A/N: After a long time, found inspiration to write something. Hope you like my efforts. Please let me know through your reviews.
HAVE A HAPPY READING...
It's one thing to make a promise, and quite another to keep it.
Daya had felt ecstatic the previous day after his small but meaningful conversation he had had with Abhijeet in the bureau. It had lifted his spirits dramatically, which felt had refreshing. He had not felt this happy since his fight with Abhijeet had started. He felt even happier seeing his friend looking much less stressed than he had in the past few days. It made him more hopeful about getting his friend and their friendship back in the same shape as it used to be before this whole fiasco started.
Unfortunately, his high spirits were not to remain for long.
While they both knew that the other didn't have any bitterness in their heart anymore, yet, it wasn't easy to fall back to the effortless camaraderie that they had shared before. Daya noticed Abhijeet trying to act as if nothing had happened between them, but Daya, having known him for such a long time, clearly saw through the act. Abhijeet was still a little guarded in his approach. What was worse was that he wasn't careful just around him but around all the other officers too. Surprisingly, the only person with whom Abhijeet seemed relaxed while in the bureau was ACP sir. Maybe it was because ACP sir was away and had not witnessed their ugly fights, or maybe it was something else.
Daya looked at his friend now, who was currently standing in the corridor of the bureau with ACP sir, discussing something while both were enjoying a cup of late-morning coffee. Abhijeet looked genuinely relaxed, for a change. Daya was suddenly reminded of the old days, when Abhijeet had newly rejoined CID. He used to be an extremely reserved person, and had built a hard shell around himself in which no one was allowed to enter. Although he had been gentle and caring towards his teammates back then too, it was nothing more than professional courtesy. It had taken Daya a long time before Abhijeet had started to trust him enough to allow him inside that shell.
But even back then, Abhijeet's bond with the ACP had gone deeper than it did with the rest of them. He had seen it with his own eyes - before Abhijeet's memory loss, during his recovery, and after he rejoined the team. There was an ease between the two of them, that fatherly concern from their senior that had helped Abhijeet on his worst days, that somehow always worked to calm him down, no matter how bad the circumstances were.
Seeing them now, he felt the same aura that he used to feel back then. While he was happy that Abhijeet had someone who could relax his mind and take it away from the problems of the past few days, he just wished that he himself could sooth his friend's heart in the same way, just as he had always done.
He really needed to have a heart to heart with Abhijeet. The thought had been running through Daya's mind for a few days now, ever since Shreya had told him about Abhijeet's decision to take transfer. But every time he tried to talk to him, something or the other interrupted them. Sometimes it was a case, on others, it was a person. And now that everything was apparently okay between them, somehow Daya found it even harder to have this conversation with him. But he knew that it was important to talk it out with him, if he wanted to clear the air between them.
However, the sad part was that Daya had no idea how to approach Abhijeet about this. They usually discussed their issues with each other freely. But this time he feared that if he tried to hit the problem head-on, he would only end up hurting his friend more. He had done enough of that already; he didn't need to make it worse.
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he sighed. Apparently, it wasn't just Abhijeet who was being too careful around him but he himself was behaving the same way around Abhijeet as well.
"Daya!"
The sudden call from ACP Pradyuman made him jump a bit. He was totally lost in his thoughts.
"Yes sir?" He quickly replied.
"Zara mere cabin me aao. Aur haan, wo Damodar murder case wali file bhi lekar aana sath me." ACP said, before walking into his cabin.
Daya picked up the requested file from his desk drawer and walked into ACP's cabin after taking his permission.
"Baitho Daya."
Daya took a seat and immediately started as, "Sir, humne phir se Damodar ke ghar ki talashi li to pata chala ki..."
ACP cut him in between as, "Daya...Daya, ek minute." Daya stopped speaking. ACP continued, "Maine tumhe case ke baare me baat karne ke liye nahi bulaya hai. Wo to mujhe Abhijeet pehle hi bata chuka hai. Abhi hum bahar wahi discuss kar rahe the. Mujhe usne bataya ki tumne case file complete kar li hai, isiliye mangwa li."
"Oh, okay sir" Daya said but was unsure if he should go back now that his task was done, or if he should keep sitting. His question was answered by the ACP himself.
"Maine tumhe yaha kisi aur baare me baat karne ke liye bulaya hai."
"Kis baare me sir? Current case pe?"
"Abhijeet ke baare me, Daya." ACP said softly. He now had a gentle look on his face.
