Pablo's Muse [I] -AR- Pt. 25/Pg 143 May 9, 11

First Previous

Page

112

Next Last

Frequent Posters

@-Aria-

Dazzler

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

#31

Originally posted by: aarora
hey luv ur ff..plzzz PM me whnvr u update..

Thank you for commenting. 😊

Quote

Robin

@Robin_M

Rocker

Posted: 16 years ago

#32

great parts dear! so summit is just a user! wonder what angies problem with ridz is. and looking forward to armaan and riddhima to meet again! continue soon!

Quote

Looks like you are new here. Register for free, learn and contribute.

flaming_saphire

@flaming_saphire

Navigator

Posted: 16 years ago

#33

hey....awesum part.

wonder wats anjies prob wid ridz.

cant w8 wen ar will meet again.

plz continue soooooooooooon.

n thnx 4 da pm.

Quote

@-Aria-

Dazzler

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

#34

Originally posted by: Robin_M
great parts dear! so summit is just a user! wonder what angies problem with ridz is. and looking forward to armaan and riddhima to meet again! continue soon!

Thanks for commenting. Yes I wanted to show more about Summit ...the user as you rightly put it...😉

and I'm looking forward to seeing those two meet too😳

Hope to hear more frm you as the story proceeds.😊

Quote

sabi

@beautiful16

Rocker

Posted: 16 years ago

#35

hey it was really good....bt little short

plz write a bigger part next time... waitng 4 ur ff

Quote

@-Aria-

Dazzler

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

#36

Originally posted by: dmgrock
hey....awesum part. Thank-you for commenting😳
wonder wats anjies prob wid ridz. yes..lets see what the story reveals

cant w8 wen ar will meet again....yes same here..eventhough i hvnt begun writing that yet😳

plz continue soooooooooooon....will try to update within the next few days- touchwood😛...if i can ..convince myself...

n thnx 4 da pm. 😊

Edited by olive_green - 16 years ago

Quote

@-Aria-

Dazzler

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

#37

Originally posted by: beautiful16
hey it was really good....bt little short
plz write a bigger part next time... waitng 4 ur ff

Thank you for dropping in your words, it means a lot to get reader feedback😳

I thought the last part was long enough?..😲..certainly than the previous one😆 but now that its been mentioned by two people, I'll try to make the parts have consistent length from now on..😊

Will try to update as soon as I can...😛

Edited by olive_green - 16 years ago

Quote

@-Aria-

Dazzler

+ 6

Posted: 16 years ago

#38

Seems like a few people are having errors opening the first page, so I am posting parts 1-5 here. Hope this works.

~~Intro~~

"Oh can you make sure you don't keep anything on top my bag there, my laptop's there" she said looking up.

He looked down at her after keeping the handbag in the overhead compartment, and replied teasingly almost egging her to react, "Oh but I already did" with this unmistakable twinkle in his eyes as he shook his head while he spoke.

A little taken aback by his reply but not flustered- she replied back, matching his tone, "Oh darn! I hope you didn't crush it then" giving him a faint smile in return. He smiled as he gave her one final look and went back to his seat behind hers.

"Wow, that smile was infectious! And I think that guy was hot in a hot way" Riddhima smacked her head mentally for her thoughts, "Wait a minute, I am single. Girl! its okay to look at guys- after all, all beautiful things must be admired...I wonder what his name is? ....could he be..?" She was jolted out of her inner conversation by the Captain's voice, it was time for take off. Checking her seat belts, she kissed her bracelet- for some reason she always did this before her flights took off- eventhough she never considered herself to be superstitious. I must stop doing this- she made a mental note.

Unable to sleep yet again, she did not realize when her waking thoughts wandered to the smiling assassin sitting behind her. She moved her seat back and glanced back to look at him- for a brief moment- he did see her and she felt he gave her a faint smile- or may be it was just her imagination. The beard- and a cap- this was not the usual type of guy she liked- but she had to admit to her self that there was something endearing about him, may be it was his hazel eyes or those dimples which were visible even beneath that beard of his. Surprising herself at all the little details she was managing to notice, she moved her head sideways as if arranging her pillow- to hear him talking with his co-passenger- so he's some photographer!

