The past is never dead. It's not even past.
-William Faulkner
"Wedding!" Squealed Sakshi excitedly, nearly jumping upside down.
Sameer rolled his eyes, "not Wedding, just an engagement party."
"Rajasthani style?" Chotu quipped, giving a look to his partner in crime Shree, who intrigued look as well.
"Gujarti style. My soon to be sister in law's family are hardcore Gujrati, staying in Ahmedabad from past 4 generations." He distributed the cards to the team mates, "Party is being held in our other house."
"That house which looks like mansion and should be illegal for acquiring too much land?" Rawte entered the room, his voice amused, to which Sameer gave a mock stern gaze.
"Funny. And yes, that home only." he then took rest of cards from table, "I am heading for lab to give Liza invitation."
"Where is my card?" the second in command asked, his expression of someone with wounded pride.
"You are the official slave for the day along with me, so no need for card." he started to leave as all of the team mate started to laugh, "just show up sharp at 8."
"PM?" the former could not resist.
"AM. for work." and he exited, leaving behind team mates who shook their heads at the rare banter between two lifelong friends in a workplace.
Sameer returned from lab and near lift nearly banged with ACP Mukherjee, "In a hurry, eh?" she asked sarcastically, but in response he grinned widely and thrashed a card in her palm.
"Engagement party. not mine, my elder cousin's." he explained before she even opened the mouth.
"Of course not yours." she murmured dryly with a hint of amusement.
he quirked an eyebrow, "do I want to know what was that?" then shook his head as they both started to head for discussion room. he never noticed the way her face softened or the varity of emotions flickered across, but stopped in track when her fingers gripped his forearm.
"I cant accept this." she tried to hand over the card but he didnt take it.
"I promise food will be good and music wont be as much terrible as you imagine."
she looked away, lips turned up in the corner for a moment, then she was serious, "I should not. its a family function."
"I invited the whole team." he assured.
"I just dont think I should be there. not much family person." she tried to politely decline.
"Then you just enjoy food and have internal laugh at other's stupidity." he sighed when he took in her unwilling emotion, "I invited you. now its up to you, arrive or dont arrive. I promise not to brood if you dont, now its upto you."
she had to look away when he was starting to see too much, and in the process noticed they were standing merely some metres away from discussion room, and that the crime journo was giving her death glares through the glass.
"whats with the love looks?'' she said to herself as her fingers slowly loosened its grip from his forearm, frowning a little.
he sighed, to which her head whipped toward him, "would not you like to know?" he replied, then looked at her. both shared a small chuckled at that, and then headed for discussion room.
"just a curiosity, will this time it be a LBD or couture?"
"would not you like to know?"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The engagement party in the other house of Rathore's was . . . uneventful, to say at least. chatting people, waiters serving snacks and drinks, elders already planning the future of would be kids of the couple, soon to be engaged guy whose emotion went back and forth from impatient to the dread that he is about to be slaughtered, and kids running around for no apparent reason.
Maybe its the reason the party is so . . .
"Its not dull." Liza scolded the boys and Sakshi took over, "you guys are just too much addicted to thrill. sometime you should appreciate the calm."
the IT head Shree and commando Chotu gave each other sulking look, "it would have been better if I finished that code i was working late last night." and yawned, to which he earned a admonished slap on his forearm.
"Are you doing gym or what?" he rubbed the arms, "so strong."
"You guys are so unromantic." the crime journo said, annoyed, then her voice went dreamy, "dont you guys plan for engagement party for you like this in the future? propose, party, then grand wedding, with the right person." she sighed happily.
"I wont throw this much boring party. I promise." the commando raised his hand as if he going to take an oath, and Shree snickered.
"Enjoying?" the snicker was cut short when Sameer and Rawte arrived, giving expression of irritation and somber.
"would not you like to know?" mumbled Chotu and Shree together, to which Sameer got back some good humor and snickered.
"You too eh?"
"it just grows on you." Chotu replied. beside them the girls looked confused while the second in command looked surprised, then gave a quick glance here and there.
"Where is your Director Aisha?" Sakshi asked cheekily, nudging Sameer.
"only 3 women are missing today, and she is one of them. she had to go out of city for work." then he glared at her, "she is not mine."
"not yet." she sing sang, and all of them chuckled while he scowled.
