Chapter Twenty Four
"We'll be heading out for our morning run in five minutes."
Abhimanyu looks down at Naina from where he leans against his doorframe, still only half awake. He had tossed and turned the night before, unable to sleep as he had thought over the night's events. More than anything else he had thought of Sherry, broken in his arms as he held her, and worried over what she had learned to make her that way. "Why are you telling me this?"
Naina rolls her eyes. "Since you've both ignored my advice so far, it's better if I focus on damage control instead. There's things she needs to tell you, so put your shoes on and make your way out."
Naina disappears down the hall towards the training ground and Abhimanyu rushes to ready himself, changing in record time. He is just making his own way out when he runs into Naveen, looking far more cheerful than Abhimanyu has seen him in a long time.
"Heading for a jog? I'll join you. Suriji just told me that Bhargav left last night, I don't know who we have to thank for this but it's the best news I've heard in a long time."
"I know who we have to thank for it." Abhimanyu replies grimly and Naveen looks towards him, easily judging his friend's mood as they jog out onto the grounds.
"What's going on?"
"It's a long story and I still need to find out one part of it but I promise I'll tell you everything later today." Abhimanyu scans the path in front of them, looking for Naina and Sherry. He hadn't planned on Naveen being with him and he hopes they'll still get to talk.
They round the corner and sure enough there the cadets are, each stretching to warm up their muscles as they speak in low voices. Abhimanyu takes a step forward, looking Sherry over to make sure that she really is fine. There are bruises developing on her arms but she seems much better this morning than she had the previous night, calmer and in control once again.
She looks up, meeting his eyes and he's struck by the pang of longing that runs through him. He hadn't meant to kiss her last night but he knows exactly why he did do it and it will be a struggle to ensure that he doesn't do it again.
Naina catches Naveen looking speculatively at the two of them and sighs. "Come on Naveen, I think it's time that you and I got some brother-sister bonding in, let's go for a jog."
Taking his hand she pulls him along, leaving them alone.
"How are you feeling today?" Abhimanyu asks Sherry as they walk towards each other. He takes her right arm in his hands gently, examining the bruises on it before he releases her.
"Better. It helped to speak to Naina last night but there's something important I need to tell you and it will be a relief when I have. You didn't listen to the tape did you?"
Abhimanyu shakes his head. "No, you asked me not to. I want to say first, Sherry, that I..."
She touches his wrist to stop him. "Let me tell you this first, please, in case it changes what you have to say afterwards." He nods and she continues. "Our plan was to hint to Major Bhargav that we knew he was working for my father and try to pressure him to leave the academy if he didn't want his corruption exposed."
"And it backfired? That was why he tried to hurt you?"
"It actually went even better than what I was hoping for because I managed to collect evidence that we'll need later. He revealed more than he meant to which is why he was willing to harm me. Do you remember telling me that you thought someone powerful had convinced Major Bhargav to implicate my brother and that was why he rose through the ranks?"
"Of course, I've tried to find out who it was ever since the trial."
"It was my father."
Abhimanyu looks at Sherry in shock, barely able to believe what she's telling him. "You're saying that your father..."
"Was the one responsible for trapping Bhaiyya. There's no other explanation, it can't be just a coincidence."
She's angry today rather than broken, seething with it, and it reassures Abhimanyu to see her this way. He couldn't stand to see her defeated and if she's angry then it means that she's ready to fight again, she's ready to win.
"I always thought he'd condemned Raj just to save his political career, I never assumed... I hated the man already for what he did to you, now I know that we have to find some way to stop him."
Sherry gives him a determined nod in response. "It was too great a shock yesterday when I first found out, but now I know we can beat him. We almost have enough to be able to prove Bhaiyya's innocence and make my father pay. All that remains is for you and Captain Naveen to find evidence against Dr Mishra and for Naina, Aalekh and I to..." Abhimanyu raises his eyebrows but she catches herself, shaking her head. "It's best if you don't know."
He steps forward, taking one of her hands in his and lacing their fingers together. "Whatever it is, I know you'll be able to do it. You asked for help when you needed it and I want you to know that I will always be there when you need me. I know you're capable of getting things done without me though and if you think it's best I'm not involved, I trust you."
"Then what I've told you hasn't... you don't..."
"Oh Sherry," He steps forward, bringing a hand up to cup her face. "What I feel for you isn't so weak that something like that could change it."
"Oh." She looks back at him, almost nervously wetting her lips and Abhimanyu finds himself leaning towards her before he stops himself, dropping his hand quickly and taking a step back.
"That said, I shouldn't have kissed you and I won't again while I'm still your teacher."
"But you want to? To kiss me again when you're not my teacher anymore?"
Abhimanyu's lips quirk. "And you accuse me of being the inappropriate one. Ask me again when I've organised a new posting, after we've proven your brother's innocence."
