Peoples with so many awesome suggestions and comments...I am totally taking up the ideas of you guys and frankly speaking I think you guys will love the end of it! Anyways this chapter isnt so much of what you have been expecting...triangle and stuff, since i am building the plot now! And to Smruti, like I said none of our CID character is portrayed as a villain, so I wont do that either... But ofc the triangle will be created nonetheless! So till I explode things like Diwali crackers, you guys enjoy some heated romance of our love birds! Now wonder what I am talking about! Heated romance! *Giggles*! Alright enjoy Peeeople! And yes I am going to involve some Kevi for the ones who love Kevi birdies! So comment and suggest! 'S all I ever need! :D

"Hum ander kese jaye ab? Koi chance hai ki is waqt koi khol de humare liye darwaza?" I sighed, placing my hands on my hips.

"Kam... Bhot kam chances hai. Daya or sab gehri neend me he or koi kholne wala nehi hai. Sarunkhe Saab ka pata nehi par jaha tak me unhe jaanta hu woh jaan buchke darwaza nehi kholenge," Abhijeet grunted, "What about Nakul. Woh khol sakta hai?"

"Not possible, couldn't wake him with plastic explosives," I muttered.

"Oh god," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "This is bad. What time is it?"

"No idea."

My annoyance was significant as I looked around in the dark, trying to think of a solution.

"Hum Nikhil ke bus me bhi to ja sakte hai haina?" I asked, beginning to walk towards the bus parked a few metres away. Abhijeet grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Nehi pagal ho kya Pankaj bhi wahi hai or dono ke dono sabse khatarnak hai, Tarika ko jake kuch na kuch bata denge."

"Well have you got any bright ideas then?" I snapped back, narrowing my eyes slightly.

Abhijeet picked up the pillow that had fallen out from the door, dusted off the gravel and tossed it to me, a slightly sinister smirk playing across his lips.
"Hope you like the outdoors."

"And what if it rains?"

"Waha ek picnic table hai wahi kuch intezam karte hai."

"You've done this before," I stated, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Chee mene tumhe kiss kya kar liya tum to mujhe esa wesa samajh rahi ho!" he grinned, looking decidedly disgusted with himself.

"Agar sab kuch thik raha to shayad tumne abhi apni hone wali bhabhi ko kiss kiya hai," I chided sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I made my way over to the picnic table. He followed.

"Sorry, tumhe bura laga ho to par yeh mera farz tha, Daya ke liye kuch bhi. If you're looking a cotton candy relationship with teddy bears, to itna to sehen karna hi parega, kaam hi esa kiya tha tumne."

"Yaar, bas ab ho gaya na yaar, maaf karo kitni baar mafi mangu tumse me."

"You're no fun," he laughed.

I tossed the pillow under the table.
"Tum kaha souge?"

"I'll stay on top."

"I thought you weren't interested in me?" I asked, trying my best to look serious and not give in to the giggles that were trying to push their way up from my stomach.

"Of the table," he sneered, but with no malice. Sniggering, I crawled under the table and tried to get as comfy as I could given the cold and uncomfortable stones that I was now lying on.

"Tumne yeh jo loyalty test hai, kisi or pe bhi try kiya tha kya," I asked him, stifling a yawn.

"A few," he answered, sounding slightly reluctant.

"Sachi, Shreya ke saath bhi?"

"Mazak bhi nehi samajhti, kya larki dhunda hai Daya ne, god."

"Yeh tumhara loyalty test bhot controversial hai, yakeen kyu na karu?" I asked, glaring slightly at the table above me. There was a small silence.

"Daya ke liye kuch bhi, uski khushi me agar mujhe jhukna bhi pare to wohi sahi."

Chuckling, I closed my eyes. It wasn't long before a wave of goose bumps prickled my skin. I had come outside seeking a refreshing breeze to cool me down. Now all I wanted was to get back inside my little bunk and under the covers.

"It's cold," I complained sleepily. There was a rustling above me and a few seconds later something soft flumped down onto the ground near to my head. Opening my eyes to investigate, I found his zip up jacket lying in the grass.
"Aren't you going to get cold?" I asked him as I picked it up and opened it out until it was nearly the size of a blanket.

