-• the storm disguised as a wind •-

Yuvraaj Singh Chauhan

To be very honest, I'm shaken from inside. In my thirty eight years of existence, this was the second life threatening attack on me, and it was the first time I was actually scared of dying. When Sara pushed me away and covered me with her body, I was so internally grateful I wanted to thank the lady and embrace her tightly with all my might. I also wanted to shout and scream at her because her reaction terrified me to the core. But I also felt cared for and protected because her instinct was me, my safety. I've never been someone's priority, I've never had someone think of me first and about themselves later. It's the way she fought to keep me alive that made me think, I'm after all, not that easily discarded.

I haven't felt this yearning to live in three long decades. It's not fair how I'm feeling it now, around her, when she's in my presence.

When did it start? When did living become a want and not a need? Why did it happen around the same time as she entered my life again?

It's not fair.

It's so not fair.

But a glance at her, and I realise there's no other person who can make me feel this way. Only she has the potential to do that. To confuse me, confound me, make my thoughts incomprehensible to my own senses, my head incompetent in the war with my heart. It's fatal, it's a losing battle, and the defeat is encroaching, so close, it's almost mocking me on the face. Soon, I'll be forced to confront it, accept it, and carry the consequences of it forever.

"Was this meeting planned?"

I focus on the cop. As much of an eye sore the young man is in my sight, I can attest to the fact that he's a professional and good at what he does. He has been simply doing his job ever since I opened the door to let him in. So I keep my hostility to myself.

"No, not planned at all." I answer.

"Were you aware you'd be meeting her today?" He enquires further.

I shake my head. "No."

"Then what brought you here?" He glances at her next to me. Sara has stood by my side throughout it all. Like a wife would do. Like a wife who loves her husband would do. I'm pointlessly hopeful about things that have no point existing when it comes to her.

"She told me she was followed by someone in a white sedan the whole day. I was worried." I answer on her behalf.

"Oh," he looks at me suspiciously.

I clench my jaw. "It wasn't me. It's why I came here as soon as possible."

He nods. "Do you think it can be that person? The one who was following you?"

"I'm not-"

"I think it is." I nod, cutting her off. She sighs. I'm afraid she'll just try to brush this under carpet and then prance around declaring she can take care of it on her own. If she isn't allowing me to hire a professional bodyguard for her, this is the only way to provide her protection.

Arjun hums. "Do you have the car's registration number?"

"I-"

"She does." I speak in reflex. "Where is it?" I look down at the woman.

She glares at me and storms into her bedroom past us. When she returns, she has a small note in her hand that she submits to Arjun.

"Alright, I'll check with the RTO office and let you guys know." He pockets the note. "Anything else you want to talk about? Something you think needs to be addressed? No matter how insignificant that detail might feel to you." He looks between us.

"Yes, actually -"

"She needs protection." I cut in. "So, can you post a few cops of your team around her? At least until we go to New York. Which will be -"

"Tum kisi aur ko bolne doge ya khud hi bolte jaoge!? [Can you please let someone else speak!?]" The woman shrieks at my side. Arjun and I startle hard enough that we take an alarmed step back. My eyes zero on her. I blink in surprise. "Kabse dekh rahi hoon, bolne ka mauka hi nahi de rahe ho mujhe! Typical mard! [You're simply not giving me the opportunity to speak. Typical man!]" She sneers.

Arjun's team stops in the midst of their investigation spree, freezing in disbelief that the woman shouted at me, the man they recognise as the King of Jaigarh. People tremble in their boots when speaking to me. But again, this is Sara Rajawat we're talking about, if she's capable of shooting me to make me sign the divorce papers, she's very well capable of shutting me up in the room filled with people.

"Ab mein bolu ya tum se permission leni padegi!? [May I speak now or should I take permission from you first?]" She practically growls at me.

I swallow, glancing around the room consciously, the multiple faces looking at me pitifully. I look back at her. "Nahi, aap boliye. [No, you go ahead.]" I clear my throat, clasping my hands on my back.

She huffs and looks back at Arjun. He straightens his posture. "The target was him. Not me. He needs protection. I saw everything that happened! Not him. He was busy arguing with me."

"Okay," Arjun murmurs calmly, unlike her. "What exactly happened?"

She walks past us. "I was standing here, and he was standing there, right in front of me." She clarifies our positions. "We were arguing. He was right in the line of that window." She points at the open window of her apartment building. "The laser beam kept flickering between his neck and shoulders. It was clear that the person, I don't know if it was the stalker or someone entirely different, was targeting him, not me. They were either trying to kill him, or seriously harm him." She explains. "And considering the laser beam was clear and pretty sharp, they must have been somewhere close, way close. Because laser beams-"

"Require a short distance to lock the target properly." Someone says from the doorstep.

