Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 39) The Parting

Maurya, who was waiting in the car at the airport, jerked open his eyes at the hum of his phone. He winced in pain as he stretched his taut neck and stiff limbs. He had dozed off after checking the arrival time of Dharma's flight. He hadn't realized that he was so exhausted.

"Hello..."

"Hi Maurya, we have traced Chaitanya through his wife's call. One of my men went to Bilaspur to talk to her. We have got his exact location. He is moving towards Index Fashion House."

"Great! But be careful. He is very clever and he might discard his sim card."

"Don't worry, some of my officers are already approaching him. He wouldn't escape this time."

"Good!" Maurya sighed in relief. He glanced at his wristwatch. It was time for Dharma's flight. The sudden buoyancy of his mood rushed him toward the arrival gate.

*************

When Chaitanya answered the call, he instantly knew something was wrong. It disconnected as soon as he received it. Either someone had forced Arjun to contact him or the police had traced him. If they had traced him, they would arrest him soon. Hence, he decided to leave his current location. He had been hiding in the business district since he escaped from custody. Thankfully, no one had found him so far.

He marched towards Index Fashion. The hood of his oversized jacket hid his face from view. Halfway to his destination, his phone rang.

"Hello..."

"Thank god you are fine. I was so worried...."

"What do you want?" Chaitanya asked his wife. He was puzzled by her call. Only Arjun had this number and that too because he had tailed him.

His wife was in a disgruntled mood, "What do I want? Don't you care that I have been ill and that I have been admitted to the hospital? Not once did you come to visit me. Where are you?"

"Listen, I have to go. I am in a hurry. I will visit you later." Thinking hard about the call, he made a guess that someone was tracking him through his wife. The wisest thing to do would be to take out the sim card and toss it away. Nevertheless, he didn't do it because he was still waiting for Rashika to contact him about Dharma.

Checking both sides of the road, he crossed, heading in the opposite direction. All of a sudden, he heard police sirens. He saw two police vehicles coming towards him. Startled, he swung to the other side of the road. Again, he encountered police cars. His alarmed gaze drifted around the area. There was a guard at the entrance of a building. Thinking quickly, he took a step towards the man to use him as his cover. However, before he could do any such thing, he was surrounded by officers pointing their guns at him. Ordering him to kneel, one of the officers approached him with handcuffs.

He refused to accept his defeat. He vaulted across, to grab the man guarding the building.

At once, the policemen fired at him. Bullets hit him from all sides and he fell down.

His final thoughts embraced Dharma before he gradually went still.

****************

Dharma was shocked to learn that Rashika had not been alone during the accident. Dharma also gleaned from Pooja that Maurya had not left Rashika's side even for a moment.

Hauling her suitcase, Dharma exited the terminal. While Dharma waited for a taxi, someone greeted her.

"Hey..."

Dharma blinked at him in confusion. Amused, Maurya tugged the suitcase from her hand. She detected the lines of fatigue on his face. It occurred to her that he was probably losing his sleep over Rashika. The green-eyed monster raised its head even though she tried to suppress it. It reminded her of his departure from Anuragnicheri.

"How do you know I was coming by this flight?" She asked as he towed the case inside the trunk of the car.

"I booked the flight, remember?" his sarcasm was the last thing she needed but she refused to be provoked.

"Right!"

Maurya darted a wry look at her. She slid inside the car wordlessly. He did not start the engine immediately. His gaze roved over her face.

"I am sorry for leaving so suddenly from Anuragnicheri. It was wrong of me to leave without giving you any details..."

Dharma raised her chin, "So, why did you?"

"I don't know Dharma. I was nervous. There were so many things happening. Foremost was my anxiety that Vasukinath would use this opportunity to get me married to Rashika."

Dharma wrapped her arms around herself, "What has changed now?"

"Uh?" he asked baffled.

"You are here, aren't you? Why?"

Something about her attitude cautioned him that he was treading on dangerous grounds.

"Chaitanya is roaming around the streets freely, looking for you. What if he troubled you?"

"I can take care of myself," Dharma retorted.

Maurya darted a sardonic look at her, "I know you are capable of looking after yourself. Have I denied that?"

"So, what made you leave Rashika's side and come to pick me up?"

Maurya's eyebrows shot up, "Am I detecting a wee bit of jealousy here?" He thought he was joking but it backfired on him.

