~At First Blush~
Chapter-4
"Hey Riya!"
"Hey Shaan" Riya replied, smiling.
Riya was in ETF headquarters, they had a case so their free day was cut in short. She was about to enter the 'Discussion' room, as they like to call it, when Shaan stopped her.
"You never gave any guy a chance to go out with you. But they had secretly hoped that you will give them a chance someday. But alas! you broke our hearts & hopes today."
Shaan said making a sad face.
Riya was utterly confused regarding what he was talking about. "yeh sab ko hua kya hai aaj? By God!" she thought.
Riya: "what are you talking about? And how did I break your heart & hope?"
Shaan: "Now don't deny it. We all know. Don't worry about us. I am glad that you finally moved on with your life. Btw, gotta go. See ya later."
Riya: "but'." Before she could even ask anything further, Shaan was gone!
Riya was clueless. Such a confusing start of a day, she thought. "Oh sorry, it's almost Afternoon, thanks Mr Raute" She mentally thanked Arjun, rolling her eyes. Remembering what happened in the morning, his bare shoulders, their almost-hug, made her blush real hard. Damn, ain't he a sexy beast!
"come on Riya! What's wrong with you? Tum uski bare mein kyu soch rahi ho? Get a grip girl" she mentally smacked herself for ummm, drooling on him.
She entered the discussion room & found everyone staring at her.
She smiled & waved at them. But to her utter dismay, none of them welcomed her but gave her a look that typically meant she had done something which she hadn't shared with them. Shree and Chotu went back to the game they were playing on Shree's i-pad where Neha and Ankita resumed gossiping.
Alright, that's it!
"What the hell is going on?" Riya nearly yelled with hands on her hips, looking at each of them in turns.
They stopped doing whatever they were doing and stood up at once. It's never a good choice for anybody to poke Arjun sir's sherni in the eyes, you know!
Shree mustered up the courage and spoke up, "good question! But ye humhe puchna chahiye tujhse, tujhe nehi.".
"True. Isiliye humhe tujhse koi baat nehi karni" Ankita sided with Shree and said, while Chotu and Neha nodded their heads in accord.
Riya looked at them & rolled her eyes.
"kya aap log ye batane ki kast karenge ki maine kiya kya hai? Sab mujhe ajeeeb o gareeb nazro se dekh rahe hai. Koi mujh se siddhi mu baat bhi nehi kar raha'ho kya gaya hai sabko? Aur ye girls, dekhto aise rahe hai jaise maine inse inka mr dreamy ko hi chin liya ho." Riya blurted out her frustration.
"wahi toh hua hai. Mr dreamy abb humare na raha" Neha said, looking upset.
"Don't make me say what?" Riya exclaimed. So, it means Arjun is taken..finally? Nehi nehi..aisa kaise ho sakta hai! Wait. What does she have to with all this? After all, 'she' is not the one he has fallen for, eh? This thought somehow made her sad and she started to wonder why when Ankita's voice fell on her ears.
Ankita: "kya Ri? naraz humhe hona chahiye aur ulta tu humhe gussa dikha rahi hai? Tune humse itni bari baat chupayi? how could u do this?"
"Haan Riya. tumne itni bari decision le liya without informing us. We are supposed to be your best buddies!." Chotu chided in.
Riya was really pissed off today. "Le, subha subha khote se larayi..abb yeh kaha phas gayi main", she thought.
"Guys, nahi maine shaadi ka faisla liya hai nahi main bin bihaye maa banne wali hu. toh aisa kya kiya maine that you people..no, the whole office is behaving so strange with me? Will you please bother to enlighten me with?"
"I don't believe this! tu abhi bhi deny kar rahi hai." Neha said while shaking her head disapprovingly.
"Shree, tu badal gayi hai Ri." Shree stated in, sadly.
They all nodded at the same time. Riya neared them and grabbed Neha and Ankita with her arms around their neck, causing them to gasp.
"jee nehi. main abhi bhi wahi Riya hu. Aur agar apni apni gardan bachana chahti ho toh jaldi bata. Start. Talking. Now." Riya sternly ordered them.
"ok. ok. batati hu" said Ankita while gasping for breath.
"Good girl", Riya patted Ankita on her head, grinning on her rowdy-pan.
"Puri office ko pata chal gaya hai ki tu mr. dreamy.." Neha stopped when Shree glared at her. "I mean Arjun sir ki Girlfriend hain" Neha finished.
"Kya!?!?!" that's all Riya could manage to speak out.
