LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16: Second chance

(Day when Tia’s postmortem reports arrive)

Mishti was carefully reading the postmortem report reading about the poison that was found in Tia’s body…. She had read about the poison and was surprised that how could a person like Tia being exposed to it…. The killer had carefully planned everything over a period of time…. He had not only chosen a day before her wedding to kill her but also a time when her body would be so weak that a knife stab and some blood loss would lead to her death….

She was busy reading the reports when Abir entered the room and she looked up…. The moment she saw him their last conversation flashed in front of her…. Anger and pain raised inside her as their eyes met…. Abir looked at her not knowing what to say…. He was very upset and angry with her but even he felt that his behavior with her was not right…. He shouldn’t have behaved so harshly with her…. Mishti looked down, controlled her anger and again looked at him….

Mishti: Do you have any work?

Abir: I wanted to talk to you.

Mishti: And guess what, I don’t want to talk to you.

She got up from her place and walked out…. He could not even dare to stop her…. He had hurt her too much…. He still loved her same and seeing her like this was killing him from inside…. Whatever may have been their past, he shouldn’t have behaved with her the way he did…. How could he hurt the person he loved so much…. He had full rights to be upset with her but no rights to manhandle her like that…. This was so not him…. Sighing and regretting his behavior he walked behind her searching for her….

*****

Ranveer was sitting in his cabin when a constable came and told him that someone had come to meet him…. He asked him to send the person inside…. Ranveer was reading the reports when he heard the tinkling of earrings and looked up…. His intense black eyes met her warm black ones…. He was in the trance for a moment when he heard her voice….

“Excuse me”

She said as she saw him lost somewhere…. Her voice brought him out of his trance and he looked at her surprised…. She stood there in front of him…. Her eyes were looking down, she bit her lower lip and was fidgeting with her the bracelet in her left hand…. He was amazed to see her getting nervous….

Ranveer: Take a sit Ms. Oberoi.

Priyanka looked at him and he signed her to sit…. She thought for a moment and then settled on the chair…. He could see that she wanted to say something but was not able to say it…. He stood up from his place and walked to her chair…. He took a glass of water from his table and forwarded it to her…. She looked at him hesitating…. He kept the glass back on the table and sat on the chair near her chair….

Ranveer: Is everything fine, I mean you came here to meet me. Does your family know that you are here?

Priyanka: My family doesn’t know that I am here, I lied to them that I am going to meet a friend.

Ranveer: So you lied to your family to meet me.

Priyanka: Veer…. Oh God, this acting as strangers is not at all easy

She hit him playfully on his shoulder while he chuckled seeing her condition…. She smiled seeing him and he smiled at her…. She kept her hand on his hands and he looked at her surprised…. She looked at him and he could sense something worrying her…. He cupped her face with one hand….

Ranveer: Prinku, what happened, I can clearly feel that something is bothering you.

Priyanka: Veer, I am worried for my family and you. I am afraid that this case may put you in the list of haters for my family. I love my family a lot but I also love you, I do not want to choose any one.

Ranveer: You don’t have to. I know that this case will create many rifts between your family and me but I promise I’ll never let anything affect us, I’ll always be there with you and together we will make everything fine. You know naa, I’ll never let my professional life affect our personal life.

Ranveer looked at her with a smile assuring her that he meant every word he said to her…. He held her hand firmly giving her the strength she needed during this time…. She gave him slight smile and he quickly pecked her left cheek and she looked at him shocked…. Her cheeks turned crimson red as she blushed….

Ranveer: That’s more like my girl.

He smiled and she smiled back…. They were looking at each other when Ranveer’s phone rang and he looked at the phone irritated for breaking his sweet moment…. He took the call and Priyanka waited for him to finish the call…. After the called ended Ranveer was about to take her hand in his hold but she took her hands back…. He looked at her making an angry face but she just smiled….

Priyanka: Veer, I came here to tell you something important. It is about Tia Di.

Ranveer: Tia? What about her?

Priyanka: I don’t know if it related to her murder or not, but I have seen her meeting a man secretly, mostly during night time. I even asked her about him once but she just left saying that I was misunderstanding.

