Hot tears trickled down Ananya's face as the gory scenes from the CCTV footage flashed in front of her eyes. With Tinu's help Ananya had finally succeeded in getting her hands on the 8 year old CCTV footage from RG Pharmaceuticals. She had been ecstatic to finally have the proof of her father's innocence in her hands but what followed was something Ananya had never imagined even in her worst nightmares.
Without even waiting to reach home Ananya and Tinu dropped by the tea stall and sat down to see the clip and watch the truth unfold. As they played the footage, it showed some of the security guards at RG Pharmaceuticals mercilessly beating a man out of his wits. Tinu had grimaced at the site and Ananya narrowed her brows trying to identify the man in the footage but her heart almost stopped beating for a second when one of the guards turned the guy's face towards the camera. It was none other than Kabir and his face was bleeding profusely. Another goon had pulled him from the collar and smashed his head in a glass pane causing a thick stream of blood ooze from his forehead. They kept on beating him ruthlessly for the next few minutes until a man in his near forties walked in and all the guards moved away. The man lunged towards Kabir and caught him by the neck leaving him panting for breath. Tears had pooled in Ananya's eyes by now and her hands balled into fists. In no time Ananya could recognize the man to be RG and she could almost feel herself breaking from inside seeing Kabir in such a pitiable state.
"Kabir Sharma lagta hai kal raat wali warning tumhare liye kafi nahin thi, ki tum mein itni himmat bach gayi ki yahan chale aye. Lagta hai tumhein apne bhateje ke jaan bilkul bhi pyaari nahin hai...To ek kaam karte hain ab tumhein seedha uski body hi denge" RG threatened and punched Kabir hard in the stomach.
Ananya winced in pain and almost felt the ground beneath her feet slip away as the reality dawned upon her. Kabir's nephew was kidnapped and threatened!! And that was the reason he had to hide all the proofs of her father's murder and withdraw his article. Kabir did not give up on truth for money or power but to save his nephew's life.
The auto halted with a jolt slipping Ananya out of her reverie. She had reached her destination. It had begun to rain and dark grey clouds hovered in the night sky. She quickly got out of the auto and sprang towards the door of Kabir's house with a visible urgency in her step. Raising a fist she banged it against the door but there was no response. She checked the time on her phone again, it was 15 past 10. He should have been home by now. Unable to fathom where to search for him, she decided to call Tarini , hoping she knew anything about his whereabouts.
T: Hello...Hi Ananya.
A: Tarini sorry I am disturbing you at this hour but by any chance you have any idea ki is waqt Kabir kahan hain?
T: Kabir? Nahin to...balki main bhi use kafi der se call kar rahi thi par woh apna phone bhi nahin utha raha. Maine office mein bhi call kiya tha but peon ne bataya ki Kabir shaam ko hi office se nikal gaya tha aur uski car bhi office mein hi parked hai.
Hearing to Tarini's words Ananya felt a pang of worry run down her spine.
A: Oh ok thanks tarini...let me see...and agar mujhe kuch pata chalta hai I will inform you. Ok bye.
T: Ananya listen
A: Haan
T: Waise to Kabir ne mujhe batane se mana kiya hai but now I can't stop myself. Ananya you are misunderstanding Kabir. Woh tumhare papa ke murder me shamil nahin tha. Balki woh to khud tumhare papa ke case par ek follow up article karne wala tha. But uske baad kuch aisa hua ki Kabir chah kar bhi tumhare papa ka saath nahin de paya Ananya.
A: I know it Tarini...mujhe sab pata chal chukka hai.
T: What! Tum janti ho?
A: Haan isiliye hi main Kabir se milna chahti thi. Ab mujhe sab samajh aa gaya hai...Han bas ye nahin samajh payi ki Kabir ne mujhse jhooth kyun kaha. Kya woh mujhpe itna bi bharosa nahin karte ki unhein laga main unki majboori samjhoongi nahin. We promised to trust each other blindly but probably I failed him.
T: No Ananya aisa kuch nahin hai. Aur I am sure ab tum itna to Kabir ko jan ne lagi hoki ye samajh sako ki woh jo bhi karta hai uske peeche ek wajah hoti hai. Woh janta tha ki tumhein sach batane ka matlab hai tumhein aur tumhari family ko khatre mein dalna, Do you think sach jaan ne ke baad tum chup baith ti??...Aur Kabir ko yehi dar tha Ananya. Ki woh log tumhare ya Armaan ke saath bhi wo na karen jo unhone Monu ke sath kiya. He just wanted you to be safe!