Sherry is just about to respond when Abhimanyu suddenly presses a hand to his mouth, horrified by a sudden thought. "Your brother. Raj. He's going to kill me."
Sherry snorts. "He'd be a bit of a hypocrite if he did."
"What do you mean?"
She smothers a smile. "Well it's not as if he's made the most sensible choices in love himself."
"Are you saying that you're not a sensible choice?" Abhimanyu can't help his own smile now, this wasn't how he had imagined this conversation going.
"Probably the least sensible of all possible choices. I'm not even really sure what you see in me to begin with."
Abhimanyu jerks his head to show that they should catch up to the others and they start running. "I think I was a goner from the first time you ever yelled at me."
"If you were thinking about me ever since then that really is inappropriate..."
/
"What on earth is going on, Naina? A few days ago you were threatening Chauhan to stay away from Cadet Sherry and now you're apparently setting up a rendezvous between them."
"Don't be ridiculous, Bhaiyya. I'm not setting up rendezvous between anyone and he still needs to stay away from her, but there was something she needed to tell him today and it's better that they're not overheard."
Naveen looks sharply at Naina then, seeing the dark circles under her eyes, the way that she matches him easily even as they keep up a brisk pace, never missing a stride. He's so used to thinking of her as his younger sister that he really has underestimated her.
"Did you have something to do with Major Bhargav leaving?"
Naina still doesn't break stride, glancing over at Naveen once before she returns her gaze to straight ahead. "It was mainly Sherry. I was just there as a backup in case things got out of hand."
"And how is it that Chauhan already knows?"
"He was there. Aalekh told him in advance in case we needed assistance and it's a good thing we did."
"What on earth happened?" Naveen reaches out to grab Naina's arm to stop her. "I can't have this conversation while running."
"I'll get Captain Abhimanyu to give you the full story later but the short explanation is that Sherry told Major Bhargav she knew he was working for her father. He revealed too much and when she threatened him he tried to kill her."
"He tried to kill her?" Naveen stares back at Naina, horrified. "Just what would you have done if Chauhan hadn't been there."
"I would have dealt with him myself." Naina says matter of factly.
"Do you think you could overcome a trained army officer, Naina? You're still just a cadet! You're in over your head and it's time you left this to Abhimanyu and I to deal with."
"Do you think I haven't overcome worse than him?" Naina asks Naveen angrily. "A career bootlicker with a broken arm. Even if he's stronger than me, I've dealt with men who were heavier and more determined. I won't let anyone harm the people I care about."
"Naina, you..." Naveen reaches out to take her hand. "Did you have to fight your kidnappers to get away? Did you..."
Something flickers in Naina's eyes and for a moment Naveen thinks she's going to lie to him until he sees it settle into something sadder."I have fought and I have killed, Bhaiyya. I did what I had to do to survive and I did what I had to do to get stronger."
Naveen looks at the determined set of Naina's mouth, the fire in her eyes, and he realises that he doesn't really know who she is anymore. He has been thinking of her as the little sister who left from a visit at his base without any concept of just how much she has really changed.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't want you to know." Naina looks back at him but there's no shame in her expression, just sadness. "You already felt so much guilt about what happened to me. I didn't want you to... I didn't want you to look at me the way you're looking at me now."
"Oh Naina." Naveen pulls his sister into a fierce hug, leaning his cheek on the top of her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through that and that you thought you couldn't tell me. I will always be there for you no matter what and I promise that from now on I won't ask you any more questions, you can tell me when you're ready."
"I will, Bhaiyya, I promise I will." Naina pulls back, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. "Just be patient with me a little while longer."
They are smiling at each other when Abhimanyu and Sherry come jogging up, a decent distance between them, neither looking at the other.
"Well, Chauhan, I suppose you and I had better get caught up. Naina has told me you had a confrontation with Bhargav last night, let me know if there's anything we can use against him."
"There's a recording," Abhimanyu tells him. "We can definitely use it."
"You told him?" Sherry asks Naina, who shakes her head.
"Told me what?"
Sherry takes a deep breath. "My father is a traitor, he was the one who trapped Bhaiyya, I'm almost certain of it. Major Bhargav admitted that it was my father who influenced him to prepare the evidence against him."
Naveen breathes in sharply, looking at each of them in turn as his thoughts go around. "That night at the Fresher's Ball when he met Ritu there was a way he looked at her... and later she knew the information about your mother. They must be working together."
"One more connection in place, soon we'll have their whole web mapped." Abhimanyu comments. "But before that, I believe both of you have your first class with me this morning so we'd better get going."
/
Naveen has just sat down for breakfast when the seat opposite him is filled, a pastel sari filling his view.
"Do you mind if I join you, Captain?"
