The morning of the winters was pleasant. The sounds of birds chirping filled the environment with melodious singing. The sun rays peeking through the window brightened the day.

In an elegant room with a classic interior, a girl sat in front of the dressing table. The white anarkali suit adorned her fitting perfectly while the red dupatta hanging loosely on her arm highlighted her simple look. The bangles adorning her wrists jiggled making her giggle. She loves bangles and the sounds they make.

Putting a small bindi in between her eyebrows she looked at herself in the mirror. Something was missing as she looked at herself.

The earrings kept in front of her took her attention making her realise what was missing. Wearing them she stood up and looked at herself feeling satisfied.

A soft smile adorned her lips as she took her mobile and went out of the room. Sprinting downstairs she looked at the person sitting on the couch. Her smile grew wide as she walked towards the person.

"Papa" taking a seat beside her father kept her head on his shoulder making him smile and caress her head.

"Good morning mere sher" raghuveer malhotra , her father, greeted her while keeping the newspaper aside.

"Good morning papa" she greeted him with a smile.

"let's have breakfast, I've a very important meeting to attend today" getting up the two of them went to the dining area taking their respective seats.

"where is dadi?" rooh asked at the absence of her grandmother who would always be present there in the living room before anyone else. Even when she was old, she had this habit of waking up early.

"maa has gone to the temple, she had her breakfast before going" her father responded making her nod in understanding.

"papa, I am going to the dargah today. You also come with me" taking a bite of her parantha she looked at her father with hopeful eyes as she really wanted her father to go with her.

"Rooh, I have to attend this meeting. It is really important or I would have definitely joined you" his tone was laced with sadness as he didn't want to deny anything his daughter asked for. His eyes expressing the sadness just like his voice did.

"It's okay papa, don't be sad. We'll go together some other day" sensing the sadness she tried to put her father at ease.

She herself was sad that her father couldn't accompany her but she didn't want him to be sad.

"You take the bodyguards beta, don't go alone. Alright?" Raghuveer demanded not wanting her to go alone.

"No papa, I don't want to take the bodyguards. I'll go with the driver uncle and keep my face covered" she denied taking bodyguards as she always feels suffocated when surrounded with people and not able to move around freely.

"rooh, why don't you listen to me beta" raghuveer was disappointed. He didn't want her to go alone.

"I do papa, but not this. I promise I'll take care of myself. Please papa?" her father sighed agreeing half-heartedly.

"I'll come home early today and we are going for an ice cream date. deal?" raghuveer announced taking a sip of tea while her eyes twinkled with happiness.

Ice cream was her forever undying love.

"deal done, papa. you know na that you are world's best father?" getting all excited she hugged her father making him pat her head lovingly.

"Yes, I know because I've world's best daughter" raghuveer chuckled at her excitement while she was already planning in her head which ice cream she wanted to eat today evening.

_____________________________

The black mercedes benz running through the busy street slowed down coming to a stop in front of a dargah.

Covering her head with the dupatta rooh tied the other half around her face covering it completely except for her eyes.

"beta, aap akele mat jana. mein aapke sath chlta hun" the driver said when rooh was about to open the door and move out.

(Child, don't go alone. I'll go with you.)

"uncle aap car park kar ke aa jayiye tab tak mein andar jaati hun" giving a polite nod to the driver she walked out of the car while driver drove away to find a spot to park the car.

"Uncle, you park the car till then I'll go inside"

The place was crowded as it was Sunday. Moving through the crowd she went inside. Taking the blessings she moved towards the tree where people tie threads and make a wish.

Untying the thread from her wrist she started to tie it around the tree. She has everything in her life. A loving father, a caring grandmother who never let her feel her mother's absence though no one can take a mother's place in a child's life specially a girl child.

She was satisfied in her life yet her heart wished something she couldn't name because she didn't understand what exactly it was. There was a void she wanted to fill. There was an unknown restlessness in her heart, a craving for something or someone she couldn't understand.

Tying the knot she wished to have peace in her heart. Leaning her head against the tree she closed her eyes asking for peace, to take that restlessness from her heart away.

A soft smile played on her lips which was hidden under the dupatta as she walked towards the exit. She was walking zoned out busy in her thoughts, unfocused.

A loud sound of a gun shot echoed in the place making her hault in her steps. The place went quiet as people stood numb on their places.

A dead boy with a bullet mark in the centre of his forehead lay in front of her. Blood oozes out of his head as he lies there lifeless.