"Is ACP Mukherjee coming?" the forensic head asked, trying to be curious but hopeful.
"I gave her invitation, obviously." Sameer replied, "I dont know if she will come or not."
to the second in command's added surprise, almost everyone looked sadned by the news. when did she become so much popular among his team members when she hardly talk to anyone in a straight manner?
He pulled out of the thought rather harshly when the most irritating people of today, the distant aunt of the soon - to be bride along with his incompetent, good for nothing son joined the group, and started to assume who is with who. Sameer sighed, part in irritation and part in amusement to what will happen next. the aunt chastised Chotu that he will have trouble to find a bride according to his height, to which he sulked and glared, she eyed Liza and Shree and commented on nowadays kids and their inter religion marriages to which Shree choked on his cold drink. she then turned to Sakshi and Rawte, the former moved swiftly near him to give the the impression they are together. then the aunt sighed and started to praise his son and how no girl will be good enough for him, but she will compromise.
"Actually Aunty," Liza tried to cover up her glare as the older woman turned to her, "they are not to . . ."
at the same time there were collective gasps from the partners in crime, soft low whistle from Sameer as he let out his breath while Rawte's breath stopped, the glare he was giving Sakshi till now softening instantly as they noticed the arrival of the remaining team member in party.
And almost everyone was thinking the same thing, she look as good in Indian as in western. Dressed in blue lehenga with off white blouse and purple chunri, she looked a stunner, and everyone in party was thinking so as they stopped talking and eyed her appreciatively, then hushing among themselves to know who is it. the open hair which was in a side sweep, like last two times, flew softly as she made her way, her eyes lined with deep coal going over in party. she spotted the group and started walking toward her, frowning and tilting her head only when she noticed the lack of word from them. its like they were frozen.
What's with her and side sweeps?
Not that he was complaining, though.
"What?" she asked after a while, and comically everyone snapped out of it. they half opened and closed their mouth, stumbling on word and flushing with embarrassment for staring.
"Oh!" they all jumped when the (forgotten) aunt started talking again, voice a mixture of curiosity and harshness as she eyed her from top to bottom, and then glanced at Rawte, "she is the one."
Mukherjee eyed the lady with a mixture of annoyance, but not sure what she was talking about. Sakshi didnt look good with the comment.
"well, you are not that pretty." she went on in the same tone, and team looked shocked at the comment, "but I would have think about you for my son, if you were available."
"Excuse me?" Mukherjee uttered each syllable separately, teeth gritting, the inner demon just coming out, when someone called the woman from behind. she excused herself and dragged her son with her, who went behind her salivating over the former.
the ACP turned to her team after some moments who looked guilty, her voice low and threatening, "what the hell was that?"
the question didnt have the desired effect. the crime journo went off, rather stomping, to somewhere. Rawte rolled his eyes, the IT head and commando excused themselves and Sameer barely laughed.
"You look nice, ACP." Liza said appreciatively.
"Um. . . Thanks?" she replied, brushing it off but flushing a little. that was the first time anyone saw her looking out of her comfort zone. the former beamed.
"At least one of the 3 missing women showed up." Sameer quipped, smiling.
"Who are other two?" she asked.
"Director Kapoor and my cousin's friend's grandma."
they all made small talk, mostly Mukherjee stayed silent while the others went on about the preparations and who was who. it was only 5 minutes after arrival she said the most obvious thing.
"Its dull." ACP explained after they all looked at her, "the party."
"see?" Liza said to Sameer, who raised his hands in surrender.
"its because you are too used to adrenaline rush." Rawte commented dryly, to which she rolled her eyes.
"You sound like Sakshi." the forensic head replied, eyeing him suspiciously. Sameer also eyed him, while for some unknown reason Mukherjee's eyes lit up with humur.
"Not that word." he warned, to which she shrugged, again looking over to the party. the forensic head and senior officer gave each other looks, then shrugged. the four of them barely said something else, when two things happened simultaneously- Sameer's cousin, the soon to be fiance, joined the group with another person hot on his heels, and ACP Mukherjee went away as her phone rang, not the one for social etiquette or the way Rawte didnt look please with her lack of it. the men's focus went to the cousin and fiance, and suddenly the party didnt seem too dull as there was a new case.
