Next day, the sunlight beamed into Ragini's room slanting through the window. The warm rays fell over Ragini's face and woke her up. She opened her eyes and looked around. She blinked her eyes a few times when she found herself in her room. She immediately got down from the bed and went to freshen up. After getting freshened up she hurriedly went down in the hall. She was surprised to see Kavin sitting with Nakul. She went near them.

Ragini: Nakul...

Nakul and Kavin looked at her.

"Tum thik to ho na?"...Nakul asked her while caressing her head.

Ragini: Main thik hoon...Lekin main to wahan us mandir mein thi phir yahan...

"Hum lekar aaye hain tumhe"...Nakul interrupted her.

Ragini looked at him while Kavin looked at her.

Kavin: Waise itni raat ko tum wahan kyun gayi thi Ragini?

Ragini looked at him.

Ragini (Pov): Main abhi inhe sach nahin bata sakti warna Papa aur Nakul bekaar mein hi pareshaan ho jaayenge...Aur mujhe to pata bhi nahin hai ki wo aadmi sach bol raha tha ya nahin...

"Kavin kuchh puchh raha hai, jawab do Ragini"...Nakul spoke up while bringing her back to her senses.

She looked at Kavin.

"Kavinji main...Main wo wahan...Wo mera ghar par mann nahin lag raha tha...Isliye main ghar se bahar wahan chali gayi thi"...She said in a low voice and then looked down.

Kavin looked at her and then at Nakul who seemed to be angry at her.

"Ragini are you out of your mind?...Agar tumhe bahar jaana tha to tum mujhse kehti main le jaata tumhe...Aaj se pehle jo kuchh tumne kaha hai wo maine kiya hai na?"...Nakul shouted at her in anger due to which she trembled in fear. She lowered her gaze and her eyes brimmed up with tears.

"I am sorry"...She mumbled in a low voice.

"What sorry?...Tumhe pata hai main aur papa kitna pareshaan ho gaye the tumhare liye...Agar tumhe kuchh ho jaata to kya hota hamara"...Nakul yelled at the top of his voice.

Ragini ran away from there towards her room in tears while Nakul sat on the sofa in anger. Kavin saw Ragini running towards her room. He felt bad for her although he knew that Nakul was right. He looked at Nakul and sat beside him.

"Nakul tumhe us se pyaar se baat karna chahiye tha, use pyaar se samjhate to bhi wo samajh jaati tumhari baat"...He said calmly.

"Kavin mujhe gussa aa gaya tha, tumhe pata hai is se pehle usne kabhi aisa nahin kiya...Kal se wo pareshaan si lag rahi hai, pata nahin kahan khoyi khoyi rehti hai"...Nakul said in worried tone.

Kavin: To tumne us se baat nahin ki is baare mein?

Nakul: Kavin maine us se baat karne ki koshish ki thi lekin...

He stopped in the middle when he received a call. He looked at Kavin before picking up the call.

Caller: Kaise ho Nakul babu?...

Nakul recognised his voice and understood that he was the boss.

"Ae tu kyun peechhe pada hai meri behan ke?"...He asked him in anger.

Kavin looked at him and signalled him to put the phone on speaker. Nakul nodded and did so.

"Nakul babu tumhari pyaari si behan ke saath mera bahut purana hisaab hai"...The boss replied and laughed.

Nakul and Kavin became confused after hearing him.

"Waise tumne use uski zindagi ka sach bataya ya nahin?"...The boss asked and laughed evilly.

"Sach!"...Kavin whispered while looking at Nakul.

"Tum kaho to main hi bata deta hoon use"...The boss said and smirked.

"Nahin tum kuchh nahin bataoge use"...Nakul said anxiously.

Boss: Chalo thik hai main nahin batata use kuchh bhi...Lekin ek na ek din to wo sach jaan hi jaayegi aur phir...

"Tum chahte kya ho?"...Nakul asked while interrupting him in the middle.