"Oh stop it Riddhima, you will never see this man again.'" With that she drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~

"Ahhhhhhhhh" holding her head, as she sat up on her bed. She sighed, 'not again!' Even months after her life-threatening flight across the Atlantic, the nightmares wouldn't perish. It was the same story- almost every alternate night- and as usual she would wake up disturbed. The images of horror ridden faces flashed across her eyes and the shrieking cries of pain still echoed within the walls of her mind. Even though, the pilot had managed to save the day and all the lives on board, for a split second no one thought they would make it. Meanwhile Riddhima - as her life seemed to be coming to an abrupt end- the moments, her family flashed across her eyes- and she realized that she still wanted more, she had been putting off so much all her life, thinking she would do things on her own time when she was ready, she failed to realize that time was slipping away and in that one moment- when it all seemed to be coming to an end, she realised she was not ready to go- she felt so empty and sad, that she had not lived her life in its entirely at all. There was an inner dismay over what she felt was now wasted time that haunted her deeply perhaps more than the life threatning events on that fateful flight.

"Get up Doc, you need some water and fresh air" throwing the blanket off herself, she trudged off to the kitchen. It was four in the morning, and she had to leave for the hospital at six for her morning shift. She sat down on the stool and thought- that's all I do, wake up so I can go to work, and then come back home and go to work the next day. This is not how I had envisioned my life to be at 26. May be the girls are right- I should be more open to this dating idea.

Part II

Her little pep talk with Rahul in the morning after her unsuccessful surgery had been of great help. As she sat there all dejected and disappointed with herself, he brought her coffee and with it some words of wisdom. They were childhood friends and therefore were best buddies, always there for the other one. It was no surprise to her that Rahul understood her predicament and what she had been going through and offered some advice.

"Excuse me" the voice broke her chain of thoughts, "yes?" rudely replying back, making it appear as an implied intrusion- as she looked up.

"Your coffee maam, if my presence is not desired then..I shall.."

A visibly embarassed Riddhima cut in before he could finish his sentence, "I'm so sorry Sumit, I was thinking about something and I lost track. Thank you for the coffee.." As he stood there looking everywhere else but her, she shook her head and said "will you please sit down and stop being dramatic...'' As she pulled his hand, indicating him to sit down.

Here she was supposed to be sitting in a cafe at the Gallery having a good time with Summit, and it had just happened again, she wasn't there in the moment. It had been two months now that they had been regularly hanging out, after Muskaan successfully lured her into one of her blind dates- only to find that it was none other than Summit, who had just recently joined their hospital. She found herself spending a lot of time with him and so far he had been really sweet- but she often questioned herself- sweet?. To which Muskaan would always mention that her super idealist sense of love did not exist in this world. According to Muskaan, they as in Summit and Riddhima looked very good together besides she couldn't deny that she liked spending time with him once in a while.

"Ok miss Gupta, if you are finished with your another ignore poor Summit sessions, lets see what the other exhibit has in store for us, shall we take a look inside?'" Summit extending his hand as he got up from the table.

By now Riddhima was feeling extremely embarassed, it had happened twice within the last hour, she had zoned out into her thoughts completely ignoring Summit's presence, she felt bad.

"Sorry, I just don't know..nevermind, Lets go" taking hold of his hand as she got up from the chair, "By the way Summit, you didn't tell me anything about this guy, whose exhibit is it?"

"Oh well" looking surprised, "...umm.., I thought you knew him..umm" He looked a little uncomfortable.

Sensing his reluctance she replied back, "and..?" As they made their way up the steps.

Knowing very well that she wouldn't be satisfied with a half-baked explanation, he looked at her and stopping midway at the grand-staircase,"Riddhima, he was also in that plane that night and so I thought..."

Before he could say anything more, he felt a change in her expressions- what was it? A little unsure as to what she was feeling, he didn't know if he should continue. Holding her shoulders, "Riddhima, I know you've still been dealing with this issue, so I thought this might help you to meet someone else who had been through it. He is a really good friend of mine. And when Armaan told me that he had some pictures..." stopping as he looked at her.