"My grandma is missing." the man with cousin said in a hurry, palms rubbing in tension and eyes a mixture of dread and worry, "Please help us to find her."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"He is in town. Just arrived." ACP Mukherjee looked around her as she pressed the phone in her ear, "is that gujrati song playing behind you?"
"Then arrest him." she replied, brushing off his last sentence.
"I have men tailing him. We will track his movement for a while." He replied, bracing himself for a argument.
"That is NOT the reason we lured him here.'' her voice went quiet, barely above a whisper, not pleased with this development.
"By tailing him, we can get information about Iqbal's gang and other gangs in the business. this is a nice opportunity." he tried to make her see sense. she didnt say anything else, only her quick breathing audible in the phone. he sighed.
"We will catch him. I promise."
"Okay." she said quickly, and cut the call. she stood in the same position, motionless, the phone clutched tightly in between her finger for some seconds. suddenly she snapped out of it, quickly dialing a number.
"Johny is in town. I want you to pick him up the first chance you get."
the person on the other side said something, to which her eyes went cold and voice deadlier than ever.
"You owe me a favor. Don't make me remind that." before the other side can answer, she went on, "Police is tailing him as well, be careful." and w/o any warning, she cut the call. she barely snapped out of her cold eyes and deadly voice avatar when Liza appeared before her, summoning her as there was a case.
maybe the party is not going to be that much boring.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Seriously, Specky, you carry extra bluetooths in your pocket?" Sakshi asked, incredulous, as the IT head handed over extra wireless headsets to the team mates.
"Dont call me that." he warned, "and yes, I do. see how efficient that arrangement turned out."
"Enough of bickering." Rawte intervened and the team turned to look at him, "here are the things we know, kalki devi, the missing lady, was supposed to arrive in party alone in her personal car, but she didnt. none can reach her or the driver. servants in her home informed she indeed left for party 4 hours ago."
"Any kidnapping call?" Chotu asked, to which he shook head.
"None till now. it looks like the prime motive, we will keep an eye for any call. Shree?" he turned toward the IT head.
"I can do some arrangement so that any call he gets, I get the notification and recording of it. then i can try to see for location." he replied, pushing glass on nose.
"Vikas already sent his family members to see if they can found her car, but they could not. I informed local PS to search for the car." Sameer informed.
"If she is kidnapped," Mukherjee spoke for the first time, "the driver is dead then. maybe you should tell them to look for a body as well." her eyes on the former, who nodded once slowly, absorbing her words.
"Are we sure she didnt arrive in the party?" Liza asked.
"If she did, why none can reach her?" Chotu counter questioned.
"Maybe she left on her own? switched off her phone because she was too upset to talk to her family?" Sakshi chimed in, "what we know about her family anyway? family drama."
"She is not the finest lady in town." Sameer nodded, "I met her once, safe to say she has distinct relation with Hitler in the matter of discipline." the team mates snickered, "and orthodox mentality. believed in family above all, even at the cost of crushing personal wishes. not the easy person to live with, but her family member fear her. chances are minimal they are involved in it."
"They are suspect." ACP Mukherjee said dryly. nobody said anything after a while, and Rawte sighed.
"I agree." everyone looked surprised, "The family is a suspect. Is everyone of her family present?"
"Yes." Sameer confirmed.
"Then I think we should keep an eye on them for anything suspicious." he eyed everyone, "We cant confront them directly, it can threaten Kalki devi's life. mingle with them, try to know who has motive to kidnap her. when we have all evidence pointing at someone, we will take action. is that understood?" his eyes were basically on ACP Mukherjee. the team mates hummed, except for her, and when he tilted his head, as if asking her to challenge him, she rolled her eyes.
"Anything you say, Boss." her voice was dripping with sarcasm. he huffed in annoyance and turned to discuss next course of action with Sameer as Sakshi-Shree-Mukherjee-Liza and Chotu left the room the join back in party.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Its not the same like it looks, in case of this family."
ACP Mukherjee stood with IT head Shree in the corner of party, eyeing the people of Kalki devi's family. he frowned in response.
"I agree." Liza joined the two, eyes roaming everywhere as she spoke, "everyone in the family appear as if they are deeply disturbed by her disappearance, but everyone has motive to kidnap her. I am not sure if she is alive till now."
