Chapter 1

Its Not Easy Being Me

A/N: Heyyyyy! Finally after so long, I'm back! :D Well, this is basically going be random one shots on different characters based on any random day in their life...! :P :P We are always so curious to know how it feels to be in any of our CID characters' shoes, so here is just my humble try on an insight into how is the life of a CID officer. I may definitely go a bit OC at times, but I will be trying to portray them not as super heroes, but as how common people actually feel and go through in day to day life. Also, there might be a chance that I may repeat a character twice.

Well, that's enough of my rambling now! Btw, the first character is Tarika. She has now constantly been gaining my attention for some time, and hence, my first attempt will be on her character.

Anyways, happy reading! :D :D

Throwing her handbag on the couch, Tarika entered the kitchen with tiredness oozing from every pore of her body. What a day! People always thought her job was a one with the highest prestige. Huh! Well, somehow people never realized the responsibility that came along, always having to juggle and create the perfect balance between her personal and professional life. With an amused smile creeping up her face at the thought of various people giving her "the talk" on how lucky she was, she got to preparing her coffee, and sat down on the couch, enjoying the little time she got for herself, like each day. Taking a sip of her coffee, she felt a wave of freshness hit her, before she got consumed into various thoughts about her day.

"Arre Salunkhe sir kuch toh batatiye!"

"Maine kaha na main ab kuch nahi batane wala. Pradyuman ko aane do tabhi use bata dunga."

Dr. Salunkhe started pacing about the place with an extremely annoyed expression on his face.

"Sir, shayad mujhe kuch mila hai..." Tarika raised her head from the microscope to inform Dr. Salunkhe about her observation, but Dr. Salunkhe seemed to be absent-mindedly pacing about mumbling

"Mere 30 saal ke career mein... pata nahi kaise... ab Pradyuman ko kya... par yeh nahi ho sakta... kaise... nahi nahi mujhse hi koi galti hui hogi... par analysis.. reports.. pata nahi... pata nahi..."

"Kya pata nahi Salunkhe!"

ACP Pradyuman, along with Abhijeet, Nikhil and Purvi entered the lab at that precise moment.

Salunkhe stayed quiet, while Tarika had gone back to observing the sample in the microscope.

"Yaar bol na Salunkhe, kya nahi pata"

"Tarika se hi puch lo"

"Tarika, tum batao, kya pata chala hai?" Abhijeet headed straight towards Tarika's desk.

"Abhijeet, kya mila hai, woh toh ab Salunkhe sir hi aapko bata sakte hai..."

"Par tumhein kuch toh mila hoga."

"Abhijeet, laash ki autopsy repost toh humein yeh batati hai ki laash ko mare hue 4 din ho chuke hai, jabki laash pe jo rigormortis set hua hai, usse yeh pata chalta hai ki laash ko mare hua 72 hours se zyada nahi hua hai."

"Yeh kaise ho sakta hai Tarika? Laash ko toh theek se check kiya hai na aap logon ne?" Purvi entered the conversation with shock and confusion in every syllable.

"Humne laash ke rigormortis ko 4 baar test karke dekha hai, aur chaaro baar humein yahi baat pata chali hai."

"Ho sakta hai, shayad laash ko do dino ke liye preserve kiya gaya ho?" Nikhil enquired next.

"Nahi Nikhil, agar aisa hota to bhi, ya toh humein laash mein se preservation chemicals milne chahiye the, ya toh water particle ke traces, par iss laash par toh aisa kuch bhi nahi hai." Dr. Salunkhe now looked even more perplexed than ever.

"Par haan, laash ki chamdi ko analyze karne se mujhe bohot hi halka sa ek chemical ki trace mili hai, par woh kaunsa chemical hai yeh toh analyze karke hi humein pata chalega." Tarika then called Abhijeet ahead to see in the microscope the sample.

"Arre haan, yeh toh laghbag dikhai hi nahi deta."

"You're right Abhijeet, yeh microscope bohot powerful hai tabhi tumhein yeh bhi dikhai pada hai."