"Nah, I'll be fine."

Snuggling up under the boy fragranced jacket I closed my eyes and attempted to sleep again. Eventually I managed to, but it was never for long. I didn't know the time, but it felt as though I was waking up every five minutes, the gentle snuffling sounds from above me told me that Abhijeet wasn't finding it as hard to sleep. The last time I awoke the light had dramatically changed and the sun was about half way up the sky. I must have managed to sleep for a longer period of time because the last time I'd been woken by the cold and hard ground beneath me it had still been dark.

"Aj to ap dono ki band bajne wali hai," said a recognisable voice. I turned my head slightly to see Kavin sitting in a small fold out chair in the middle of the grass wearing just shorts and a pair of flip flops.

I yawned.
"Kyu?"

He didn't reply, simply pointed a finger beside me. Turning around I groaned. I kicked the body that lay beside mine.
"Abhijeet!"

Abhijeet let out a sleepy string of speech that made absolutely no sense at all. I kicked him again, purely because it made me feel better. He opened his eyes.

"Hey sweetheart."

"Dr. Tarika plastic surgery karwa ke Jhanvi kabse ban gayi?" Kavin chuckled, finding some sadistic amusement in our situation.

"Tu nehi samjhega Kavin," Abhijeet replied with a grin.

I kicked him again.
"Kya hai?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

"Raat ko thand bhot thi na," he mumbled.

"Tum mard ho na, control karo," I snapped crawling out from under the table and getting to my feet. Turning to Kavin I offered our explanation. "Jo tum soch rahe ho wesa kuch nehi hai."i G

"achawww," Kavin smiled smugly.

"We got locked out!" I protested innocently.

"Jaan, agar yeh excuse bolke mamla suljane ki koshish kar rhi ho to me bhi tumhare saath saath sabse yehi jhoot kahunga, meri Jaan," Abhijeet called after me. My blood was slowly beginning to boil. As if to make matters worse Kavin was sniggering.

"Bastard," I yelled back, finding his little game far from amusing. Both of them started howling with laughter. I got up immdiately and began walking back to the bus

"Oh come on it's a joke, Jaan."

"Mera naam Jaan nehi Jhanvi hai, or yeh tumhara sense of humor bhot bekar hai," I half shouted, half sneered back at him. Apart from being annoyed at him, I was tired, stiff and cold. I just wanted to get back to my little bunk. I trudged across the grass to the bus and banged on the door impatiently.

Abhijeet caught up with me.
"Yaar suno to sahi, Kavin ka idea tha, me to upar hi so raha tha, abhi das minute pehle woh aya or usne mujhe kaha ese pas me let ne ke liye, bas or kuch nehi, pakka."

"Agar woh tumse kahe building se high jump maro tum maro ge, batao?" I snapped.

"I'm sorry, really. It was only meant to be a joke."

I sighed. It was impossible to resist his face. He is as convincing as Daya, and I can never fight again any of them.

"Fine," I grumbled. Just then the door opened. Daya stood on the steps with his arms folded and a look of thunder on his face. Tarika was right beside him with a sour look with hands on her hips.

"Tum DONO raat bhar kya kar rahe the," Daya snarled. I rolled my eyes.

"Abhijeet tum apne dosto ke saath milke mujhe kyu sata rahe ho, yeh bhi to tumhara saath mila hua hoga haina..."
The look on Abhijeet's face was enough to answer my own question. He'd gone deathly silent and all colour had departed from his face. Quickly I snapped my head back around to Daya.

"Jhanvi, itni bholi banne ki koshish mat karo, mat bhulo hum CID se hai!" Tarika taunted. Abhijeet cringed silently.
"Ha to me kya keh raha tha?" he spat through clenched teeth, "Bolo, mujhe jawab chahiye, tum dono se."

My heart was beating a million times a minute. I didn't know what Daya and Tarika had seen, but it defiantly couldn't have been the good stuff because he looked as though he was about to kill someone. He exchanged glances with Tarika for a split second. Then suddenly, a crack appeared in the corner of his mouth. Then his face completely crumbled and he began to giggle hysterically. Tarika also burst out laughing for a good time.

