Chapter 2

'Guest list me toh aisa koi bhi nahi hai' said Daya frowning slightly.

'Shit! Ab kya kare?' said Tarika.

'Yaad karne ki koshish karo Tarika. Kal kya hua tha party? Tumne kuch bhi ajeeb laga ho ya phir kuch aur' said Daya.

'Aise toh kuch yaad nahi aa raha Daya' said Tarika anxiously.

'I am sure iss party me hi woh clue chupa hua hai. Agar ye link humne dhoond nahi nikali toh sab mushkil ho jayega.' said Daya.

'Nahi, nahi! Aisa nahi ho sakta. Ruko main sochti hu' said Tarika.

Minutes passed and Daya and Tarika were growing really worried. And then suddenly she had a brainwave.

'Daya!' she squealed. 'I think I have got it! Yes!' she said.

'Kya?' asked Daya.

'Wo actually na Abhijeet ka ek college friend aaya tha kal party me. Main bhi usse bohot acchi tarah se jaanti hu. Toh hasi majak hamara kuch discussion chal raha tha ki ladkiyon ki life aasan hoti hai ya ladko ki. Toh Abhijeet ke uss friend ke paas ek app tha "Be careful what you wish for" jispe ek psychic se hum online chat kar sakte hai. Mujhe laga ki koi fake app hoga. Uss psychic ne wo crystal ball dekh kar koi incantation bataya tha jisse ladka aur ladki apni bodies swap kar sakte hai. Mujhe acchi tarah yaad hai ki maine aur Abhijeet ne wo incantation try kiya tha' said Tarika, a horrified expression on her face.

'Kya? Phir kya hua?' asked Daya.

'Kuch nahi hua. Hume laga ki woh koi fake app hai toh hum bhi bhul gaye uss incident ko. Uss waqt to jyada log aaye bhi nahi the. Party shuru bhi nahi hui thi. Phir sab log aa gaye aur party hone ke baad mujhe acchi tarah yaad hai ki main apne ghar raat 12 baje pohoch gayi' said Tarika.

'Tab tak sab thik tha?' asked Daya.

'Haan. Mujhe bohot neend aa rahi thi toh main kapde change karke so gayi' said Tarika.

'Shayad uss incantation ka effect raat bara bajne ke baad start hota ho?' said Daya thoughtfully.

'Shayad.' said Tarika.

'Great. Toh ab hume Abhijeet ke uss dost ko milna hoga' said Daya.

'Par wo toh subah hi mumbai se bahar jane wala tha kisi kaam ke silsile me' said Tarika.

'Uska number hoga Abhijeet ke cellphone me. Check karo jara. Hum jaakar mil lete hai usse. Agar wo phone pe hume uss app ke bare me kuch bata sakta hai toh wo dekh lete hai' said Daya.

'Offo! Abhijeet ke phone ki battery dead hai' said Tarika exasperatedly.

'Charging pe lagao usse tab tak main Abhijeet se baat karke puch leta hoon ki waha sab thik hai ya nahi' said Daya.

O-o-o-o

'Tarika, maine abhi Abhijeet se baat ki. Tum ek kaam karo tum bureau chale jaana. Lagta hai Abhijeet ko tumhari madad lagne wali hai. Salunkhe sir already naraz hai usse aur usse report banane ko bola hai aur obviously usse kuch samajh nahi aa raha' said Daya.

'Oh no toh ab mujhe jana hi padega' said Tarika.

'Kisiko kuch pata nahi chalne wala Tarika please. Aur tum bhi yaad rakhna ki bureau me bolna mat' said Daya.

'Main bhi throat infection ka reason bataun?' she said.

'Nahi. Same bataoge to shak ho jayega. Tum batao ki tumhara maun wrat hai aaj' said Daya.

'What?! Main koi wrat nahi rakhti!' she refused flatly.

'Toh aaj rakho. Kuch bhi invent karo na acchi patni milne ke liye wrat rakha hai ya phir aur kuch' said Daya.

'What rubbish! Main aisa kuch bhi nahi karne wali' said Tarika.

'Are yaar logon ko toh aisa ho lagega na ki Abhijeet ka wrat hai. Bahar se toh tum uske tarah hi dikhti ho na' said Daya convincingly. 'Come on yaar Tarika be a sport. Aur waha jake tum dono phirse ladai mat shuru karna. Kisi ne sun liya toh bohot badi problem ho jayegi' warned Daya

'Ha ha thik hai. Agar wo behave karega toh main bhi behave karungi' said Tarika.