"pictures...Armaan?" Riddhima whispered to herself as they turned to make their way up the steps. It almost brought out this childlike impatience in her- she wanted to know if it was him, the bearded smiling assasin. For some strange inexplicable reason, she felt she wouldn't mind seeing him again.

"You said something?"

"Nah..lets go."

There were collections from a different artists as well as photographers. A truly ecletic collection. No sooner had she enterred, her eyes wandered off in search of that man- Armaan. Scanning the room quickly- disappointment set in as there was no trace of the bearded smiling assasin, as she had named him. As they made their way acrross the room, her eyes fell on this picture across to her left- as she walked towards it, the image became clearer.

It was of a pair of beautiful eyes starring at you, with a tear drop running down the side while her eyes looked on somewhere else into oblivion. The picture seemed too poignant and yet even in this obvious sad state, her beauty was reflected in those eyes- while some said they were emerald others argued no they look green. To her they only seemed familiar- she walked on towards the image, where had she seen those eyes before?

As he saw more and more people intrigued by his work, called 'MOMENTS' with a total of nine pictures, Armaan couldn't but help smile. There was a lot riding on this exhibit for him, and so he was happy that it was being noticed. Turning around, he made an exit from the room as he answered his phone.

"Riddhima I just got a call from the hospital, there's a problem with one of my patients, I need to head back. I'm so sorry that I can't stay here as I promised." Summit hugged her as he left surprising both Riddhima and himself at his reaction.

"It's okay Summit, go on- I'm a Doctor too, I understand." She gave him a reassuring nod.

"No but I feel bad that I couldn't introduce you to my friend, and I can't even see him anywhere in this room and his phone seems busy too" Looking around the room, in a desperate attempt to find Armaan.

"Summit, I'm sure we'll have plenty of other opportunities to meet him again, go on, I'll stick around here for a while. I'll see you tomorrow"

Armaan watched the interaction between Summit and Riddhima as he enterred the room. Making sure that Summit did not see him as the latter made his way out of the hall; Armaan walked towards Riddhima, who was still engrossed with the eyes staring back at her,"Where have I seen these before?"

"Beautiful isn't it?" He spoke as he stood beside her.

Riddhima turned her head sideways only to stare at this smartly dressed man; who had no expressions on his face as he looked on at her.

"Now where have I seen him before?" Her mind was going crazy.

Part III

As he looked on at her expecting her to say something, anything- he couldn't help but notice her more- she was a beautiful woman, and he felt he knew exactly what was going on in that pretty head of hers.

"So do I take your silence as a measure of your lack of amusement with these exhibits here..or just this one in particular- for it seems that it has caught your attention unless..." pausing briefly as if studying her face more intently, "... it is the subject cause of your ire as that...appears to be building too..." He persisted once more.

She replied after a prolonged silence trying to maintain calm at his apparent provocation, "And you are?"

" Someone asking a question..."

Before he could complete what he was saying, a woman came up to him and mentioned how they had found a potential buyer for the images and that they were waiting for him at the foyer.

Riddhima was slightly shaken to see the images in their entirety because they brought back unplesant memories- of the flight, the noise, the cries and everything she had struggled to get away from eversince that moment. Not surprisingly, she felt very annoyed at this point- especially seeing how these were on public display, these are real emotions! she argued.

The knowledge that these were actually up for sale, that someone was making a profit off someone else's pain- or was it the thoughts that were making incessant noises in her head- ...but he looks nothing like him or does he...is that a dimple?...why am I thinking about that man!?..but he was also a photographer! ...this is Sumit's friend, who was on that flight?- how can he use these images.....? where have I seen those eyes before..?...but these images...?! Were making her lose patience.

Deciding that she could no longer deal with all these dirrerent issues at once, she decided to leave. As she turned to make her way out of the hall, feeling higly repulsed somewhere. Armaan impetuously stopped her, "Hey...you still didn't answer my question?"

Zapped out of her thoughts and rather amazed at his persistence, she turned around and replied, " I was part of that flight, and these images bring out nothing but sheer trauma and remind me of the pain that I had to endure- why would you think that I would find any of this beautiful?"

