FF : HAR PAL... (CH 32: PG 143) - Page 85

CHAPTER 28:

CHAPTER 29:

The emotional downpour was dirturbing both Arjun and Sameer. Sam was silent all through the ride back to the office. The trio often glanced at him and to each other deciding whether they should speak up or not. They decided to give him his liberty of silence for a while until the unknown storm settles. They didn't know the meaning of the message or its significance. But they only knew that it had some inner meaning and memories connected to it. Something so deep that they couldn't see properly.

On reaching the office everyone watched the team unusually silent. Usually they would walk in with the case discussion and more orders to the other staffs. The staffs had already witnessed an angry agitated Arjun storming in before and now an unusually silent team coming in with a bigger storm hidden inside.

While walking into the discussion room, Sam looked at the glass wall of Arjun's cabin. He was sitting in his chair; forehead creased proving his endless thoughts and cold stare to nowhere particular. Maybe something called him out from inside that made him look sideways and met the eyes of his friend. Yes friend and not the chief. The team who was already inside the hall, was watching everything. Sam was just casually or rather not so casualy looking at Arjun's door and Arjun answered him by another look. They were wondering about the so-called telepathy between them.

Sam walked in and was followed by Arjun in a while to the hall. Aisha started recording the events on the discussion board. Chotu was finding out the dead man's identity and Sree was suppoting Chotu.

Another staff knocked and walked in handing over a parcel to Arjun. "sir, ye abhi abhi aye hai.apke naam" he nods and the staff walks off. He looks at the brown colored parcel and the name on it. it was addressed to him, without the sender address. The team's attention was on it too. He was standing at a corner of the table, while the team sitting at their own positions.

Arjun slowly opened the parcel and put his hand inside it. he felt something like wooden. He pulled it out carefully. Each moment he was pulling it out, somewhere inside he felt something similar. Something odd.

He took it out completely and looked at it. the brown cower fell from his other hand. Sam watching his face every second and he could swear that Arjun looked pale. "kya hua Arjun?? kya hai ye??"

Arjun was controlling unknown emotions now looking at it. Sam and team noticed Arjun's hands shaking, maybe due to rage. His face showed disgust and more than that pain. Sam couldn't hold on more. He stood up and walked towards Arjun.it looked as if Arjun didn't even realize Sam was near to him. "Arjun?? kya hua??"

Arjun wakes up as from a bad... No worst dream. He hands over it to Sam and walks out of the office. He walks away to the parking lot and starts his SUV to the only destination, where he could find comfort.

The team was shocked at the sudden behavior. Sam now looked at the parcel and he at once knew what the trouble was.

Sree: kya hua sir?? Kya hai ye?

He keeps it on the table for everyone. It was a photoframe with a smiling Arjun and Pari walking hand in hand at the beach. But the shocking part was something else. A big artistic letter "S" written over the photo in red ink, almost covering the smiling faces.

Ais: iske matlab...

Sam: is baar message sidhe nishane pe laga hai...

Sre: sir hamare samaj me kuch nahi aarahe hai. aaj wo message jo uss admi ne diya...aur ab ye photo. Maana ke ye Arjun sir aur Pari se related hai, lekin aap dono aise kyu react kar rahe ho, jaise aap ye message pehle bhi suna hai!!

Sam: kyunki humne ye do messages pehle suna hai Sree. Aur shayad tumhe Arjun ke baath yaad hoga ke 'history is repeating'. its really repeating guys. Aur patha nahi iss bar kya kya hone wale hai.

Ais: sir aap saaf saaf kyu nhai batha rahe hai?

Sam sits on his chair tired and takes the photoframe. "pichle baar jab aise parcel aya tha, thab ek photoframe me, Pari ke jagah Roshni thi. Aur jab wo direct message mile, thab uss admi ke jagah Sikander tha."

He closes his eyes absorbing the memories.

Arjun's SUV:

He was driving like a maniac. That photoframe brought a lot of memories and more than that, even though he hated it to admit, it brought back fear.

"Arjun, apkeliye koi parcel aya hai..."

He was having his bath after coming from the station. "parcel?? Aur iss waqt.(its almost 8 pm). Lagtha hai aaj kal courier service wale kaafi hoshiyar hogaye hai. lelo Roshni... mien abhi aya."

"bhaiya (to the courier man) aap mujhe dedijiye. Wo naha rahe hai" she signs and get the parcel for him.

He comes out after a while. "Arjun apke parcel table pe hai. kisne bheja ye tho likha nahi. Lagtha hai ko secret admirer hoga"

"secret admirer nahi yaar, shayad mere GF me se kisiki hogi. You know they miss me a lot na??"

"acha... lagtha hai aap bhi unhe bohot miss kar rahe hai. tho jaake mila kyu nahi?"

