::/Butterfly/::
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A/N: Sorry everyone.
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It was with a weary sigh that Dr. Salunkhe pulled off his gloves, tucking them into his pocket as he rose from his chair. Crossing over to the door, he raised a hand to turn off the lights, but paused and looked around the lab- one long, sad look that took in the painful emptiness of the place. The unnatural, unbearable silence made him feel as though he was standing in a graveyard rather than his familiar, beloved forensic lab which had served him so well over the past sixteen years.
One flick of the switches, and darkness filled the lab. But then again, this was hardly fit to be classified as darkness, Dr. Salunkhe thought with a faint, rueful smile. The darkness which had fallen all those days ago made this seem like a beach in the Caribbean at midday.
Locking the door behind him, the doctor made his way down the hall, his footsteps echoing. Stopping outside the main room of the bureau, he opened the door slightly and peered in. Sure enough, there he was. A smile, a genuine one this time, stretched Dr. Salunkhe's mouth as he entered and clapped the man on the shoulder. "Old habits die hard, eh?"
"Speak for yourself," laughed ACP Pradyuman, looking up from the file he had been perusing. "Packed up for the day, have you?"
"Yes, I was just leaving," Dr. Salunkhe replied. "Thought I'd come by and see if you were still here." He grinned. "I know how you are about working late."
"I'd say you know only too well, as a matter of fact," ACP Pradyuman remarked wryly, closing the file. "Hang on, I'll just go put this back in the record room and then we'll leave."
When the ACP had disappeared down the hallway and around the corner, Dr. Salunkhe pulled out his mobile phone, a shadow of anxiety creeping across his face as he checked it. There were neither any unread messages nor any missed calls. It was what he had expected, but the little thing called hope would always keep nagging him, lingering in the back of his mind. It had been three days already. Three days, with no news except the updates Daya brought in cheerfully every morning. Needless to say, however, those weren't of much use to Dr. Salunkhe... considering what was actually plaguing him.
"C'mon, Salunkhe," ACP Pradyuman's voice called to him. It sounded as though his best friend was a million miles away. Nevertheless, Dr. Salunkhe pulled himself together, attempting to look as cheery as possible without the risk of appearing mentally unbalanced. "Shall we, then?"
The two older gentlemen conversed merrily as they went down to the car park, and ACP Pradyuman gave his friend a wave before getting into his car and driving off. Dr. Salunkhe watched the car until it went out of sight, and then slowly got into his own car, staring blankly at the steering wheel as though not really seeing it. Wheel... circle... cycle... Yes, it had always been a cycle. He'd seen the cycle, right before his very eyes, for almost the past five years. Every stage of it.
He was still pondering this when he pulled into the driveway of his house. All that greeted him when he entered was more silence, more darkness. Normally he was used to it... but now, all it served as was a reminder. A harsh, cruel reminder.
After dinner, he opened his laptop to see what was to be done for the next day. And there it was.
A new email. The subject line merely read 'none'.
A slight frown creased Dr. Salunkhe's forehead. No subject? He quickly opened the mail, his fingers fumbling slightly as apprehension seeped into his heart.
Dear Sir,
First of all, you must probably be wondering why you haven't heard from me at all since I left. I'm not going to lie to you- I can't do it even if I try either way- so honestly, I didn't know what to say. Anyways, how are you? How's the cold? I hope you're taking your medicines on time even though I'm not there to remind you. ACP sir will probably take it upon himself to do so until I get back, but still.
Dr. Salunkhe couldn't help smiling as he shook his head in mingled amusement and exasperation. Tarika would never change. The smile left his face as quickly as it had come, however, when he read on.
Now, you must be wondering why I'm rambling on like this after not having spoken to you at all for the past three days. The thing is... sir, I don't know how to say this. Everything's great, everything's perfect. Just like I always wanted. Everything's finally happening, after so many years of waiting. It's supposed to be the best time of my life.
Then why do I feel so wrong, sir?
