"Apka time over ho gaya hai!",

informs the orderly reaching the solitary confinement.

Getting up from his sleeping position, Captain Rajveer says, almost like mummers,

"Ye bhi bata dete, bura time ya acha!"

"Chalo...",

saying that, he gets up to leave the cell, that Dr. Shalini enters.

Getting surprised, Captain Rajveer asks, creasing his brows,

"Dr. Shalini aap?''

"Hi Captain! Apka kuch regular check up karne ayi hun",

tells Dr. Shailini.

"Kyun?",

asks Captain Rajveer, creasing his brows.

"I am absolutely fine doctor",

smiles Captain Rajveer.

Smiling a little, almost like an apologetical smile, feeling sorry that he had to face the solitary confinement, Dr. Shalini informs,

"Captain it is necessary. Solitary confinement ke baad check up karna zaruri hota hai. It won't take time",

she assures him. Indicating towards the cell, Captain Rajveer asks,

"Yahan par?"

Dr. Shalini smiles a little and nods to a 'yes'!

"Chaliye ayiye baithiye",

smiling, Captain Rajveer invites Dr. Shalini to sit on the slab where he had been resting and himself sits next to her. He notices how serious Dr. Shalini is, of course he doesn't have to guess the reason! It's obvious that she is not liking it, seeing her best friend here in the solitary confinement, who has now got the permission to leave after facing the punishment of coming too late from then mentorship programme with his protegee Cadet Naina Singh.

Captain Rajveer notices that she is tensed. Knowing that he is the reason behind her worries, he tries to make her smile and forget her worries by asking casually,

"bataiye kya lengi aap - chai ya coffee?",

as if she is visiting him to his room than in the solitary confinement.

Smiling at his try to make her feel relaxed, to cheer her up, Dr. Shalini says,

"just your B.P. Captain!"

Captain Rajveer smiles and forwards his arm so that she could measure his BP.

Rajveer reads the measuring as the mercury level goes higher and says out of surprise,

"arey koi roko issey!"

Shaking her head out of disappointment, Dr. Shalini closes her BP machine and says,

"ye sahi signs nahi hai Captain, apko apna khyal rakhna hoga. Apke body jaise work kar rahi hai ussey mujhey ye signals mil rahe hain ki ye sahi nahi hai. Mujhey aisa lag raha hai jaise apke dimag mein koi baat chal rahi hai. It's as if aap koi jung lad rahe hain apne aap se",

Dr. Shalini gets frustrated, unable to bear seeing him like this.

Turning away from her, so that she cannot read his eyes as he lies to her,

"aisi koi baat nahi hai doctor. Main... Main kya soch raha hunga"

"Aisi koi baat nahi hai?",

asks Dr. Shalini, creasing her brows, almost like taunting him.

"Kya main nahi janti Captain ki aap iss waqt kis barey mein soch rahe honge?",

asks Dr. Shalini, getting irritated that he is not talking to her openly.

"Purey academy mein apke aur Cadet Singh ke barey mein jo baatein ho rahi hain...",

she trails off the sentence, shaking her head.

Putting his hands into his trousers' pockets, still turned away from her, he says,

"I think you are right doctor. You don't have to be an Einstein to understand that much!"

"Waise apko kya lagta hai jo sub keh rahe hain wo such hua to?",

asks Captain Rajveer, still not turning to look at her. But this time the reason is entirely different for not looking towards her! He doesn't have the guts to face her, afraid, that she might read his eyes! She might understand what's hidden in his heart.

"To?",

asks Dr. Shalini, knitting her brows, unable to believe that he is actually asking her that!

"It can be disastrous Captain!"

Listening to this Captain Rajveer laughs sarcastically.

"Sirf apke liye hi nahi balki KMA ke liye bhi!",

at this he laughs even more, sarcastically.

His laughing irks Dr. Shalini,

"How... how can you take it so lightly Captain? Aap please jakar subse keh dijiye ki wo jo kuch bhi keh rahe hain unn mein se koi baat such nahi hai!"

His sarcastic laugh turns his eyes teary. Getting serious on listening to Dr. Shalini's last line, he says, his eyes still teary,

"Haan... haan ek baat such nahi hai! Nahi hai such ek baat!"

"Kaunsi baat?",

Naina's voice takes both Captain Rajveer and Dr. Shalini by surprise. They turn to look at her. Naina keeps staring him.

(Rajveer-Naina fast tune begins)

"Cadet Singh! Aap yahan kya kar rahi hain?",

asks Captain Rajveer, creasing his brows. His words reflects his anger towards Naina.

(Rajveer-Naina fast tune continues)

Standing with him, Dr. Shalini notices how Captain Rajveer's whole demeanour changed on seeing Cadet Singh. It didn't escape her eyes how on listening to Naina's voice, for fraction of seconds the vibes of satisfaction ran throughout his body. His otherwise tensed muscles relaxed for that particular moment. But he is back to his normal self - tensed! But for some reason his tension has minimized. Dr. Shalini looks at Naina then back at Captain Rajveer, and finds both of them staring each-other, like two departed souls are meeting each other after having kept away from each other for far too long!

Walking into the cell she says,

"main permission le kar ayi hun",

her eyes not ready to leave his even for fraction of second, she doesn't want to miss anything. Dr. Shalini begins to say something but before she gets time to voice her words, oblivious to her try, Captain Rajveer asks, still staring Naina, raising his voice a little,

"apko kisne diya permission?"

