Chapter 2

shazia

@xarmaanx

"You know, pregnant women should be eating a lot more than usual. I mean, you are eating for two" angie remarked, popping a grape into her mouth.

muskaan nodded vigorously in agreement. ridz glared at her two best friends. angie and muskaan  glared back. The three friends held their staring contest, before bursting into peals of laughter. They pointedly ignored the curious stares of their classmates lingering around Eng Kai campus. ridz grinned, before dramatically flourishing her fork and digging into her chicken Caesar salad.

"Now that's a good mummy-to-be!"

muskaan patted ridz on the head. ridz swatted her hand away, glaring fiercely.

muski! I thought we said nobody, and I mean nobody, was going to find out! You screaming it out to the world doesn't exactly fit the criteria!" ridz nearly screeched, looking around furtively to see if anyone heard.

'Yes, yes, I know, don't get upset. It won't be good for the baby' muskaan appeased in her calm, soothing voice.

ridz huffed,crossed  her arms and pouted. angie rolled her eyes.

"I swear, pregnant women and their hormones"

--

armaan glanced at the pouting ridz as he wrapped his arm around the girl he picked up after class. A grin tugged on the corner of his lips. She was waving her arms around enthusiastically, a radiant smile plastered on her striking face. For a split second, armaan swore his heart skipped a beat. The girl in his arms opened her mouth to speak when she caught the dreamy expression on armaan's face. She turned to the direction he was staring. Her brows knitted together. All she saw was the school wallflower, riddhima gupta. Why would armaan be looking at that?

armaan, honey, what are you looking at?' she cooed, a hint of paranoia weaving its way through her shrill voice.

armaan looked down at the girl disgustedly. He regretted choosing this girl from all the others that had thrown themselves at him. Honestly, did she think she was going to get any with a voice like hers?

'Nothing, dia, just shut up and leave' came his contemptuous retort

He removed his arm from around her waist and rested it behind his head. dia looked appropriately mortified, before standing up and stamping her feet, pouting. armaan barely blinked. She huffed and stomped off, ignoring the cackles of armaan's fangirls hiding behind the trees. armaan rolled his eyes, before resisting the urge to peek at ridz. It had been going on for weeks, lying near her hang-out, just waiting for a glimpse of her. Pathetic, he scoffed at himself.

And yet he couldn't stop doing it.

He had convinced himself it was because of his baby.

--

A - Armaan? Can we talk?'

A familiar, timid voice jolted armaan from his conversation with his best friends, atul and rahul. He turned to face the person that interrupted him, an irritated expression flitting across his handsome face, before freezing. His blue eyes widened. It was the girl he slept with at dia's party.

She stood in front of him, biting her lip and wrapping her arms insecurely around her. She was just as pretty as he had remembered. Standing up, he nodded stiffly and walked out of her classroom, ridz nervously trailing him. atul raised his eyebrows. rahul shrugged.

'Probably another one of armaan's leftovers' rahul snickered.

atul shook his head.

armaan led her to a secluded corner of the school's Science blocks. He leant against the wall coolly, and waited for her to talk. ridz played with the hem of her dress. armaan rolled his eyes. Was this girl just trying to get his attention? He had already told her he didn't want anything to do with her. armaan opened his mouth to tell her off-

'I'm pregnant'

armaan felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He blinked. ridz looked away, a faint blush working its way onto her cheeks. It had taken her a week to muster the courage to tell armaan about the baby, and now he was standing in front of her, speechless. ridz snuck a glance at him. He was frozen with shock, his mouth hanging open. Cue awkward silence.

'Is it mine?' he croaked hoarsely, still dazed from her words.

ridz  glared, her temper rising. How dare he question her when she was carrying his child?

'Of course it is! I've only had sex with you! Who did you think it is, my mother's?' she fired back angrily, shooting daggers at him.

armaan's eyes widened. The girl in front of him had suddenly turned from a timid mouse to vicious lioness. Hormones, maybe? An unexpected grin played on his lips. She really was adorable with her hands on her hips and perfected pout. Wait, what? He shook his head, trying to focus on the matter at hand. He blanched when he recalled what she just said. Pregnant?armaan swallowed as he slowly gathered his thoughts. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

'Um, ritu-'he started.

'It's riddihma' she muttered, rolling her eyes irritably.

armaan smiled apologetically, running his hand through his  black hair. What had happened to the tentative, stuttering girl he saw ten minutes ago?

'Yeah, um, riddihma, I'm not sure what you expected me to say, but I want you to know''

ridz held her breath. Her anger died down. Was he going to say he was going to be there for her? To support her? To love her?

''I refuse to take responsibility'

ridz's head snapped up to meet armaan's nervous, flickering eyes.

'W-what?'

armaan bit his lip. Truthfully, he didn't know what to do. This had never happened to his other hook-ups. Taking zero responsibility seemed like a good idea to armaan. He wouldn't have anything to do with ridz or the baby. Yeah, shirking responsibility seemed like the way to go. He flashed her a charming smile and proceeded to walk away.

ridz looked stunned. What kind of man was he? Obviously one who doesn't have a heart, she thought bitterly. Biting her lip, she looked down at her stomach. It wasn't like he was the only one who was shocked. ridz closed her eyes and leant against the wall.

What was she going to do now?

--

armaan sighed as the sun tickled his striking face. What was he doing? Ever since he had refused to help ridz, he had immediately regretted it. Something in his heart yearned for him to open up to her, understand her and maybe even care for her. She was, after all, carrying his baby. At least, that was the reason he told himself. He found himself staring at her innocent smile as she got up and placed her empty container in the bin. armaan watched ridz make her way back to her friends' table, before clutching her stomach. Her face contorted in pain as she swayed on her feet. armaan shot up from the lawn.

What was happening to her?

ridz felt her breathing become haggard and the pain in her stomach intensified. Was there something wrong with her baby? No, she thought, Not her baby. It was the only thing she had left, she couldn't bear it if she lost that too. The world began to spin as her vision began to blur. She felt strong arms wrap around her waist. ridz heard a deep, husky voice whisper in her ear,

'Don't worry, I've got you'

She blacked out.