"What did you just say?" Riya uttered, finally calming down her thudding heart. Why was her heart beating so fast just because someone thought she was his gf? She wondered.
"The truth" Chotu said. "Come on Riya! We have seen you and Arjun sir together, chahe office pe ho ya ghar pe. You two have something."
Riya felt her cheeks getting warmer. She closed her eyes for a moment and composed herself.
"Tumhara naam Chotu hai na? iska matlab yeh nehi ki tum utpatang batein sochte firoge. Who, on earth, told you this?" Riya asked.
"Riya, ye saab kehna nehi parta samajhni parti hai. Humne samajh li." Ankita said.
"haan..haan..madam Ankita ne apni samajhdari ki kya missal kayem ki hai, by God! Tum log sayed bhul gayee ho ki uparwale ne tum logo ko dimaag nehi diya sirf khali khopri diya hai. Woh bhi gobar se vara hua." Riya scorned.
"Haan. Haan. humari dimaag to tujhe virast mein milli hai." Neha replied back and the four-some laughed.
"Itne acchi teeth bhi nehi hai ki dikha rahe ho. Sidhe sidhe batao ki aisa kisne kaha ?"
Riya threatened them with her look.
"kya Ri! ek to tu chori chori Arjun sir ki liye b'day bash ki taiyari kar rahi hai aur uparse humpe baras rahi hai?" Shree said, slightly pouting. "Ulta chor kotwal ko dante" Chotu joined in.
"Nahi main chor hu, nahi tum log kotwal. Aur tum logo ne iss baat ko apni moti buddhi se char aur char panch bana diya ! hadh hai yaar." Riya said.
"dekha maine kaha tha na ki ye aise hi kahegi" Neha chided in.
"For you & everyone's most kind information, I'm not his girlfriend. Suna? Anki madam, I was helping your beloved fiance, Sameer, who is unfortunately HIS best friend. Rathore asked for my help to arrange a birthday bash for him. Aab tum toh 1 minute mein Arjun sir se bol deti, isiliye mujhse pucha. And I couldn't deny him as he is YOUR bf and curse my luck, my boss." Riya stated in one breath.
"oops sorry Ri! Who humhe laga ki.." Shree was trying to reason out.
"humhe laga ki Riya badal gayi hai..bla bla bla. Right! Thanks guys! You really made my day.." Riya said. She was upset. Why because her friends doubted her or she being Arjun's GF was merely a rumor, she didn't know! She turned to leave but then again, turned to face the team.
"Btw, kal 10 baje se pehle beach pe pohoch jaana. tum logo ki dreamy ka party wahi hai"
Saying so, she left and bumped into someone.
"Chalo, abb isi ki kami thi." Riya cursed her ill-luck. "Why Devi maiyya?" She mentally whined.
Standing in front her is Nadiya, a correspondent officer who was mainly appointed to ETF since 6 months to let the common people know about ETF and their heroic acts. But all she does is drool, drool and drool on Arjun. And of course, Arjun 'has' to save her every time she falls in a danger, deliberately. Riya added. The perfect damsel in distress and her knight in shining armor saving her arse consistently, Riya sarcastically included
"Riya, tumhe kya laaga ki tum Arjun ko itni asani se phasa loge? kyuki tum usee jante ho bachpan se and that's why uske kareeb jaa sakte ho? How very silly of you! Arjun is only mine & you better stay out of his life"
"Bas, mera sabar tut gaya" Riya closed her eyes then looked at Nadiya & said,
"mujhe na tumhari who sada hua kaddu chahiye bhi nehi. Rakhlo meri amma aur baksh do mujhe! Aur vaise bhi jab woh tumhare hai toh tumhe mujhse itni insecurities kyu hai? Jao aur aapne darling Arjun ko haseel karlo."
"And aur ek baat. Woh ACP Arjun Raute hai and make sure you use 'sir' the next time you mention him. Got that?" Riya rather warned her, crooking her one brow up.
Riya gave one last look at her & walked away. The foursome were standing there with their mouth wide open.
Nadiya stumped her foot & walked into the room.
_____________
"Okay. So this is a simple case of drug and rave parties." Rathore said with a frustrated look. Typical Rathore.
"Which means we just have to seize a rave party and catch the drug dealers?" Riya asked.
"Par itna asan case ETF ko kyu?" Shree asked, puzzled.
"kyu ki yeh jitna simple dikhta hai utna hai nehi. Yeh drug dealer ek bohot bara mafiya se juda hai ya judi hai." Arjun stated in.
