The Home-Coming
Riya paced up and down her bedroom wondering what to do? How to call him? How would he react? Would he even remember her? Countless questions roamed her mind but she had no answers. She inhaled rapidly to get in extra oxygen. Gathering all the courage in her body, she speed-dialled.
Police station-
It was a late night where no one was allowed to be lazy. No one had the courage to be. ACP Arjun Rawte would cut off their heads. He was reading a file at one of the desks when his phone rang from atop the desk of Inspector Mayank Deshpande.
Arjun ignored the ringtone.
Mayank subtly peeked on the screen. He is confused seeing a girl’s name flashing on the screen.
Mayank: uh sir, kisi Riya ka phone hai
Arjun turned sharply. Dropping the file at the desk, he swept across the room to answer it. The rest of the station stared at him in utter disbelief.
Arjun: hel…
Riya: Ajay File Mili Ya Nahi?? Tumhe Pata Haina Woh File Kitni Important Hai? Rathore Sir Ko Kal Subah Commissioner Sir Ko Submit Karni Hai Aur Tum Ho Ki Shanti Se Baithe Ho? Maine Kaha Tha Use Sambhal Kar Rakhna!!
Arjun took the phone away from his ear to check. It really was Riya. Her scolding voice on the phone sounded different from the usual one. He felt both disappointed and happy. Disappointed because she hadn’t meant to call him and happy because at least he got to hear her again.
Riya: Ab Murat Ki Tarah Chup Kyun Ho? Muh Mein Dahi Jama Kar Rakha Hai Kya? Kya Jawab Dungi Main Rathore Sir Ko?
Arjun stepped inside his room separated by wooden panels.
Arjun: tumhari train par break lagega tabhi toh koi kuch bolega na
Riya: tumhari awaaz ko kya… oh my god!!! Arjun sir?! I am so sorry! Main apne junior ko phone kar rahi thi I… I am so sorry
Arjun: ha woh toh samaj aa gaya mujhe.
Riya: I’m really very sorry. Woh upar neeche tha toh shayad isliye
Arjun: hmm. Par tumhe itni chinta karne ki zaroorat nahi hai, Rathore tumhe kuch nahi kahega
Riya: I hope so par responsibility naam ki bhi toh cheez hoti haina? Specially bola tha ki file sambhalna aur wahi file ghum gayi. Ab subah mujhe hi jaldi jaakar dekhni padegi. Pata nahi kaha rakh di isne. Anyway, aap kaise hai?
Arjun: theek hun, tumhari tabiyat ab theek ho gayi puri tarah?
Riya: ha, ha sir. Bas woh physical abhi tak pass nahi hua. Toh isliye raids pe allowed nahi hai
Arjun: kyun?
Riya: woh lamba break ho gaya toh body thodi weak pad gayi hai. Train kar rahi hun. Ek-do mahine mein ho jaayega
Arjun: oh
Riya: ha, aap kaha hai? ghar pe?
Arjun: nahi station pe hun. Thoda kaam hai toh khatam kar raha tha
Riya: kaunse station?
Arjun: Nanded
Riya(shocked): Nanded?!?! Aap… aapka transfer Pune mein hua hai?
Arjun: ha kyun?
Riya: nahi woh bas… aise hi. Mujhe pata nahi tha na, isliye. I thought aap shehar mein hi hai
Arjun(amused): par isme itna bhi shock hone waali baat nahi thi
Riya: nahi woh I mean… (she paused to gather herself) I have a confession
Arjun(confused): kya?
Mistaking it for inquisitiveness, she took a deep breath and scrunched her eyes.
Riya spoke in a single breath: please gussa mat karna main aapse hi baat karna chahti thi isliye jhoot bolkar phone kiya aapka reaction dekhne ke liye
Arjun is taken aback mv “mujhse baat? Lekin tum toh… (stiffening) iska matlab Rathore ne mujhse jhoot bola. (gritting his teeth) Galti meri hi hai ki maine us par bharosa kar liya, I am sorry Riya. Yakeen karo ki tumhare Arjun sir tumse dur kabhi nahi jaana chahte the.”
She gets worried, receiving silence.
Riya: sir?
Arjun comes out of his thoughts: huh? Ha… uh, oh right tumhara confession
Riya: I’m sorry
Arjun smiled: it’s ok Riya, agar tumhari jagah main bhi hota toh shayad aisa hi kuch karta
Riya(surprised): really?