There's a hundred things that he would like to say to her in reply to that but Naveen knows that it's vital he doesn't reveal what they've discovered.
"Of course you can, Dr Mishra."
She sighs, prettily of course, a sad smile on her face. "And there we are, back at the beginning again."
Naveen swallows the bile in his throat, knowing that he can gain them an edge if only he keeps it together. "I'm sorry, Ritu. Things have been strained between us lately, haven't they?"
"I can't blame you exactly." She toys with the spoon in her cup as if nervous about what she has to say next. "I understand why you were upset by my decisions about Cadet Sherry. I was hoping we could put that behind us now and try again."
Naveen pauses, as if uncertain, before he gives her a hesitant smile. "Friends then?"
"Friends." She smiles, almost triumphant before she reigns it in. "I hope we can come to understand each other better this time, Captain. Do you think... would it help if we were to spend some time outside the academy? A change of scene might help."
"As friends of course." The flirtatious smile Naveen forces himself to give her makes him sick at heart but it has to be done.
"Of course, Naveen." The smile she gives him in return is warm, hopeful. Everything he would have wanted to see from her before he knew. "I'll come to get you at 7pm tomorrow."
With a smile she breezes away. Two tables over, Naina gives Naveen an approving nod. She, at least, understands the opportunity here.
/
"Oy, Qaidi, what's this I hear about you taking Sherry to the infirmary last night?"
Aalekh raises his eyebrows at Huda. "I wasn't the only one. Who'd you hear that from?"
"From Yudi, Dr Shalini asked him to keep an eye on her today and not let her overtire herself."
"Ah." Aalekh nods. "She was injured."
"How? As her future boyfriend, I have the right to know!"
"Saala..." Aalekh shakes his head. "I'm not telling you anything in that case."
Pooja comes to sit next to him, tapping him on the arm. "Huda isn't the only one that wants to know. I've been curious since last night when Lolitaji said they'd be in the infirmary overnight."
"Ask her yourself then when she gets here." Aalekh suggests with a shrug.
As if on queue, Naina and Sherry walk into the classroom, only to have the others gather around them as soon as they have, exclaiming and asking about what happened.
"I, uh, injured myself." Sherry responds, looking towards Aalekh as if for support. He shrugs as if to say he doesn't know what she should be saying.
"She fell by the lake and injured herself on the rocks." Naina explains, "Luckily, Aalekh and I were able to get her to the infirmary with Captain Abhimanyu's help."
"What were you all doing by the lake though?" Yudi asks, confused. "And why was Captain Abhimanyu there too?"
"Aalekh ran to get help and came across me," Abhimanyu interjects as he enters the classroom. "Now as we can all see, Cadet Sherry is perfectly fine, so can we please continue with today's lesson?"
He hopes that's the last they will discuss it because the worst possible thing that could happen at this point would be for someone to start asking too many questions.
The cadets quiet down but Huda continues to shoot glances at Sherry across the room where she sits with Naina. He knows there's something going on here that hasn't been explained and he wonders just what it is. As much as Huda has realised that neither of the girls is likely to ever show any interest in him, that doesn't mean that he's stopped caring about them. He looks out for his friends, he would do anything for those that he cares about, and he's frustrated that here he's not being allowed to.
He could be the truest friend there ever was if they'll give him the opportunity.
Sherry has her sleeves rolled down today and he sees her wince as she settles her left arm against the desk. Was that where she was injured?
"Abhimanyu Sir, is it true that Mogambo is gone?" Pooja asks him as he's wrapping up the class.
Abhimanyu nods, not skipping a beat at the nickname. "He left last night, he decided that he'd completed his duty and the academy will remain open."
Huda doesn't miss the way that Abhimanyu's eyes flick to Sherry then, as if checking on her, and it makes him wonder. The only two girls who had a chance of holding his interest in this academy and they're keeping secrets he wishes he understood.
His mother sent him here to become a soldier, but seeing the way Naina leans towards Aalekh to say something quietly, Huda feels a strange pang. It's the first time he's ever wished a girl would look at him with friendship rather than something more.
Maybe that's something Huda can learn here too.
/
Naina takes a deep breath as she waits in the entry, trying to stop her hands from shaking. She has been practising how to share the news with Raj in a way that won't be easily understood by anyone who overhears. Naina knows how much this news is going to affect him and she also knows how important it is for him to know the truth.
This is the answer he's been searching for, desperately wanting, the one that could restore him to his old life.
She resists the urge to pace, knowing that any moment now he'll call. There's such a lot to tell him since the last time they spoke, including that Naveen and Abhimanyu now know the truth about Ritu. She has to remember everything, has to ensure that she gets every message across.
The phone rings and Naina almost jumps, forcing herself to wait until the orderly calls her name to walk across and take the receiver.