Daya sighed. 'In dono ka kuch nahi ho sakta' he muttered.

'Waise ab tum kya karoge?' she asked.

'Main uss Abhijeet ke dost se baat karta hoon aur phir bureau aata hoon. Tab tak tum dono sambhal lena udhar. ACP sir ne waise bhi mujhe aur Abhijeet ko aaj half day diya tha. Tum bata do ki tumhe ghar baithke bore hua isliye tum jadi aa gaye' said Daya.

'Okay' agreed Tarika. 'Nikalu phir main?'

'Ye kapdo me jaogi bureau? Ye night dress hai' said Daya.

'Eewwwwww... main kapde kaise change kar sakti hu? Mujhe nahi dekhna Abhijeet ko waise' said Tarika making a face.

'Itne sharmane ki kya baat hai? Future me toh dekhna hi hai na!' said Daya laughing.

'You idiot!' Tarika punched him hard on the shoulder blushing hard.

'Accha accha tum apni aakhein band karo aur phir jeans aur shirt pehno. Aur waise bhi Abhijeet ne toh sab dekh hi liya hoga already!' said Daya grinning.

'Batameez insan! I hate you! Apni bakwas band karo aur jao uss Abhijeet ke dost ko dhoondo. Ab agar tumne aur bakwaas ki na toh mujhse bura koi nahi hoga' said Tarika flushing furiously.

'Okay, okay' said Daya and left the room, smirking evilly.

O-o-o-o

When Tarika arrived at the bureau, she called Abhijeet.

'Ab aayi ho! Itna late!' said Abhijeet.

'Tumhare aas oaas toh koi nahi hai na? Bhool gaye kya Daya ne kya kaha tha?' said Tarika in a panicky voice.

'Yaha koi nahi hai. Ye Dr Salunkhe ne toh jeena mushkil kar diya. Kaise kaise chemicals ke naam bata rahe hai mujhe! Mujhe to unhe spell karna tak nahi aa raha' said Abhijeet in an annoyed voice.

'Wo sab chodo... tum abhi parking me aa sakte ho? Mujhe tumhe kuch zaroori baat batani hai' said Tarika.

'Kya hua? Tumhe aur Daya ko kuch mila?' asked Abhijeet.

'Ha wo toh batana hai. Jaldi neeche aao. Main tumhara wait kar rahi. Upar baat karna risky hoga. Yaha parking me koi nahi hai' said Tarika.

'Haan, aa raha hoon' said Abhijeet and disconnected the call.

She was waiting patiently for him when she saw herself coming nearer and nearer. She almost gagged looking at the attire.

'Ye - ye kya pehen rakha hai tumne?' she screamed.

'Ek toh chillao mat please Tarika aur ab tum shuru mat karo. Subah se main third time sun raha hoon main ye same comments' said Abhijeet.

'Are you mad? Tumhe dressing sense hai bhi ya nahi! Maine kaha tha na tumse dhang ke kapde pehen ke jao? Toh ye sab kya hai?! Skirt pe koi jogging shoes pehenta hai kya? Aur grey aut pink?! That's the worst colour combination ever!' she said furiously.

'Dekho hum CID me kaam karne aate hai koi fashion show karne nahi. Aur mujhe kya pata tum ladkiyo ka dress choice? Ek toh tumhare cupboard me itne kapde hai ki bas pucho mat!' said Abhijeet exasperatedly.

'Don't tell me ki tumhe mera cupboard messy bana diya! Maine kal hi sab acche se arrange kiya tha' said Tarika. 'Aur colour combination karna koi itni badi baat nahi. It's common sense. Wo toh sabke paas hota hai!' she said.

'Dekho tum mera dimag kharab mat karo. Wo Shreya aur Purvi bhi meri dress ko dekhkar has rahe the subah subah' said Abhijeet.

'Haan toh aise ghatiye dressing hogi toh hasenge hi na! Tumhe kya waise bhi image toh meri kharab ho rahi hai!' said Tarika.

'Main kapde pehen ke aaya hoon yahi kaafi hai. Already cross dressing ka feeling aa raha hai mujhe! Tunhari wajah se maine ladkiyon ke kapde pehne hai aur sir ne mujhe officially half day dete hue bhi main jaldi bureau aaya hoon. Tunhari wajah se mujhe Salunkhe sir se galiya khani pad rahi hai!' said Abhijeet.

'Mujhe kyu blame kar rahe ho? Main bhi toh jhel hi rahi hu na tumhe... huh! Aur ye sab tumhare uss dost Rohan ki wajah se hua hai. Kaise kaise logon ko dost bana lete ho apna' she said.