Arjun: ab main jaise hun waise tum ban gayi toh mujhe dar toh lagega na
Riya shied away: kya sir aap bhi?
Thinking something, he ventured forward.
Arjun: waise agar tum ye jaanna chahti thi ki main kaha hun toh I assume ki… tum milna chahti thi?
Riya(defensively): I… thoda… woh… hopefully. Of course, agar aapko aitraaz na ho toh (Arjun smiled triumphantly) par aap toh Pune mein hai
He was going to offer to visit Mumbai when she spoke up impulsively.
Riya: main weekend ko aa jau? Isi bahane nayi jagah bhi dekh lungi
Arjun: tum travel kar sakti ho?
Riya: are sir ETF mein aa gayi, travel ka cheez hai?
Arjun: toh aa jao
Her voice grew in excitement: great! Waise bhi Saturday ko half day hota hai, main full day le lungi. (sheepishly) aap free haina? Main aapko disturb toh nahi karungi?
Arjun: ho jaunga free
Riya felt her chest would explode out of happiness.
Arjun: so… I’ll see you on Saturday?
Riya: yes sir
Arjun: waise ab main tumhara boss nahi hu
Her breath hitched: woh… woh
Arjun: woh nahi, sir nahi, samjhi ya samjhau?
Riya gulped nervously: samajh gayi sir
Arjun raised his eyebrow: kya?
Riya: I mean, samaj gayi Ar… jun
Arjun: good night Riya, see you
Riya: good night
Call disconnect
Arjun chuckled to himself while Riya stared at her phone in disbelief.
Riya mv “socha tha gussa karenge, inhone toh seedhe attack de diya. Ye volcano dormant kaise ho gaya? (getting excited) jo bhi ho, kam se kam mil toh paungi. Oh god! He is so sweet! Itni jaldi maan gaye. Boss nahi toh sir nahi, such a darling! Itne time baad unki awaaz suni. Man kar raha hai ki bas sunti hi rahu. Aaj toh chain ki neend aayegi.”
Leaving the shock aside, she was elated to meet Arjun. She cursed seeing the calendar stuck on a Tuesday. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday…. Three days more!! Sighing, she opened her cupboard to pick out the clothes she would pack.
The next morning, Rathore was surprised to see Riya already present in his cabin. She wished him cheerfully.
Riya: Good morning Rathore sir!!!
Rathore(amused): Good morning!
Placing his bag in its place, he took his seat.
Rathore: kya baat hai? itni khushi? Subah-subah yaha kaise?
Riya: woh sir actually mujhe Saturday ko full day holiday chahiye
She extended an envelope with her application.
Rathore: kyun?
Riya: woh kya haina sir ki mera ek dost haina, uski uh, engagement hai Sunday ko Alibaug mein toh bas isliye
Rathore: oh ok
He signed on her paper and returned it.
Riya: thank you sir!!
Saturday morning-
Arjun was living at the staff quarters. He woke up to an early morning message from Riya. She had left. It had been sent at 5:30 a.m. He calculated the time for her to arrive would be around 9 a.m. He sprang up from the bed and rushed to the bathroom to get ready. After all, he had to be beyond presentable for the queen of hygiene.
Humming to himself, he slipped on his bandage and brushed his hair. Just as he sprayed some perfume, his phone rang. He frowns seeing Mayank’s name flash across the screen. Now what did he want?
Arjun(irritated): kya hai?
Mayank swallowed in fear: good morning sir, Jai Hind
Arjun: Subah Ke 8:30 Baje Tumne Meri Chutti Ke Din Mujhe Wish Karne Ke Liye Phone Kiya Hai?
Mayank: nahi… nahi sir woh sir
Arjun: Sir, Sir Karke Sar Mat Khao Mera! Jo Bhi Kehna Hai Saaf-Saaf Kaho!
Mayank mv “hey bhagwan, aaj toh ye mujhe suspend karke hi chodenge!”
Mayank: sir woh Patil, Babloo ko pakadne gaya tha na toh uh woh… woh bhaag gaya
Arjun: What?!
Mayank: ha
Arjun: Ek Kaam Nahi Kar Sakte Tum Log?!