"I'm sorry," Daya gasped, "Your faces..."

Abhijeet and I exchanged equally confused glances. Tarika whispered something in Daya's ears and he nodded.

"It's okay, Mene kal raat sab kuch dekha tha or suna bhi tha. Koi kisi pe gussa nehi hai. Except..." he jumped down from the step and approached his friend. Extending a hand he slapped him across the side of the head.
"Yeh jo kal tune use kiss kiya uske liye, Jhanvi sirf meri hai, samjha?"

"Loud and clear," Abhijeet muttered, massaging the spot where he'd been hit. He quickly moved next to Tarika and took her hands, kissing them. She blushed deeply.

"Or koi Loyalty test to nehi karoga na tum Abhijeet! Kyu ki bhot dangerous he yeh!" She ranted

"And you," he said turning to me with a smile. Leaning down he kissed me on the lips. "Good girl, he hasn't been slapped half often enough."
He shied away before realizing something.
"Ek minute," piped up Abhijeet, "Daya tune kal raat humari saari bate suni. Fir tune hume ander kyu nehi ane diya?"

Daya turned his head slowly.
"Oops?" he offered with a nervous giggle. Abhijeet's eyes narrowed.

"Aj nehi bachega tu, sale," he growled, before leaping at his best friend. Daya let out a high pitched gasp as he jumped out of the way and hopped onto the bus and up the little stair case two steps at a time. Abhijeet was hot on his heels.

"Daya tu gaya, ACP sir ko bataunga me!" yelled Abhijeet, "Do you have any idea how kitne machar the bahar raat ko?"

"Tumhari Galati hai, bahar kyu nikle itne raat ko!"

"Me ACP ko bataunga tu bhot battameez insan hai!"

"Me Chitrole ko bataunga!"

"Chalna, Chitrole se teri fat ti hai!"

"Chup Daya, me bhot gusse me hu!"

Several more swear words flew back and forth along with the occasional thud, followed by someone yelling 'Oww'.

"Jab yeh dono ese larte hai na, tabhi ehsas hota hai ki ab sab thik hai!" Tarika sighed nonchalantly as she appeared at my side.

"Mhmm," I agreed.

"What's going on?" asked Nakul who had also joined the party standing outside the bus, accompanied by Sid.

"CID ke jawaan gali ke kutto ke tarah lar rahe hai," Tarika explained.

"Yeh to bhot achi baat hai, haina?" Sid chirped.

"I love a good bitch fight," Nakul giggled with glee, turning to his boyfriend, "Want to join in?"

"Do I ever."

The two disappeared up the stairs. Tarika and I took one look at each other before dissolving into hysterics.

My small, cramped, non-air-conditioned bunk had never ever been as comfortable as it was after I had spent a night sleeping on gravel. I slept most of the day, skipping sound check and the concert with the investigation. I could make something up for the updates or ask Nakul. It was about eleven at night, and I was somewhere between being awake and being asleep when somebody crawled in beside me. Full consciousness came quickly, and I rolled over to see who it was. Not that I needed to really.

"Hey," Daya whispered softly.

"Hey," I replied though a sleepy smile, "How'd it go?"

"Fine," he replied, "Abhijeet bhot smart ban gaya hai, humne ek surag dhund li he uske madad se."

"Uske mere saath raat bhar bahar sulane ka natija!"

"Chup raho, aj se uske itne karib ane ki zarurat nehi. Wese us raat ke liye I am sorry, me woh darwaze kholna hi chahta tha but I thought you would have banged on the door, and I thought someone else would have opened it. Then I fell asleep I guess. I am sorry, maaf kardo?"

"Ese nehi, me soch ke bataungi ki mujhe kya chahiye, its an apology token of gesture."

He chuckled.
"Wese me jatana to nehi chahta par aj cross firing hui thi!" He said with a straight face.

