FF: Safe in his arms! Link to thread 2 added - Page 41

Once again thank you all for the likes and comments. Here goes the next part...there is a note in the previous page (if you haven't already seen it :p)

Do let me know what you think...

Part 20...

Riya put her spoon down and jumped up from her seat.

"Dad?! What are you doing here??"

Mr. Mukherjee looked at Arjun with a slight frown then his eyes moved onto Riya.

"Would you like me to answer that question here? Ya andar aake baat kar saktha hoon?"

Arjun and Riya glanced at each other and immediately moved aside letting Mr. Mukherjee in.

Riya knew that her father did not approve of her staying in a rented house when he offered her a new house he bought not far from here. But she has always been adamant on living independently without any help from him. So, it did not come as a surprise when her father looked around the house with disappointment written all over his face.

His eyes went over Anika twice but refused to acknowledge her, when he sat down on the couch Riya gestured Anu to come forward and she introduced her.

"Dad, this is Anika...my flatmate"

Mr. Mukherjee gave her an almost smile and a nod. His eyes then moved onto to Arjun, evident questions lingering in them. He was about to voice them when the door bell rang for the second time that morning.

Riya opened the front door to Shree who had a sheepish grin on.

"Ri, tumhare Arjun sir ne aaj..." Shree walked in and froze seeing Arjun staring at him with raised eyebrows.

"Aaj kya Shree?" Arjun asked with an amused look on his face.

"Aaj...aaj...tumhe pick karne ke liye...kaha hai mujhe..."

Arjun's amused look changed into a smirk.

Shree then noticed Mr. Mukherjee.

"Dad this is Shree, our colleague" Riya introduced him.

"Mister Mukherjee, heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you" Shree said formally and shook his hands.

"Nothing good I am sure" Riya rolled her eyes when her father said that, paving way to an awkward silence.

After few more seconds of silence and awkward glances at each other, Arjun gestured Shree and Anu to come to him.

"Shree, do you mind dropping Anu off at work? I'll come with Riya"

Shree couldn't help but smile and said yes without missing a beat. Anu too suddenly became concerned about getting to work early and started ushering Shree out of the house.

"Oookay..." Arjun looked at both of them with confusion but let it go. He did however warn Shree to be careful and vigilant about his surroundings promising to explain in detail when he reaches work.

"I am sorry I'll have to leave...aa...umm...uncle...I am getting late for work. It was nice meeting you" Anu said awkwardly and left after giving Riya a smile.

Riya turned to her father.

"So, dad I thought we were meeting for dinner. What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"I cannot make it to dinner tonight. Our client's flight got delayed and they are arriving later than previously planned"

"Dinner tonight was your plan dad, remember?" Riya was not angry; in fact she wasn't even disappointed...she was sure something like this was going to happen (like always) so she did not get her hopes high.

"I know and I am sorry beta! I thought of having breakfast with you instead...but..." He looked at Arjun with disapproval.

"Oh! Mister Mukherjee please don't let me bother you. I'll leave..." Arjun said and turned to Riya, "Call me when you are done and I'll pick you up!"

Riya immediately refused, "No! You are not going anywhere..."

"Riyaaa..." Arjun tried to say something but she shook her head and turned to her father.

"Dad this is why you are here aren't you? You wanted to meet Arjun, here he is...and I honestly don't think you'll ever have enough time for us again after today. So, why don't we just get it over and done with??"

As she said it Riya grabbed Arjun's hand and dragged him to the couch, making him sit down next to her.

Arjun heaved a sigh and looked at Mr. Mukherjee. The latter meanwhile had a frown on his face and gazed at his daughter as a father would when his child has done something wrong. He shook his head and looked away from the couple in front of him; his eyes fell on a photo on a nearby table.

"How are you two related?" He asked still looking at the photo.

Arjun and Riya followed his gaze to the photo. It was a picture of Arjun and Anu taken a few years ago, Riya found it in Anu's luggage and put it on the table couple of weeks back.

"She is Arjun's sister" Riya replied.

"Why does she stay here? Instead of with you?" Mr. Mukherjee slowly asked staring straight into Arjun's eyes.

Arjun immediately understood the direction this conversation would lead up to. He glanced at Riya, he could do it no other way than answer the questions that were about to be fired at him.

"She can't stay with me because I live in a lodge. It's not far from here; you would have come right past it when coming here"

"You...you live in a lodge?!" Mr. Mukherjee asked with disgust and looked at her daughter as if to see if she was surprised by this revelation.

"Yes, dad he lives in a lodge" Riya said with a straight face.

Mr. Mukerjee shook his head, "Tell me ACP Rawte is this really my daughter's future? Living in a lodge??"

"Dad!!..." Riya tried to protest but was cut short by her father.

"Shut up Riya! Tell me Arjun?"

"Mister Mukherjee I can understand your concern but...my circumstances were such that I..."

"Circumstances? Financial problems they are called Rawte!!"

