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The compound was filled with chirps, giggles and occasional hearty cries of small kids who were pushing one another in their checked shirt and green colour pants.
He checked the smartwatch and it showed thirteen minutes past 13, so probably he had set his foot in around lunch break. when he has come this far he could not go back to his place before a glimpse of her, he has to solve the mystery behind her.
“she is married and you have no rights.” his conscience warned him but now was not the time of contemplations.
“Maybe she actually needs you.” his heart tried to make it easy.
On another side of the door, he was very well aware of her world and after the six long hours of the journey through a flight and Bus, he was certain to hear his heart even if it meant for him to shatter later.
“He was not going to create a scene or something, just a glimpse that’s all.” he reminded to himself and pressed the small button beside the main gate and waited for the guards.
“Yes Sir…” the guard in a uniform asked him as soon as the small gate opened.
“i wanted to meet someone, Miss Aditi…” gulping away a lump he found his voice back.
“which standard and section, Sir?” without waiting for his sentence to complete the guard asked.
“No, no… I wanted to meet a Teacher… Ridhima – the Dance teacher.” it sounded strange enough that he cringed at his own words.
“Oh, Ridhima Madam” he sounded excited as if he was very much familiar to the teacher… “you might need to wait in the visiting halls, I’ll inform her.” The guard told him and led the way to the visiting hall.
“its lunchtime, right?” he confirmed with the guard.
“yes Sir.” the guard affirmed and kept walking till a big room came in view surrounded by pink and yellow bougainvillaea climbers.
“wait here for a few minutes, I’ll go and inform her…” with that the guard turned to leave the room but stopped and asked suddenly. “what should I tell her who has come to visit her?” and all those years of a brave conscious suddenly mocked him, he didn’t know what to say.
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It was not every day that someone came to visit her so she was agape and ran a quick check about who could it be, not many have information about the address and this new locality she was currently residing.
Collecting the props they were working with she announced them to keep rehearsing the steps if she could not join them after the lunch break. With a slight nod, the kids of standard 8 kept themselves busy with the props and steps.
The walk to the common hall took a good seven minutes, she had it memorised; perk of living with army men all her life.
Still questioning herself about the visitor and the reason for this visit which could not happen at her home, she reached the hall and …
A tall man with Parted legs, straight posture, hairs almost a buzz cut was standing there with his eyes focused on something, she could not make out his face but she was sure her visitor was a military personnel.
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He heard the footsteps which had turned cautious as they approached him and this was it.
He turned to the entrance and he knew it was the same rhythm of his heartbeat that the heart maintained whenever she was around, how would he make his heart understand later if this meeting meant a first as well as the final meeting.
A simple long kurta paired with some dark trousers, hairs secured with a clip and most importantly some light on her face, unlike the previous times when her face and demeanour spoke something about darkness.
“YES !” it was a firm voice from her side; she was confused but tried to sound genuine.
“Hello,” knowing very well how much awkward it was going to be, he forced a smile.
“do we know each other ?” and her big eyes blinked, suggesting a possible recognition but when she didn’t say anything he replied. “No,”
“one minute.… is this something about Kabeer?” and her eyes glowed with hope.
“Sorry but could we talk somewhere else ?” he noticed the two ladies who were eyeing them sharply.
Following his eyesight, she understood his intention.
“Okay, but I have classes till 4 and …
“I’ll wait for you.|,” he offered in no time.“By the way, I am Vansh.”
“Riddhima…” she reciprocated the introductions. she was unsure about this man and the meeting, he could be anyone, he might harm her but then how did he reach her.
“ you also a major in the army ?” she asked suddenly and he looked up, possible not expecting one such query.
“No, I am a captain and look, there are a few things that we need to clear beforehand.” he wanted to clarify his intention and that he was not there on behalf of this Kabeer named person.
“I have enough of strange news recently, I think this one can wait if you don’t mind.” and she looked away, trying to calm down.
“Okay then.” he took the seat on one of the chairs when she left the hall and one quick glance at his watch suggested he needed to kill almost two and a half hours.
Sighing he sipped some water. “it didn’t go that bad… at least as much he expected.” and with that, he focussed on what she said.
“she was expecting information about a certain Kabeer, who he was.”
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“did he contact or send some message for me?” she asked as soon as they were inside the small cafe.
“let me clear something Riddhima… I don’t have information about this Guy…” he waited to see her reaction.