"How are you, Naina, is everything alright there?"
His voice is warm and concerned and Naina knows that he will have spent more time worrying over whether she's safe or not than his own situation. Her breath hitches and she forces her voice to remain calm.
"So much has happened since the last time we spoke, I have a lot to catch you up on."
"Are you alright? Is Sherry fine too?"
"I and my friends are all fine here, but there's been a lot of interesting news. My brother has been wondering who his friend was dating for a long time, he finally found a photo of her."
Raj breathes in sharply, audible down the line. "That's excellent news, Naina. Then he and Chauhan are aware of who she is. They must have their suspicions now right?"
"They've always been smart, they're good at working things out."
Raj laughs, the sound warming her. "You're no less, my clever Naina."
Despite herself, Naina almost blushes. "Stop, there's a lot to tell you. I have to stay focused."
"I'll keep myself from flirting then, as tough as it is. God, it's been such a long time since I've seen you."
Naina can hear the longing in his voice, and she's certain that it's echoed in her own. "It won't be long now, I'm certain of it."
"Tell me then, I'll stay focused, I promise."
"Do you remember the inspector I told you about? He's finally gone."
"Thank goodness for that, I wouldn't have wanted you to make an attempt for the red box with Bhargav there. I'm surprised he gave up so easily."
"It wasn't easy."
"What happened then? You drove him out somehow?"
"My friend, Sherry, has always been good at knowing what to do."
"She confronted him?" There is silence for a moment, before Raj's voice returns, clearly worried. "That could have been dangerous."
"It was." Naina's voice almost breaks as she thinks about the night before and what almost happened. "She would say that it was worth it though, especially for what she's learned."
"What did she get from him? Is there a way to tell me or should I ask questions you can respond to."
"She..." Naina pauses, she has to get this right. "She's always known her father was able to help people in their careers, but she hadn't realised just how much until recently."
"Naina, Naina are you saying..."
"She didn't know. Not until now."
"Are you saying that Gehlot was the one who helped Bhargav in his career after he had me convicted?"
"I am."
"Then... does that mean."
"It does." In a rush, Naina says what she can't stop herself from saying, whispering into the phone. "I'm so sorry, I know he was a father figure to you. It was a huge shock to her."
There are a few moments of silence and Naina knows that he's processing the information before he responds. "Tell her that I love her, she's my sister, nothing changes that."
Naina feels tears come to her eyes. "I knew you'd feel that way. How could you not? You're..." seeing that the orderly has left the desk, Naina takes a risk. "Do you know how much I love you? How hard it's been without you?"
"Naina, my Naina." He says her name like a caress, and Naina hastily wipes away the tears that really do come to her eyes now. "I keep thinking I couldn't possibly love you more than I already do, but then I always prove myself wrong."
She presses a hand to her mouth, suppressing a giddy smile and knowing she still needs to tell him the rest. "I'm still planning to spend Diwali here, a few of my friends should be here too, we've already made some exciting plans."
"I'll be nearby, like I promised. I'll call more often from now on, every three days just in case. Once I'm in place I'll give you a number to call in case you need to get in touch with me. Now that I know it was Gehlot, I know where we need to look for the rest of the evidence. It's only a matter of time now, Naina, my brave, brave Naina."
"Stay safe." She tells him. "Be well."
"You too, I love you."
Seeing that the orderly has returned to his desk, Naina is more circumspect now. "Me too."
Wiping her eyes once again, she looks around to where Sherry sits in the courtyard near the entrance. Naina crosses to her quickly, knowing how nervous she's been about the outcome of this call. She sits, taking Sherry's hands in hers and whispers what she needs to say.
"He loves you. You're his sister and nothing will change that."
Unable to stop the tears that come to her eyes, Sherry hugs Naina warmly. "We are family." Sherry tells her. "We are."
They are so caught up in their happiness that neither notices Captain Abhimanyu staring at them in shock.
He had walked into the entry while Naina spoke on the phone, her back to him. It's not that he had meant to eavesdrop, but something has been nagging at him the last few weeks and he hadn't been able to resist taking a step forward.
"Do you know how much I love you? How hard it's been without you?"
He had taken a step back as she finished the conversation, not wanting to be caught, but had followed to see where she would head. It was when he had seen her approach Sherry, the whispered conversation and their arms around each other that it had all finally clicked into place.
All of this time he's assumed that the plan to save Raj has been Sherry's.
But if there's one thing he guessed rightly about Naina Singh Ahluwalia, it's that she's always had another purpose here.
A/N: Once again thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate the time you take to do so and reading them is something I really look forward to in my day! So yes the appreciation definitely does reach me 😊 and also happy to see you all enjoying Abhi and Sherry, I loved writing them so much in Ties that I couldn't resist here.