His punch froze in the air along with him.

A moment later, it came back with double of a force.

He turned back only to competently miss that broken glass attack. When that prudent aimed again, Adhvik twisted his hand fracturing his shoulder until he falls down screaming in pain.

This time his tackle had enthusiasm, his punch is focussed, his kick is hard, his feet agile & him moving with a poise.

2 minutes & they all lay crippled but he stood like an ever shining knight.

Scared at his self, they begged for his mercy.

"Never comment on women"

The native language flew through him & they fled at his one nod without daring to look back.

Teja rushed to him,

"Woho! That's fantastic", he turned when he heard her.

She is excited like she just saw Messi hitting a goal in last seconds. A typical die hard fan.

Adhvik just stared at her.

Her wide smile lessened when she noticed his red fingers & wrist. He was already abraded & this fight would have roughened them.

"I think that need to cool down", he only understood when he saw her gazing at his hands.

"Come", she walked ahead, he obliged.

He had always!

There were water cans at all the points for drinking water.

She opened the tap & signed him to put his palms against the flow. Again he did what she said. The water is icy which worked on his abraded fingers.

"Use the restroom. I will be here"

Now, she obliged.

As they walk back, she observes him rubbing his palms. He might be having cold hands.

"Aise Karo", she showed by circling her wrists, blowing the air in the palms & hardly rubbing one side of the palm onto another.

Adhvik tried, it is somewhat better.

Teja felt bad seeing him. He had to bear injuries since morning because of her.

"We should have gone from there. Mein Chachu ko bol deti baad mein un logo ke baare mein. He would have looked after them. Why did you even bother?"

Although she said it softly but she isn't the kind of girl to forgo the insults. She makes sure to give them back either directly or through her father or cousins.

But Adhvik didn't take it well.

His stroll halted, at once the fury assailed in him. Even she turned sensing his motion,

"Mein apni dharm kabhi bhulunga nai. Aur thum.. mere dharm ho. Jo mein puri shiddat se nibhaunga. Tho baar baar sawal uthana band karo."

His voice is low but piercing like the gust of night wind, eyes resembling a forest fire & the honed features confounded Teja but also confused her.

She replied gently looking at him,

"I told you once. I am not your responsi...

Before she completes, he steps closer to her,

"Yes. You are.", it's not a whisper but a swear.

She met his eyes, questioning in the same tone,

"I am not.Why will I even be your.."

She could't complete because he stood a foot away,

"Because I am your man.", he avows squarely looking into her eyes, the beautiful doors to her soul.

Nothing stilled except their breathes.

A legion of angels passed between them.

And she ran away looking back once to make sure it is all true.

He remained quiet, staring at the way she went.

If Teja stayed there a little more, she would have known that Adhvik was as bewildered as her.

He didn't think twice when he said, it just came out like that is a gospel. Which his heart knows..believes since the first time he felt her.

His face gave nothing but his Aryan eyes had all the answers but Teja wasn't in a position to see through.

Leaving a breathe, his mind rewinded only one word,

"Her man?"

"Her man?"

"Her Man"

What dazed him is this is new but there is no weirdness or indifference instead it is all apparent & pleasing. Like his every nerve is accustomed to it & he just voiced out.

"I am"

"Her man"

"I.. her ?"

"I... am"

"I..."

"I am...her"

Various words spin in his cerebrum until he finally mumbles what his heart articulated,

"I am her man!"

"I am her man", he mutters again.

"I AM HER MAN"

his eyes widen at the conviction it brought when he says it aloud.

The crescent on his lips turns into a full fledged tantalizing smile as he revels in their moments.

Instantly, an enigmatic feeling spears in him which is soothing at the same time soaring.

Kicking the soil & ruffling his nape, he chuckles to himself.

The Pandora box is finally bursted in his heart making his soul delighted, the shy smile playing on his lips & the glint in his eyes is the witness.

NEXT MORNING

Sekhar assembled the family at Mahindra's house for an urgency.

They were at the end of the discussion when Arshad at once get startled as he saw a polar bear descending.

Nandana, who sat beside him, assures, "It's Bunny"

He takes a breath in relief but gets annoyed because she's frightening him even in sleep.

Teja lazily descend the stairs carrying a big white polar bear in hand which covers her completely. It looked like a real bear is walking down the stairs until one looks closely because even she's wearing white & the bear totally engulfed her.

At the last tread, she is about to slip because of the teddy leg as she is descending with closed eyes when someone steadies her.

That's when the teddy bear moves down revealing her pretty morning face.

Drowsily, she open her eyes to thank that person & mainly to move to the grand sofa in the living room so that she could lay down there for a while when she noticed it was Adhvik.

Her pretty face had a frown at an instant. Without thanking him, she stomps to the sofa & sits cross cross, holding the bear closely.

She smiles when Mahindra hugs her from beside but frowns when she saw Adhvik settled across her. She immediately puts a teddy bear between them, hiding behind it.

Don't know why but it annoyed her. He's annoying her.

"So ham chale?", Vittal asks coming with keys.

"Kaha?",she immediately lowers her teddy till her eyes.

Vittal ignores but Ajay is there to fill her in.

"Long story short...We have a saffron shipment of 25 kgs out of which 20kg is packed & the remaining is supposed to be harvested today but there's shortage of workers. Thanks to the MLA, he called all of them for a rally. Baba tried getting from other farms but no use.But we need to send  saffron to the Jammu airport by evening so that it could be delivered to Sydney."

"Uss MLA ka kuch karna padega. Honeybee ki tarah hamesha irritate kar raha hein", scolding him, her teddy lowered a little more getting back to the problem, "Tho ham kya karenge? We can't even get workers from neighbouring villages"

"Right. So Bhai ne kaha why others when we are here?", Nandana quips.