'Rohan ko kuch mat kehna! Kiya kya hai usne?' he asked.

Tarika then launched into the story of what she and Daya had deduced and where Daya was at the moment.

Abhijeet let out a low whistle. 'Aise kaise ho sakta hai! Meri soch ke toh bahar hai'

Tarika however was not done with the questioning. She had more pressing matters on her mind.

'Tum - tumne shower kiya?' she asked timidly.

'WHAT?!' Abhijeet bellowed.

'Kya hua?' Tarika asked, alarmed.

'Tum kya mujhe waise aadmi samajti ho? Maine aakhein band karke kapde pehen liye aur bas aa gaya' he said, fuming.

'Kya? Matlab tum bina nahake aaye ho? Ewww... disgusting!' she said.

'Tumhe har baat me problem hai. Waise tumne kya kiya?' he asked.

'Wahi jaise tumne kiya' she said looking awkward. 'Waise tum kuch jyada hi mote ho Abhijeet! 32 number ki jeans hai tumhari'

'Aur tum kuch jyada hi lambi ho. Aur ye tumhare baal! Uff! Jee karta hai sab kaat du!' he said.

'How dare you! Don't even dare touch them!' she shrieked.

'Are yaar ye kya kar rahe ho tum log?' came Daya's irritable voice.

Both of them turned around to find Daya standing right beside them.

'Daya! Tum yaha kaise? Woh Rohan se mulakat hui?' asked Tarika.

'Nahi wo abhi kisi urgent meeting me hai. Lekin wo mujhe milne wala hain do ghante main bureau ke pass wale coffe shop me' said Daya.

'Thank god tum aa gaye Daya. Ye Tarika toh bas chilla rahi hai mujhpar' said Abhijeet.

'Tumhari harquatein hi aise hai toh koi option nahi hai mere paas' she said.

'Main kya kaha tha tum dono se ki ladai mat karna. Stop bickering please! Dhyan bhi nahi tha tum logon ka meti taraf. Meri jagah koi aur hota toh? Ab baccho ki tarah ladna band karo aur chalo upar' said Daya.

'Tum itnu jaldi bureau kyu aaye?' asked Tarika.

'ACP sir ne phone kiya tha. Koi naya case aaya hai. Chalo ab jaldi' said Daya.

O-o-o-o

Some time later, Forensic lab -

Dr Salunkhe threw the report on the floor angrily. 'Ye kya hai Tarika? Aaj ho kya gaya hai tumhe? Aise banate hai report? Poora report galat hai! Kitni saari galtiya hai isme! Kya kar rahi ho tum? Dhyan kaha hai aaj tumhara?'

A pained look appeared on Tarika's face.

'Ab main kya jawab du Pradyuman ko? Wo toh mujhpar chillane ke liye ek mauka nahi chodta aur aaj tumhare wajah se wo phirse mera sir khayega. Bas aata hi hoga abhi -'

'Salunkhe! Ye report kuch samajh nahi aa raha hume' came ACP Pradyuman's voice as he barged in through the door followed by Daya and a very panting Abhijeet.

'Lo aa gaya...' said Dr. Salunkhe. 'Boss tum mujhpar chillane lago isse pehle hi main bata deta hoon ki sab galti Tarika ki hai.'

'Tarika ki galti?' asked ACP Pradyuman.

'Haan... aaj pata nahi kya ho gaya hai isse basic report me bhi itni saari galtiya hai' said Dr. Salunkhe.

'Pata nahi aaj Abhijeet aur Tarika ko ho kya gaya hai achanak' said ACP Pradyuman shooting a suspcious look at Tarika and Abhijeet. 'Waise Salunkhe hume uss meeting ke liye jaana hai na? Chalo phir'

'Tarika!' Dr Salunkhe barked making them jump. 'Mere aane se pehle ye report mujhe tayar chahiye. Bina galtiyo ke. Aur agar tumhare tabiyat thik nahi hai toh tum jaa sakti ho ghar report khatam karne ke baad. Aur yaad rahe main koi galati tolerate nahi karunga iske aage... nahi toh mujhe ye kehte hue afsoos hai ki mujhe koi dusra lab assistant dhoondna padega'

With that Dr Salunkhe and ACP Pradyuman left for the meeting and Daya saw Abhijeet and Tarika looking at each other ready to breathe fire.

Before he could calm them down, Tarika said, 'Toh ab tum mujhe CID se nikalna chahte ho!'

