Note: Phew, I decided to cut Case One a little short but anyway, thanks for all the lovely comments - I enjoyed reading every single one. Here's Case Two.
"This case is quite different from the others, Ranveer," stated Detective Mallika, sipping her hot chocolate earnestly in the early morning hours. Hot chocolate had always made her happy even in the tiresome hours of a new day. Ranveer was quite the opposite of her and lasted on the disgusting, bitter caffeine. "This guy seems like he has a strong hatred for foreigners. Perhaps, he suffers from xenophobia?"
Ranveer stared at the details of the murders and knew that was not the case. He had been profiling murderers for a long time and he didn't need his gut to tell him that the killer was interested in something more than just that. If only there was some sign...
"Hey, guys!" cried a familiar voice, enthusiastically. Ah yes, he thought with a grin, Hail Princess Aaliyah. He turned around to greet her wondering how someone could be so enthusiastic so early in the morning. Noticing her setting down a few bags, he immediately asked for the content.
Laughing melodiously she pulled out a teddy bear and threw it at him. "Happy birthday, tough cop!"
Groaning, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gosh, Aaliyah! There is absolutely no need for that. Or this..." he pointed at the brown teddy bear which held a cushion saying 'happy birthday'. He felt so small and embarrassed at even touching the thing but felt equally compelled to take it by an unusual force he was unaware of.
"Oh my god, Ranveer!" cried Mallika lunging towards him for a hug and finally wrapping his arms around his neck. "God, I forgot. Happy birthday."
Spluttering loudly, he ignored the mocking laughter fading away. "Mal-lika, hiccc! C-c-cho-kkking!"
"Crap!" she yelled, releasing him and sitting back down. Her love for him had made her attack him so savagely otherwise Mallika would never ever be soft enough to show him this side of her. Squeezing his hand, she muttered an apology while he smiled, shaking it away.
Picking up the teddy bear, he made his way into the laboratory to simply talk to Aaliyah for a bit. He didn't know why but she had changed him from the day she joined the force. Now it was impossible for him to stay away from her no matter how much he denied it.
***
"Special Agent Ranveer," acknowledged Aaliyah from behind the computers while her partner, Forensic Specialist Dhruv extracted another DNA genome from the victim as a hair. Her heartbeats quickened as he drew closer to her but she kept her personality professional and hidden.
"Aaliyah," he replied back waiting for her to make eye contact. He hated it that she would only show her bright side few times a day and behind the computers, she was a completely different person. Someone he was scared she would turn into.
Typing furiously and watching the images flicker past her eyes at quickening speed, she looked up annoyingly. "Something I can help you with, Agent?" Her mini outburst was cut short when she noted the teddy bear he held in his hands. "If you don't want it, throw it away!"
"Goddammit!" he exclaimed placing his hands angrily on the table making both Aaliyah and Dhruv jump. "What is with your attitude, Aaliyah? Seriously, you need to -"
"I do not need to anything, Agent," she replied back sternly but rather grievously. "I am simply doing my work."
"Indeed," said a sinister voice in the background. All three eyes turned to the man who stood boldly and with a stiff attitude. Aaliyah and Dhruv both continued their tasks leaving Ranveer to fight the battle alone. He hid the beloved teddy bear behind him as the Chief eyed him up and down.
"This was the last place I thought I would find you, Special Agent Ranveer," smirked the Chief, pleased that he had another point against the roguish agent who he had come to despise. "How about we leave our geniuses to the DNAs and perhaps do something we're supposed to do?"
Sighing, he gave Aaliyah a deathly glare who stared back at him till he walked out. Truth was, she was not pleased with how he hadn't been bothered about the way Mallika touched him. But in the end, she shouldn't care, should she?
***
Walking home alone had never appealed Aaliyah not even when she was upset and like everybody would want to be left alone. She had found the teddy bear in the garbage shortly after she left and that was enough to make her decide to never ever speak a word to Ranveer again. He had never appreciated her efforts and when she had thought he would; he simply turned around and proved he wouldn't.
Feeling footsteps approach her, she swung around to punch whoever decided it was a good idea to break her personal inner discussion with herself. But the intruder ducked and raised his hands in submission.
"Whoa, whoa, Aaliyah!" said Dhruv, stepping a little away from her. "It's just me, relax!"
Huffing angrily, she turned on her heels and began to stomp away knowing he was going to annoy her till they reached her apartment. Hearing him talk about anything made her extremely angry and at this point, she was sure he wouldn't want to mess with her.
Stopping abruptly, Aaliyah glared at him. Dhruv wondered what suddenly happened. Does she not like computers? Oh man...
"Look here, nerd!" she started. "I'm not here to talk computers with you when I'm off my duty. In fact, I'm not here to talk to you about remotely anything so could you please..." she gestured her hand away from her. "...like leave me the hell alone?"
