barged in asking her the drop back to her home.She nodded and left with him leaving Arjun in his cabin.
Arjun searched the drawers desperately and finally found what he was looking for.The wedding ring he had gifted Riya and she had left with him after her departure from their home and relation.
Whenever he was confused with any decision,he felt hurt,he fought with sameer regarding his decisions with riya,whenever he missed riya after their separation he would sit hours with the ring clutched into his palm tightly,as if holding onto her close to him for the support which none other could ever give him.
Today too he sat on the floor with the ring in his hand.His life had taken a sudden change.Riya's sudden appearence in his life,then their stay together,then their confrontation after years creating another large distance among them and finally return of Sakshi.
Everything was taking a toll on him.He was again confused in life.Life again gave him a chance to get his love,his life back and when it was just a few feets away life again snatched it away from him.It was a long time before he got up from the floor and kept the ring back in the drawer.
He stood up and looked at the watch.He was already late for the party.He rushed out to the parking and zoomed out to his house.The house was dark and empty.Riya was no where.A sudden fear engulfed him and he ran to her room and switched the lights. The light in the room calmed him down.He had thought she had left the house again but the presence of her things in the room calmed his throbbing scared heart.She must have gone out somewhere.
He switched the light off and went to his room and changed for the party.He locked the door the drove away to his alloted venue.
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Sameer and Ayesha had reached the venue sometime back and before Ayesha could walk inside the door,Sameer held her wrist and dragged her at a dark end of the road. Ayesha was surprised at the sudden jerk and held onto his waist to steady herself.She glared at Sameer who was amused at her and gave a naughty smirk.
'kya kar rahe ho sameer?'she said in between her gritted teeth,
'tumhe thik se dekh raha hu,Ayesha tumhe itna acha nehi lagna chahiye tha,'he replied,
'kyu?'she asked confused,
'ab tumhe mujhse kaun bachayega aisha?'he replied with a wink and a smirk across his lips,holding her close by her waist,
Ayesha was amused at his words.She could never expect the ever so no-nonsense and serious chief could flirt with her or compliment her with such gestures.But she needed to reply back.She jerked his hands away slowly from her waist and picked up her long flowing dress and started walking with an arrogant and proud posture towards the venue door,voicing out at him,
'bachna kise hai sameer?'she said turning and winking at him and walked ahead quickly.
Sameer smiled at that and shook his head.He followed her inside the hall.
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Riya was still sitting in the living area wondering about sakshi and her relation with arjun when she recieved a call.She spoke into it for a few minutes and kept it down.She smiled remembering the words of the caller and stood up.
She would need time to decide whether she should leave the house and Arjun too but before that something else needed her attention at that moment.She freshen up and wore the best dress she had,'her red wedding saree' still kept in the cupboard of their room.It was kept neat and tidy,not once touched after she left.She complimented that with the perfect matching jewellery and applied some light makeup.
She called for a cab and waited.The cab arrived about 20 minutes late and she went outside locking the door behind.She rode the cab and reached the place.She paid the driver and walked in slowly,looking at the decorations and lights around.It was indeed an anniversary party of the Ex chief Raghu Tripathi.
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done..now give back your comemnts... Edited by rimi_invisible - 11 years ago
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