'Main kya karu yaar? Mujhe Forensic ka kaam kaise aayega? Aur tum toh mujhe help bhi nahi kar rahi! Aur maine suna ki tum ek criminal ko bhi pakad nahi payi! Bhag gaya! Criminals ko pakadne ke liye stamina lagta hai stamina.' said Abhijeet.

'Aur Forensic Lab me kaam karne ke liye dimag lagta hai dimag! Jo tumme bilkul bhi nahi hai... mujhe toh khudko dekhke hi sharminda mehsus ho raha hai... if you know what I mean!' said Tarika.

'Dekho -'

'Enough!' Daya thunderous voice made Abhijeet bite back his retort. 'Tum dono se na baat karna hi bekar hai. Itni baatein karne se achha hota agar tum ek dusre ki help karte. Sir ke aane se pehle tumhe report complete karna hai, bhul gayi?' said Daya.

'Tumhe bada maja aa raha hai na?' said Abhijeet furiously.

Daya grinned. 'Zindagi ka sabse best din hai mera!'

'Isse toh' said Abhijeet and started chasing him.

Tarika stomped her foot angrily. 'Daya tumhe Rohan se milne jaana tha na? Toh yaha kya kar rahe ho? Aur please tum dono ye sab band karo. Tarika tumhare piche bhagte hue pagal lag rahi hai... if you know what I mean!'

'Yes, I know what you mean!' said Daya, laughing.

'Haan haan, jaldi jao' said Abhijeet loudly. 'Mujhe zindagi bhar ladki banke nahi rehna'

'Haan aur mujhe bhi zindagi bhar ABHIJEET banke nahi rehna' said Tarika.

Daya sighed watching them bickering once again. 'Har waqt bas ladhte rehte hai. Body switch ke baad bhi ek dusre ke liye jo feelings hai wo samajh nahi paa rahe. Please god mere dono dosto ko kuch toh akal de do' he said and left the bureau.

O-o-o-o

9 pm, CID Bureau -

'Ye Daya kaha reh gaya? Phone bhi nahi utha raha! Rohan bhi phone nahi utha raha!' said Abhijeet.

They were in the parking waiting for Daya to arrive. Their colleagues had left already. Finally Daya's long unexplained absense had made them stop lashing at each other.

'Abhijeet kahi kuch problem toh nahi ho gaya? Hum zindagi aise hi rahe toh?' said Tarika in horror.

'Nahi yaar aisa mat bolo - hey! Daya ka msg aaya hai! Keh raha hai ki hum dono ko tumhare ghar jake rukna hai. Wo bas aa raha hai thodi der me' said Abhijeet.

'Aur thodi der? Thik hai. Chalo phir' said Tarika.

O-o-o-o

Tarika's bad mood returned once they reached her apartment looking at the mess Abhijeet had created. She roamed around the house putting stuff in their proper place and cleaning a bit while muttering non - stop under her breath and throwing dirty looks at herself aka Abhijeet who happened to be sitting on the couch reading a newspaper.

Abhijeet saw himself cleaning the house and smirked. It looked so odd. Also, he had never thought he would ever work that much! Not even in his dreams.

Minutes flew by and when the clock struck 11 pm, Abhijeet and Tarika were started to worry again. Tarika was so angry with Abhijeet that she refused to answer him at all.

Finally at 11.15 Daya arrived looking positively smug.

'What kept you? Kya kar rahe the itni der?' asked Abhijeet.

'Solution dhoond raha tha tunhare iss problem ki. Kitni mehnat karni padti hai pata hai?' said Daya.

'Toh kya hua? Mila solution?' asked Abhijeet.

'Haan! Perfect solution mila. I am so happy' said Daya grinning naughtily.

'Thank god!' said Tarika.

Abhijeet threw her an angry look. 'Jaldi batao kya karna hai' he said to Daya.

'Simple... you have to kiss each other' said Daya.

'WHAT?!' Tarika and Abhijeet cried in unision.

'Yes' said Daya, thoroughly enjoying himself.

'No way! Main ye nahi kar sakti' said Tarika blushing slightly.

'Tunhare paas koi option nahi hai! Aur agar ye aaj raat 12 baje ke pehle nahi hua toh tum dono ko zindagi bhar aisa hi rehna padega' said Daya.

'Daya yaar ye - ye kya bol raha hai tu? Kisne bola ye sab tujhe? Ye sab bakwaas hai' said Abhijeet awkwardly

'Bakwaas hai? Uske app pe timepass kar rahe the tab bhi sab bakwaas hi lag raha tha. Dekho ab kya ho gaya!' said Daya.

