Thanks to all for voting and commenting on the previous story. I was under the impression that I posted this story long back Maybe I posted it only in IF.

He walked in the dark lonely path lost in his thoughts. Not lost in thoughts, rather in an effort to jog his thoughts. The dry spell he was going through lately was getting out of hand. It was frustrating. He felt as if his near was end, or rather the end to his career and his passion. Furiously, he whips out his mobile and checks his inbox. He scrolls down the mails to the one he had received an hour back and which had made him decide on walking out like this. He opens that mail and checks.

Om,

My patience is wearing thin. Your better buck up. I'm not giving you any more time.

Ridhima.

"Bitch." Om softly mutters as he started to delete her mail in anger, then decided against it. Once he was in a better frame of mind, he might want to reply to her. Slipping his mobile back into his pants pocket, he continues to walk thinking of different scenarios.

He felt someone sneak up behind him and was about to turn around to check when he felt something cold press against his back.

"Don't make a sound. Hand me your wallet and phone."

Hearing the very feminine sound he frowns a little though he could feel the blood drain from his face, he was scared.

"I said give me your wallet and phone."

"I didn't bring a wallet."

"Don't lie."

"I'm just going to turn around." Om says as he slowly turned around.

"I said don't move." She screams though belatedly as he had turned around was looking at her, or rather, looking down at her. she cranes her neck back to look at his face and the recognition was immediate.

Om was surprised to see the tiny girl. She was wearing a hoodie, but he could still see her face and she was really beautiful. And the moment, their eyes met, he saw her eyes widen in recognition. "You know me."

"I don't." she lies.

Om curiously looks down at her and sees her gun. He relaxes and couldn't help smiling.

"I said hand over your wallet and mobile."

"You shouldn't be looking at my face when you mug me. I shouldn't be able to see your face. So, I won't identify you later." Om advises her.

She quickly looks down, "I said hand over your wallet and mobile."

Om smiles. "As I said, I don't have my wallet with me."

"You're lying."

"You can frisk me if you want." Om shrugs in reply.

She frowns and panics for a second. "Give me your mobile."

"Don't have one."

"I saw it in your hand!" she replies furiously. "Don't make me angry. Hand over your mobile and wallet."

"What is your name?"

"I'll shoot you."

"How did you start mugging people?" Om asks curiously, seeing a ray of hope as an idea took shape.

"Give me your mobile and wallet."

"I don't have them. I left home in anger. So, I didn't bring them with me."

"You think I am joking? I'll blow your brains off."

"You recognized me when you saw my face."

"I didn't. now stop talking."

He could see that she was starting to panic. "You know, this road isn't that safe at night."

"So, you know how I have been hurting people in this road. Give me your wallet and mobile."

Om stopped himself before he laughed out loud. "I've nothing on me. Are you alone or do you have any accomplice?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"That means no." he guesses then he answers, "just trying to figure out your character."

"Character?" she asks confused completely.

"Which book of mine, do you like the best?" he curiously asks her.

"Murder at..." she starts and then quickly stops herself panicking. "What book?"

"Ah! A fan." Om smiles smugly.

"Don't act smart with me."

"I'm going through a very bad phase." Om conversationally tells her.

"What?" she asks completely lost.

"Walk with me." he tells her as he turned to walk off.

"Stop right there." She says as she pressed the gun on him.

Sighing, Om turns to her, "I am having writer's block."

"Nooo." She sadly moans. She looked heart broken.

"Awwww a true fan." Om smiles happily.

Quickly recovering she says, "Stop playing your tricks on me. you don't know me. give me your wallet."

"Ridhima... my publisher, she is eating my brains off. I am way over my deadline." Om tells her. "I was supposed to submit my first 5 chapters two weeks ago, but I haven't written a word. She just wants me to write something. She doesn't realize that it is not so easy to write. We can't just take the laptop and type away. Stories are not formed like that. Right?"

She nods her head in agreement as she looked at him in sympathy.

"The contracts and all... I felt my head would explode. And this writer's block." Om sighs.

She sadly sighs.

"I feel my work have been slipping lately. Did you like my last book? Didn't you feel it wasn't up to standard?" Om asks her worriedly.

She quickly shakes her head in negative.

Om couldn't help smiling forgetting his issues, "I thought you didn't know I was a writer and haven't read my books."

Realizing he had trapped her, she quickly recovers and says, "Stop talking."

