The rain again started pattering with force and in the afternoon everything seemed dark...niyati noticed that her cell phone was indicating low battery and here within the stark darkness without the electricity there wouldn't be any scope of charging her phone..She hissed in utter despair and sank her face into her arms, sitting in the fluffy couch of daya's sitting room. Daya had gone out some half an hour ago saying that he would try to be back within late evening...and she was sitting alone there grizzling for her inconvenience and blaming the weather and the situation..How could she entrapped in the residence of her...enemy? did she have any serious animosity with that fellow named daya? she tried to analyse...but couldn't find any solid reason to treat this guy as her enemy...What had happened in the past, now seemed to be quite childish..She had been objecting in giving the entrance to any CID officer and daya had been protesting with vehemence...She would have to admit if not to anyone but within herself that she was quite immature at that time, just working as a part time forensic doctor..and if she had knowledge at that time that it was the custom of the officers to come to the forensic in order to see the progress of the detection, then certainly she hadn't have any urge to start a childish row with that man...later what daya had done, exerting himself to prove that Abhijeet and he himself had gathered the evidences, it was too a childish whim of him ...as if to announce that.."don't belittle me..I can too hit back to you.." niyati smiled unknowingly musing about those incidents but her cogitation was broken when the candle extinguished as a gale dashed through a window...A sense of scare creeped through her heart..and as per her nature her scare was converting into her anger and she continued grumbling with a mixture of fright and annoyance,:'pata nahi ye daya abhi tak kaha reh gaya hai...itna pani ke andar chal bhi kaise raha hai? shawad tair raha hoga...' her lips twisted into a quizzical smile thinking about how someone was swimming within the highrise buildings and...she put a full stop over her line of thought and resorting to hum a tune, carelessly,:'saaiya dil me ana re...ake phir na jana re...chham chhama chham chham...' she smiled and hissed,:'ufff...what a mess...now karu to kya karrruuuuuu? us akkdu ajata to usse baatein kar pati...magar...kya baat karu main usse?...woh banda to baat hi na karta hai zada...dekh ke kabhi kabhi lagta hai...jaise ki...' a bubble of laughter churning inside her stomach and repressing the laughter she kept ruminating,:'jaise ki...abhi koi jabardasti shadi me bitha dega us ko...haa magar us banda ka hansi to ajeeb hai...chahe koi bhi situation ho...agar woh hanse to lagta hai..ek akkdu nahi..paanch saal ka koi bachcha hans raha hai...' niyati being helpless now sank her face into her arms and within the stark darkness she saw illuminated face of daya that had sent her some hours back in a frenzy of enchantment...she was startled and raised her face with a fretful apprehension :'what has been happening?' she murmured in a flummoxed state of mind and added,:'aisa kyu lag raha hai? he is an egoistic man after all...agar use kuchh thik se ata hai to bas logo se jhagra karna...hai na?' she as if was asking these questions to herself,:' aur...sach baat to ye ki...ise thik se jhagra karna bhi nahi ata hai...huh..' she smirked and tried to dismiss every discomfort that was swirling inside her and at that moment she was trembled as the wet breeze of rain coming inside the room kissed her straggling hair neck and ear...Niyati gritting her teeth hurried to shut the window and further groaned with despair,:'oh gawwwwdd...abhi bhi ye banda nahi aya...sochte kya hai woh apne ap ko...ghar me kisi guest ko bitha ke woh gaya ghumne...it's...it's horrible...so discourteous he is...'niyati getting immensely restless decided to search for a match box,:'is andhera me...ye bhi dikhai nahi de raha hai...ke ...match box kaha hai...abhi kaha dhoondu...lagta hai...aj rat aise hi andhere me baitha rehna parega...' her face contorted with disappointment blended with annoyance...she tried to scrabble here and there but every time met with grim failure.. :'ufff...it's horrible...' she again slumped down on the couch and surprisingly found a lighter in a corner of the couch...her brows were raised in amusement, :'hmmmm to ye banda smoke bhi kar leta hai...kyu nahi? har egoistic admi hi karta hai ye...' she lit the candle and sighed in a little relief before her glance stuck with a binding photograph of smiling daya...She grasped it and gazed at it...and unknowingly something started flowing inside her-something inexplicable which as if impelled her to lock her eyes upon that smiling face of daya...unknowlingly she murmured beneath her breath,:'who smiles like this...he can't be an impertinent man...This smile...this smile...as if inviting me...to fathom the depth of his heart...the smile is...' her straying thoughts were interrupted as someone tapped the door loud...niyati turned her face quickly towards the door and hurriedly extinguished the candle in reflex...

:'kkkaun?' she stammered, involuntarily...

:' ...main...Daya...' it was indeed the voice of daya...

before niyati could open the door, daya entered there,unlocking it with his key and asked a little astonishingly, :'andhera kyu? candle bujh gaya?'

niyati now pulling herself together answered a little brusquely,:'jeee haaa...itna chhota aur patla candle kaise na bujhe?'

daya chuckled again trying to ignore the sardonical nature of and said,:'sorry...main abhi jala deta hun...aap ko bohut der tak akela rehna para..'

