Don'T Look Into My Eyes

DON’T LOOK INTO MY EYES!

“No! Amisha, what are you doing! Have you lost your mind! No No!! Help!!”

Screaming loudly, Harsh wakes up. He is sweating profusely! Looking around he realises he had just seen a bad dream!

Gaining his senses, he sees Aarti looking straight at him! And then hands him a glass of water. And goes off to the washroom.

Harsh finds it strange, that Aarti didn’t even ask him once what happened! He could see changes in Aarti's behaviour from past few days.

“Today I will ask her, I can’t take it anymore” he mutters to himself.

After having a good bath. He arrives at the breakfast table, expecting to have a good conversation with his wife. The breakfast table is filled with food, but no sign of Aarti around. Harsh picks up a slip, it reads

“Made Poha and kept juice, please eat it. Have a good day, I have left for work!”

“What the hell is going on?” Harsh is now infuriated.

He immediately calls Aarti and screams “What is happening Aarti, ye kya matlab hai aise breakfast lagake nikaljana? Mujhe tumse bat karni thi.”

“I was getting late” Aarti replies calmly.

“Aarti kya hua hai, I can see you are miffed about something speak it out.” Harsh is now getting very restless.

“Mein abhi office mein hoon Harsh, sham ko baat karenge” Aarti replies hurriedly and disconnects the phone.

Harsh is now perplexed; he is not sure what is happening. Rather he’s not sure why his life has turned upside down, both professional and personal!

Thinking of all this, his head starts spinning and he sits down and has his breakfast and heads to office. Harsh is working as a senior program manager and recently had joined this company. One of the top IT firms, it was Harsh’s dream to be a part of this firm. He loved his job, but recently he felt something funny was happening to him.

Harsh knew he was getting weird dreams, but couldn’t remember exactly what was happening. It was lunch time and was about to head for the cafeteria, just than his desk phone rang.

“Hello”

“Hi, Harsh how are you today” Amisha said seductively.

“I am good, how can I help you?” Harsh said dryly.

“Oh, come on Harsh! You seem in a swell mood, is all Ok? Amisha probed.

“Look I am fine, its lunch time will talk later” saying this Harsh hung up the phone.

Amisha was Harsh’s colleague, a pretty gurl who knew how to play her cards very well and she was doing the same in respect to Harsh.

She kept down the phone and smiled slyly. Smilingly she opens her laptop’s folder which had her and Harsh’s pictures and started looking at them.

Harsh couldn’t concentrate much on his work, he felt something isn’t right as if something bad had happened, but he couldn’t figure out what. He started checking all his work, his folders in his laptop. And suddenly, something he remembered, hurriedly he took the keys and opened the lower most drawer. The files were in there, with a relief he took the files in his hand and started looking over. All was intact, he put the files back to the drawers and shut his eyes to ponder.

Harsh didn’t notice that, some of the papers in the file were torn!! When he would realise it, it would be too late!

“What was wrong with Aarti, have I upset her? God it’s so difficult to understand women!” he again was murmuring to himself.

Saying this he calls up Aarti and says “I will come to pick you up at 7pm today at Andheri station. Mujhe kuch nahi sunana hai” saying this he slams down the phone.

And as he comes to his senses, he sees Amisha looking at him seductively and standing very close to him. He gets startled and moves away from her.

“Hey, I just came to ask, you care for a coffee?

“No, Amisha, I don’t want a coffee, its lunch time now! Bye” saying this he leaves his cabin.

“Hahahaha” Amisha laughs.

Harsh then goes out and bangs his leg against the wall saying in his mind

“Dammit, my wife is not talking properly to me and here this Amisha is trying to get cosy with me, god what is happening ”

“Hey Harsh, wassup..? Are you ok?” Varun calls out to Harsh. Varun and Harsh are 4 year old friends and colleagues. Varun worked with Harsh in the last company.

“I don’t like this Amisha, she tries to get so close to me yaar! Doesn’t she know I am married?” Harsh says irritatingly.

“Accha, tabhi tum shadishudha nahi the, jab tum uske sath Annual party mein cosily dance kar rahe the, tab  tum shaadi shudha nahi the jab tum hatho mein hath dalke party mein enter kiye? All are talking about you guys so be careful and natak mat karo!” Varun says teasingly.

“What, I danced with Amisha? Ye kya keh rahe ho Varun, kuch bhi, stop joking!” Harsh said ignorantly.

“Ha abhi tum aise hi kahoge na, janedo, bye!” saying this Varun walks away.

After walking to certain distance he looks back at Harsh and says “Yeh, aise kyun behave kar raha hai, is pe dyan rakhna padega. Nowadays he behaves really weird”.