This time her face is clear, thinking what does that mean when she understood what he meant.

VR FARMS

Everyone including the elders got onto plucking the crocus flowers, dividing the 5 acres in portions among themselves... except Teja.

She is passing time running here & there, recording in her phone when it's Arshad's turn,

"Ab mein apko dikhane wali hu... Arshad Khan ko. A Cambridge guild, working in a conglomerate but dekho kaise mamuli insaan ki tarah kaam kar raha hein."

Arshad gives a look to her.

He is habituated to conditioned environments but working outdoors in heat seemed too much.

When she suddenly shouts,

"Breaking news...wo bata raha hein ki he is bored of his current job which never gave him satisfaction so he's gonna settle down here soon in the fields"

He panicks, "What? No. I like my job"

"Dekho kitna cheekke bol raha hein ki I like my job. He can't wait to shift here. Aap sabhi log bhi kitne bhi padai karlo par agriculture ko bhul mat jaana. #holidayfarming."

Arshad is frustrated while she moves to Vittal, beside him who's examining the petals,

"Doctor saab wo patient nai hein phool hein phool, tho please uska dissection mat kariye"

Vittal rolls his eyes, "Why did you even come?"

"To cheer you up. Aur kya?

She then goes to Nandana, "Yeh rahi hamara princess Jo kaam karne ki acting kar rahi hein. But acting bhi ache se nai kar pa rahi"

Nandana gasps, she is working here since they came without a break & her friend is...ugh!

She takes a fistful of soil & throws at her but Teja escapes as usually.

"Sirf title uski hein asli princess tho thu hein", Vittal comments the obvious.

"Our next candidate is ..."

She's about to introduce another one when she saw Adhvik on her screen through the front camera.

Before she turns, he simply takes her phone, puts it in his pocket & leaves while she stands there gaping.

Her enemies cum friends laugh cruelly, feeling happy for her state.

Sticking her tongue out, she runs to her grandfather & settles beside him.

It's 2.00 PM but everyone are engrossed in their respective portions. Their target is to complete harvesting by 4 so that they would have enough time to send it to Jammu.

Teja looks on as Adhvik crisply but quickly plucks the flowers in the jute baskets, besides making sure the stems are removed taking the saffron out & is simultaneously packed.

He divided their families along with their house helps in two teams, one for plucking the crocus & the other for taking the saffron out & packing them. It was such an organised plan in the limited time as all were working like machines.

To rejuvenate them, she makes black coffee in the mini kitchen & brings it in a flask.

Wiping off his sweat, Adhvik stares at her as she offers the hot coffee to their family with a happy face. It's a tiring day & they badly need it.

She's boosting them with her energy, smile & ofcourse coffee.

Don't know when she stood before with a paper cup in her hand, giving it to him.

"That's ok", he gently denies because he doesn't drink coffee.

She just shoves the cup in his hand & leaves.

Lalitha comes to him with her cup, "Have it. That's not coffee it's ginger tea for you & me"

A small smile steal his lips as he takes the first sip relishing the taste. She makes the best tea after his mother because she learned it from Lalitha.

Energised, they get back to work & are at last leg when they were interrupted by few rogued men.

It is the doing of the people's representative to stop their delivery as he's trying to compete with his budding business.

Some of them are hampering with Arshad & Vittal who are packing the saffron while others are at the field,

"Rukiye sab. Rukiye. Behthar hoga app sab yeh chodiye aur yaha se nikaliye"

"Jaldi se nikaliye"

Ajay mocks, "Nai tho?"

The crooked ones loudly laugh, "Nai tho hame nikalna aatha hein"

He sign his minions who advances to them, urging with long staffs & shouts.

One of them walk past Adhvik, trying to shoo his family behind but couldn't as he pop down on soil.

The other rogues were shocked as they didn't expect retaliation. They didn't back out as three of them comes at him while Vittal & Arshad takes them each.

Enraged, the remaining attack them with long wooden staffs but Adhvik defends with his own which he took from the laid minion.

He effortlessly move the staff in his hands as they surround him. Not missing a beat, he makes sure to give them their own bitter medicine.

Looks like yesterday night isn't over yet.

While their family looks on with anxiety, Lalitha & Teja enjoys clapping.

"Kya kar rahe ho thum log? Yaha hum tension mein hein. Lalitha di apko pata nai kitna khatarnak log hein wo", Ajay discloses. He doesn't want Adhvik to get hurt because of their politics.

"Tumhe mere bete ke bare mein pata hein?", Lalitha counters with arrogance.

"Uss MLA ko bahot bhari padne wala hein kyunki.."

Teja completes her line gazing at Adhvik who held a rogue in chokehold, "Yeh khud ek aafat hein"

The ladies both wink at eachother & continue  enjoying the show.

"C'mon beta.Beat the shit out of them", Lalitha encourages openly.

"C'mon Adi.Aur maar unko ", Teja adds by whistling.

Though he's facing his back, Adhvik chuckles at their screams in the midst of his fight. They like violence a little too much.

10 mins, all the rogues are left with tore clothes, black eyes, blue marks & bloody forms.

Adhvik successfully sends the saffron on time to the airport. The family rejoys with Lalitha proudly hugging him. He smiles embracing her while he looks for Teja, whose excitement disappeared as soon as their eyes lock.

He raise his eyebrows as she immediately turns her face away.

The following day, almost all are ready for the inauguration of the health care centre. Teja went to call Nandana but finds her room empty.

She is jogging back when her feet at once stops hearing a call from a room beside,

"Teju"

Only one guy calls her with that name.

Picture tho abhi baki hein mere dosth...