It pained him, the manner in which she spoke to him. So she was leaving. And she was taunting him. Great. But he suddenly felt vulnerable when she looked back at him her eyes showing she was upset. He shouldnt have screamed at her that day. It had been three whole days to that now.

"Anika!" He spoke wanting her to listen to him. She turned away, to leave. He held her hand. She din't bulge a bit. His words had pricked hard. He came closer to her slowly. He stood adjacent to her, facing her. While she looked in front."Anika!" He said softly.

"Please, look at me!" He saw her with pleading eyes.She din't turn, her vision blurred as her eyes grew moist. She freed her hand and walked away towards the exit.

"I din't mean it Anika!.." His voice trailed. He felt vulnerable. She was walking away from him, something he just couldn't take. He had perhaps taken her for granted, every single time she came to him to stand by him.

She stopped at the door and spared him a glance.

"..but your words matter to me! Damn it! " she wanted to scream it out.

But she silently left.

He sighed looking sideway, and then sprang into action following her trail.

He reached the living hall only to find Daadi there."Chali Gayi Wo". Daadi scanned his face, as he frowned sitting beside her.

" Billu, jo haath mein nahi hai usse paane ke liye,

Jo haath mein hai usse mat kho dena..!

Ye tujhse baithar koi aur nahi samaj sakta hai!"

Broken he looked at Daadi, getting the depth of what she spoke. He hugged her. " Main Maafi Magungaa Daadi, Galti meri thii main sudhaaroonga!" He stood up smiling at the older lady with tears in eyes he left behind her, asking her to have dinner, and promising that he would set everything alright.The older lady smiled as he left. She finally saw the Ishqbaaaz rise in him. The man who at one time wouldn't even consider his mistake, forget asking for forgiveness was willing to bow down and ask forgiveness for his mistake to the girl who now meant much more to him than anything. She deserved every bit of it.

She kept hitting the knife on the cutting board. She was angry. "Ek sorry nahi bol sakte Akdu Singh Oberoi." The vegetables lay scattered over the Kitchen counter in various weird shapes.She kept aside the knife. She was angry and wanted to remove it out.She had tried punching his photo to no effect. How she wished he was right before her and she would spoil his hair. She would, say all he didn't like. She would put lots of spice in his food. He made her feel so bad and yet a part of her only wanted to let it go. No Anika, you need to be angry and show him the Tadi.Taking the knife in hand once more she started chopping the remaining vegetables.Her eyes squeezed, once again the knife landed on the carrot.

"Watch out!" He spoke almost sliding to the counter.

"Haath mein lag jaayega, koi aise sabji kaat taa hai kya, wo bhi itni saari!?" He spoke glancing around.

She widened her eyes, and blinked to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "BilluJi!?" She blinked.

"Shivaay!" He corrected her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Aap yahan kya kar rahe hain? Aur Kaise aaye, andar...!?"

"Ahh.. The door!""How? It was locked!" She frowned.

"And I have the key!" He nodded reasoning her.

She glared at him, "But, yahan kyun? Aur gussa karna baccha Thaa kya?". She spoke sarcastically.

He pressed his lips, " ah. Nahi. Maafi maangne aaya hoon", he stepped closer.At once the knife flashed before him. "No Need!"

"Hey, careful!" He freaked out.

"You careful! Mr. Baagad Billa kyunki aap mera gussa nahi jaante samjhe aap!?" She inched the knife closer.

"Really!" He exclaimed rather amused, taking a step closer."Dikhao apna gussa.."She gulped as he came closer.

"I don't want to talk so hello hi bye." She stepped aside.

"But, I want to.!" He said holding her hand.

She flashed the knife towards his chin. "Leave." She commanded.

He smiled and his other hand went closer to the knife blade to hold it."Watch it...lag jaayegi..!" She said as soon as she saw his hand touch the blade.

Keeping the knife aside, she quickly pulled his hand towards her. "Lag gayi naa!" She quickly pulled him to the dinning table, and got out the first aid.

