It was a hot, dusty afternoon. The city was under a political strike. The streets were quieter than usual, save for the buzz of tension in the air. A few vehicles dared to move, slipping past barricades. Policemen are stationed at major intersections.
A rugged police jeep was parked sideways across the road, acting as a checkpoint. Sitting lazily on the bonnet, legs crossed, was Vikram, his khaki uniform slightly unbuttoned at the neck. His boots rest on the bull bar. His sleeves are rolled up, revealing tanned forearms. A glint of authority rests in his expression, calm, commanding, detached. His sunglasses rest low on his nose as he scrolls on his phone, nonchalant but alert beneath the surface.
Beside him stood constable Rana, a talkative junior, scanning the road with a notepad in his hands.
"Sir lagta hai ek auto aa raha hai, passengers ke saath hai shayad" Constable Rana informed. Vikram doesn't even glance up.
"Stop it. Ask for the driver's papers" was all he said, still scrolling over his phone.
Rana nodded and stepped forward. An auto-rickshaw sputtered to a halt. The driver looked nervous. Three girls were seated in the back, chatting quietly, unaware of what was about to unfold.
"Oye! Bahar aa. Strike ka pata hai na? Kaha ja raha tha?" Rana narrows his eyes at him. The driver steps out hesitantly, wiping his sweaty forehead.
"Sir, woh ladkiya hai, tuition ja rahi thi" the driver answered, a bit nervous under the gaze of the constable.
"Strike ke bich kaika tuition? Ek din nahi jane se jamin hiljata?" The loud voice caught the girls' attention. They immediately looked at the commotion.
One of them asked.
"Bhaiya? Kuch huwa hai kya?" And that's when Vikram looked up. Hearing the soft, gentle, melodious voice. And as soon as he saw the person, he froze. His phone slips slightly from his hand. Time seems to slow. The chatter, the honks, even Rana’s voice faded.
There she was.
Sitting in the backseat of the auto, half-hidden behind another girl, was HER. The girl from the traffic jam a few days ago. That same serene expression, eyes widening a bit with concern, a tiny mole near her temple that was unmistakable.
She sat there without any worry of the world, hair loosely tied. Her straight strands messily scattered. Without knowing the fact that she just stole an officer's peace away. Vikram couldn't forget her, her smile, her laugh, her face. It continued to linger in his mind. And when finally he thought he would forget her in days. She very miraculously appeared.
Vikram’s throat tightened. He straightened up instinctively, tossing his phone on the bonnet as he pulled off his sunglasses. His eyes stern as usual. He glanced at her, trying to see her more clearly, in more detail. He seemed to not believe his eyes at the moment.
"You gotta be kidding me" he murmured to himself, rubbing his forehead slightly. He composed himself, adjusted his collar, and strides toward the auto, the stern officer mask replacing the dazed man.
"Papers hai?" He asked the driver, making the latter nod hesitantly in the intimidating presence of the officer.
"J-ji" he answered hesitantly.
"Nikalo jaldi" Vikram commanded coldly. The driver nodded and immediately turned to take out his driving papers.
Vikram then turned to the girls. And damn! His heartbeat immediately fastened. He felt as if his heart would jump out of his chest if it beats more. Her eyes were meeting his. For the first time. Dark brown and light brown. She was looking at him with a confused and slightly nervous gaze. As they looked at each other, she removed her gaze gently as if not able to bear his piercing look.
Calm down, calm down. He slowly consoled his poor heart internally.
''Niche utro sab" he commanded, making the girls look at each other nervously. Nevertheless, they climbed down the auto, figidting with their bags.
Carefully and smartly, he turned to a girl and asked.
"What's your name?"
"Meera Rao" the girl answered, handling him with her ID. Vikram took it without any glance towards it.
Turning next to the second girl, he raised his brow at her, silently questioning her identity.
"Shreya Choudhary" she answered passing him her ID. Vikram felt his heart race as he slowly turned to her. His literal dream girl, who has been roaming around his mind.
He watched her as she stood timidly in front of her, her head bowed down. Slowly, she lifted her face and locked eyes with him. For a moment, silence stretches again. Both of them seem to connect with each other through their eyes at that moment. They were strangers, yet felt too familiar.
Vikram gulped before speaking.
"Aur tumhara?" His voice almost broke as he asked. His tone was firm yet gentle at the same time.
She hesitated. Then answered, voice soft like a breeze brushing through a curtain.
"Thabal"
It hit him like a whisper straight into his chest.
Thabal.
He repeated it in his head, once, twice, committing it to memory as if it had weight, meaning, gravity. The name was unique and way too unfamiliar. He tested her name internally in his mind.
"Pura naam" he asked, feigning casualness as he looked at her with a curtain of straight face.
"S. Thabal" she informed politely and gave him her ID card. Vikram looked down with only a single intention. And as soon as he saw it, he controlled his inner urge to smirk hard.
Maharashtra University Of Health Science. Her college. Then he looked up and asked in a cold commanding voice.
"Tum sab ki umar kitni hai?"