Ranveer: When did all this happen?

Priyanka: A couple of times when she was at Oberoi Mansion and once I saw them near the hotel also.

Ranveer: Did you tell anyone else about this?

Priyanka: I tried talking to Shivaay Bhaiya once but he said that I must be mistaken. But I know I am not, I have seen it myself that too many times, I cannot be mistaken every time.

Ranveer: Don’t worry, I’ll definitely look into the matter. Just don’t tell anyone about this, I do not want anyone to know about anything till we find a clue that can lead us to the killer.

Priyanka: I know that is why I came to tell you. I know only you can do something.

Ranveer: I’ll look after the matter.

Priyanka: I should get going now, I don’t want people to doubt us especially with the ongoing case.

Ranveer: Take care of yourself.

Priyanka: I will but you also take care of yourself.

Priyanka got up from her place…. She quickly planted a kiss on his left cheek and smiled leaving him shocked…. He looked at her and she mouthed a bye and left the room….

Ranveer was thinking about Priyanka…. He had never thought that he would fall in love with her and moreover she would fall in love with her…. He always wondered what if he had not met her on that day almost a year ago…. Things would have been so different…. But he was extremely happy that he had found her…. It was raining heavily and she was standing near a bus stop with her broken car…. Ranveer was passing by when he saw her…. He recognized her immediately as Priyanka Singh Oberoi, the only daughter of the Oberois…. He offered her a lift, after much thinking and some hesitation she agreed…. None of them knew that this day was going to change everything in their lives…. After that they met on several occasions as Ranveer was transferred to the police station near her college…. They both did not know when they fell in love with each other…. Four months ago Priyanka finally confessed her feelings and he could not ask for anything else in life…. Having her felt like the greatest blessing….

Ranveer’s chain of thoughts was broken by a tap on his shoulder…. He looked up and saw Abir standing there…. Abir looked at him with a teasing smile and Ranveer looked at him confused…. Abir was searching for Mishti when he had seen Priyanka walking out of Ranveer’s cabin….

Ranveer: What happened, why are you looking at me like that?

Abir: I have been calling you since ten minutes but you seem to be lost in your own world, what were you thinking or should I say about whom were you thinking?

Ranveer: Shut up, I was just thinking about the case. You stop this habit of yours about creating unnecessary stories in your mind.

Abir: Okay, if you think so. By the way, I saw Priyanka Oberoi leaving from here, did she come to meet you?

Ranveer: Yes, she did, she is just worried about her family that is why she asked if we could do something about it. I just told her that I’ll think about it.

Ranveer said it in his regular tone showing that it didn’t bother him if she had come to meet him…. But Abir had known Ranveer for many years and he could easily understand that Ranveer was hiding something from him….

Abir: Why do I feel that you are hiding something from me?

Ranveer: Why would I hide anything from you, after all you are the only friend I have.

Ranveer felt bad while saying this as he was lying to his only friend…. Abir however felt assured thinking that Ranveer would never hide anything from him after all they were friends for so many years and trusted each other a lot….

Ranveer: So, you came here to talk about this or do you have any work to do?

Abir: Actually, I came here to talk about Mishti.

Ranveer looked at him surprised…. Not waiting for Ranveer to say anything Abir began telling him about their past, the hotel incident and in the end how harshly he behaved with her the previous day…. Ranveer looked at him shocked…. Abir never spoke like this to anyone…. Ranveer knew that he was the angry young man while Abir was always calm and composed….

Abir: Now, I do not understand what to do?

Ranveer: Abir, I think you should just talk to her and apologize. She might have been wrong but you also did not do the correct thing.

Abir: You are right, I should just apologize. Yes, that would be the right thing to do.

Abir was never a person to hold on to grudges but with Mishti, he could never let that anger go away…. She had hurt him a lot but it was also true that he loved her a lot and could never see her in pain…. Abir thought to talk to her, if not their love, he could at least give a second chance to their friendship….

*****

Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well. So, what are your thoughts on Priveer? And also on Mishbir? Who might be the man Tia was meeting, is it Dushyant or someone else? Is he the reason Tia was killed or did he kill Tia?
Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!