A Secret Romance is budding in the bustling chaos of Mumbai's Emergency Task Force (ETF), where every day was a battle against crime and shadows of the past, Arjun Rawte and Riya Mukherjee had found an unexpected light in each other.
Their relationship was new, fragile like a budding flower, and they guarded it fiercely from the prying eyes of their etf team. But in stolen moments away from the world , Arjun and Riya built a world of their own, filled with whispers, laughter, and unspoken promises.
Arjun whose a heart scarred by loss, found solace in Riya's vibrant energy. She, with her quick wit and unyielding determination, saw beyond his tough exterior to the man who craved love and soothing calm.
One evening, after wrapping up a hectic interrogation, Arjun and Riya spent thier time at beach. She arrived in a simple sundress, her hair loose in the sea breeze. They walked hand-in-hand along the shore, the waves lapping at their feet. The sun dipped low, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. Arjun stopped, pulling her close. "Tumhare saath yeh lamhe, jaise zindagi ruk si gayi ho," he murmured in her hair hugging her close to him , his voice soft against the roar of the ocean.
(These moments with you..It's like life has paused.)
Riya smiled, her dimples deepening, and Arjun leaned in, pressing a deep gentle kiss to her dimpled cheeks, a ritual he had started the day they confessed their feelings. He did it every day, a silent vow of his love for that smile that lit up his darkest days.
As the night grew playful, Riya splashed water at him, giggling as he chased her into the shallow waves. Soaked and breathless, they collapsed onto the sand, her head on his shoulder and both are laughing uncontrollably. Arjun watched her, her antics reminding him of a free spirit he never knew he needed.
"How did I got so lucky he wondered? tracing her wet hair with his fingers. Kabhi socha nahi tha Roshni ke baad meri zindagi mein kushiyan wapas aayegi. Mein tho badle ki aag aur Roshni ko insaaf dilane ke liye jee raha tha. Muje laga sikandar ko under cover operation mein maarne ke baad, etf chod ke sab se dur chala jaaunga. Par ek tufaan ki tarah tum meri zindagi mein aayi aur meri Ruh bangayi jiske bina mein ek pal bhi nahi jee sakta. Aisa lagta hai Riya ke bina mein marjaunga.Pata nahi kab uski kushi meri kushi ban gayi".
Riya noticed change in his demeanor, she enquired him by caressing his cheeks " Kya soch rahe hai aap, achanak itna chup kyun hogaye ? "
He didn't answer just kissed her forehead and calmed himself.
She was chaos and calm wrapped in one, and he couldn't imagine life without her.
In the ETF, their secret dates continued. One weekend, they snuck away to an ice cream parlor near worli. Riya ordered a towering sundae with extra sprinkles, feeding him spoonfuls while teasing him about his stoic face.
Arjun chuckled, a rare sound that made her heart flutter. "Tumhari yeh muskurahat... meri duniya roshan kar deti hai," he said adoring her and she beamed. (Your smile... it lights up my world.)
Shopping was another adventure. Arjun, who hated crowds, found himself in a mall, helping Riya pick outfits. She twirled in a red kurti, asking, "Kaisi lag rahi hoon?"
(How do I look?)
He smirked, "Meri lag rahi ho." (Like mine.) Riya blushes and doesn't know how to handle this new side of Arjun.
He insisted on buying her a necklace, a simple silver chain with a pendant that matched her dimples' curve. Later, in the parking lot, away from eyes, he fastened it around her neck, his fingers lingering on her skin.
Morning brought intimate rituals. One lazy Sunday, Riya insisted on shaving Arjun's beard. He sat on the slab in washroom in his apartment, towel around his neck, as she carefully applied foam. "Careful, Riya. I trust you more than I trust myself with a gun," he joked.
She laughed, her dimples flashing, and he just caressed her cheeks . The razor glided smoothly, her touch gentle, turning a mundane task into a tender moment. Arjun eyed her mischievously and applied the foam on her through his cheeks and thus started a water fight with loads of laughter echoing in the home.
She stood in front of the mirror in a salwar kameez, fumbling with her earrings. He stepped behind her, his reflection meeting hers. With steady hands, he clipped them on, then tied her dori and placed dupatta on her head. "You look stunning," My personal goddess who lit up my world with her midas touch. She blushed, pulling him into a quick hug.
Evenings often turned domestic. Cooking together became their therapy after tough cases. In Riya's small kitchen, they chopped vegetables for pav bhaji, his favorite. Arjun stirred the masala while she danced around, humming a Bollywood tune. Flour dusted her nose from an impromptu roti-making session gone wrong.
He wiped it off with his thumb, observing her playful antics, how she twirled the spoon like a mike, how her laughter echoed like music. Pulling her into his arms. "Tumhari yeh shararatein, bepanaah hasna ... mujhe phir se jeena sikha rahi hain Meri Riya ," he said softly. (Your mischief...... it's teaching me how to live.)
