Together Forever (indefinite hold)

Return of the Past (Part 23)

Riya - Arey Zara aapney toh raita hi nahi liya, Yeh lijiye

she said while passing the bowl to Zara

Zara - Ji shukriya

Zara reached out for the bowl when suddenly the house went dark, the bowl slipped out of her hand, breaking into pieces as soon as it collided with the floor.

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A soft gasp escapes Zara's throat. A little bit of raita spilling on her. 

Zara - Yeh kya hua?

Rathore- Lagta hai light chali gayi

Shree - Main check karke aata hoon.

As Shree got up from his seat the lights flickered back on 

Ayesha - Lo lights aagayi waapas 

Zara - Washroom kahan hai? Vo thoda sa raita gir gaya 

Riya - Come with me, I will show you. Sak...Saira please raita saaf kar do

Riya said quickly correcting herself, making sure no one noticed her little slip up. Sakshi nods and gets to work as Riya leads Zara to the washroom. 

Riya - Washroom.

Zara - Ruhina meri madad kardo na

Riya nods, taking the opportunity Riya says

Riya - Zara aap hume aapka dupatta de dijye, I will wash it. 

Zara takes out her dupatta and hands it to Riya while whispering a thank you. Riya takes the dupatta and holds it under the running water in the sink. Her eyes linger on Zara's neck where she spots the locket. Riya inhales a sharp breath at the sight of the locket. In an attempt to strike a conversation Riya compliments the locket. 

Riya - Arey Zara, that is a beautiful locket

Zara  looks down at her locket and smiles

Zara- Thanks, I had made it for myself years ago

Riya - Lekin why 's'?

Zara's smile widens 

Zara - I have two younger sisters, Razia and Salima. I have a ring engraved with an R for Razia and this locket for Salima. I love them both more than anything in the world!

Riya - Aww that is so sweet. Waise do you work?

Zara - I do, I was a nurse in the military for 7 years and then I left, Zahir ka transfer hogaya tha aur meri posting badalne se inkaar kar rahe the. I now work in a clinic near by. 

Riya - That is nice. 

Zara - Now, may I borrow a dupatta of yours till mine dries?

Riya - Of course

Riya pulls out a grey dupatta from her closet and hands it to Zara. Here you go. 

Zara - Shuqriya 

Zara starts walking back to the dining room as Riya locks the cupboard and starts walking behind her when she hears laughter from the hall and then a voice... the voice

Voice - Ha, ha, kyon nahi!

Riya's steps come to a halt, her breath stuck in her throat. No no no, this is not possible, not here, not now, not like this. Riya runs into the nearest room, her back leaning against the wall as tears threaten to flow from her eyes. She wanted to be wrong, she hoped she was wrong but.. but she can never be mistaken about his voice. 9 years! 9 long years and he is back. He is back here, right now

The voice kept ringing in her head. Her fingers curled around the edge of her clothing. Her breathing fast, shallow. She tugged onto the blue fabric. 9 years ago he had walked out, without any good byes, without a word he had just left, forsaking every relation that tied him. 

Voice - Bhabhi jaan! Aisa nahi hai!

The same voice pierced through her ears again. The voice had the same rough edge to it that it had 9 years ago. She still could not forget how he used to call out her name, how his eyes would look into hers, how he would always look out for her. Then one day it was just over. 

Riya pushed herself harder against the wall, she wanted it to open up and consume her. 

Rathore - Arey Ruhina kahan rahegayi?

Arjun - Main dekh ke aata hoon

No, no, no Arjun sir can't find her, not here not like this. Riya turns to run into the washroom when a hand grips hers. Before she knows it she is pulled towards Arjun. 

Her body crashes into his. Arjun had left the dining room with an intention to look for Riya in their room, while making his way there he had spotted her dupatta through the half open door. Muffled sobs reaching his ears occasionally. As he entered the room he saw Riya walking towards the washroom. Sensing something off with her he pulled her towards him. 

He had a feeling something was up, and whatever it was, it was not nice. His gut feeling has always been a leading force for him. He relies on it during cases and basically every time. This time he prayed it was wrong. He had a sick feeling in his stomach about something bad happening, and that is the last thing he wanted. 

Arjun - Mujh se bhaag kyu rahi thi? 

He asks, his voice crisp, stern, authoritative leaving no room for excuses. Riya knew she should step back from his embrace, she should attempt to convince him that nothing was wrong and she was not running away from him, but his embrace. His damn embrace was so caring, so loving, so protective, it made her feel safe, it made her feel comfortable. In this moment of weakness she just could not gather the courage to move away. So she did the next best thing 

Riya - Main bhaag nahi rahi thi 

She replied, she had meant for her voice to come out confident but it was meek, quivering and she knew there is no way he is going to leave now. 

Arjun - Don't lie to me Riya

and with that Riya gave up, she was hanging on the last thread of sanity. There was so much happening and all at the wrong time. She let the tears flow free as she broke into sobs still in his arms. 

Arjun - Shhh... Riya kya hua hai?

His voice was comforting, his hands gently stroking her hair, in smooth rhythmic motions as the other one tightened it's grip around her body. She hugged him tighter, breaking out into louder sobs.

Arjun was now getting scared, the last time he had seen Riya cry like this was when she had shot a man. This had to be worse, he was scared for her, a pit forming in his stomach gave him a sick feeling about the situation. He held onto her, like if he let go now she would never come back. He held onto her for his life...

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A lot of things to follow in the coming update! Gear up for some dramatic twists and turns,  till then I hope you enjoy the update. Happy reading!