"Okay, I will but please don't be mad. " Adya began slowly.

Dhruv folded his hands looking away from her face, side-ward. 

"I wasn't working until last December. They called me, cause they wanted a woman who could go undercover."

Dhruv's jaw muscles stiffened. Woman undercover. Great. The thought of criminals staring at his...ex-wife made him go mad. He couldn't tolerate another man looking at her. 

"It sort of became a every week thing. You know I love my work... And then...the day I met you at the supermarket..."

He turned to face her. Her face told she was going to confess. "That night I found that thing of yours in my covers and.."

"It wasn't my thing!" He interrupted yo correct her while his eyes glared at her.

Adya was enraged slightly. "How on earth was I supposed to know ? I ...I was mad at you. " She stuttered as though thinking whether to continue or not.

"Say it out." He ordered. She narrowed her eyes at him. He should so stop using that tone on her.

"Yeah, so I was mad. So mad! I thought you had moved on while I ...I was angry...then next morning... Before you came home, I was given the assignment to head to Goa. Then you came and I was messed up again. "

He held back his smile. At least, he affected her. But he was still angry. She just couldn't learn to trust him. Why on earth would he be with another woman when she had his heart?

"But after you walked out this idea struck me. I wanted to spend time with you and had to come down here to Goa. So I put the two together and called your mom and ..." her voice died.

"Both of you manipulated me into it!" He completed.

She couldn't manipulate him like that. All the while he had been thinking he brought her along with him. But the truth was it was all her plan.

"I knew if you weren't seeing another woman, you'd only think of me," she added quietly.

He blinked unsteadily as she said that. Two women he loved – his mother and this lady before him. Both of them thick minds who loved to manipulate him. He had great respect for them. But time and again they only hurt him. It wasn't that he was easy to stir, he gave them the right to, he trusted them. This is what he got. His heart ached. 

He turned to leave when he felt her hand hold his wrist. "Don't give me silence. Please."

"I have nothing to say." He raised his gaze to meet hers. She could see the moisture in his eyes.

"Dhruv, you need to understand.. I.."

That statement from her broke the threshold. "I need to understand? You freaking need to understand that this hurts. I am tired. Sick and tired of you and mom. What do you women think of yourself?" He stepped closer, threateningly. "I bloody care a lot, respect a lot, love a lot and this is what I get? "

She gulped he lips settling into a tight line. She was mad at him but wasn't showing. "Dhruv. .." She tried softly.

"Not a word. I am sick of the lies, Adya. It's getting on my nerves. I have been madly trying to change myself from past year so that I can make things work between us and all I get from you is your stubborn old ways and manipulation." He hissed.

"Enough." She raised her voice glaring at him. "Change?" She asked her tone menacing. "This is change? Constantly picking out my faults and telling the world - how awful I am at things- is change? Taunting me at everything I do is change? Reality check Mr. Dhruv Rathore. This man.." She placed her finger on his chest. "Hasn't changed." She spat.

Dhruv gritted his teeth, his eyes shooting daggers at her. "If you saw Adya....if you bloody saw. But well, that's too much to expect right? You have your own ways, own ideas, own needs, own modus operandi. Isn't it?" He stepped closer, as she looked away not able to look into his eyes, which looked like a mirror telling her the truth. 

He gently stroked her cheeks, his eyes showing how hard he was struggling to keep his anger to himself. "You feel like spending time with Dhruv? Aye aye, let's do it. You feel like fucking Dhruv? Let's do it." He hissed over her face. She looked at him with eyes that had tears pricking with hurt.  

"You don't want things to change? Of course they won't. You don't want him to move on either? He won't. " he pulled his hand back. "You want freedom? Give the divorce. When have I been there Adya? It's always you. You don't even realise how stubbornly selfish you are! You know why I hate your profession. Because it's the worst feeling to think that I might come back home to see you hurt or not see you at all. But, you're selfish. You want to go around being a superhero. Superwoman Adya. Go. I don't care," he stepped back tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"Just leave me like you left my life,"  he said taking his lower lip between his teeth to prevent himself from breaking down. 

Adya had tears rolling down her face. Her heart ached. This man loved her so much. Jeez, how stupid was she to not put up with his little shortcomings!  "I.."

"Give me back my heart and get lost!" He said trying to keep his voice imperative, clearly failing. It just gave away how broken he was in the inside. 