Tarika happened to look at Dr. Salunkhe at that moment and a bit of colour drained off from her face. Clearly she could see that he was in one of his worst towering rages.

"Tumne mujhe yeh baat pehle kyun nahi batayi!"

"Sir main aapko kabse yahi batana chahti hoon magar"

"Magar kya!" Salunkhe cut in with irritation.

"Sir, aa.. aap ne meri baat suni hi nahi…"

"Tarika, ab tum bhi apne galti mujhe thopogi!"

"Nahi sir, maine aapse kab kuch…"

"Dekhiye Salunkhe sir, ab aap kuch zyada hi.." Abhijeet came to the defense of Tarika now.

"Zyada hi kya, haan, zyaada hi kya?" Salunkhe now walked towards Abhijeet and stopped between him and Tarika's desk.

"Agar aapse koi galti hui hai toh aap maante kyun nahi ho!"

"Enough!" Salunkhe threw the file with such force on the table that everyone got startled by the noise it made.

"Abhijeet Tarika meri junior hai, aur ab tumhein mujhe yeh baat samjhaane ki zaroorat nahi hai ki mujhe mere juniors ke saath kya aur kis tarah pesh aana chahiye, samajh gaye! Aur meri tumse yahi salah rahegi ki apne personal aur professional life ko alag hi rakho!

Aur rahi baat mere galti manane ki hai, toh main ab bhi yahi kahunga ki koi na koi galti report main hi hai! Agar mujhpe bharosa nahi hai, toh koi aur forensic expert ko bulwake laash ko check karwalo!"

"Woh toh hum…" Abhijeet was about to retort back when he saw Tarika trying to tell him to keep quiet with her eyes.

"Hum kya?" Salunkhe glared at Abhijeet.

"Kuch nahi Salunkhe... Ek kaam kar, laash ki autopsy report to ek aur baar double check kar lo, ya agar chaho toh waapas autopsy ke liye hi bhej do... shayad tumhein kuch aur pata chal sake..." ACP sir spoke in for the first time.

"Theek hai... main waapas se autopsy lab se report magwa leta hoon..." Salunkhe replied a bit more calmly. "Agar kuch aur milta hai, toh main tum logon ko inform kar dunga."

"Theek hai..."

Tarika jerked as she felt something pounce on her lap. Startled for a moment, she noticed that it was her dog Astrid, who had jumped and put itself entirely on her lap, trying to get her to scratch its ears. Laughing at the dog for the way he tried to attract her attention, she realized that her coffee mug was empty. Gently scratching its ears and putting him aside, she once again stepped inside the kitchen and disposed off her mug in the kitchen.

"Chalo, ab main thoda fresh ho jaati hoon... phir waapas se reports dekhne hai aur conference ki bhi tayyari karni hai..."

Astrid just looked at her with its brown eyes, and she stroked its ears once more before heading for her bedroom now. Selecting a top and pyjama at random, she headed for the shower to freshen herself up, before she got engrossed in her work. New memories of the day from the day now flooded her mind, while she felt the hot water from the shower ease off the tiredness in her muscles.

"Tumne mujhe roka kyun! Salunkhe sahab ko toh aaj sabak sikha kar hi rakhta! Bhala yeh koi tareeka hua kisi se baat karne ka!" Abijeet sipped on his glass of lemonade with a huge scowl on his face.

He and Tarika were sitting in the canteen and having lunch together.

"Abhijeet... Salunkhe sir ko toh jaante ho na tum... bahar se jitne sakht hai woh..."

"Haan haan pata hai pata hai... bohot acchi tarah se pata hai ki kitne sakht aur kitne naram hai woh..." Abhijeet continued with the scowl over his face more pronounced than ever.

"Yeh tum bhi jaante ho ki jab Salunkhe sir ka mood kharab rehta hai toh woh hamesha gusse mein kuch bhi bol dete hai... par baad mein aake phir sorry bhi toh bol dete hai na..."

And splash! At that moment, Abhijeet seemed to have thrown up the lemonade he was in the process of drinking and began choking on it. Tarika instantly sprang up and rushed to rub Abhijeet's back, who by now, had started coughing badly and was having difficulty in breathing.

