Chandrang (One Shots)

Alrihla (The journey)

"Kitna acha ho ke aap dono jaise jabaaz inspector, dono saath mein kaam kare", Commissioner Sahab announced. 

Chandramukhi was appalled. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with another higher ranked officer who would take over her Chowki- that she ran with her own sweat and blood. She should have seen it coming though, it's been a while since one of these morons had come by. At least this one was a bit easy on the eye. She saluted towards Commissioner Sahab and went her way.

Bajrang was thrilled to hear of his transfer to another Chowki. He had been stagnating in that run down office for way too long now. He was excited to work with new people, especially the inspector. The way she screamed at the goon, she proved herself to be powerful and passionate about her duty. The only problem remained was that she was a female. His Pandit Ji had strictly warned him against one of these. He wouldn't even shake hands with her, not that she seemed keen to do it.

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It has been six months already. Bajrang feels in routine with his office and he has already solved more cases in these past few months than he did in the two years in his old office. He had judged her correctly. She is so focused and solves cases masterfully. They really need more of her in this world. He shook her hand proudly after completing one more twisted case, He admires her a lot.

Chandramukhi has grown accustomed to Bajrang's chirpy good mornings. He was a breeze to work with and was the biggest helping hand in her work. She likes his company too, he cracks jokes very often and she finds herself laughing amidst her work hours significantly more than she used to. She appreciates him a lot.

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They were in a fancy restaurant, celebrating the completion of Bajrang's first year in the Chowki. She didn't question why no one else was there from their office. He was dressed in all black looking as charming as ever. The slow music and their favourite food added a lot to the atmosphere. She has a very tough image in her peers and colleagues, the fact that she feels so giddy and giggly around him makes her want to run away. But he always finds a way to stop her.

She was dressed in a red saree and adorned with the jewellery he gifted her on her birthday. He feels so lucky to be working with the prettiest and smartest person in the world. He thinks of the time they hugged for the first time. It was after she was kidnapped by a few gangsters. And while this is sadly normal in their job, he wasn't expecting him to entirely lose his mind when he first heard the news. He always holds on to her a bit tighter now, she cannot go away.

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He was pacing back and forth. It has already been years since he first stepped into this Chauki. He likes to be casual and friendly with everyone, so he accepts any criticism that comes his way even if it is his juniors. But what they said today has made him jittery. Is it that obvious that even they could tell he was in love with her? He has to visit his Pandit Ji very soon and ask for a way out.

She was frustrated. Though their interactions are often filled with flirtatious remarks from his side, she still does not want to assume. It has been goddamn years! She is too shy to approach him and he is too stern to ask her. Was she that insignificant? Her past love had done the same. Did she step on the wrong porch again? She may die single at this pace.

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She was about to give up when he arrived. She was stuck in a dangerous ambush while trying to save a few children and now she could not find the exit of the school. She will be found soon and she will have to surrender. She decided it was better to sacrifice herself by her own hands rather than being defeated by those undeserving spawns of Satan. She almost pulled the trigger but she saw him bolting towards her. She let herself fall on him, that's the closest they can ever get anyways.

He went ballistic. How dare she leave for the school without him? He knew he won't be able to stop her but at least he could help her in the endeavour? The moment he spotted her in that corner he understood the situation immediately. Adrenaline filled him as he ran towards her silently, he knows he can't leak their location by foolishly yelling at her to stop. He bent to her level as she fell limp on him.

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He saw it as a sign. The incident shook him to the core. He wanted to tell her about his feelings, so that if it ever happens again he would not end up regretting about being silent about his love. He'd much rather die than not be with her. His Pandit Ji's warnings didn't matter anymore. Even if they were true, he would, at the very least, die happy. He would peacefully accept it knowing he could spend at least a day with her where she was completely his.

She felt ecstatic. He was finally on one knee! It's been years since she has worked with him. She knows everything about his Pandit by now even though he never directly told her it was the reason he never was romantically with someone. She absolutely wants to be his wife, a hundred percent yes. But before that, she needs to fix his belief about that old wretched Pandit. A real Pandit would help the two to be together, he would be the medium through which they tied their spiritual knots. He was not meant to separate them.

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Bajrang felt stupid as he arrested the so-called Pandit. He was selling meth to fifteen years olds?! This was absolutely ridiculous and he felt so ashamed for holding off his marriage and confession for so long just because of the namesake Pandit.

She hugged him, showing her pride. She felt accomplished that he finally realised his naivety. She kissed his cheek as he hung his head low.

"Aapne uss Pandit ke dhamkane ke bawjood mujhse se pyaar kiya. Mere liye utna hi kafi hai", she simply said.

She felt overwhelmed by his love as she realised the depth of it. He was ready to even die just to be with her. She knew she didn't knock on the wrong door this time. 

-The end- 

Inspiration: I was inspired to write this after I watched a few older episodes and saw Bajrang struggling to shake hands with her. I thought how contrasting it was from the later episodes because we all know for a fact that he was very open with his hugs and occasional kisses to Chandramukhi. And I thought how this adds to their journey with each other. Obviously we never see them getting married but in my delusional world I can make it possible hehehe.

Note to self: The piece feels a bit bulky to read. I usually write these in one sitting or else I get too excited and think about completing my pieces until I actually do it. This leads to one unfortunate side effect that they sometimes come out to be difficult to read as I write while my thoughts are running. I shall try new ways to improve my writing but until then please focus on the meaning and not the structure!

Let me know about any typos, thanks for reading it <3

Love, earthy