Her whole form shivered as she looked at him. Her feet rooted to their place as if they didn't know how to move. A wave of shock hit her making her go numb.

Never in her life has she seen a man getting shot in front of her eyes, in real, not in movies. Her breathe felt stuck in her throat, her mind went blank to understand the situation.

Soon chaos erupted as the crowd started running towards the exit wanting to leave the place as soon as possible. People pushed each other out of their way giving another evidence of how selfish humans can be.

A harsh push from someone faltered her steps making her land on the ground with a thud. The shock she felt herself trapped in faded away as she looked around only to find herself landed near the dead body.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she tried to get up only to pushed back by the people running around. A wince left her lips as someone stepped on her hand making her pull her hand away from the ground. Another wince left her lips when people stepped on her feet not caring to look back.

A harsh grip on her wrist pulled her up startling her. Before she could react she was dragged away from there making her stumble on her steps.

Pushing her against the wall, away from the crowd, a place where she wouldn't be stepped on by the people, he left her wrist ready to move away but something caught his attention.

Turning around his gaze lingered on her covered face to stop on her eyes. Those doe eyes filled with unshed tears looking at him with innocence reflecting in them. The innocence he wasn't used to seeing in people, not anymore.

A tear escaped her eyes taking his attention as he followed that tear getting vanished under her dupatta. The next moment a layer of tears flowed down her eyes making him narrow his eyes at them.

He didn't like that. Her tears !

Her eyes held such innocence that those tears felt like a culprit for hurting her. His hand itched to wipe those tears and he did.

Taking a step closer he kept his hand on the wall beside her face. Moving his hand closer to her face he pressed his thumb at the corner of her left eye.

The moment his cold fingers touched her skin she felt her whole form shivered. Her back pressed further into the wall as she closed her eyes.

Her heart pounded in her chest. She could hear her heart beating so fast that it scared her.

An urge to see her face took over his senses. The senses he has lost the moment he looked into her eyes. Before he could stop himself his hand moved to her dupatta wanting to pull it off her face.

The loud siren of the police jeep brought him back into his senses. His eyes widened as he realised what he was doing. His jaw clenched, his fist tightened with the realisation.

"leave, just go" taking a step back he moved aside and pushed her towards the exit making her come back into reality.

She turned around to look at him but he was gone. There was no sign of him. Holding her wrist in her hand she looked at the small cut where a broken bangle pierced her skin. The cut had some blood oozes out of it.

Giving a glance around she ran towards the exit while her tears blurred her vision making her wipe them with the back of her hands while running.

Stepping out of the gate she looked around for the driver as she didn't know where the car was parked. Her mobile was left in the car which made her feel helpless. She kept pacing around trying to find the driver or the car but she could see none.

Turning around she looked inside through the gate and a sense of relief washed over her as she saw the driver coming out from inside. She ran towards him while the driver was breathing heavily.

"Beta ji, kahan chle gye the aap. maine aapko sab jagah dhundna, aap mil hi nhi rahe the" the driver spoke in between his heavy breathes.

"Child, where were you? I tried finding you but you were nowhere"

"uncle, aap shant ho jayiye. mein bilkul theek hun" she caressed his back helping the aged man to breathe normally.

"Uncle, calm down. I am perfectly fine"

"Beta, hume yahan se jaldi niklna hoga. aap yahin ruko, mein car le ke aata hun. wahan boht bheed hai" the driver moved towards the spot where the car was parked while rooh stood there waiting impatiently.

A minute later the car stopped in front of her. Opening the door she hurriedly slipped inside and the driver drove away fastly.

Coming out from behind the wall he looked at the car running at a fast pace going away from him. Looking down he opened his fist and looked at the broken bangle in his hand. A stain of blood adorned his palm making him gaze at it with his eyes turning intense.

"kaam hogya hai Bhai, chlte hain hum bhi" a man spoke from behind him making him shove his hand into his pocket and turn around.

( The work is done brother. We should leave now)

"Hmm, chal" he said taking out a cigarette and a lighter from his other pocket.

(Yes, let's go)

"waise agastya Bhai, kya nishana lgaya hai aapne. har baar aapka nishana itna pakka kaise hota hai?" the man asked as they walked out of the dargah.

(By the way, what a perfect shot it was brother. How do you always manage to shoot just at the right point?"

"chup chap chal Rana" ignoring his question he lit the cigarette and inhaled the smoke which calmed his restless nerves.

(walk quietly, Rana)

The restlessness he felt for the first time in his life. A feeling he couldn't decipher.

A/n :

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