Hello everyone,
I just finished writing this OS.
Now my laptop's battery is about to die and I want to post this before it does.
I will tag members later.
Hope you all will Enjoy this
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She parked the car in front of the Phoenix Hotel, and he just looked at her sad and disappointed face helplessly. They had just returned from an hour-long drive somewhere in Gurugram from a false chase for Miss. Sophie. It had been two weeks since they found Mrs. Pooja Sabarwal’s mobile phone, but she was still missing from her home. So, both Yuvika and Neil had thought of doing something about it. They could not directly involve the police in the matter as it will definitely reach the Mahajan’s ears. So, Neil had sought one of his friends help unofficially who is a sub-inspector in Delhi Police, and found the location of this miss Sohpie who was the last person talking to Mrs. Sabarwal. But when they reached the address, it was in vain as they found no one there. By the looks of it, no one seemed to have lived there in a couple of years. Although her phone was shown active on that location a couple of hours ago.
They had returned once again without any result in their quest for truth. Yuvika got out of the car and walked briskly inside the hotel. Throughout the drive, she hadn’t uttered a single word and Neil was getting very worried for her.
‘Yuvika…’, he said stepping out of the car and following her inside the hotel.
'Yuv..Yuvika ruko…' he called out as he entered the hotel but saw her taking the lift upwards instead of engrossing herself in work immediately as he expected.
'Yuvika meri baat toh suno..', he said, coming to a halt in front of the lift as the door closed before his eyes. He sighed as he realized that she was more upset than he thought. But he knew where she must have taken the lift to. So he pressed the button of the service lift and waited patiently for it to come. He realized that she deserved to be given a couple of minutes to herself before he invaded her privacy. He chuckles to himself as he thinks of the task before him to make her come out of her disappointment and worry. Why doesn't this girl understand that her mission was too big and important to be let down by such trivial incidents and small failures! Why doesn't she understand that I am with her whatever happens! He thought and got inside the lift. He pushed the button for the terrace above the 15th floor button and waited for the lift to reach his destination.
When the lift stopped at the terrace he got out and looked at Yuvika standing at the far end of the terrace. The terrace of the Phoenix Hotel was beautifully decorated with plants and flowers along the parapets. The side wall has a vertical garden on it with small shrubs and bonsais. There was a circular canopy at the other end opposite to the wall, the top of which was covered with flower climbers. Under the canopy there was a swing to sit peacefully. But Neil’s eyes only stood on Yuvika. He was a bit amazed at how surreal her figure looked standing on this beautiful nature-covered terrace with the moonlight shining over her. He went near her and stood behind her.
‘Yuvika..’, he called and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face him and he gasped inaudibly at the tears brimming in her eyes.
‘Yuvika ye..!’, he asked and held both her shoulders. She blinked and the tears rolled down her face. Neil knew she was worried and distressed and thought of handling the situation in a different way. ‘Bapre! Inte bade bade aasu?’, he asked wiping the tears from one of her cheeks.
‘Main thak gayi hu Neil!’, she said dejectedly in an actually tired voice and Neil felt like he could just kill the person who is responsible for this state of hers. ‘Thak gayi hu main… iss khel se… iss …iss saajish se… in scandals se… is rahasya se… roj roj ke in problems se…’, she said dismally, and more tears ran down her cheeks.
‘Yuvika… Yuvika relax…shant ho jao..’, Neil said wiping her tears with both hands from both her cheeks.
‘Nahi Neil… Yeh sab kab tak chalta rahega? Aakhir kab tak?’, she said and turned sideways. ‘Pehle papa ka scandal leak hona… fir usse juda koi bhi saboot na milna… jab bhi hum kisi saboot ya suraag ke kareeb jate hai to wo fir dur chala jata hai… fir anniversary ki party me wo AV…. internal commetti ki hearing… Phoenix ki jimmedari….fir Pooja ji ka achanak gayab ho jana…. mujh par jaanlewa hamla hona… fir Karthik se wo jhagda…. aur aaj ye??’, she shrugged her arms in frustration.
‘Aisa lag raha hai jaise mere khilaaf koi jaan bujh kar saajish kar raha hai…. jaise koi na mujhe mere kam me safal nahi hone dena chahta… aur na hi papa ka sach janne me!!’, Yuvika said sdly. Neil held her by the elbow and yanked her towards him. She gasped as she landed in his arms. ‘Neil!’, she asked surprised looking at his grave eyes.
