Naina stayed back with him for yet another night.... Just for the sake of reassurance..... To let him know that it isn't over...
Maybe just a dark phase of their lives that would pass..... But the truth was.
.... That she was too shaken up..... And scared.... Not that she feared thet whatever had happened might happen again....
But it was utterly painful to see the colour of guilt in his eyes.... When raj looked at her.....
How was she to console the girl inside her.... How was she too console him....
When she had no strength left.....

"naina.... Pls... Kuch kha lo.... Tum ne subah se kuch nai khaya.."

he came to her fidgeting with a bowl of soup... Still unsure how to behave around her..... Afraid that anything he might say or do would hurt her again....

"mujhe bhook nai hai.... Aap kha lijiye please...".. She was lost.... And flustered.... Would get conscious every time he came near her.....

He kept the bowl on table... Gave her a helpless look and went out....
It was the third time she was refusing for food.. ..... Tears escaped through his eyes.... He was the one responsible for the state she was currently in....
He could never forgive himself.....

She broke out of her reviere and looked at his plate... He hasn't eaten anything either.....

He wasn't even coming inside the room.... While she rested....

She came outside with heated food and saw him working with some papers.... And laptop....

As she sat beside him... He gave a sigh of relief....
She took papers from his hand and kept them aside...
His eyes brimmed looking at her... He could not bring himself to speak to her.... What could he possibly say to make it okay ...... How was he ever to repair the damage he had caused to her...
She hesitantly took a morsel and towards his mouth.... Her hands shivering......

"agar aap ne nai khaya to me bhi bhooki rahungi..."
Saying with fake anger.... Just to lighten up the atmosphere..... Just to pretend that everything thing was normal.....

His voice broke as he said.... "tum itni ziddi kyu ho..."

And they started to feed each other... And for a while they felt as if nothing has changed between them... As if
nothing had happened last night.....

After having the food they started to discuss the plan further....

Rajveer was reluctant to send her back to academy...... He was too scared by the idea of letting her close to abhimanyu again

But despite of his protests.... There was no way he could let her stay with him as it would be to risky....

As the night grew dark ...... Awkwardness returned.... He tucked her to bed.... And went out....

She didn't stop him either.... No matter how much she pretended to be normal..... She was not..... The  memories of that night were haunting her.... And her body would stiffen at the idea of letting anyone close.....

He sat out crying with all his might.... His sobs audible to her... Inside the room..... Both spent the night devoid of sleep..... Hoping that the night ends soon and so does the darkness that has crept in their relationship.....

Just then his phone rang.....
"haan choubey bol...."

Sir aapko location badalni padegi.... Lagta he in logo ko aapke location ki khabar lag gai he... Lala army head quarters ke chakkar kat raha tha.....ek search team bhi bhejne ke baare me kuch discussion chal rahi thi..... Aap jald se jald yaha se nikale...."

Rajveer was tired of this game of hide and seek.... And decided to take an action soon....
Although they now had enough proof about weapon scam.... The evidence required to put culprits behind bars was not sufficient.....
And to change the disguise and location at this point of time would be too time consuming.....
And there were no trails of col. Shaktichandra as well.....
Captn. Randhawa had managed to enter vindhyachal detention centre....but his progress on obtaining the documents was still unmonitored as it was very difficult to communicate with him..... While he was in a high security army rehab....

Only way to let the truth out was to make lala gehlot confess.....

And rajveer had decided to no more hide in shadows.... And to take the bull by its horns....

He reluctantly woke naina up from her sleep in middle of the night
She was rubbing her eyes in confusion...
"sir... Kya hua... Aap aise aadhi raat ko....."

"naina... I have to drop u back to the academy..... Right now....its not safe in here anymore.... My location is likely to be traced in a few hrs.... And before that i want you to be back in academy......"

"sir... Par aap... Aap jaenge kaha...."

"i've spent my entire career in intelligence naina... They will never be able to track my location....
Filhaal hame tumhe wapas academy chodne ka intezaam karna hoga...."

She nodded and got ready to leave....
He silently drove her.... Near ambala.... At the same house where they had shared some beautiful imtimate moments....

" sir hum yaha.... Aapne to kaha tha k hum academy jaane wale he.... "

She was surprised to look around and find choubey and all the cadets.... Already in the house....

They were surrounded with questioning gazes of their friends....
Aalekh tried to settle every one down....

They all had received messages from choubey to gather here....
"wese.... Man na padega sir ko.... Kya romantic jagah pe bulaya he plan discuss karne...."
Huda couldn't help but comment at ud's remark....

"oye udiye .. Romance karne ke loye na pehle janani ki jaroorat hoti he.... Tu ne to abhi tak koi jhanda gada nai.... Tu ke karega romantic jagah pe...."

Oye miss call... Tune b koi bade kaam nai kiye....

"Rehende punjaban... Tujhe to ussolo ke paath padne ko mil rahe he na.... Khush reh...."

"Aap log chup rahenge... Aur sir ko kuch bolne denge..... "

Rajveer came  out of trance... He got carried away looking at each one of them after such a long time... He was enjoying their bantering..... Just like old times.... They were all still the same...carefree.... He couldn't get himself to believe that they would be passing out to be soldiers.... Just in two months.... How he wished he could be around them to witness them becoming officers......

