Chapter 4

A week had passed since the checkpoint incident. Nothing had been said. No calls, no messages. No reasons to cross paths.

And yet... something lingered.

Each morning after her class, Thabal stepped out of the campus gates, squinting into the sun and scanning the usual stretch of road.

She didn't admit it to herself, but her eyes sometimes paused longer than necessary on the line of parked vehicles across the street. She would tuck her hair behind her ear, walk a little slower than usual, even look both ways even if she wasn't crossing.

And there, occasionally, casually, like he just happened to be there, was Vikram. Leaning against the same jeep, arms crossed, eyes shielded by dark sunglasses. Always alone. Sometimes speaking into his phone, sometimes scribbling in a pad, sometimes just...standing. Watching.

He never crossed the street. Never called out. Never made a move. But when her eyes found his, even across the traffic and noise, he held the gaze.

And then she'd look away. Pretend to fix her bag strap. Check her phone. Move on. But her heart would skip in that moment. Every time. It became a quiet routine.

He'd be parked across the road everyday after her college ends. At the exact timing, he would be standing, leaning against the bonnet as if waiting for her, as if he'd memorized the rhythm of her schedule.

Her friends have started to notice long back too. Twice to thrice it felt like a coincidence, but after that it was clear that Vikram Sharma has eyes on Thabal.

And like always, he was there today too.

"Dekh tera admirer" Meera whispered, giggling slowly. Thabal ignored her, pretending to not listen to what she just said.

"Oye! Thabal! Ja na approach kar na Mr officer ko. Ek haafte se tujhe dekh raha hai. Har din college ke baad wait karta hai tera" Shreya urged with a grin. To which she earned a slap.

"Pagal hogayi hai kya? Mein bhala kyu baat karu usse. Mujhe yeh sab pe interest nahi hai" Thabal retorted, making an annoyed face. But she knew, she was lying to none but herself.

"Aare banda kitna romantic hai dekh na. Roj tera intejar karta hai, bina kuch kahe. Bina kuch kiye. Such a gentleman" Shreya gushed excitedly. Thabal shook her head with a sigh.

"Usse gentleman nahi creep kehte hai. For your kind information" she responded gently with a sarcastic smile.

"Ek baat bata. Tujhe woh sachmein creepy lagta hai kya? The way he watches you, the way he waits for you everyday" Meera chimed in with a questioning look. Thabal paused at that.

No.

The answer was no. She never felt creeped out from his look. She herself didn't know why. Instead, all she felt was nervousness and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. If it was some other male instead of him, there was no chance she would feel anything other than disgust. But with him, it was different.

His gaze felt different. There was something in the stillness of his stance. In the way he seemed to be waiting without expectation. He never smiled. Never waved. But he saw her and she knew it.

Just to make sure if he was still looking, she turned back and their eyes locked again. This time, longer. Neither of them blinked. No words. No gestures. Just a look full of emotions unknown and unsaid.

Then a scooter honked behind her, breaking the spell. She turned and walked away. And still, he stayed.

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Vikram sat on his chair, signing on some files where it was needed. Going through every document displayed in a scattered way on his table.

Yet his mind was on something else, where it shouldn't be. On a certain girl. On a certain person. Not in the case he was supposed to be reviewing. Not on the daily chaos outside his cabin. No, it was on someone he had no business thinking about, on a girl who had somehow crept into the dark corners of his thoughts and refused to leave.

He exhaled sharply, dropping his pen onto the table with a soft clink. Leaning back, he rubbed his forehead with his fingers, eyes closed, as if he could massage the image of her out of his mind. But it was useless.

Just then the door to his cabin opened in a rush.

"Sir woh- sir?" Inspector Shinde paused as he saw his senior officer clutching on his forehead.

"Sir is something wrong?" He asked with concerned laced in his face.

"No" Vikram murmured still closing his eyes. Shinde hesitated but said nothing. The silence stretches between them. Until Vikram broke it.

"Shinde"

"Yes Sir!" Shinde immediately responded.

"You know quite a lot of languages, if I am not wrong?" Vikram asked.

"Haan sir, kyu?" Shinde asked with brows furrowed.

"What does Thabal mean?" Hearing it, Shinde immediately responded.

"Sir yeh toh Manipuri word hai. Jitna mujhe yaad hai, Thabal matlab chand hota hai. Lekin kyu sir?" He asked in confusion.

Vikram immediately opened his eyes hearing it. In all the words, the only two words he heard were Thabal and Chand.

Moon.

Chand. His chand. Fuck it.

A low chuckle escaped his lips, half amusement, half disbelief. Of all things... what a name. So fitting. Beautiful. Gentle. Mysterious. Just like her. Such a fucking beautiful name for a beautiful lady like her. He clenched his first, as if controlling his inner urge strongly.

A smile stick on his lips, not fading. Completely forgetting a wide eyed Shinde. He look at the latter as if possessed by ghost. He couldn't really understand anything. His senior who has been always sarcastic, cranky and strict was smiling and laughing to himself. That too genuinely.

He couldn't digest anything at all.

Whereas Vikram was lost in his own world.

A woman named after the moon. And just like the moon, distant, silent, luminous. she had pulled the tides of his guarded heart without ever trying.

He leaned back further in his chair, eyes fixed to the ceiling but mind light-years away. He remembered her laugh, melodious and full of life. Her eyes, tiny and small, yet so enchanting. He remembered the way she looked at him, nervous and hesitant, like she could disappear into the night sky at any moment and he wouldn't know how to find her.

His smile widened faintly. A part of him hated how easily she occupied space in his mind. The other part didn't want to let her go.

Shinde was still standing there, baffled. The man in front of him looked nothing like the senior officer who ran an entire unit with a sharp tongue and sharper instincts. Vikram's shoulders, usually stiff with discipline were relaxed. His face normally carved in disapproval was softer. Almost... young.

Unable to resist, Shinde cleared his throat gently.

"Sir... you sure you're okay?" Vikram blinked and looked at him, as if noticing him for the first time.

"Hmm?" he muttered, voice softer than before. Then, as if realizing how off he must look, he straightened slightly in his chair.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Shinde didn't buy it for a second.

"Sir, should I... come back later?" he asked cautiously, gesturing toward the papers in his hand.

"The forensics report on the Tripathi case just came in." Vikram waved him off casually.

"Leave it on the desk. I'll look at it."

Shinde stepped forward hesitantly and placed the file among the disarray. He paused before turning around, glancing at Vikram again.

And as soon as he was out, Vikram heaved out a sigh. He looked up at the ceiling, relaxing his stiff posture over the chair by stretching out his legs a bit and slouching his body over a bit.

A chuckle left his lips.

"Kya kara rahi ho mujhe tum Chand. Pagal hi kardogi tum toh mujhe." He murmured hoarsely to himself.

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Hope you liked it

Stay safe sweeties🧿🦋