Hey guys I'm back with another chapter...and well thank you so so much for showing love to the first chapter of my story.
@Xyz : Thank you so much for being my first reviewer. Li jiye aapke liye next chapter.
@Suhasini : Thank you so much for your kind words.
@Teaclap : Thank you:-)
@TST : I love loooonnnnng chapters :-)). Here's another long one.
@Guest : Thank you
@Guest : Thank you
@Samanwita : Ji Waise Abhirika mere plan me nahi tha...par abhi aapke suggestion ke hisab se humne thoda thoda daalna shuru kiya hai. Batayiega Kaisa laga toh...Actually ye story bhi aise puri tarah planned nahi nahi. Just outline si hai dimag me. Ek Detailed Story toh dheere dheere ban rahi hai. Aapko jo bhi padhna Achcha lagega isme woh btate rahiye, humse ho payga toh jarur likh denge.
@LoveDaya : Seriously Thank you mann. I was a little apprehensive ki Daya * doctor ye pairing koi padhna chalega bhi ya nahi. But thank you so so much for the support. Lots of love to you too. And stay positive and stay safe too...
@Guest : Ek break chahiye thi bas. Sab ke sab CID me bohot monotonous lag raha tha...
@Govind Agrawal : Thank you
@guest : Thnx
@guest : Thnx
Author's Note : Hey guys this is something that I completely forgot to mention during the first chapter. I kinda like the older CID episodes more as compared to the new. And Since in this story Daya ka age 32 dikhaya hai..so you guys just have to imagine these guys a lot younger than they are today.
Ookk so that's it for now...lets begin with the new chapter.
CHAPTER 2 : PANCAKES VS OMLETTES
The sun poured inside through Shreya's room. The next day had dawned crisp and clear. Shreya rubbed her bleary eyes and walked towards the window. Last night's storm had completely calmed down leaving residues of wet road and puddles. Shreya was into her own when suddenly last night's memory crashed into her. She was standing at the same place and waving Daya saying that she had reached safely into her apartment. In that moment Shreya felt that maybe Kaki was right for Daya afterall. But then again ...
Koi Kaisa bhi ho, Mujhe kya ?
Shreya then looked at her watch and decided that its better if she started getting ready for work. With a lazy attitude she proceeded towards the bathroom to take a shower. After about 45 minutes she emerged from her shower and was ready in her work clothes. She was wearing a cotton light blue colored kurta with light pink embroidery on it. It looked perfect on her. With wet hair she went in the kitchen and started making herself some breakfast.
In between the noise of mixers grinding and the utensils clattering, she heard the sound of a doorbell. " Iss Waqt kaun hai yaar !" She said to herself as her breakfast was almost ready and she was just going enjoy it. Shreya straightened herself a little bit before opening the door.
As soon as Shreya opened the door, She was a little shocked to see Daya at her house.
Ekbaar gharpe kya chod diya...ye toh direct piche hi lag gya ~
Shreya thought to herself.
Shreya was still looking at him with furrowed eyes and a pout. Daya immediately understood what she was thinking and clarified the matter. " Woh I'm sorry , Subah office Jane ke samay pareshan kar raha hoon. Kuch important kaam tha ! Andar aajau ?" Daya asked politely. Shreya then came to senses and nodded. " Haa..It's okay ! Koi problem nahi !" Shreya said as both of them got inside.
Daya entered the apartment curiously looking through it. The living room was of decent sized and consisted of some modern furniture. A small couch , A recliner chair were the main furniture. The walls were pastel in shade with a little floral designs in some nooks and corners. To accompany all this flower show there were some flowering plants. Daya couldn't exactly recognize them but there were some yellow and pink lilies, some violet flowers. Another prominent thing was that books were scattered all over the room. Just books and books.
"Abhi bhi padhaku hi ladki hai lagta " Daya said to himself.
The room well actually it was too girly for him. His living room had gray shade and this one was totally opposite. But then he said to himself.
Kisika Kaisa bhi ghar ho ! Mujhe kya ?
Just the when he was wondering he found the coffee table. A freshly placed breakfast plate was lying on it. Maybe he had disturbed Shreya while she was having breakfast. " Woh , I'm sorry Tumhe breakfast krte krte disturbed kiya !" Daya said looking towards the small coffee table. Shreya smiled and said , " Koi baat nahi ! Aiyye Aap bhi kariye mere sath !". Daya replied with a smile and politely declined the offer but Shreya asked him to join her anyways. Both of them them sat over breakfast.