‘Bas?? Itne se hi thak gayi? Hmm??’, he asked seriously. ‘Tum toh pehle se jaanti thi na.. Ki yeh ek saajish hai… toh fir itne me hi hausle kamjor pad gaye tumhare?’, he asked her.
‘Nahi Neil mera matlab…’
‘Tum jaanti ho na Yuvika ki yeh sab itna aasaan nahi hai!’, he said now a little softly to make her understand. ‘Mahajan’s ki duniya me har cheez complicated hai ye toh tum ab tak samajh hi chuki hogi na!’, Neil asked her like someone asked a child to make her understand and she nodded.
‘Yuvika agar yeh sab itna aasaan hota… agar suraag ya saboot milna itna aasaan hota toh tumhare papa khud ko 20 saal pehle hi begunaah sabit kar chuke hote… ya fir at least us reporter ko to jaroor kuch na kuch mil jata…. Par yeh baat toh tum acchese janti ho na ki yeh sab ek bohot badi saajish hai!’, he asked now loosening his hold on her and she stepped back a little but nodded in understanding.
‘Main samajh sakta hu Yuvika ki itna sab kuch itni jaldi ho raha hai, toh thoda frustrate hona normal hai… Par itne se hi niraash hona? Thak jana? Yeh to nahi kar sakti na tum!.... Tum jaanti ho na ki tumhara safar lamba hai, mushkil hai… abhi toh yeh sirf shuruwat hai Yuvika… abhi toh aage kya mushkilein aaye hume pata bhi nahi hai!’, Neil talked trying to make her see the sense in the chaos. ‘Lekin sach ek khasiyat hoti hai Yuvika…. Sach ko chhupaya jarur ja sakta, lekin mitaya nahi ja sakta…. Agar ek rasta band ho toh dusre raaste se sach tak pohochna hai… bas tumhe himmat nahi haarni hai Yuvika… you have to be positive’, he said looking at her with a smile in his eyes, to which she too smiled a bit.
‘Aur aaj jo hua usse toh hume khush hona chahiye! At least hume yeh toh pata chala ki hum jo soch rahe the woh sahi hai…yeh sab koi jaan bujhkar kar raha hai…. yeh sach me ek bohot badi saajish hai… aur koi hai jo sach me tum par najar rakh raha hai…. Toh ab hume apne kadam soch samajh kar rakhne honge…. And don’t worry, main har kadam par tumhare sath hu’, Neil said giving her confidence and making her see the positive in the negatives.
‘Shayad tum thik keh rahe ho Neil…. Bas kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki main is sach tak pohoch toh paungi na? Apne maksad me kamyab ho paungi na?’, she asked worried.
‘Of course Yuvika….Tumhe bas ye yaad rakhna hai, ki aisa kuch nahi hai jo tum nahi kar sakti’, Neil said and Yuvika was reminded of her father’s words. She nodded at him and smiled a little.
‘Baapre Yuvika! Itni si jaan aur itna tension? Mujhe lagta hai aaj toh tumhe rage room le jane se bhi kuch nahi hota…. Lekin ab is tension bhare mahol ko dur bhagane ke liye kuch toh karna chahiye!’, Neil said with a finger on his chin pretending to think. Yuvika watched him amused.
‘Idea!!’, he said suddenly playing a pinch with a twinkle in his eyes. ‘Dance karogi?’, he asked.
‘Kya?’
‘Haan! Dance karna chahiye’, he said as if this was the most natural thing to do for reducing the tension.
‘Neil! Are you serious?’, she asked surprised.
‘Very serious!’, he replied with a smile. He then stood in front of her, and forwarded his hand asking her for a dance. ‘Miss Yuvika Nagar, would you do me the honour of this dance?’, he asked with a little bow. Yuvika chuckled lightly.
‘Par…There’s no music’, Yuvika said indicating the fact.
‘Aah…right’, Neil expressed with a smirk. He then acted for her to hear just like Shah Rukh Khan style in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He tapped his fingers in the air as if on a piano and really the music started. Yuvika’s mouth fell open and she looked at Neil in surprise. He just smirked at her and pulled out his phone from behind his back and showed it to her. She just rolled her eyes and he shrugged. He again forwarded his hand to ask her for dance. She shook her head and put her hand in his with a smile.
