Saptarshi's Pov 

" After hearing both the sides of the incident and judging the evidence which the court has received during the case , We came to a conclusion that The people who are accused are found guilty . According to the IPC Section 302, the accused is sentenced to have an imprisonment for life.
The court is adjourned. " 

As soon as the judge passed the verdict  , the relief washed over the victim's family along with us ,the police team. 

Some constable dragged the hysteric accused or I say the criminals out of the court and their family followed behind. 

I walked out of the court along with the other inspectors of my station. There were some procedures to be completed today as the criminal was going to be sent to the Alipore Central Jail.

We calmed the media down who came to know the verdict . 

After that we left from the court premises. 

I was walking towards my bike when a person's voice stopped me from behind.

"Sir," 

I turned around to see the Victim's parents running towards me.

"Thank you so much ,Sir.  Only because of you My son got justice. I will remain indebted to you for whole life." The Victim's father said to me ,holding my hand. 

"It's  nothing Sir, it was bound to happen. As I promised you that your son would get justice , I just kept my promise. Don't thank me as it was my job." I said to him. 

I felt bad seeing the man crying in front of me for his dead son. His son was a college student who fell in love with his classmate who belonged to a upper class family. One day the girl's brother caught them together. The very next day he along with his friends went to the boy's house only to  threaten him and beat him black and blue. As a result the boy died on spot. The murders ran away. 

Next day the parents of that victim filed a case against those culprits. The case started. It took almost a year to bring justice to that boy who died as the criminals belonged to a rich and influential families… they tried to temper with the evidences and  threatened eye witnesses. They tried every way possible bit finally the truth won.

The couple blessed me and left from there.  

I sighed and left for the police station. 

I went to the Police station and did my work for the next 5 hours.

After completing everything, I decided to leave for home. I needed rest otherwise my brain would burst at any moment. 

" Sir, you called me ." Hearing the voice I looked up to see Who it was.

"Yes, Roy. I am leaving now. Keep these documents safely. We need to provide it to the officers who will be coming from the Central Jail tomorrow. " I said to him.

He nodded and left to do his job.

I packed my things and left for home.
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I entered my house when I heard chattering sounds which were coming from the living room.

As soon as I entered , my parents came to my view along with Pimoni. 

" Ki hochche? (What's happening?)" I asked as I took a seat on the sofa set beside Baba.

" Nothing ,we are just talking about how proud we are feeling because of you." Baba said as he patted my back. I smiled at him. 

" Where is Sanchita?" I asked. 

"She went to Tanusree's house as today is her birthday. She went to wish her. When I called her half an hour ago, she told me that she had left for home already. " Maa said. I nodded.

" Hello everyone, " We turned around to see Sanchita entering. 

"See...we were just talking about you." Maa said to her with a smile. 

But soon my smile wiped away as soon as my eyes fell on the person…. Sreetoma.

"Sreetoma, you are here!!!" Maa asked her in a surprised tone.

"Actually, Sanchita wanted to come back alone and it's already 9 pm. So I decided to drop her." She said to Maa politely, making me roll my eyes.

" That's very good..Thank you for taking care of her. God bless you." Maa said to her with a smile. 

" Aunty, Don't thank me please.  It was my duty after all she is like a sister to me." Sreetoma said shyly. 

It is difficult for me to digest her over acting. I am noticing that from the time Maa has said that she will search a bride for me, Sreetoma has started to act more caring, more soft spoken, shy type of girl. She has started to come to our house more often. Spending time with Maa is the thing which she does as her aim is to impress her.

I can see and understand everything but I can't say anything as if I open my mouth, a big battle of words will start which I don't want for now as I have so many things to look after.

" Sreetoma ,come . Sit here. I will bring something for you." Maa said to her and was about to get up when Sreetoma stopped her, "No no aunty, please not today. I need to reach home. Some guests are there so I need to go today." 

"But how will you go?" Maa said, making my head snap towards her. I kind of knew where it was going. 

"Let Saptarshi drop you." Maa said . 

Yes, I knew it. Why Maa? Why? I was crying internally in frustration. 

"No...it's not needed. Our Driver uncle brought us here ,so no problem. Okay Aunty, I will take my leave now." She said .

After bidding bye to everyone, she left, Making me sigh in relief.

"Let's have dinner then, it's late already.," Pimoni said.

I nodded and went to my room to freshen up.
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At night 

"Ufff!!! " I huffed and turned towards my left.

I looked at the clock and it was  2 am. 

After some minutes again I huffed as I turned towards my right side. 