“Yeh sab kya bol raha tha Varun? Mujhe kuch yaad kyun nahi hai!!” saying this Harsh goes off for lunch.

Somehow the day passes by and after some hours Harsh checks his watch it’s time to retire.

He packs his stuff and is about to leave the office, when he bumps into someone.

Aarti is waiting outside the Andheri Station its 7:30 pm, still there is no sign of Harsh. They had decided to meet at 7 pm!

Harsh’s office was just half an hour away; it shouldn’t have taken him so long. She was sure today as well he would do the same like he did last two times, but for the sake of his love, she decided to wait for another 10 minutes.

As expected Harsh didn’t turn up. Aarti’s eyes filled with tears and she left for home.

She opened the flat door, but didn’t find Harsh. Tears started to flow from her eyes. She sat on the couch and started weeping profusely.

She did not understand what has gone wrong with Harsh. Aarti and Harsh got married 3 years back, it was a love marriage. They worked in the same company where Aarti was currently working, she was in the finance department and Harsh in the projects department, hence marriage didn’t create a hassle in their corporate life. Soon Harsh got a good opportunity and good hike and got into this reputed IT firm. He was working on a very confidential project and hence many times he would be late and Aarti was ok with it. They had a good married life, everyday, after work Harsh and she would discuss how their day was, and other things.

But of lately due to Harsh’s strange behaviour Aarti wasn’t sure what is going on. Initially she thought its work pressure but when she tried to talk to him, he would flatly refuse it saying that nothing was wrong.

Aarti really loved Harsh, she didn’t want to doubt him but recent developments told some different story.

Aarti couldn’t take it anymore she had to confront Harsh before it’s too late. Tomorrow being Saturday she decides to speak to him the next morning. Right now she was worried about him.

Aarti has her dinner and waits on the couch. At 1 am the front door of the flat opened, Harsh was completely drunk and he stepped inside. He was about to fall down, when Aarti held him and took him to the bedroom and made him sleep. Aarti looked at the man on the bed besides her and couldn’t recognise him to be the same Harsh she had married. She kept waiting for the next morning, didnt sleep at all. Whereas Harsh slept like a baby.

"No don’t do that Amisha please no!" Screaming again Harsh got up drenched in sweat in the morning. He gained his conscious and realised it’s his home and was relieved.

He searched for Aarti but she was nowhere, he went to the drawing room and saw her sitting on the couch, she had a long face! He had to speak to Aarti today; he quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth. He then sat on the dining table, Aarti came and gave him tea and started to walk away.

Harsh says annoyingly "Aarti ye kya chal raha hai tumhara! Thik se baat bhi nai karrahi ho, akhir bat kya hai?"

Aarti couldn’t take it anymore and calmly pulls a chair and sits beside him “Mera kya chal raha hai? Tum khud ke bare mein bolo! Tumhara itne dino se kya chal raha hai? "

Harsh was puzzled "Mera kya, kya bol rahi ho meine kyaa.."

Interrupting him Aarti continued “Kal dinner ke liye mujhe bulaya call karke Andheri station, aur ap aye hi nahi! Kyun nai aye, meine apko kitne calls kiye, apka phone switched off aa raha tha? "

Harsh being confused asked “Meine bulaya? Kya bol rahi aise kaise ho sakta hai?"

Aarti was getting annoyed now and says "Accha ye dekho" and she shows him the call logs from last evening, his call had come at 6:40 pm.

Harsh was zapped seeing this.

Aarti said further "This is not the first time you have called me and cancelled the plan, you had called me twice before and didn’t turn up. What is going on Harsh? roj tum Amisha ka nam leke neend se chilake uthate ho pure pasine mein , iska kya matlab samjhu mein?"

Harsh said pleadingly “Aarti please mujhpe bharosa karo mujhe kuch bhi yaad nai hai aur Amisha? Oh kya mein Amisha bolta hoon? Vo toh sirf meri colleague hai, mein uska nam kyun loon?"

Aarti then asked enquiringly “Ok phir kal rat 1 baje tak kaha thhe bolo, and tum purey nashe mein thhe?"

Harsh did realise he was too much drunk yesterday, as his head felt very heavy! He starts recalling and says " kal na mein vo kal... Aarti mujhe kuch yaad nai araha! Mein bol raha hoon na kai kuch dino se ajeeb lag raha hai mujhe"

Aarti felt like going and cuddling her helpless husband, as she was feeling pity on him. Just then the landline rang, Aarti came to her senses and picked it up.