"This is all because of your tadi. Is it paining badly?" She asked concern dressing his hand. He din't answer, he simply looked at her. The concern, the care she showed for him despite his behavior with her. She still cared. She had always been there for him when he had no one and was still there despite everything.

"I m sorry." He whispered.

She slowly raised her gaze to meet his eyes. They looked at her delicately, she found herself drowning in them. They shone with guilt.

"I din't mean what I said...I was...just...frustrated and ..."

"That came out on me." She completed.

"I m sorry! " he said helplessly looking at the ground.

"Done." She said leaving his hand.

"Thank You!" He whispered his gaze pivoted on her eyes.She folded her hands leaning sideways on the dinning table.

"What did I say?"

"What?" He asked confused.

"Dosti mein..no...

" Sorry and Thank You!" He said once again taking the opportunity, smiling cheekily.She grinned back.

He extended his hand holding hers in his." I don't mean any of those..

" I know!" She nodded. This was it about him. He wasn't like what he was for the world for her. He was different.

"How?" A mere whisper of wonder escaped his lips, as his hold got tighter.

"I just know ...You.!" She said simply a second later wondering of it made sense. His lips curved up. The eyes remained locked.

His phone's beep brought them out of their trance. She looked sideways feeling his gaze analysing her. His phone rang. It was Khanna requesting him to come, the work was important. Frowning he answered a yes. His gaze was back on her. She was lost in thoughts of her own.

She was falling for him, he was becoming important to her. She din't want this. She was too lost to listen to his mumbling good bye.

He walked a few steps away, she finally looked up to see him leave. Quickly retracing his steps back to her, he flung his arms around her shoulder, hugging her. Taken aback by his sudden gesture and force, she pressed her palms against the table as he hugged her.

In her arms he felt his world at peace. She dint know how to react- she wanted to disappear and wanted to hug him back at the same time. It felt home- his arms felt home. Her hands moved in air confused as her brain. Before she could place her hand on his back, he broke apart, whispering a Thank you, he left, with a renewed energy to face whatever came his way. It was strange - she made him discover the strength he never thought existed in him.

She stood there just the way he had left her.

Tears rolling down her cheeks, clutching the end of her top she stumped on to the floor. An unknown pain gripped her heart. Was this what people called love? She wondered.

***

"Sir, yeh hi garh hai!"

"Are you sure inspector... " enquired Shivaay looking around the small middle class house. Suddenly his words kept silent and eyes remained fixed. He saw a familiar face. He took back a step in shock, almost losing his balance.

"Prinku!" A mere whisper escaped his lips, as he saw his sister sitting on a wheel chair in the small garden looking up at the night sky. A man approached her, he couldnt see the face properly. He extended a book towards her, she simply forced a smile extending her hand to take it. But he pulled it back, walking backwards, waving it in air. She struggled to get at it. The sight stabbed his heart. What had happened to her!

The man was waving the book in air, while she struggled desperately to get at it. He fisted his hand in anger, while his eyes shone swearing to kill that man who bothered to trouble her. She got up halfway trying to reach the man,her legs gave away and she was about to fall, when a pair of strong arms held hers, supporting her. She opened her eyes immediately, feeling a sense of familiarity. Soon tears moistened her eyes and a slow smile curved up on her face. She was immediately hugged protectively and she felt finally home. She sobbed on and on. While silent streams made way down his cheeks. The third who witnessed them looked on shocked.

"Bhaiya!" She gasped in between her sobs. He smiled at that. It felt like ages since he had been addressed by that word.

Shivaay's smile disappeared as the man came forward."Sir!"

"Dev!" Shivaay exclaimed in shock.

He helped Prinku back on the chair, and immediately held the man by his collar. "How dare you?"

"Bhaiya! No." Came a yelp.

Shivaay turned to Prinku who shook her head in a no, her eyes wide.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Shivaay turned to Dev.

"Helping me walk." Replied Prinku, instead of him.Shivaay once again shifted his gaze to her.

**

"Bhaiya, uss din.." Prinku spoke stressed, by a mere thought about that fateful day, her hand clutching her duppatta's end. Tears made way as she found herself unable to even explain to him what had happened.