"They appear as a big happy family, but its a lie." ACP Mukherjee said in response to her, "Every brother is jealous of the other, the wives have problems with each other. all of them hates the matriarch of family who is forcing them to stay together when they are better off living alone. But the question is, who hates her most to take the drastic step?" she concluded.
"I am keeping an eye on Vikas's cell, no kidnapping call till now." Shree informed.
"Who will be benefited most by her death?" the ACP asked.
"Her property will be divided equally between her sons. no share for daughters, she didn't believe daughters should have any place in father's property after their marriage."
"Its one step ahead of orthodox mentality." Liza didnt look too happy with the information. she looked sideway as she heard voices in her ear, then looked at the duo, "Sakshi is with the elder DIL, wants me there."
"Enjoy investigation." Shree quipped, and she smirked as went away. the duo were interrupted as someone who know Rawte and his family recognised Shree and started to hurl questions at him, going only with the promise to return back. he turned to look at ACP Mukherjee, expression sheepish.
"ACP Rawte is my. . . " he was cut by her.
"Cousin. I realised that much."
"Now or earlier?" he could not suppress the curiosity. she gave a look, half indifferent, half amused.
"The LBD times." he suppressed a snicker at the reminder of that conversation, and cleared his throat to appear serious.
"How?"
she didnt answer instantly, her eyes lazily going over everyone on party for some moments. a waiter passed them and she picked two glasses, handing over one to him for which he had to put his phone in pocket. it took nearly several minutes for her to speak again.
"You are less intimidated by him."
"I am professional all the time!" he was surprised. she sighed.
"You and Chotu, you are always together, joking quietly, talking things which are not part of case. he compose himself when your cousin is around, you do too, but one can see you dont try enough."
he frowned adorably at the answer, and her expression soften as she tilted her head to him.
"You are professional. You work hard and never let your team down. that all matters."
that earned her a wide grin from him. the moment was short lived as the salivating guy, the son of the irritating aunt who assumed everyone's relationship status in the team and commented on it, joined the duo.
"Hello." there was a cheesy grin on his face and his eyes were shining, going over her too many times, "I dont think I introduced myself."
"Your Mother did." Shree mumbled, irritated, which the person ignored, all focus on ACP Mukherjee who held his gaze. he took it as a sign that she was interested in him as well.
"I am Sameer." the guy offered his hand, and she gave in slowly, eyebrows in hair.
"You are." she commented dryly, and suddenly there were three snickers in her ear. she had forgotten everyone is connected with everyone. the man held his smile, hoping for her name, but the name never came. he brushed it aside, suddenly looking here and there.
"Where is your husband? Leaving alone his beautiful wife, not a gentlemanly thing to do."
there were deadly silence in her ear, even Shree went still beside her, "My who?" If only this Sameer knew her, even for a minute, he could tell she was not pleased with the comment. as he is not, and also dumb, he didnt notice it.
"Your husband."
"I dont have any husband." she uttered each word separately, as if she wanted nothing more to drill it into his skin. the man looked confused.
"That Man . . . what was his name?" he looked at Shree for the name supply, and the IT head mumbled.
"Arjun Rawte."
ACP Mukherjee's head moved so fast that it might crack, and the look she gave, Shree for a moment cursed himself, even if there was no fault of his.
"Yes, Arjun Rawte. Are not you Mrs Rawte?" the man asked, just to confirm or piss her off, Shree could not tell.
"I am not." She again uttered each word separately, her toe tapping impatiently as if she is trying to channel her irritation into Earth. the man looked surprised again, then delighted.
"Good then." he said cheerfully, and again there was voices in her ear, huffing this time, "Actually my Mother thought you are. . . she liked you, you should know."
"Did she now?" she plastered a smile which looked deadly.
"For me." he emphasised, thinking she didnt get it, "said to me, you will be perfect for me."
"She didnt think anyone is good enough for you." Shree quipped from her side.
"Jerk." came Liza's reply, for some reason Sakshi was enjoying it while Chotu cursed something in marathi.
"Don't you want him on floor, Riya?" suddenly it was Sameer who joined her ear, not sure how much he heard as he and Rawte were out for some case related work.
"She said, you should believe me." the other Sameer replied, once again ignoring Shree.