'Nahi yaar Daya' said Abhijeet.

'Waise kya problem hai? Main jaanta hu ki tum dono ek dusre se pyar karte ho? Kab tab forensic lab tarika jee ke saath flirt karte rahoge Abhijeet? Aaj accha mauka hai. Kiss her and make it official' said Daya.

Abhijeet chanced a glanced at Tarika who was staring at her feet.

'Dekho abhi 11.30 baje hai. Main tumhe sochne ke liye ya baat karne ke liye fifteen minutes ka waqt deta hoon. Choice is yours' said Daya.

'Baat karne jaisa kuch hai hi nahi. Main Abhijeet ko kiss nahi karungi! Dekho usne kya halat bana rakhi hai mere ghar ki. I hate him! I just hate him.' said Tarika angrily.

'Maine aise kahi suna hai ki nafrat se hi pyar badhta hai. Ab Tum log decide kar lo' said Daya and left the room.

After Daya's departure, Abhijeet and Tarika stared at one another looking rather out of place and awkward.

'Tarika...' said Abhijeet, finally breaking the silence.

'Kuch mat kaho tum!' Tarika shouted. 'Daya ki jaroor kuch galatfamili hui hai. Tum toh bas flirt karne me interested ho. Najane aur kitne ladkiyon ke saath aise flirt karte ho jaise mere Lab me karte ho. Iss sab ka matlab kya samjhu main Abhijeet?'

'Daya kuch galat nahi keh raha. Aur ye toh tum bhi jaanti hu. Main tumhare alava kisi ladki ke saath flirt nahi karta. Aur sach batao tumhe bhi mera flirt karna accha lagta hai, hai na? Warna tum kabhi mujhe tolerate hi nahi karti. Sach kahu aaj subah jab me tumhe dekh raha tha aiyne me tab pehle baar mujhe ehsaas hua ki tum kitni khoobsoorat ho. Aaj pehli baar tumne itne kareeb se aut itni der tak dekhne ka mauka mila. I like you Tarika. Aaj tak tumhare saath sirf flirt karta raha kyunki tumhe apne dil ki baat batane ki himmat hi nahi thi mujhme' said Abhijeet.

'W -what?' said Tarika staring at him.

'Haan main sach bol raha hoon... yakeen mano. Ye hasi majak me sab jo kuch bhi hua wo sab subah toh mujhe bohot gussa dila raha tha oar ab lag raha hai jo hua wo accha hi hua' said Abhijeet.

Tarika gave him a shy smile. 'Tum jaise officer ko khatarnak criminals se dar nahi lagta aur ek ladki ko dil ki baat batane me itna dar lagta hai? Yakeen nahi hota!'

'Can't help it. Jab tum saamne aati ho tab kuch bol bhi nahi paata' said Abhijeet.

'Accha? I see. Waise dikhne me toh tum bure nahi ho. Accha khaasa kama bhi lete ho... aur CID officer bhi ho... toh main soch sakti hu tumare bare me seriously' said Tarika with a mischievious grin.

'Toh kya khayal hai Tarika jee? Kiss kar du?' asked Abhijeet moving forward.

'Itni jaldi bhi kya hai Senior Inspector Abhijeet?' she asked.

'Kitni jaldi hai main tumhe bata bhi nahi sakta' he said and closed the distance between them in two long strides. A moment later they were kissing each other intensely. The feeling was indeed amazing.

A minute later Daya burst inside. 'Ho gaya ki nahi tum logo ka? Sirf paanch minute bache-'

His eyes went wide looking at the scene unfolding before him.

Tarika and Abhijeet broke apart blushing madly.

'Knock karke to aate' Abhijeet scolded him.

'Mujhe kya pata tha tum dono itni jaldi shuru ho jaoge?' said Daya making them go red in face.

'Par abhi tak kuch bhi toh nahi hua!' said Tarika changing the topic.

'Abhi kuch hoga bhi nahi. So jao aaram se. Kal subah sab normal hoga. Par ab pata nahi tum dono ko neend aayegi bhi ya nahi...' said Daya, laughing.

'Chup kar yaar' said Abhijeet.

O-o-o-o

The next morning when they woke up everything was back to normal, much to thier relief.

'Main bata nahi sakta yaar main kitna khush hoon' said Abhijeet to Daya.

'Main bhi tum dono ke liye bohot khush hoon' said Daya.

'Haan... end me sab accha hua but last 24 hours were terrifying. Zindagi bhar yaad rahega mujhe - Be careful what you wish for!' said Tarika.

*** THE END ***