Jealousy & Revenge

Chapter 29

The entire night for Arjun went over pondering what Ranveer had told him. Somewhere he was right. In his grief of losing his wife, he never tried to understand Sameer. He never tried to understand that Sameer was also going through the same pain he was going through. The only difference was where he had lost his wife, Sameer had lost his best friend. If he was Roshni's love, her husband, Sameer was her best friend. All three of them were somewhere important for each other. They all shared different equations with each other, and all of them held different places in each others heart. He could not compare his pain, and agony to that of Sameer's. Because it wasn't right. Both of them had lost someone they valued in life. Also he had seen Sikander and was sure of his existence. But never did he try to understand why Sameer never believed him. The anger that his best friend did not believe him had blinded him. And now that the blindfold had been removed by someone he could see clearly that the only reason Sameer never believed him was because he never tried to make him believe. Had he tried just once to get Sameer to believe about what he is saying is the truth, who knows, maybe he might have believed him. Had he just tried... Had he?

On the other side, Sameer was going through a different turmoil. All the recent happenings had taken a toll on him. Not just physically, but also mentally and most importantly emotionally. Ranveer coming in as the chief of ETF, him being demoted, Ayesha and her closeness with Ranveer, all of seemed to blur his vision. For the first time in his life, he felt alone. He felt the absence of having someone in his life, with whom he could bare his heart out. How he wished he had someone in his life, whom he could talk to, and let his emotions out. Someone with whom he could share everything. For once he thought of calling Ayesha, but then dropped it. He was about to go to bed, when his phone rang. Seeing the name, he groaned in frustration, as Arjun was the last person he wanted to have a word with. Nonetheless, he received the call.

"Sam..." Hearing Sam from the other side, startled him. He looked at his phone just to check if he was really speaking to the person he thought he is speaking to, or is it someone else? It actually was Arjun.

"Arjun?"

"Sam. Sam, main..." Arjun's voice choked reminiscing all the moments he had spent with Sameer. The friendship he had had with him. "I am sorry Sam." Saying that he broke down. All the facade of strength that he had put up in front of the entire world came crashing down. And for a change he did not care if his raw emotions came out in front of the world. He for once wanted to let go of everything holding him back. He wanted to let go of his mask. He wanted to let go of his indifferent attitude. For once he wanted to be just Arjun. Arjun who had lost his love, his wife. Arjun who was not a supercop. Arjun who was just a lovable man, having a happy life. Arjun whose happiness had crashed in front of his eyes. Arjun who had lost his everything in the mere span of seconds.

"Arjun, tum theek ho? Kya ho gaya hai achanak?"

"Mil kar baat kar sakte hai? Wahi hamara poorana adda?"

"10 min mei pohochta hu." Within the next 15 minutes they were at the spot where they spent most of their training days, and where their friendship started. The place that saw them go from strangers to each others life line. The essence in the air was sill the same. Nothing had changed from then. The only thing that had changed was the dynamics of their relation. Of their friendship. Who once were inseparable, were now at loggerheads. Arjun reached there and saw Sameer already standing there overlooking the sea. The memories they had made here, seemed to pass in front of his eyes, like a movie reel. Within the span of few seconds, all his memories crossed from in front of his eyes like a flash. Sensing someone behind him, Sameer turned to find Arjun. The Arjun he knew before Roshni. The Arjun who was lively. He had known every inch of Arjun. He could surely read this man's eyes, and right now he knew, the person standing in front of him was not the no nonsense super cop. The man in front of him was his friend. The friend he had lost long back. The friend who seemed to be caught in turmoil right now. Something transpired between the two and both of them lunged forward and ended up taking each other in a bone crashing hug. Maybe the relation they shared that had died long back, was now starting to breath again. It was now time for them to revive their relation. It was now time for them to stand by each other, for they knew they were the only ones who could stand by each other. They had known each other for so long that even after being at logger-heads, they never stopped caring for each other. Arjun knew what exactly was troubling Sameer, and Sameer knew what exactly was bothering Arjun.

"I am sorry Sam. I am sorry. Maine Roshni ko bachane ki poori koshish ki thi. Main... Main jhooth nahi bol raha. Maine sach mei koshish ki thi. Poori koshish ki thi."

"Main janata hu Arjun. Ki tumne poori koshish ki hogi."

"Please mujhe maaf kar de sam. Main Roshni ko bachaa nahi paaya. Please."

'"Arjun. Tum yeh sab aaj kyu keh rahe ho?"

"Kyunki aaj maine realize kiya ki agar maine apne kisi kareebi ko khoya tha, toh tumne bhi toh apne dost ko khoya tha. Main apne dard mei itna doob gaya ki tumhara dard dekh hi nahi paaya. Aur tumhe khud se door kar diya. Tab jab hum dono ko ek doosre ki jaroorat thi,"

"Main jaanta tha Arjun, ki tumhara dard mere dard se jyaada bada tha. Lekin mera dard bhi itna chota nahi tha, ki tum usse dekh hi na sako. Mujhe laga tha ki tum mere gusse aur mere dard ko samjhoge. Par tumne aisa nahi kiya. Tum mujhe hi bhool gaye."

"Galti ho gayi dost. Maaf kar de. Par galti sirf meri nahi thi. Jab maine sikander ki baat kahi, tab tumne kyu nahi maana. Main sach keh raha tha. Aur aaj bhi sach keh raha hu. Sach mei Sikander hai."

"Sikander hai yaa nahi, yeh toh main nahi janta. Lekin main uss waqt tujhse bahut naaraz tha. Aur main jaanta tha, ki agar maine tumhari baat nahi maani toh tujhe takleef hogi. Isiliye maine maanne se mana kar diya. Main bhi taqleef mei tha. Toh tumhe bhi de di."

"Aur tune meri baat nahi maani iss baat ne mujhe bahut hurt kiya. Lekin main woh kisi ke saamne nahi aane dena chahta tha. Isiliye main usse gisse ka roop de diya. Par meri baat ka yakeen karo Sam. Sikander sach mei hai."

"Tumhari har baat par main yakeen karonga Arjun. Lekin Sikander ki baat par yakeen karne ke liye mujhe proof ki zaroorat hai. Tab hi main iss baat par yakeen karoonga." Sameer could see Arjun getting sad with what he said. "Aur saboot dhundne mei main tumhari madad karoonga." With that the smile on Arjun's face was back. Sameer knew that the old Arjun was back. And for him nothing mattered more than his old friend. The happiness that he was feeling right now by getting his old friend back, was way more precious for him.

The rest of the time was spent in talking and reliving the past memories that the two friends had made. They had lost a lot of time burning in the fire of rage and hatred, and now they wanted to make up for it. They wanted to make up for each day they spent along, longing for each others company. They wanted to make up for that lost friendship. And they knew make up they would.