"Oh yeah." ACP Mukherjee replied, from her tone it appeared she answered to ETF Sameer, and suddenly there were 5 chuckles from different voices, one relatively new.
"Team meeting." The new voice was of Rawte's, she distinctly realised as the other part of her brain was too busy to feel relief to get away from this jerk, "Excuse us." she walked hurriedly to a side, Shree running behind her to catch up, and the other Sameer cheerfully hoped to meet soon behind them.
"How I wish to do something with him." she mumbled to herself. though the words sounded something else, her tone made no mistake to let know what she was feeling.
"No, you can't." Rawte's smug voice came in her ear. she cursed in mind, muting the bluetooth as they were near the room where team meeting was being held.
"Next time."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The next time came some 3 hours later, when the other Sameer made the mistake to held ACP Mukherjee's elbow and dragged her into a dark, empty room. he quickly shut the door behind him, eyeing him predatorily.
if someone else was in her place, she would have panicked, turned on the bluetooth to let her team know. But this was ACP Riya Mukherjee, the person who was trained in various self defense tricks throughout her life, nicknamed her skills super ninja skills by her team mates and had Second in command Rawte on floor thrice. she wanted to see what was this about, her mind already making plans to teach him some lesson, she dont like people to touch her.
"I know who you are. You are a police officer." the man crossed his arms over chest, at least he can come straight in business.
"So?" she inquired.
"You and your team investigating something, right? and None know it? If you dont do exactly what I want you to do, I will blow your cover." he smirked, pleased with the speech and how his voice didnt shake.
to his utter shock, she started to laugh, the type of hysterical laughter which make you dizzy. she placed her palm on wall to hold herself, "what is this, a threat?"
the man was bewildered, "I am serious. I will blow your cover and you will never solve this case." he paused, ''someone can die because you didnt listen to me."
the smile was gone instantly, her icy stare was back, "Try it, and see the consequences."
the man didnt prepare for this, but hell, he can give a warning right? "As your wish." he turned to unlock the door, and his one foot was merely out of the door when there was a grip on his neck and he was being dragged inside, the door slammed shut in front of him. he found himself on his knee in less than a minute, the pressure on neck doing funny thing in his body, he could not even move his limbs. he was horrified, and found her on his level, meeting the dark brown eyes which was almost black now, glaring back.
"If I didnt know better, I would have thought you have to do something with this case." she gripped his neck tighter and bring his face closer, "You will keep your mouth shut, and keep your distance. Is that understood?"
he nodded meekly. his neck was released the next second.
"That will leave bruise." suddenly her eyes were not so much black anymore as she tilted her head in a side, "How it happened, the bruise?"
The man was not as dumb as he looked, after all, threatening a police officer take a little bit planning. he realised what she was talking about, "spider bite."
"Glad we settled it then." she gave a small smile. the man was on his feet and running out of room the next minute, stumbling. she got up from floor, fixed her hair and dress and came out of room after a minute, and came face to face with Rawte and Sakshi, who looked suspicious as he noticed the other Sameer running, and Sakshi mirroring his expression, even if the reason was different as her eyes went over ACP Mukherjee who was fixing her dress while coming out.
"We know who got her kidnapped." Rawte informed, and the trio started heading to a direction.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Are we sure?" Rawte talked to his bluetooth as he watched ACP Mukherjee trying to appear polite and interested to the elder women of kalki devi's family who babbled and laughed something.
"Positive. the smallest DIL was the last one to see Kalki devi, and one servant said she looked upset with her. even Kalki devi was not pleased with her." Shree paused, "Ok, Sameer sir and Chotu found the car near mansion some 1 km away, but it has complicated locking system, it wont open with external force. they can hear someone's voice inside, they think its her."
"We have to hurry, Arjun." Came Sakshi's urgent voice. He looked around wildly, trying to find the smallest DIL and for a wild moment wanted to pressurize the pregnant lady for truth. his eyes found her at last, and then he noticed one small car key hanging by her waist with many other keys.
