Sorry for the delay people. Had to go out today. This one doesn't fit into the same timeline as the other two, so read it on its own. Oh, and this isn't very fluffy, I'm afraid. There's (my attempt at) humour and angst in it. I'll shut up now and let you read. Hope you like it! *nervous*
TUESDAY
Shree's phone beeped shrilly. Cursing his luck that it had to happen on the one day when Arjun was sitting right opposite him instead of in his cabin, he grinned sheepishly at his superior officer and checked his phone.
Shree,
Yeh Arjun sir yahaan pe kya kar rahe hain?
Chotu.
He glared at the half-giant sitting next to him and scribbled something on a paper. Waiting till Arjun got engrossed in his file, he chucked it at Chotu's head with uncharacteristic force. Choto made a 'kya yaar' face at him and picked up the paper.
Abey gadhe, tere paas hi toh baitha hoon. Message karne ki kya zaroorat thi tujhe? Subah subah marvayega kya? Rahi baat Arjun sir ki, toh I don't have a clue. Ree se pucho.
Shree
Chotu grimaced and hurriedly tore a fresh piece of paper off his notebook. A few minutes later, a much-crumpled wad of paper was dropped into the file of a startled Riya
Ree,
Yeh tera Arjun apne cabin mein kyun nahin jaa raha?
Chotu
Riya glared at Chotu, wrote something on the back of the paper and slid it towards him.
Woh mere Arjun nahin hain. And I have no idea why the man does what he does. Mujhe mat pakao.
p.s. Kitni gandi handwriting hai tumhari Chotu.
Chotu handed the paper to Shree with a grumpy expression.
Muffling his chuckles, Shree IMed Riya.
Ay heroine! Kya hua? Hero sahab se jhagda ho gaya kya?
Riya shook her head exasperatedly. These two would never let anything go! She gestured for them to come and meet her by the coffee machine and stood up, oblivious to a pair of obsidian eyes that were observing her intently. If the way they narrowed when she left the room followed closely by Shree and Chotu was any indication, Arjun Suryakant Rawte was not happy.
****
"Haan toh Ree, kya hua? Tum itni upset kyun lag rahi ho? I thought you'd be on cloud 9 today! Aakhir Arjun sir ne khud tumhe drop kiya na kal. Unhone kuch kaha kya tumse?" Shree enquired, draping an arm casually around her shoulders.
Riya shook her head angrily. "Kuch kaha hota toh kya baat thi! Poora raasta chup the. Mujhe radio bhi nahin lagane diya."
"Aww Ree, hume toh laga tha ki tum hume kuch good news dogi, yaar" Chotu said absently, trying to decide amongst the cookies on display.
"You sound like serial waali mother-in-law waiting for 'good news' from her bahu", Shree chortled, Chotu joining in the laughter when Riya spluttered on a mouthful of coffee and spilt what was left in the mug over herself.
"Kya yaar tum dono! Hadd hai!" she said, grabbing a tissue to clean her ruined shirt, as Shree and Chotu continued to laugh, in her opinion, like a pair of hyenas. Shoving them both aside, she stalked to the rest-room, still not noticing Arjun, who stood by the wall, watching their antics in amusement.
****
"Ab isko bhi abhi jam hona tha!" Riya cursed, as she struggled to open her locker. "Yeh Rathore sir bhi na, bohot kanjoos ho gaye hain. Kitni baar kaha hai unse ki inn sab ko repair karvana hai. Par sunte kahaan hai. Kuch kaho toh attitude 'Main ETF ka chief hoon Riya, housekeeping staff nahin' Shee!" she muttered under her breath.
The locker remained stubbornly closed despite her best efforts, however. "Damn!" she cursed again, slamming her hand hard against it. "Ow!" she cradled her hand to herself and screeched "Stupid locker!", kicking it in frustration. Bad move. Pain shot up her foot, and she hopped around the room, almost falling but saved when a strong pair of arms reached out to steady her. She looked up to see the source of all her misery smirking at her as if there was no tomorrow, a fact that only served to anger her further. Before she could yell, he led her to a bench and settled her down, kneeling down before her to examine her foot. "Rehne dijiye sir, main dekh loongi", she hurried to say, but the words caught in her throat as he slowly eased her foot out of her shoe, and held it in the palm of his hand.
"Bohot dukh raha hai kya?" he asked her softly, running his thumb tenderly over her toe. Her breath hitched at the expression in his eyes. At moments like this, she felt sure that he felt something for her, but he was a master of the volte face, confusing her so thoroughly that it was a wonder she remembered her own name. Deciding to give him another chance, she laid her hand on his gently. "Nahin sir, I'm fine", she whispered, with a half-smile. He met her eyes for a minute, rising her hopes sky-high before the familiar wall slammed down again.
"Good. If you had only dressed a little more like an officer and a little less like a model, you could've avoided this drama altogether," he said sternly, dashing her to the ground yet again.
Feeling tears sting her eyelids, Riya stood up suddenly, wincing when her foot hit the ground. "You know what sir? Thanks for the advice, but I'm fine. I'll take it from here," she bit, hobbling away to begin her war with her rebellious locker again.
He followed her, much to her annoyance. "Attitude huh, Riya? Ab tumhe senior officers se baat karne ki tameez bhi sikhani padegi kya?" he said, yanking her locker open in one smooth movement. He quirked his eyebrow. "Dekho aasani se khul gaya. Yeh tumhare fitness ke baare mein kya kehta hai, samjhi ya..."
Riya interrupted him angrily. "Samajh gayi. Aapko mujhe kuch samjhane ki zaroorat nahin hai. I won't bother you anymore, SIR", she bit out, grabbing a change of clothes from her locker and slamming it shut. She turned from him without a backward glance, leaving ACP Rawte speechless for once.
She had taken about two steps, when his hand shot out and caught her wrist. She looked at his hand in shock, and raised her eyes to meet his. "What..." Arjun pulled her close and slowly cupped her face in his palm. His other hand moved down from her wrist and held her hand. He leaned in, his nose almost touching her temple, and Riya's eyes fluttered shut. They stood like that for what seemed a long time, silent, just taking comfort in each other's presence. Riya was lost to the world, when his whisper jolted her back. "You don't bother me, Riya. You..." That seemed all he could say. Riya stepped back, searching his face for answers. He met her gaze steadily, a wry smile playing on his lips. He gave her hand a last squeeze and finally let her hand go. He then walked away, but stopped at the doorway. Without turning back, he simply said "Give me a little more time Riya", leaving Riya to calm her racing pulse, happier than she had been in a long time.
*****END*****
Please don't hate me. I'll be back to fluff tomorrow. Sorry if I disappointed you.
Edited by dee86 - 12 years ago
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