A short chapter ( about 1800 words) since it has one big revelation ! Next within 48 hours to compensate for the short length:)

Suvarna's POV.

Drop a bomb and disappear, that is what you just did Shishir Mehrotra.

Skype! Who will tell the time?

Who does he think he is? Shahrukh Khan? Am I supposed to wait till the high and mighty Shishir Mehrotra calls?

I put my foot down on the floor from the bed and winced. It still ached slightly. Paresh of course had fled away almost immediately after escorting me to my bed. At least he had had the good sense to send Prema over with an ice pack and had taken Rahul away with him.

Silly goose! I could have had a meeting with a prospective client had he not blundered.

My phone buzzed as a message came in.

Rahul!

'Hey! I hope your foot is better. I have requested the people who we were supposed to meet today for a meeting another day and they have agreed. Will day after tomorrow be okay?'

I smiled as I read the message. He really is a sweet guy.

'Sure, sounds good. Thank you Rahul.' I pressed send and almost immediately received his response, 'Always welcome.'

I sighed and put my phone away and looked around. This was so crazy. It was past noon and I had been sitting in my room doing nothing. Prema had even brought my lunch to my room saying Anju Mami had asked me to rest my foot and not walk around.

Knowing my Mami that spelled trouble. I sighed thinking of the silent treatment and indirect taunts that I would be facing for the next few days.

Not much I could do about that. Might as well use it well and sleep I thought as I pulled Teddy to myself and lied down.

I smiled as I tucked my head close to Teddy remembering how pissed I had been thinking this was for Pinky and had been so jealous of Pinky-

Jealous? I frowned. Was I jealous? No no of course not. Suvarna Sharma is never jealous of anyone, I told myself firmly and closed my eyes in the hope of an afternoon nap.

Shishir's POV.

I paced impatiently in my room as I waited for that call from Richard. It was still early, not yet Ten in the morning and I knew it's too soon to get anything. In fact I may not get anything at all by having Ben's phone tapped.

When his name flashed on my phone right then I pretty much answered on the first ring. " Tell me? Did he call anyone?" I barked into the phone too bothered even to greet.

"Okay good. So whom did he call?" I asked as anticipation built within me.

"What?" I exclaimed at what he said.

'That is what it is Shishir. He called up just one number and that is our office British Investigators! He called our landline number about five minutes back. He was probably waiting for our offices to open.'

"Who did he ask for? What is the message?" I asked impatiently.

'It was a bulletin board message.' Richard said.

I groaned inwardly. I knew what Bulletin Board message was at the BI office. Basically a top secret message where even who the instigator is, is not disclosed. The message is left at reception and written down on their bulletin board and the concerned person would read it, without anyone realising what it was about. Most of the time the message was in code! This was to ward off any possibilities to tapping phones.

"What is the message? " I asked hoping we would at least be able to decode that.

'Ben's comb dropped in the river Thames.' Richard said.

Crap! That sounded all gibberish."Whatever does that mean?" I shouted feeling frustrated.

'For now no idea. But I am on it. Since obviously someone from BI is involved in some way, ?I might be able to get an idea soon who Ben had left the message for.' Richard had answered.

I ran my hands through my hair in despair. This semmed to be far more serious that I had thought. What could be so secretive about some letters written by a friend to her best friend?

One thing that I know without doubt now is Papa had intentionally kept me away from India and Suvi. But why? Even if he did not want me to go back to India, why did he not want Suvi to contact me or me to stay away from her?

This made no sense. I had to get answers but this just seemed to get all jumbled up.

I took a deep breath trying to calm myself. My eyes fell on the bag of letters from Suvi. I immediately relaxed a bit. She was the only one who could calm me when I used to be angry. Even after so many years of being apart she still could do the same.

I smiled as I pulled the letters out. My heart feeling happy as the colours of rainbow bloomed in display in front of me.

When my eyes landed on the black inked ones my smile dwindled. The last three years are the ones that were obviously gloomy for her. She must have at last given up on me-

But no, I thought slowly. She never gave up on me, otherwise why did she still continue writing?