This is what I am doing from last two hours. I am trying to sleep bit sleep is far away from my eyes.

Finally feeling irritated with everything, I got down from my bed and went towards my balcony.

Taking a seat , I took a deep breath and looked at the sky. As soon as I closed my eyes, the one face appeared in front of my eyes. This is the face which is making me insane from last one month...this is the same face which is keeping me awake even at my night.

Aratrika.

She is the one who is always in my mind somehow or other. The restlessness, some unknown emotions everything I was feeling only because of her.

"Why are you playing this hide and seek with your own self, Saptarshi?" 

This is the question which is making me restless. 

If my heart is right ,I am playing this hide and seek from last one year.

I still remember when the first time I saw Aratrika.

Flashback 

It was the month of January, last year. I went the Kolkata book fair as Sanchita wanted a book from the fair so she took me with her.

"Did you get the stall?" I asked her as we walked crossing the stalls after stalls.

"Stall no. 402 it was." Sanchita said checking her phone.

"Then we should be near the gate no. 3...not here, budhdhu (stupid)." I said and we walked towards the 3 no Gate.

Finally We reached the stall.

"Now buy the book as soon as possible, then we need to leave." I said to her.

"Oh ho !! Dada ..so boring you are. Wait for me till I am done." She said to me dramatically.  I rolled my eyes.

"Anyways I am standing outside. After buying it ,meet me there." Saying this I went out of the stall and stood in a corner.

I was looking here and there when suddenly  a voice made me turn around. 

"Excuse me." I turned to see a lady just behind me.

"Yes?" I asked her.

Before she could ask anything, a soft female voice caught my attention. 

" Pritha Di," 

I looked behind the Lady to see a girl running towards us. The first thing which caught my attention was her innocent face. Beautiful pair of eyes, a sharp nose and pink lips enhanced the beautiful of her slightly chubby face. She was wearing a green and white salwar-suit paired with pink dupatta which rested on her upper body. 

She came towards us and held the hand of the lady who was going to ask me something. 

She was saying something but I wasn't in a position to listen to her as I was so captivated by her mere presence. There was something within her which was attracting me towards like a moth to fire.

Suddenly her eyes met with mine. My breathing stopped for a moment and I literally felt that. Though there was innocence in her eyes, I felt as if her eyes had so many things to say. 

"Dada" 

A loud squeal broke my trance. I turned towards my right to see Sanchita standing beside me with a book in her hand.

"I am done ...let's go." She said to me.

I nodded my head and once again turned towards the lady and that girl. But surprisingly they weren't there.

Was I imagining all these?

No this isn't possible. 

Frantically I looked here and there and yes, I spotted them walking away from us . There wasn't much distance between us.

Once again my eyes stopped on that figure with pink dupatta who was telling something to her friend . 

"Dada," Sanchita patted my hand.

"Yes ...yes." Moving my eyes forcefully from that girl,  I gave my attention to my sister… at least I tried to. 

"Where are you lost again?" She asked me.

"No….nothing  . Let's go." I said to her and we left from there.

Flashback ends

That day I definitely left the fair physically but my heart was there with that stranger. 

I became kind of desperate to meet her again. I wanted to search for her just to see her again. 

Though my rational mind was saying that it's not possible to find her again at the fair as except some people others didn't go regularly to a fair , my heart wasn't ready to listen and be at peace.

So listening to my heart, next day I went to the fair again just to get a glimpse of that stranger.  I spent there whole day but didn't get a glimpse of her. I became sad as it was the last day of fair as well.

Unfortunately after that day my rational mind won and I refrained myself from searching for her through some other method.

Though I refrained myself from searching for her, in my subconscious mind there was a constant prayer to God so that I would meet her once and get to know her. 

I was doing my work, my duties , spending time with my family and friends --- everything but still in my mind the stranger was always present in some way or other.

And finally God listened to me. The day came.

In March we were invited for a wedding. So with Maa and Pimoni's constant requests I had to go shopping with them. 
We went to a saree store which was in New Alipore. While Maa and Pimoni were buying the sarees ,I was roaming around the shop when suddenly my eyes fell on the figure who was standing near the entrance of the shop. 
As soon as my eyes fell on that figure, my heart beat picked up its pace .

That stranger whom I met in the fair.

 I looked at her carefully to confirm whether I was hallucinating or my mind was playing games with me. 

But No… It wasn't hallucinations. There she was standing in a corner with a middle aged lady (now I have come to know that the lady was her Jethi ma).

Wearing a white printed kurta with brown pants and dupatta, she was looking as ethereal as she looked when we met the previous day.