Ananya gasped for some air, but the lump of pain sat thick in her throat and she swallowed hard, trying to keep some uninvited tears at bay.
A: Thanks Tarini...thanks for everything. I will call you once I meet Kabir.
Ananya told and disconnected the call.
Now she just wanted to see Kabir as soon as possible. Wanted to talk to him and clear all the misunderstandings and ofcourse get rid of this unneeded separation whose pain was becoming unbearable for her now. Still trying to figure out where to find him she suddenly remembered that Kabir had once told her about a spare pair of keys of his home he had given to his neighbors in case of emergency. In no time she got the spare keys from the family that lived adjacent to his apartment and unlocking it, swung open the main door of his home in a jiffy. The corridor to the hall was poorly lit and an eerie silence filled the air of the apartment. She switched on all the lights and called out for him but there was no response. Then she tiptoed to the end of the hall and looked around for him in the kitchen and the washroom but he was nowhere to be found. Now there was just one place left...His bedroom. Without wasting any time she quickly walked up to his bedroom and searched for him all over the place. Ananya's stress levels were rising now as he was also not there on the bed but she finally heaved a sigh of relief finding him in one of the corners of his room. He had fallen asleep on the sofa itself and looked totally distraught and somewhat pale too.
A sense of extreme concern gripped Ananya seeing him in such delicate condition. Closing the distance between their bodies, she sat near him and took his hand in hers. His fist was still closed and she noticed he was tightly holding onto something in his hand. She tried opening it and realized it was nothing but her engagement ring he had clenched beneath his fingers. Taking the ring in her hand, she sighed and closed her eyes in pain, letting a few stray tears roll down her cheeks.
"Bas dekhogi...pehnogi nahin" a throaty vulnerable voice pulled her back to reality.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him through the wetness of her lashes. He got up slightly and gently wiped the tears from her face. But his heart sank a little as he saw her face away from him. He took her hand in his and tried to make her face him.
K: Please give me a chance Ananya...I can explain everything to you. Kya tum ek baar meri baat bhi nahin sun sakti?
A: No mujhe iss bare mein koi baat nahin karni.
K:But why?
A: Because I don't need any explanations Kabir. By the way why are you so warm?
She quickly touched his forehead from the back of her hand and realized that he was probably running a temperature.
A:Kabir apko bukhar hai!!
K:Aur ye mere sawal ka jawab nahin hai!!
A:Shut up Kabir!! You need a doctor right now...aap tap rahe hain. And please aapki ye careless aadatein ab aur nahin chalengi...Now quickly move to your bed. Main abhi thermometer lati hoon.
A naughty smile crept to the corner of Kabir's lips after what felt like ages. His budbudati reporter was finally getting back but how, he needed to know.
A: Now keep this below your tongue and don't bite it okay.
Kabir rolled his eyes at her gullibility and gave her one of his trademark looks.
K: Ms. Kashyap you really think I am that stupid?
A: After what you did, YES!
K: Kya matlab?
A: Matlab ye ki apne mujhe papa ke bare mein itni badi story sunayi...jhooth bolkar khud ko itni taqleef mein rakha, khud ko itna pareshan kiya, par ek baar bhi mujhe sach batane ki koshish nahin ki? Can I ask WHY? How can you be so stupid Kabir? You really thought main apki majboori nahin samjhoongi?Ye nahin samjhoongi ki apne jo bhi kiya woh Monu ki jaan bachane ke liye kiya!! Aapko laga main gussa ho jaungi aur hamara relationship tod dungi? Really bas itna hi trust karte hain aap mujhe??
Kabir felt extremely embarrassed with her words. He had not just broken her trust but also hurt her so much by keeping her in dark.
K: I am sorry Ananya...I know mujhe tumhein pehle hi sab bata dena chahiye tha. But main tumhein khatre mein nahin dal sakta tha...I could not even imagine you or Armaan being harmed by those people. Mujhe kuch samajh nahin aa raha tha aur uss samay jo sach police ne tumhari ma ko 8 saal pehle bataya tha wohi tum bhi accept kar lo wohi mujhe sabse sahi laga. I wanted you to forget about this case Ananya...I wanted you to stay safe.