"Oh my god! Or mujhe pata nehi chala!" I looked at him. His face has number of tiny scratches. His left arm was binded with bandages.
"Tum sab safely is mission ko solve kar paoge na, mujhe pata nehi kyu dar lag rha hai ab. Kaha chot lagi batao?" I asked, he shrugged and pulled me, snuggling close. The sweet feeling of being safe washed over me as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Relax, I'll survive."

"Where and I'll kiss it better."

He laughed again.
"If you want the truth it's my shoulder. If you want me to lie I can think of a number of places."

I giggled quietly in response.

His hair was semi-wet and he smelt of shampoo, meaning that he'd just had a shower. I hadn't my glasses on, but I could just sense that he was looking at me. He put a hand to my cheek, slowly and gently rubbing his thumb across it. My skin tingled at his touched and I let out a contented sigh. I honestly didn't know what I'd done to deserve Daya. He was so perfect, so handsome; I could see that clearly, even without my glasses.

"Jhanvi?"

"mm?" I hummed in response. There was silence for a few brief moments. I could feel his hot, gentle breath tickle my face as he got closer. His lips locked to mine and we began the dance of lips and tongues that we'd become accustomed to. His hand moved down from my face to rest on my shoulder, then it moved again, tracing down my arm, then to my waist where it rested in the fleshy space between my t-shirt and my shorts. His next move, however, took me by surprise.

He pulled me as close as he could without it being painful as he slowly moved his hand further down, following the contours of my body until his hand rested on the outside of my thigh. My heart began to beat faster as his intentions were made clear, by moving my leg so that it rested on top of his. Breaking away to gauge my reaction we both were silent, save for the sound of our own breathing, slightly ragged.

"Yeh sab, yaha?" was the only thing that I could manage. It's not that I didn't want it, because god did I want it. It was just, I could think or a million places better than the small, cramped bunk.

"Jaan, I am sorry me...behek gaya tha me, sorr..."

He never did get to finish his sentence. I silenced him by placing my mouth over his and re-instating the kiss. The reservations about the place, were dwarfed by the growing need inside of me that had lain dormant for about seven months now. We rolled slightly, so that I was on my back. His hands travelled north again, slipping under my t-shirt. I wasn't wearing a bra because it was uncomfortable to sleep with, so that was one less thing to contend with.

"Daya!"

Daya ignored Abhijeet hoping, I assumed, to pass off that he was asleep. I locked my hands behind his neck, letting my fingers entwine with his still wet hair. It became apparent that even through twolayers of clothing between us, his seven month need was a bit more obvious than mine.

"Daya, mujhe pata hai ki tum upar ho, neeche ao abhi ke abhi!"

Daya went to sit up, obviously forgetting where he was, and whacked his head off the roof of the bunk. He swore colourfully. I tried not to giggle because I could sense he was now cross at Abhijeet's interruption. Unwillingly, we untangled, and he clambered out of the bed.

"Yehi rehna thik hai," he commanded gruffly.

"Thik hai," I replied.

He stormed off and I let out a long sigh. My heart was still pounding in my chest and my breathing was irregular. There was a part of me that hoped he'd get back real soon.

When he did though, it was apparent that neither of us was going to get satisfaction that night. His face was pale.
"Niche ao."

Sliding out of the bunk, I fixed my askew clothing and followed Daya down the stairs. What I saw when I got down there was enough to make me forget about Daya almost completely. Nakul was laid out the small couch, doubled over with a look of agony on his sweat drenched face. He was shaking, yet when I rushed to him and felt his forehead he felt like he was on fire.

"What happened?" I asked to Abhijeet, who was kneeling down on the floor next to him.

"Yeh dekhogi to sab samajh jaogi," he said, unwrapping a little brown parcel. My brain went into overdrive as I gazed over the contents. A lighter, a smoke blackened spoon, some brown powdered goo in a plastic bag and a sinister looking needle glared back at me. I staggered backwards, grabbing onto Daya for support.

"My god," I managed to say through trembling fingers that covered my mouth, "Yeh kya hai, kya kiya Nakul ne?"