I suppose you're thinking I'm crazy. Any girl would be, to say this kind of stuff in the middle of her honeymoon. I don't know, maybe it's the fact that we've already been married three whole months before actually going on the honeymoon. Maybe that sort of takes the novelty away. But even I know it's not that.
And no, before you jump to the other conclusion, it's not him either. I don't think so.
He snorted. Of course the girl didn't think so. Her greatest weakness was love, he'd always known that. He only hoped her husband wouldn't take unnecessary advantage of the fact. Casting the thought aside, he continued reading.
He says everything I need to hear, does everything he's supposed to (actually much more than he needs to... please don't tell him I said this, but it gets slightly annoying sometimes), and it's like I couldn't ask for anything better. So why? Why do I feel like this, sir? Why does everything feel so wrong even though it's all so perfect?
Sir, I don't know what to do. In spite of being with Abhijeet all day and all night, I feel more alone than ever. I keep wishing I could just stop feeling like this, it makes me so guilty and confused and afraid and I don't know what's happening to me, but I hate it, this thing, this heavy weight I'm carrying inside my chest all the time, whatever this is that's happening to me. It's all I can to do to hide it from him. It takes every ounce of my strength to stop myself crying sometimes even though I myself have no idea why I even want to cry. Sir, please tell me what to do...
The doctor's heart gave a painful wrench as he imagined her, his little girl, huddled in a corner and hugging her knees, her eyes sparkling with the tears she stubbornly refused to shed. Composing himself with great difficulty, he read on, almost dreading what might come next.
And sir... you know what? I've realised now what my worst nightmare is. It's not me dying, or even Abhijeet dying, or anything of the sort. We can handle all that. No... it's this unnatural, horrifying thought that one day, some day, I might look at him and not feel anything at all. If that ends up happening some day, it'll just kill me, then and there. I know this as surely, as firmly as your hair is implanted in your head. No offense, of course.
He couldn't help smiling despite the pain that shot briefly through him at the words it'll just kill me. She had always had the very bad habit of stuffing her feelings into a lunchbox and locking them away into a steel safe deep down in her heart, a safe to which no one but he himself knew the combination.
Right, then, sir, I think I've poured enough of my troubles into your ears- or rather, eyes- for one email. Please write back soon. I miss you more than you can imagine.
Abhijeet sends you all his love. (Yes, sir, 'all' includes you too.)
Yours affectionately,
Tarika
P.S.: We need to talk as soon as I get back. It's very, very important. Can't say any more now.
Dr. Salunkhe closed the email and turned off his computer. For a minute he merely sat in his chair, letting all that he had read sink in, deeper and deeper until they reached the core of his heart. Feeling his eyes burn, he took off his glasses and did what Tarika, far away, was valiantly avoiding- he let the tears fall, each one sliding slowly down his face and falling through the air to meet its end on his lap.
If his old friend Pradyuman could see him now, he'd reprovingly chide the forensic doctor for such sentimentality before giving him his handkerchief and a comforting pat on the shoulder. But ACP Pradyuman wasn't with him at the moment, and Dr. Salunkhe was alone, completely alone with the despair brought upon him by Tarika's email. The fleeting thought struck him that she had spoken of feeling alone, too. Perhaps it was becoming an epidemic among forensic scientists.
Once he had sufficiently calmed himself down, Dr. Salunkhe glanced at the calendar that hung on the wall. Four more days, and she would be back with him, like the butterfly that returned to the tree where it had been a caterpillar long ago.
The four days passed, but they might as well have been four eternities for Dr. Salunkhe. Finally, however, there he was at the airport, with the others. Daya couldn't seem to be able to stand still- he kept craning his neck and peering through the crowd nearly every five minutes. "For goodness sake, contain yourself, Daya, or people are going to think you have a neck problem," ACP Pradyuman intoned. "Now where are those two?" he demanded, glancing back over his shoulder.
"Here, sir!" Purvi supplied as she and Vineet came hurrying into view, both rather pink in the face. "Sorry we're late, sir," Vineet apologised hastily, bending over nearly double in an effort to catch his breath. "It's all Purvi's fault, she took ages to get ready!"