Daya immediately looked down.
"Kya baat hai, abb bhi naraz hai, hm?" ACP asked in the same gentle, fatherly tone. Daya looked at him, but quickly went back to staring down at his lap where he was fidgeting with his ring.
He had not known that the ACP had noticed the distance between them. To be honest, it felt slightly embarrassing to be talking about it with his boss. But he wasn't just a senior to him, but a mentor and a father figure who had helped him and guided him through difficulties many times before. Perhaps, it wasn't such a bad idea to take his help once again.
"Daya?" ACP urged him again, seeing no response coming from him.
"Nahi sir, gussa nahi hai, par…" Daya sighed, again thinking of all those moments where he had seen Abhijeet looking unsure around him. He took a deep breath. "Bahut badi galti ho gayi sir mujhse iss baar. Bahut badi. Aisa lagta hai jaise maine apne sabse ache dost ko kho diya."
"Kho diya? Kyu, kuch kaha kya usne?"
"Kuch kehta hi to nahi hai sir wo." Daya sounded a little frustrated. He didn't know if it was on his friend or himself.
"Hmm…" ACP looked at his steepled fingers on the desk and then looked up at Daya, "Matlab baat nahi hui usse abhi tak?"
Daya remained silent.
"Baat nahi karoge to baat suljhegi kaise. Waha wo jhijhak raha hai, aur yaha tum." ACP continued in a soft voice.
"Samajh nahi aa raha kya baat karu."
ACP raised an eyebrow. "Kabhi socha nahi tha tumhare muh se ye baat sunne ko milegi, wo bhi Abhijeet ke liye."
Daya felt his throat tighten and chose to keep his silence.
ACP, seeing this, continued, almost knowing what the reaction was likely to be "Tum kaho to mai baat kar ke dekhu?"
"Nahi!" Daya said quickly, looking up at the ACP, catching his slight smile at his answer, as if he had expected it. He probably had. The man knew them all too well. "Nahi sir. Mai…mai khud hi baat karunga."
ACP nodded and said, "Zyada der mat Karna Daya. Aisi baato me jitni der hogi, baat karna bhi utna hi mushkil lagega. Aur…do din baad Abhijeet Mumbai se bahar ja raha hai."
Daya looked a little panicked. "Mumbai se bahar? Apne to kaha tha…" He was cut off by the sound of ACP chuckling.
"Daya…Daya…tension mat lo, transfer waqai me ruk gayi hai uski. Sirf kuch kaam se kuch dino ke liye bahar ja raha hai."
"Oh." Daya sighed with relief. "Mai usse baat kar lunga sir. Aaj hi." He said with a confidence that he didn't entirely feel in his bones.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Daya had thought he would catch Abhijeet after office hours, when they got out of the bureau. Maybe in the parking area. That should serve as neutral ground. But as luck would have it, they had to go to different locations during the day and by the time Daya returned to the bureau, Abhijeet had already left for his home. Determined to talk to his friend that very day, he drove for Abhijeet's home instead of his own.
Parking his car behind Abhijeet's in the driveway, he went to the door and taking a deep breath tried to swallow down his nervousness, then rang the doorbell. Within a few moments, he could hear footsteps approaching. When the door opened, Abhijeet looked surprised for a moment, then welcomed him in with his usual gentle smile.
"Daya. Aao." He said, stepping back from the open door.
As Daya entered, he held out the hot tea and snacks that he had bought for them both. "Chai aur pakode hai." He noticed Abhijeet eying the bag and hesitating, so added, "Don't worry, maine nahi banaye hai. Kinare wale thele se lekar aaya hu aate samay."
Abhijeet looked embarrassed for a moment, then regaining his composure, murmured mischievously, "Shukar hai."
Daya stared at Abhijeet's back as he turned around, then smiled widely. He couldn't remember the last time Abhijeet had freely joked around him, let alone with him. He hadn't realised just how much he really missed Abhijeet's easy company and warm nature, with his encouraging smiles and pats on the shoulder, his gentle teasing, the occasional pranks, and even his scoldings that only ever came out of his care and regard for him. Not until he had lost it all completely, and now only got a slight glimpse of what it had been like.
He came fully inside the living room and was met with an odd sight. One corner of the floor was littered with half-packed kitchen utensils, and a few cardboard boxes. Abhijeet seemed to be searching for something in one of those boxes.
Abhijeet stood back up, having found what he was searching for. He turned towards Daya and looked embarrassed again, seeing Daya's confusion at the state of his house.
