"I must compliment your cooking. This was the best version of Dal fry, I have ever had." He said using the tissue to wipe his face.

Kashish smiled, "you haven't eaten food that Maa makes. She's the best chef ever. Like, literally." Her hand reached his empty plate to pick it up.

"I will take it," He said quickly pulling the plate off the table.

Kashish nodded. "Maybe you can pick up that casserole as well." She said picking up the pot that had the left over dal fry.

Obediently, without a word, he picked it up and followed her into the kitchen. 

She kept the dirty dishes in the sink while he went out to fetch the remaining things from the table. She smiled observing him.

"Can I say something?" She asked turning to him.

"Hmm,"

"You're way too soft for be a policeman."

"What?" He said in confusion.

"I am complimenting you." She said, feeling the need to clarify.

"I got that part," He said, plainly.

Kashish nodded, putting up a smile. Sometimes it was so hard to have a honest light conversation with him. His poker face skills, almost got to her nerves.

"Why do you think I am soft?"

"Just felt that way," she shrugged her shoulders quickly organizing the kitchen.

After a briefly pause, he spoke up, "Can I say something too?"

Kashish's hand paused midway in the air as she was about to keep the pickle jar up on the shelf. Her gaze dropped on him.

"You're beautiful,"

Kashish's cheek slowly turned crimson like a bed of blooming red roses, at the unanticipated compliment. "Thanks," she said with a coy smile, gracefully blossoming on her face. Her gaze went to the glass jar in her hand.

"Can I help you at something?" He asked.

"No, everything's done. Let me show you the guest room."

He nodded, following her out. 

"So, how often do you talk to you parents?" She asked as they climbed up the stairs.

"Once in three days or so. Mom will go crazy otherwise. On days I don't open the small family chat group we have, she will call to make sure I am okay and have eaten."

"That's sweet." 

"Yeah, but she has called me at awkward moments." 

"Like?" Kashish asked turning to him as they entered into the guest room.

Virat's gaze quickly swept around the room, stopping at her. 

Kashish's cheeks warmed up instantly. There was something about the way he looked at her. It was both fascinating and nerve-wracking — how he was slowly and effortlessly making a way her heart.

He broke their eyelock, looking aside. He walked around the room. "So there was this day, almost an year back. I had just returned after capturing a few local goons who were emerging as a powerful gang. The SP had summoned us immediately after. He wasn't happy about the way our operation had delayed. It was an overnight mission that completed around the wee hours of the morning. I hadn't had the chance to even look at my personal phone on the previous day. My mom decided to call me at that very minute when the SP had begun lecturing us about protocol and discipline."

Kashish sat on the bed, her eyes on him as he narrated the event. He pulled the chair by the desk and turned it around, sitting on it with his chest againt the backrest, with his elbows propped up, facing Kashish.

For some very odd reason, Kashish found the entire thing sexy. She tried to focus on his eyes which had a subtle glow, as he spoke.

"Mom had actually rung me up on the work mobile phone. It was obviously not on silent. On the contrary it was a full volume. In the pin -drop silence of the room a cacophony of a ringtone blared."

"Omg! What did you do?"

"I went rigid and the SP was looking at me with the most irritated expression ever. I knew, I was going to spend the next month or even more in some remote village. He then asked me, who was calling."

"I took the phone out and went red with fear as it was mom. I was just staring at the screen when he snatched the mobile phone from my hand and looked at the screen. Then suddenly, his anger faded and he asked me to go take the call and come back quickly."

"That's so sweet!" Kashish smiled.

"Well, now that I look back, I find it endearing. But back that day I was furious on Maa."

"-but then it's not her fault too, she was worried." She remarked.

"Yeah," He replied, "but from that day, I have immense respect for SP Sir, although he can really be worse than our trainer at the Police Academy."

"What about your sisters, how are they doing?" 

"They're doing well. Oorjha Di is always busy with kids and Disha is well, busy at the hospital."

"So did the three of you decide to cover all major profession fields or was that decided by your parents?"

Virat smiled. "No... I guess we ended up being too different from each other. I mean it. Oorjha di was a science freak, and I hated science. Disha liked science so for her Oorjha di was a blessing in disguise. But me, damn, she was a Hitler."

"How come,you don't call Disha Di ? I mean she's elder to you too, right?"

"Guess, the three year gap doesn't count but the eight years one does." He jested.

Kashish smiled, she was about to ask more about his family when her phone rang. "It's mom!" She said before picking up the call.

"Hi Maa!"

"Nothing was just..." She looked at Virat, "working." She listend to her mother going on about giving a break to work and calling Virat once a while to understand him better. 

Virat had walked put of the room to give her privacy. Kashish simply let her mother go on instead of lying. 

"How is everything there?" Was all she had to say to divert her mother to talk about the wedding and how she should have attended as well.

Wrapping up the call within seven minutes she stepped out of the room to find Virat sitting on the stairs, typing away on his phone. She had barley taken two steps towards him when he glanced over his shoulder. 

"Hey!" She greeted, awkwardly.

"Mothers!" He sighed, getting up.

