thereafter niyati remained in the couch while daya too stayed by himself..when the dusk approached daya returned again there with a candle to lit the room up..and then after fifteen minutes, he fetched tea for her with potato chips..niyati was feeling really thirsty for a hot drink and she couldn't repress it, :'thanks...' daya immediately glanced at her face with a playful smile, while niyati asked authoritatively, :'kya? hnas kyu rahe hain aap?'

daya shrugged and smiled, though he said, :'nahi kuchh nahi...'

niyati now became defiant and persisting to be masterful, :'kuchh to baat hai..bewaje se hansnewala to...inspector daya hai nahi...kya baat hai aisa?'

daya now replied with a mischivous chuckle, :'ghar ki andar inspector ban ke rehne ki adat nahi hai mujhe...'

:'to hansa kyu?' niyati asked it in a way as if grinding information from him and as if he had committed a serious crime in smiling...

daya sighed in tiredness though there was glinting mischief in his eyes as he said finally, :'main to is liye hans liya ke...aap bhi kabhi kisi ko 'thanks' keh dete hain.." niyati sharply averted her glance trying to show feigned disgust while inside her, she was feeling queer knowing the fact that the man whom he knew even till yesterday as the most discourteous bad mannered, quarrel prone one, now having humorous words with her...A little tingling sensation was passing through from her chest to stomach...she tried to bury her delight into her fists...Daya on the other hand, delivered now in a calm manner, :'sun ne me araha hai ki raste me jama huya paani ko nikalne ke liye kuchh khas bandobast honewala hai...'

:'kaha se suna aap?' niyati promptly asked..

:'yehi...jab bazar gaya tha tab...' daya answered gently,trying to assure niyati...

niyati pressed her lips together and staring at the ceiling, she now divulged,with a strange expression, :'Bhagwan kare...jaldi hi aisa ho...aap ko bhi rahat milega phir is ...' a very dolorous smile reflected over her face as she resumed, :'is...ungrateful ladki se...hai na?'

daya at first was a little flummoxed, and then he fastened a gentle smile to say, :'sab se zada rahat to aap ko milega...kyuki mera surat dekh ke aap ko ittna gussa araha hai...ki...' he grinned and then lit up another candle as the darkness intensified...niyati couldn't keep her eyes away from the illuminated face of that mysterious man who ...who...maintained a gruff exterior but...beneath that...he was as kind as a big tree could be under the scorching heat of the sun,...he was as gentle as a serene ocean abruptly found within a desert...

niyati further forced a smile,and maintained silence though beneath her breath she murmured a lot...:'haa daya...achcha hai...ke jo bhi hai...us ko main...meri gussa hi samjhu...achcha hai...ke ye samjhu..ki...daya nam ka berukhi behes karnewala admi bas meri gussa hi deserve karta hai...achcha hai ki bas ...dil ko yehi samjhau ...ki...'she whipped her thoughts and gulped a lump of pain inside and with much force she tried to behave normally, :'ek baat poochhu?'

daya surprisingly looked at her and then said, :'haa poochhiye,'

niyati swinging her one leg above the other, asked, :'bachpan me...jab power chala jata...to aap kya karte the?'

daya took a little time, sinking in the past memories and then spluttered, :'shawad...dosto ke sath...antakshari khelta tha..'

niyati raised her one eyebrow and with nod she appreciated him and then perhaps her tongue slipped, :'abhi bhi to khel sakte hain antakshari..' just after pronouncing the words perhaps she felt how foolishly she commented and a vacuous expression came over her face...while daya was damn staggered at the remark of niyati...He infact started doubting his ear for this was absolutely beyond his imagination that this cantankerous lady could offer him to play antakshari...With a perplexed face he stammered,:'mmagr...aap..aap ko to...gana pasand nai ata hai...' niyati tried to manage with a hard face,:'gana nahi...stupid gana..pasand nahi ata hai mujhe...'

daya smiled and said, :'mmagar...aap ki mutabiq...har gana hi stupid gana hoga..'

niyati tried desperately to steer the topic away and thus she said with a casual shrug, :'chhor dijiye...aap se behes karne ka mood nahi ho raha hai abhi...dekhti hun radio me koi news araha hai ya nahi...' she switched the radio on and indeed there was a bulletin which informed them that the stagnant water of the streets and roads would be sucked by some specially prepared pump throughout the night..daya was listening to the news with a somber face while there was a faint smile pasted over the face of niyati...As the news came to an end, both sighed perhaps with relief though the radio was still on...and after the news, again the programme of international music started...

