14th July

Mind can travel faster than air. Even faster than the light rays coming from the sun. Controlling the mind is an arduous task. Mind distracts with worries all the time and is perfectly capable of making a lively person silent in a matter of seconds. Now, it is up to you whether you control your mind or let your mind have control over you. At times, circumstances can be turbulent. But it is up to you to decide how you can keep your mind unaffected by them.

~~~

The projector made a strange noise and shut down suddenly. A low rumble rose around the table until Vikram forbade and called the technical (hardware) support team.

Priyasha looked up, straight ahead and met a pair of brooding eyes. Abhiraj was sulking over the uncalled interruption. As their eyes met, he blinked and averted his gaze. His eyes roamed around, judging everyone until they returned and settled on her again and stared unblinkingly.

Priyasha inhaled and gazed down on her notepad.

Vikram had already given a presentation on client requirements. It was now time for distribution of respective module allotment.

Priyasha's disobedient eyes once again found their ways ahead and took a sneak peek at him just to find out his intimidating eyes were still studying her unwaveringly. She felt self-conscious, then decided to stare back at him. She shouldn't back down so easily. But it didn't work. Abhiraj blinked leisurely and continued staring. His tightly pursed lips only twitched slightly as he leaned back in his chair.

Priyasha frowned and looked away. He was one hell of a weirdo! He made her uncomfortable without really trying.

Priyasha turned her focus on Vikram and asked, "Vikram, are we supposed to work individually, or you'll assign us team-mates?"

That caught everyone's attention. Some appreciated her query by nodding and uttering small words of approval.

Vikram responded, "Well, team of course. The coding part will be done by one, and the other will do the database part. Be free to seek help from each other and after the completion of the first module, we'll examine the progress. If needed, then we'll swap team members. Although, that's very unlikely."

Priyasha nodded understandingly and fell quiet.

"However, Priyasha, the sooner this project will end, the sooner we will focus on our next big one. And you're one of the few I want in that team," Vikram declared in front of everyone. Priyasha blushed as her eyes moved toward Abhiraj. But his clenched jaws made her blush vanish immediately. She gulped watching his frown deepen. He picked up a pen and leaned over his notepad. His fingers started working furiously, scribbling something down on it.

Priyasha shifted in her seat uneasily and decided to distract her mind from the thoughts of this strange man.

After the meeting was over, she excused herself from the meeting table and left immediately.

To be honest, Abhiraj was a difficult character, and Priyasha had realized that well enough by now. His actions were all confusing and contradictory. And then, the way he watched her from afar, it really made her uncomfortable. She couldn't yet understand who he actually was and what intentions he had. Since last night specifically, his presence had started to scare her. How could she trust him?

Sometime in past,

Maya slapped Priyasha across her already abused face that it stung raw. She looked up with her teary eyes at her mother, who was shaking, feeling the raw pain of her daughter's violation.

"Why did you do that?" Her voice cracked as she slapped her again.

Priyasha stood there unmoving. Streams of tears rolled down her young swollen face. The dried blood at the corner of her mouth now turning the color from dark red to a faded maroon. Uttering a single word felt like a massive burden on her frail person.

"Maa," she whispered. "He was torturing me. I had no other option than to file a complaint."

"And you didn't bother about consulting with your parents before that?" Maya yelled out loud in response. "Now they'll abduct you and make you suffer more!"

Priyasha helplessly stood there sobbing until her father put a comforting hand around her shivering shoulder. He hoped pathetically that it would comfort her, but she knew she would never receive comfort after whatever that bastard did to her.

"C'mon Maya, it wasn't her fault! Why are you blaming her for what happened without her consent?" Kaushik protested.

"Don't you really understand Kaushik?" she cried out. "She has put her as well as our lives in danger willingly. Why couldn't she keep quiet and... and control her stupid reactions?" She pushed on Priyasha's shoulder roughly in anger. Kaushik raised his hand hurriedly to prevent her, but Maya continued more furiously. "They will kill her for God's sake! Can't you realize that?"

She put one of her hands on her hips and with the other caught her head, exasperated, and looked at Kaushik. "Is this why we adopted her so she could shove us in this dangerous situation? If it was so, we could have adopted a dog instead of her!"

Priyasha's heart pounded against her chest as she stared at her mother flabbergasted. Maya's raucous and malicious words pricked her skin as she suddenly felt nauseous. It was a fortunate deal for an orphan like her when Maya and Kaushik adopted her eight years ago, life changed like a fairytopia. She had always obeyed them, always tried to comply with whatever they commanded her. She knew she could never repay their debt even with all her efforts. They had given her a life which she had never imagined for herself. It was a gift greater than all her expectations. Priyasha may not have seen her biological parents, but she believed her foster parents represented the face of the supreme lord for every sacrifice, every favor they had ever done for her. For that, she would always be grateful to them more than her life. However, now that the harsh truth hit her ears unexpectedly, she broke down to the fullest extent.

Kaushik cried out, "Maya, please!"

Maya stared at her husband then at her daughter then back at her husband when realization washed over her. She had blurted out something in frustration which was meant to be locked in the closet forever.

Priyasha blinked away the tears and mumbled, "I'm sorry..." Then she turned around and ran from there. The trailing whisper never reached her parents' ears. "For everything!"