"Wo…packing kar rakhi thi thodi bahut. Abb dheere dheere sab wapas set kar raha hu." Abhijeet explained, showing Daya the teacup he had just fished out of one of the open cardboard boxes.
Daya nodded.
"Mai aata hu abhi. Tum baitho." Abhijeet said, moving towards the kitchen.
Daya looked at the kitchen door where Abhijeet had just disappeared, then looked back at all the packed things strewn around the living room. Now that he was noticing, he found most of Abhijeet's personal things had been packed away, leaving only the basic furniture that had come with the house. The only personal item that he could see was Abhijeet's coat that he had apparently thrown on the back of the couch after coming back from work.
The room looked oddly empty and impersonal without his friend's belongings marking the walls and table-tops with signs of his personality. The photographs, the awards, and the various other odds and ends, things that Abhijeet liked to collect while travelling across the country and abroad. It had become a room devoid of any personal touch, devoid of any sign of the person living here for the past several years.
The sight made Daya feel a deep pain, along with a muted sense of the dread he had felt when he had first learnt of Abhijeet's transfer. He moved towards a small chest of drawers, on top of which Abhijeet used to keep a few photographs of the old and current members of the CID team who have been very close to him. It had included a picture of Asha, Abhijeet and Daya, another of Freddy, yet another of Abhijeet with Tasha, Vivek, and Freddy, one of Abhijeet with ACP sir, and one of him with Daya himself. All gone. Packed in one of those cardboard boxes, he supposed.
He heard Abhijeet's footsteps and turned in time to see him come inside the living room with a tray with two teacups and a plate filled with snacks.
One look at Daya's face was enough to tell Abhijeet of what his friend was thinking about. He stopped a few paces away from him and said softly, "Bhool jao Daya. Ye sab yaad karne ka abb koi matlab nahi hai. Abb sab theek hai na."
"Bhool jau?" Daya chuckled mirthlessly. "Tum bhool paoge?"
Abhijeet looked at his friend's face for a moment, then moved towards the couch with the tray.
"Aao baitho Daya. Chai thandi ho jayegi."
Daya moved towards the couch and took a seat opposite his friend. Taking the cup from Abhijeet, he stared into the cup for a moment, before repeating his earlier question, "Tumne bataya nahi Abhijeet…tum bhool paoge?"
Abhijeet took a sip of tea to buy himself a moment. He swallowed the now lukewarm tea and looked at his friend square in the eyes. "Nahi."
Daya looked instantly pained. Abhijeet looked away from him, now staring into his own cup and continued, "Nahi Daya, sach kahu to mai pichle kuch hafto ki baat kabhi nahi bhool paunga. Phir tumse ye umeed karna ki tum bhool jao…sorry yaar, shayad bina soche hi bol diya maine." Abhijeet gave a weak smile.
Daya stayed silent for a few minutes. He looked at his friend as he tried to look busy taking slow sips of his tea. After a few moments, he appeared to have forgotten Daya's presence completely as he lost himself in his thoughts and memories. Daya guessed he might me miles away from the present but they were still thinking of the same thing.
"Kya hum kabhi bhi iss sab ko peeche nahi chhor payenge?" Daya suddenly spoke the words that had been haunting him for a few days now. Abhijeet looked at him again. Daya continued, "Abhijeet. Yaar jo kuch bhi hua uske liye I'm really sorry par…"
"Daya." Abhijeet cut him off immediately. Daya looked at him. Abhijeet closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He opened his eyes again and said looking at his friend, "Daya, yaar ye sach hai ki tumhari baaton ka mujhe bura laga. Par ye bhi to sach hai ki maine bhi tumhe hurt kiya. Yaar, galti hum dono ki hi thi, Itna to hum dono hi jaante hai, aur…" he looked Daya in the eyes again as he continued, "aur umeed karta hu ki ek doosre ke aise bartav ke peeche ka kaaran aur dard bhi samajhte hai."
Daya nodded. As angry as he had been upon learning that his best friend had lied to him about something so serious, and as much as he had blamed him for his heartbreak, deep down he had always known that Abhijeet would never have done that to willingly hurt him. He knew his friend wasn't capable of betraying either his trust or his happiness, even as he blamed him of doing exactly that in front of his colleagues and strangers alike. He still didn't know the reason behind Abhijeet's actions, but somehow, it didn't matter anymore as much as seemed to have only a couple of weeks back.
