After working at CID Jaipur for a year, Ruhana Rathod joins the Mumbai branch. On her first day at the office, she's introduced to her colleague she has to work with on an immediate mission — Vivaan Jain. Vivaan is fairly tall, fair with serious eyes, gelled back jet black hair. Dressed in a comfy tee and blazer paired with jeans, he hardly comes across as a cop.

Ruhana thinks it's for the better. It's perfect for undercover ops. She herself is dressed in a jumpsuit that's classy for her job and a formal blazer, yes. Now, aside from fashion, her current mission is simple. Enter La Dream Pub in Worli, catch a mafia drug dealing, arrest everyone possible. They just had a discussion. She and Vivaan will be in the forefront while Abhijeet and others will back them up. Everything is perfect except Vivaan.

He smiled at her cordially just now as their eyes met. It was brief. Now he's seriously looking at the ACP, ignoring her outstretched hand that's meant for a handshake. A handsome young cop the same age as Vivaan notices this and comes to Ruhana's side, introducing himself as Vineet.

"Don't mind. That's apna Vivaan. Ladkiyon se uthna gul milta nahi. Par dil ka nek hai."

Ruhana rolls her eyes and stares at Vivaan's back in disbelief. She doesn't mean to mutter aloud but says, "really? Itna zyada ki professional handshake bhi nahi dega?"

Vineet laughs. Ruhana looks at him. He holds out his hand for her to shake. "Vivaan is old-fashioned. Namaste bolega shayad. Par, yeah, I will take your handshake in his stead. It's nice to meet you, Ruhana."

Ruhana smiles at Vineet, touched that he paid attention to her name when she was introduced, unlike Vivaan. Perhaps Vivaan is all work and unbothered with other things type; he doesn't even want to know her name. Hey, but he needs to know her name for professional reasons, right?

"So..." Vineet clears his throat. "Handshake?"

Laughing, Ruhana looks away from Vivaan and shakes hands with Vineet. "Nice to meet you, Vineet. Let's do amazing work together."

Vineet nods with a bright smile. Just then, the ACP and others signal the mission is about to begin. Ruhana readies herself. Vineet catches her mumbling to herself, "I hope aaj sara din na jaaye isme..."

Curious, he asks, "Aaj kya hai? I know aaj Sunday par apne police mei Sunday ka koi matlab nahi..."

Again Ruhana is touched that he heard her and is curious.

"Aaj mera birthday hai." As Ruhana says this and smiles, two young cops nearby call her name and approach her. A few seniors too who didn't follow ACP into his cabin.

"Happy birthday, Ruhana."

The tall, slightly rugged yet handsome young man introduces himself as Dushyant Shergill and the curly haired woman with a bubbly smile next to him gives her name - Priyanka. Another suave yet serious guy introduces himself as Sachin. Ruhana acknowledges them all, returning their smiles.

"Thank you, Dushyant Priyanka, Sachin. And thank you, Vineet..."

"What a sad scenario, huh? Aaj tumhara birthday hai and tumhara pehla din CID Mumbai mein... Transfer ka bhi galat timing. Yeh mere saath bhi hua hai!" Dushyant says, causing Vineet to smile. Priyanka smacks his arm. "Tumhare sath kab hua, Dushyant? You've always been lucky! Tumhe jab bhi off ki zarurat padi maine aur Vineet ne tumhe cover kiya!"

To this, Vineet agrees. "Yes. Yes. That's correct."

Dushyant shrugs. "Arey, yaar... tum log chill karna nahi jante. I was just trying to cheer up Ruhana."

Ruhana says, "it's sweet."

"Huh really?" Priyanka rolls her eyes at Dushyant. "Agar main hoti toh... Well main Ruhana se bolungi ki let us solve this case and then celebrate your birthday!"

Priyanka looks at Ruhana with a bright smile. Vineet nods. "I agree. I think we should inform the others and throw her a welcome party, which is also her birthday party..."

"Well, guys, that's not needed, but thank you. Really tum log soche wahi bahut hai." Ruhana is touched that her new colleagues are so chill and welcoming. Everyone is caring. It wasn't the case in CID Jaipur. However, neither she nor the others have time to chitchat. Vivaan's voice rings, interrupting them—

"Chill karne ka time nahi hai, Dushyant. Ruhana, ACP sir decided you're with me, right? Let's get going."

Ruhana takes a deep breath and nods. Vivaan nods back and starts walking ahead. Well naam toh yaad rakha isne, Ruhana thinks as she follows Vivaan outside with Dushyant, Priyanka, Sachin and Vineet trailing her.

***

In the car, Ruhana is next to Vivaan, the both of them reading the case details in the files they are handed over before leaving their office. Vivaan doesn't even look at Ruhana or make small talk. But once their seniors park the vehicles a safe distance away from the pub and signal them to go, he looks at her.

"Ruhana, you will play my sister's part, okay? We'll go into the pub as brother and sister. It's our cover for this undercover op. Here's your Bluetooth earpiece."

