Disguised Darling|✔

Episode 36

“People are here to meet you.” The announcement comes later and Mishti jumps up first, quickly getting in line behind the prison guard, her hands cuffed in front of her, yet a smile gracing her face. 

“Mishti!”

“Mishti Doi!”

Both the individuals say at the same time, and it is a pity that Mishti can’t shout in excitement like them, she might get her sentence extended. 

Though that doesn’t mean she won’t go rushing into the open arms.

“Why didn’t you guys come earlier?” she asks, pulling away, a pout gracing her lips, and both the individuals give her that same smile, sad yet fond. 

It took them a week to meet her again. Seven long days. 

“Sorry, sweetheart, I had been enquiring about what you had asked,” Aisha says, brushing the tress of her hair away from Mishti's face, something that her handcuffed hands don't let her do.

“And I bet you didn’t miss me too much.” Vivek rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly, making Mishti rolls her eyes. 

“When you’re in jail all alone,” Mishti can hear Raima correcting her in her head, saying how she isn’t alone. Mishti continues unaffected, “– you even miss your enemies, and you are my enemy turned friend, of course, I missed you.” She huffs, laughing as the duo does who have recently got engaged, well not officially because they are waiting for her to get out of the prison but the promise rings around their fingers are proof enough. Mishti can’t be happier for the two.

“How have you been, Mishti?” Aisha asks her, in that soft voice that makes Mishti reminisce those good ol’ days. She shrugs noncommittedly.

“It’s fine, I guess... Still alive.” She jokes but no one laughs.  She shakes her head.

“What happened to the search? Did you guys find anything?” Mishti asks thereafter and can’t help the way her heart sinks when Aisha just lets out a heavy sigh, shaking her head in resignation.

“We tried, Mishti. I hacked into their system: the agency’s, Mihir’s, Raghav’s, Ruhi’s …but I couldn’t find any trace of their whereabouts. The agency’s system have no inputs about them, most probably because they tried to clear out their name, while Raghav’s and Mihir’s have a really strong firewall. I’m unable to penetrate it. Those guys don’t want anyone to know where they are.” Aisha tells her remorsefully and Mishti just slumps down in the chair with a hopeless exhale, trying to control the way her lips quiver at yet another futile attempt.

It’s been so long; doesn’t her brother miss her?

“I have something to tell you though,” Vivek says, and in a low voice continues,

“About Samra –”

Just like that Mishti gets out of her melancholic daze, her gaze snapping to Vivek at his suggestion, her brows furrowing and face morphing into that of utter shock and melancholy at the same time.

“No.” she says, her hands clanking in the handcuffs. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“But Mishti, you need to –”

“No!” this time her voice comes out even more urgent, one that she instantly covers with the mask of indifference or at least she tries to. “Please, Aisha…”

They stop at that, looking at her with an empathetic gaze that she doesn’t want to be subjected to, but she knows they want her best.

“Alright, time’s up!” the prison guard says, bursting through the door with a thud, and Mishti has never been this glad for his interruption before.