2. Dil-Deal
At the same time
"Akarbagga"
"Imlie"
Both of gulps in fear thinking how the other person will be shouting at them any minute.
A minute passed without them saying anything.
Finally Imlie sighed and gestured to Aryan to sit beside her, beholding her gaze, he sits.
"Imlie"
"ABP wo"
Aryan gestures to her to continue. Fixing her gaze on the floor she starts
"ABP wo mein.... Mein wo...." (ABP I.... I....)
"Jo bolna hai saaf saaf bolo" ( Speak clearly)
" Wo mein hall se ja rahi thi, toh mein.... Wo.... Kakima aur Didi ko baat kar rahe the.... Ki wo hadsa..... Arvind Ji...jiju k jane ke baad kaise saab kuch baadal gaye.... Kaise tum.... Tum khudko.... Kaisan pathar dil bana liya ho.... Tum.... Toh mein.... Mujhe janna....."
(I was passing through the hall when.... When I heard Kakima and Didi speaking.... How that accident.... Arvind ji...how after jiju passed away.... Everything changed.... You.... You have become stone hearted.... So.... So I wanted....)
" Toh tumhe janna tha ki kya huya tha .... Kyunki koi aur tumko baatata nahi.... Kyun Imlie .... Kyun janna tha.... Kya kar logi jannke.... Apne Babusaheb ke paas jaogi aur unko mere against warn karogi, ki kaise mein usse barbad karna chata hoon.... Kaise mein ek danav hoon jo char saal se baadle ki aag jaal raha hai aur tumahare bechare Babusaheb ko tadapta huya dekhna chahta hai....Toh baithi kyun ho Imlie, jao aur bachalo apni Babusaheb ko.... Mei roka tumhe.... Chalo ek kam karta hoon tumhe Tripathi Niswas drop kar deta hoon.... Kya huya chalo.... Oo achha tum ko bolna hai ki kaise mei tum hai use kiya.... Kaise" He stands up
(And you wanted to know.... Because no one else will tell you.... Why.... Why Imlie why did you want to know.... What will you do.... Go and warn your Babusaheb about how I want to destroy him.... How I'm a monster, who for the last four years is buring in the desire to make your darling Babusaheb suffer.... Why are you waiting ? Did I stop you.... Wait let me drop to the Tripathi Niswas.... What? Let's go....Oh! you want say how I used you.... How)
"Baas.... Baas ABP.... Baas.... Yeh jo tum phast phorward mein itna kachu keht raho.... Thora break lagao aur humri baat sunlo...."
(Enough.... ABP Enough.... Take a break and listen to me)
"No, I don't want to liste...."
"Shut up Aryan and hear me out"
Stunned hearing her speak in English and say his given name he sit down again
Molding his masculine hand into her tiny one, Imlie started ...
" Mujhe pata hai ki tumre andar bohot salo k darad hai, zakham jo abhi tak nahi bahare.... Aur daar hai ki agar Didi aur Kakima ko paata chala toh tumse wo naafrat karenge .... ABP chupne se darad kamta nahi.... Tumka daar sahi hai .... Par galat bhi hai.... ABP Kakima aur Didi tumse kaavo nafrat nahi karat sakta .... Shayad gussa karenge shayad.... Par usse bhi zayda yeh joo... darad maanwa mein dabak rakheho usse unlogo ko darad hogi... takleef hogi"
(I know you have suppressed years of pain and wounds.... And fear.... Fear that if Kakima or Didi came to know about this revenge then they might end up hating you.... ABP, hiding never ease pain.... Your fear is right and wrong at the same time.... If they do come to know about this then they might be furious with you.... But they can never and will never hate you .... They will be more shattered knowing you have suppressed all your felling and pain for all these years)
Locking her eyes with his
" Rahi baat hamare ex-Babusaheb ki, toh mujhe itna pata hai ki tum humka use nahi kiyesho.... Tum unhe tor ne k khatir Mera fayda kabhi nahi uthaye. Itna bharosa aur yakeen hai.... Humka malum hai ki tum peeth pe war nahi karoge.... Samjhe Mr. Aryan Singh Rathore"
( And as far as it goes to my ex-Babusaheb I full faith and trust in you that you have never ever used me.... You have never used me just to break him.... You aren't someone who will backstab anyone.... Got it Mr. Aryan Singh Rathore)
Seeing her trust in him his emotions gets a better hold of him and a single drop of tear rolled down his cheek falling down on her hand that were molded in his
Unable to control anymore with heavy emotion laden voice he spoke
" Why Imlie? Kyun? Kyun hai itna bharosa? Kyun hai itna yakeen ki mein kabhi bhi is shatranj ke khel mein tumhe use nahi karunga Mr. Tripathi aginst? Why so much faith, when you know that I can and will destroy your Babu.... ex-Babusaheb?"
( Why Imlie? Why trust me so much? Why? How do you even know that I will never use you in this game of chess?)
