Tea Dates

BitterBerry

@BitterBerry

Hi again 

I am just looking into my documents and finding stuffs I don't remember I ever wrote  So here is another one. I hoping to find more

Let me know how do you feel about it? 

Ps: Arjun has a past. Yes brutal past. Details of his past won't be mentioned here. Also, He never met Roshni. She wasn't his wife. I hope this suffice Arjun's characterization here. And I dont know what his past was either.  .  .

Tea Date

He sat across the table, relishing in the silence and looked around the room. It’s nearly empty. But he did save a seat for her. But will she come? Or will she join him? Why would she? There’s too many seats vacant and she doesn’t even like tea. 

He craned his neck as his back ached. The sore is getting worse. He should have listened to his chief. But will he ever stop? Ever stop taking uncalculated risks, stop bending the rules and for heavens sake care a little bit about the life he’s gifted? He wouldn’t? The life had been long ago snatched from him and all he sees about life is darkness. And suddenly he had started embracing it.

Where the hell is she, damn it? His eyes  travelled to the door again as his finger traced the rim of the cutting cup. A little warmth still remained. He gulped entirely from the glass in a single sip and placed the glass with a thud earning a glare from the canteen manager. He took out a note of ten rupee and tucked it under the glass and left the canteen. His eyes stopped right near the forensic lab and he thought about taking a peek.

Why wasn’t she there today? His instincts kicked in and he finally stood at the entrance of the laboratory. The automatic doors slides open as he stood there unsure if he should enter or not!

“The reports would be ready soon but Dr. Mukherjee is off to field today, so it will take some time.” A junior scientific assistant cared enough to inform him as soon as he saw the ACP Arjun Rawte standing at the door of the forensic lab of Emergency Task Force.

His phone buzzed and he picked it up. “Rawte, where are you? I have sent you the address. Just reach there ASAP.” And before he could answer, the call was cut.

One more death.

One more crime scene.

And one more filth to clean.

He sighed and hoped to see her at the crime scene at least. A smiled tugged at his lips as their first meeting flashed in his mind. He had never seen a woman as carefree as her. Well she’s kind of woman who’d literally be munching over a burger and discuss about decaying body parts as a matter of fact. And for her, it is. Meeting the chief forensic doctor of ETF five months ago had been a bliss for him in grey corner of his life.

Exactly five months ago, the ETF canteen was bubbling with crowd when he stopped by for a cutting. The ACP found a corner table all by himself and no one really dared to join him or interrupt him. Even though he’s the latest addition to the team, people aren’t really oblivious to his temperament. And for them, he’s a walking volcano. He is a man hard to put up with and people at ETF understood deftly.

That was his first case in ETF and he just settled himself at his table after the case was over, slowly enjoying his beverage when his eyes fell on a skimpy figure closely watching around or maybe searching something. Her eyes finally landed upon his table and he realised what held her gaze more than a few seconds. He was the only one with three seats vacant around him. And as he noticed, she made her way towards his table, well of course not breaking the eye contact. 

Her eyes surprised him. For the first time after so many years a woman’s  eyes held his gaze. People dont really make eye contact with him, mostly because of fear. And here she was staring at him with a expression that wouldn’t give away anything. And that surprised him.

“I gathered you don’t really are saving a seat for anyone?” she had said to him as she placed her black coffee on the table and pulled out a chair. She didn’t ask if he’d mind. She was upfront like that. And for a change he liked that about her.

“so you are the new one?” she had asked first as she held the mug to her lips, her eyes trained on his face. He sensed she’s observing something. 

“That’s what they call me? The new one?” he asked with a smirk.

“Not they! I did.” She said and took another sip from her coffee.

“What else they speak about me?”

“What else? I don’t really give into gossip but you kind of are giving our chief a pain in the ass.” He leaned back, observed her for a second and smiled. She was wearing a lotus green kurta, and pale loose pants. Even in such attire her dress adorned every curve of her body in a perfect shape. And he realised, he just checked her out.

“Are you done checking me out?” She asked suddenly holding his gaze when he held his glass of tea and took a sip.

“you are not that easily observable Miss...”

“Doctor... Dr. Mukherjee.”

“head of forensics division if I am not wrong?” he asked surprised. He had read her reports in the current case and he must praise her observations.

“so you were observing me? Anything that I should take a note of?”

“you give away too much when it comes to a dead body doctor.” And to reply, she just smiled, finished her coffee and waved him goodbye without any last words. And suddenly ACP Arjun Rawte knew that this wasn’t their last. 

They solved cases after cases and the doctor still was an enigma to him. His only relief was, she chose to sit in front of him with a mug of coffee and throw at the table nothing but her brutally honest temperaments about life. Lately he found himself enjoying that.

Their bond grew to a level now that he looked out for her. He cared enough to ask if she’s at least had her lunch yet or if she’s got home fine after fixing a flat tire. 

He realised he was concerned for her. And he kind of didn’t mind being that way. Her demeanour never offended him even though she’d be edgy most of the time. The most important thing about her was she pried into his past. But she just knew. She just knew what happened  back those years ago. She had stayed longer in this field and so had her connection and finding about his past wouldn’t be difficult for her. 

What surprised him was, the woman was never nosy in his matter even though she was clearly interested in whatever he told her.

With her it was never meaningless. Everything she ever said meant something, something deep and something incredible. 

Now when in reached the crime scene, He pressed the brakes of his motor bike and took in the view, he could already hear neat instructions being thrown out in an edgy voice. And there he noticed her, clad in a turquoise shirt and loose pants she looked ethereal. And suddenly the whole set up around unsettled him. The gory, the blood stained floor and two dead bodies lying next to each other. And all he could picture was, she doesn’t deserve here. Suddenly he wanted to pull her out from this world. But the reality hit him sooner than he could progress more with his wry thoughts.