Daya was hoping for some omlette or corn flakes but he astonishingly looked at the 3 pancakes that Shreya had served him one after the other. After the pancakes followed a whole lot of butter. And then whipped cream and then finally the strawberries. This was horrific. Who eats a breakfast like this. Daya kept looking at his plate. Was this girl mad or what he thought to himself. She then kept a glass which was presumably something cool. Daya was hoping to have some juice to wipe his palate off of all these buttery things. But It wasn't going to be juice or lemonade, Right ? Yeah ! Right it was some chocolate drink. Man this thing has no end... Daya thought to himself. And again , this wasn't going to stop here , how could it. Shreya just squeezed a butt load of chocolate sauce on the drink. Daya's eyes widened at his plate.
" Bas ! Baas ! Baas !" Daya said to Shreya with his hands. " Ye breakfast hai tumhara?" Daya asked sarcastically. " Hmmm ! Achcha hai na !" Shreya said as if there was nothing abnormal to her in this breakfast. " Ookk !" Daya said biting his tongue as he started eating this sweet mountain.
" Kya kaam tha aapko ?" Shreya asked in between her bites. Daya stopped eating for a moment. Well this was going to be difficult for him. " Mujhe woh actually Kaka ki pichle mahine ki medical file chahiye !" Daya said drinking a sip from his chocolate shake. Hearing what Daya had said, Shreya stopped eating too. She now knew why Daya was asking for a file. But still she asked him, " Ekdum achanak se kyu ?" . Daya heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully she wasn't angry on his demand. " Woh ekbaar Dr. Sharma ko dikhane ki Soch raha tha. Kaka ke doctor hai kafi saalon se. Yahi pass ke hi City hospital me kaam krte hai. Unko ekbaar ye nayi dawai dikhana thi ki barabar chalri ... ". Daya then stopped what he was saying. Hurt was clearly visible on Shreya's face although she was looking silently towards him. Though she was a little young, A little inexperienced but she still was good doctor.
" I'm sorry ! Mujhe aisa nahi kehna chahiye tha !" Daya said with a sincere apology. " Mujhe bas woh file chahiye !" Daya again said sternly this time.
When Shreya looked at Daya's face , she knew that he wasn't going to leave this apartment without a file. So she got up from her breakfast in between to procure it for him. Shreya came back with a white colored file that contained some 2-3 papers and handed it Daya. Daya opened the file and checked the papers inside. " Sab sahi papers hai Inspector. Ek bhi kam nahi ! Me chize chupati nahi hoon !" Shreya said as she picked their plates and went into the kitchen.
Daya now was completely sure that he had hurt Shreya quite a lot. He was just being possessive about his guardian. " Dekho Shreya ! Tum galat mat samjho..me toh bas ...!" Daya was explaining himself when he was cut in between by the girl. " Its okay ! Humari field me second opnions common hai !" Shreya said and turned her back towards Daya. Actually she just wanted to hid her face. Because she was lying and her face could never lie. Never ever.
Daya understood. From her posture only he understood that he had hurt her , but he also knew that convincing her was a lost cause. So instead of digging more into the topic he just said. " Thanks for the file and breakfast !" . " Welcome !" Shreya said turning around still avoiding his gaze. Daya was about to leave when suddenly his kaki's word reverberated her mind.
" Tu uska dost banke rehna. Usko kabhi aisa nahi lagna chahiye ki woh itne bade sheher me akeli hai."
Daya squinted his eyes and was surrounded by guilt in that instant only. This morning was not a great start. So to cheer things up , he just turned around and said , " Waise tumhare pass gadi nahi hogi toh chod du me jate jate ?" Shreya smiled from the cornor of the eyes and said , " Inspector Daya , Kaki ki baaton ko itta seriously nahi lete !" Daya stood their shocked. Though he was thinking about what kaki had told him yesterday, he wasn't loud about it. No..Nope it was impossible for the girl standing in front of him to read his mind. Nobody ever did that. How did she. But then again...ek intelligent guess bhi toh ho sakta hai.
