Darshan is back in Delhi on the 18th of November late at night. He makes his way to the apartment complex and up to the 15th floor. He rings the bell and Jyugal lets him in. He can see that Jyugal just woke up.

Jyugal: Hi!

His voice sounds groggy.

Darshan: Sorry I disturbed you! I didn't have the keys.

Jyugal: No problem! Get in.

Darshan snickers as Jyugal speaks between yawns.

Jyugal: Coffee?

Darshan: At this hour? Don't you have to go to the office tomorrow?

Jyugal: Working from home as I am tired of staring at those same walls of my cabin.

Darshan: Then, I'll have black coffee!

Jyugal scrunches his nose distastefully but nevertheless makes coffee. Darshan freshens up and changes into a sleeveless loose shirt and shorts. They both sit in the living room sipping their cup of coffee.

Jyugal: How was your break? I heard you guys went on a road trip!

Darshan: It was much needed! It helped me clear my mind a bit.

Jyugal: That's good.

Darshan: Did you find anything about Shayna and Aran?

Jyugal: No! The navy intelligence has secured the data with very complex coding. One failed attempt and all the servers will crash. We can't do that in case of an emergency!

Darshan: Do I have to come to the office tomorrow?

Jyugal: No! The final statements are to be given on the twentieth as we are still waiting for two agents to return.

Darshan nods his head.

Darshan: I heard you got a new partner!

Jyugal: Yeah.

Darshan: Who?

Jyugal: Agent Alpha!

Darshan: She's part of the research team, right?

Jyugal: Yeah. She also does fieldwork like me occasionally.

Darshan: That must be nice to have a partner. It helps lower your stress levels.

Jyugal: Not really! It increases Bhai's stress level.

Darshan: Why?

Jyugal: We bicker all day long, but she has been out for the past twenty days, so the office has been quiet.

Darshan smiles at his statement. They chat for an hour to two before retiring to their bedroom.

Darshan wakes up around 8 the next morning. He goes to Jyugal's room to see him sprawled on his bed. He steps out of the house to pick up the milk bag and newspaper. He picks them up and sees two women standing in front of the door of the apartment across from theirs. One is wearing an air hostess uniform while the other one is dressed in a pilot's uniform. He can't see their face as their back is facing them. He moves his eyes away from them and walks back inside his apartment to see Jyugal stretching as he walks out with a toothbrush in his mouth. He sees the confused look on Darshan's face.

Jyugal: What happened?

Darshan: I can feel that she is around me!

Jyugal: Who?

Darshan: Shayna!

Jyugal: Uh... what?

Darshan: I swear I could feel that she was close to me!

Jyugal: Darshan, calm down and listen! As you said, Shayna was injured, so she is probably in a hospital if the navy were able to rescue her. She most likely would be in Visakhapatnam or Thailand. She can't be around you!

Darshan: I... felt her presence. It was that weird feeling when you can sense the person.

Jyugal: It's probably because she is running on your mind! Calm down and relax for the day because you will get your answers tomorrow. The navy will send in their reports and statements with evidence tomorrow.

Darshan nods his head. He puts the milk in the refrigerator and moves back to his room. He freshens up and comes out to see Jyugal making coffee. Darshan toasts the bread and brings it to the dining table.

Darshan: Anything I need to know before I step into the office tomorrow?

Jyugal: Be mentally prepared as the defense minister, IB Chief, Naushad bhai, and a few others will be there.

Darshan: Why so many people?

Jyugal: This case is huge and it has caused a lot of damage. Plus, it is a combined mission of RAW and IB.

Darshan: Yeah.

They both clean up. Darshan goes for a walk while Jyugal gets to work. He spends the rest of his day in the gym below to distract his mind away from Shayna's thoughts. He dives into the swimming pool. He does a pool lap before resting on the edge.

Darshan: (In mind: That couldn't have been a delusion. I felt her presence around me. She is near me. I don't care what the others say. I felt the aura she carries around her. What the heck is going on and where are those two?)

He runs a frustrated hand through his hair and finishes his lap. He changes into appropriate attire and goes back to the apartment. They eat lunch and Darshan takes a nap being frustrated from all his thoughts. The day goes on.

Jaimi and Ayesha are sitting in the living room after dinner.

Ayesha: Excited to be back?

Jaimi shrugs her shoulders.

Ayesha: What happened?

Jaimi: I don't know! There is an unsettling feeling. It feels like something bad is going to happen.

Ayesha: Nothing is going to happen!

Jaimi: I don't know! It just feels weird like it's going to be a roller coaster ride that only goes down in a deep dark tunnel.

Ayesha: Think positive!

Jaimi: I'll try to.

Ayesha: Even if something bad happens then I know you can fight it. If you can wake up from death bed then, I'm damn sure you can cross any obstacle that comes in your way.

Jaimi faintly smiles at her.

Ayesha: Why don't you smile anymore?

Jaimi: I'm smiling!

She says as she flashes her pearly white teeth.

Ayesha: Who are you trying to fool? Me or yourself? I know they are fake, Jay!

There is silence after that.

Ayesha: It's been three years!

Jaimi: I don't want to talk about it!

Ayesha: Jay, you cannot bottle it up inside of you. You are killing yourself!

Jaimi: I'm not! I'm paying for the mistake that I made years ago.

Ayesha: Ok, fine! You made a mistake. Everyone makes a mistake, but that doesn't mean you have to pay for it all your life.

Jaimi: You never stop paying for some mistakes! In the end, I learned a lot from it.

Ayesha: What did you learn other than pushing people away from you and hurting yourself?

Jaimi: Ayesha, not now!

Ayesha: Then, when? It's been three years. Move on!

Jaimi just looks away avoiding her gaze.

Ayesha: You need to give love another chance and follow what your heart says!

Jaimi: Heart is just a muscle. Its function is to pump blood throughout your body, not to make any decisions!

Ayesha: Jay, life doesn't work like this! You can't push everyone away because of one person. You left three years ago and limited your interactions with everyone. You can't always hide behind I'm busy with work wall that you have created!

Jaimi: I'm not hiding! I don't want anyone in my life. A companion only makes you weak and keeps you from moving forward. I am not the person to wait for anyone and you very well know it.

Ayesha: Not everyone is the same!

Jaimi: Trust me, they all are! I have seen the world and beyond. They all are the bloody same.

Ayesha lets out a long sigh of despair.

Ayesha: Sometimes good things are taken away so better things can fall together.

Jaimi embraces the silence around her which becomes suffocating. They retire to their room knowing there is no point in talking anymore.

It's 2 in the morning now. Jaimi tosses around in her bed as the memories from the past begin to hunt her. Her train of thoughts comes to an end when her phone starts to ring. She grabs it from the side table and answers the call after reading the name.

Jaimi: Yes Mr. Bhatia?

Gautam: I want you to meet me in the intelligence cell's conference room at the Secretariat Building in twenty minutes.

Before she can say anything, the call ends. She changes into a pair of black t-shirt and leggings. She grabs her pistol and loads it. She straps it to her waist and leaves with her car key making sure not to wake Ayesha up.

**********