A: Woh sab theek hai Kabir but hum hameshan to iss darr mein nahin ji sakte na ki koi humein nuksaan pahunchayega. Kabhi na kabhi to sach ko bahar ana hi tha. Aur hum agar aaj sach ko daba denge to ye log kal kisi aur ko apna victim banayenge aur shayad pata nahin ab tak kitne Sudhir Kashyap ke sach ko ye log daba chuke hain.
K: I know Ananya...tum sahi kah rahi ho. Aur yehi soch kar 8 saal pehle main RG pharmaceuticals ke office bhi gaya tha...iss umeed mein ki main Monu ko bachane ke saath saath in logon ke khilaaf kuch aur proofs bhi ikatha kar lunga so that I can use them later jab ye case thanda padh jayega. But ye log humse bahut age ka sochte hain Ananya. Bahut koshish karne ke baad bhi mujhe wo proofs nahin mile.
A: Main janti hoon Kabir...maine RG pharma ki cctv footage dekh li hai...I saw un logon ne apke saath kitna bura kiya.
K:What? Ananya tum wahan gayi thi? But kyun? Do you even know how dangerous it could have been?
Ananya smiled seeing his concern for her.
K:Ananya promise karo you will never do this again...Kabhi iss tarah ki bevakoofi dobara nahin karogi. Hum tumhare papa ka sach saath mein bahar layenge...I promise...we will prove him innocent...But tum phir kabhi bhi kahin akele nahin jaogi.,,Promise me Ananya!
A: shhh (She kept a finger on his lips). Bahut bolte hain aap Mr. Sharma. Lagta hai bukhar ke saath saath apki iss beemari ka bhi kuch ilaaj karna padega.
She smirked and gave him one of her naughtiest smirks.
K: Acha!!! To kisne roka hai Ms. reporter cum Dr. Kashyap...your patient is waiting.
He winked at her and pulled her closer...so close that she could almost feel his breath on her face.
The two were still lost in their world when there was a knock at the door.
Kabir rolled his eyes and stopped Ananya from going away.
K: Let it be na...I don't wanna meet anyone now. You know hum kitne dinon baad aise ache se baat kar rahe hain...I missed you so much.
A: Kabir I think doctor honge...let me go.
K: Phir to bilkul zaroorat nahin hai jaane ki...let him stand at the door...waise bhi I hate doctors...
A: That doesn't matter Mr. Sharma because you are getting yourself checked by him like a good boy. Now stop being finicky and let me go.
She pulled herself from his hold and went to open the door. She asked the doctor in and made way for the doctor to check on Kabir.. She knew he was sulking big time but he had no other option especially with her as the new boss of his family and home. 😃 The doctor checked on Kabir and advised him two days of rest and medication.
Doc: Kabir it seems a viral fever only but I think we should do a blood test. It's better to be safe than sorry.
K: (almost panicking by now) Please doc just chill!! It's just a fever and there's no need of any tests. I am totally fine.
A: Kabir relax...aapko pata bhi nahin chalega. Doctor you don't listen to him..aapko jo bhi sahi lage you do it.
K: But Ananya...
A: But nothing!! And please you are not a school boy to get scared of a needle. So stop over-reacting!
Kabir looked at Anu with puppy eyes that made the doctor almost giggle at his sulken expression.
Doc: (While readying the needle) I must say Kabir you are in good hands now...soo Girlfriend?
A(almost instantly): Fiance! I am his fiance doctor.
Kabir felt sweetly surprised at Ananya's innocent gesture. A sweet smile made its way to the corner of his lips as he saw the engagement ring back in her finger. A film of tears had glistened his eyes by now as he kept on staring lovingly at her and the test was done without him even knowing of the pin prick.
The doctor asked Ananya to collect the reports from his clinic by evening and also advised to stay strict on him like this atleast for the next two days. Ananya thanked the doctor and returned back to his room with a naughty smirk on her face.
"Waise you know I really can't believe the GREAT Kabir Sharma ko ek choti si needle se darr lagta hai" she was giggling at him.
K: (With a crestfallen expression on his face) Very funny!! :-(
A: Exactly!! Don't you think it's funny? I mean you should have seen your face at the site of needle...lol I can't believe you Kabir. You are worse than a kid.
K: Ohh yea?? Pehle to dekha nahin tha na tumne ki I am worse than a kid...pata hota to engagement bhi na karti shayad!!
He folded his arms on his chest and looked away angrily while Ananya continued laughing out of her wits.
Life was once again back to square one. 😛