"You don't have any other lines?" Om asks her curiously. "Hmmm if I was writing what would I have made you say?" Om thinks thoughtfully. "Hmmm nothing else."

"Stop talking."

"I'm telling you my problems. As my fan, isn't it your moral obligation to listen?"

Her mouth drops down in shock and confusion.

"Ridhima sent me another mail and I got so angry and helpless, I just decided to take a walk. You know, try to think of some ideas to work."

"And?" she asks too curious to keep her mouth shut.

Om smiles happily. "I'm getting some ideas."

"Yeah?" she couldn't help smiling.

"A girl mugs a man."

Her smile drops hearing that and she starts frowning at him.

"I got the idea when I saw you." He tells her quickly. "Tell me what do you think."

"Stop talking!" she tells him irately.

"Come on." He says flashing his best smile.

For a second she blushes and then quickly recovering she says, "I'll shoot you."

"As she is leaving after the mugging, she hears a sound. She goes to investigate and finds out the man she had mugged is being murdered."

Her mouth drops open in shock. "and she sees the murderer?"

"Hmmm no. It is dark where the murder is happening. So she doesn't see his face. But she is standing under the light and the murderer sees her face."

"Oh no." she gasps.

Om couldn't help smiling at her innocent reaction. God, he wanted to see her read his book and her live reactions. He was so sure, she gave such loud reactions when she read his book. Wait a minute, but if she was a just a mugger, even though a bad one at that, how did she read his books?

"Then?"

"She runs away. The murderer chases her. but she escapes. You see, she is very good at mugging and she knows her way around."

"Hmmm." She frowns at him, did he just insult her?

"After that... I am not sure." Om tells her. "Why did you start mugging?"

"What??"

"I'm trying to figure out her backstory. Is she married?"

"No."

"Any love interests?"

"No."

"Hmmm interesting." Om muses smiling. "How about coffee with her favorite author?"

"WHAAAT?" she shouts in shock.

"Assuming I am her favorite author."

"Huh?"

"I want to know you better." He tells her smiling.

"Shut up!"

"Yipee! New dialogue." Om excitedly says.

"You think all this is fun?" she asks frowning at him.

"No, I am very serious. My career is on the line. So, why did she start mugging?" Om thinks loudly. "Sick parents? Too cliched. Orphan?"

"What?"

"Kleptomania!"

"Kleptomaniacs steal not rob!" she couldn't help pointing it out to him in a superior tone.

"Oh yeah!" Om says sadly. "That is right. So, why did she start mugging?"

"Enough of your nonsense."

"What forced her?"

"Give me your wallet and mobile."

"I am not giving you my mobile." Om says with a flirty smile. "You will get my number and mail id and all my secrets."

Her mouth drops open.

"What's your name?"

"Mobile!"

"You give me your name, I'll think of giving you my mobile."

"Mobile."

"How about an autographed book? Actually, all my books?"

Her eyes widen in surprise and excitement.

"Do we have a deal?" Om asks her.

And she just couldn't help herself, "Gauri."

"Nice name." Om smiles at her. "Gauri." He says in an almost whisper as he let it roll in his tongue.

Gauri quickly shakes her head to clear her head. "Okay, enough with your bullshit. Give me your wallet and mobile."

"When she was mugging, she took something that the killer is after. What do you think?" Om asks her thoughtfully.

"He sees her face and wants to kill her. now, she has something he wants?" she asks frowning.

"Hmmm." Om nods. "How about they both don't see each other's face?"

"So, she is safe."

"Maybe the police suspect the mugger as the killer."

"Obviously."

"So, she can't go to the police as they wouldn't believe her. so, she decides to find the killer."

"Is she talented enough?"

"Maybe she finds a helper."

"Who?"

"Potential love interest?"

"He should be the killer." Gauri says dreamily.

"You're so anti-romantic." Om frowns at her.

"I like suspense thrillers more."

"Hmmm... no he is not the killer."

"Why not?" she frowns at him.

"Because I feel like writing a little bit of romance in it." Om tells her grinning.

"You and romance?" Gauri asks shocked.

"Never had a muse."

"Now you have?" Gauri asks frowning disappointed and a little upset.

"If I was not a writer and if you meet me, would you go for coffee with me?"

Gauri frowns hearing that. "What?"

"Research for the background."

"Hmmm yeah I would."

"Then I have a muse." He grins at her.