"Abhijeet! Kitni baar kaha hai tumse ki kuch bhi peete wakt baat mat karo!" Rubbing his back a little more vigorously, she continued, "Ab dekh liya! Pata nahi tum aisi cheezein kyun karte ho!"

Grumbling now to herself she rubbed his back until she felt that he had manged to regain a bit of his breath. "Tum...tum..bait..tho...ma..main.. theek...hoon. While every word was punctuated with a cough, Tarika knew that he was better and took her seat once again. Managing to speak in a hoarse voice while taking deep breaths, he continued,

"Kya Tarika tum bhi! Aise type ke jokes maarogi toh aisa hi hoga na!" A series of coughing once again accompanied his speech alongside.

"Joke? Maine kya... Ohhhh!" Tarika now looked torn between throwing her purse at him or giving him a nice smack personally, but Abhijeet's expression at that moment suspended her look almost immediately. Transitioning from an angry look, to a serious look, from to a blank look, to a tiny smile creeping up her face and finally to the laugh that broke out, that she could no longer hold in, Tarika felt her mood return back to normal instantly. Putting on a fake angry look once again, she continued, "Tumhaara toh pata nahi, par jab bhi Salunkhe sir mujhse naraz hote hai aur mujhe daant dete hai, uske baad sir khud aake mujhse sorry kehte hai aur mujhe ice cream khilaane bhi le chalte hai!"

"Toh phir issi baat par shart laga lete hai... agar tum jeeti toh kal main tumhein shopping ke liye leke jaunga aur phir lunch tumhaari favorite restaurant mein karenge... aur agar main jeeta toh phir tumhein mujhe mere favourite restaurant mein lunch karwaaogi aur phir beach par chalte hai... "

She knew that Dr. Salunkhe was obviously going to apologize to her... it was definitely something she had come to learn in her 7 year old work experience, and she was quite sure that Abhijeet knew the fact too. But since he was putting the bet with confidence brimming his eyes, she was sure there had a be a catch in it, but she couldn't see how... The itenary if either of them won was in her favor... she loved the beach as much as she loved shopping, and her choice of restaurants was identical to Abhijeet's. An idea suddenly crossing her mind, she smiled and replied,

"Theek hai... mujhe shart mansoor hai... par mujhe pura yakeen hai ki jahan tak main ko jaanti hoon, woh mujhse sorry toh zaroor bolenge, aur yeh baat tum bhi jaante ho!"

"Humein toh aaj tak gaaliyon ke alawa kuch diya ya kaha ho toh kahe..." A strange look passed over Abhijeet's face. At that point Tarika knew what was going through his mind. She even contemplated for a moment to say something to him, but she knew him well... nothing that she was going to say was going to change his mind in this topic so she thought it was better to drop the topic altogether.

"Accha waise, ek baat batao, kal ka din toh yaad hai na?"

"Kal ka din?" Abhijeet snapped out of his thoughts with a confused look on his face.

"Haan, kal ka din! Don't tell me Abhijeet ki tumhein kal ka din pata nahi hai!" Tarika had a slightly disappointed look on her face, which she was failing miserably to hide.

"Arre kya Tarika, kitne dino se tum yahi sawal puche jaa rahi ho... mujhe sachmein yaad nahi hai ki kal ka din kya hai... tum hi bata do na... soch soch ke dimaag ka halwa ban gaya hai mera..."

"Koi baat nahi... yaad nahi hai toh phir rehne do..." Tarika felt her eyes getting pricky at the edges, but she managed to compose herself. However it was not difficult for Abhijeet to notice that her just refreshed mood had gone back to becoming morose again.

"Hey bhagwan! Yeh ladkiyan itne saare din hi kyun yaad rakhte hai! Abhi iske chakkar mein hum jaise bechaare logon ka kya haal hota hai humi se puho!" Abhijeet exclaimed aloud. For a moment, Tarika gave him quite a dirty look before ending up chuckling along with him.