Mayank: sir uske admi haath lage…
Arjun: UNKA AACHAR DAALNA HAI MUJHE? ACCUSED BABLOO HAI!
Mayank: sorry sir
Arjun: Bloody Nonsense! (he took a deep breath) un logon ko pata hai Babloo kaha hai?
Mayank: pata hoga sir woh Patil lekar aa raha hai unhe station, par
Arjun: par kya?
Mayank: par woh bolenge ya nahi…
Arjun: Woh Kya Unka Baap Bhi Bolega!
He disconnected the call in anger cursing the sub-inspector, Patil. All he had to do was catch one murder accused who was just a professional thief and had accidentally killed a watchman. But no! The buffoon couldn’t even manage that.
He was still in his thoughts when his phone rang again. His face fell.
Arjun: Hi Riya
Riya: hello sir, acha main hotel pahunch gayi hun aur…
Arjun: Riya actually, plan mein thoda sa change hai. I’m really sorry, mujhe urgently station jaana padega. Ek-do ghante lag jaayenge
Riya: oh, waise main abhi pahunchi hu toh mujhe bhi ready hone mein thoda time toh lagega
Arjun: ok toh, if you don’t mind. Tum ready hokar station kyun nahi aa jaati? Mujhe bhi jaldi khatam karne ke liye bahana mil jaayega
Riya giggled: sure sir
Arjun: kya?
Riya: I mean Arjun
Arjun: better
Riya: toh main ready hokar aati hun, aap address bhej denge?
Arjun: of course, I’ll see you then
Riya: ha, soon
Call disconnected
Arjun mv “Ab pehle is Babloo ki khabar leta hun.”
At the hotel, Riya buried her face in the pillow. She still couldn’t believe she had a whole weekend with him and she had lied to Rathore for getting the leave. She opened her suitcase and started shuffling through her clothes to decide what to wear mv “oh god! Main kya pehnu? Shirt formal ho jaayega, dress pehle din weird lagega. Mandir bhi nahi jaana ki chudidaar ya kurti pehen lu. Hey bhagwan mujhe decide karke hi kapde laane chahiye the. Pura cupboard laane ki kya zaroorat thi mujhe??”
Nanded Police Station-
Arjun barged in, in anger. Patil, Mayank and the havaldaars holding the Babloo’s accomplices straightened immediately. Sweat beads formed on their forehead seeing Arjun fuming as he marched towards them.
Arjun screamed at Patil: EK MAMULI CHOR KO NAHI PAKAD SAKTE TOH WARDI KYUN PEHNI HAI TUMNE!?
He hung his head in fear.
Arjun muttered another curse under his breath. His gaze shifted to the men. They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Mayank exchanged glances with the others. It wasn’t the first time they were seeing Arjun without the uniform but he seemed dressed up in the black shirt and dark blue jeans. On top of that, they could smell perfume on him. And he was on leave which was a wonder in itself . They were sure they had pressed his wrong nerve. Not even catching the criminal would calm him down today.
Arjun: Written Request Du Brief Ke Liye?!
Mayank: Sorry sir, woh ye Jagan hai aur ye Kapil. Ye dono Babloo ke saath kaam karte hai. Chori ka saaman in dono ke paas hi mila.
Arjun turned to the two men. Grabbing a chair he sat in front of them, glaring.
Arjun: kaha hai tera saathi?
They remained mum.
Arjun: behre ho gaye ho ya gunge?
Jagan: ae inspector, tu jaanta hai hum kaun hai? Kishorilal sahab ke admi hai hum, apni bhalayi chahta hai toh hume jaane de. Jaanta haina woh kaun hai? tere area ka MLA.
Arjun: acha? Chal phone laga. Mayank landline pakda ise
Mayank had only tone thought as he obeyed mv “aaj toh sir MLA saahab ko bhi kacha chabaane ke mood mein hai”
Jagan and Kapil turned smug thinking everything would get sorted with a little money. Kapil quickly dialled the residence of Kishorilal. After asking the P.A. to hand over to Kishorilal, he complained.
Kapil: sahab, ye aapke area ke police station ke inspector ne hume pakad kar rakha hai, aapse baat karna chahta hai
Kishorilal: nikamme ho sab, choti-choti baatein bhi mujhe dekhni padti hai. Phone do use.
