Morning,
Holi party was in full swing, a young man ran behind his beautiful wife to apply colours on her, but she being as quick as deer, ran swiftly but finally he caught her from other end and locked her in his arms.
Then gently leaned closer, she looked in his mischievous eyes and her cheeks turned into shades of red and pink. He smiled, “ Oh dear wait, I haven't coloured you yet.” He gently applied colour on her cheeks.
A shrill sound of alarm woke him up, he sighed as he rubbed his eyes and turned into the alarm in his phone. He smiled at the picture, "O my dream girl, when will this dream come true? I've heard that dreams of early morning come true, hope it happens soon. Eagerly waiting to meet you."
He gets a message saying that his ticket was confirmed. He smiled, "See you tomorrow, my love!"
~
Dark streets of the underworld..
He was blasting and venting his anger on his men, "How could such a perfect plan fail? HOW?!"
"A.ar.. arjun.." one man tried to answer but was silenced by his glare.
"You scoundrels are useless. I need someone who is trustworthy and useful. Get lost all of you."
All of them almost ran away, trembling and tumbling.
Hr locked his room from inside, put off his mask, smoked his cigar deeply and rested in his chair. His mind formulating another plan.
He dialed a number, "I've got a job for you."
"But why should I do it?"
"Don't want your revenge?"
After a long pause, "Fine. What is it?"
"You'll know it soon." He disconnected the call, and sighed.
' I'll soon avenge all my loved ones. '
~
Next evening
Sameer, Aisha and Neha were returning from the victim's place. The culprit had been caught and they were returning after completing the formalities.
Sameer's cell buzzed, he answered it. After a thought he asked, "Aisha, do you mind a 15-20 minutes delay in reaching home?"
Aisha shook her head, "No sir. It's alright."
"And you?" Sameer looked at Neha through the rearview mirror.
"As if my denial would matter!" Neha replied rolling her eyes.
"Exactly." Sameer retorted.
After 5 minutes drive they reached airport. Neha opened her mouth but Sameer already answered, "No questions asked. Park the SUV and come to the arrivals."
He got down along with Aisha and Neha took the driver's seat and drove towards parking lot.
As they reached the arrivals, a young man in his mid 20s, wearing black jacket and denim black jeans ran towards Sameer and hugged him tight.
"Oh bhai, I've missed you so so much!" His accent slightly American. "You've no idea how eager I was to meet you!"
"Who are you fooling, my dear?" Sameer asked patting his back.
"Bhai, she's my bhabhi, right?" He whispered.
"Shut up Karan!" Sameer hit hard on his back.
"Oh my my bhai, I love you so much!" Karan kissed Sameer's cheek as he saw Neha coming towards them.
"Karan!" Sameer glared as he rubbed his cheek, "Do that to your girlfriend, not me."
Karan blew a flying kiss to him, "Love you bhai!" and winked while Sameer rolled his eyes.
"What a pleasant surprise!" Neha and Karan exclaimed together and then looked at each other grinning.
Neha said,"No wonder bhaisa drove so swiftly, so eager to meet your brother that you almost jumped a signal."
Sameer, "The signal was already green when we left."
"Neha? From when did you start worrying about signals? I remember correctly that you've said 'rules are meant to be broken." Karan took his brother's side.
"But that doesn't apply to ACP Sameer Rathod, who is always by the book. Right or correct?!" Neha retorted.
"Wait, let's reach home before the world war 3 starts." Sameer intervened. "Aisha, meet my brother, Karan."
Karan smiled and joined his hands together, "Namaskar. Nice to meet you beautiful lady."
Aisha reciprocated his gesture, "Namaste. Nice yo meet you too."
Neha asked, "Done with an episode of Ramayana? I've to get home ASAP."
Karan looked at her,"What's wrong with you today?"
Neha sighed, "Nothing. Just a bit tired. Now shall we leave?"
Karan took his two bags and all turned to leave when someone called out Neha's name from behind. Neha turned to look and then walked past.
"Neha is not just my name, is it?" Neha asked rhetorically.
In the SUV, after a few minutes of silence, Neha spoke, "Karan, why didn't you inform about your trip?"
"Trip? I'm not going back. And also it was a surprise."
"Not going back to the USA?"
"No, never. I went there for my studies, it's over now."
Aisha said, "There are very few people who go to the USA and then return. Most of them settle there itself, why did you come back?"