She felt herself still chuckling at Abhijeet's overdramatic dialogue. The length he could go to make her laugh! A smile still lingering over her face at the thought of it, she now went through the new reports that had returned from the autopsy lab, that had wrecked havoc in the forensic department today! Apparently, the analysis report had been tampered with by an unknown source, who the CID was now on a look out for. She started making various notes in her record book regarding the crime scene and the ballistic reports as per Dr. Salunkhe's instructions to her earlier in the day.

The later half of the day had passed of without much event. Dr. Salunkhe had left for a conference after lunch time, while the CID team had caught another case in the same day that increased her workload double the time. Vaibhav was there to help her out, which was quite a relief, for she would have certainly not been able to manage everything without missing some things.

Yawn. And another. And another. Tarika looked at the time. It was only 11:30 in the night. Shutting her completed notes with a finality, she got up and neatly stacked her notes and files on the study table and headed towards a kitchen for another time. Opening the fridge, she absent mindedly reached out her hand for the glass of juice that was waiting for her, when her eyes fell over the cupcake in the fridge.

Hitting her head with her hand and smiling with silliness she took out the cupcake from the fridge, a simple chocolate cupcake with M&M's arranged in the shape of a 'T'. She headed to the drawer to take out a candle and the match box and then once again settled herself on the couch.

"Main bhi na... Abhijeet ko bol rahi thi, par main toh khud hi bhul gayi thi ki abhi 15 minute mein..." Giving a sad smile at the cupcake the was now lying on the table, she continued, "Har saal toh apna janam din issi tarah manati hoon, toh phir iss saal kuch alag kyun hoga..." Her mind now traveled to the various memories of her past birthdays... the initial ones with her parents, then some with her brother and the remaining... well, alone. Many of her friends and relatives would wish her at midnight, but it was never the same.

She didn't know why she expected Abhijeet to celebrate her birthday with her, or even remember it for that matter. True, they were in a relationship, but their relationship was unique... no formalities, no expectations - that was the rule. He would always be amongst the ones to wish to her first, and the fact that he forgot her birthday this time did not disturb her so much. She could not even blame him for it... the CID bureau had been buzzing with a lot of activity and everyone was clearly over exerted, but still...

But today, she missed THEM. They would would always do anything for her one smile. They who would always put her needs above theirs. They, who would always get her a thing she wanted even before she asked. They, whose place no one could ever replace. NO ONE. Her mind now view several memories of her childhood, with her parents every year doing something new for her birthday, even though a simple cake cutting and dinner meant the whole world to her! As long as they were with her, she had the strength to fight every odd and every battle, but today... it was the first time in years when she felt weak... vulnerable. She was so used to being in the shell of an independent woman, who bore every situation and every circumstance on her own, that this weakness felt new to her... strange to her...

Somewhere down the line, she could relate to Abhijeet in more than one way. In some way, she felt that maybe it was the main reason why they were attracted to each other. Because they could relate to each other's pain and emotions... they never had anyone with whom they could share their hearts deepest fears and secrets, and they found a very satisfying solace in each others company. Their childish flirting... everything a camouflage... their relationship was too mature, sometimes they couldn't handle it. It wasn't the best way to be in a relationship, but it worked never the less.

It was now 10 minutes to midnight. Lighting up the match stick and burning the candle, she started singing for herself,

"Happy Birthday to me,

Happy birthday to me,

Happy birthday to me,

Happy Birthday to me!"

Tears escaped her eyes as she took a small piece of her cupcake. No one to clap for her. No one to kiss her on her head and give her blessings. No one to hold her hand and promise her that they will be there to hold her always. No one. She felt a lick on cheek, and saw that Astrid had come on the couch and given her a lick. Tarika gave the dog a teary smile before stroking its head and showering all the affection she could over it at that moment, while Astrid looked at her with its concerned brown orbs.

Tarika was about to say something when Astrid suddenly began to bark. At first, she thought because he was disturbed, but Astrid now sprang from the couch and rushed towards the main door and continuously started barking. Tarika gave a confused look towards Astrid and walked lazily towards the main door, wondering what the dog had sensed.