With the way he was smiling at her, she couldn't help blushing.

"How did you start reading my books? A mugger, reading one of my books, I can understand, but more than that? How?"

Gauri frowns at him and says, "Enough. Shut up. I'll blow your brains off. Give me your mobile and wallet."

Om chuckles softly, "I'm a mystery novel writer. So, do you seriously think that I wouldn't have researched on guns for my novels? And that research wouldn't actually help me in recognizing a real gun and a toy gun?"

Gauri's mouth drops open in shock and panic. She looks to left and right for help.

Om couldn't help grin seeing her reaction.

"Guys... it's over." Gauri softly whispers.

"Who are there with you?" Om asks curiously as he looked around. Then stops in shock when two guys and a girl came forward.

"Hi." One of the guy says as he hurried to them with the others behind him.

"Ermmm... who are they?" Om asks moving closer to Gauri.

"My partners."

Om turns to give Gauri an exasperated look. "I know they are not muggers. They don't look like one. And they wouldn't have taken this long to join us."

"My crew." Gauri tells him with an embarrassed smile.

"Crew?" Om asks confused.

"Hi, Sir." The man says as he stepped up to them eagerly. "Big fan."

"Thank you." Om replies a little embarrassed. "What's happening?"

"We were shooting for a show called pranked."

"The one where you fool people?" Om asks shocked.

"You have watched our show?" he asks surprised.

"Yeah, once or twice."

"Normally, we wouldn't let it go on for so long but you're such a famous writer, we thought it would have got us TRP that is why, we thought to give Gauri some time to prank you."

"But she couldn't." Om says as he grinned at Gauri.

Embarrassed Gauri bites her lips.

"But we still hope, we could telecast it. If you don't mind."

Om shrugs in reply with a smile, "No problem."

"Thank you, sir. And sir, loved your last book."

"Thank you." Om replies then turning to Gauri, he softly whispers so only she could hear him, "Every time someone tells me they liked the book, I faint."

"I liked it." Gauri tells him.

Om couldn't help smiling at that. "Thank you."

"It's still in top 10, right?" the man asks.

"Yes." Gauri replies.

Om smiles at her.

"How about a photo?" the man asks Om.

Om nods and soon he was posing for group photos and selfies.

"We should get going. Should we drop you?" he asks Om.

"No, it's okay. I'll walk."

"it was great meeting you. let's go Gauri."

Gauri nods and gestures them to walk.

"I'm sorry for the whole mugging thing."

"I wasn't scared. So, it's okay." Om tells her smiling.

"I never thought you would be like this." Gauri tells him smiling.

"Like what?"

Gauri blushes a little and says, "So human.... and fun."

"I think that is the sweetest compliment I ever got." Om tells her beaming proudly.

Gauri smiles hearing that, "I was always a fan of your writings."

"And now?" Om asks.

Gauri blushes a little as she shook her head. "When will I get my books?"

"Soon." Om promises her. "Should I send it to your studio?"

Gauri nods. "I'll go then."

Om nods.

"I hope you'll get a great story."

"Thank you."

"Bye."

"Bye, Gauri."

Gauri turns to walk off and Om quickly calls her, "Gauri."

"Yes?" Gauri eagerly turns back to look at him.

"Give me your wallet and mobile." Om tells her faking her tone.

Gauri chuckles, "Bye."

"No... I was serious." Om says quickly becoming serious.

"What?" Gauri asks confused.

"Give me your mobile."

Confused and frowning, Gauri gives him her mobile. Om takes her mobile and types into it. Then he hands it back to her.

"That's my number." He winks at her.

Gauri blushes as she looked at her mobile then exactly she walks to join her crew.

Om stood by and watched the vehicle drive away. He couldn't help smiling thinking about Gauri. Smiling, he starts walking back home.

Hearing the alert, he quickly checks his mobile and sees that he got a message from an unknown number. He opens the message.

Hi.

He smiles and replies, Gauri?

Yes. Is she still a mugger?

My heroine will be a mugger. Now, how about the coffee?

Typing into his mobile, he walked home.

A year and a half later, Omkara Singh Oberoi, had another bestseller that he was proud of, One Dark Night. And if you look at the dedication page, you would find this.

Dedicated To

My muse

One dark night, she tried to steal my mobile and wallet...

But ended up stealing my heart...

My wife, my Gauri.

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- Lazy