Note: For attubaby who wanted to see the ACP in Priyanka's college.
Priyanka Oberoi waved to Manohar, her driver, as the car drove away and turned towards the imposing gates of her college. Today there was a spring in her step. Those awful letters and parcels had stopped coming and O Bhaiya had promised her that he will not take those dreaded drugs again. Last night, the two of them had stayed up talking and she had been left with a feeling of comfort after their conversation. Things seemed to be finally looking up for her family.
Only an hour ago she had left Anika making her two brothers, O Bhaiya and Rudra Bhaiya, practice steps for Shivaay Bhaiyas sangeet. It had been a sight not to be forgotten in a hurry. The whole house seemed to be caught in a flurry of activity as the eldest son of the family prepared to get married. Everyone was smiling these days. The cleaning staff were getting into the darkest nooks and crannies of the mansion, clearing out decade-old cobwebs, and airing out cupboards and wardrobes that had not seen the light of day ever since Chote Papa's marriage. The hustle and bustle in the vast halls and corridors had breathed new life into the house and it was beginning to feel more like a home. The memory of her Mom and Choti Ma poring over prints for table cloth and curtains, laughing together instead of arguing, was becoming a common sight these days. Even Papa was returning home early instead of staying out late or calling in with fake excuses as he spent another night in the arms of some random woman. Mom was too busy in the wedding preparations to have her regular dose of whiskey for breakfast, lunch and dinner and had actually given her a kiss this morning as she headed out for college. So today there was a spring in Priyanka Singh Oberoi's step as she made her way across the basketball court towards her class.
Suddenly she halted in her tracks as she spotted a familiar figure standing near one of the basketball nets. Dark glares hiding those treacherous eyes, a taunting smirk in place, right before her stood none other than that ACP Ranveer Singh Randhawa. He held a foam cup in his hand from which he took a sip as she stared in shock. Beside him, stood a police man in uniform. Randhawa was talking to her principal, Revd. William who seemed to be quite agitated and was nodding his head with great vehemence. Priyanka felt a shiver run down her spine. Why had he come here? What had he told the principal that had gotten the old priest so worked up? Was he now trying to attack her here with his mind games? But O Bhaiya had said that he didn't have any proof against them! What game was he playing now?
By then Priyanka was too close to the group to turn around and walk away. So she tried to just walk past them hoping to be as inconspicuous as possible. She kept her head down and went past them quickly. However, before she could rejoice on having successfully eluded that dreaded man, she heard Father William call out. "Miss Oberoi?"
Priyanka felt her throat constrict and the ground beneath her feet suddenly seemed to sway. She somehow turned around as her heart thundered within her. So this was it? This was the point destiny had been bringing her to?
Father William was looking at her with a grave face. "Come here,my girl. You are just the one I was looking for."
With slow halting steps, Priyanka headed towards them. With each step, she felt she was walking closer to the doom that had been destined for her. She dared not look in the direction of the officer. She did not want to see the triumphant smile on his face.
"Well, Miss Oberoi,since you lead the prayer service during Moral Science class for your year, I want you to announce to the students that I will not be able to take the class today. Do mention that the free period should be used constructively and not for creating as much noise and confusion as possible. It would be well for us to remember that this is an educational institution."
As Father William's words washed over her, Priyanka felt herself slowly starting to breath again. She cast a quick glance in the direction of the ACP. He had taken off his glares and was now looking straight at her. She turned back to the principal and nodded her head as he reiterated his instructions and warnings. Then she turned around and stumbled away from there. If not in search of her, why had the ACP come to her college?
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Priyanka tottered under the pile of books on the subject of the Renaissance theatre as she made her way through the almost empty library. The next test would be about the Elizabethan age and she wanted to start off her revisions with the theatre. She didn't have any classes for the next couple of hours and thus with great optimism, had picked up as many books as she could lay her hands on. Struggling with the lot now, she slowly made her way towards the table at the corner of the room which was her favourite spot. However, before she could take more than a couple of steps, she bumped into something that felt like a wall and dropped the pile with a thud. Looking up in dismay, she realised she had walked into none other than the solid back of ACP Ranveer Singh Randhawa. The man turned around to see what had hit him and appeared to be surprised that it was her.
