CHAPTER 57: Promise of togetherness
(A week after Anika was attacked)
“You should have thought about all this earlier. Now I’ll definitely do something you cannot think about also”
“SHUT UP, what did you think, you’ll do whatever you like and I will keep quiet”
“I know each and everything that happens in your life Mishti. Years ago, you left, but I did not leave you”
The words kept replaying in her mind…. Mishti closed her eyes tightly trying to remove them from her thoughts but the more she tried the more she failed…. She was jerked out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder…. She opened her eyes to look up and was shocked seeing Abir…. He was looking at her with concern…. It did not take much time for him to understand that something was disturbing her….
Abir: Mishti….
Mishti: Abir, I am not feeling well. Please tell Sir that I am going home, I need rest.
Abir: Mishti….
Abir could not complete as Mishti walked away from there…. He was about to follow her when his phone rang informing him that they had the CCTV footages he had asked for…. Abir wanted to be with Mishti but the work was also important so he told the caller that he was coming in a while…. Abir thought to talk to her later in the night….
*****
“This is all the information about Ms. Malhotra, we could gather”
Abir said as he put down all the papers and files containing the information they had gathered about Pankhuri Malhotra…. Abir took a few papers in his hand and forwarded them to Ranveer…. Ranveer took the papers and read them and looked at Abir a few time while going through them….
Ranveer: These are….
Abir: Call records, Ms. Malhotra has been in contact with Tia over the past months.
Ranveer: This means they had some connection, and Pankhuri may have a reason for killing Tia.
Abir: Maybe, but there is something else also, that will help us a lot.
Ranveer: What is it?
Abir took out some other papers from the other file…. They were photographs taken from some CCTV footage…. Ranveer looked at the photos and he was surprised….
Ranveer: Ms. Malhotra was there that day in that hotel, where Tia was killed, and a day before the wedding.
Abir: Yes, I had a thought that she would definitely not go there revealing her presence, so I checked the nearby areas and when I was going through the CCTV footage of an ATM in that area, I got this.
Ranveer: But this is not enough to prove that she went to the hotel from here?
Abir: It is, after this I checked the hotel’s CCTV footage and got this.
Abir took some other photos and spread it on the desk…. Ranveer looked at the photos carefully…. Comparing the two photos and observing clearly he saw a lady in the same dress that Pankhuri wore was seen standing near the reception…. She had covered her face with scarf and shades so the face was not clear…. But comparing the two photos it could be said that they were the same person….
Ranveer: Ms. Malhotra parked her car near the ATM and then went by walking to the hotel.
Abir: Yes, and you know what she did not some back to take her car, instead some other man came and took back her car.
Ranveer: So, we have two things, first she was in contact with Tia over the months and second, she was in the hotel on the day of the murder.
Abir: Yes, but I don’t think if we show all this, the Malhotras will believe us; moreover, we don’t have any strong reason to explain why would Pankhuri kill Tia.
Ranveer: You are right. But the CCTV footage from the pharmacy also revealed that Pankhuri was there on the day the attacker was killed.
Abir: All these definitely make her the main suspect.
Ranveer: Yeah, we have some proofs but still I feel that there is something which we are missing.
Abir: Maybe but all these are enough to bring her for questioning.
Ranveer: Then let us pay her a visit. Inform Mr. Oberoi and Ms. Raichand also, I think even they would want to know this. It is time to visit the Malhotras.
Abir: Should I ask them to come to Malhotra Mansion?
Ranveer: Yes, tell them to come tomorrow morning. By the way, where is Mishti, I thought she would be with you?
Abir: She was but then I don’t know what happened to her suddenly, she said she wants to go home. And before I could ask her anything, she went.
Ranveer: Then you should meet her later.
Abir: Yeah, I’ll go to her house later.
Ranveer: Okay, now let us keep all this things safely. And Abir, don’t let anyone know about this, first we have to be sure before we inform others.
Abir nodded his head understanding the thought behind Ranveer’s words and started packing the papers together….
*****
Mishti was sitting in her living room thinking about all that had happened in her life over the past years…. How much life and changed and how much she had changed….
Tears were flowing from her eyes as she remembered those times….
Why did the past have a habit of repeating itself….