"Tumhari behan ko"...The boss replied and grinned evilly.

"Ae sun agar tune phir se ye baat kahi to jaan le loonga main teri"...Nakul shouted in anger. Kavin had also lost his temper after hearing him.

"Nakul babu itna gussa tumhari sehat ke liye achchha nahin hai...Rahi baat tumhari behan ko apni zindagi mein laane ki to wo to main karke hi rahoonga"...The boss said and hung up.

"Meri behan se door rehna"...Nakul yelled in anger.

He threw his cell phone in anger when he realised that the boss had disconnected the call. Kavin looked at him.

"Koun tha ye?"...He asked while keeping his hand on his shoulder.

Nakul: Pata nahin yaar...Kal jab Ragini mandir gayi thi tab bhi iska phone aaya tha aur...

He told him about his conversation with the boss. Kavin didn't know why but he lost his temper after hearing him. He calmed himself a bit when something struck his mind.

"Waise ye kounse sach ki baat kar raha tha?"...He asked Nakul in confusion.

Nakul looked at him and kept his hand on his shoulder.

"Kavin tum mere sabse achchhe dost ho...Main tumse jhooth nahin bolunga"...He said and then looked at Ragini's photograph on a nearby table.

Kavin followed his gaze and he too looked at the photo. He smiled a bit while looking at Ragini's smiling face in the photo.

"Ragini meri behan nahin hai Kavin"...Nakul said with tears.

Kavin's smile vanished after hearing him. He looked at him in surprise and confusion.

"Matlab?"...He asked.

"Main sab batata hoon tumhe...Lekin tum Ragini ko is baare mein abhi kuchh mat batana aur us se kuchh mat puchhna"...Nakul said while looking at him.

"Thik hai"...Kavin said.

Nakul took a deep breathe and again looked at Ragini's photograph.

Nakul: Teen saal pehle main aur papa...

He stopped in the middle when Kavin's cell phone beeped. Kavin looked at his cell phone.

"ACP sir ka message hai...Mujhe bureau bulaya hai"...He said and shifted his gaze from the cell phone and looked at him.

"Thik hai tum jao hum baad mein baat karenge"...Nakul said while patting his back.

Kavin nodded and went outside the house. He started walking towards his car but stopped in the way when he heard a voice. He turned back and looked at the source of the voice. He saw Ragini watering the plants in her balcony garden while talking to them.

"Main Nakul se kabhi baat nahin karoongi...Hamesha bade bhai hone ka fayda uthata hai...Ragini wahan mat jao, Ragini ye mat karo, Ragini ye mat khao, Ragini ye mat bolo, Ragini ye, Ragini wo...Huh!"...She muttered in a little anger while touching the petals of a flower.

Kavin laughed a little after hearing her.

"Aakhir meri bhi koi marzi hai ya nahin"...She said and kept the water can aside.

Kavin smiled at her.

"Okay okay...I agree ki galti meri thi...Lekin Nakul bhi to kuchh jyada hi protective hai mujhe lekar"...She said and sighed.

She was continuously talking to the plants while making cute facial expressions and Kavin was continuously staring at her while smiling. Suddenly Ragini's gaze fell on him and she became embarrassed. She quickly bent down and hid herself. Kavin laughed at her antics. When she didn't come in front of him he went and sat inside his car and drove for the bureau. After sometime, Ragini stood up and secretly looked down.

"Kavinji ne sab sun liya hoga kya?"...She thought while playing with the corner of her dupatta.

She sighed and left her dupatta.

"Main Kavinji se bhi baat nahin karoongi...Wo kal kyun nahin aaye"...She said sadly.

She looked at the plants sadly.

"Lekin wo kaise aate...Unke colleagues bata rahe the ki wo apne kaam mein busy the"...She thought being unaware of the fact why she was feeling bad when Kavin didn't come in her birthday party.