"Exactly!" Sara exclaims.

We all look at the new addition. Zoya's eyes find me immediately and she walks inside, subtly checking me for any injuries. I nod softly in assurance. She stops next to Sara.

"Ms. Rajawat is right. Highly trained snipers don't use lasers on their targets. They simply shoot. They're not the run of the mill riflemen. They're professionals. Lasers are used in movies and video games for dramatic effects. If this shooter tried that trick, it must mean he's a pauper with a crown. He must be a local gunda or something, hired by someone rich but inexperienced, because sniper guns are not easily available in the market, even in the underworld. Also, the shooter has to have been close. Because lasers don't work in distance because of gravity, wind and other environmental obstacles. There's a possibility this attack was unplanned, it was executed in such a short period of time that it's lousy in all its effects."

"And you are?" Arjun asks her, sounding impressed.

"My secretary." I walk up to the women. "Zoya Ahmed," I stand behind them, making him retract his gaze from the woman and look at me.

This bastard. Always eyeing the women in my vicinity.

"You've got some smart women around you, Your Majesty,"

"What can I say?" I smirk. "I'm lucky in that department."

His gaze flickers to Sara who's busy showing Zoya pictures on her phone of the car that has been following her around the whole day. The two women walk away from the middle of us men, towards the kitchen, deeply involved in whatever conversation they were having. Arjun's gaze follows, straying dominantly towards the woman in white. I clear my throat. He looks back at me.

"I'll let you know when I find something."

I nod.

"And... And you mentioned about New York. When are you leaving?" He inquires.

"Day after tomorrow."

"At what time?"

"6 o'clock in the evening." I answer.

"I'll post three officers outside her apartment -"

"She'll be staying at her brother's house." I inform him.

"Great then, I'll send someone there." He states. "I'm sorry this happened to you. But knowing your personality, we can't be surprised. So if you suspect someone, let me know now."

Ignoring the remark he made at my unlikeable personality, I try to think of people who would dare to attack me openly. Not a single name comes to my mind. My head deviates towards Karan for a split second but I think otherwise. That's a kid. He wouldn't try this in his dreams. He doesn't even have a reason to.

"No one," I reply.

"Alright then, be safe. I'll need someone to follow me to the station to file an FIR."

"I'll come." Zoya volunteers from the kitchen.

Arjun nods in agreement. "I'll take my leave then. Let's go, guys." He calls his team. The man leaves with his three subordinates. Zoya walks up to me and takes my hand in her. I frown. That is until she puts her gun in my palm. "Keep this on you." I wrap my fingers around the grip. "It's loaded." She pats my knuckles and follows the cops out of the house.

Shoving the gun in the back of my trousers, I flip my blazer over to hide it. "Sara, get your stuff. I'll drop you off at Rudra's place." I instruct the woman.

She nods and retreats into her bedroom, coming out a few minutes later with three suitcases. I walk over and grab two of them from her. "You're only going there for a night." I say to the woman incredulously. Who packs so much for an overnight stay?

"We're flying to New York the next evening." She says in a deadpan. "Give it to me if it's too heavy for you." She leans in, hits her knee against the suitcase and falls on my chest. I hold her in my arms.

"You've been falling over me a lot lately." The corner of my mouth twitches in amusement.

She pulls away from me to stand straight. "What can I do? I lose my senses the moment I see you." She says that with such a straight face it makes me laugh. Rolling her eyes, she turns around and drags the suitcase out. I follow behind, chuckling albeit the initial tension between us.

When we reach the parking lot of her building, I stuff her things in the trunk of my car and round the back of the four wheeler to get into the driver's seat. She's already buckled up. I pull out of the building and fix the rear view mirror, "Keep an eye behind us." She hums in response.

Fifteen minutes into the drive, I see her in deep thoughts. Curiosity gets the best of me. "What are you thinking?"

She shakes her head softly.

"About the shooting?"

"Karan," she mutters.

My gaze snaps towards her. I quickly look back at the road. Flex my knuckles around the steering. "You think he has something to do with the attack? I had my doubts too but I brushed them away. He's not capable of doing something like this."

"You said he's capable of everything if he puts his mind to it because he's rich."

"Yeah, and I meant the truth behind his brother's untimely death. Not a murder. My murder." I retort. "Should I put someone behind him?"

"No, stay out of it." She commands me.

I sigh in defeat. I was the one targeted yet I should stay out of it.