Daya came back to the present as Abhijeet continued, "Waise…dekha jaye to acha hi hai ki hum dono inn pichle kuch hafto me humare beech jo kuch bhi hua, use na bhoole. Agar bhoolenge nahi, to umeed hai ki aisi bewakoofi dobara karenge bhi nahi. Hai na?" He ended with a self-recriminating smirk at Daya.
Daya let out a small huff of laughter. "Kya kahu. Umeed pe duniya kaayam hai."
They both exchanged an understanding look. They sat in companiable silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts, and were brought back with the doorbell ringing.
Abhijeet stood up with "Mai dekhta hu." And went to answer the door.
Daya took the two half-finished teacups with its now cold contents, and moved towards the kitchen. As expected, the kitchen was almost empty of anything – utensils and grocery. He opened the fridge and found a measly stock stored there, probably meals bought from the takeaway, since he couldn't see any vegetables or other cooking supplies. He closed the refrigerator door and was walking back to the living door when he found the lamp in the study room on, and went to switch it off. As soon as he stepped inside the room, he froze.
Abhijeet had said that he had done a little packing, but no, he had been completely ready to leave. It was so obvious when he looked at the empty study table and bare bookshelves, and walls. The sight sent a chill down his spine, as he realised what he had almost lost. Every time he thought he had gotten used to the idea of Abhijeet having decided to leave Mumbai, he found out that he was not, in fact, ready to accept that idea at all. This city, this team has always been everything for Abhijeet. No one knew that better than Daya himself, not even ACP Pradyuman. How had me manage to hurt him to the point where he had driven him away from his very life, and not even realised it.
Daya felt his guilt deeply, as he knew did Abhijeet. He knew it was not only Daya's words that had caused Abhijeet to take this monumental decision, but his own conscience eating away at him. It was unfathomable for Daya how his friend could ever imagine that he would be better off without him at his side, but he knew that that is exactly what he had thought. He knew, because in the past several days, he had tried to put himself in Abhijeet's shoes many times. He already understood his guilt. It was festering in his own heart just as fiercely as he knew it was in his friend's. But when he tried to imagine what his reaction would have been had Abhijeet said or behaved with Daya the same way as he had with Abhijeet, he couldn't imagine it. The worst thing that Abhijeet had said during this whole fiasco was that he didn't want this friendship if its foundation was truly as weak as it had seemed at that time. And he remembered feeling as if Abhijeet had stabbed him with a blunt knife. How would he have felt had he been stabbed repeatedly, as Abhijeet had been by himself?
The worst thing was, that Daya knew very well that the matter had escalated to this degree not because of their lack of faith in each other but because they had such complete trust in each one another, and because of that, it was inconceivable for either of them that the other could under any circumstances, act in the way that they had. Daya felt humbled by the level of trust put in him by Abhijeet, and perhaps that is why he understood Abhijeet's pain too. Because he himself had put just that sort of trust in Abhijeet as well, and had felt crushed by the realisation that his friend had lied to him regarding something so drastic and life-changing. He had, if he admitted to himself, felt cheated. And later, just as strongly and deeply, if not more so, he had felt the guilt of breaking Abhijeet's trust in him. And above all, in all this time, he had felt lonely beyond words or expressions.
So yes, he understood exactly how his friend had felt, and still did.
He heard the front door close. He switched off the light and closing the door to the study, walked back to the living room, where Abhijeet was carrying some hefty bags into the room.
"Ye sab kya hai?" Daya asked.
"Arre kuch nahi bas thode grocery ke items order kiye the, wahi de ke gaya hai abhi delivery boy."
"Thora?" Daya asked sarcastically, looking pointedly at the five big bulging bags on the floor.
Abhijeet laughed lightly. "Matlab…thoda-thoda sab kuch." He smiled again seeing Daya rolling his eyes.
"Packing bhi thoda-bahut hi kiya tha na?" Daya pointed towards the study with his head.
Abhijeet looked at the closed door, realising Daya must have gone inside and saw the bare room.
"Haan wo…maine khud nahi ki na packing. Movers walo se karwayi thi." Abhijeet said, moving another grocery bag out of the way. "Maine kaha tha ache se packing karna. Bando ne itni zyada achi packing ker di hai ki abb inn boxes ko khol ke samaan wapas rakhna mushkil lag raha hai. Ek to waise hi duty ke baad time nahi milta." Abhijeet stood up straight and looked at Daya who was standing a few feet away with crossed arms. "Abb wahi khade rahoge ya madad bhi karoge inn bags ko kitchen tak pahuchane me?"