Ruhana glares at Vivaan. "Excuse me? Brother sister milke pub jayenge sath mei? It's the worst cover story!"

Vivaan sighs but shrugs. "I don't care. This is how we are proceeding ahead."

"Rude! Vivaan, you're not the boss here! We are equals. Tumne car mein kyu nahi bataya yeh sab? We're going undercover in one minute, abhi bata rahe ho? We should take time to discuss this now or our cover will be blown."

"Naa... car mein hum case details padh rahe the na. ACP sir bhi kitne jaldi mei the! And well koi gadbadi nahi hogi... if you're a professional, sab thik hoga. Har bar plan karne ka time nahi hota."

Vivaan walks ahead of her and asks her to follow. Ruhana sighs. Aaj mera pehla din hai in CID Mumbai. Aur mujhe Vivaan jaise aadmi ke sath kaam karna pad raha. Vineet says he's nek-dil but mujhe ghamandi lagra... Aaj mera yaha pehla din nahi hota toh, I'd have asked to switch my partner. Professional huh? I will show you professionalism. I just wish I get the chance to get back at you, Vivaan. It's my b'day and I'm annoyed. Okay... Focus on the mission, Ruu...

Just as Ruhana calms herself, Vineet, Dushyant, Priyanka flash her a thumbs up. Sachin and Abhijeet nod at her. She smiles at them and joins Vivaan.

***

Inside the pub, Ruhana and Vivaan sit at a table. Even in the daylight, partygoers throng the pub. It's packed.

Ruhana and Vivaan recall the case they are here for. They want to catch this drug dealing taking place and prove that the place has links to the local mafia don Takane. A fortnight ago, a youth was killed in this pub for no reason. After autopsy, it was found he had a drug overdose. The pub denied any involvement from its side. Even the footage of the said guy drinking in the pub wasn't enough proof. The team then found out the pub was also backed by the mafia.

The mafia leader behind it may not be arrested immediately, but this will be a good beginning. They will get to stop the drug deals and the sale of drugged drinks going around this place. Catching the drug dealing culprits today will be the stepping stone of shutting this place. It's Vivaan's hope that they continue working further and land a blow on Takane.

Unbeknownst to him, Ruhana hopes the same. Despite their gap in communication, their ideals are the same. Will they ever be on the same page?

Ruhana takes a quick look around the spacious pub interior and then focuses on the menu at the table. The lounge next to the bar has tables and chairs. That's where she and Vivaan are. All around, soft beams of ambient lighting illuminate the chic, well-maintained premises. La Dream is such a high-class pub. Everyone here in the lounge are couples; Ruhana once again feels odd that Vivaan wants to say they are siblings. She's not offended, per se. It may not be the best cover story. What choice does she have? She doesn't want to say "girlfriend" and contradict him and blow their cover. Ugh, chill, Ruhana. Why are you still thinking of this? It's weird, yeah. But koi puchega tab na...

She looks at Vivaan. He's looking around subtly, arms crossed across his chest, quite the handsome picture bathed in the pub lights.

"Vivaan, aise baitho mat order karo." Ruhana points to the menu he hasn't even looked at.

Just then, a waiter approaches them.

"Ma'am, sir, your order. You really are the cute couple here, so we'll offer you 50% off."

Ruhana suppresses a chuckle. Agar hum cute hai toh pura free mei de dete... Wait! So we do look like a couple. Dumb Vivaan was making us look like siblings...

Vivaan catches the faint whisper of her and smiles, surprising her. Knowing he heard her, Ruhana looks away with a cough. The waiter looks at her and Vivaan expectantly.

"I mean, that's great, thank you, but—" Ruhana says, but Vivaan interrupts her.

"Hum bhai behen hain."

Ruhana cringes. Bolne ki kya zarurat thi? I'm not upset for anything but professional reasons. Well. Ugh.

The waiter frowns and eyes them weirdly. Then He smiles. "Okay. You're still cute, toh yeh discount valid hai. Order, please."

Vivaan and Ruhana chuckle in disbelief and then place their orders. Ruhana is slightly exasperated, left alone with Vivaan; the guy is calm. They wait pretending to be sipping their drinks and watching out for the scene to unfold.

"Ruhana, yaad hai na? Record when the bad guys show up, okay? They are confident lot... And galti se bhi drink nothing. Just put the glass in your bag and replace them with the ones you have got."

Ruhana nods. This part of the gig is easy. She came prepared, as per Dr Tarika's guidelines in the morning's introduction.

"I know... I know, Vivaan."

Ruhana clutches the glass and conceals it under her table, over her lap, behind her bag and empties the liquid in the small bottle. Then she switches the glasses.

Vivaan sighs. "Huh ladies have handbags toh only you could do that. Good job." He smiles without looking at her.

Ruhana doesn't know what to think. She looks at his face. He looks quite handsome and mysterious. She has the urge to know him better. This is odd. It never happened around any other guy in all her years. So she wonders if they share a deeper connection? It makes little sense. Not if she's the only one feeling this way.

She clears her throat. She has to focus on the task at hand.