As soon as the door opened, two pairs of shocked expressions alike came face to face. While Tarika gave a shocked look at Abhijeet, who was the last person she was expecting to see at the moment, Abhijeet, who was about to sing 'Happy Birthday' for her, was thoroughly taken aback by the way she had opened the door without even him ringing the bell, and was more shocked when he saw her state. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair was slightly disheveled and she looked, by far, the saddest that he had ever seen her.

"Tarika..." But before Abhijeet could even say anything further, Tarika flung her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug, while Abhijeet returned the hug while gently rubbing her back soothingly. It may have been minutes ou maybe hours, Tarika had no clue, but the moment they broke apart from their hug, she was filled with the satiation of all the emotions that she had so longed to feel some moments back - safety, love, affection, someone who would always be there to hold her whenever she needed him, some one who would always treat her the way her parents did, perhaps a tad bit more, the man stood right in front of her. Gently kissing her on her forehead, he bent down gently to give Tarika the cake he had brought for her that he had hidden carefully near the pot.

"Aaj raat cake kaatne ka iraada yahin par hai kya?" Tarika looked a little disoriented as his surprise had taken her completely unawares and embarrassed for the way she suddenly hugged him, but she felt happy... like she had been introduced to a sudden jolt of happiness. A radiant smile now hit her face as she beckoned Abhijeet inside. A smile which was like the sun that came out after a shower of rainfall. They cut the cake together, danced a little, and finally sat down on the couch.

They spoke a lot of random things... here and there... they were getting such time for each other after so many months. There were so many things to tell, so many emotions to share, and yes they had a lot of time right now. They took turns speaking about so many incidents that took place in these few months, sometimes they would just cuddle up and enjoy each other's company.

"Waise Abhijeet, ab jab tumhein yaad hi aa gaya hai ki aaj mera birthday hai, toh phir aaj hi lunch aur shopping ke liye leke chalo na!" During one of their random conversations, Tarika suddenly popped up with this request playfully.

"Itni bhi kya jaldi hai... abhi shart ka result ko toh aane do!"

"Shart ka result aa gaya hai, isiliye toh keh rahi hoon... Salunkhe sir ne mujhe kuch der pehle call kiya tha... sorry bhi kaha... aur yeh bhi ki woh kal mujhe ice cream ka treat bhi denge... ab toh le chaloge na...?"

At that moment, Tarika freed herself from Abhijeet's arms and looked at his expression... and the next moment, she burst into such a fit of laughter that she could not stop till the next 15 minutes. Abhijeet's expression was constantly indignant and each time Tarika looked at him, she burst out into another fit of laughter, until Abhijeet felt himself get badly affected by her laughter and joined her laughing.

Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, Abhijeet and Tarika shared a look with each other that expressed so many things that could not be given words, so many emotions that had been suppressed within them for so long, so many promises that they swore to fulfill. Scooting close to Abhijeet, Tarika rested her head on his shoulder, feeling satisfied like she never had, before she heard him the three magical words that she had so longed to hear for so long.

"I love you too.." Tarika replied sleepily before she fell asleep in his arms, the tiredness and the high oh her emotions finally creeping its way into her system.

Abhijeet looked at Tarika sleep, and gave her an admiring smile. Astrid suddenly got up from its favorite spot and came towards the peaceful couple. Growling a bit at Abhijeet, who came a confused look at the dog, Astrid jumped up on the couch between Abhijeet and Tarika. While Tarika was in a deep and blissful sleep, Astrid scooted closer towards Abhijeet and gave him a little growl and an affectionate lick, as if thanking him for making his mistress happy, he once again got off the sofa and returned to its spot. Abhijeet looked at the dog with surprise and then it hit him. That dog was really smart! Laughing to himself as a comparison came to his mind about the way people who loved Tarika "growled" at him all the time, Abhijeet gave one last look to Tarika before he too fell asleep the same way.

A/N: There! :) :) Kaisi lagi aap sab ko? I hope aadhe log so na gaye ho toh bas! :P :P

And last but not the least, constructive reviews will be more than welcome! :D :D