Work couldn't be escaped, though. During cases, they maintained professionalism, but stolen glances spoke volumes. Solving a kidnapping ring, they pored over clues in the ETF van, their knees brushing under the table.
One clear evening, they drove to the outskirts, away from city lights. Spread out on a blanket under the stars, Riya pointed out constellations. "Arjun waha dekho Orion's belt," she pointed out excitedly. Arjun wrapped them in a cozy blanket, her head on his chest. The stars twinkled like diamonds, and he held her closer.
"You are my moon and stars. My whole world "..he murmured.
Arjun surprised Riya with a midnight drive to Marine Drive. The Queen's Necklace glittered along the curve of the sea, lights reflecting off the water like scattered stars. They parked far from the crowds, sat on the low wall with legs dangling, sharing a single cup of cutting chai from a nearby stall.
Riya leaned against his shoulder, sipping slowly. Arjun watched her profile in the soft glow, the way her lips curved around the rim of the cup. When she smiled at something silly he said, those dimples appeared like magic.
He turned, cupping her face gently, and kissed her right dimple first, then the left. "Yeh dimples... meri sabse badi kamzori hain," he whispered, voice rough with emotion.
(These dimples... they're my biggest weakness.)
Riya laughed softly, resting her forehead against his. "Aur aap meri sabse badi taakat ho."
(And you're my greatest strength.)
One rainy afternoon, with no active cases pulling them apart, they stayed indoors at Arjun's apartment. The monsoon poured outside, drumming on the windows like a private symphony. Riya dragged him into an impromptu dance in the living room to an old Kishore Kumar song playing on her phone. She twirled under his arm, barefoot on the cool floor, her dupatta fluttering like wings. Arjun, usually so reserved, let her lead , spinning her close, then pulling her into his chest. When the song ended, they swayed slowly even without music, raindrops racing down the glass.
He buried his face in her hair, hands on her waist, inhaling the faint scent of wild flowers and petrichor.
During a rare day off, they ventured to Colaba for street shopping. Riya haggled fiercely over colorful bangles, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she tried them on.
Arjun stood back, arms crossed, pretending to be unimpressed , but his gaze never left her. When she slipped a simple silver kada onto his wrist, declaring, "Ab hum dono ke paas ek doosre ka nishaan hai," he didn't protest. He bought her a pair of jhumkas that dangled playfully when she moved. Later in her apartment they had their coffee date on terrace and watched the world rush by, their fingers intertwined like the missing pieces of puzzle finally found each other.
Another cozy night found them on Riya's balcony, wrapped in the same thick blanket from their stargazing trip. The city lights twinkled below, but the sky above was clear enough for a few brave stars. Riya rested her back against Arjun's chest, his arms encircling her waist. She traced patterns on his forearm with her fingertip, randomly kissing his tattoo, telling him random stories from her childhood. He listened quietly, chin on her shoulder, occasionally kissing her that appeared when she giggled at her own memories.
In the midst of solving cases, tension ran high in the ETF briefing room. But when everyone stepped out for coffee, Arjun pulled Riya into the empty conference room for a stolen thirty seconds. He pressed her gently against the wall, forehead to forehead. "Case khatam hone ke baad... sirf hum, koi interruption nahi," he promised, voice low and intense. (After the case ends... just us, no interruptions.) She nodded, rising on her toes to kiss him quickly then pulled back with a grin. He stole one more kiss on her cheek before they had to separate, hearts racing from more than just the mission.
A lazy Sunday morning brought breakfast in bed. Arjun attempted aloo parathas, slightly burnt at the edges but Riya declared them perfect. She fed him bites between laughter, wiping ghee from his chin with her thumb. When she smiled wide at his exaggerated "mmm," he leaned in and kiss her. "Har subah tumhare saath... jaise sapna sach ho gaya," he said quietly. (Every morning with you... feels like a dream come true.)
Even during the case discussion in the ETF CF hall, their secret language flourished. A subtle brush of hands when passing files, a coded glance across the dashboard. Once, while waiting for a suspect, Riya doodled a tiny heart on the fogged window. Arjun erased it quickly before anyone saw but not before adding his initial inside it. She blushed, bumping his shoulder playfully. In that confined space, filled with the weight of duty, their stolen touches felt like lifelines for them.
Through every moment either big or small, Arjun found himself marveling at her. They always gravitate towards each other like inseparable magnets.
The way she fought fiercely on the field, lethal to the criminals yet melted into giggles over silly things, the way her eyes lit up at the smallest kindness, the way her dimpled smile could pull him out of his darkest thoughts. He made sure to kiss those dimples every single day, a quiet promise to cherish her like his most prized precious possesion.
And Riya? She cherished his rare softness, the way this tough cop became tender only for her.
Their secret romance grew richer with each hidden heartbeat, a beautiful contrast to the shadows they chased by day.
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