"Seriously? I mean just because I am asking why you left her side; you think I am jealous?" Clenching her fist, Dharma turned her body towards Maurya, "What do you think of yourself?"

Maurya threw his hands in the air, "I was just joking. You don't need to get so worked up...And to answer your question, I think of myself as an idiot who had no right to leave you alone in a strange village." He stole a glance at her, "I am sorry Dharma..."

She gave a half-shrug, reluctantly appeased by his apology. In actual fact, his admission was not something she had expected.

Maurya's phone lit up on the dashboard and he grasped the phone to check. There was a message notification. He swiped the phone to read the message.

"Chaitanya is dead...." he conveyed, relieved that Dharma would not be hounded by the man again.

Taken aback, Dharma asked, "What?"

"The police tracked him...His wife was asked to contact him, and they traced him through that call."

"Oh!"

"Oh? Is that your only reaction? Don't you realize that you don't have to worry about him again," Maurya reiterated, nonplussed by Dharma's stoic response.

"For god's sake, I don't care about him. I told you I can take care of myself."

"Yes, I forgot that you are a superwoman!"

"Where are we going?"

"I planned to drop you at your friend's place but I have changed my plans now."

"Meaning?"

"I am taking you to a restaurant for lunch. I think you are cranky because you are hungry."

"I am neither cranky nor hungry..."

"So why the hell are you so angry at me?"

Taking a deep breath, she said, "You should be with Rashika. I don't understand why you are here."

"Because I want to be with you."

"But I don't want..."

Maurya brought the car to a grinding halt and switched off the engine. Turning towards her, he bit out, "Explain..."

"Ok, here it is... You are engaged to Rashika and as far as I know, you haven't broken the engagement. At the same time, you are attracted to me. I get that but what I don't get is your attitude."

"What about my attitude?"

"Well, for one, even though you pretend to enjoy my company..."

"Pretend?"

"Yes, pretend to enjoy my company, you are always at the beck and call of Vasukinath or his daughter. B) You say you are going to leave her but so far, you haven't. Wait, let me finish...I am not asking you to leave her. It would be best if we gave ourselves some time apart. I need to get my head in the right place."

"So, you think I should be with Rashika now?"

"Yes!"

"Right, answer the question after I tell you this. Rashika, with the help of her friend Arjun, traced Chaitanya and promised him that she would inform him of her whereabouts. She used Arjun to get information about you. She also used Arjun to make me jealous."

Rashika regarded him with shock, "But how does she know Chaitanya?"

"They used an investigator to find all the details about you. I checked with this investigator when I found out what she had been doing. And yet, you want me to be with her?"

"Arjun is the guy who died in the accident?"

"Yes..." Maurya bit out.

"Don't you see, Maurya? Even after all this, instead of confronting Rashika, you took the easy way out by coming to meet me..."

He asked harshly, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Maurya, you are not sure about giving up on all that you have earned so far. And I am not complaining about it. You deserve it. I know you like me in your own way but it is not what I want,"

At this, Maurya's face turned darker. She, however, continued, "I need some time for myself. I need to absorb what I found about myself in Avadhi. I want to see if Alaka exists and learn the truth about the prophecy."

"Whether you agree or not, I am also part of your life. Have you forgotten that we have a past connection, Dharma?”

"But you don't want to break free of this life you have made for yourself, Maurya. I think; deep down you don't want to detach yourself from it."

"Do I have to break free of everything I care about, to be with you?"

"No, you don't have to, but I want to lead a life that does not cause pain to anyone. And I have to complete the duties that I am entrusted with. I have to search for Alaka."

Listening to her, Maurya recognized a grain of truth in what she was saying. He hadn't probably wanted to relinquish everything he had earned so far in his life. Maybe that was the reason he hadn't broken the engagement.

Dharma observed the myriad of expressions that flitted across his face. She had a lot of time in Anuragnicheri to think about her relationship with Maurya after he left.

"What do you want me to do now?"

"I am not being rude Maurya but I want you to leave me alone. At least till I understand what I want to do with my life. Right now, there are too many things confusing me."

Maurya's intent stare did not change her decision. Howsoever agonizing it was, she was firm in her stance. Understanding her resoluteness, he drove her to Brahim's place. He got down to help her with the case but she held up her hands. Without another backward glance, Dharma walked away.

 A gnawing pain invaded him. Something in her demeanour indicated that she was not going to reach out to him. The knowledge wrenched his heart unbearably.

Meanwhile, he knew what he had to do now...