They all stopped their bantering....as they saw rajveer and naina....

Everyone came and hugged captain rajveer almost as a reflex.... And started bombarding him with multiple questions....

After having elaborated everything.... Rajveer tried to avoid questioning gazes... Of his cadets ..

He was no longer the person he would want them to look up to.... He wasn't the person he would want them to revere...
Naina was unusually quite and aalekh caught a glimpse of them... And understood that something had happened.....
Rajveer was constantly looking at her from time to time.... And she was trying to conceal herself with the shawl... Properly.... Trying to hide all the scars... And avoid all questions....

While rajveer was eaten up by guilt  ...

He knew naina would never admit to anyone about what had happened between them......
She would silently gulp everything down..... And suffer alone.... And this thought disturbed him to the core....

Everyone noticed the intimate way rajveer was holding naina.... But neither of them questioned anything....

Only aalekh.... Noticed how she was tensed.... Fidgeting a little....

what happened between them was their matter.... All of them somehow had an idea about the intimacy they shared..but they also knew that both of them deserved each other's love and intimacy.. And that they were no one to question the nature of their relationship...

.. And all of them by now were matured enough not to judge them on basis of their personal choices....
"phoolan... Itna subkuch chal raha tha academy me... Aur kisine hame bataya tak nai..."

"huda... Tum log badi musibat me phas jaate... U and alekh were the ones who were most likely to be doubted if we had got exposed....

" missed call... Tu chori chori sharukh se sms karti rahi na.... "
Pooja added mischievously just to lighten up the atmosphere....

Naina looked at her and then at rajveer and smiled a little.. Rajveer felt a relief to see her smiling after such a long time...

Rajveer and naina exchanged a known look.... Of relief... Just reassuring each other...

If only..... Everything was not so twisted... And bitter.....

After discussing the plan.... All of them retired to sleep and were supposed to leave for academy the following day...

Aalekh stayed back to talk to rajveer... Who was checking databases... Ud had hacked.... After naina had bugged abhimanyu's room on new year's night.....

"great job ud.... Ye sab data tumne akele hack kiya..."
They were supposed to leak allthis data to the media after recieving a green signal from rajveer....

"no sir... Ye aalekh baba he na....iski help li... Naina ne to room bug kar diya tha... After that we found out.....the actual location of this data... And then we did the work...."

Ud went off to sleep.... As aalekh sat beside rajveer... His gaze making him uncomfortable....
" boleto sir.. Kuch hua he kya naina ke qur apke beech"

Rajveer was ashamed and scared... How was he to confess to a brother about what he did with his sister....
"nai to.... Woh jo hua.... Wo... Mene jaan bujh kar... Nai... Sab meri galti he... Sab meri wajah se..."

He was about to confess.... As alekh stopped him...
"Sir jo b he... Aage aap kuch bhi karo please... Naina ko dubara hurt mat karna.... Aapko paaglo ki tarah pyaar karti he wo..." he was well aware that few things better be in between the two of them....

Rajveer's heart ached.... As he said that... How was he supposed to tell him that he has robbed his sister of her self respect.....
How was he to live with the burden....

" aalekh..mujhe lala ki asliyat samne laane ke liye... Kuch ese kadam uthane padne wale he... Pata ni... Iss mission ke khatam. Hone tak shayad me tumhare beech na rahu...
Par meri absence me naina ka khayal rakhna.... Please...." He confessed as his eyes got watery...

He was preparing to leave in the midnight....he went to the room i  which naina and pooja were staying the night.... Naina was asleep.... As rajveer indicated pooja to go out.... And locked the door...
He woke naina... And informed her that he was leaving....
Still not looking her in the eye....

She caught his sleeve hesitantly  and this made him look at her only to witness that the trust and love that she had for him hasn't changed.... No matter how scarred their love was... It was still there...
She was pleading him with her eyes to come back to her safe and sound...
As he was the only one who could heal her....
He was too scared to leave her... But yet had to go to put this all to an ebd once and for all... To set atleast one thing alright for her.. Perhaps.. Then he would be able to feel little less undeserving of her love...
Perhaps then every thing would become a little less complicated.....

He was still hesitant to touch her... While she leaned on his chest.... With a little uncertainty....and his heart started thumping....

"will you ever be able to forgive me for what i have done to you...?"
He questioned with a lot of desperation.... And pain....
"i already have.... Just come back to me.... Safe and sound.... Please...."
She said her voice choking....

He looked at her.... Touched gently at the scar on her lips... And she parted her lips... Hesitantly inviting him to come closer...
He leaned forward and his lips touched her only with the slightest pressure....
She took his hand... And guided him towards the bed... Still trembling...
"naina... I.... Please don't do this..."

She kept her fingers on his lips... And silenced him...
He came near.... His fingers trembled as he undressed her.. And  applied medicine... And kissed the scars on her body....
Tears dripping from both their eyes..... Unsure what to say and do... Completely naked and vulnerable...
She drifted in a slumber..... In his arms.... But he couldn't sleep.....