“then…what is it?” she stiffened on her seat.
“see, this might sound stupid but I came here for something else…and please don’t walk away.” he waited for some reaction and then continued.
“I won’t lie. So, back in Delhi, I saw you for the first time…” he braced himself for the coming moments.
“excuse me …what do you mean.” though she was not loud he could see her temper in her eyes.
“wait…I thought you were going through some rough patch but then I noticed the bruises and I felt…
“do you realise that you are not supposed to notice and then come here to tell me all those things…we don’t even know each other.” she was turning pale on his revelation.
“see, don’t panic, here is my ID,” he shuffled through his back pocket and extended the rectangular card.“I am not some criminal or roadside goon who has come to terrify or blackmail you. I don’t even know why I am here but …” again he was at a loss of words and lowered his head to the intricacy of handwoven table cloth of the cafe.
“Thank you very much for your concern but there is nothing to worry, I am a married woman and…She took a deep breath. “ I don’t think there is anything to discuss.”
“of course… thanks for your time, by the way, you are seeking information about some Kabeer … he was cut midway.
“Since we are still strangers I don’t think that matters to you.” and with that, she got ready to leave.
“if you ever need someone to seek help, this is my contact number…” With a hurricane-like speed, he scribbled his contact number on the tissue and kept in front of her.
“ don’t deny because somewhere I’ll have this assurance that you are fine.”He knew he was being impossible, this was not the way but just like all other times when instinct has shown him the right way he followed this strong instinct.
“take care Riddhima.” and before she could say anything he left from there.
She opened her arm and removed the sleeves to reveal the fading bruises, how could he notice those and when did he happen to see these, he mentioned something about Delhi then was he following her but he sounded genuine, but what about stalkers and rapists – they too act prince charming at times, she could not be wrong about him being in the military and if she was right she noticed a cut right under his left ear and with the looks, it was stitched.
Her mind was buffering with all those things when her phone ringed and she shuffled through her bag to answer it.
“oh, I forgot about the appointment, thanks for the reminder I am coming soon…” she replied as the realisation hit her and adjusting the clothes she stood to leave the cafe.
The tissue scribbled with his name and number stared her from the table and thinking for a moment she grabbed it and left to the school compound where her two-wheeler was parked.
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“Did he come to propose her? No.
“Did he expect to hear her story? No.
“Did he not know she was married? No.
“Did he believe in magic and all? No.
Then what did he actually expect from this visit ! he himself has no clue, he just wanted to see her and he did.
But somewhere there was a gap generating in his heart, all the anticipation about this meeting that has charged him in the last few days was now finally warring him down and he wanted to go away from the reality for a while, he would welcome a good sleep for a few hours.
“He will spend this evening in this city and then early morning would board the train to his home.” he went through the plans in his mind.
After paying the taxi driver he waited for the change and took out his phone to book a ticket for the next morning.
It was already ringing silently with a new incoming call, the number was a local number as the android services informed him.
Confusedly he took the call when came an alarming voice, “Mr Vansh, there is an accident near ….” his mind went in shock hearing the name of the school.
“The ambulance is on its way, can you make it otherwise we are taking her to the hospital, she is losing a lot of blood and we are afraid… if she was pregnant.” the lady on the other side told him in a breath.
“don’t disconnect please,- I am reaching in no time.” he pleaded.
“Ambulance is here, so we are taking her to the hospital it would be better if you reach there as well.” and with that, the line went blank.
His mind went numb for a moment just the same way as happened before any deadly combat and in the next second, he took the reigns and instructed the driver to drive to the hospital.
One more time he got ready for the chase…
Precap – “what accident, there had been no accident here,” the shopkeeper eyed him in confusion.
“Are you sure you were here all the time, there was an accident, a lady got hurt somewhere on this road…?” he was shocked but maintained his calm.
“Young man, I am here all day and accidents don’t vanish in thin air.” Old man confirmed bowing down to collect the supply he unloading in shelves.
He took a moment to collect himself and just then his phone pinged with a message.
“looks like there was no accident at all… welcome to War zone Tuscany, Captain.”
what on Earth was happening here and how someone had information about one of his secret missions.
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Thank you so much, guys, for all the love. I feel so bad for taking this much time to update but There has been a lot of work and I could not get time to type this part. I apologize for the delay but here it is the next part.
I hope you like it, I’ll be waiting for your response.
also, take care of your health.
With love Morusya.