"Shh.. Prinku pehlwaan roti nahi hai. And main hoon naa...I promise sab...theek...kardoonga" he stared at the wall behind, wondering whether he could ever do what he said. No. He couldn't. A raging pain grew in his heart. "I m sorry Prinku, I couldn't... I couldn't keep my promise, of always protecting you." He broke down holding her arms as he knelt in front of her. She simply held on to his hands and cried her heart out.

Dev turned away to look outside the window, as his own eyes welled with tears, at the sight. He had no one except his grand mother, he knew the pain of loss of a loved one, of a family.

Prinku narrated, how she had immediately rushed home on hearing the news of the blast leaving back a clueless Daadi at the temple. She was devastated to see her burnt house, with reporters , firemen ,ambulance all over the place. She had heard one of the man say that all the people inside the house had died in the blast. Shocked she started walking back to the temple when she had met with an accident.

Shivaay gasped. He had assumed her to be inside the house while she had assumed him to be inside the house.

"I had left minutes before the blast, I saw it with my own eyes...everything... burning...before my eyes, and I couldn't...I couldn't.. Do anything... Nothing!" He closed his eyes."Bhaiya..!"

He quickly wiped his tears. "Chal...apne ghar...! Daadi is waiting..!" She smiled,"Daadi...!"

"Yes. " he smiled.She tried getting up only to fall.

"Careful!" Whispered Dev as a natural reflex. Shivaay turned to him as he held Prinku.She looked disheartened.

"Oye Prinku Pehlwan...don't worry you will be fine soon." Spoke Shivaay reading her thoughts, placing a gentle kiss on her head.Shivaay thanked Dev and his grandmother for taking care of Prinku all the while, when she had none to call her own. Shivaay bent down to take the older lady's blessings and turned to Dev, when he saw him staring away at Prinku. He turned to Prinku to see her lost in his gaze. Their hands holding on even after Prinku had been settled in the car. He smiled gently, and cleared his throat. The two looked away.

"Thank you!" Prinku whispered to Dev.

"Thank you Ms. Khoyi khoyi!" He winked. She giggled at the name he had kept for her.

"Thank you Dev.And..I am...sorry...WO.."spoke shivaay.Dev-" Don't be sir. Main agar aapki jagah hota toh shaayad wahi karta. Take care."

***

Daadi's happiness knew no bounds when she saw Prinku enter with Shivaay. Though her smile faded slightly seeing her on the wheel chair but she smiled again, bending down to hug her.

The two women cried while Shivaay looked on, not letting the years appear in his eyes. Slowly,everything was settling into place. Though not all things could be made like they once were, but they knew how much the little meant.

"Okay...okay...an aap Dino kaa ho gaya toh quickly freshen up ...aaj dinner main banaunga...Alright Ladies...? Now quick."The two women giggled and the helping staff helped Prinku along with Daadi to her room.

Shivaay sat on the couch taking a breath of relief. He bit his lips as tears rolled down his cheeks. He vigorously wiped the tears only to find more streaming down. The worst part was they were tears of happiness and sadness. He rubbed it furiously, he couldn't fall weak now.

***

She dint know how long she had been sitting by the table on the floor. She couldn't let this happen. She dint want to break again, become vulnerable again. She wouldn't let her life be ruled by anyone. She quickly sat up and called Saumya.

"Hi Saumya. There is a change of plans..."

***

He pocketed out his phone. He had to tell Anika. He quickly made the call, thinking twice was just not an option. He frowned looking at the screen. She hadn't picked up. He called once again. No response again.Perhaps she is asleep, he thought. First thing in the morning he thought to himself, resuming to work on the dinner. And for a change there was cahtter-patter on the dinning table once again after months as the trio spoke occasionally laughed enjoying the dinner together. Daadi and Shivaay just wouldn't stop telling her about Anika, while she went on about Dev, and about Dev telling her about Anika his boss. A small smile danced on his lips at the mention of Anika, which wasnt unnoticed by anyone. He looked at the phone wondering whether he should try calling her again, it was too late to call her he decided, he would call her in the morning.

P.S

What do you all think?