Kiya toh kiya guess ! Mujhe kya ?
" Me chalta hoon ! I'm getting late !" Daya said and took Shreya's leave. " Jee !" Shreya said and finally it was an end to the stupid morning.
( City Hospital )
" Daya ! Ye file ko leke me wohi bolunga jo me iske pehle bol chuka hu !" Dr. Sharma said. " Yeh dawai bilkul sahi hai. Aur uss Waqt jo jaruri steps lene chahiye the woh bhi ekdum barabar liye gaye hai !" The senior doctor completed his verdict.
" Thank you Doctor ! Iss bar jab hua toh me ek case me bohot hi busy tha. Bas Uske wajahse chinta khayi jaa rahi thi." Daya said finally feeling relaxed. Dr. Sharma smiled on seeing Daya's face. But then something clicked inside Daya's mind.
" Dr. Saab apne kaha ki Aap ye report check kar chuke hai pehle ? Matlab me Samjha nahi ?" Daya said asking curiously. " Dr. Shreya aayi thi mere pass ki sir aisa aisa hua hai and maine ye ye medicines prescribe kiye hai. Ye aapke patient hai toh ekbaar overlook kr lenge kya krke." The doctor explained. This was another shock for Daya. How did Shreya know about Dr. Sharma. Maine toh aaj pehli baar naam liya tha Unka. Uske pehle toh koi jikr bhi nahi hua. He thought to himself.
" Aap...Aap Dr. Shreya ko Jante hai ?" Daya asked shockingly. " Haa of course ! Isi hospital me toh kaam krti hai. Young doctor hai par par kafi hoshiyaar hai. Apne University ki topper hai. Par itti hoshiyaar hoke bilkul itta sa bhi garv ya ghamand nahi hai use ." Dr. Sharma replied. Daya was still in shock from hearing all that. The senior doctor continued, " Aap mileage unse ?". Daya couldn't answer that question. Even if he wanted to meet Shreya , She would never reciprocate the same excitement. Who would ? After such a rough morning ! But when the doctor didn't know the back story who was he to listen to him. Within few moments he had called his assistant and asked for Dr. Shreya. And within next few moments, Shreya was knocking at the door.
" Sir, Aapne bulaya ?" Shreya knocked and peeped. Dr. Sharma smiled and said , " Are aao Shreya ! Inse milo. Yeh hai CID se Senior Inspector Daya." Shreya looked at him and gave a forced smile. " Tumne jo 2 hafte pehle case handle ki thi na..woh samajh lo ki inke pita hi hai." Dr. Sharma continued his introduction. " Dekha jaye toh CID ki Shaan hai Daya. Aisa kehna galat nahi hoga !" Dr. Sharma wasn't stopping.
Haa Haa...Bandhlo...tareefo ko lambe lambe pul bandhlo. Asli Senior Inspector Daya ko tumne Dekha hi kaha hai. Shreya thought to herself and laughed internally.
Just then there was an emergency call for Dr. Sharma. So he left the two people alone. Daya looked down and caressed the back of his nape. He didn't know what to do now. He had sucked big time. Maybe he could have just trusted Shreya. Afterall she was a doctor too. A young and Inexperienced one , but still a doctor. And by what Dr. Sharma had spoken about her , She was perhaps good at her work too.
Shreya bit her lower lip putting her both hands in the pocket of her apron. " OK then , I'll take your leave !" Shreya said and turned to go outside. " For a very very long time !" She muttered to herself. Of course she didn't want to meet him now. For a very very long time. She found him quite rude. Quite...quite...rude.
As soon as Daya saw Shreya leaving , he got up from his chair and said ," Shreya Suno !". His voice made Shreya stop in tracks. She didn't turn around though. Daya continued to walk towards her from behind and this kinda made her fill sparks along her back. " Woh subah jo bhi Bartaav tha mera...jaisa bhi tha...Uske liye again... sorry !" Daya said. The genuinity of his apology could be seen clearly in his eyes. Shreya just looked towards him and didn't know what to say. She didn't want to forgive him , he had hurt her and questioned her knowledge about her profession. But she wasn't going to say that.
Aisa krne ke baad kya pata firse nakchidi aur jhagdalu bolde.