"22 sir" Shreya answered and Vikram could finally breathe in peace knowing that he hasn't been dreaming after a minor girl after all.
"Strike tha pata nahi tha?" He fired another question, masking his happiness. Thabal played with her hands in nervousness.
"Pata tha sir, aaj important topic tha, toh miss nahi karna tha" she answered slowly and calmly, as if trying to soothe his anger away. Her northeast accent heavily reflecting while she spoke hindi.
"Dobara asa nahi hoga sir" she added innocently not knowing how it was affecting him. He nodded and looked away, jaw set, heart slightly unsteady beneath the armor of discipline. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, just for a fleeting second which he masked it with a cough.
"Chalo. Jaane do," he said to Rana, waving them on. As the auto began to pull away, Vikram didn’t move. His eyes lingered for just a few seconds longer on the retreating figure in the back seat.
The city may have been under strike. But inside Vikram, something had just stirred into motion.
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The auto trundled past the barricade, swaying slightly with every bump on the uneven road. The tension of the checkpoint began to ease, and the girls collectively exhaled like balloons slowly deflating.
Then, the silence cracked.
"Uff, that officer was intense" Meera said, adjusting her dupatta.
"Woh naak pe gussa le ke khada tha." She puffed her cheeks and imitated his tone
"Strike tha pata nahi tha?" Shreya snorted hearing her.
"Itna aakar aur tevar tha usmein" she shook her head.
"Lekin jo bhi kaho yaar, that attitude of his suits his profession. Banda film ka hero se kam nahi lag raha tha. Ekdam dashing body, awaj bhari bhari, sundar shakal. Bas ek background music ki hi toh kami hai" Meera sighed dreamily.
"Oh Maharani of sari delulu. Did you see the way he looked at Thabal?" Shreya brought her back to reality.
Thabal blinked, startled at her sudden mention in the conversation. One moment she was just enjoying listening to their talks, and the next she was being called out.
"Kya?" She asked, although knowing about it.
"Oh, don’t 'kya' us" Shreya leaned forward with a knowing smirk.
"He was definitely looking at you. I mean like actually looking. Not like he was about to arrest you. Woh ek hota haina pura dreamy look. As if pehli nazar pe hi pyaar hogaya" She grinned. Thabal waved her hand dismissively, cheeks warming.
"Bakwas mat karo yaar, woh apna job kar raha tha" Meera elbowed her playfully.
"Doing his job, haan? That’s why he stopped mid scroll and removed his sunglasses jaise hero entrance de raha ho." Thabal tried to hide her smile, but they weren't letting go.
"Pehli baar kisi police checkpoint par mujhe cinematic silence mehsoos hua" Shreya added with mock drama.
"Sab kuch slow motion ho gaya tha. Sirens, wind, and us in the background like extras!" Meera gasped theatrically at it.
Thabal chuckled despite herself.
"You two are ridiculous." She muttered and looked away, watching the scenery outside. A smile tugged on her lips. She just couldn't stop smiling as she thought about the scene a few minutes ago.
She couldn’t deny it , the way her stomach had fluttered when he asked her name, how his voice had lowered just a little. She’d met so many people in the city. Teachers, strangers, students, fellow mates , but no one had ever made her pause like this.
"Tumne uska naam notice kiya?" Meera asked suddenly, breaking her trance of thoughts.
Thabal paused for a moment. Yeah she did, she saw his nameplate sticking proudly over his chest.
"Hmm" she responded slowly.
"Yani tumne kiya" Shreya jumped in with a grin before she could deny it.
"Kya naam tha?" She asked eagerly.
"Vikram" Thabal murmured, almost to herself. Both girls grinned like cats who'd found cream.
"Oho!" Meera teased, hooting loudly.
"Officer Vikram and Miss Thabal. Kya chemistry hai, madam. I'm calling it now, strike ke beech, spark ho gaya." She clapped her hands excitedly.
"Stop it" Thabal laughed, burying her face in her notebook.
"You both are impossible." But her heart was still pacing quietly.
Outside, the auto rattled through sunlit lanes. Inside, Thabal's mind was somewhere back at the checkpoint, at the stillness, the weight of his gaze, the firm yet gentle voice of his. His presence had felt oddly familiar , like seeing a character from a dream you didn't know you remembered.
The silence between them at the checkpoint still echoed in her mind. She leaned back, exhaling softly. The other two girls in the auto resumed their chatter about the class they were going to, about how the teacher was still making them attend even during a strike, but Thabal was somewhere else.
A strange sensation bloomed in her chest. She couldn't quite grasp the feeling she felt. It was all weird, it felt nice yet she was nervous about it. She wasn’t one to get distracted. She had exams coming up. Assignments due. A life carefully organized and kept simple. But the way he'd looked at her.
Like he'd seen her before.
She bit her lip and looked down at her notebook, flipping through pages of half-finished notes, trying to distract herself. But her thoughts looped.
She just prayed to God internally not to throw her into any jumble. But little did she know, she was doomed the moment she locked her eyes with him.
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Hope you enjoyed it
Stay safe sweeties🫂🦋
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