Suddenly I saw her going away when my trance broke. Without wasting a second, I ran behind her just to follow her.

I ran out of the shop and looked here and there. Finally I spotted them getting on an auto. 

I took my bike and started to follow them. 

At that moment I wasn't thinking about anything except her and her whereabouts. I became desperate just for her. 

My mind was saying that it was wrong to follow someone like a stalker but my heart was leading me towards her. 

I was following the auto . My heart was happy that maybe today I would find a way to get to know more about her.

But my luck wasn't with me that day as well.

A phone call from Maa and the traffic signal. That's it ….I lost her .

I was so frustrated that I was a minute away from tearing up (crying).

Cursing my luck and the traffic and everything around me , I went towards my home heavy heartedly.

But there I came  face to face to reality…. Reality of my life which was written by my mother. 

"I won't let my Rishi marry according to his choice of girl. I myself will search for a girl for him and I know my Rishi won't deny me." 

These were the words which I heard as soon as I reached home. Maa was telling these to  Dad .

Yes, that is true. My Maa is always against the concept of love Marriage. 

After hearing her , as if I fell from the dreamland in which I was staying for the last two months. I realised that I was running behind a dream which won't take the shape of reality. Because I knew that I wouldn't marry against my mother's wishes.

Though I chose my profession against my mother's wish , I was able to convince her at that time. Luckily she agreed and I was able to be a Police officer. 

Though she still taunts and expresses her dislike towards my job , it's a different thing.

But love Marriage was something my Maa won't ever be convinced of. I knew that. 

From that day ,I tried to keep my mind and heart away from her thoughts but that wasn't possible. Every now and then the face of that girl was coming to stir the forcefully suppressed thoughts regarding her in my heart. 

But after a week ,everything changed. 

That day I was going towards Jadavpur for some official work. I was standing near a cinema hall as I was waiting for my spy to receive the news regarding a case. When once again I saw her. 
After seeing her like everytime my heart started to do somersault and a smile unknowingly came on my lips.

But  the smile wiped away as soon as my eyes caught a guy beside her. I noticed how she was smiling at the guy who was telling her some jokes…. Maybe some bullshit. 

I won't be able to describe the amount of discomfort I felt seeing her with him.

Suddenly the guy circled his arm around her shoulder and she slapped his forehead playfully laughing. Watching that scene in front of me made me more uncomfortable.

Maybe he was the man in her life…somehow that thought made me  angry.

Angry at myself…
 Angry at her…
And Angry about my fate.

Without wasting a single moment, I left from there. For the first time in my life, I felt heartbroken. 

I know that I didn't have the right to be angry as the feelings, the craving, the desire whatever it was , it was from my side. But still her being with that man made me an emotional mess.

Then a thought popped in my mind.

"Maa doesn't want me to do a love Marriage and maybe seeing her with some other man was an indication for me to stop or it was to help me to move on from that fragment of feelings." 

With that thought I closed the chapter of that stranger -- Aratrika and tried to move on in my life.

But I think God had some other plan.

Once again my destiny has brought me in front of her after a year and once again my feelings have started to resurface.

But still I tried every way possible to remove her from my soul,  heart and mind .

But I have failed and that I understood after that fire incident.

I understood that me disliking her ,thinking of her as a characterless girl was just a way for my escape… escape from my feelings.

I was trying to make my heart understand that " you have to hate her" so I questioned her intentions, her character without any reason and proper judgement.

But now I know one thing that I can't escape from my feelings. I can't ignore what my heart has for her. 
I can't deny that I like her.

Yes , I like her.

 I have some strong emotions and feelings for her which I have never felt before for anyone.  

After she came into my life, I came to know and I felt  these feelings and emotions. 

I know now the situations are really complicated.  She being a Brahmin, a widow,  her family being conservative and  my Maa being totally against Love marriage it won't be easy to have a future with her.

Though for me it doesn't matter that she is a widow and a Brahmin , our families will never agree.

"And what about the image which you have already created in her mind by misbehaving with her?" My heart asked.

"That I can undo by doing everything possible. " I replied.

But still it doesn't change anything.

"Leave all these, answer me honestly,  do you really want to restrict yourself from feeling for her ?" My heart asked me.

"No… I tried for a year...but it wasn't possible. " I thought with a sigh.

"Then Go with the flow… Just Go with the flow. Listen to me for once and Welcome your emotions… live without any regret." My heart said to me.

And from that moment I knew what I had to do.

So....

How's the chapter?

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I am sorry for being late... but the chapter was very important and very big so it took time to finish it.

Next update will be soon.

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