So putting every ounce of anger she had inside she just said , " Its okay !". Daya laughed internally knowing how angry she was on him from the inside but still she had managed to say that okay thing.
Ye ladki bilkul bhi nahi badli. Daya said to himself.
But Daya was really , genuinely sorry for his behaviour today. So to make things good he just casually asked, " Coffee pine chale aaj sham ? ". Shreya was shocked on hearing that. " Coffee ?" She asked surprise. " Haan matlab bas yuhi!" Daya said pacifying her. He didn't mean it any other way. He just thought that it was a way to make for all the ruckus he had created this morning.
Shreya shyed away a little. She didn't want to go for a coffee with Daya.
Kya batau...kya batau...Shreya thought to herself.
" Umm..actually aaj ek party me jana hai !" Shreya said lying blatantly. She didn't look towards Daya. Instead she said that completely looking towards the floor. " Kaisi Party ?" Daya asked curiously. " Woh...woh...aaj weekend hai na...tho kuch friends ke sath. I just guess I need to loosen up a little bit.Yahi pass me ek pub me hai" Shreya made sure she sounded like it was a cool thing to go and party on weekends. " Ookk ! Thik hai !" Daya said.
Daya hisnelf was not a very party person. And he sure didn't like when today's young guns used to spend their hard earned money on alcohol in some pubs. But this is what people like to do now a days, he thought to himself. Daya said. " Chalo Thik hai, Me nikalta hoon. Kabhi kuch lage toh call krna !" Daya said keeping his hand on Shreya's shoulder for a moment and then left for his duty.
( Evening )
The day had come to an end. It was quite day today comparatively. 1 dead body and that's it. Daya laughed at his irony. 1 dead body had seemed normal now-a-days. Daya sipped a coffee as he thought about the past two days.
" Kya soch rahe ho bhai ?" Abhijeet asked Daya as he and Tarika sat in front of him. " Pehle Khana order kar de ! Fir hum Daya ki sab problem ka solution nikalenge. Pata nahi itna chehra kyu fula ke baith hai !" Tarika said and within moments they all had places their orders. They were sitting in the same restaurant that Abhijeet had talked about the other day.
" Kaka, Kaki kaise hai ? Sab thik waha pe ?" Tarika asked very fondly. " Haa Sab thik ! Wahape Shreya ke sath mulaqaat hui !" Daya said drinking his soup. " Kaun Shreya ?" Abhijeet asked and Daya narrated the whole incident. How their first meet went and then today's rude breakfast to the embarrassing confrontation at the hospital.
" Abhijeet ! Daya toh kafi stud nikla ! 2 din me 3 baar date pe bhi Jake aya !" Tarika said teasing Daya. Abhijeet laughed.
" Tarikaaa...tum bhi na kaki ki tarah baat kar rahi ho ekdum ?" Daya said as he drank drank sip of water in between. Just then the waiter had arrived with their main course. Daya waited for the waiter to leave so that they could continue their conversations once again. " kaki bhi uss din Sirf ghum fir ke is baat pe aa rahi thi. Shreya Kaisi hai ? Shreya Kaisi lagi ? Bas !!! Puri bate sirf Shreya ke barime !" Daya said as he remembered the night.
Abhijeet then kept his spoon on his plate and rubbed his palms. " Toh Kaisi lagi Shreya fir ?" Abhijeet asked seriously. Daya didn't pay any attention first but then he realized that this was a serious question. Both Abhijeet and Tarika were looking towards him demanding an answer.
" Boss majak kar rahe ho kya ? Shreya aur me ? Chance hi nahi !" Daya said. " Kyu aisa kyu ? Jitta tune btaya usse toh Achchi lagi mujhe !" Tarika again said in a serious tone. Daya again laughed.