He comes and hugs from behind. "kya karu meri jaan. Dil tho ek hi hai. aur wo aapme kurbaan hai. tho khaali haath kaise jau??"

"achaji, tho mien wapas kardu apke dil??"

"bhoolke bhi aise karne ke koshish math karna. Mar jaungi jaan!!"

"ab bas kaafi romance hogaya. Parcel dekhlo, thab thak khana table pe hoge."

He walks and takes the parcel and sits on the sofa. There is no sender address. He opens it and gasps. It was a photoframe with him and Roshni together. Maybe it was taken by someone when they had gone out the previous night for a dinner. And above it was a big "S" in red ink.

"Arjun, khana ready" he didn't hear it so she came to him. He was looking at something deep in thoughts. "janab GF ke gift dekhke khogaye hai kya?" he didn't respond again. She felt somrthing off and so sat by him on the sofa. "kya hua Arjun? aur ye kya hai?"

She looked at the frame and understood. She looked at him and knew it was something serious. "ye "S" kaun hai Arjun?"

" S yani Sikander."

"aur ye frame ka kya matlab hai? kya hua??"

"Roshni, Sam aur mien ek case ke piche hu. In fact Sikander ka piche. Wo ek bohot bada don hai. drugs, smuggling, human trafficking, you name anything, sab karthe hai. uska racket bohot bada hai. jabse ye case liya hai, dhamki tho athe hi rahthe hai. lekin ab..."

"ab bhi kuch nahi hua. Isse bhi ek aise dhamki samjhiye."

"Roshni you are not getting it. koi kal raath hamare picha kar raha tha. Aur mujhe patha thak nahi chala. How could I be so careless?"

"its ok Arjun. Relax. I know aap inke jad thak jaoge. Aur kuch bhi apko nahi rokge. Na mien, aur na ye dhamki. Ab fresh hojao aur khana khalo. Aur ye frame do, me ye writing mita dungi. Waise ache pic hai, aap kaafi ache dikh rahe ho"

He knew she was trying to make the air light. So he smiled at her. "nahi Roshni, mujhe ye dept lajana hoga. Its an evidence too."

"ok then aap ajao, khane keliye ok!!" she walks off, leaving his mind to work extra time.

The next morning, he shows the frame to Sam.

Sam: Arjun take more precautions. Roshni se kaho ke school na jaye. Aur ghar pe hi rahe.

Arj: I already asked her Sam. Par wo maan nahi rahi. Aur isliye...

Sam: what?? How could you be careless Arjun?

Arj: mien usse kabhi kuch mana nahi kiya hai Sam. Aur naahi karunga. Aur mera dil keh raha hai ke kuch nahi hoga.

Sam: dil?? Huh?? Ek police officer ko dil se nahi dimag se sochna hotha hai!!

Arjun looks at him and smiles.

Sam:ab ye smile kyu de rahe ho??

Arj: main yahi dialog aaj kal kaafi bar sun raha hu. Isliye.

Sam: Arjun its not time to joke. Understand.

Arj: I know Sam, isiliye meine Roshni ke phone ko hamesha detection pe rakha hai. wo jaha bhi hai, mujhe patha hoga.

Sam: firse sochle Arjun.

Arjun (in mind) : bohot baar socha hai Sam, par mien kya karu? Mujhe bhi usse kahi jaathe hue dekh nahi paraha hai. but I have promised her. I'm sorry Sam.

Kash mein uss din se Sam ke baath maan liya hotha...

He reches home and looks at the guards. He instructs them to be extra vigilant now. He walks in and finds Pari playing video games. She hears him and runs and hugs him while he sits down on knees for her. He hugs her tight and kiss her hair. Badima and Riya notice him.

"kya hua Arjun? tum is waqt yaha kya kar rahe ho?"

"kuch nahi Ma, bas aise hi. Iski yaad agaya." He hugs her again. Suddenly a call comes from Rathod. He takes it and walks to the window.

"Arjun, aaj ek aur explosion hua hai! aur waha ke local police ne phone kiya hai ke waha ETF keliye koi message bhi hai"

"kaha hua hai?" (Sam gives the location) "wo jagah yaha se kamse kam 2-3 hours ke drive pe hai. is baar yaha se ithne dur kyu?"

"Arjun ab ye sab sochne ka time nahi hai. chalo"

"nah Rathod. It's a distraction, to take us away from here. Hum, sabko aise chod ke nahi jasakthe."

"then what to do?"

"Chotu ko yaha bhejo. He'll stay here till we come back. Chotu ke yaha aane ke baad mien khud waha ajaunga. You carry on. We'll meet at the spot"

"ok. I'll send Chotu now"

PRECAP:

Sikandr's call to Arjun

CHAPTER 30: PAGE 133