She spared a glance at him and shouted at her team to look for clues. The calm exterior of her attire couldn’t quite hold the chaos that are running in her mind. And suddenly he was out of focus. Out of focus from everything Rathod told him. Or Shree informed him. He just kept looking at bubbling volcano spitting fire at the crime scene. It was the first time her assistants were petrified of her.

“Who missed a print over here?” she shouted again looking at a faint fingerprint around the body. The junior assistant hurried towards the body with a brush and a petri dish. She pointed her finger at the part he missed and casted a strong glare in his direction. The junior did as instructed and she left the body to talk with the chief. 

Rathod was kind of avoiding her, owing to the mood she was in. But what had happened to her all of a sudden? What did his miss? He noticed, the other members of the team who are so friendly with her, avoided bumping into her. Something terrible must have happened. He marched towards her fast and joined Rathod and Riya in the conversation. 

She spared one more look at his side which was more like a frown and informed Rathod about the body. “He died even before the cut was made on his chest!” “you mean to say, the one who tried to kill him didn’t know he was already dead.” Arjun said. She ignored his words and told Rathod that she’d make a full report sooner and started to leave. 

Arjun who noticed her foul mood went after her and pulled to a side. For the first ever time she made him so restless about her. He could see something was terribly wrong with her and she isn’t showing any sign to hide it. 

“I was waiting for you at the cafeteria.”  Arjun said when she finally looked at him. 

“Before that I had a dead body waiting for me ACP.” She said. And he had to take notice of the brash way she said this. She never calls him ACP. The only person who ever called him by his name in the entire ETF is her. And her reply hurt him. 

“What’s wrong with you Riya? Why are you so angry?”

“Nothing is wrong with me ACP Rawte. If you’d focus in the case, it would be helpful for both of us.” She said and started walking towards the exit asking her juniors to take the body for autopsy. 

Arjun sped after her and caught up with her. “Riya. . .” he called out, and when she didn’t listen he lost his temper too. So he grabbed her hand and took her towards his bike. The parking was empty and he knew there wouldn’t be eyes upon them. He thought maybe now she’d tell him what’s wrong. 

“You can’t walk away from like that Riya.” He said in a cold voice that equally matched hers.

“What do you want?” she asked in that sharp tone. 

“What do I want? I just want to know why you are so mad Riya? Why are you angry on everyone and why are you so rude to me.”

“You know people think the same about you too.” She commented and that felt like a slash on his face. He thought she understood but here she’s making her bits of commentary about him when the whole office thought to keep under hushed tones. 

“It never bothered you before. Why does it now?” he asked still confused.

“It has to stop one day.”

“What?” he was shocked to her reply now. He felt as if something between them is ending. Something that was never there and yet he felt. 

“For how long are you planning for us to have those cafeteria meets? I am tired of it.”

“what’s wrong with that? Did someone said something to you?”

“Yes. I am afraid I won’t be available anymore.”

“what do you mean?” his heart raced as if she’s making her farewells. 

“you still don’t understand?

 “Tell me clearly.”

“I am meeting a guy this weekend. My parents set us up.” Upon hearing that he was stunned to react. Probably he heard something wrong. 

“You are?” She sighed keeping her hands over her head in frustration. 

“I don’t want to Arjun. Give me a reason not to.” She screamed now her voice so vulnerable.

“I will take you there.” He said surprising her. Her expression now looked like she wanted to punch him in the face. 

“Arrghh! You are just impossible.” She said and once again turned to leave. 

“You cant leave just listening half. . .” she stopped for a moment but didn’t turn. “we will meet the guy and tell him that I am with you. And we are together.” He could only picture the expression on her face as she turned to him finally. Thousand emotions played on her face as angry tears started rolling down. He went to her side, pressed her to his chest so that she could cry and let herself loose after so long. But instead of leaning onto him, she wiped her tears with the back of her palm and started hitting him in the chest. He wasn’t expecting a few punches from her though. 

“When were you going to tell me?” she asked in that same tear and anger mixed voice.

“I am bit slow or say ignorant in such matters.” He said to her and she punched him again. “say something new Arjun.”

“Will you go out with me?” He said. He noticed her emotions finally falling back to normalcy as she pondered. “anywhere except the cafeteria.” She said. “Done.” He promised.

“What else will you tell to that guy?”

“I am going to tell him that, the woman he is thinking of marrying is a doctor who spends almost fifteen hours of her day with dead bodies. 

And then she takes out some time to have coffee with me.

I don’t want any distractions to that routine.

And yes, she’s mine.” He completed and she was almost in tears when he said that. “not the best things I’ve heard about me, but it will work I guess.” She said finally smiling at him. He was dying to see that smile on her face since the morning. He knew somewhere between their regular meetings, something between them was slowly changing. He was too late to recognize his own feelings. But when she said she will be meeting another guy, all hell broke loose. He had to realize he doesn’t just want to have her accompany him to tea but he wants her to accompany him in his life. He has long been trying to start afresh from the cage of his past and a certain Dr. Riya Mukherjee, just came into his life at the right time.

“What else will work Dr. Mukherjee?”

“You and me together? What do you think?”

“I think it would just work fine.” He said and made a face that said both of them are becoming very unusually cheesy. She laughed at the face he made and caressed his cheek before telling him, there won’t be any distractions to their routine meeting anymore. He smiled at her, the rarest of its kind, something only she had the chance to witness it first in ETF and now once again. He looked unbelievably happy and she forgot, she had to say no go her parents and they need to stop looking for guys for her because she already have her guy.