" Tarika 25 ki hai woh aur me 32 ka. 7 saal me toh ek puri generation badal jati hai !" Daya said. He then took a long pause and said , " Hum dono bohot alag hai ek dusre se. Choti choti baaton me hi itta farak hai ki Badi bate toh me soch bhi nahi sakta. Boss aaj breakfast me itta butter itta meetha kha ke aya hu Uske yaha se kya batau. Jabki hum ekdum healthy breakfast wale hai. Ghar bhi jaisa mujhe pasand hai Uske ekdum opposite. Aur Tumhe toh pata hi hai me ye sharab, parties inn sabse kitni nafrat hai. Aaj usko pucha ki sham me kya kar rahi ho toh boli ki loosen up hone ke liye kisi pub me party hai "
Daya said to Abhijeet whatever was in his mind. He felt really light now that everything was out. Tarika laughed a little followed by Abhijeet. " Isme hasne ki kya baat hai ?" Now Daya asked being serious. This made Abhijeet laugh out louder followed by Tarika. Daya was not understanding what was their to laugh about. " Usne kaha ki loosen up hone ke liye use pub me jana hai. And tune Maan liya!" Abhijeet said finally. " Cid officer hoke Maan liya !" Abhijeet said again. Suddenly Abhijeet's hand movements caused some glass to tumble and the liquid fell on Tarika's dress. " Abhijeet kya kr rahe ho ?" Tarika asked standing up and irritated. " Sorry...Sorry...!" Abhijeet said and Tarika moved towards washroom to clean herself up.
" Daya...baat kya hai ?" Abhijeet asked. Daya casually said , " Itta sab toh bata diya boss. Bohot halka lag raha hai waise !" . Abhijeet nodded his head negatively. " Nahi..Tu khudko bewakoof bana sakta hai mujhe nahi !" Abhijeet said making Daya pause whatever he was doing. Abhijeet was referring to why Daya always avoided conversation where he would be involved with a girl or about his marriage.
" Dekh Daya. Zindagi itni asan nahi hoti. Subah uthke 2 mujrim ko pakde Raat me so gye. Agar itta Asan hota na sab toh baat hi kya thi. Tumhara bada bhai hoon. Isiliye samjha raha hoon. Jo maja 30 ki umar me ghumne ka hai na woh 40 me nahi !" Abhijeet said very maturely.
" Boss tum toh piche hi pad gye mere !" Daya said drinking his water. " Piche nahi pada hoon Daya, Bata raha hu..! Bas aisa lagta hai ki teri itti perfect Shadi ki umar nikal nahi jani chahiye."
Abhijeet then took a long pause. " Dekh daya, Me tujhe Shreya ke mamle force toh nahi karunga. Aur nahi kaki kr rahi hai. Unhone jo bola hai bas woh krke dekhne me kya problem hai. Uske sath dost banke rehna itta bhi toh mushkil nahi hoga na !" Abhijeet said. " Aur rahi baat tumhare age difference ke issue ki. Dekh jo zindagi tune Ji hai Bachpan me usse kuch jyada alag nahi thi uski. Uske bawajoot woh aaj khudke pairon pe khadi hai. Matlab ye tum dono ki bich kitni jyada similarity ho gyi. Har anathashram ka bachcha itna upar nahi uth pata Daya Zindagi me jitna tum dono uthe ho. Haa ..abhi ye jaroor hoga ki 25 ki hai toh thoda bachpana rahega Uske andar. Par 25 me tu bhi kaunsa samajhdaar tha. 25 me maine khud dekha tujhe. Gussa ata tha toh ACP sir ki cabin me chuhe choda tha." Both Daya and Abhijeet laughed at that memory.
" Tumne toh class hi lagadi meri !" Daya said to Abhijeet. " Class lagana jarurat bhi hai tera !" Abhijeet said. He then continued , " Aur raha sawal tere pancake ke nashte ka...toh tujhe ek Shadi shuda admi ki haisiyat se batau toh...Yeh 6 din salad aur ande khane ke baad agar satve din chole bhature mil jate hai toh Waise Achcha hi lagta hai !" Daya smiled again. Abhijeet was sure giving him a lot to think about.
" Waise bhi , Sirf tujhe kaha pancakes ke sath adjust karna hai. Use bhi toh tere egg white omlette ko jhelna padega !" Abhijeet said making Daya realize that maybe Shreya was also in a tough situation like this. Maybe just as Kaki was forcing him to think about her.. Kaki Shreya ke bhi toh piche padi hogi. " Tumne toh mujhe sochna ke liye majboor kar diya Abhi !" Daya said. He was going to say more but then suddenly his eyes fell on something outside.