Boring her eyes in his
"Agar wo karna rehta toh abhi tak tum humka use karliya hote, naki humka itni izzat dete, nahi humare liye uss English Madam se bhirte, nahi humka bachate haar baar girnese.... Roz roz nahi dete humko himat - Khudko, Malini Didi aur Aditya Sir ko face karne ki .... Agar use karte toh humko nahi bolte ki utke mei apne kismat khud likhu.... Agar use karte toh raaste pe chorke chale jate aur wapis nahi ate."
(If that had been your intentions rather than respecting me and saving me from the taunts of that English Madam you would have actually used me long back. If you just wanted to use me you wouldn't have told me that it is I, who should write my own fate, you wouldn't have gave me courage to face myself, Malini Didi and Aditya Sir. Long back you would have left at the curb and wouldn't have ever come back)
Moving closer to Imlie he spoke - "Thank-You. Thank-You. For not misunderstanding me. Thanks a lot for this faith and trust."
In his mind "I promise Imlie I will never give you a moment to ever doubt this faith and trust you have for me and I vow to be your pillar of strength whenever you need me"
" ABP iska matlab yeh nahi k tumhare yejo Aditya Sir se badla lena ka ichcha usse mein khush hoon.... Nahi ABP usse mein khush nahi hoon.... Isliye nahi ki Aditya Sir bardad honge balki isliye ki uss aga mei khud tum bhi jal raha ho, isliye kyun ki yeh badal tumka barbad kart hai.... Aur isliye bhi ki Aditya Sir ko bardad karne khatir tum koi bhi rok nahi lagao ge chahai uss k liye pura Tripathi Pariwar barbad bhi ho jay"
(But that doesn't mean I happy with your revenge plan, and no... not because it's Aditya Sir, rather it's you. This rage, this fire you have inside for revenge is adversely affecting you and is destroying you. And also because I know that you will go to any extent to destroy Aditya Sir even if the whole Tripathi Family get destroyed for that)
"I won't stop just..."
"Mujhe Aditya Sir ki fikar nahi hai, par wo parivar ko hum abhi bhi apna parivar manat hain. Dekho agar Aditya Sir ki koi galti hai, toh tum uuko jo saaza doo.... Par wo parivar ko baaksh do pleaze... hum tohre saath sirf wo parivar ke khatir deal karneke liya bhi razzi hai"
(I'm not worried about Aditya Sir. But I consider that family as my own. Punish Aditya Sir if he is wrong but please spare rest of the family. I'm even ready to make a deal with you for that very purpose.)
" Deal"
" Haan deal. Tum Aditya Sir ko chor ke baaki parivar ko baaksh do aur humka 10 din mohlat do. Iss 10 din mein koishish karungi janne ka ki Rathore Pharmaceutical akhir eisa kya huya tha uss din jo itna jo baatein itna bigad gayi aur itna baara haadsa hogaya. Agar humka koi naya jaankari milte hai jo khatarnak hai toh vaada karo humlog police ko involve karenge, kyunki mein nahi chahti ki tum kanoon apne haath mein lo. Aur, agar Aditya Sir fault pe hai, toh yeh janna bhi zaroori hai kya wo sirf ek bure Patrakar hai, jo kuch bhi likhte hai, yeh phir isse zyada koi baat hai. Agar aur bhi kuch hai toh wo akele nahi honge unka partner ye partners bhi hoga, khabri bhi hoga, tumka nahi lagta k agar eisan hai toh uun sabka saaza milna chahi. Aur kya pata aysan bhi ho sakta ki koi aur inn sabke pichhe hai... re a kya bolte hai... Haan buzzines ribal.... Jo abhi aur nuksaan karne k liye chupke baitha hai.... Ho sakte haina?"
(Yes deal. Please spare rest of the family except for Aditya Sir and give me 10 days. Yes, 10 days so that I can find more clue about what exactly happened in Rathore Pharmaceutical that day that lead to such a massacre. If I could find any clue which might be dangerous, promise me we will involve proper authorities, because I don't want you take the law and order in your own hands. And if Aditya Sir is at fault then we should be clear about the extent of his crimes, is he only bad Reporter who just writes nonsensical articles, or there's more in it. If so then I'm 100% sure that he won't be alone , he will definitely have partners and informer. Don't you think if such people do exists they deserve punishment equally. Or we may also find a that someone else was responsible for the whole massacre... what it is called... yeah business rival, who is hiding in plain sight to strike again)
Aryan stares at her with awe pride and little hint of jealousy. Awe and pride because this little girl woman have so much courage to propose a deal to him and so much strength for not trying to protect that imbecile. Jealously because he couldn't have thought about half of those points at her age. Composing himself
" Now, you know why in such a short period you were promoted as the Feature Writer of Bhaskar Times. Yeh jo junoon hai tumhare andar, yeh joo courage hai yeh unfortunately senior reporter hone ke baad bhi Aditya Kumar Tripathi mein nahi hai."
(Now you know why in such a short period you were promoted as the Feature writer of Bhaskar Times. This fire and courage you have inside which even senior reporters like Aditya Kumar Tripathi doesn't pose)
Imlie starts blushing hearing him praise her and avert her gaze contemplating why the hell was she blushing.
