Adiya OS Series

OS: Trust is a 5 Letter Word

WARNING: this story contains references to sexual assault. Please read carefully, and avoid if you feel it may trigger anxiety.

"Inspector! Arrest kar lijiye iss aadmi ko. Isne mujhe sexually assault karne ki koshish ki hai."

The entire staff of ZoSh stood frozen in their places. It was as if someone had pressed 'pause'. No wait. It was as if someone had pressed 'Freeze', because they could hear everything, comprehend every action but not move. They saw 3 policemen walk in with a girl; they saw them going to the desk that Adi was standing at, where he had been talking to Mithilesh Ji just 2 minutes ago. They saw them get the handcuffs out and put them on Adi's wrist. But they couldn't move. More than the police handcuffing Adi (God knows they've seen that a couple of times already), it was the accusation that stunned them. Sexual Assault?! Aditya Hooda? No. it couldn't be. But would a girl lie about that? It was so serious! The conflict had enveloped all of their minds, unable to decide what to do, what to say, they all stood their frozen. Watched as the police dragged Adi towards the exit, and as Adi repeatedly tried to deny the accusation.

Adi was shocked, would be an understatement. He was flabbergasted. He was not a saint, agreed. He had broken the law quite a few times too, drinking and driving, barging into the Arora household, causing a ruckus, and not to mention the biggest- running away while being accused of murder! But never had he ever as much as LOOKED at a woman with any ill-intentions. And he was being arrested on the charges of attempted sexual assault! What was happening!? How would he prove himself innocent of this!? What would his family think? What would Zoya think? He came from a family of lawyers. He knew how serious such cases were, and if in case he did not have a strong alibi to prove his innocence, he might even be convicted. All of these thoughts as well as the primary defence of trying to talk to the policemen, to make them listen was numbing Adi, making him unable to comprehend what to do. The only thing going on in his mind was that he wanted to be out of this mess. He was desperate.

Just then, Zoya came out of her cabin. She had been working through the details of some project that they were working on, when the commotion outside attracted her attention. Looking at the scene unfolding in front of her, she first stood shocked for a second, trying to absorb everything in, and then, coming to her senses, she walked towards the policemen and Aditya.

Zoya: rukiye! Suniye! Ye kya ho raha hai?!

Aditya: Zoya! Zoya, ye log mujhe arrest kar rahe hain. Inse kaho na ke maine kuch nahi kiya.

Zoya reached Aditya and looked at him. She looked towards the inspector and then at the girl who now stood silently in one corner, a hint of a smirk playing at her face. She felt as though she had seen this girl somewhere. There was a familiarity about her that Zoya couldn't place. But that was not the priority at this moment.

Zoya: Inspector, aap Aditya ko arrest kyun kar rahe hain. kya allegations hain?

Inspector: Sexual Assault ka case hai madam. Iss ladki ne inke khilaaf complaint ki hai ke inhone uss par sexual assault attempt kiya. FIR darj ho chuka hai, inhe custody mein to humein lena hi padega.

Zoya looked at Aditya with a shocked expression. It was unbelievable. ADITYA could do something like that was unimaginable.

Aditya: Nahi, Zoya nahi! Maine aisa kuch nahi kiya hai. Please believe me. Tum jaanti ho mujhe. Main manta hoon main sabse acha, by the rule book type ka insaan nahi hoon, lekin sexual assault? Main aisa kabhi nahi kar sakta Zoya, please mera yakeen karo.

Zoya looked from Aditya to the girl, silently standing in the corner now, her hands swiping her cheeks as if trying to wipe tears from her eyes. Zoya couldn't put her finger on it. Sexual Assault allegations was a major thing. No girl would lie about it. So why did this whole situation feel so off? Seeing Zoya stand silently, the inspector motioned for his constables to carry on walking outside. Aditya looked at Zoya with a sadness etched on his face. He didn't know why, but he had expected her to say something, to believe him, to save him. The constables pulled on the handcuff to get Adi moving, but his eyes were transfixed on Zoya, who was now walking towards the girl with a sympathetic expression on her face. Zoya wrapped her arm around the back of the girl, giving her moral support. She turned to look at Aditya with steely, hard eyes, and for some reason, that is what hit Aditya the most. Not the shock at being accused of sexual assault, not being arrested, but Zoya looking at Aditya with cold eyes. THAT hit him. He stopped fidgeting, and resisting, as if giving in; as if there was nothing to resist for, nothing to fight for.