Part 9
As Rahul is sleeping, he hears footsteps outside his room, at first he brushes it off as his imagination, but as he turns around onto his back, he hears the sound again, somewhere right outside his room.
Getting out of bed quietly, Rahul sneaks up to the door.
Putting his ear up against the door Rahul checks to make sure he wasn't hearing non-existent sounds.
As he hears some more thuds, Rahul flings open the door, launching himself onto the intruder, pinning them onto the opposite wall.
"Kaun ho tum" asks Rahup gruffly, looking towards the unknown figure, Rahul could not see the face as it was dark.
Holding the intruder with one hand, Rahul pulls out his cellphone, opening it he shines the light on the stranger.
He sees Muskaan shutting her eyes, looking to the side, breathing rapidly.
He is an inch away from her face.
Slowly he inhales her divine smelling Estee Lauder.
Coming back to reality and realizing the closeness, Rahul backs off.
"Aap yaha kya kar rahi thi?" Rahul asks trying to break the awkwardness of the situation.
"Wo.. wo mujhe pani chahiye tha, so I was making my way downstairs to the kitchen" Muskaan says finally looking up at Rahul.
"Oh toh chaliye, mai aapke saatch chalta hoon" gesturing Muskaan to make her way down the corridor.
"So aap Delhi se hai?" Rahul asks walking alongside Muskaan.
"Nahi, mai Punjab se hoon, yaha kaam ke silsile se aayi hoon" Muskaan says looking sideways at Rahul.
"Oh acha, Punjabi sherni and all huh?" Rahul asks grinning, jumping off the last few steps.
Muskaan just smiles, following Rahul into the kitchen.
Rahul grabs a glass from the dishwasher, "Cold ya room temperature?" Rahul asks gesturing to the glass in his hand.
"Room Temp." Muskaan replies slightly grinning to herself.
While filling up the glass Rahul looks sideways at Muskaan "Kya?"
"Kuch nahi, wo no one normally asks that question na, so it made me laugh"
"Oh haha" Rahul hands her the glass of water.
"So aap New York mai kya karte the?" Muskaan asks taking a quick gulp of water.
"Architect" Rahul says sitting on the counter-top "Mujhe drawing aur painting mai interest hai"
"Arey wah, mujhe dikhayenge na?"
"Ofcourse! Jab aap chahe!"
"Aapki hobbies kya hai?" Rahul asks spinning a small table mat on his finger.
"Sona!" Muskaan says grinning wide.
"Sona?? You mean gold?" Rahul queries, wondering what kind of hobby gold is.
"Nahi nahi, I mean sleeping, and dancing and singing too!"
"Oh wow!! Aap toh multi talented nikli!"
"You have to sing for us once for sure!"
"Nahi nahi, I'm not that good"
"Kya nahi nahi, karna padega!" Rahul says getting off the counter.
"Baad mai, ab chale?" Muskaan asks finishing her glass of water.
Reaching Muskaan's room talking about random things, Rahul wishes her good night, and goes into his own room.
As he is laying in bed he keeps thinking about her.
"Rahul ye kya ho raha hai?" he questions himself.
"This is the fourth time you have lost yourself in her thoughts. Kahi Ridhimma bhabi ke baat sach toh nahi? Mujhe.. mujhe Rahul Garewal ko pyaar? Wo bhi at first sight"
"Naah" he replies to himself, clearing the thoughts out of his head.
Muskaan on the other hand is totally not affected, before she felt weird with him being so close to her. But now after talking to him so openly, she felt much more comfortable with him. But still she did not even know if she considered him her friend yet.
The next morning Rahul wakes up a little later than normal, as he was up late, thinking about what was up with him.
As Rahul goes out of the house on his morning jog, he sees Muskaan in the patio doing her morning yoga.
Waving to her, Rahul goes off on his morning jog.
As he finishes his jog, he remembers that he is close to Ridhimma's house, he decides to go pay her a visit.
Ringing the bell Rahul looks around at the beautiful front garden.
"Arey Rahul tum" Ridhimma smiles opening the door.
"Haan yaha se guzar raha tha, so thought I would say hi" Rahul says walking in.
"Achi baat hai, coffee piyoge? Mai abhi apne liye bana rahi thi"
"Haan sure" Rahul says seating himself.
As Ridhimma is in the kitchen preparing coffee.
"Soon to be bhabi, yeh pyaar kya hota hai?" Rahul asks fidgeting with his fingers.
Ridhimma pops her head out of the kitchen "Asar already shuru hogaya?" she asks laughing at Rahul.
"Nahi wo nahi" Rahul says getting flustered "Bas yuhi puch raha tha"
Handing Rahul a cup of coffee Ridhimma sits down "Pyar wo hota hai, jab hume sirf uss ek person ki yaad aati hai, jab hum unke kareeb hote hai, toh aise lagta hai ke koi bhi body part theek se na kaam kar raha ho, dhadkane tez hojati hai, dimaag thikane par nahi hota hai, aur zubaan se kuch bhi badh badane lagte hai, bina soche samjhe"
"Arey yeh sab toh mere saath bhi ho raha hai" Rahul says to himself, remembering all the past day's events.
"Kya?" Ridhimma asks perking up her eyebrow.
"Kuch Nahi.. um coffee achi hai, wohi keh raha tha" Rahul says as he rushes to cover himself.
Just then Ridhimma's phone rings.
As Ridhimma goes to take the phone call, Rahul is left alone, pondering to himself.
"This has never happened to me before, why does she effect me in such a way, it is not as if I have never had girls after me before, but I have never spent so much time thinking about any of them in particular, heck I don't think I ever really even thought about them. But Muskaan there is something about her, that seems to draw me to her. But it can't be love can it?" Rahul thinks to himself.
*** Ridhimma on phone ***
"Haan Armaan, Rahul yaha hai" Ridhimma says into the phone.
"Aur wo pyaar ke baare mai baat kar raha tha?" Armaan asks for the 5th time, shocked that his brother, the one to avoid the topic of love at any cost, brought it up himself.
"Haan Armaan, kitne baar puchoge?"
"Wo, itna shocking news hai ke yaakeen hi nahi hota, ma ko batana padega"
"Nahi Armaan tum aisa kuch nahi karoge" Ridhimma says immediately.
"Kyu?"
"Let him realize on his own first, ye sab uske liye naya hai, pehle usse khud yakeen hone toh do"
"Haan Haan, oh by the way, mai toh asli baat bhool hi gaya, aaj dupair ko mere saath lunch pe chalogi?"
"Aaj? Armaan mujhe kaun jaane dega, do hafte baad shaadi rakh ke"
"Uski koi problem nahi, honey, maine pehle se hi sasurji ko puchliya"
"Really Armaan?" Ridhimma asks smiling at the cuteness of Armaan.
"Haan aur nahi toh kya, shaadi ke liye bhi I requested your father's permission before proposing to you"
"Aww my bholu, mujhe pehle kabhi nahi bataya?"
"Lunch pe batata hoon, abhi papa ne office ke time pe phone pe, wo bhi romance ki baatein karte sunlenge toh meri buri haal hogi"
Saying a quick I love you, they hang up the phone.
Anupamaa
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Bollywood
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