"So you'll be okay, right?"

"What?" Kashish asked confused.

"I meant, uh, no bad dreams, right?"

Kashish's face grew pale at the mention of it. She hoped she didn't. She glanced at him, "hopefully not, don't get startled if I wake up with a shriek." She spoke, as they began walking towards the rooms whose doors were angled at as ninety degree.

"I am a light sleeper, I won't blame you."

Kashish smiled, stopping at the door. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Sure. And you let me know if you want me to... be with you. I, I mean if you're scared."

A smile crept up Kashsih's face. There was this weird stutter of sorts that came when he was nervous or he felt the need to clarify what he meant. It was cute. "Trying to gain points as a good fiance, huh?" She teased, unable to resist the temptation. 

She was flattered upon noticing the hint of blush near his cheekbones, as he looked at her cautiously. His lips stealthily curving up. So slowly, that one would miss if they blinked.

"Just trying to be a good human being."

Kashish's smile widened. "It's a good thing, charming too." She complimented before saying, "Good night, Virat!"

"Good night, Kashish!" He replied, their eyes looking straight into each other's, for a few fleeting seconds before they parted.

Kashish walked into her room and he made his way to the one he was supposed to use for the night. Slowly shutting the door, Kashish smiled. Despite the mess she was in, she was happy. It was like Virat was a happy hormone, no matter what she was going through, if he was around she felt  inexplicably happy.

* * *

Kashish shifted in bed, her hand felt on something soft yet firm. She freaked out when the pillow moved. She realized it wasnt a pillow but Virat's chest, he had sat up.  She pulled her hand back and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. 

Last night, bad dreams had plagued her sleep again. Just like the other night, Virat had walked in and soothed her back to sleep.

From the sounds, Kashish could make out that he had left the room. She lay still for a while trying to go back to sleep. But the factory of her thoughts had gone into full work mode. Her thoughts just wouldn't let her sleep again.

She sat up taking a deep breath. She was tired of the flashbacks that came like bad dreams. She got up from the bed and went about her morning chores. After a quick shower, she headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast. 

"Hey, morning!" She said surprised to find him at the dining table, going through the newspaper. He was in the same sweatpants and black tshirt he had on last night. 

"Hey, I just took this from the door step, hope you don't mind." 

"Nah, I don't even read that, only Papa does. Make yourself at home." She smiled. "You'll have tea right?"

"Yes, thank you."

"For breakfast... will parathas do?"

"Yeah, sure. Do you need some help?"

"No, I am good." She said walking into the kitchen with a smile. She wondered how it would be after the marriage. Her fears about a married life were slowly, one by one, fading away.

* * *

After a quick breakfast, Virat had showered and got ready in his uniform in record time. They were just chatting about the uniform and the badge when the doorbell rang. 

Kashish looked up warily at the door and back at him. "The maid doesn't come until ten."

"Your parents?" He asked. 

Her eyes widened. Had her parents decided to give her a surprise or the wedding had been called off in the last minute? She froze for a minute thinking of the possibilities. In two long strides, he was beside her. "See through the peephole, I will hide if it's your parents." He instructed softly.

Kashish glanced at him. It sounded so scandalous. She nodded grimly, moving towards the door.  She glanced back at him, before aligning her eyes to the peephole on the door. Her eyebrows arched up in bafflement. 

She quickly walked back to him. "It's Sujoy." She told him, as her mind began to race, to think of what would have brought the other police officer to her place. 

"Oh," He said softly, looking thoughtful.

Was he here to arrest her? A fleeting thought crossed her mind. She instinctively grabbed onto Virat's arm in fear. 

 "It must be something important. I had told him, I will stay here the night. That's why he's probably here." Virat explained, placing his hand on hers. "Relax."

She nodded, feeling stupid over her dramatic assumptions while he moved to the door.

"Hey, Sujoy!" He greeted opening the door.

Kashish stood a little distance away from Virat, looking at the man in his uniform. He glanced at her. He looked rather grim. 

"All okay?" Virat asked.

"Uh," He turned and a man in the watchman's uniform came forward.

"What happened?" Virat asked.

The watchman had a black eye and bruises on his face. He looked strikingly beaten up.

"Sujoy?"

"Was this the same man?" Sujoy asked, looking at the watchman.

The watchman nodded in affirmation, trembling and stepping back.

"What is happening?" Virat asked, more firmly this time.

"This man raised a complaint today morning. He says he was beaten up by a cop who made changes in the entry register of the society."

"What rubbish! He's lying, I didn't do anything of that sort. There's a CCTV, you can check." Virat spoke up defensively.

Sujoy went silent looking defeated. "He says that the man forced him to give him access to  the security room and deleted the entire recording for yesterday."

"What the fuck!" Virat growled, stepping forward to grab the watchman.

"Virat, relax!" Sujoy said, holding Virat back from the already beaten up guy.

"He's lying, bastard!" Virat scowled looking at the man.

"Relax!" Sujoy said.

Kashish simply stared. She was seeing a completely different side of Virat. A version she didn't know existed.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Would love to know your thoughts on it. What do you think about the whole thing?