Rajveer

Leaning against the window frame, I look out into the dark night.

I feel exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally, after the events of the day.

After Ritu Mishra dropped dead, Naina accused me in such a way that, for a moment, I had felt it would have been easier if she had shot me dead right there and then.

The bullet would have stung lesser than her words.

I was shattered when she told him the only thing she feels for me now is hatred.

In that moment, it felt as if someone has ripped my heart off my chest and was squeezing it relentlessly.

I had blanked out then, forgetting all about the trigger and it's transfer.

Yes, I am a soldier, and yes, duty always comes first for me.

But I am a human too, and after being hurt to such an extent, I forgot about my duty for a while.

Thankfully, the remaining cadets assigned to me arrived there after some time, and seeing them there, I remembered what was required to be done.

So, first taking out Ritu's body from the van, I ordered Aalekh, Pooja, and Naina to stay by the road and wait for the soldiers to come and collect Ritu's body, also telling them to return to the academy once Ritu's body was taken.

After that, I walked to the driver's seat of the van to check on Lt. Chaubey, sighing in relief after finding that the lieutenant had only been knocked out, not dead.

With Chaubey and the other four cadets by my side, I drove to the safe place, successfully transferring the trigger.

While I am glad that trigger as wells as his country is safe for now, Naina's rudeness and anger are eating me up.

I cannot figure out how to make her understand what the situation was why I had been forced to shoot Naveen.

How to make her see that I have been living in despair and desolation ever since my best friend died in front of me?

Taking a deep breath, I turn to go to the bedroom, hoping to be able to sleep and forget my misery for at least a few hours of the night.

But I stop when I hear a knock at the door.

Frowning at who could come to my quarter this late at night, I walk to the door and open it, smiling when I see Abhimanyu at the threshold.

"Abhi, my friend, please come in," I invite him in.

"Raj, I am sorry, I came this late. I hope I did not disturb your sleep," he says, and I shake my head.

"Not at all, Abhi. I was not sleeping," I tell him once he enters the living room and sits on the couch. "Will you have some coffee or tea?"

"Thanks, Raj. But I just drank Subedar Suri's special tea. Actually, I came here because I wanted to talk with you about the email that you had sent me before I came here. I wanted to do so earlier, but we both had been busy due to the mission of moving the trigger."

"Yes, Abhi. I too wanted to talk with you about it. Did you bring that box then?" I ask, eager to get the box.

I feel like getting that box will be a huge step toward proving Naveen's innocence.

I had emailed Abhimanyu immediately after knowing that he was about to join KMA as a faculty member.

In that email, I had written cryptically about the significance of that red box and how it is crucial for them to prove Naveen's innocence.

"That is why I am here, Raj. I do not have that box," Abhimanyu informs me, rendering me shocked.

"What do you mean you do not have that box? Naveen had sent it to you. How could you not have it, Abhi?"

"It is correct that I had received a mail from someone named Veer. At that time, I did not know it was Naveen because I had never been posted with you or Naveen for missions, so I did not know his code name.

"But that mail came to me with a letter, Raj. The way everything was written in that letter, I figured the person who sent that letter knew me well.

"But nowhere in that letter had the sender disclosed his identity, so I did not realize it was Naveen. Also, the sender had requested me to mail that box to one address urgently without opening the box and looking at its contents. And I did exactly that.

"Good thing that I did it as soon as the mail arrived. Because the same night, a few intruders entered my palace. Luckily, my guards found them and caught them before they could do any harm.

"On interrogation, those men aggressively told us to hand them that red box and warned us not to mess with their boss, who is powerful enough to kill each person who comes in his way.

"That is when I realized that whatever was in that box must have been something significant. But as I had already mailed it to the given address in the letter, I could not see what was in that box.

"It was only when you emailed me after all these years that I knew it was Naveen who had mailed me that box. I am sorry, Raj. If only I would have kept that box with me, we would have been one step closer in proving Naveen's innocence," Abhimanyu finishes explaining.

"It's ok, Abhi. After all, you did what Naveen asked you to do in that letter.

"But one thing here is surprising. How did those intruders find out that the box had been mailed to you? And how come they learned about it on the same day the box had been delivered to you?

"It is almost as if Naveen knew it would happen. That is why he told you to urgently mail that box into another location to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands," I say, wondering from whom was Naveen protecting the box.

"But how did Naveen know? He had already di--" Abhi is unable complete the sentence, his voice choking up remembering his friend's untimely death.

Understanding his emotions, I pat on his shoulder.

"I know it is difficult for both of us to remember Naveen without feeling sad about the injustice done to him, but I assure you, Abhi, there will be a time when we will remember our friend with a smile on our faces," I tell him.

Abhi nods, giving me a tight smile. "Yes, Raj. We need to prove Naveen's innocence soon so we can remember him without angst gripping our hearts. I have already asked my informers to find where I had mailed that box.

"It was almost four years back, so I do not remember the address now. They have gone to the post office, and they will let me know as soon as they find out about it," Abhimanyu informs me.

"Ok, Abhi. Do tell me when you find the address. I am glad to know that you too have joined in on this mission with me. We will soon prove Naveen's innocence,"  I say, frowning when I see anger suddenly clouding his face.

"It is not only now I have started looking for evidence to prove Naveen's innocence, Raj. Do not imply that I am not as good a friend to Naveen as you are.

"Naveen was equally important to me as he was to you. I too have been searching for evidence to prove his innocence since I heard about his arrest.

"He was my best friend, too, Raj, whether you want to accept it or not. You always hogged his attention and friendship. So much so that he had started ignoring me," Abhi says, shadow of disdain crossing his face.

I sigh, feeling morose when I realize the jealousy and resentment Abhimanyu had regarding me during our academy days have persisted until now.

"Abhi, I never did that. Naveen and I, we both considered you as our best friend. You were equally important to me as Naveen was. And also, for Naveen, both of us were equally important. Please, believe me, my friend," I try to reason with him.

"Believe you, Raj? How can I believe a person who tried to snatch the people I love from me?" He counters.

"It is true you are my friend, Raj. But it is also true that you have backstabbed me twice. Once, when you tried to snatch my best friend from me, and the second time, when you tried to steal my love."

I look at him incredulously, unable to believe he is still stuck in the past misunderstandings.

"You also know that is not true, Abhi. I have never even thought of backstabbing you. I have only wished for you to have the love and happiness in your life."

Abhi shakes his head, letting out a wry, humorless chuckle.

"Only time will tell how true and loyal friend you are, Raj. Only time will tell. I will take your leave now," he says, cold anger glinting in his eyes. "It's  late. I will take tour leave now."

"Goodnight, Abhi. I will see you tomorrow. And please remember that, no matter what you think, for me, you were, are, and will always remain my friend," I tell him, hoping he will believe me.

"Goodnight, Raj," he stiffly says, choosing not to comment on the other thing I told him.

After Abhi leaves, I walk to the window to look at the night sky, my heart feeling heavy because of the way another person close to me has misunderstood my intentions.

I swallow past the thick knot formed in my throat.

"First Naina and now Abhi. I am feeling too lonely, Naveen. I wish you were here with me to support me and guide me through it all."