As she dropped down to pick up the scattered books, he bent down beside her to help. She remembered O Bhaiya's words. "Prinku, realise something! The ACP is the one who is blackmailing us!" She felt a chilly tremor run through her. When the man held a book out towards her, instead of taking it, she looked down at the floor and said, "You d-d-don't h-have to h-h-help me."
"Miss Oberoi, we are here to help." He continued to pick up the books with a nonchalance that raised her hackles. She felt an unfamiliar tendril of anger unfurl within her and she snatched the books away from his hand and looked at him angrily. "W-w-why a-are you here?! Are you s-s-stalking me n-n-now?!"
He smirked at her words and replied with a coolness that did nothing to soothe Priyanka's anger. "Contrary to what you may believe, the life of the Mumbai police force does not centre around the Oberoi family."
She looked at him with such anger in her eyes that would have startled those who knew her. The man had the audacity to laugh as he got up with a few books in his arms. He placed the pile on a nearby table.
Priyanka followed him and set her pile down next to his.
"You mustn't be used to doing much lifting and carrying." His voice was soft, taunting.
"I c-could have m-m-managed on m-my own." she replied, wishing he would leave. At present he was calmly leafing through a book, pausing now and then at a page. She glanced around her. The tables in this part of the library were all empty.
"And how is Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi doing? Heard he is busy with his upcoming wedding." She turned to find him looking at her with his piercing gaze. To think she had once found that gaze comforting! That evening in their garden when she had crashed into his arms and he had calmed her down and walked her back to the house seemed like a distant memory.
"I thought the life of the p-p-police force d-did not centre around the Oberois!" she replied with some heat.
"Some things we have to keep ourselves informed of, Ms Oberoi." he said, as his lips curled into a sneering smile. "What about your other brothers? How is Mr. Omkara-"
"I have to s-study n-now. P-please l-l-leave m-me alone" Priyanka interrupted before he could go on. She tried to reach out for the books that he had placed on the table, stumbled against a chair and found herself falling. But before she could hit the ground, a hand had caught hold of her shoulder while another was around her wrist, pulling her up. The subtle scent of his cologne which she had been introduced to the evening of Karwa Chauth assailed her nostrils once more--that heady distinctively masculine scent. She looked up only to meet those dark eyes that seemed to hold a million questions. The warmth of his fingers on her wrist brought back the memory of him helping her, comforting her, watching over her as she gathered herself together.
"I think you need a personal attendant with you at all times." he said with a chuckle as he helped her regain her balance.
The sound of his chuckling made her want to slap him. She pushed him away with a jerk and said, "W-with a s-s-stalker l-like you around, I d-d-don't n-n-need a p-p-personal attendant!"
He laughed out loud this time and was about to say something in reply when Father William appeared before them. The priest bustled towards the ACP and said, "If you wish, Assistant Commissioner, you may now speak to the librarian. I left him waiting in his office. You will have complete privacy there." The priest ushered the policeman away and Priyanka heard their voices fade away as they disappeared around a cubicle.
She turned to her books. They did not look so tempting anymore. Why was the ACP interrogating the librarian? What was going on? In an attempt to divert herself, she picked up her copy of Hamlet and leafed through the pages. A passage caught her eye.
Ophelia. He took me by the wrist and held me hard;
Then goes he to the length of all his arm,
And, with his other hand thus o'er his brow,
He falls to such perusal of my face
As he would draw it. Long stay'd he so.
At last, a little shaking of mine arm,
And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He rais'd a sigh so piteous and profound
As it did seem to shatter all his bulk
And end his being. That done, he lets me go,
And with his head over his shoulder turn'd
He seem'd to find his way without his eyes,
For out o' doors he went without their help And to the last bended their light on me.
As Priyanka read, her hand unconsciously rubbed at the wrist where ACP Ranveer Singh Randhawa had held her.