Karan smiled, "Firstly, I never really wanted to go to the USA. Second, I went because it provided me best option of study in my subject. Now I've learned what I wanted, I'm back. I love my India and I'd love to live and die here and not in some foreign land."
"Wow, rote full moral science book?! Just kidding, Rats, don't mind."
"I don't mind, but yes I'm sorry for quoting your exact words without giving you the credit."
"Oh, you listen to my words so intently and remember it exactly, that's superb. Thanks."
Karan smiled, how could he forget what she said, hr can't forget even a single moment that they've spent together, it's been replayed in his mind so many times that he remembers it as if it just happened yesterday.
Neha snapped her fingers, "Dreaming with open eyes, Kumbh Karan?"
"No," Karan replied quickly, "I was just wondering how are Aryan and Arni?"
"Super notorious I tell you. They've been so mischievous, oh God!" Neha smiled.
"If kids won't play mischief, then who else will? And I don't think they're as notorious as you are describing."
"You don't believe me, wait, I'll show you proofs." She takes her phone, unlocks it and searches for a folder, "There you go, see it yourself."
Karan took the phone and looked at the photo, "Playing in the garden, how cute!"
"Not playing, ruining my gardens, that day they plucked all the flowers and also broke a few pots and unrooted saplings."
"Why?"
"They had seen dad and me gardening, weeding, and tried to do the same. I plucked the dried flowers, they plucked freshly bloomed ones."
Karan laughed, "Good job, you can't blame them."
Karan looked at the other pictures and Neha told the related incidents and soon they reached home.
~
A week later
A usual busy morning in ETF,
It had been a day since Karan joined ETF as Forensic expert. It was quite surprising for the team that Neha, who would talk with others only when necessary would chat endlessly with Karan in free time.
"There is a difference." Neha said, "I hardly know you all for a month, as colleagues, while I've know Karan as a friend for more than 5 years." And everyone was quiet.
"We're going to have a new team member, a crime reporter, joining today." Shree told team.
"Excuse me, I've got some work." Neha excused herself and went out of the conference room while others chatted.
Neha was walking with a few files in her hand while a girl in her mid 20s dashed into her and scattered the files and pages. She apologized repeatedly, while Neha glared her, "Don't touch the files or papers, get going." She said curtly.
"But I was trying to help you." The girl smiled and picked a paper.
Neha snatched the paper from her hand, "Don't you understand what I said once? Want me to repeat? Get going now." She said in a death like tone.
The girl said sorry' and walked away. Neha breathed out loudly, and picked the papers. "Can't people see and walk, God knows where their eyes are!"
The girl reached conference room, "Hello everyone. I'm Sakshi, Sakshi Anand, crime reporter, joining ETF from today. And you?"
Everyone introduced themselves.
"And who was that girl whom I bumped into before coming in here? Is she also our team member? How rude she is? I apologized for her mistake, she was the one who came out of nowhere and dashed into me, but still she was bombarding me as if I've committed some crime. What.."
Karan cut her short, in a calm tone he said, "It was your mistake miss Anand, you could have moved out of way but you didn't. Don't expect someone to be polite after you've done something stupid."
"Ahaan, someone's praising me, someone's supporting me, wow." Neha came in, "Karan, you should've been an advocate instead of Forensic expert. Seriously." She turned to Sakshi, "And you, miss Anand, all you need to know about me is never get into my way, rest there are many theories."
"Shree, you've got the call details I had asked for?"
"Yes Neha." He gave her a file.
Neha took the file, said, "Thanks" and left.
"Is she always like this?" Sakshi asked.
"No" and "Yes", came a combined reply from the team.
At the same time, Sameer and Arjun entered the conference room. "We've a new case."
"Let's go."
~
"How was your day?" He asked on phone.
"Good. All others can be fooled easily but.."
"But?"
"But the Rawtes' are bit problematic, they will take time to come under my spell."
"Be careful." The call was disconnected.
~
Rawte Mansion,
Neha was going through few files, "Oh what a mess this girl has made! Now who's gonna arrange these papers back in order?"
"What happened doll? Who are you cursing?" Arjun came into study room.
"Bhaiya, help me to arrange these papers."
"No, do it yourself."
"Bhaiya, please."
"Fine but you have to promise me that you won't be rude with the team or anyone else."
"Can't help it bhaiya, I mean I just can't.."