Neil put her hand on his shoulder and pulled her close snaking his arm around her waist. He led her on the music and she just followed. They just flowed together in sync, as if their hands and legs were not two but one, and their bodies just followed the rhythm. His eyes never left hers and she saw something more than just care in his dark eyes. It made her heart race. He twirled her, swirled her, dipped her down, pulled her up, pushed her, and pulled her closer. She landed in his arms with a gasp and her hand rested on his heart, while his arm rested on her back. She could feel the rhythmic beating of his heart and it gave her a strange sense of calmness. They were so close that he could feel her breath on his face. Their legs were still moving as he was leading her to the music. But their eyes were locked and Yuvika saw his eyes held a gentleness that she had never noticed before. Di, Neil aapko pasand karta hai. Her sister’s words rang into her ears as she kept looking into his eyes.
The music changed from fast-paced to a slow melodious tune and their steps slowed with it. This made Yuvika come out of her reverie. Their position however remained the same. They were still very close to each other, but neither of them minded it or made any attempt at stepping away. Neil smiled inwardly at the realization that she didn’t mind his closeness and was in fact comfortable with it. They just glided with the slow music now.
‘Neil, mujhe nahi pata tha ki tum itna accha dance karte ho!’, Yuvika complimented him and he smiled.
‘Abhi toh tumhe mere bare me bohot kuch janna baki hai Miss Mahajan’, Neil said with a smirk.
‘Woh toh hai… par main ek baat jarur jaan gayi hu’, she said.
‘Woh kya?’, he asked curiously.
‘Ki tum mere sabse acche, aur sacche dost ho Neil’, she said seriously and sincerely. He smiled at that but there was a bit of sadness in it. ‘I can trust you with anything Neil,... aur main janti hu ki aur koi mera sath de na de, tum mera sath jarur doge’
‘Hamesha….. Main hamesha tumhare sath hu Yuvika’, Neil said without a second thought. ‘Aur tum dekhna tumhara maksad jarur kamyaab hoga’.
‘Kya tumhe lagta hai ki main yeh kar paungi Neil?’, she asked and Neil saw how vulnerable she felt.
‘Mujhe pura yakeen hai. Tum apne papa ko begunaah jarur sabit karogi Yuvika’, Neil said with a confident smile that gave her a positive feeling. ‘Don’t worry, sab thik ho jayega’
‘Sab thik ho jayega na Neil?’, she asked like a child.
‘Sab kuch’, he replied with assurance and she smiled a small smile. But the next second his breath hitched as she just leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. Her one arm was still resting on his heart and the other hugged him resting on his back. Her eyes closed and a lone tear of relief, contentment, and safety.
A few moments later his breath normalized and he held her wrapping his other arm as well around her. He felt the most peaceful and happy as he just glided on the soft music with her in his arms. She too felt an inexplicable sense of care and protection in his warm embrace, which she had never experienced before. Not even with Karthik. Neil smiled and came to a slow stop as the music finally ended. It took Yuvika a few moments to realize that the music had stopped and they were not moving. She broke the embrace slowly and looked at him embarrassed. She was surprised at herself as she realized that she didn’t feel any awkwardness or discomfort in his arms. Rather she felt the colour rising in her cheeks of an unknown blush.
‘Uhh… woh… uh kafi der ho gayi hai, hume chalna chahiye’, she said looking down at her feet.
‘Uh…Haan, you’re right. Hume..’, he replied.
But Yuvika turned around and left quickly. She ran down the stairs without waiting for the lift.
‘Yuvika…’, Neil called out to her but she just ran away. He smiled remembering her little blush and followed her down the stairs.
When he reached the ground floor he saw her getting inside the ladies' washroom. Yuvika entered the washroom, shut the door behind her, and leaned against it. She put a hand on her heart and felt its erratic beating. The small that played on her lips didn’t seem to leave and she wondered what was happening to her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back to the door. She breathed out and with her breath left a single word out of her mouth.
‘Neil’
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: Haven't proof read this, so ignore the grammatical and typo errors
Current Affairs
7