Dropping her off at Rudra's place, I stay in the car since she refuses my help but don't drive off immediately. As she hauls the suitcases out of the trunk, Rudra comes out of the building and takes the stuff from her, nodding at her to go ahead first. He puts the suitcases in the security guard's office and slides into the car. I resume driving.

"Did you tell Taranya?" I ask the young man.

"No. Should I?" He questions.

"No. It's better if she doesn't know."

He nods in understanding.

"Can you look into it privately?"

"I've already got Yara on it. Don't worry." He replies. "Stop at the supermarket. I need to buy some butter."

"Domestic life looks good on you."

He scoffs out a laugh. "I bless you with the same."

"Don't jinx it. I'm perfectly happy in my bachelor life."

He eyes me teasingly.

I stop the car in front of the supermarket. "Get out. I'll wait for five minutes max."

"Don't! The dairy aisle is the last. It takes fifteen -"

"Four minutes."

"Yuvraaj!"

"Three minutes."

"Geez! Go die in a ditch." He steps out of the car hurriedly and hightails into the supermarket like his ass is on fire. I camouflage my laugh behind the back of my palm.

I make a u- turn when I see him come out of the supermarket. He screams my name across the yard. Ignore the incessant shouting, I drive off, only to receive a call from him a few seconds later.

When I answer it, he says only one thing, "I curse you with a lonely, painfully long life, you asshole!" Then he hangs up. This time I laughed freely.

My gaze flickers to the rear view mirror before fixing itself back on the road. The smile on my face drops as the realisation dawns in. Was that the white sedan Sara was talking about? I look back at the rear view mirror but see nothing. So I shake my head. So much has happened today. I'm only seeing things. The road's almost deserted, there's no way I'd miss it if someone was following me.

At Veer Mahal, Vivaan finds me first.

"What am I hearing?" He follows me to my room. "You were shot? Like really shot? Like a legit bullet was fired at you? Meaning you could have been dead now? Huh?" Noticing the tremble in his voice, I walk up to the young man and hold his shoulders.

"I'm fine." I enunciate. "See," I step back to show him. "I'm perfectly fine."

He flings himself into my arms. My brows dip in bewilderment when I sense his body shiver. "Vivaan?"

"Please take care of yourself. Please, please, for God's sake don't leave us like Dad did."

I place my hand on his back. Rub it up and down awkwardly. "I- I'm really fine."

"But- but you could have been killed tonight." He sniffles. "God, you could have been killed." He hugs me tighter.

"Okay, okay, calm down." I pat his back hesitantly. I'm not used to so much physical affection from my brothers. Taranya has made me resistant to hers. But this is something new. "Who told you about it?"

"Zoya." He replies.

I clench my jaw in annoyance. She should know better than telling my family about it. How dare she make them worry about needless things? I need to talk to the woman.

"Okay, calm down now. I'm absolutely fine. Nothing happened to me." I pull away from the man and pat his shoulder in assurance.

"Is it necessary?"

"What is?"

"The New York trip? I don't feel good letting you go thousands of miles apart when you were just recently attacked with the intention of murder."

"I'll have security with me. Don't worry."

"But can't you not go?" He tilts his head. "It's not even that important. Just some inauguration."

"Vivaan, it is important." I state. "And I won't let my guard down this time. We've through been hell and back. Something like this is not enough to take me down."

He relents with a nod. "Fine. But please take care of yourself."

"I will." I promise the man.

As soon as he leaves, I dial Zoya's number.

"I'm not to blame." She says before I can say anything. "I was at the hospital. We were stepping out of the elevator together when I received your call. He wanted to come along, only I know how I convinced him to wait for you at the Palace."

I frown. "What were you doing at the hospital?"

"That's personal."

"Okay, where are you right now?"

"Just registered an FIR. They'll start the investigation soon."

"Alright, good work today. See you tomorrow."

"Sure, boss. Good night."

"Good night." I hang up and toss the phone on the desk.

I haven't had a day so adventurous ever since we got rid of the Chairman. The Rajawats never cease to bring a storm in my life. I can only hope this New York trip is not another one of those, encased in a wind, just waiting for me to let my guard down so it can whip me off my feet.

It's when I step into the jet the day after tomorrow and see her inside, dressed in all white, reading a magazine nonchalantly that I start feeling it. Maybe it's not this trip, it's not the circumstances, it's not the situation, it's not my past or my present, it's her.

The storm disguised as the wind.

It's her.

And my guards have always gone down in her presence. I can't help it.

She can whip me off my feet any second.

But she hasn't yet.

I exhale a whiff of breathe when she looks up from the magazine. Our eyes lock.

And she smiles.

As if she's simply biding her time. Giving me a chance to run. Escape this storm.

But I, as usual, find myself walking towards her.