"Dhru.. " she pressed in her lips unable to speak. 

"Take rest." He turned around making a beeline for the door.

"You can't walk away like that!" She protested feebly. 

He smiled painfully. "I can. It's just that until now, I never did. " wiping his tears he walked out.

Adya slumped onto the bed. Her face immediately buried into her hands. She felt awful for hurting him so much. Not every time they fought there weren't tears in his eyes. She had seen so much pain twice before. One when she had brought those papers to him and the other when they had last met in the court. Today the tears were there to show how much hurt he was. His words echoing in her ears. Did she look so bad in his eyes?

She was startled by the knock in the door. Taking a deep breath and wiping her tears she reached the door. It was Jai, her colleague the other agent. 

"All good?"  she asked baffled about his sudden appearance. 

"Yeah. Just came to tell you that G.P King was caught, the place you found was their permanent hide out. The leads you gave yesterday, were all temporary local spots. Rakesh has cleaned them up. So that's about it. You take care and enjoy Goa." He smiled.

Adya gave a weak smile. 

"All okay?" He asked slightly unsure at her smile. "Yeah. "

"Mind if I ask.."

Adya looked up at him.

"You guys are getting back? I mean it's really nice.." He explained.

She fell silent remembering their argument.

"He loves you. Almost threatened to sue us if something happened to you." 

"He gets overprotective at times." Adya said apologetically.

"No...he is a nice man. Gave us a lecture on how we shouldn't have let you alone into it until we told him it was your plan." Jai chuckled.

Adya's lips curved upward slightly, "then?"

"He went mad." The man continued to chuckle.

"And told you how stupid my thinking and..." Adya spoke.

"No . He told us how you think you can clean the world and wipe away crime. He's proud of you. Just gets mad when it comes to your safety. He loves you, it shows."

Like her own brewed guilt wasn't enough that more was added. She smiled and nodded.

"By the way, Boss is happy and wishes you a very happy Valentine's!" he grinned.

Adya smiled cordially, "Wish her the same." Her boss, Muskaan was a tough woman and was very different from her but they both respected each other a lot. 

* * *

Adya had been shifting sides on bed. His words kept echoing in her ears. Her mind couldn't find  peace. She looked at the clock it was already thirty past ten. There was no sign of him. She couldn't rest. Even after taking the painkiller the uneasiness in her hadn't left. Minutes later she heard a ring. It was his phone! He had left his phone. She got out of bed making it to the table where it was placed. 

Yug

The caller id read.

She took a deep breath picking up the call.

"Dhruv, where in the milky way are you? So busy with Adya that no call or message for your brothers?" Yug scolded.

Adya gulped. " Hi, Yug! It's Adya here. "

"Oh, Hi.!" Yug replied surprised.

"Dhruv left his phone in the room."

"Oh..Right." Yug said thoughtfully. One- he knew that they were possibly sharing a room, two- he new how determined Dhruv was to work out things between them. The two put together meant maybe the equations between them had changed or were changing. 

He took a quick list of facts. He knew Dhruv's side of story. What was Adya's? He didn't want to pry. But he was done seeing his brother miserable and unhappy. It was high time he was happy again.

"Adya, forgive me if I seem to be an interfering prick.... but... as a concerned brother, I ask, how are things going between you two?"

Adya closed her eyes at the question. Yug had always been a very mature and understanding friend to her. Oddly, she always found herself confiding in Yug about her relationship with his brother. The urge to pour out her heart lost its hold. "we fought!"

"Hey are you okay?"

"He hates me more than ever!" She said trying not to sob.

"Trust me, he can do anything but hate you! You have no clue how hard he's been trying to change things about himself, that you don't like, from past few months. He ..."Yug's voice trailed off as he realised his brother wouldn't exactly want him to tell her all this.

"Say it, Yug" She said softly, feeling terrible.

"He might be mad at me..." Yug said feeling stupid.

"He can't be more mad than he is right now, at me." She spoke closing her eyes.

"He's been trying Adya. He misses you. He wants you back with him. He is lonely without you."

Adya closed her eyes. This feeling inside her- guilt- boiled - burning her.

"I need to go to him right now. I will talk to you later." Adya said making a quick decision.

"We all miss you too." Yug smiled at the other end.

Adya smiled amidst her tears, "I miss you all too. Goodnight."

Would love to have your thoughts...

– Anami!❤