Dhruv had enough. This was the last time she would insult him and he would take it. His love for her was everlasting but his calm posture definitely was not! Stomping away, he vowed to make her feel hated and finally come to him and then she would realize who's been with her all along. He had already taken his first step... now he had to do something big. Something which will wipe off that pig's name from her life for forever...
***
"Chief, you can't put me off the case!" yelled Ranveer, bursting into the Chief's office while Mallika trailed behind urging him to shush down. If he went too far, there was a possibility that he would lose his job and there was no way she would stand that. They had come together and they would go together too.
"Special Agent, do not enter my office without-"
"Like hell I will knock!" he interrupted, shaking off Mallika's hand from his shoulder. He was extremely annoyed with Aaliyah till this morning but as soon as he had entered the precinct and heard the news, he had seen red. The case which he had been working on for months was going to be snatched away from him and handed over to a dog.
"I make the decisions here, not you," said the Chief, unaffected. Pulling out a leave letter from his drawer, he slid it forward to the fuming man. "Here you go! Sign this and go and enjoy the company of hot babes in Goa! Everyone's happy..."
"No deal!" He tore the paper and threw the pieces in the air. "You make me quit and I am outta' here, you hear?"
"Be my -"
"If you take him off the case, I'm off it too," piped Mallika, stepping from behind Ranveer's broad personality. She had been shocked at the standoffish behavior of the Chief and his way to bribe Ranveer out of the mission.
Moaning, as he saw a lost battle, he tried one last time. "Aw, Detective Mallika, we seriously do not need those blackmailing techniques -"
"Or those bribing attempts either, sir," she claimed as a matter of fact. Chief's behavior today had made her despise him even more and she knew that he was someone they would have to keep an eye on. He didn't seem so committed to abiding by the rules and had even once carelessly shot a man without him posing any harm to him.
Glaring angrily, he muttered a 'fine', dismissing the two detectives. There goes another failed attempt to bring his own son in the place of that crude detective, he thought, grimly. Damn you, Detective Mallika.
***
"Thanks, Mallika," said Ranveer, smiling kindly at his worrisome partner. She was still jittery after breaking out of her shell for the first time and that too in front of the Chief. He had to admit, he was extremely proud of her. "You brought him down, didn't you?"
"Don't remind me," she said, biting her lip nervously. "Boy, I need hot chocolate. You want something, Ranveer?" she asked, heading towards the cafe after he refused lightly. Truth was that him smiling at her so fondly and with pride had sent her to cloud nine but she was scared it would reveal her inner feelings therefore running away was the only option available.
Ranveer watched her go before sitting down at his desk staring seriously at the door. Aaliyah should be arriving by now, shouldn't she? Maybe he had said too much yesterday but it was the last straw of his and unfortunately he had lost control. Yes, he would apologize... if only she would come.
But instead of finding the source of his existence by the entrance, he heard her melodious voice explaining details about DNA to someone. He looked to find Mallika nodding her head in interest while Aaliyah droned on and on.
"And how will you crack the code, Aaliyah?"
"That data code can be opened from typing in numbers divisible by 3. It's simple, really," she said, feeling pleased that someone was remotely interested to know how she did her job. She didn't really care if Detective Mallika wasn't in her liking list, she still knew how to keep terms professional. And that would be exactly what she would do.
Seeing Ranveer approach them from the corner of her eye, she quickly stopped Mallika's question midair. "Oh, I am so sorry, Detective. I remembered that Dhruv needs me to examine some DNAs for him... he must be waiting,"
"Of course," came the reply before she ran off leaving a musky, beautiful scent behind her which Ranveer hungrily breathed in. Mallika eyed the heavy breathing of him and wondered if he was really out of breath or was simply doing an exercise of his.
"Damn," he cursed under his breath hearing the laboratory door slam shut. Ignoring the emptiness, he turned to Mallika earnestly. "Have you seen the teddy bear Aaliyah gave me yesterday?"
Quirking up, Mallika nodded. "Oh yes! I saw it in the trash yesterday... I thought you threw it and-"
"Don't be silly, Mallika!" he scolded, running off to the backyard where they kept their garbage. Him throwing away her present would never be a possibility and such idea was simply absurd. Surely Mallika knew him that well.
Feeling confused and absolutely rejected, Mallika ran off to the ladies to shed a few tears leaving the remaining detectives and police officers shocked at the exchange of conversation between the two. It was making sense now to them that Mallika had a soft corner for Ranveer whereas he seemed all Aaliyah. Chuckling to each other, they looked forward to seeing some romance quirk in after so many years...
Note: This idea of Aaliyah being in the police is not mine. I watched a movie and thought... hey why not? By the way, Aaliyah is Data Analyst. Hope you enjoyed!
Edited by Joker - 13 years ago
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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