To Daya, it sounded more like a command than a question, so he uncrossed his arms and went ahead to pick up all five heavy bags at once and dump them unceremoniously on the kitchen counter. He turned around to find Abhijeet nervously standing at the doorway to the kitchen.
"Kya baat hai?" Daya asked gently.
"Wo…" Abhijeet started, then averted his eyes. He went to the grocery bags and started taking out the things one by one. "Tumne mujhse phir kabhi pucha nahi ki maine tumhara letter Shreya ko kyu nahi diya?" Abhijeet asked in a low voice, still avoiding Daya's eyes by focusing on emptying the bag.
"Nahi Abhijeet. Nahi pucha. Aur chaahe maine gusse me tumse jo kuch bhi kaha ho par tumpe itna yakeen to hai ki kisi thos wajah ke bina tumne aisa nahi kiya hoga." Daya took another bag and started emptying it, working side by side with Abhijeet.
Abhijeet took a quick look at Daya and then looked away once again. "Par shayad mujhe bata dena chahiye tha ussi waqt. Phir baat itni barhti hi nahi." He kept a bottle of spice down on the kitchen counter and gripped the counter tightly with both palms, bowing his head and closing his eyes, remembering the pain he had seen in his friend's eyes all those weeks ago.
Daya looked at the defeated posture of his friend, and kept a hand on his shoulder in silent support. Abhijeet, feeling the supportive gesture, looked up at him and said, "Sach kahu to mujhe abhi tak nahi pata ki mera tumhe ye batana sahi hoga ki nahi par…"
"Abhijeet. Relax. It's okay." Daya interrupted.
Abhijeet shook his head. "Nahi Daya. Baat tumse judi hui hai to mai tumhe bataunga. Ho sakta hai ki mai phir se koi galti kar raha hu, ya ho sakta hai ki mujhe tumhe pehle hi bata dena chahiye tha, but…Daya mujhe Shreya ke papa ne mana kiya tumhara letter Shreya ko dene se."
"Kya!?" Daya was shocked. He had often thought what reason it could have been, but this scenario had never crossed his mind.
"Haan Daya. Unki Siddhart ke father ke sath koi paiso ko lekar issue hai, isiliye. Aur unhone ye bhi kaha tha ki Shreya ki maa ko dil ki bimari hai. Koi shock lagna unke liye khatarnaak ho sakta hai…matlab…jaan bhi ja sakti hai. Unhone kaha tha ki kuch dino ki baat hai, isiliye maine bhi baat barhayi nahi. Daya yaar…mujhe dar tha ki mere ek galat kadam se Shreya ki puri family na bikhar jaye. Agar meri wajah se uske parents aur uske beech daraar aa jati, ya bhagwaan na kare, uski maa ko kuch ho jata, toh…yaar mai…mai kabhi khud ko maaf nahi kar pata. Mujhe laga ki tumhe jab bhi ye baat mai bataunga, tum zaroor samjhoge. Akhir family ki ehmiyat hum dono se behtar kaun samajhta hai?" Abhijeet searched Daya's face. "Tum samajh rahe ho na?"
It took Daya a few moments to collect himself after that revelation. He noticed Abhijeet starting to look close in into himself as he took too long, and said quickly, "Haan Abhijeet. Mai samajh sakta hu. Tumne jo kuch bhi abhi bataya…tumhari jagah agar mai hota to mai bhi shayad aisa hi karta."
Abhijeet nodded, and after looking at him for a moment more, admitted quietly, "Yaar mujhe sach me nahi pata ki tumhe ye sab bata ke maine theek kiya ya nahi par mai tumse abb aur kuch chupana nahi chahta. Hum dono ki iss dosti ke meri zindagi me kya mayne hai ye mai shayad kabhi samjha na saku. Humare CID team ki, specially, ACP sir ki aur tumhare karan mai aaj khada ho paya hu. Saalo pehle jab ACP sir ne mujhe wapas CID me kaam karne ka offer diya tha to unhone mujhe sirf meri job wapas nahi ki thi Daya, unhone meri jaan bachayi thi. Maa ke jaane ke baad meri jo haalat thi…maine kabhi ye baat share nahi ki par, mujhe nahi lagta ki mai zyada din aur zinda reh pata."
Daya gasped. He had known that Abhijeet had been in a dark place but he had not known that it had gone that far. "Abhi…" he whispered.