" Shreya ?" He asked surprised. " Haa Uske hi barime me soch bol raha hu me tujhe !" Abhijeet said not looking at Daya. " Are nahi boss woh waha Shreya hai !" Daya said pointing outside. Tarika had just then returned from washroom and sat besides Abhijeet. " Kaha ?" She asked and then both Abhijeet and Tarika turned around to see the girl on whom this whole discussion was based.
Tarika laughed , " Lo Daya..Ye hai tumhari wali ka pub ! Panipuri ke toh peg pe peg lagayi jaa rahi hai !" Abhijeet said. And surely Shreya was eating the golgappas like that only. And she was looking really happy. " Ruko boss me use bulake lata hoon. Tum bhi mil loge !" Daya said getting up but then he was stopped by Tarika. " Kya hua Tarika ?" He asked. " Daya Tumhe abtak nahi samjha. Woh naraj hai Tumse. Use tumhara sath time nahi spend karna tha. Aur Tumne jo subah kiya hai usse bhala koi naraj bhi kyu na ho !" Tarika said. " Haa woh sab toh thik hai Tarika. Bas tum log bhi mil lete usse !" Daya said still standing. Abhijeet smiled and said , " Are mere bhai. Khud toh mil le usse achchise. Fir hume milwana. Let's not overwhelm her. Baith Abhi!"
This evening was surely a long one. Abhijeet sure had made Daya realizae a lot of things that he probably wasn't capable of thinking himself. And in some areas Abhijeet was totally right. Not in some..In all the talks that they had today Abhijeet had simplified each and every situation for him. Afterall he was his big brother. He was going to look out for him.
The three people then paid the bills and headed towards their car. Abhijeet opened the door for Tarika and she sat inside. Abhijeet came from the opposite side and sat while taking a deep breathe. " Tumhara bhai na Abhijeet bilkul tumhari tarah hai !" Tarika said. " Matlab ?" Abhijeet asked. " Matlab yahi ki use bhi na khudka dil padhne me bohot samay lagta hai !" Tarika said. Abhijeet just smiled. And it was true. Even in his case before meeting Tarika he was a really a silent guy.
Sirf kaam ...kaam...aur kaam yahi zindagi thi.
Abhi bhi Waise kaam hi Priority hai Lekin after meeting Tarika she had taken out a totally different personality from inside him. He had become more open to show his feelings. In short pehle ki tarah khadus nahi rahe the woh Abhi.
" Waise Tarika ! Hume 10 min akele dene liye shukriya!" Abhijeet said. Tarika just smiled and said, " Abhi...agar tum woh pani ka glass nahi bhi girate ne me tum dono samay dene hi wali thi." Abhijeet just looked at his wife and thanked God for his destiny. Itti samajhdaar biwi sirf naseeb walon ko milti hai...he thought to himself.
" Waise ye jo Shreya hai ? Ye sahime Daya ke liye thik hogi na ?" Tarika asked. " Woh toh Ab Daya ko hi decide krne do. Bas itta pata hai ki kaki ne kaha hoga toh kuch soch samajh ke hi kaha hoga !" Abhijeet said. " Hmm..Chalo ghar chale?" Tarika said. " Ghar chale ya Shah Rukh Khan ki nayi movie aye hai sunne me aya !" Abhijeet said procuring two movie tickets from his blazer. Tarika's eyes widened , " Abhi..you are the best...!" She said. And both of them proceeded towards the theater.
( Half Hour Later )
The street was desolate. The storefronts were devoid of any crowds. Was it that late , Shreya thought to herself as she checked the time on her wrist watch. Well it was late but not that late. She was going to take a taxi but she had completely forgotten that from tonight there was a strike of public transport. The street lamps that weren't burned out projected little circles of light on the completely dark road. She quickened her pace in order to reach home. Maybe taking a short cut was not that good idea.
When she was almost half way, She heard someone whistle from behind. " Hello Hottie !" Another voice came. Shreya gulped down emptiness through her throat. Instead of looking back however she increased her speed. But now even someone's footsteps were clearly audible to her. Just like someone was following her. She took a deep breathe and continued walking. " Are beautiful kaha bhagi jaa rahi...jara ruk toh jaa !" Came another voice. Shreya was a little frightened now. She still had a good 7-8 minutes of walk before she could reach home. So now she started running. Apparently walking fast wasn't enough.