:'us ke liye aap ko koi headache hai kya?' rasped niyati with annoyance...and daya lit the candle again hunching towards the table...niyati further saw that illuminated magical face of daya...within the impregnable darkness of the room. Daya stood erect and looking at her, he now said,:'agar aap ko taqleef huya hai...to I'm very sorry ...magar kya karu...phans gaya tha...'

niyati gazing at him steadily remarked,trying to seize her drowning self,:'itna barish...aur paani me...koi bhi phans jayega...' she paused abruptly while daya suddenly looked at her and saw an unknown expression over her face...niyati turned her face away and complained as usual,:'aap ko to pata hi tha ki aap phans hi jayenge...' daya answered with a candid smile,:'kya kare? na jata to har bachcha thik se khana aur kapra paya kya ye nahi jan pata...aur koi dekhbhal na karte hain..to woh log paisa kha jate hain...bachcho ko kuchh na milta hain..jante hain na aap kitna corruption hai har jagah..' saying that much he said,:'aap thori der aur baithiye...main fresh ho ke ata hun...'he stamped hurriedly inside and disappeared while niyati sat alone there before a candle mooning over the brightened face of this man...She now tried to be analytical and logical using her brain,:'kisi ka bhi surat agar achanak ujala me bhar jaye...to...to...achcha dikhega...hai na...everyone should look good...isn't it?' she took her one finger and started playing with the flame of the candle with a reflected face...:'daya ho...ya A ya B ya C...' she was almost jolted as inside the flame she seemed to see her own face who was smiling scornfully at her saying,:'don't think yourself too much sage ...jo kabhi bebqufi kiya nahi...woh khud ko jitna chalak samajhti hai...utna nahi hoti hai...' Niyati lapsed into silence as she couldn't figure out what had been happening around her since she met daya in the afternoon...she muttered inside her,:'jald se jald mujhe...is ghar se nikal jana parega...nahi to...' her face turned crimson hetting up with anxiety and at that moment daya knocked the door,:' ...aap ko jaroor bhukh laga hoga phir se...' he came there combing his wet hair and sat infront of her then...niyati's silence puzzled him a little and he further approached, :'aap kuchh kaha nahi ...'

niyati answered in a thick voice,:'aap ko bas khana aur bhukh ko chhor ke koi baat karna ata nahi...' daya smiled fainty and said,:'aap se baat karna aur rassi ki upar se paidal chalna ek hi baat hai...' he elongated the smile while niyati drawing her brows together, asked brusquely,:'kya matlab?'

daya replied back with candid smile,:'pata nahi...kaun si baat aap ko jhagra lage aur kaun si nahi...' niyati curling her lips into a scornful smile, said,:'aap jaise pehlwan ko jhagra se itna darr lagta hai...ye pata nahi tha mujhe...'

:'pata hona bhi na chaiye...kyuki pehli bar aap se jhagra hi kiya tha main..' daya answered with a humorous smile...Now as daya confessed that he had quarrelled with her, niyati smiled endearingly and said,:'waise...jhagra to main bhi kiya tha ...magar aap kuchh zada hi...serious ho gaye the meri baat sun ke...' daya answered smilingly,:'chaliye...to aap ko kam se kam ye to samajh me aya ke...aap ka mang kitna unfair tha...'

niyati turned sombre again and countered,:'meri mang unfair nahi tha ...aur mera to abhi bhi ye kehna hai ki...jab forensic doctors kaam kare to beech me koi officer na hi aye to achcha hai...' she nudged her specs a little and added,:'magar CID ka rules hi kuchh aisa hai ki...'

daya resurrected,:'magar officers hi evidence ekkattha karte hain ...case ka progress ke liye jan na jaroori hota hai..ki forensic doctors ka opinion kya hai...aur...chaliye...' he smiled and sighed and added later,:'mujhe dekh ke agar koi darr jaye to phir main us ko doshi nahi keh sakta hun...it's all my fault.. bas abhi aap is bare me aur jhagra na kijiye...' his friendly words dismissed the annoyance from niyati's heart but she was keen to maintain the grimness as she was feeling uncomfortable sitting before the man, about whom she was musing since some hours...Silence prevailed further and made the atmosphere quite uncomfortable and finally it was broken by daya himself as he thought it as his duty to provide his guest a comfortable atmoshphere,:'to aap...abhi bhi...research kar rahi hai?' niyati looked at him sharply, smirked a little and then replied,:'ye aap ko kaise pata chala?'

daya too with a flippant smile said,:'aap ki sath jo akhri mulaqat huya tha...us me aap yehi kaha tha...' niyati flashed now a coquettish smile and muttered,:'woh baat abhi bhi yaad hai aap ko?'

daya countered with a cynical smile,:'of course, kyuki forensic me mila huya tarha tarha ka log aap ko pasand nahi aya tha..' his face turned a little humorous as he alluded something of the past..:'aur...aap bari gusse me the us waqt...'

niyati was floundered to know that daya remembered everything word to word..Indeed she had insinuated looking archly at daya that she had been immensely displeased by the behaviour of him...Trying to maintain an angry gesture she snapped,:'aur woh mulaqat mujhe CID walo ke sath kabhi na hota to hi achcha rehta...kyuki aap log bad deemag aur khudgarz hote hain...' her words wreathed with flaming anger puzzled daya a little, but he chose to maintain silence.. niyati looked at him archly and then again rapped out,:'finer matter ko deal karne ka sense hi nahi hota hai aap logo ko...gunde badmasho ko peet peet ke aap logo ka dimag ekdum dull ho jata hai...' If niyati said those words in a neutral place then perhaps daya fumed and launched a strong protest, but as she was in his residence, he didn't utter a single word though some hard lines appeared at his face and then a dolorous smile came over it...