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Lunch break was over and Priyanka was running late for her next class. The corridors she ran through stood empty. Most students were either in class and those who were bunking were hardly to be found here milling around, waiting to be accosted by an enraged Father William bent on teaching them to 'mend their ways'. She turned around a corner that led to the staircase and bumped straight into a hard body.
"Ouff!" someone grunted.
Priyanka looked up in horror at ACP Ranveer Singh Randhawa, who was at the moment wheezing a bit as he rubbed his chest.
"Don't you see where you're running to?!" he said with some consternation. He had not yet looked at her. He stood with his head lowered and continued, "Don't let me keep you away from whatever emergency you were rushing off to attend to." His tone was one of amusement and he smiled as he raised his face to look at her. However at the sight of her face, his smile disappeared.
"Ms Oberoi?" he said, with a cool politeness that stood in stark contrast to the lightness that was in his words only a moment ago.
"S-s-sorry." Priyanka found herself saying.
"Don't worry about it. No need to apologise."
"I w-was l-l-late f-for m-m-my class and s-s-so.." she trailed off as he looked at her with a tight smile on his lips.
"I think you have a habit of running into things and... people." He said it so softly that one might have missed it but Priyanka heard it. It felt as if the word hung in the air between them. His gaze settled on her with an intensity that seemed to burn through her. She gasped as he appeared to tower over her. Her hands fisted into her dupatta and she backed away until she had her shoulders hitting the wall behind her.
He suddenly moved back and smirked. "At least this time round no lasting damage was done."
Then he turned and walked away from her, towards the principal's office. She watched him walk away, unable to turn away when he suddenly looked back and catching her eye, said in the most flippant of tones, "You should be careful what you run into, Miss Oberoi."
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Class was forgotten. Priyanka felt the world of light and colour recede from her and found herself standing at the brink of a collapsed bridge, blood on her hands, as she made out the dark outlines of a body, still quivering as the last embers of life drained away from it. Darkness engulfed her and she felt her breath choke in her throat, the blood stop in her veins.
The world stood still for Priyanka Singh Oberoi as she clutched at the wall, to stop herself from collapsing. She closed her eyes, willing away that horrifying sight that had imprinted itself into her very soul. She forced herself to breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Unclench your fist. Breathe in. Breathe out. Open your eyes. The empty corridor welcomed her once more. She felt weak, like her legs would give way at any moment. Slowly she walked out of the building. Feeling her way against the walls like a blind man, Priyanka finally reached the end of the corridor that opened into a narrow lane which led to the back entrance of the canteen. This place was generally treated by students as a smoking zone but at this time of the day, the lane too stood empty. Once she had reached the lane, her legs finally gave way and she collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath as tears streamed down her face.
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Ranveer Singh Randhawa reached the office and was told by the secretary that the file the principal had promised to make available to him was on the way and would arrive any moment. He was invited to sit down on one of the many comfortable sofas placed tastefully around the room as he waited.
He sat down on one of the sofas and looked around him. It had been an interesting day. They were investigating the death of one of the staff members of this illustrious institution. At first what had appeared to be a suicide, had begun to look suspicious when there were no notes found near the body and the professor's husband made certain accusations against the college for somehow being responsible for this death. There were some whispered rumours of a possible drugs racket which the lady had been fighting against and that being the cause of her death under such mysterious circumstances. The matter was a sensitive one and hence the Crime Branch had been handed the case.
It had been an interesting day what with the obsequious principal with his promises of 'full cooperation' who had hounded him every step of the way as he carried out his routine interrogations. Files that he needed to check were suddenly found missing or in the hands of the Accounts Department. A significant number of the staff members too were on leave, further delaying his inquiries. And then there had been Ms. Priyanka Singh Oberoi. At the time when the case had been handed to him, he had not realised that this was the same college where she studied. It was most certainly a small world.
He looked around to see if there was any clock to be found that could tell him the time. There were none. He reached into his pocket to take out his phone. It wasn't there. He reached into the other pocket. No phone. Randhawa got up suddenly, realising the phone must have fallen out when Ms. Oberoi had run into him. He told the secretary that he will be back in a few minutes and that the file was to be handed to him and no one else. Then he strode out of the room and out into the corridor.