I've been trying ohh so long to let you know

let you know how I feel

and if I stumble if I fall,just help me back

so I can make you see

please give me one more night..give me just one more night

one more night cos I can't wait forever

give me just one more night,oh just one more night

oh just one more night cos I can't wait forever...

niyati turned numbed and couldn't raise her hand to switch the radio off...daya thought that perhaps niyati was listening to the music and thus he sipped his tea and then leapt to his feet and disappeared abruptly...

niyati felt that every object infront of her were getting blurred very rapidly and before she could understand anything, tears misted her specs...She extinguished both the candle immediately and then took out her specs to dab her eyes with the sleeve and then leaned over the couch with extreme exhaustion..but startled to get the voice of daya, :'Dr. niyatiiii...candle bujh gaya kya? khirki band kar dun?' niyati couldn't answer but laid lifeless until her every nerves were making her mad blaring out the lines of that song...

please give me one more night...give me one more night...give me one more night...one more night...one more night...one more night...

she sprang from the couch with a painful face as her leg hurt and further she had to slump down onto the couch with a bitter grunt...

daya rushed from the kitchen with a tensed face and asked worriedly, :'kya huya Doctor? aap thik to hain na?' niyati boomed out unable to repress the discomfort,:'please leave me alone...pleeeeease...wouldn't you?'

daya's face contracted with a mixture of embarrassment and pain...he silently left her without asking any more question...time passed within a queer inconvenience for both the resider and it was half past eight when daya fetched dinner for niyati...he silently placed the plate over the centre table but before leaving he thought she should wake her up to inform that her dinner was ready to eat..

:'Dr. niyati...' he pronounced irresolutely...

niyati neither moved nor replied...

:' Dr. Niyatiiii..' daya tried to be louder but with no result...

now he raised his shivering hand and placed it over her straighten hair..niyati woke up immediately and shot a questioning glance upon him...daya retracted back and uttered genially, :'kha lijiye...please...'

now niyati could recall everything and a guilt slowly permeated through her heart and it intensified when she saw daya's flummoxed face who was desperately trying to satisfy his guest even after bearing so much unfair reprimands...her heart started melting and though she was feeling a twinge of pang contracted her heart, but still for the courtsey she offered him,:' aap ko aise kehna to na chaiye...magar...kya aap yaha ake..mere sath khana khayenge...' she muttered it all cringing at the floor..daya was astounded and a smile of affection crossed his face as he replied just with coming there with his plate...

niyati felt that as if the food couldn't go down her throat, not because it was inedible but...it was an incomprehensible anguish that trying to squirt out...With much effort she let out, :'mujhe pata hai ...'

daya raised his glance from his plate,and gazed at her with anticipation

niyati resumed after some seconds, :'ki...guest ka khatirdari karne ke liye hi...aap...yaha pe ake...mere sath...khana kha rahe hain...'

daya kept listening to her chewing his food, while niyati jabbered,with a forced smile that wasn't being able to screen the suppressed agony inside her, :'magar...main aap ko ek advice dena chahti hun...chahe woh aap ko...' she shook her head trying to prove herself animated and chirpy,:'pasand aye ya na aye...'

A flicker of smile hovered at the corner of daya's lips as he asked, :'kaisa advice?'

niyati lips broadened in her effort to form a smile as she said, :'woh ye hai ki...guest ka behaviour ko judge karke ...tab hi aap aise kharidari ka sochenge..Aur phir...aap ke soch aur samajh ke bare me ...aap ekbar dhyan se sochenge...jo aap ko kehta hai...ki...sare ke sare insult sahn karke bhi ek bad tameez aurat ke sath baith ke aap ko khana khana chaiye...'