Startled by her reply but quickly regaining his composure, he added, "I guess beauty does depend upon the eyes of the beholder.." Pausing briefly before adding, "'umm.. In any case, I was referring specifically to the central image. I'm sorry if I have been the cause of anymore problems for you. Have a good day" He turned to leave.

" anymore problems..?" Audibly voicing her confusion.

Although he had initially wanted to keep his identity under wraps from her; for some reason, he stopped in his tracks and turned towards her to add, " Since that flight.. there hasn't been a single day.. when I haven't sat down over coffee and wondered about the fate of that" looking at her intently with a somewhat mischievous glint in his eyes, "..poor laptop.." unable to suppress his amusement at the play of differing emotions on her face- he flashed that mesmerizing smile for the first time that afternoon for her as he turned to walk away- catching her completely off guard and leaving her out of words.

"huh!?..."

She watched his retreating back as he made his way out of the hall, talking to herself, "' Looks can be so deceiving...he's just blessed with good looks ....what does he think of himself?!......arghhh!!"

Part IV

Later that evening.

The dimmed lights, loud music- and voices full of laughter and mirth- the occasional sounds of the cue ball striking the break shot or the sounds of beer bottles clung together in a common approval, the ambience was unnmistakable and so was the place; the 1903 Pub was the location where a group of friends had gathered for the night.

After the initial shots, dances and an overall round of greetings, the music stopped causing everyone to look up at once. There upon the stage stood a semi-drunk Sumit holding the mike in his left hand as the right one held the beer bottle. Swaying gently sideways he started off, "I am not drunk....no no..." shaking his head while nearly tripping over - inciting a huge round of laughter from the awaiting audience.

Those that knew him- knew he was simply entertaining the crowd, being himself, this was the comic Summit, just his stage persona taking charge- the one that loved making people's impersonation and make people laugh.

"....as I was saying.....what was I saying'?" acting confused and scratching his head as he questioned the audience after regaining his stand. To which one voice replied, "your girlfriend left you....for another man.." as others laughed.

"'which one?" he shot back.

"okay..okay..why am I making an ass of myself up here... before I forget why....lets get this over with so that we can get back to having some fun.....as you know, Armaan recently survived that near crash and this party has been held in his honour.....of..." searching for a suitable word, "..of having survived...here's to life....and that my best bud is here with us all. He's a good man not without his a naughty streak ofcourse....but he's calmed down a lot recently..so all the beautiful young ladies..you know which man to prey upon tonight.." winking to Armaan as he continued, "....umm..we have been friends since medical school, been through a lot...I could stay here and talk through the night ...but for nowI just want to say that I'm thrilled to have him here....now most of you must be wondering why now ..... after months...blame that on him- for the rat got a little nicer and was pre-occupied with some other work that he deemed too important to postpone...but cheers to him for everything including that he agreed to this night finally...''and lastly...I hope we can start working together soon'"

To that Armaan held up his beer bottle with his right hand as if in concurrence to what Summit had just concluded.

Summit added, " Don't delay anymore buddy..the hospital is full of hot docs!....." winking to Armaan as he made his way out of center stage sending the crowd into one more boisterous rapture before the music took over.

Summit joined Armaan at the bar, " Hope you are having fun man!"

"Thanks for doing this Summit, god know I needed to get some air after everything'" Armaan looked straight ahead into nowhere.

Sensing his mood, Summit went on as if looking around the place, " So where's your date for the night?"

" yea...we're done..." changing the subject of discussion, "..besides it's you that's got to tell me more about your new friend- what was her name?." Armaan prodded.

"Which one?" surprising Armaan with his reply.

" why are you keeping her in hiding?..its so unlike you...honestly I was expecting her here tonight"

" Yea so was I....the whole hospital gang was supposed to show up here tonight... don't know what's keeping them back..as per her...she said she was caught up with some work"

"Oh so she's a fellow doc too?...whatever happened to your no dating a co-worker policy?"

"....sometimes you have to break the rules.....but I'm not so sure'you know it was a blind date thing that was set up by another doc- Muskaan..and I had no clue what I was getting myself into...that was until I saw her....."

" You know...Riddhima ...she's the daughter of Dr. Shashank, the one who is in charge right now...so.."

"So..... when do we get to meet her?" Armaan interrupted.