"You have to, dollie, I don't want to hear people talking about you, calling you rude and manner less."
"I'll try. Not promising anything."
"And one more thing, you.."
"Enough for the day bhaiya. Too much for me to take."
"Okay."
~
A shrill sound of alarm woke him up, he sighed as he rubbed his eyes and turned into the alarm in his phone. He smiled at the picture, "O my dream girl, when will this dream come true? I've heard that dreams of early morning come true, hope it happens soon. Eagerly waiting to meet you."
He gets a message saying that his ticket was confirmed. He smiled, "See you tomorrow, my love!"
~
Dark streets of the underworld..
He was blasting and venting his anger on his men, "How could such a perfect plan fail? HOW?!"
"A.ar.. arjun.." one man tried to answer but was silenced by his glare.
"You scoundrels are useless. I need someone who is trustworthy and useful. Get lost all of you."
All of them almost ran away, trembling and tumbling.
Hr locked his room from inside, put off his mask, smoked his cigar deeply and rested in his chair. His mind formulating another plan.
He dialed a number, "I've got a job for you."
"But why should I do it?"
"Don't want your revenge?"
After a long pause, "Fine. What is it?"
"You'll know it soon." He disconnected the call, and sighed.
' I'll soon avenge all my loved ones. '
~
Next evening
Sameer, Aisha and Neha were returning from the victim's place. The culprit had been caught and they were returning after completing the formalities.
Sameer's cell buzzed, he answered it. After a thought he asked, "Aisha, do you mind a 15-20 minutes delay in reaching home?"
Aisha shook her head, "No sir. It's alright."
"And you?" Sameer looked at Neha through the rearview mirror.
"As if my denial would matter!" Neha replied rolling her eyes.
"Exactly." Sameer retorted.
After 5 minutes drive they reached airport. Neha opened her mouth but Sameer already answered, "No questions asked. Park the SUV and come to the arrivals."
He got down along with Aisha and Neha took the driver's seat and drove towards parking lot.
As they reached the arrivals, a young man in his mid 20s, wearing black jacket and denim black jeans ran towards Sameer and hugged him tight.
"Oh bhai, I've missed you so so much!" His accent slightly American. "You've no idea how eager I was to meet you!"
"Who are you fooling, my dear?" Sameer asked patting his back.
"Bhai, she's my bhabhi, right?" He whispered.
"Shut up Karan!" Sameer hit hard on his back.
"Oh my my bhai, I love you so much!" Karan kissed Sameer's cheek as he saw Neha coming towards them.
"Karan!" Sameer glared as he rubbed his cheek, "Do that to your girlfriend, not me."
Karan blew a flying kiss to him, "Love you bhai!" and winked while Sameer rolled his eyes.
"What a pleasant surprise!" Neha and Karan exclaimed together and then looked at each other grinning.
Neha said,"No wonder bhaisa drove so swiftly, so eager to meet your brother that you almost jumped a signal."
Sameer, "The signal was already green when we left."
"Neha? From when did you start worrying about signals? I remember correctly that you've said 'rules are meant to be broken." Karan took his brother's side.
"But that doesn't apply to ACP Sameer Rathod, who is always by the book. Right or correct?!" Neha retorted.
"Wait, let's reach home before the world war 3 starts." Sameer intervened. "Aisha, meet my brother, Karan."
Karan smiled and joined his hands together, "Namaskar. Nice to meet you beautiful lady."
Aisha reciprocated his gesture, "Namaste. Nice yo meet you too."
Neha asked, "Done with an episode of Ramayana? I've to get home ASAP."
Karan looked at her,"What's wrong with you today?"
Neha sighed, "Nothing. Just a bit tired. Now shall we leave?"
Karan took his two bags and all turned to leave when someone called out Neha's name from behind. Neha turned to look and then walked past.
"Neha is not just my name, is it?" Neha asked rhetorically.
In the SUV, after a few minutes of silence, Neha spoke, "Karan, why didn't you inform about your trip?"
"Trip? I'm not going back. And also it was a surprise."
"Not going back to the USA?"
"No, never. I went there for my studies, it's over now."
Aisha said, "There are very few people who go to the USA and then return. Most of them settle there itself, why did you come back?"
Karan smiled, "Firstly, I never really wanted to go to the USA. Second, I went because it provided me best option of study in my subject. Now I've learned what I wanted, I'm back. I love my India and I'd love to live and die here and not in some foreign land."