"I don't know, Vivaan. Yeh sample lekar kya hoga. Agar un par shak kiya jaa raha hai toh I don't think they will still mix drugs in their drinks anymore and selling them."

"Yeah, but kya pata? Abhi tak hum sample bhi utha nahi paye. Woh Dr Tarika aur Salunkhe itne talented hai ki unhone yeh determine kiya — jis bande ki maut hui uske body mein drugs exactly uske drinks mein the."

Ruhana nods. Vivaan still looks around without looking at her, and pretending to be engrossed in the surroundings.

"Vivaan, you can look at me while you talk, you know? It is basic courtesy."

Vivaan looks at her, startled. No one ever told him that in such a nice way. Ladies especially. He'd be his brusque, raw self around them. They'd glare and ignore him. He'd be fine, as he never wanted to impress them, anyway. He just didn't need to bother to be nice. But this woman is only mildly upset. Of course, it's basic courtesy that skipped his mind. And she's his partner on this current mission. Even if he doesn't mingle with women, he shouldn't have given his colleague a cold shoulder. He feels suddenly ashamed of himself. Well, maybe he would still not have acted on those feelings if he had, but there's something about Ruhana that makes him acknowledge those feelings.

"I..." Just looking at Ruhana's face makes him feel apologetic. "I'm sorry. I should have asked them to switch partners. Lekin... Time nahi tha na. Ah, I should overcome this barrier... Main koshish karta hoon to be nice at work, but it never works. It's against my principles toh I can't seem to..."

"Konsa barrier..." Ruhana says, then remembers Vineet's words. Vivaan ladkiyon se gul milta nahi.

Really! Itna kya problem hai tumhen ladkiyon se...aisa na jane apna kaam dhang se kaise kar rahe. I heard ACP sir praising you at the meeting. Ruhana thinks. Shaking her head, she decides to focus on the case.

They are only waiting for something to happen and don't know whether it will happen. But well, she is curious about Vivaan now. What are his reasons? Yeah, she will find out about him later.

"So, who's this guy we are watching?" she whispers. "File mei na likha."

"We don't know. Anyone suspicious, I guess. Let's be in the lookout." Vivaan says, making sure no one's overheating them.

"Okay."

...

A while later, their target doesn't still enter the pub while a group of sleazy young men do. Ruhana is keenly aware that she's the young woman left. Most other couples have left. She's still with Vivaan

"Hello..." one guy greets her with a smile and trades a look at Vivaan. "The girl, your sister?"

Ruhana prepares to hear a yes from Vivaan. She's prepared to punch the guys and let them crawl their way back to the hellhole they came from but well gotta slow down here. What the hell is wrong today? She's mildly annoyed by a lot of reasons but holds back. She can't create a fuss. To her surprise, Vivaan answers the guys in a gruff voice.

"Get the hell away from my girlfriend!"

Ruhana's eyes go wide, but she remains seated. The guys seem to not want to pick a fight, which is good; it doesn't come in the way of the undercover operation. She feels glad when she is alone with a Vivaan again.

"Vivaan..." she asks once they are completely alone. "I thought we were playing brother and sister?" And I never thought you were capable of saying such macho, heroic lines...

Vivaan smiles a bit sheepishly. "Well, they could create a fuss and try to hit on you even then. So if I were to act like your boyfriend..."

He trails off, not completing the sentence, clearly embarrassed. Ruhana laughs at his expression. He was so confident when he shoved off those guys. It's funny he's sounding meek now. He seems to sense her thoughts —

He straightens up, all serious like from the morning meeting —

"I'm sorry. You might find me boring or weird. But this is how I am. I keep a strict business atmosphere. It's a pain, honestly. I don't like to work with women for a reason."

"And yet you're suddenly being polite. I mean, it's okay, Vivaan." Ruhana nods, though she doesn't fully understand why.

The rest of the operation goes smoothly. There's no flash arrest. She records what seem to be drug dealing proceedings with her spy cam in her finger ring. Vivaan had already installed recording devices under the tables, pretending to be drunk and crawling around the floor. It was a funny scenario, but they pulled it off.

Ruhana is thrilled to return to the footage, and audio collected on her phone to the team. Once it's done, the team jumps in to arrest the drug dealers, one of which also is the pub owner. A case is soon to be filed.

***

📚✍️WC: 2.5K 

TBC! (Excuse any typos or errors that skipped my notice. Will correct them later.)

🌈🩵💭Up next: Vineet tells Ruhana a secret why Vivaan is like who he is. The team throws her a party!✨😁💓

✨💛💭AN: This is for my dearest RuVineet 💓😁💕💋🤗 Happy Birthday dear! 🎉🎉😍😘Wish this year be the year fulfills all your dreams and aspirations and be a happy and peaceful, prosperous one!❣️💕💕💕 Lots of best wishes and hugs.♾️ This was just the beginning which is a bit rough but aagey bahut hai. I think it gets better towards the end. So I hope you liked this part and like the ones coming <3 xoxo💙💜🧡💕

Anyone who read, thanks for reading. Please vote and comment.🩵✨