"Ab kya?" Daya asked, his voice rasping with panic, "Nakul ne drugs li hai, kahi over dose to nehi haina? Do you want me to call an Ambulance? Me Tarika or Vivek ko call karu?"

"Chup raho Daya," Abhijeet growled "Your freaking out is helping no one."

I stared at the things Abhijeet held in the little brown package, refusing to come to terms with what I was seeing.

"Yeh drugs uski nehi ho sakti, drugs nehi leta Nakul," I said defiantly. Daya squeezed my arm reassuringly, having calmed down from his little fit.

"It's okay..." he began but I simply didn't want to hear any of the rest.

"No, you don't understand, Nakul wouldn't do that shit. That's not his," I repeated, saying it more to convince myself than anyone else.

"Jhanvi yeh drugs Nakul ke pocket me se mila hai, tum hakikat ko jhutla nehi sakti, yeh sach hai!" Abhijeet gestured to the shivering, sweating wreck that was laid out on the couch.

"Food poisoning bhi to ho sakta hai na?" I tried voicing the first possible explanation that came to mind.

"Jhanvi," Daya sighed, curling his arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off in annoyance.

"You just don't get it," I told him, laughing slightly, "He's not that stupid."

Taking us by surprise, the bus door opened and Sarunkhe appeared. He opened his mouth to greet us but stopped as his gaze fell to Nakul's somewhat pathetic form. His face immediately dropped into a frown.
"Kya khilaya tum logo ne is bache ko?" he asked, taking control of the situation as he strode over and crouched down beside my friend. Abhijeet offered him the contents of the little brown parcel almost like he was holding a bomb.

"Heroine," he mumbled.
"CID officers drugs kabse batne lag gaye?" Sarunkhe joked. Abhijeet rolled his eyes. Daya clenched his jaws and looked away.

"Yeh iske hai, isne khud liye he or hume uske pocket se yeh drugs mile he!" Daya said.
"Ap log samajh kyu nehi rahe he, yeh Nakul ke nehi hai, isne kabhi drugs chua tak nehi!" I half shouted, hoping that they would finally get it into their skulls. Sarunkhe felt Nakul's forehead then sighed.

"Isne over dose nehi liya hai, so there's no need to panic."

"See I told you!" I rejoiced, with a sense of triumph. It was, however, a short lived celebration.

"Par boss, iske body temperature se to pata lagta hai ki drugs to isne liye hai," Sarunkhe informed. I blinked, my brain refusing to accept what was being implied.
"Jhanvi ji, I am sorry to say par apke dost ne drugs liye hai, beshak uske nehi hai par kisi ne to lat lagwai hai," the Forensic expert said gently.

I had had enough. Pushing past them I knelt beside Nakul and began to roll up the sleeves of the jumper Sid had given him a few weeks ago, the same one he had worn religiously since.
"Ap logo ko samajh kyu nehi ata Nakul kabhi bhi..."
I trailed off as my worst fears were confirmed. The bend in Nakul's left forearm was black and blue with bruises with angry red splodges. He whimpered slightly as my fingers brushed the mark.

"Tabhi isko mood swings hote the, woh drugs ka asar tha," Daya sighed, although I didn't hear him very well because my brain had all but imploded. Nakul, my Nakul, was doing drugs. Not only doing them, but was apparently addicted.

"Please, isko bachalo please?" I asked them softly, since Sarunkhe appeared to be some sort of expert on drugs. No one knew why, but sure as hell no one wanted to ask.

"Yeh addiction sirf jisko hota wahi khatam kar sakta hai. Me iske health ke saath zyada kuch nehi kar paunga. You could try and cool down his fever if you want. Isko mood swings kabse ho rahe the?"

Daya answered, "Hume mission pe ek saath rehte ek mahina to ho chukka hai, so he could have been taking them since the start."

"That's okay, a month shouldn't have built up any lasting dependence on it. Once he gets over this he should be on the road to recovery, just make sure he stops." Sarunkhe smiled.

"Sure," I nodded, still too stunned to say much. Never, in a million years had I thought that he'd do something so utterly stupid and so dangerous. He'd always been so cautious with his body, a strict vegetarian from as long as I could remember. It wasn't him. Something had changed, someone had to be edging him on and only one person came to mind. Sid.