"well.. were there at your exhibit.........didn't I tell you that she was in that flight too?....."

The last words, hit Armaan like a bullet- as the realization struck him causing him to spurt his last sip of alcohol out in an unexpected manner.

" so that was her? .....Riddhima..!" Just as he was about to say more, one of Summit's friends, whom he had enterred the party with came up to him signalling him to join her at the dance floor.

Armaan questioined, " ...but ...I thought you were seeing...."

"'what's the difference?....I.. just need to have a good time..." Armaan could see Summit hadn't changed one bit- and watching him dance intimately with his lady friend, Armaan realised that he was part of the same crowd'but only this time today he was sitting at the other end looking on as opposed to being observed.

Armaan had had an unusual childhood - growing up mainly because of the severed relationship with his dad. Despite being alone most of his life- even while growing up, some how he had learnt to keep himself busy. The burden of being his dad's son- the father that was never there- being labelled a spoilt brat and getting away with most things had made him take everything for granted. When he got off the plane that day ...highly thankful at being able to do so- he seemed to appreciate everything more. The fact that he simply received a call from his father to inqire about his well being wasn't lost on him either; while everyone else seemed to be swarmed by people who loved them no ends- he couldn't escape how he walked out alone only to have his solitidue be broken by the overbearing cry of a young child- who was weeping beside her young mom, who was lying unconsciously on the pavement.

The voice of the bar-tender broke him out of his thoughts, "yes?"

"Sir, your phone has been ringing for a while..." indicating to his cell phone that was on the counter.

He picked it up to see, Dia calling, " I'll be there..."

~~~~

" So what's up between Riddhima and Summit?" Shashank asked Anjali.

"What about them?"

"Well don't act as if you don't know a thing, your sister has been spending a lot of time with him lately...and I am asking you if you are aware of anything more..?"

" Dad if you are asking me about Summit and Ridzi, then let me tell you something else first. Have you been keeping track of her progress at the hospital so far? She's had more failed surgeries than any new doctor and I still don't understand why Dr. Kirti gives her all the good cases. If you ask my honest opinion, I think she is too soft hearted to be a doctor"

"Anjali!" rather sternly, " I'm not asking you about her professional performance..for god's sake just for once.."

"Dad...I had a rough day..I'm too tired, can we talk about this tomorrow?" saying so she walked off to her room.

Shashank shook his head in obvious disapproval of Anjali's behaviour as he looked towards Padma, who had been standing beside him looking equally disappointed.

Part V

The same evening, in their room

" Why didn't you go to the party Ridz?"

Riddhima was still thinking about the exhibit, her reaction- did she overeact?, Armaan- who despite all his annoying remarks she had to admit was looking really good. But he's such a jerk..a handsome jerk..she reiterrated to herself... this is the second time we have met and each time- he makes it a point to annoy me. I hope for his good, I never see him again.. what's his problem anyways? She was literally talking to herself, when Anjali walked in after her little conversation with Shashank outside. She looked at Riddhima talking to herself and said in a harsh tone, " Looks like you are getting too stressed due to work'you've started talking to yourself again.." breaking Riddhima's chain of thoughts.

"Di....huh?" clearly baffled at her rude disposition.

" Nevermind....Good-night Ridz"

"Good Night di"

~~~~

" So are you ready? He asked her.

She nodded as she made her way into the room holding his hand, it was a dark room; pitch dark, " why are we here- why did you bring me here?"

Suddenly, out of the blue, she felt his breath on her face, slightly flinching at his proximity- she heard, " so that we can admire.." followed by an un-nerving silence. As her eyes, wide open battled to find a fitting image to this voice emanating from the surrounding darkness; his deep voice however thwarted her futile efforts focussing her attention on his words once more as he spoke, " so that we can...." followed by a moment of silence when his eyes lingered upon hers briefly before continuing, "..admire..the beauty..of this moment.." Sensing her hesistancy, he sqeezed her hand in reassurance as he guided her through the dark room- she was blindly allowing him to lead her. The only thing that she was certain of was how reassuring it was to have him hold her hand and be led- the darkness did not seem to matter- as long as she was holding on to his hand. It was then, at that moment that her desire to see him grew, this stranger's voice was soothing and his touch had a calming influence but what did he look like? She badly wanted to know.