 “Hello” Aarti says

“Bhabhi Harsh hai” Varun asks

‘Ha, aap kaun?

“Bhabhi mein Varun, Harsh ka mobile switched off aa raha hai” Varun says again.

“Ye lijiye, Varun ka phone hai, he sounds tensed!” Aarti says, handing over the phone to Harsh.

“Ha, Varun tell me kya hua?” Harsh asks

“Itne cool hoke bol rahe ho kya hua hai, itna bada parakram kiya hai tumne” Varun says angrily!

“Varun ye kya bol rahe ho tum, mujhe kuch samajh nai aaraha hai..” Harsh says being concerned.

“Enough of Drama Harsh, you have been stealing all the confidential data and providing it to the competitive company, due to which we have lost all the clienteles and all the projects for next 2 years and our company is doomed! You come here immediately. The Director wants you here now!” And he slams down the phone.

Harsh felt he is going to faint, at that very moment, Aarti came and caught him.

She asks “Kya hua hai?”

"I am ruined, everything is finished" Harsh wails and explains everything to Aarti and they immediately leave for the office.

When they reach the office building, it is all crowded with the reporters. Aarti and Harsh somehow manage to reach their office. Harsh and Aarti reach his cabin, both Varun and the Director are there in the cabin.

Seeing Harsh, the Director runs and holds him by his shirt collar and yells “How could you do this you scoundrel? I trusted you so much!  How long you have been doing this!!’

Before the Director could strangle Harsh, Varun pulls him back.

“Sir, Varun, I haven’t done anything please believe me. I don’t even remember doing anything like that. Wait u don’t believe me; see the paper’s are still there in the drawers”.

Saying this he bends down to open the drawer and finds the keys on it. He’s surprised as the keys are only with him no one else. Which meant he’s forgotten the keys there?

He immediately opens the folder and says “See, here are all the papers”, seeing the folder, his face goes white, as all the important papers are torn off!!

“Now say Harsh, where are the important papers gone. Enough of all the show you have created, even the Security guard has agreed you come here every month after 11pm!’ Varun replied annoyingly.

“I haven’t done anything, how could I enter in the office and I couldn’t have opened the shutters, please believe me! If I had barged in my IN Timing would have been recorded in the biometrics!” Harsh kept pleading.

The Director threw the CD towards Harsh and said "In this you will get to know everything, how you did it.”

And they played the video.

Aarti was dumbfounded, she was aghast and came forward to see the video.

In the Video Harsh was seen coolly walking towards the office building, he didn’t carry his car. So no trouble of getting captured in the Parking CCTV camera. He nicely chats with the security and takes the lift upto the office. To everyone’s shock he conveniently opens the shutter and goes inside the office. He didn’t switch on all the lights, only his cabins lights were kept on. He immediately opens the drawers tore the required papers and does something on his laptop.

Then Harsh enters the HR cabin and as Director mentioned he deletes his IN Time. And with ease, pulls down the shutters and leaves the office!!

Aarti in a shock sits down on the chair! All the incidences matched Harsh’s absence in the night and yesterday night also he had come late!! So it’s proved he’s guilty!

Harsh too sits down perplexed and tries to recall all the incidences! As he is sure he didn’t do anything. He tries to find a common thread to all this mishaps! All of a sudden he remembers ‘Amisha'.

He goes to Varun and Director and says “Amisha has done this, yes she tried to befriend me, Varun you remember you said in the party we danced, and I didn’t know when! Aarti, you remember you said, every morning I scream and get up taking Amisha’s name. How is it possible when I don’t even know her well! Every time she used to barge in my cabin, I never invited her!

Director exclaims “Are you out of your mind Harsh? The keys are with you, HR passwords, are all with HR, how can Amisha do all this?

And she left the company yesterday; it was her last day at work! Did you forget she had resigned a month back and yesterday was her last day at work. She even came in your cabin to say Goodbie to you and that time you were leaving hurriedly and you bumped into her! I have seen it with my own eyes! And she has already left for the US so stop framing her!!”

Harsh now understood everything! He has been framed and ruined by Amisha! "But how? I never spoke to her much! Nor did I socialise with her! Only thing I did is I looked into her eyes! That’s it!"

In California, in a top reputed Pharma company in the cafeteria, sat a beautiful gurl. She was engrossed reading a book; it named “Hypnotism/Vashikaran". Just then a guy calls her out "Hey Amisha, you would master the trick by now, you have read so many of them! You care for a coffee?”

Amisha keeps the book aside, goes to the guy and seductively looks into his eyes and smilingly says Coffee, ofcourse why not and by the way I have not only read have practised too and she winks!