"Let's get him up to his bunk," I suggested, trying to keep the gradually bubbling anger under control. Daya lifted up the small shaking bundle and carried him up to the top deck of the bus.

I got a cloth from the sink and wet it, making sure that it was cold, before following Daya up. I took off Nakul's glasses and set them up on the little shelf above his bunk and draped the cloth on his hot forehead. I sat with him for god knows how long, stroking his hair until the shaking and moaning subsided and he seemed to fall into a deep sleep. Getting up from, my crouched position, I stretched out my back. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something shift. Daya was leaning up against one of the bunks, his arms folded.

"Tum abhi tak gaye nehi?" I yawned, realising how tired I was.

"Nehi, I can't leave you like this," he smiled. He walked over and embraced me, "You did good."
I held him tight, breathing in his safe, familiar scent.

"How could he be so stupid?" I squeaked as a lump lodged in my throat and tears welled in my eyes. "I was so scared."

"I know," he whispered, planting a kiss on my forehead, "It's okay now. Hume subah tak ka intezaar karna hoga, kyuki yeh bhot zaruri hai. We'll talk to him about it then."
I looked up and he gave me a small and reassuring smile.

"Sorry about earlier," I muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"It's okay," he chuckled, "Some other time?"

"You can count on it."

He laughed again, squeezed me, then let go.
"Night," he said.

"Night," I managed through another yawn. Collapsing into bed, I took off my glasses and fell asleep almost instantly.

The next morning came quickly and the second I woke up I jumped out of my bunk to see if Nakul was up yet. I needed answers and I needed them soon, needed an explanation to his stupidity, although part of me knew that nothing could justify what he had been doing.

Peeking through the curtains of his bunk he was sleeping soundly, his arms in an embrace with his pillow. His brown hair, dyed so because Sid thought it looked better than his Purple streak, stuck out at all angles. Gently, I shook him awake, too eager to talk to him to wait until he woke naturally. His eyelids fluttered open and he winced in the daylight.

"God my head hurts," he groaned, "Pass me my glasses Jhanvi."

I did so. He slid them onto his face then looked at me.

"What?" he asked once no one had said anything.

"You know what Nakul," I said with a solemn voice. The noise of a curtain sliding slowly back told me that one of the best friend was watching the scene, but I didn't turn around to see which one.

"No, I don't think I do," he snapped, swinging his legs out of the bed and standing up.
"Do you know when we stop next? I need to see Sid."

"To get your next hit?" I asked bluntly.

"Tu pagal ho gayi ha kya, kya keh rahi hai?" he frowned, spinning on the spot to face me. For a moment my heart skipped with joy because I thought that he was being truthful and that he didn't know about the drugs, that the sickness and bruised arm was just an unlikely coincidence.

"Hume pata hai ki tum drugs lete ho Nakul, aj agar tum jail me nehi ho to you Jhanvi ke wajah se, ab sach sach batao" Abhijeet said gruffly from behind me.

Thinking carefully about his response, Nakul remained silent, his eyes drifting slowly from mine, to the pair that belonged to the CID officer behind me.

"It's none of your business, me agar drugs leta hu to mujhe jail me bhej do, I don't care!" he said suddenly, turning around and climbing down the stairs to the lower level. I looked behind me to see Abhijeet roll his eyes before pulling the curtain back across his bunk.

I followed determinedly, down to the little kitchen, where Nakul stood beside the kettle, his fingers tapping feverishly on the countertop as he waited for it boil. He didn't look at me when I stood beside him.

"Nakul..." I began, my voice sympathetic, hoping he would open up to me if I appeared more compassionate. He shrugged off the hand that I set on his shoulder.

"It's none of your business," he repeated. I looked over towards the seats of the bus where Daya was sitting with his nose buried in a magazine. The expression on his face told me he wasn't reading, but eavesdropping.

"Of course it's my business if my best friend is damaging his body by being stupid and taking drugs!" I snapped.