" we're almost there..and now I want you to stand here while I get the lights.." She felt his hands slip away from hers, increasing her already heightened anxiety. What is going on here, why am I here, who is this guy, and why does his voice sound so damn soothing'unable to wait anylonger, she demanded, " where are you..? ..open the lights.."

The instant the light was on, she saw in front of her eyes the beautiful painting 'the Venus of Urbino' an image she had seen years ago in a museum somewhere. As she walked a few more paces towards it, her appreciation turned into utter disbelief; her eyes nearly popped out in horror as the realization struck her- that the nude figure of a woman reclining sensously on a chaise lounge wtih two satiny white pillows supporting her head and shoulders, wasn't Venus but her!

"noooo..." a whimper escaped her lips.

And to add to the absurdity of the entire situation, she felt she heard voices in the back- as if she was standing in the middle of a crowd..who were keenly discussing the art- the colors, the pose, her grace and her boldness- did she hear it right? - her hands were itching to vent out her fury. Right now, all the attention on the painting made her want to disappear into the darkenss- I swear I could dig a hole and bury myself in there, she muttered to herself.

And as if to add salt to her wounds.

" Beautiful isn't it?" She turned around in an instant as his voice loomed over her ears fading every other voice into absolute incoherence.

"YOU?" pointing her finger at the man- who going by the smuggish grin plastered all over his face, was loving every second.

" You..." she was going to hurt him for good today.

~~~~

"Wake up Ridz.." a concerned Anjali, well aware of Riddhima's nightmares and lack of sleep recently, was trying hard to bring her out of her midnight madness.

Riddhima found herself holding on to Anjie's neck as she regained her sense.

" Di...I had a ..." withdrawing her hands from Anjie's neck.

" A bad dream..I can imagine.." feeling her neck, "..gosh Ridz you nearly killed me..and what are you doing now...are you okay?" looking at Riddhima who was checking herself out as if to reassure herself that she was fully clothed.

"pheww.. thank god..wow!.." as if trying to comprehend her dream, " I saw a painting in my dreams Di" Riddhima spoke with a dazed expression.

"a painting..?" Anjali looked on curiously.

" it was a nude portrait of this woman..the only thing lit up..at the center of an otherwise dark room"

"wow Ridz..your dreams are getting bizzarely fascianting go on.." unable to hide her amusement.

"..umm..I walked towards it..only to realise that it was..." she thought about it for a second and decided to bend the truth a little, " and that's when I woke up.."

"..and that was your bad dream?...I thought it got more interesting.." dismissing the dream, Anjali went back to her bed, "go back so sleep Ridz and let me sleep too, I have a morning shift tomorrow'"

"But Di.." Riddhima stopped as she realised that there was no point taking this forward. This was unlike any dream that she had before. As she lay in bed, she asked herself , " what was that all about?...not him again..although..I wonder how I would really look if I...Do I really look like that good?..."

" I can hear voices Ridz...go back to sleep.." Anjali threw a spare pillow at her.

~~~~

The next day.

"So did you guys get the news?" Muskaan as she joined the rest of the gang at the cafe.

"news?" Anjali

" yea..about the new entry..I hope he's handsome..we could use some good-looking men here in the hospital.." looking at Rahul who was sitting at the other end of the table engrossed in his magazine, when Muskaan was unable to get his attention- she went on further,, "..I wonder if he's the hero type or the side kick types.." making a face to Rahul, as she sipped her coffee.

" very funny Muskaan..!!..guys I'm heading off, need to get some work done" Rahul excused himself as his pager went off.

"New entry??" Atul and Anjali inquired in unison.

" yea..I overheard..Dr. Shashank talking with Dr. Keerti this morning, he was talking about .. hear this..this is inside news....of some..Dr. Malik joining the hospital. You know he is supposedly the son of the senior Malik, and although no one seems to keen on having him on board-apparently its not upto them.." Muskaan reported anitmatedly eventhough one could sense the hint of disappointment in her voice as Rahul took off.

"But whats the problem with him joining?" Anjali asked curiously.

