The soft breathing sound is coming from the left side of the room where the rocking chair is kept. Aarav gropes for the switchboard and switches on the light. The room immediately shines with bright light. Simultaneously, a light sound of annoyance comes from the rocking chair’s side. It seems somebody is forcefully awakened from his slumber. Aarav looks in that direction and makes a sound of pity under his tongue.

“Tch…tch…tch…”

A person is curling up on the wooden rocking chair. Aarav strides towards it and calls again,

“Get up, Arjun Rathod. It’s time to have a one-to-one convo. We have had enough hide-and-seek games. I haven’t got you here for relaxation. Long time no see and long time no fight.”

Aarav mutters sardonically and pulls the sheet wrapped around Arjun’s torso, leaving him devoid of any cover. He stirs a bit and gradually opens his drowsy red eyes. The bright light and the effect of the sedative don’t allow him to recognise the person standing in front of him at once. He coughs and strains his eyes to observe the hazy figure. All of a sudden, his brain alerts him to the danger, and he recollects the trail of incidents that happened since the previous night. He was trying to intrude into Aditya’s penthouse and meet him as he previously did at the party night. That night, he cut the power supply so that nobody, especially the other members of Notorious 5, could see him. He couldn’t take the risk. However, his effort failed as the security found the fault and again started the electricity supply. However, his venture didn’t crash totally, as something shocking caught his attention when he was near the staircase. Someone was grabbing a lady and proposing to her in a very weird manner. It was more than lust and threat than love and surrender. He heard her name too. Nandana. Later, he came to know that she was Aditya’s wife. But who was that man? At that time, it was the biggest question in his mind. Though eventually he found out his identity. It was none other than Aarav. Aarav Dhawan. The monster in disguise. But now it seems that it would have been better if his identity had not been disclosed to him. At least, he would have led a free and hidden life as he has been doing since he was announced as dead by the police in Panchgani. For his survival, it was the demand of that situation. Arjun sits up and looks at Aarav, who is now staring at him with a manipulative smile.

“Happy dreaming, Arjun. I think the dose was enough to send you to the land of dreams where you were with your lady love. Your Mukti. But now, it’s time to return to reality.”

Aarav’s voice is dangerously cool. Arjun touches his nape where Aarav pushed the injection. The mention of Mukti flickers hatred and anger into his eyes. He springs up, seething and approaches Aarav with staggering steps. He is still feeling dizzy, but not enough to cool down his abhorrence. He grabs Aarav by his collar and jerks him a couple of times. A bout of curses comes out of his mouth,

“Bastard! Don’t dare to take her name from your dirty mouth. She killed herself because of you. First, you uploaded her video from my phone and then put all the blame on me.”

His voice reverberates in the closed room.

“Yes, I did, but don’t forget, my friend, that you only shot her when she was changing. You made her naked video, not me.”

Aarav hisses out, though he doesn’t try to free himself from Arjuni’s hold.

“Yes, I made that video, and till now, I repent for that mistake. It was an impulsive step taken by a teenager who was deeply in love with her. But…but…”

Bubbles form in the corner of Arjun’s lips. He continues,

“It was never intended to tarnish her image. I really loved her, but you came between us. You knew that she considered you a friend. Only friend. But you misconceived it as unspoken love. You used to stalk her everywhere. Oh God…I don’t know how many times Mukti told me that she senses someone’s presence around her, but I didn’t trust her instinct. She kept on asking for help, and I kept on ignoring her fear. And I repent for this too. But not this time. I will tell Aditya what monster he is trusting. A monster who is preying on his love. Again, he is up to snatching someone’s dream.”

Arjun pulls Aarav by his collar and hisses. Aarav keeps silent for a nanosecond and then shoves him vehemently. Arjun plunges onto the floor and recoils. Aarav corrects his shirt’s crease and stands straight, keeping both hands on his waist.