~~~

Keeping silence is necessary and one should know when to step in and when to back off. Wise people know how to keep their silence before it becomes necessary to speak up. As the great Chanakya said, "The cuckoos remain silent for a long time (for several seasons) until they are able to sing sweetly (in the Spring) so as to give joy to all." Cuckoos are never called wise by people, but whenever they sing, people become astonished by her song.

~~~

Even though Maya didn't like her daughter's straightforward and immediate reaction, in her heart she knew it was the best moral decision her daughter took which proved her years of tireless nurturing didn't go in vain.

~~~

Priyasha hummed one of her favorite Rabindra Sangeets, as she walked through the almost empty corridor toward the coffee machine, installed at the farthest corner of the floor. The place was almost empty. She located Vishnu, who waved at her then went back with a paper cup filled with coffee.

A burst of uncertainty settled in her mind making her oblivious of her surroundings. She knew a monster was counting his days in prison, so that when he got released, he'd return to molest her once again. She didn't know how could she fight him off? What would he do to her after the completion of his sentence? And then, there was her new apartment owner, being suspicious from the very beginning. Would life ever be easy on her?

The buzz inside her head left her exhausted. She suddenly recalled the car incident and instinctively bit on her lower lip. It was a shame on the society norms that delayed things for no reason. Whenever a crime took place, instead of taking action immediately, in the name of several procedures it got delayed so much that the enthusiasm of receiving justice mostly vanished.

Just because of her lost phone and lack of conversation, most of her appointments were pending. She would have to buy a phone as soon as possible.

Suddenly a small silent chuckle left her when she realized several random nuisances securing their footprints in her life lately. She was never the sarcastic type, but she certainly had been thinking like a lunatic these days.

She strode towards the coffee machine's direction, took a paper cup, put it below the outlet and pressed the button. The cup immediately filled with creamy, frothy, and almost white coffee. Latte. She loved the taste of it. The brimmed coffee cup went up to her mouth as she took a long hot swig, closing her eyes in bliss. The delicious taste of the coffee made her stop several times in between her sips to help her clear her stressful thoughts. Since her teenage days, coffee had helped her clear the stress. She wouldn't lie, but stress was her evergreen companion who loved to fog the inside of her head all the time.

The silence of this area was actually helping her buy some time to think. Not particularly she had the enthusiasm to expect anything good in her life. It was just that, she couldn't really figure out the meaning of her life yet. Why was she alive? What was her purpose? She silently stood there sipping her coffee and thinking about all the possibilities, until she overheard a telephonic conversation. The voice sounded familiar. But she couldn't really recognize the owner.

She didn't like to eavesdrop, but she couldn't stop herself from overhearing. This person was talking so angrily without caring about the surroundings that even if she tried, she couldn't ignore it. His voice sounded desperate and in haste.

She turned around and spotted the shadow on the floor. The west sky took a shade of light-purple and faded orange as the sun was nearing the horizon. The mitigating sunlight rushed through the huge glass window and collapsed on the carpeted floor. A partition wall had hidden her from this person on the other side.

Letting out a suppressed curse the person yelled on the phone, "...then make him agree on our contract! Either way, I need the documents anyhow!" He paused for a moment before asking cautiously, "The girl... have you found her?... No? Okay, listen to me. If he wants nothing but her, we'll have to compromise that. Because only he can help us out. Without his help we can go nowhere, and if that means, victimize a girl, we'll have to do that. Always pick thousands over one. Get it?... Okay. Now go and continue the search. And make the papers ready... as soon as possible!"

Silence ensued after that. Priyasha waited a few more seconds, but it had already ended. They say, curiosity killed the cat! She considered shouting aloud and let everyone know about the conspiracy that was going on inside the office. What was he talking about? Contract? Papers? Girl? Abduction? Oh, no! Who was this person?

Priyasha crumbled the cup and threw it in the trash silently before getting a grip on herself. She peeked to the other side of the separation and spotted the man. The man, who was standing there was none other than... Abhiraj. His back was facing her, he had his hands on his hips, muscles taut and tensed. Clearly, a lot was going wrong here.