"..yaar..he hasn't worked for like nearly six months....I think..Dr.Shashank doubts his commitment to the profession or.....but whatever their issues..his coming is confirmed.."

Summit looked around the cafe as he joined the group at the table; it was obvious that he was looking for someone. Not having seen Riddhima there with the rest of them, he asked Anjali, " ...so where is your sister?" unknowingly steering the conversation away from Dr. Malik's entry.

Muskaan butt in teasingly, " What yaar!?..she left for Lonavla this morning..she didn't tell you ? what's up hero...looks like your heroine's not impressed by you.." the trademark Muskaan laugher echoed the cafe after she made her statement.

Surprising everyone, Anjali defened her sister, " Oh please Muskaan, don't exaggerate things that you don't know about"

" ..so you know something else.. that we don't?" Muskaan was quick to reply back, she wasn't the kind to hold back.

"..whatever..I need some fresh air.." Anjali as she made her way out of the cafe.

" Lonavla..?..but she didn't say anything about it yesterday?" A confused Summit added.

" Don't trust everything she says" Atul cleared the air of confusion as he gave Muskaan one of his you'll never give up will you- looks, " Summit, she's here in the hospital somewhere'"

~~~~

"Good-Afternoon.." adding, ".. beautiful..." as she looked up, Armaan greeted the old lady at the reception, "I have an appointment with Dr.Shashank at two" making her smile, " in which case, you would be..." reading her screen, " Dr.Malik.." looking up at him, ".welcome to Sanjeevani.."

~~~~

Hey folks, this is my longest part to date so I hope it's long enough this time- personally, I think its too long😆. I know my experimental ff of sorts, may be boring to those looking for more AR and their romantic interaction since there is very little of that here. Let me warn you in that case, that it may take a while for AR to come together as AR😳 provided ofcourse that this ff makes it that far😆

Now for the quick reference, 'the Venus of Urbino' is a painting by Titian. So if you haven't figured it out already our man, Armaan has got an artisitic side to him in this ff besides being a doctor.

PLEASE DO COMMENT as it keeps me going

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part VI

In Doctor Keerti's cabin,

" Dr. Riddhima'you don't watch football do you?"

" no was never into it much.." shaking her head as she spoke.

" I thought so.." handing over the case file " I just got a call from reception that he was seen heading towards Dr. Shashank's cabin, I would like you to assist Dr. Shashank in this case..."