"Judi hai? Iska matlab suspect ladki bhi ho sakti hai?" Ankita asked.
"haan. Kyu nehi? Aurat ki kabiliyat pe kabhi saq nehi karna chahiye." Arjun answered while grinning at Riya.
Riya could feel a slight blush silently creeping up on her cheeks when she looked at him. She remembered the time when she had told him the same when he had misconstrued her capabilities. She looked down and started penning down the details.
"Isiliye humhe undercover jana padega. Shree tum abhi fake id se Riya, Nadiya aur Raute and apne liye uss rave party ki tickets book karo." Rathore instructed Shree, bringing Arjun out of his thought.
"But sir, why Riya? I am sure I can handle this alone and besides, Arjun sir will be there too." Nadiya subjected.
If looks could kill, Nadiya would be dead by now. Riya hated everytime she butted in. Like seriously girl?
And yes, if eye-sex really existed, Arjun would be raped by Nadiya, every day, every hour and every minute of his life.
Before Arjun or Riya could say something, Rathore spoke up. "They need a singer, plus entertainer for the party and Riya can do this better, I believe."
No, Rathore too never liked this girl. "I love you, Rowdy Rathore." Riya mentally told him, smiling.
"Neha, tum yahi ruko & humhe technical support karo. Chotu, tum meri saath bahar commando's ki saath rahoge." Rathore commanded. "Now let's get going!"
__________________
It was one hell of a crazy rave parties Riya had seen so far! The venue was bedecked to immerse the people in a fantasy like world. There were laser lights, vibrant visual effect and fake rain. People were soaked to the skin in the water, enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Riya watched, slightly amused. Shree attached a mike on her so that she could sing louder.
"Shree, yeh Arjun sir aur Na-daya kaha hai?" Riya asked while looking at everywhere to find them.
Shree pointed behind her back. "naam lo, saytaan hazir." Shree said.
She looked behind where a spot light was pointing on two people..a guy in white shirt and a girl in red sleeveless short dress..standing too close...rain falling on them, making them completely damp...
Then she saw their faces..and they were none other than our very own Arjun Raute & Nadiya.
Riya just simply gaped at them. Yes, Nadiya did accompany Arjun in some undercover missions but it was gracelessly intense today.
She felt like someone has banged her head with something strong. She hated to admit but she felt something deep in her heart tonight, seeing them together. Was that jealousy?
Arjun was grinning, looking at Riya's baffled face. While Nadiya was busy giving Riya her look as if saying I-told-you-he-is-mine! (sure kid 😆)
Shree jerked Riya slightly and pointed to sing.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6y0eo1L9CE[/YOUTUBE]
Riya looked away and started singing, slowly walking towards them. Rain splashed her when she entered the arena, soaking herself. Her short black cocktail dress clinging to her body.
Meri pehli mohabbat hai
Meri pehli yeh chaahat hai
Meri itni si hasrat hai
Gale lag ja na jaa
Singing so she looks at Arjun then Nadiya who is clinging to him acting on the last line.
Riya turns her face away. A random boy comes into the picture and twirls Riya.
Teri baahon mein rahat hai
Teri zulfhon mein jannat hai
Meri itni si hasrat hai
Gale lag ja na jaa
Arjun sings looking at Riya'enjoying her uneasiness..as Riya looks at him, he holds Nadiya close to him..teasing Riya. Her getting uneasy seeing Nadiya and him together, made him amused so he decided to tease her until his sherni speaks her heart out.
Sulge sulge badan hai
Uljhe uljhe se maan hai
Riya looks at Arjun..he was already looking at her..
Badhti jaati hai tan ki pyaas
Riya sings giving a disgusted look at Nadiya, who was now showing her harpick se dhula hua 32 dant.
Bheki bheki hai raatein
Mehki mehki hai saansein
Rehna rehna tu dil ke paas
Riya singing behind Arjun, who tilts his head a little to look at her.
*music*
Slowly everybody joins them with their partner.enjoying this romantic music.
Oh tu agar samne ho
Kaise main khud ko rakh pao hosh mein
Arjun sings..twirling Nadiya around Riya..
Darta hai dil khata yeh kar baithe na
Mohabaat ke josh mein
Riya turns her face away. Makes a pouty face as if complaining to devi maa.
Badla badla hai mausam
Pighla pighla hai youvan
Jaage jaage hai ab eshaas
Riya singing remembering her dance with him. They were in an undercover mission where they had faked to be a couple and ended up sharing a dance together. Now Nadiya has taken her place and that's not cool.