Kapil passed the phone to Arjun who snatched the telephone from him.
Arjun: hello
Kishorilal: kya hai inspector? Kyun mere admiyon ko pakda hai? kitna chahiye?
Arjun: ACP Arjun Suryakant Rawte bol raha hun.
Kishorilal and his men froze. Time stopped ticking.
Arjun: aur aapki jaankaari ke liye station se kiya gaya har call record hota hai. Ab ye log toh chori ke liye yaha aaye hai, aapko bhi daal du? waise bhi jail mein netao ki kami hai, kuch samjhe ya samjhau?
Kishorilal fumbled: woh uh… main… uh, karo, karo tumhe jo karna hai. Koi problem nahi. Bye
He hurriedly hung up the phone, cursing the idiots.
Arjun frowned at the men: tere baap ne toh sar se haath utha diya.
He gave the phone to Mayank and leaned forward threateningly.
Arjun: ab seedhe-seedhe bako ki Babloo kaha hai, warna samjhe ya samjhau?
They shivered in fear. Jagan opened his mouth to speak when,
A constable: are madam is taraf ayiye complaint likhane
All heads turned. Arjun immediately stood up. His body language changed drastically. His breath hitched, seeing her after such a long time. His heart did a somersault.
Riya looked as beautiful as ever. She was wearing black too. An off shoulder peplum with bell sleeves and white jeans. She had left her hair to the mercy of the wind. He wondered if it was possible to fall in love at first sight after already falling for the same person. She smiled seeing him.
Riya answered: mujhe complaint nahi likhani
Constable: toh fir yaha kya kar rahi ho? Madam ye police station hai mall nahi
Arjun(sharply): Tawde, aane do use!
He stepped away, quietly. He had no intentions to anger the already furious Arjun. Riya walked across near him.
Riya: hi
Arjun: hi, mujhe bas do minute do
She nodded.
Arjun turned to face the men again, stiffness returning to his body. Seeing them silent, he stepped forward and slapped Jagan leaving a mark on his cheek.
Jagan whimpered: saab bata toh raha tha
Arjun: Toh Kya Muhurat Nikalu Tere Liye?
Jagan: Dagdi chawl saab, uski kholi hai waha. Number 40
Arjun addressed Patil: Pakad Ke Laa Use! aur agar is baar woh bhaaga toh tujhe seedhe traffic mein daal dunga, samjhe ya samjhau?
Patil (timidly): ji sir
Turning to Mayank, he ordered: phone ki recordings nikalo, MLA ke khilaaf case banao in logon ka support karne ke liye
Mayank(shocked): par sir aapne toh phone pe kaha tha ki…
Arjun glares hard at him.
He cowers: samaj gaya sir
Despite controlling herself, Riya let out a chuckle. Arjun raised his eyebrow while the others stared in shock. They didn’t know who the girl was or why she had any connection to the fiery ACP but they knew for sure she was dead. Arjun was going to bury her 100 feet in the ground.
Arjun: hasi kyun aa rahi hai tumhe?
Riya: kuch nahi badla. Na aap aur na hi aapke tareeke
To everyone’s surprise, a small smile came on his face.
Arjun: ab hum badal jaayenge toh hum, hum kaise rahenge?
Laughing, she gave a thumbs up. Arjun turned to Mayank.
Arjun: keep me posted, main jaa raha hun aur agar koi bevkufi karne ki sujhe toh resignation par sign kar lena
Mayank: ji sir
He turned to Riya: chale?
Riya: lead the way
Holding her wrist, he headed out with her leaving the rest stunned.
Patil let out a breath he had been holding ever since his eyes had landed on Arjun.
Patil: ye ladki kaun thi? Rawte sir itna shaanti se kisse baat karte hai?
Mayank: ladki ko chodiye Patil ji, aur jaakar Babloo ko pakadiye warna sir aapko ulta latka denge…………………….
Hello guys! Sorry for the delay beginning of the week se mid-week ho gaya. There was a couple of things that I wanted to let you know. Firstly, my college timing is 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and plus I have internship for a month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Considering this I will be very busy. Bas khaane peene ka time mil jaata hai utna kaafi hai. As I had promised I would write an extra part to Humsafar regarding Sameer, that will take a little while longer. Also till the time I have my internship I might be able to update only once a week so please bear with me.
CID
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
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