"Wow, rote full moral science book?! Just kidding, Rats, don't mind."
"I don't mind, but yes I'm sorry for quoting your exact words without giving you the credit."
"Oh, you listen to my words so intently and remember it exactly, that's superb. Thanks."
Karan smiled, how could he forget what she said, hr can't forget even a single moment that they've spent together, it's been replayed in his mind so many times that he remembers it as if it just happened yesterday.
Neha snapped her fingers, "Dreaming with open eyes, Kumbh Karan?"
"No," Karan replied quickly, "I was just wondering how are Aryan and Arni?"
"Super notorious I tell you. They've been so mischievous, oh God!" Neha smiled.
"If kids won't play mischief, then who else will? And I don't think they're as notorious as you are describing."
"You don't believe me, wait, I'll show you proofs." She takes her phone, unlocks it and searches for a folder, "There you go, see it yourself."
Karan took the phone and looked at the photo, "Playing in the garden, how cute!"
"Not playing, ruining my gardens, that day they plucked all the flowers and also broke a few pots and unrooted saplings."
"Why?"
"They had seen dad and me gardening, weeding, and tried to do the same. I plucked the dried flowers, they plucked freshly bloomed ones."
Karan laughed, "Good job, you can't blame them."
Karan looked at the other pictures and Neha told the related incidents and soon they reached home.
~
A week later
A usual busy morning in ETF,
It had been a day since Karan joined ETF as Forensic expert. It was quite surprising for the team that Neha, who would talk with others only when necessary would chat endlessly with Karan in free time.
"There is a difference." Neha said, "I hardly know you all for a month, as colleagues, while I've know Karan as a friend for more than 5 years." And everyone was quiet.
"We're going to have a new team member, a crime reporter, joining today." Shree told team.
"Excuse me, I've got some work." Neha excused herself and went out of the conference room while others chatted.
Neha was walking with a few files in her hand while a girl in her mid 20s dashed into her and scattered the files and pages. She apologized repeatedly, while Neha glared her, "Don't touch the files or papers, get going." She said curtly.
"But I was trying to help you." The girl smiled and picked a paper.
Neha snatched the paper from her hand, "Don't you understand what I said once? Want me to repeat? Get going now." She said in a death like tone.
The girl said sorry' and walked away. Neha breathed out loudly, and picked the papers. "Can't people see and walk, God knows where their eyes are!"
The girl reached conference room, "Hello everyone. I'm Sakshi, Sakshi Anand, crime reporter, joining ETF from today. And you?"
Everyone introduced themselves.
"And who was that girl whom I bumped into before coming in here? Is she also our team member? How rude she is? I apologized for her mistake, she was the one who came out of nowhere and dashed into me, but still she was bombarding me as if I've committed some crime. What.."
Karan cut her short, in a calm tone he said, "It was your mistake miss Anand, you could have moved out of way but you didn't. Don't expect someone to be polite after you've done something stupid."
"Ahaan, someone's praising me, someone's supporting me, wow." Neha came in, "Karan, you should've been an advocate instead of Forensic expert. Seriously." She turned to Sakshi, "And you, miss Anand, all you need to know about me is never get into my way, rest there are many theories."
"Shree, you've got the call details I had asked for?"
"Yes Neha." He gave her a file.
Neha took the file, said, "Thanks" and left.
"Is she always like this?" Sakshi asked.
"No" and "Yes", came a combined reply from the team.
At the same time, Sameer and Arjun entered the conference room. "We've a new case."
"Let's go."
~
"How was your day?" He asked on phone.
"Good. All others can be fooled easily but.."
"But?"
"But the Rawtes' are bit problematic, they will take time to come under my spell."
"Be careful." The call was disconnected.
~
Rawte Mansion,
Neha was going through few files, "Oh what a mess this girl has made! Now who's gonna arrange these papers back in order?"
"What happened doll? Who are you cursing?" Arjun came into study room.
"Bhaiya, help me to arrange these papers."
"No, do it yourself."
"Bhaiya, please."
"Fine but you have to promise me that you won't be rude with the team or anyone else."
"Can't help it bhaiya, I mean I just can't.."
"You have to, dollie, I don't want to hear people talking about you, calling you rude and manner less."
"I'll try. Not promising anything."
"And one more thing, you.."
"Enough for the day bhaiya. Too much for me to take."
"Okay."
~
