Disguised Darling|✓

Episode 41

A week has passed, it’s the meeting day and everyone is out meeting their relatives. 

Mishti isn’t particularly sad because she has been fortunate enough to be able to meet her friends through legal methods, and her brother, well, through not so legal procedures. Also, the latter is busy looking for Tara, as he had promised her in their last meeting with an underlying emotion in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher. But that's ok, she trusts her brother completely and so isn’t too wistful regarding him not being able to meet her.

Though for some reason her body denies taking part in her contentment, feeling restless, hands sweating and temple refusing to forego the tensed lines. 

Maybe it is because of being cooped up in a cell for most part of the day or thinking about the things that she shouldn’t be thinking about like her undeserved punishment, the thought if she will ever be able to get out of this place or not and…. Samrat. 

Samrat Agnihotri who has once again stepped in her life, shifting its centre with the worry in his words and desperation in his eyes. One moment and he has dissembled her all over again, lain down her inhibitions and entered her mind. 

She fears him entering her heart.

“Mishti….”

“Mishti!”

“Huh?” Mishti is let out of her reverie when Raima calls her name.

“Yeah?” she asks, hands still fidgeting.

Her friend gives her a small smile, extending a bottle of water towards her. “Here, have some water. You look like you’ll pass out any moment.” 

Mishti looks at the bottle and then at Raima, giving her a grateful smile. “That’s nice of you.” She says as she drinks the water.

“When did you come back though? Didn’t you go to meet your people?” Mishti asks while Raima chuckles, but the laugh has a certain undertone to it. 

“I will. Soon.” She says and Mishti nods.

A calmness overcomes her senses as soon as she drinks the water, letting out a relieved sigh. It feels as if everything will be all right, her brother will come to her any moment now, she’ll meet her friends, and her heart and mind wouldn’t be battling with each other in respect to Samrat. 

Mishti smiles, closing her eyes. “Thanks for the water….” She slurs, letting out another content sigh though when she doesn’t get a reply, in turn, Mishti squints her eyes open. 

“Raima?” she calls out, but the girl is nowhere in sight, instead there are a pair of legs in front of her, standing upright clad in khaki brown, a man wearing what seems like the police uniform.

Police uniform….

“Bhai!” Mishti gasps excited, looking up towards the person who was supposed to be her brother. 

He isn’t. 

Mishti pouts. “You aren’t bhai!” she complains and the man standing in front of her gives her a malicious smile. 

“Of course, not. Your bhai won’t do what I’m going to do with you.” The man says crouching in front of her in one swift moment, getting a hold of her face, pinching her cheeks together. 

The action comes as a thunderclap bringing Mishti to her senses whose eyes immediately widen as she takes in the face of a constable so close to hers, pushing him away.

Her movements come out sloppy.

“Y-You! What are you doing here? How did you get inside?” she asks looking around frantically. “Raima, where is she? Raima!”