Priyasha placed her sweating palm on the wall and came out from behind the wall to confront him.

"Abhiraj?" She called out.

He turned around immediately, alarmed, and set his gaze on her. "Priyasha?" He looked confused at first, but his expression changed quickly into caution. As his dark eyes probed into hers, realization crossed his face. "What are you doing here? Did... did you hear?" His voice once again went firm and unwavering. He crossed his arms against his chest. A frown appeared as he said, "It's not what it seems."

"What is it then?" She shifted her weight from one foot to another. Whatever that was going on here, she liked none of it. She wanted to turn around, run to the administrative team and make him get castigated or arrested, whatever. But somehow, she couldn't bring herself to act on that instinct. He looked away and gazed out the glass window. The sun had now almost set below the horizon.

"Abhiraj..." She sighed. "Why is every single thing related to you arcane and hard to understand?" She admitted sincerely. "It is really astonishing that I am still standing here talking to you instead of hurry through, and complain against you."

He kept quiet as his frown deepened. Realizing he wasn't going to give out anything, she turned to walk away, when Abhiraj quickly reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. His grip was firm, but not strong enough to hurt her. Reflexively, she ripped her arm out of his reach. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she snapped in exasperation, "Abhiraj!"

They stood there closer than necessary, holding each other's gaze. The shift of tension in the air was evident. Eventually, he backed away and mumbled, "It is not something you should be bothered about."

"And why do I believe you?" She absolutely wasn't enjoying their conversation, yet she was yearning to learn the secrets.

He stared down at her as she waited for his response which came after a moment deviously. "Then don't. I don't care." Saying so, he turned around and left her standing there confused, wondering over all the negative possibilities for which he should be blamed.

Priyasha eyed his receding frame and felt her legs turning numb. Putting a hand on the wall, she started hyperventilating. She had so many thoughts running through her head at this moment. It was a similar scenario, and she didn't have any strength left to fight against the world... all over again.