When he reached the bottom of the staircase where she had crashed into him, he saw his phone lying on the shiny floor. He picked it up and checked the time. It was a little past 2 o'clock. He gave a sigh and dropped the phone back into his pocket. Then he looked around him. As his gaze turned to the other end of the corridor, he saw Ms. Oberoi. She was walking away but she seemed to be staggering as she swayed even as she walked. At one point, she almost fell down but somehow caught the wall and balanced herself. And then she had reached the end of the corridor and turned the corner, disappearing from his sight.
He found his legs taking him towards her even before he could process what he had just seen. Had she been somehow hurt when she ran into him? Was she injured? He walked briskly towards the end of the corridor. He had thought the place would be an extension of the lawn but realised it was just a narrow lane. On one end there was a wall. He looked the other way and saw her sitting on the ground, in a heap. Her body was shaking. She must have been injured badly when she ran into him. He ran towards her.
"Miss Oberoi! Priyankaji!"
She looked up and for a moment stared at him blankly. Then suddenly her body went rigid as she turned her face away, hiding it behind a curtain of hair.
"Are you alright?" he asked,bending down until he was level with her face. She continued to look away from him and he pondered over his next course of action.
"I'm f-f-fine',she spoke suddenly, breaking the silence.
He recalled the wetness he had seen on her cheeks. "It is quite evident that you are not fine. Show me the wound. We need to treat it" he said, a gentleness unconsciously creeping into the brusque speech.
"N-not all w-wounds c-c-can be treated." came the soft reply and she looked up and met his eyes.
For the first time since he had laid eyes on Miss Priyanka Singh Oberoi, ACP Ranveer Singh Randhawa saw her. He found himself looking not at a member of the Oberoi family, not at the sister of the man under investigation for the murder of one Gayatri Tambe, not the sister of the man who quite possibly was responsible for the death of his own sister. He was looking at a girl who seemed to hold a million questions within her eyes. Before he could stop himself, he had lifted a hand and wiped off the wetness that clung to one of her cheeks. She started away at the touch and reason came flooding back to him.
He looked down in embarrassment. What was he doing? Had he completely lost his mind? It must be the consequence of the frustrating chase that he had been led around on all day by the staff of the college! He needed a break. He got up abruptly and watched her collect herself. He turned away and fumbled in his pocket in search of his packet of cigarettes. Finding it, he took one out and lit it. His hand shook a bit as he lifted it to his lips to take a drag.
He sensed her rising behind him, setting her clothes straight. He could hear the rustle of silk, the tinkling sound of her jewellery. His finger was still wet from her tears. He felt bile rise in him as he thought of what he had done. What would his sister say if she saw him now? He exhaled a puff of smoke. Then she coughed and his hand stilled. He tried to ignore her and carry on smoking but something within him resisted. He dropped the cigarette on the ground and put out the fire with his shoe sole. Annoyed with himself, he turned towards her with a sneer.
"I thought you were in a rush to get to some class."
She seemed lost in her thoughts but her head jerked up at the sound of his voice. She gulped and said, "W-wasn't f-feeling well."
"Ah! ACP! I was looking for you!"
Randhawa looked up to see the beaming face of Father William. He glanced back once at her face which again seemed to be lost in some private world. Then he walked towards the priest, ready for the next round of impediments in his investigation.
Priyanka watched his receding back. Her cheek still tingled where he had wiped off her tears. What had just happened between them? When he had hovered over her, asking her if she was alright, there had been something in his voice that had sounded awfully like concern. Could you fake that? How good an actor was he? What did he want from her? How much did he know her? Could he see her for what she was? She felt herself shiver even as she reminded herself of the words of Omkara.
Prinku, realise something! The ACP is the one who is blackmailing us!"
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"Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together?
Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences."
Emery Allen
Edited by twerping - 8 years ago
DO NOT COPY THIS POST AS THIS IS EXCLUSIVE TO INDIA FORUMS