The same thing was happening in their life again…. The same person was trying to separate her Abir from her again…. The last time she had left Abir it had been bad…. He was hurt and broken…. But if it happened again it would be worse…. Abir would be shattered…. No…. She would die rather than seeing Abir shattered…. She had made the mistake of leaving him once…. She could not make it again…. No…. She would not leave Abir nor would she let anyone separate them again…. No matter what happened this time she was not going to make the same mistake again…. Earlier she had thought that leaving Abir was the only choice she had but not anymore…. Only after coming back in his life had she realized that Abir still loved her the same and what a grave mistake she had done years ago by walking out of his life…. She was so wrong to think that Abir would stop loving her…. However, now that she had realized the depth of his love, she was not going to hurt him nor was she going to let anyone else hurt him…. What had happened in the past had happened and there was nothing she could do to change it…. It was only their present and future that she would make better and keep secure…. Nothing and no one could take her Abir away from her….
Mishti’s chain of thoughts broke when the doorbell rang…. She was surprised thinking who had come at this time…. She wiped her tears and composed herself…. She walked towards the door and opened it…. Abir stood in front of her and she was surprised seeing him there….
The last time he had come here was four years ago when she had broken his last hope of coming together…. She had shifted to Mumbai thinking that Abir would forget her with time…. Little did she know that he would follow her wherever she went…. Seeing him in front of her new house made her realize the depth of his love…. Instead of holding his hand she pushed him out of her house asking him to stop behaving like a mad lover and move on in his life…. Abir who had come with a hope to get back with her was hurt hearing her harsh words and had left promising himself that he would never come back to her again…. He had made his mind that Mishti had never loved him….
Mishti: Abir, tum yaha? Kuch kaam that kya?
Abir: Kya main andar aa sakta hu?
Mishti welcomed him inside and closed the door…. Abir looked around the house…. It was the same it was four years ago…. He looked at one of the walls and was surprised seeing their photo on the wall…. It was photo from their final year when they had performed together at the college fest…. How simple life was then…. He smiled thinking about those days….
Mishti on seeing him understood what he must be thinking…. The tears that she was controlling till now started flowing again and she sat down on the floor leaning against the door…. Hearing the sound Abir turned around and was shocked seeing her state…. He felt immense pain in his heart and immediately sat beside her…. He cupped her face and made her look at him…. Her tears brought tears in his eyes too…. Without thinking anything Mishti hugged him tightly…. Abir covered her with his arms and pulled her closer to him…. Minutes passed but Mishti did not stop crying….
Mishti: Abir, I really love you, please don’t leave me…. I cannot live without you….
Abir: Mishti, I am not leaving you…. I am always there with you…. You know naa I love you a lot….
Mishti: Promise me Abir; please promise me, you will not leave me….
Abir: Promise Mishti…. I’ll never leave you…. Mujhse meri saansein alag ho sakti hai par meri Mishti nahi….
Mishti’s tears did not stop and Abir was getting worried…. He placed a kiss on her forehead and realized that her body was warm…. She pulled her out of the hug and placed his hand on her forehead…. He understood that Mishti had fever and now with the continuous crying it was becoming worse…. He picked her in his arms and took her to the bedroom…. He made her lie on the bed and turned to call the doctor but Mishti held his hand tightly…. Abir looked at her….
Mishti: Don’t go Abir…. Please mujhe mat chodo please don’t go….
Abir: Nahi Mishti, I am not going anywhere…. Main yehi hu tumhare pass….
Abir sat beside her and kissed her forehead…. He held her hand tightly while dialed the doctor’s number with his other hand…. After sometime doctor came and checked Mishti…. The doctor prescribed some medicines and asked Abir not to worry as the fever would go by morning…. Abir thanked the doctor…. Mishti was now sleeping so Abir quickly went and brought the medicines…. Once back, he made soup for her and fed her…. He also made her eat her medicines and made her sleep…. Due to the medicines Mishti soon slept…. All the time she did not say anything and only tightened her hold on Abir’s hand…. Abir was worried seeing her like this…. He sat near her caressed her hair….
Abir: I know kuch toh hua hai that has made you like this, but I promise Mishti, I’ll make sure that whatever it is, I’ll put it away from our life. I’ll make everything fine. I promise we will always be together.
Abir kept looking at her face…. Nothing was more important than her at that moment and their promise of togetherness…. Soon Abir also fell asleep….
*****
Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
Here is the next chapter of the story, do share your views, especially Mishbir fans, I hope you liked the Mishbir scenes.
All clues are leading the investigation to conclude that the Malhotras, specifically Pankhuri has a connection with Tia’s murder, but is Pankhuri the killer? Or are the Malhotras having more to their deeds?
Also, this is just the beginning of the Mishbir track, and you will get plenty of Mishbir, and their story in the coming chapters.
Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!