Shreya was running and running. Although it was difficult for her to run in the sandals but she was damn scared. Damn..Damn...Scared. After running for a good 5 mins finally her apartment was visible to her. She heaved a sigh of relief. But she just couldn't stop so she continued running untill she reached the gate. As soon as she reached the gate she was going to stop after getting inside. She just needed to catch her breathe. But as soon as she entered her building she collided with somebody huge.
" Ouch !" She exclaimed after falling down. " Shit" she heard from the one whom she had collided with. The collision was hard. Really... Really... Hard. Shreya looked upwards as to who was the idiot. And as soon as She saw who it was, She was like really..really mad.
Of course , Yeh toh Daya hi hona tha. Subah bhi kharab aur Raat bhi...
" Itta bhag ke kaha se aa rahi ho ?" Daya asked as Shreya was trying to get up. But she couldn't. Just couldn't. She then looked at her ankle and saw that it was red and swollen. " Are nahi yaar !" She exclaimed loudly. Daya then noticed her ankle too and Man..it was bad. She wouldn't be able to walk in it for at least 2 days. Daya gave her a hand to help her up. The pain was clearly visible in her eyes. Poor soul he thought. And soon Shreya was up and standing besides Daya. This was the first time she was this close to him.
Shreya was not a short girl. She was medium heighted. Around 5'5". Her figure was not exactly zero figure but she was slim. Although she was slim , her skin was this squishy like some soft toy. Daya just realized that after he held her straight with his both hands on her shoulders. She looked very petite in front his 6'2" body.But it was kind of cute. For a second even Daya was lost in her beautiful face.
Daya then realized that she was sweating profusely and even her breathing was erratic. " Kutte piche lage the kya ? Itna bhagne ki kya jarurat thi ?" Daya asked making the atmosphere light. But then the security guard created a ruckus as he stopped two guys from entering the building. " Oye beautiful ! " The man said as the guard was trying to stop him. As soon as Shreya heard his voice and a shiver ran down her spine. Although she was in her own area now with her people she was just so scared. Immediately as a reflection action she held on to Daya's shirt and didn't look back. Her breathing again became erratic.
Daya immediately understood what the problem was. " Kya ye log tumhare piche the ?" Daya asked looking down towards Shreya. Shreya just didn't say anything but only nodded. " Tum yaha khadi raho ! Me ata hu !" Daya said asking Shreya to stand while taking a support of the bike. Daya then went towards the watchman who had still held the person.
Shreya stood there looking at her awfully painful ankle. She then adjusted her stole as she waited for Daya. She didn't want to stand there. She just wanted to be in her bed right now. But looking at the swelling it was not possible for her to walk alone leave alone climbing the stairs. As she was adjusting her stole , her nose caught whiff of a very different fragrance now. Shreya bought the stole near her nose and smelt it again. It was very masculine and the same time it was very soothing. She then looked sideways and looked towards Daya. He was standing there in very police like posture questioning the two guys. Perhaps it was his cologne.
" Itta jorsey kyu mara ?" Shreya heard one of the guys cry. This made her laugh a little inside. And then again she heard some punches.
Shyd yaha khade rehna thik nahi ~ Shreya thought to herself.
So very carefully taking the support of pillar she decided that she should head upwards. But as soon as she took the first step she lost her balance and was about to fall again. But suddenly she felt a strong pull that resisted her from Falling.
" Bag dedo. Aur woh pair Tikao mat. Mere pe weight daaldo Pura bindass !" Daya said as he catched her before falling. Shreya just admired at how this personality defined strength. She was continuously staring at him when she again heard his voice. " Bag ?" He said keeping his hand in front of her.
Shreya then handed him the bag and immediately after that Daya pulled her closer shifting almost all of her weight onto him. Shreya felt so weak because she was just not able to take even one step but at the same time she felt strong and safe too. Perhaps it was because of the guy that was standing besides her.
" Hospital Jane ki jarurat hai ?" Daya asked Shreya looking at her ankle. He asked Shreya maybe because she was a better judge of injuries than him. Shreya then looked down at her ankle and said , " Umm. Nahi.. bas mild sprain hai. Swelling utarna tak thik ho jayga !" Daya laughed a little inside. He knew that she was underplaying it. It was probably paining like like hell. Though it was not a fracture but he was sure thay it wasn't definitely something mild also. Finally the elevator helped them reach Shreya's apartment. All through out , Shreya completely relied on Daya for walking. Thanks to the stupid ankle.