"Those circumstances are not financial problems and it's ACP Suryakanth Rawte dad!!!" Riya said sternly. Arjun put a hand on her leg in an effort to calm her. That gesture did not calm her but surprised her. She couldn't believe how calm and controlled Arjun was and all that because she asked him once to keep his anger in control.

She glanced at him, her heart swelled with love for the man sitting next to her who took all the insults without a frown on his face.

"Alright! What are these circumstances you talk about?" Even Mr. Mukherjee it seemed did not want to lose his hold on frustration and anger that was welling up in him.

Arjun and Riya fell silent. She did not like the way this conversation was headed.

"The circumstances do not matter...he..."

"Riya are you really that stupid to not to see how wrong all this is??"

"You know nothing about him, so don't judge him"

This was all getting too much for Arjun. He knew he would lose all the self control if this conversation does not stop soon.

"I wanted to talk to you about this privately but...Riya why don't you see that he is..."

"Stop it dad! If you are under the impression that I'll sit here and watch you insult the man I love then you are wrong. If you have nothing nice to say...our conversation ends here"

Silence again.

"Tell me Arjun, one day a few years from now when your daughter comes to you and tells you that she is in love with someone who does not have a proper roof over his head...what would you do??" Mr. Mukherjee asked surprisingly calm.

Arjun understood what he was trying to say.

"I have been living in lodges for a few years now Mister Mukherjee. I moved out of my house when...after my wife..." Arjun trailed off.

"Your wife????" Mr. Mukherjee looked at Arjun in disbelief and then at Riya. He shook his head holding his temple. This couldn't get any worst! He thought.

"I am sorry Riya! But this person is not right for you!!!" He said getting up from the couch and walking to the middle of the living room.

Riya though had her eyes only on Arjun. She cupped the side of his neck and turned him to face her.

"You don't have to do this..." She said, tears welling up in her eyes. Arjun though had no other choice - he loved her way too much.

"Why don't you see what I see? God only knows why he left his wife..." Her father's rants fell on their ears.

That's when she lost the little control she had over her bubbling anger.

"What do you see dad?" Riya asked getting up and walking to her father.

"He had a wife and he left her, is that your concern?? Is that what you see in him that I don't?? Arjun did not leave his wife, she died"

Her father's hard, stern eyes softened a little upon hearing that.

"And what was the other one? Ya, he lives in a lodge...he lives in a lodge dad because HIS WIFE WAS KILLED IN THE HOUSE HE USED TO LIVE IN, HE COULDN"T BEAR TO LIVE IN THAT HOUSE SO HE MOVED OUT!!!" Riya face was damp with tears.

"Par aapko kya farak padtha hai? Your sole mission is to separate Arjun from me right? Aapko isse farak nahi padtha ki Arjun accha insaan hai ya nahi, aapko sirf ek galti chahiye!

One mistake in him that you can point out and say 'Look Riya, this person is wrong for you. The person I sought out for you is the right choice!'" Riya almost screamed at her father.

"That's not fair Riya! I - I care about you!"

Riya shook her head, tears rolling down her face. "No you don't! All you have ever cared about is your work, your money...you never cared about me or mom..."

"That's not true! Beta all this money everything I do is for you..."

"But I don't need all that. I never did!! Neither did mom...all we wanted was YOU to be by our side when needed, but you weren't dad! Not even when mom was diagnosed with that heart problem"

Riya's sight was blurred with tears. Her mother's face flashed in front of her - lying on the hospital bed, broken and hurt just staring at the door waiting...

"Woh aapke liye wait karte karte margayi dad...she's gone, SHE'S DEAD!!

The kind of love mom always wanted to see in your eyes for her...dad I saw that love for me in Arjun's eyes. He loves me..."

Riya wiped her tears and determinedly looked at her father.

"Khair yeh sab chodiye, apne dil par haath rakh ke kahiye...Anurag uncle ke bete se rishta...it doesn't have anything to do with your business? It wouldn't have profited your business in any way??"

Mr. Mukherjee fell silent and for the first time Arjun noticed him look away with nothing to say.

Riya slowly turned to Arjun and sat in front of him on the ground.

"I am sorry Arjun! You didn't deserve to listen to all that...I am so sorry"

Arjun couldn't bring himself to speak but he wiped her tears and shook his head trying to reassure her.

Riya turned around to her father again, "I love him dad! Please, if you can...try to understand that"

Mr. Mukherjee looked at his daughter and Arjun for a few seconds before turning on his heel and walked out of the house.

"Mister Mukherjee please..." Arjun got up to stop him but found himself stopped by Riya. She let out a sob and slumped down on the couch.

"Riya, Ri don't let your dad go like this. Ab sab ghusse mein keh diya, par abhi unhe nahi rokhogi toh baad mein you'll regret it!" Arjun said hurriedly.

Riya though shook her head, "Unhe aur mujhe dono ko waqt chahiye Arjun. A lot of things have been said...we both need time for all that to sink in"