As he turned and stared harshly at me, I could see that the person I called friend had long gone, Nakul was a stranger to me now, his mind warped by the drugs in his veins. Tears brimmed in my eyes.

"And as my friend I would expect you to respect my decisions and keep your opinions to yourself when I say that it's none of your business."

"Did Sid do this to you?" I asked softly.

"For your information, no. Sid has a mild heart condition that means he could die if he took drugs."

"You could die!" I yelled, as tears of frustration and anguish fell freely from my eyes.

Nakul rolled his eyes.
"I know what I'm doing so just butt out."

"No you don't!"

"Look, just because you're jealous of me and Sid doesn't mean that you have to take it out on me!"

I reeled as though he'd just knocked the wind out of me with a punch.
"That has nothing to do with it!" I shouted, my voice an octave higher than usual as sobs threatened to rack my body.

"Of course it does. You're jealous, Jhanvi Sharma, admit it."

"Jealous of what?!"

"You just are!"

"Bas," Daya barked, raising his voice louder than I'd ever known him to so that he could be heard over me and Nakul's shouting, "I'm not sitting here in silence any more."
He came and stood behind me, making the small kitchen even more crowded.
"Jab accident hua tha tab hum ne Jhanvi or tumhe is bus me ane ka permission diya tha, iska matlab yeh nehi tum yeh ulti seedhi harkat karo, drugs or yeh sab, samjhe!"

"You know what, me dusre bus me shift ho jata hu! simple."

"No..." Daya immediately said, the fierceness in his voice being reduced to barely more than a whisper as he tried to backtrack the conversation, "I didn't mean that you had to go I just..."

"No really, I wouldn't want to intrude on your little love nest either. Me ap sab ko khatak raha hu me hi chala jaata hu! Or staff ke saath me to adjust ache se ho jaunga!"

With that he was gone back up the stairs. I looked round at Daya in silence. The boiling kettle turned off with a click.

"My God..." Daya muttered, running a hand through his hair, "I didn't mean to... I was trying to...help..."

"It's okay," I sniffed, tears still running down my cheeks, "I know."

"C'mere," he sighed, pulling me to him. Burying my face in his chest, I sobbed a bit more.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked him, not really expecting him to have an answer, because there wasn't really an answer.

"It's okay, usko apne Galati ka ehsas ho jaiga, ab thore hi ghanto me hum Delhi ke ander hoge to sab thik ho jaiga, thora rest bhi milega hum sabko."

"I hope you're right."

"Come on Jhanvi, cheer up," Daya sighed, looking at me across the table where he and CID team was busy planning the next intrusion and having dinner at the same time. I snorted. Who was he to tell me to cheer up, I'd just discovered my best friend of five years was on drugs and had effectively abandoned me. Plus, the ACP didn't know about the falling out we'd had earlier and had booked us into the same room in our hotel in New Delhi. I was not looking forward to tonight. I gave Daya a bitter smirk and downed the remaining dregs of my glass of wine. He rolled his eyes and went back to his dinner. I hated taking it out on him, but I needed to vent and he was trying to be the optimist, which I currently wasn't in the mood for at all. For once, I was going to get drunk on purpose. Drunk, so that I could forget about all my problems and so that I could share a room for a night with Nakul as painlessly as possible; between my being paralytic and Nakul being as high as the clouds, I'm sure we could manage. I reached out for the fancy brand of wine that Daya had graciously paid for along with the meal, only to find he got there before me. Giving me a stern look he moved the bottle out of my reach.

"No," he said, "You know what happens jab tum yeh sab karti ho."

"I don't want to stop tonight," I snapped gruffly, "I need an escape."

"No more wine Jhanvi," he sighed, "Just stay sober, please?"

I looked over my shoulder to check that no one in the posh hotel restaurant was listening to us. The last thing we needed was Sr. Inspector Daya's and mine's face plastered over some tabloid. I kept my voice as low as possible.
"I just found out my best friend is a druggie, and I have to share a room with him tonight. The more alcohol in my system, the less painful it will be for either of us."

"No."

Angrily, I pushed back from the table and stood up, adjusting my dress as I did so. I didn't really like wearing dresses, but the hotel restaurant had a dress code and it was the only thing that I had brought with me that was the least bit acceptable.