Her hand touched the spot instinctively where he had held her before she squeezed shut her eyes. A whisper followed inarticulately. "Damn it!"

~~~

The sudden afternoon drizzle turned into a downpour. Priyasha with her colleagues was waiting in vain for the rain to stop below their office building.

Neha rolled her eyes not particularly at anyone. "What if someone arranged for a surprise party at our office tonight?"

Sonya snorted. "Is that someone you?"

"Seriously... you guys need to become more positive!"

"Neha, why don't you call your boyfriend and ask him to save us? Otherwise, we don't know how many hours we'll be stuck here!" Sonya suggested, annoyed by the situation.

"I did already, my dear Sonya. But it seems his business has the higher priority." Neha huffed. "Always has been though!" She added with a mutter.

Priyasha was quietly listening to her colleagues when Abhiraj's car pulled in before them. She squeezed the strap of her handbag as her chest tightened at the sight of him. She reminded herself of all the contradictory affairs involving him and decided to stay away. He averted his attention at her and gestured to her to climb in. When Priyasha didn't even move from her place, Neha nudged her and muttered, "You got a personal driver? That's insane! But why are you keeping him waiting?" Priyasha groaned inwardly. Couldn't Neha stop her pretty mouth for once? She muttered, "Shut up."

Abhiraj called out right then, "Priyasha, come inside."

The audacity he has!

Priyasha bit her lower lips. Her heart sped up as the thought crossed her mind. It was Abhiraj who saved her from going around the streets, homeless. If it wasn't for him giving her a helping hand, she'd probably been killed or worse, kidnapped, and then raped. She didn't want to suffer her nightmare again.

"Bloody hell!" She gritted her teeth then slowly stepped into his car and closed the door immediately. She was helplessly embarrassed right now.

"You can call in your friends too. I can drop them at Haldiram's crossing," Abhiraj suggested.

Priyasha watched her friends who were clearly enjoying the drama, before she called them inside. They obliged without wasting a second.

"So, Abhiraj," Neha started, "Where were you working before DevonBolt?"

"Neon Red." was his short reply.

Priyasha glanced at him. He was concentrating more on the streets than the fact that he had three young women as his companion. She knew starting a conversation with him would not be easy. So instead of focusing on him, she chatted with her friends about current affairs, mostly on Bollywood movies and politics. It was Priyasha, who preferred politics over movies and her friends didn't like that. They would always tease her by advising her to enroll herself in any political party which Priyasha ignored every time.

When her friends climbed off the car wishing her goodnight, Priyasha's stomach dropped. She had been dreading this moment! She had been so far successful in avoiding him by chatting with her friends. Now that they were leaving her, she didn't know how to escape from him anymore. The thing is she didn't want his company, yet she was forced to do exactly that.

It was a questionable act for her to keep quiet about what happened earlier today. She should have talked about it to the company authority, at least her friends. But she didn't, and she didn't know why. Then there was this unwelcomed feeling in her heart. Whenever he came closer to her, her heart started racing irrationally. It was simultaneously confusing and exciting her which was making her panic whenever he was with her. The mysterious enigma surrounding him had this uncommon effect on her that she almost always wanted to take the risk. If he ever figured out what she felt, he would definitely consider something was wrong with her. Even she did.

When the car again took speed, she nervously fidgeted and played with her shirt's bottommost button.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" He asked. Not a trace of guilt was there in his too-good-to-be-true voice.

"Can you drop me at a mobile shop? I need to buy a phone."

"I've ordered a phone for you online. They'll deliver it tomorrow."

What? Priyasha stared at him dumbfounded. What the hell? No, seriously... What the hell?

"You've ordered a phone for me?"

"Yes." That was all he responded.

You see, it's an excruciating feeling when you receive undemanding care from the person you're scared of the most. You may pretend that these confrontations don't affect you, but in reality, you know they do. It is just a facade of yours that you are unwilling to let go.

"Why?"

"Didn't you need one?"

She rolled her eyes and turned to him. It had stopped raining some time ago. Moist air was entering the open car window, rolling past her ear, and messing with her hair. She calculated it was still approximately ten minutes' drive till they reached home.

She sat there for a moment staring at him, before digging her nails into her thighs. He was mostly looking at the streets. Sometimes his eyes would find their way to her. From his peripheral vision, he could see she was staring at him. Sometimes, he'd clear his throat showing his disapproval and she'd look away, but only to stare back at him. She was really trying to understand him. Priyasha bit her inner cheek in frustration after a little while. Not being able to suppress her anxiety for any longer, she blurted, "Abhiraj, talk to me."

He sighed audibly. Although he didn't look at her, she could see his expression hardening. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "I don't know how to put things... straight. But-" He paused for a moment. "Trust me, it's not what it seems."

"Then what is it?" She had started to get peppery by now, and she needed his explanations. "Yesterday, Jai told me to stay away from you. Why would he say that?"

He glanced at her. His frown deepened immediately. "Did he? Well, I need to talk to him then."

Priyasha balled her fist in anger and gritted, "That! That is exactly why I'm considering his advice now." The air inside the car shifted. "We still know nothing about each other, and it seems, you're keeping away some dangerous secret from me. How the hell can I trust you if I were to live under the same roof as you?"

His muscles went stiff. However, not a single word he uttered.

Priyasha huffed. There he went all staid all over again. "Who is it Jai used to work for?"

As usual, he kept shut.

Priyasha stared at the deserted road until they reached their destination. The empty children's park went past them. The whole ambiance after the rain looked bleak.

"Tell me?" She paused for a second and inhaled sharply. "You are working with...." She paused considering whether she should say it. "mafias?"

"No!" A firm growl came out of him.

"Then who was the girl you were talking about on the phone?"

He kept shut.

"Abhiraj!" Priyasha's voice broke in irritation. "You do realize that I can still complain against you for whatever conspiracy you tend to be involved in."

"You have no proof."

Priyasha's heart sank as she covered her mouth with her hand. He wasn't denying. That meant he was indeed involved in some illegal activities.

"You're not denying that you are involved... in her probable abduction?" When he didn't respond, she asked him to stop the car which he, of course, didn't.

"You're disgusting! Stop the car, now!" The car was already sliding through the parking lot. As soon the car halted, she unclasped the seatbelt, got off the car and ran in the opposite direction. All she wanted was to run away and hide. From him, from everyone. It was extremely stupid of her accepting his proposal. She should have known that no bread comes without price. Now if he wished to do something forbidden to her, she could do nothing about it. Plus, she didn't have a phone to call her friends or police to her aid.

However, she couldn't escape as Abhiraj caught a hold of her arm and pulled her back, making her collide against his chest. She looked up into his eyes. There w

as something in his eyes she couldn't really figure out. Their torsos brushed against each other, as her breathing caught up in her throat.

She tried to shake off his grip. "Leave me, Abhiraj!"

But he held her firmly. "Don't act foolish, Priyasha. At this time of night, it's not safe out there. Let's talk the matter out mannerly."

She felt disappointed because of his reasonable words. She jerked her hand nonetheless. "Let me go first! It's not even safe with you."

He shook her forcing her to stop struggling. "Don't be stubborn! Come to home now!"

Home.

That single word betrayed her growing exasperation. Because after saying that, when he dragged her along, she let him.

~~~

Author's note: Hi, readers. Give me a follow if you're liking the storyline. Help me reach 500 followers, please.