daya's face transfigured slowly as he smiled and replied, :'aap ka salah yaad rahega...' he paused while niyati smiled faintly and then averted her glance with a sneer... A cold and stifling silence wreathed the room until niyati quite defenselessly,:'agar...aap ko..gana achcha lagta hai...to aap sun sakte hain...' A cryptic smile very slowly spread over the face of daya as he countered very gently, :'aap ko tang karke mere pasand ka cheez kyu karu? agar sun na hoga...to ghar me baith ke sun lunga' Niyati failed again in her attempt to normalise the atmosphere but she braved it out, saying, :'aap ka kaam kaise chal raha hai?' daya raised his eyes to look at him and there was sheer astonishment within his eyes listening to such a question that he never thought to answer at least to Dr. Niyati..With an abashed smile,he replied back though, :'waise hi...jaise aap dekh ke ayi thi...' Niyati after taking a deep breath, commented, sanctimoniously, :'matlab...wohi coercive boss ka slavery kar rahe hain aap...' Daya glanced at her with a little asperity and said now with a grave face, :' ...aap ko bhala bura jo bhi kehna hain...mere bare me kahiye...please I request you not to show your disrespect on anyone else..' niyati's face hardened as she retorted back viciously with all her energy, :'really? to aap kehna chahte hain ki us din forensic me jo bhi kiya tha aap ka boss ACP Pradyuman woh sahi tha...aur main un ko respect karu ya na karu...mujhe jhutha respect dikhana parega un ko? Do you mean that?' her eyes were radiating anger, while daya mumbled, being perplexed, :'dekhiye...doctor...'

niyati sneered with disdain and turned her face away while daya, trying to be calm, explained, :'us din jo bhi huya tha...' he hesitated a little and then resumed, :'achcha huya tha,' Niyati sharply looked at him with a basilisk stare and then she again turned her face away...Daya continued, though in an emollient voice, :'aap ka banaya huya vaccine se agar Sudhakar ka jaan bach gaya...to kaise kahu ...ki...woh...bura incident tha?'

:'achchha?' niyati came back fiercely and promptly, :'aap ko bas Sudhakar ka jaan bachna hi yaad hai...aur..aur...mere sath ...mere sath...jo bhi huya tha woh? That was my biggest insult ...That was a nightmare in my whole career...Jis tarha se...ACP Pradyuman mera insult kiya...woh...woh main...kabhi nahi bhulnewali hun...huh...'her eyes protruded in anger and daya noticed some mositure within her eyes as well...He resurrected back after about a minute, allowing niyati to relax a little to soothe her anger, :'yaad hai ...ACP sir aap ko revolver dikha ke..Sudhakar ko injection lagane ke liye majboor kiya tha...mmagar...zara gaur se soch ke dekhiye...' his voice became persuasive, :'us din woh na hota...to Sudhakar zinda na hota aaj...aur tab kya aap ko koi guilt na hota ki...vaccine rehte huye bhi...aap ki zid ki waja se...ek officer ko marna para?' niyati didn't answer while daya added more, :'kya...kisi ka jaan se bhi zada hai aap ki zid?'

Suddenly niyati glanced at him and said with bitterness, :'meri action ko koi dusra analyse kare...ye mujhe pasand nahi hai ...ye baat aap kan khol ke sun lijiye...' her jaws were tightened, while daya with a resigned smile, replied back, :'main to sun liya ...magar puri duniya sunega kya?' niyati felt as if she would be burst with anger but she kept a strong curb upon her anger and answered, :'aap kyu sunenge phir?' Daya flashed a perceptive smile to say, :'There is a very thin line between stubbornness and self respect...aur jab...us ke sath kisi ka jaan ka sawal jura rahe ...tab zid ko thora sa jhukna to parta hi hai...insaniyat ke saamne...hai na?' niyati couldn't find any answer while daya now with a insightful smile muttered again, :'aap ka gussa kam ho jaye...to mera baat thora soch ke dekhna...aap ko bhi yehi sahi lagega Dr...' he paused as niyati glanced at him further sharply but he didn't stop there, instead of that he continued with a rare ebullience,:'zid aap nahi...aap me chhupi huyi...woh chhoti si bachchi karti hai...jis ko gussa bohut ata hai...' his lips broadened into a smile while niyati looked at him with strange anticipation to listen to more...:'aur...shawad aisa ek din ayega...jis din aap...ACP sir ko...maaf kar payenge ye soch ke...ki aap ki vaccine se kisi ka jaan bach gaya tha...kyuki...uparwale ne...aap ka marzi ki khilaf ja ke bhi aap se ek achcha kam karwa liya...' Niyati stared at some unknown object, vacantly until she perceived that daya had finished his share of food and only waiting for her to finish...She hurried in having the food and finished it feeling that as if daya's words wreathing her from every angle, pinioned her to reconsider all these facts and also her views and opinions about herself and the whole world...