"And the fact that your bike ran out of petrol was my fault too, I suppose," Purvi growled, poking him in the shoulder. "Anyway, are they here yet?"
"Nope," Daya said distractedly, shaking his head as he peered over the heads of the crowd again, standing on tiptoe this time. Given his already impressive height, this was a completely unnecessary move on his part, but the next minute he beamed like a child that had spotted a candy shop. "Aha, here they come!"
"Where?" Dr. Salunkhe and ACP Pradyuman asked in unison, and Rajat smiled as he caught sight of the couple in question. "There," he said, inclining his head in the direction. Sure enough, it was them, both grinning broadly at the sight of their team waiting for them. For Dr. Salunkhe, it was like getting a whole new life when Tarika came straight to him, beaming. "Well?" he asked her, whispering to avoid being overheard by the others. Thankfully, they were all preoccupied with Abhijeet at the moment. "What's the super-important matter?"
"Sir," Tarika laughed. "Not here!"
"Oh, come on, child," Dr. Salunkhe wheedled, his already overwhelming curiosity refusing to take no for an answer. "Just tell me the basic issue!"
Unexpectedly, Tarika's face reddened, and she glanced sideways to make sure neither Abhijeet nor anyone else was listening before leaning in and whispering to Dr. Salunkhe, her eyes shining. "I think... I don't know, I'm not sure, but I think... I might be pregnant."
The older gentleman's jaw dropped, his eyes widening to nearly twice their normal size. "Wha-" he nearly yelled, before hurriedly dropping his voice, barely able to conceal his excitement. "Really? Have you told Abhijeet?"
Tarika shook her head. "Like I said, I'm not sure," she emphasised. "I'll have to get it confirmed first. But I really have this feeling, you know?" She smiled, her face glowing like it hadn't in a long time. As he looked at her, Dr. Salunkhe felt the anxiety, concern and worry that had been burdening his heart ever since she had gotten married finally slip away. It had always troubled him that he was the only support she had ever really had in the CID team, but now he would never have to be the only one again. She would never have to be alone again.
As she went over to join Abhijeet, Dr. Salunkhe finally felt ready to let his butterfly fly away.
~THE END~
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A/N: All right... what I am going to say now is not about Abhijeet, not about Tarika and not about Abhirika, despite what it may seem like. Please forget them for a while and read as a person and not a CIDian.
To all the girls who have been or are in an unhappy relationship-
Don't listen to the people who tell you that girls are supposed to sacrifice everything in life because it's our so-called 'duty'. If you're not happy, please don't be a silent sufferer. It's neither fair to you nor the other person. And never, ever think that you deserve any of the pain, the suffering, or whatever it is about the relationship that makes you unhappy. You are amazing, brilliant, beautiful and strong and will remain the same even without a guy in your life. Any guy who makes you feel like you're not all these things is NOT worth it... and the guy who makes you feel all this and more, don't let him go. If they hurt you more than they love you, dump them at once and RUN LIKE MAD! You are an independent woman, not a cow or goat to suffer silently all your life with a farmer who mistreats you. Never make the mistake of thinking that love means giving everything and silently hurting on the inside when you receive nothing. It's good to have no expectations in a relationship- it is NOT good to endure anything and everything just because 'you love them'.
Remember that you are someone, and you will be someone even without them. A person who really loves you will give back every measure of what he gets from you. And until that happens... don't forget that you are YOU, and you have every right to have your own mind, your own hopes and dreams, your own wishes, your own needs, your own personality and most importantly YOUR OWN LIFE. Your life is your own, not somebody's property. It's not something to just play with whenever they feel like it. As long as you remember this, and remember who you are, you WILL be happy, with or without a guy. I wish you all the happiness in the world. :)
Getting back to the story, I drew inspiration from the songs 'Butterfly Fly Away' by Miley Cyrus and her father Billy Ray Cyrus, and also Taylor Swift's 'The Way I Loved You'.
Reviews are welcome, whatever they may be. :D