“But how? You are here…with me, and I will never let you go to Aditya. Then how will you tell him? How will you tell him that it is me who calls Nandana? It is me who always keeps an eye on his beloved wife, and it was me who almost shot him in his lake house. Ahhhh… I know that night you also followed them to that place. Perhaps you wanted to meet Aditya and tell him that you are still alive. That day, the police found someone else’s dead body instead of you. Although I left no stone unturned to bid you goodbye. Because, after Mukti’s death, there was no reason for you to stay alive. It was you who came between you and me. She loves me, not you. Do you get that? IT…WAS…ALWAYS…ME.”

Aarav screams and leans forward to look into Arjun’s intimidated eyes.

“I leaked the video from your mobile so that she would start hating you. But…but…as usual, Aditya came forward to save you. He took all the blame on himself, and my plan backfired. I…I…couldn’t imagine Mukti could kill herself. I thought it would compel her to come to me…as a saviour. Because it was always me who loved her and protected her from Notorious 5’s bullying.”

Aarav’s voice becomes a bit soft, as if he recalls some good memories. Meanwhile, Arjun chips in,

“It was not love but lust. You used to lust for her the same way you feel for Nandana. Don’t you feel disgusted to lay an eye on your friend’s wife? A friend who always tried to keep our bond united. Or are you doing it to take revenge on Aditya because he once unknowingly marred your plan to frame me?”

Aarav doesn’t reply. Instead, he walks to the other side of the room and switches on more lights, which illuminate a wall. Now, we can recognise this as the same room where a big size of Nandana’s picture hung on the wall. He traces his knuckles on her lips and hisses out,

“Exactly, my friend. I lust for her not because she is an attractive woman but because she is too much in love with Aditya, who doesn’t deserve this feeling. I am more into separating her from him rather than making her mine.”

“And what about Aliya? Don’t you love her?”

Arjun asks desperately. Aarav turns and saunters to him.

“Yes, I do. She is a lovely girl. But you know, too much love and dedication make me bored sometimes. And I am not leaving her for Nandana. She will be there because she sometimes soothes the monster in me. As long as she loves me, I will love her back. Simple.”

His voice is laced with wavering. Arjun gets up from the floor and sits on the chair again. His face is distorted in disgust. He cries,

“You are insane. You need help. You are a backstabber. You are fooling all of us. But more than that, you are fooling yourself. A person who can’t differentiate between love and lust, a person who can’t value friendship and who can ruin someone’s life whom he claims to love is the most dangerous creature. How long will you be able to hide this secret? Time will snatch your façade one day. Aditya, Aryan and Aabir will come to know about your true colour.”

Aarav chuckles at him and takes out a syringe and a vial of pethidine from his pocket. He fills a portion into the syringe and walks up to Arjun. His eyes are beaming with a diabolic emotion.

“Until that time comes, Aditya will lose Nandana forever. Now, go to sleep again. I can’t entertain you anymore. Good night!”

Before Arjun can stop him, Aarav stabs the needle into his nape. Arjun tries to grab his hand, but Aarav steps back and eventually leaves the room. Arjun heard the clicking sound of the lock. His eyes feel heavy. He plummets on the rocking chair again, blabbering incomprehensibly,

“Adi…tya…Adi…t…ya…I…am…alive…bro…I…I…need…to…see…see…youuu…”

He drowns in deep sleep.

.....................................

Nandana lays down Mini on her baby cot and comes out of the room. She needs to talk with Aditya. In the morning, after Aryan had left, Aditya went to the speech therapist with Rishi. However, she noticed that he was not completely focused. Maybe something was muddling him inwardly. And she can guess the reason. To be precise, the person. Aryan Khurana. This guy always creates turmoil in Aditya. Whether mentally or physically. She came to know that the blast was for Aryan only. Aditya was the wrong target. She is shaken from the inside. What if they repeat the mistake and this time Aditya wouldn’t be so lucky? Nandana enters their bedroom with a scowl on her face. She roams her eyes over the entire room. He is not there. But his body's smell is still lingering in the dead air. She walks towards the balcony and locates him standing there, puffing on his cigarette. Suddenly, an urge to claim him overpowers her agitation. She slides the glass door and steps outside. Aditya was so engrossed in his thoughts that the sounds couldn’t break his reverie. Without muttering a word, Nandana hugs him from the back, which startles Aditya. He grabs Nandana’s hands and mumbles unmindfully,

“I won’t let you go away from me.”