"I think she has the key." he said to his team, and then noticed she along with many other women joining the already dancing circle. fearing he will lose her, he tried to talk to Riya, who was the only female member infront of him, to follow her, but cursed when he found her comm disconnected. he then signaled her from across the room to join the dance, which she did, trying to match the steps of others and giving fake smile.
the circle moved anti-clockwise as it danced, and when he got her near him, he took several step toward her, gripped her forearm and pulled her flush to him. the movement took both of them by surprise, maybe because suddenly she found herself too close to him w/o any warning and it was unsettling, and maybe because he noticed for the second time today how absolutely breathtaking she is looking. she stumbled because of the pulling and his grip was still on her elbow, holding her in place till she recovered, and his eyes fell on her maangteeka, how he didnt notice it before? though he missed it earlier, he was now certain this small piece of jewellery made her look more. . . feminine.
her quizzical glance snapped him out, and he pushed the voice in his head aside which said this is the first time he saw her eyes w/o any trace of anger or irritation, and she looked tender, "The smallest DIL, she got the keys. I need the keys. . . " he paused, for some reason breath catching in his throat, "Riya."
his voice was so soft and low that she never heard it, head already turned to see the woman. she gave a small pull with her elbow and he freed it, feeling like he was stuck in some kind of alien zone where everything around him was blacked out. he watched as she joined back the dancing circle, realising the moments which felt something like minutes were mere seconds. his eyes then fell on Liza and when he arrived? Chotu, both of their mouth open in shock at the scene between their boss and ACP Mukherjee.
the three of them looked on as the latter swiftly went near the smallest DIL w/o alarming her, and banged with her. as she apologized, she quickly took the small key from the key set and handed it over to the DIL, now coming toward Rawte. she thrashed the key in his palm and walked away w/o any second glance.
for some reason it was unpleasant for him.
Kalki devi was found inside her own car, which sameer and Chotu found. her smallest DIL did that to her, because she had stolen several lacs from her locker. the driver helped her with it because of the money she offered, and he put the car away from mansion in a jungle-y area thinking none can find her there. the family member didnt want police to do anything, and it was left to Kalki devi to decide the punishment for the near attempt on her life.
The ETF team watched as the engagement took place finally, everyone happy and clapping for the soon to be weded couple. they went ahead to congratulate the couple, only ACP Mukherjee left behind. when they looked around after finishing congratulations, she was nowhere to be found.
its not like she gave any warning of her arrival or departure ever.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Night was always the same for her, sitting against bed room door with a gun in hand, or just circling in her apartment till its dawn. Tonight she settled for sitting, already throwing her jewellery haphazardly everywhere, the dupatta lying on the floor several feets away from her.
She knew it was a bad idea to go to the party, but then, she is someone who never shied away from challenge. the minute Officer Rathore gave the card, it was a challenge for her, to see if she can make it or not. she did, arriving in party and stayed until the ceremony was over.
the last part hit her hard.
Its not like she dreamt of marriage family and kids since childhood, she was never 'normal' like that. it always something for future, which will happen eventually and no need to think. the extravagant was so not her style, too many people or a giant place. she thought it will happen, one day.
she never thought too much about it, but she knew with the right person, she can do it. maybe in a quiet ceremony, only two of them, but she would have done it, for the right person.
realising that it will never happen, like ever, nearly cut her heart in twice. partly because the right person was not there anymore, partly because she didnt know what she will do w/o him or the abstract future she thought she will have with him, but which has no existence right now. ETF is temporary, her personal reason iss temporary as well. what is next? she had no idea. she had wrapped her life so much into the personal motive that there was nothing else left for her to put her mind into. 3 years of obsession, roaming around in dangerous places, making contacts, saving low lives and earning favors, cutting herself from the world, running behind a cause which make no sense but which turned her life upside down. 3 years, and now, there was something. this something will end one day, and she had no idea what's next.
she closed her eyes, head leaning against the door. she could see the flashes instantly, so clear and real as if she can touch it.
Fingers intertwined, thumb tracing senseless pattern on back.
Voice near her ear, lips gently brushing her earlobe and the point where her shoulder and neck meets.
Mischievous eyes shining with affection.
Hooked fingers on her jeans, and then arms finding its way to her waist as she was pulled.
The last part kinda mixed with the tonight's, when her Boss pulled her toward him for that key.
her eyes flew open, suddenly an irritation creeping inside. why the last memory was ruined, she didnt want to think. she got up from floor and headed for washroom, picking up the dupatta only to throw it near the piles of laundry on her way.
that was the first time his thought came to her, unchecked.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++