"Haan yaar. Aur tab se lekar aaj tak mai tum dono pe, aur khaas taur se tum pe kitna depend karta hu ye tum ache se jaante ho. Apni team aur duty aur…aur hamari dosti ke ird-gird apni puri zindagi bana li hai maine. Mai ise kisi haal me nahi khona chahta yaar Daya…Kisi haal me bhi nahi."
"I understand." Daya said softly. "Aur kuch samjhu na samjhu, magar ye baat mai ache se samjhta hu yaar, kyuki mere liye bhi ye baat itni hi sach hai jitni tumhare liye."
Daya clapped Abhijeet on the shoulder, and was pleased to get an easy smile in answer. They got back to work on organising the kitchen and making it fit for a person living there.
They were almost finished when Daya spoke again, "Dinner ka kuch intezam hai ki wo bhi nahi?"
Abhijeet coughed to hide his embarrassment. "Wo kuch ready to cook soup aur daliya ke packets hai." They both made a face at that.
"Bahar se kuch mangwa le? Dinner to mera bhi nahi hua hai. Bureau se seedhe idhar hi aaya tha." Daya commented.
Just then the doorbell rang again.
"Abb kaun hai iss time pe?" Abhijeet wondered aloud as he moved back towards the front door. Daya continued his work in the kitchen.
"Arre Sanjay, tum?" Daya heard Abhijeet's voice from the kitchen. Daya quickly went to join Abhijeet. Sanjay was ACP sir's driver.
Daya came into the living room to see Sanjay passing a bag to Abhijeet. "Haan saab ji. Ye ACP sir ne bheja hai. Kaha ki aapke aur Daya saab ke liye hai."
Abhijeet looked back at Daya and raised an eyebrow at ACP's casual assumption that Daya could be found at his place. Daya looked down, sheepishly remembering his fervent declaration in front of ACP that he'd go and talk to Abhijeet that very day.
Abhijeet took the bag and after politely thanking him, closed the door. Looking into the bag curiously, he laughed, walking towards the dining table.
"Kya hua, aisa kya bhej diya sir ne jo tumhe dekh ke hasi aa gayi?" Daya asked, following him to the table.
Instead of answering with words, Abhijeet simply pulled out the two hot cases from the bag and placed them on the table.
"Khana!" Daya exclaimed. "Sir ko kaise pata…" He trailed off then picked up a better question. "Kya bheja hai?"
"Cornflakes?" Abhijeet made a guess, trying and failing to smother his smile at their boss' obsession with healthy, oil-less food and cornflakes. Daya snorted.
They opened the food cases, and to their joint relief, it wasn't cornflakes but…
"Arre wah, biryani!" Abhijeet looked instantly pleased.
"Kya baat hai, sir bade meherbaan hai aaj humpe." Daya added.
"Sapna hai sapna." Abhijeet laughingly added.
They quickly found plates from the kitchen and served themselves the hot food.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
ACP Pradyuman was sitting on his rocking chair with a light book in his hand. His eyes were on the book but his mind was someplace far away, and a light frown marred his features. Suddenly, there was a beep from his cell phone. He closed the book, keeping his place with his index finger, and leaned to pick the cell phone from the side table. There were two messages.
"Thank you, sir." Abhijeet's message read.
"Thanks a lot, sir." Daya's read.
He shook his head, amused at the similarity of their words, and he knew, of their meaning too. The thanks were not merely for the food that he had sent to them this evening, but for a lot more than that. Of course, Daya might see him personally later to talk to him more, thank him personally. But he didn't expect Abhijeet to do that. Maybe a grateful smile, and a nod of thanks, but nothing more than that. He smiled. Daya and Abhijeet were as different in their personalities as they come, and yet, sometimes they seemed like two peas in a pod. While Daya was good at expressing himself, Abhijeet was a man of fewer words. He liked to show his love and appreciation through small gestures, if only one could read them. Much like himself, that one.
And ACP Pradyuman knew how to read them both. He sent them both a simple "Good night and take care" message and put his cell phone back on the side table. Leaning back into his rocking chair, he let out a satisfied breath and closed his eyes, a small smile still playing at his lips.
He looked relaxed now, with no crease of tension on his forehead, but only that of his laughter lines at the corner of his eyes and mouth.
A/N: That was perhaps the longest chapter that I've ever posted on any of my stories. That calls for some encouragement through reviews, don't you think? ;p
Good bye (not for long, I hope) and take care, all of you.
DIYA