She jerked her thoughts when her gaze fell on her personal diary. She picked that up and took out some letters from that. She smiled and recalled that day when she got them...

XXX

Ragini was cleaning her room. Suddenly something fell from her cupboard. She bent down and picked that up. It was a notebook which contained some letters. She looked at the letters in confusion.

"Ye kiske letters hain?"...She thought while opening one of them.

"Likhta rahoon tujhe main jeevan bhar

Main lekhak to lekhni tum ban jao

Ho antar bas itna ki main kalam to tum syahi

Likhoon chahe jo bhi main

Mere shabdon ke arth ban jao."

A beautiful smile crept over her lips after reading it.

"Jo itna achchha likhte hain wo khud kitne achchhe honge"...She thought while smiling.

She was about to open the next one but stopped when Nakul called her. She closed them and kept them in her personal diary and hastily went to Nakul.

XXX

She smiled after recalling that day and opened the next letter...

"Tera haath mere haathon mein reh jaaye to achchha hai,

Ye jeevan yunhi saath guzar jaaye to achchha hai.

Sabko pata hai ki meri shayari ho tum,

Par ye khabar tum tak pahunch jaaye to achchha hai.

Ki chal raha hai dil mera, bahake hue sharaabi sa,

Bas ab ye tumhare hi paas reh jaaye to achchha hai."

"Ye kisne likhe honge?...Ek mein bhi naam nahin likha hai"...She murmured while rubbing her neck.

She sighed and opened the other one...

"Soorat na dekhi maine uski,

Moorat phir bhi uski ban'ne lagi hai...

Din ko chain nahin aata,

Aur raaton ki neend udne lagi hai...

Lagta hai us se mohabbat hone lagi hai."

She kept the letters back in her diary and hugged it close to her heart.

"Kaash main ek baar aapse mil sakti"...She said in a dreamy tone.

She came back to her senses when she received a call. She went inside her room and picked up the call.

"Boliye Sunanda aunty"...She said before keeping her personal diary in her study table drawer.

"Ragini beta kahan ho tum?...Ab tak nahin aayi"...Sunanda asked in a worried tone.

"Sorry aunty aaj main nahin aa paaungi...Wo aaj meri tabiyat thik nahin hai"...She lied as Nakul will not allow her to go outside the house after what she did yesterday.

"Thik hai...Apna khayal rakhna beta"...Sunanda said and hung up.

Ragini kept her cell phone on her study table and sat on the bed with a gloomy face. Meanwhile Nakul entered inside her room with breakfast for her. She looked at him and then adverted her gaze. He smiled and went near her.

"I'm really sorry her highness"...He said while sitting in front of her.

Ragini looked at him and then to the other side.

"Aaj ke baad main tumhe kabhi nahin daantoonga"...Nakul said while keeping the breakfast on a nearby table.

"Aur main jahan chahoongi wahan le chaloge mujhe?"...Ragini asked while still looking to the other side.

"Haan...Thik hai"...Nakul replied and sighed.

Ragini looked at him with questioning eyes.

"I promise chhoti...Tum jahan kahogi hum wahan jaayenge"...Nakul said and smiled.

"Nakul don't call me chhoti...Main ab badi ho gayi hoon"...Ragini said while pouting her lips in irritation.

"Miss Ragini aap to mujhe bhaiya bolti nahin...To mujhe hi aapko chhoti bulana padta hai taki sabko ye pata chale ki main aapse bada hoon aur aap meri chhoti si pyaari si behan hain"...Nakul said and pulled her cheeks lovingly.

Ragini looked at him but didn't say anything. She took the breakfast and started eating. Nakul looked at her in surprise.

"Mere sorry ka jawab nahin diya tumne?"...He asked her with a sad face.

"Soch ke bataungi Nakul bhaiya"...Ragini replied while eating her breakfast.

Nakul looked at her in surprise while she laughed under her breathe and tried to ignore him by eating her breakfast.

To be continued...