" Chabi ?" Daya asked. " Bag me hai !" Shreya said. And Daya handed her the bag. After opening the apartment Daya helped her sit on the recliner chair. " Me pani lata hoon!" Daya said getting up and fetching the jar and a glass of water. In the mean time Shreya tried to remove the sandals from the feet. The right she removed easily but the left one because of swelling she wasn't able to move the feet and access the buckle. As soon as Daya saw that he said, " Me madat kar deta hoon !" He then stooped down and helped her remove the footwear.
Daya laughed on the inside when he had a look at the sandals.
Aisi sandal pehnengi toh dono taange tut jani hai iski toh. Kya yaar Abhi kiski barime sochna laga raha hai... Daya said to himself.
He then took 3 or 4 pillows from the couch and placed on the chair in front of Shreya. " Elevated Rakho ! Ice Pack hai ghar pe?" Daya asked. " Haa freezer me hai !" Shreya answered and Daya went to get it. He returned with a blue colored ice pack and very carefully and gently placed it on the swelling. As soon as Daya applied some pressure with the cold thing , Shreya squinted her eyes in pain. Daya didn't notice that. Instead he kept applying pressure in order to reduce the swelling.
When Daya noticed that there was this different kind of silence, he looked towards Shreya. And felt sorry . Her eyes were tight shut because of pain. Daya immediately removed and released the pressure. That caused a little relief to Shreya and she opened her eyes.
" Waise woh log tumhare piche pade the, tumne kisiko call kyu nahi kiya. Mana ki humara jhagda ho gya subah par mujhe bhi call kar deti toh lene ajata Tumhe!" Daya said. Shreya then thought for a moment and said , " Woh mobile dead ho gya tha. Waise toh humesha taxi ya bus se ati hoo. Aaj Unka strike tha isiliye shortcut se paidal aa rahi thi. Aaj hi ye sab hona tha !" . Unknown to her, Daya had again started applying the ice pack with pressure. He was no doctor but he knew that the swelling needed to come down now only. Little did Shreya know that he was using conversation only to distract her.
" Kaki ka darr bilkul sahi tha. Tum toh ye sheher me ekdum nayi ho aisa bartaav krti ho. Pata hai , yaha Bachpan gujra hai..fir bhi itte Raat me akele ghum rahi thi." Daya said still applying the cold pack. " Woh me toh bas... !" Shreya was trying to defend herself but she was at the loss of words. And the ice pack just worked fine. The swelling was down now. Although the ankle wasn't definitely better but it surely hadn't turned to worse.
Daya got up from his squatting position when suddenly his phone rang. " Haa Purvi ! Thik hai details bhejo !" Daya said and then kept the fone. " Mujhe jana hoga ! Yaha number likh ke ja raha hoon. Kuch bhi lage toh call krna !" Daya said while writing down his number on a piece of paper. " Daya !" Shreya's voice took out Daya from his work.
It was the first time , she had taken his name. Untill this time , It was just Aap, Tum , Inspector Daya , or something like that. He was then again bought back by Shreya trying to tell him something.
" Haa ek min. Kaunse drawer me hai painkillers?' Daya asked as he completely failed to listen what was Shreya saying. Shreya then pointed towards drawer and Daya gave her the strip of capsules.
Not after a few moments, Shreya saw the retreating figure of Daya. What actually transpired in the last hour , Shreya couldn't make it.
Shreya then purposefully thought about what would have happened if Daya had not been there today. She would have managed to get herself to the apartment with some difficulty and it would have been just fine.
She was a strong woman. She took her vitamins by herself and slept with alarm clocks without a snooze. She would volunteer for the burden, handle the baggage and take the last word. She covered up other people's mistake. She used to alter her life with teas and coffees and used to pick herself up and stitch her own wounds. Uptill now nobody had offered her a jacket in cold. She was 20 something acting 45. Of course being alone at times scared her but she had sailed uptill now just fine and she was confident that she could do it in coming days also.
It felt nice that somebody was there to take care of her. Some one to rely on. But still...
Tu kaha fasti jaa rahi hai Shreya ... ?????????
Tnx for Reading...
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