"Sure Dr. Keerti", reading the name printed on the file's cover, Arman Khanna. " Arman Khanna, he is he most expensive professional football player in the country right now..it turns out his foot injury is flaring up again this season. Before Dr. Shashank takes over his case, I want you to run these tests..." Dr. Keerti's words kept ringing in her head as she walked towards the Dr. Shashank's cabin located on a different floor. "alright.. Mr. Foozbal..here I come"

~~~~

It had been nearly twenty minutes since Shashank had left him abruptly asking him to wait for a certain Dr. Gupta, who was going to show him around the hospital. He found it rather strange how Dr. Shashank seemed to rejoice at the chance of going away from his own cabin, " was that a measure of his dislike for me?" Armaan thought ,"..or a measure of the importance of the man who stood waiting at the other end? whatever..this man has got issues.." Armaan thought to himself.

As he sat there, his patience was waning with each passing minute. He recalled how coldly Dr.Shashank had interacted with him throughout their brief meeting. Shashank made it obvious to Armaan how he thought of him- and eventhough nothing had been said explicitely, he understood the underlying emotions- Dr. Gupta didn't like him one bit, whether it be caused by his failure to show up earlier due to which Summit was appointed, or his roots- that he was his father's son- the self-centered Dr.Malik as one news paper had referred to him once. This had irked Armaan about Dr. Shashank, he was the same as everyone else, quick to jump to conclusions and form opinions about people- quick to judge. He knew his stint in this hospital was not going to be an easy one- but there was no way he was going to back out of it this time, he was obliged not only as a doctor but more importantly to upkeep his mother's word- and a promise that he had made to her. The one person in the world who mattered the most to him.

As he looked around the neatly done interiors of the cabin, his attention was drawn to a wall with Dr.Shashank's certificates, he was quick to notice that his father and Dr.Gupta had been products of the same medical school. This wall with a full display of his prowess stood a silent testament to his professional caliber- of which there was no doubt in Armaan's mind now. As he went around the cabin, he noticed family pictures on his desk, a smile escaped his lips as he picked up a frame with pictures of three young children, that were sitting down cross-legged doing the three monkeys pose. The first had her eyes covered while having a cute smile plastered on her lips, the boy at the center had plugged his ears with his hands while the third one, had her mouth coverd by her tiny little hands, while her twinkling big eyes radiating innocence looked on unable to hide the play of amusement that must have been momentairly surpressed during that snap. That she was enoying the moment was more than evident in those expressive eyes that had a mischievious glint. With a small smile on his lips, he stared intently at the cute composition, the children and more specifically the pair of eyes emanating unbound joy and innocence, how can such a cold man have such cute children? his thoughts wandered off while his left hand clutched the picture frame.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" unable to get the attention of the man she was standing behind, Riddhima spoke louder, " Armaan..?"

The soothing voice at the back jolted him out of his thoughts, quickly placing the frame back on the table he turned around, only to see Riddhima with a questioning experssion on her face? He noted the change of expressions on her face as she realised it was him- the change from a questioning look to the one of slight annoyance as if implying you again! didn't escape his notice. God this woman has an expressive face, he said to himself.

"You?...what are you doing here?" as her mind struggled to put the pieces together, 'Mr. Foozball?...no the smilling assain.....I mean the patient..but he couldn't be...he looks healthy..infact..too healthy to me..look at him..that fit body....that arrogant smile..and last night's dream...sigh..' making her feel violated almost as if he had been part of that dream sequence for real.. her hands instinctively went to feel her lab coats- as if a mental assurance that her clothes were in place '..ok zap out of your thoughts Riddhima...focus-focus on work..'

Finally she spoke, " are you..?" loud enough for him to hear.

"I am waiting for Dr. Gupta" Armaan blurted out instinctively only to realise that Riddhima was lost somewhere else, " ahem..ahemm..clearing his throats'Doctor, I was told to wait for a certain Dr. Gupta who would.."

" I am Dr. Riddhima Gupta..lets get moving" cutting him off before he could finsih properly hoping that it would help hide her embarassing drift off. She couldn't believe that of all the people on earth, she had to deal with him again.

"its about time, I was getting tired of staying in here all alone....what is up with Dr. Shashank anyways, he is such a rude man, ekdum khadoos..how do you guys work under such a boss..so much attitude..! " He replied nonchalantly as he walked out.

" Excuse me? Are you insane? ..." unable to hold back, Riddhima turned around clearly irritated at this man who was making fun of her dad right in front of her.

"well.. they say I am normal ...only in the company of beautfiul women" Armaan replied trying to appear serious.

"what are you implying..?" Holding back, "You clearly think very highly of yourself don't you?" Riddhima shot back.

" Think'?" Armaan gave her a shocked look, "noooo... know I am" winking back.

"whatever.." shaking her head as she paced ahead of him.

They walked silently. Armaan had been more than surprised at Riddhima's silence, some orientation he thought! Riddhima on the other hand was still trying to grapple how this man could do everything, be on that plane, that exhibit, be a star foot ball player and now this injury- not that she cared, but still she felt a little bad for him despite his annoying ways, back injury, multiple fractures in the foot- man this man must have been a riot while growing up. He's such a royal pain!

Armaan finally broke the silence between them, " how many doctors work here?"

"enough to take care of you" as she walked ahead.

" what's up with this woman?" trying again to strike a conversation, " So Dr. Gupta- this must be the Doctor's lounge?" pointing to the obvious signage that impied the same.

"huh?"

"you know.. thought you were going to offer some coffee and muffins..but it seems like you have other ideas?" As they walked past the lounge.

" why just coffee and muffins..something better perhaps?" Riddhima replied.

" something better..?" his eyes lit up in amusement.

"Yes, shall we?" pointing to the entrance to the Orthopedics department.

" Finally..." Armaan said looking around.

She led him to a room, " okay Armaan, you will need to take your shirt off.."

"what?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edited by olive_green - 16 years ago