(Rajveer-Naina fast tune continues)

"Mujhey dekhna tha aap theek hain ya nahi!"

"Aap kisi se puch sakti thi! Abhi Dr. Shalini aane hi wali thi bahar, aap unse puch sakti thi!",

scolds Captain Rajveer.

"Maine kaha na mujhey apko dekhna tha!",

replies Naina, with full determination, not ready to lose this argument. Dr. Shalini tries to hide her smile, but of course none of the both present in front of her were aware of her presence any more, so it didn't matter anyways.

Clearing her throat, Dr. Shalini says,

"I am sure Captain, Cadet Singh ko apse baat karni hogi. After all ye punishment sirf apko hi nahi mila, balki Naina ko bhi mila hai!"

Rajveer looks towards Dr. Shalini, knitting his brows, unable to understand why did she say that. Had Naina also got some kind of punishment which he is unaware of? The thought of her getting punished that too when he knows he is partially responsible for their coming late, makes him nervous and tensed!

Oh yes, he could have avoided being late, had he not gone flown away by her presence, by the fact that they were all alone. Of course, of course he didn't do anything which is unacceptable but imagining something, something your heart desires, is it also considered a sin, just like a teacher-student relationship? Hold on, relationship between a teacher and a student? What kind of a relationship is he thinking about? How does it fit with Rajveer-Naina?

Unable to understand how should she react, Dr. Shalini clears her throat to bring back the attention of the both standing with her towards her.

"Ahmm... I think mujhey ab chalna chahiye",

saying that, she looks towards Captain Rajveer then towards Cadet Naina, smiling a little out of politeness, she leaves.

As she leaves, Rajveer looks back towards Naina and turns back to collect his shirt from the slab. Crossing her arms on her chest she asks him,

"kaunsi baat such nahi hai?"

Still busy in collecting his shirt, he says,

"apko aise chup kar kisi ki baatein sunni nahi chahiye Cadet Singh"

"Main chup kar nahi sunn rahi thi, main yahan ayi thi to sunna",

she tells him confidently, raising her voice a little.

"Well I guess main sahi time par aa gayi thi yahan warna...",

she trails off the sentence. Turning to look at her, raising his brows, he provokes her,

"warna?"

Creasing her brows, raising her voice, she asks him again,

"konsi baat such nahi hai?"

"Warna kya Cadet Singh?",

Captain Rajveer asks her back.

Naina turns her face towards left, out of anger.

"Aap mere mentor hain iska matlab ye nahi hai Sir ki apka jab mann karega aap mere saath waise hi behave karenge!",

says Naina out of frustration. Moving a step closer to her, he asks her, looking into her eyes intently,

"kaise behave kia maine Cadet Singh?",

his voice turns soft suddenly. The sudden change in his voice makes Naina to look towards him, they enjoy an eye-lock.

(Rajveer-Naina tune begins)

"Jitna main apko janti hun, aap anyay ka saath kabhi nahi dete. Jhoot, galat ka saath kabhi nahi dete. Fir aaj aapne chup -chap ye punishment kyun accept kia Sir?",

her sudden bold question takes him aback. He keeps staring her out of surprise, out of shock.

(Rajveer-Naina tune continues as they keep staring each other)

Suddenly an orderly comes to inform,

"aap ko Brigadier Chandok ne abhi report karne ko kaha hai".

Lowering her eyes on listening to the orderly's voice, Naina waits for the orderly to leave. As he leaves, Naina stares back at Rajveer. Knowing that he won't answer, Naina shakes her head a little and leaves.

~*~*~*~

As Rajveer walks towards his room, Major Bhargava calls him from behind,

"hold it Captain!"

His voice sets Captain Rajveer's blood to boiling. Turning his hand into a fist, he calms himself down. Reaching him,

"So Captain kaisi rahi... apki visit to solitary confinement?",

asks Major Bhargava, mockingly.

Smirking, Captain Rajveer turns to face him. The smile on his face irks Major Bhargava. His irritation satisfies Captain Rajveer and with a motive to increase the flame of his anger a little more, he replies,

"sweet and sour!"

Saying that he doesn't give him time to reply, smiling Captain Rajveer leaves.

Reaching his room, he bolts the door behind him and falls on the bed and thinks - it was indeed sweet and sour! Sour, because somehow he gave them a reason to laugh upon his and Naina's relationship. Had he been more opened to her about his feelings, he would have taken step to stop all the nonsense going around in the academy but somehow he is bound to stay quiet, not because he is afraid of all, but because he is afraid of the only person whom he has given all the rights to treat him in whatever way she wants to! And that is no one else but Naina! He was afraid that in a temper like his, he might end up revealing something, that he doesn't want to reveal yet! And that too in front of all... no! never!

Sweet, because today the way Naina looked at him, her eyes told everything to him, but he is not sure if she herself is aware of what her eyes revealed. He'll wait. He'll wait for her to know! He'll wait for her to tell! And lastly, he'll wait for her to become his!

Sweet, because when she asked,

"Kaunsi baat?",

at a certain point of time, during that moment, he wanted to reveal in front of her what's hidden in his heart, his true feelings for her.

For that particular moment, he was ready to avoid the fact that they weren't alone but Dr. Shalini was also there. For that moment he wanted to forget what all is going round in the academy. For that moment he was ready to break all the bars that are becoming obstacles between him and Naina. And when all these thoughts are causing an adrenal rush in his body and bringing a smile on his face then how can it not be sweet?

So it was indeed a sweet and sour visit for Captain Rajveer!

~*~*~*~*~