Bheki bheki hai raatein
Mehki mehki hai saansein
Rehna rehna tu dil ke paas
Suddenly she felt like she can't bear it anymore. She turns to leave but Arjun was quick enough to hold her hand.
*music*
Arjun pulls Riya suddenly, causing her to crush on his chest. Nadiya was now nowhere to be seen.
Arjun puts a hand on Riya's wet waist while another caressing her face. (dance step hain baba 😉)
Meri jazbon ki jo bhi halat hai
Wo samjh lo na bin kahe
Riya sings, lost in his deep chocolate eyes. Feeling Arjun so close to her, she felt whole now. Maybe that's what she was missing all this time.
Oh in labon se kahon
Jo armaan hai
Barso yeh honth chup rahe
Arjun sings. He holds her from behind. His damp bare chest touching her exposed back, making her shiver. Moving his face one side to another, his breath touching Riya's face.
Thandi thandi agan hain
Meethi meethi chubhan hai
Jhudti jhudti hai tujhse aas
Arjun back lifts her. Riya rests her head on his shoulder.
Bheki bheki hai raatein
Mehki mehki hai saansein
Rehna rehna tu dil ke paas
Ajun moved her away then again pulled her closer which made her crush on his chest once again.
Teri baahon mein rahat hai
Teri zulfhon mein jannat hai
Meri itni si hasrat hai
Gale lag na na jaa
He lifts her again. then he slowly puts her down. Both having an eye-lock. Riya's arm around Arjun's neck while his hands were encircled around Riya's waist. They stood so close, leaving barely a inch between their faces. Water dropping from Arjun's hair, making their way to his lips, Riya was noticing them now. Arjun followed her gaze, he looked at her pouty damp lips, biting his lower lip.
Suddenly there's a bullet fire. Rathore entered with Chotu and the other commandos. (damn you Sameer!)
This makes Arjun and Riya come out from the trance. They looked the other way. The fake rain had stopped and police was now putting everyone on their custody.
But one of the suspects had succeeded in fleeing. Riya, Arjun both sprinted after him. Riya took the other route out.
Arjun ran after the suspect. He was their main suspect. How did he manage to escape anyway?
Arjun saw him riding on a bike and leave. He starts to run faster, taking his gun out.
Riya comes out of nowhere and stands in the middle of the street and points her gun at the suspect who's coming towards her.
But he doesn't slow down. Arjun notices this and sees Riya standing still.
Arjun aims for suspect's arm and shoots. Bull's eye! The suspect loses his balance and falls on the road with the bike. But he had already pushed Riya aside. Riya falls on the road, her left knee was bleeding. Riya puts her hand on her head, only to find it was bleeding too.
'Riya" Arjun cried out, running up to her. By that time, Rathore and the team had taken care of that suspect.
"Are you ok?" Arjun asked, concerned. Slightly touching at her head.
"yeah, fine!" Riya lied.
"no you're not. That looks pretty bad." He said, pointing at her head.
"Sir, I can take care of it myself. Thank you." She said. Riya frowned and stood up. Well, tried more like. She immediately fell back down. She was waiting for the hard concrete to hit her again but he caught her.
"Still think you don't need any help?" Arjun smirked, raising one brow.
Riya groaned and let him lead her to his SUV. Shree put bandages on her wounds. She looked tired and just wanted to go home.
Rathore called it a day. Asking Arjun to take Riya home and gave a stern look at Nadiya when she tried to interfere.
Riya always questioned when Rathore would ask them to go together but not tonight. She was too tired to argue.
She just rested her head on the window pane while Arjun was driving. She was shivering due to wet cloths. Arjun turned off the AC, took his coat from the back seat and neatly covered her with it. Soon, she was fast asleep.
Arjun parked the SUV infront of her house and looked at her to wake her up but he stopped. He saw her sleeping peacefully and he didn't had the gut to wake her up. He opened her door and picked her up, not making a noise.
But she was a cop. She opened her eyes instantly and saw Arjun looking at her with concern. She let out a big sigh and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes.
Riya's servant opened the door. It was past midnight and everyone was asleep.
Arjun carried her to her room. He slowly put her on her bed, tucking her under her duvet. Riya was again dead to the world. He smiled at her, slightly touching her cheek. He bent down and kissed her on her forehead, lingering a little there.
He switched off the lights and closed her door giving one last look at her.
Yes, it does scare the great ACP Raute when something happens to her, his sherni!
Anupamaa
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