"Thik hai, me apne room me ja rahi hu. Maybe there's stuff in the mini bar. Failing that perhaps I can get to sleep before he gets back."

Storming off I could hear him cursing quietly behind me. I made my way out of the restaurant, following the directions written on the wall to get back to a part of the hotel I recognised. When I got to the lifts I pressed the button and waited impatiently, tapping one of my too high heeled shoes. What I was trying to make up for in my lack of height, I was going to pay for in foot problems when I was older. Checking back the way I'd come I saw Daya following me. I didn't want to talk to him now, I was still cross, so I headed for the stairs and started to climb. If he wasn't going to be sympathetic for me, then I just didn't want him around right now.

After the second flight of stairs, I cursed my decision and took my shoes off, climbing the remaining three in my bare feet. Much to my annoyance, Daya was waiting for me at the top of the stairs, failing miserably to hold back his amusement as I stumbled slightly, not drunk but not completely untouched by alcohol.

"Haso haso or haso mere zindagi par," I huffed, as I clambered up the last steps onto the floor of the hotel that had been privately rented out for them and for some of the crew.

"Yar mujhe samjhane ka ek moka to do," he chuckled, taking my arm affectionately. I shrugged him off in annoyance.

"Daya just... let me do this. If I want to wallow in alcohol fuelled self pity then just let me."

"I want you sober Jhanvi."

"We all want a lot of things in this life Sr. Inspector."

Somewhere behind me he laughed again, a low chuckled in the back of his throat.
"You still don't get it. I want you. Sober."

The intonation in his voice stopped me dead in my tracks and I turned to face him. The smile that hinted deviousness on his face turned my legs to jelly and I thought that I was going to have to grab onto the wall to stop myself from collapsing. That changed everything. It certainly was a way to escape for a night, and a damn good way of escaping. I cursed myself for not thinking of it first.

"Mere saath raho. Mere pas!" he whispered, "Now do you see why I didn't want you to get drunk? I want you to remember it."

He paused and brushed the back of his hand down my cheek and smiled.
"Dekho mujhe pata hai ki tum bhot stressed ho aj, and I'll understand if you don't..."

"Why do you always assume that I don't want to?!" I asked loudly. He laughed.

"Pta nehi, me experienced nehi hu."

I wished that I'd kept my heels on because I'm sure Daya's neck would hurt after a while as he leant down to kiss me. It didn't take before I yearned for something more than our dancing mouths. Slowly, I moved my hands up underneath his t-shirt, enjoying the feel of his smooth porcelain skin beneath my fingertips.

Suddenly he put his hands on my wrists and pulled them out.
"Room," he said breathlessly, "Now."

He kept one of his hands around my wrist as he pulled me towards the door of his room, searching for the card key in his pocket as he went. It took three attempts before the little light turned green and we crashed through the door. With a certain sense of urgency clothes began to fly. He pulled the hated dress up over my head, careful not to dislodge my glasses. I didn't see where it ended up in the end, and frankly, I didn't care.

We collapsed onto the king bed, in nothing but underwear. Daya smiled as he looked down at me.
"Now, before we continue, are there any life altering secrets that you need to tell me?" he laughed.

I smiled up at him my heart hammering in my ribs with nerves. Despite that, I felt completely safe in his hands. I ran my hands up his arms, up to his shoulders, then locked them behind his head.
"Just one," I said, choosing now as the best time to make the declaration that I'd made to a sleeping Daya a few months ago.
"I love you."

It seemed like an eternity for the expression on his face to change, and much to my relief he smiled. Bringing his face close he whispered in my ear, a hot breath that sent shivers rippling across my body.
"I love you too."

And he did; In more ways than one. It was everything I'd hoped for and more. The sweet feel of his skin on mine, the taste of his lips and the sensation of our bodies moving as one was heaven. For that night the world could have been burning to cinders around us and I don't think we would have noticed. It was the best possible way to forget about my troubles as we soared in our own little dream world until tired but contented we fell asleep in each other's arms.