I froze as an icy chill ran through me. Three years! That was when that- I closed my eyes not able to bring myself to even repeat the words in my mind.

With my heart thundering I picked up the first bundle of the black inked envelope. It was a very small bundle. After the seventh year she had reduced the letters. But when did she start writing in black ink exactly.

With shaking hands I picked up the bundle of red inked envelopes. When the last two letters of that bundle turned out to be black inked I felt my legs buckle as I crashed on a chair.

She had reached out to me. She had reached out to me in her darkest hour of pain and I was not there to help her.

As I picked up the first of the black inked envelope I felt a feeling of numbness take over me. With shaky hands I tore open the envelope. I frowned at the contents. A button and a boarding pass?

I picked up the button first as it looked somewhat familiar. I frowned trying to remember where had I seen it?

If I had felt an icy chill run over before, the chill now was death chill as I recalled where the button was from.

I practically rushed to my closet and started rummaging through. After looking around frantically I picked out a black shirt, with brass buttons.

My hands were shaking beyond control and when I located one button missing my heart practically stopped beating. I knew even before I matched, where this button was from.

I went and picked up the boarding pass and turned to read the name.

Shishir Mehrotra.

Suvi  had been saving me by keeping quite. She knew it was not me involved in any way. Such was her faith in me and I had let her down by not even realising someone had tried to trap me and had tormented the person closest to my heart in doing so.

I needed to talk to her now. I need to see her face now. I don't care if it is after noon there. I just need her in front of me right now.

I dialled her number. "I am calling you on skype right now." I said and disconnected before she could respond.

Five minutes later her face came in focus in front of me. I could make out from her face I had woken her up from sleep.

As she looked at me grumpily I felt a storm of emotions crash through me. I wanted to reach out and pull her to me and hated the distance between us.

She sat glaring at me and pouted in annoyance and all I could do was gaze at her. How did I manage to stay away for so long from her?

"Give me a minute, I am sending you a selfie." She said breaking into my haze of thoughts.

"What?" I frowned in confusion at her grumpy mumble.

"Since you just want to stare, that will solve the purpose." She said and started moving her hand to her mouse.

"Suvi no! don't disconnect." I said in a rush.

"Why not?" She sulked.

I smiled despite the situation at hand. She had always been a grouch when woken up from sleep.

"Go wash your face and come." I told her softly.

She pulled a face at me and started getting up, then suddenly she sat down looking down at the screen.

I followed her gaze and caught my breath in realisation. She had caught sight of the button and boarding pass kept right in front of me.

Slowly her gaze moved from them to meet mine.

I saw a shudder run through her as her face crumbled. She bent her head down and her shoulders rose and fell as sobs raked through her.

I felt my heart break into a million pieces at the sight in front of me. "Suvi, Suvi look at me. Please look at me." I said softly.

She did not, as she kept shaking her head bent away from me. I reached and touched the screen in front, hating the distance between us.

"Suvi, come to me." I said making up my mind. I needed her beside me. From the current developments I needed to be here in London and could not go to Delhi, but I need her here. I am going to be with her, beside her at her very vulnerable moment. I know I have just reopened the wound she had been hiding from others.

She had trusted me then, it is me who had not been able to see it.

"Suvi come to me." I repeated.

She raised a tear strained face to me, confusion written all over at my words.

"I don't have the answers yet Suvi, but I will have soon, but I want you here beside me."

"Shishir-" she shook her head, not able to speak just then. I saw her take a deep breath "No Shishir that is not possible, nor needed." I saw her look away before continuing "I never doubted you for a second Shishir. I don't know who the button belongs to, but the boarding pass-" she stopped as more tears ran down her cheeks.

"You thought if you went to the police they would link me into this and so did not go or give any details to anyone." I finished for her.

"Shishir, call me later at night. I need to go now. Please." She said and disconnected.

I sat there for a long time staring in front.

&&&

Unexpected turn of events! Do share your thoughts.

Next chapter no pre cap. Shishir  makes arrangement to get Suvi to London while she resists.

Who do you think will win?

Love, from me to you.:)