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Part 3: Bridging Connections
Riddhima: A friend in need is a friend indeed. A quote much heard of, and even more abused. Yet, a truer one i haven't heard before. But what defines a friend, exactly? I have always wondered and thought about it, but never been able to define it. Someone who helps you out in need, becomes a friend? Or someone who is a friend is supposed to help you out in need? It's a confusing phenomenon...I just tend to believe whoever is there at the right moment is a connection formed forever, friend or not...He or she remains connected to the memory of an incident in your life forever....stronger than a memory, a connection remains.
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'You know, apples are more efficient at waking you up in the morning than caffeine is'
The voice interrupted the continuous sound of dribbling which had prevailed the atmosphere around him since the past half an hour. Rohaan looked up at the source of intrusion and saw her sitting there, munching at her apple with a cheesy grin on her face. At the questioning look he gave her, she simply shrugged and said, 'It's just something I know!'
Being well aware of the fact that her presence meant the end of any practicing session, he took the ball in his hands and slowly started walking towards the bench on which she had seated herself comfortably. The grin on her face remained persistent as he stood before her with an annoyed look on his face.
'You don't have to look so annoyed already, okay? I just walked 2 miles and woke up at freaking dawn only to catch you here!' She winked at him as he dropped himself down on the grass and rested his back against the bench. Taking hold of his bag from the bench, he pulled out the water bottle and drew a few swigs, while she watched him quietly.
A few seconds later, he looked up at her and questioned, 'Why are you here?,'
The grin on her face grew wider and making a spooky face, she said, 'Maybe I am a stalker whose finding the perfect time to find you alone and rape you!,' she cackled in a loud voice and Rohaan gave her an exasperated look.
'I would not doubt that for a second, if you weren't dressed like a three year old school-girl!,' he scoffed, looking at the two pigtails she had braided her hair into and the discolored blue ribbons around them. Smiling, she moved down the bench to the grass next to him and hit her shoulder against his playfully.
'Heyyyy, no making fun of the pigtails! I was a deprived kid with a neglected childhood...let's say I'm making up for lost childhood fantasies!,' she sighed melodramatically and despite himself, Rohaan broke out laughing. Looking at her in an intrigued manner as she laughed along, he said, 'So, what ARE you doing here at the break of dawn?,'
'Aah! Couldn't sleep, had an assignment to do...so I thought, what better place to do it than here?,' she looked around the park and smiled, then taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and sighed. 'It's so beautiful and peaceful out here...so much better than the din they create back at the hostel!,'
Rohaan looked at the serene expression face for a few seconds, then spoke soflty, 'I have told you so many times...I can help you with getting a new place for yourself. Anything is better than that skanky hostel you live in!,'
Zaara looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes that was hard to miss, and said, 'How would you know? You have never lived in a low-cost, cheap, skanky girls hostel ever, huh?,' Rohaan looked down for a second and she pressed his hand reassuringly, 'Rohaan, we have talked about this enough. I know I can get a better place to live, but I never want to be under anyone's 'ehssaaaan', like they call it! Someday when I'm able to get a place of my own myself, trust me I will!,' she grinned at her own lame joke and then sobered up at his not-humored expression. 'Come on, it's too early to have this kind of conversation....come, let's go!,'
She hoisted herself up with the help of the bench and then tugging at his arm, made him stand too.
'Where are we going? It's too early for any place to be open!,' He looked at her, annoyed as she threw away the core of the apple and rubbed her hands.
'Yeah, but it's not too early for a run, is it? Come on, me and you...to that oak tree...whoever gets there first gets to treat the other with a coffee and bagggeeeellll!,' she shouted at him as she took off already, and for a fraction of a second, Rohaan stood looking at her retreating back with a surprised look on his face.
'You and your cheap thrills...wait uppp!!',' he shouted, throwing down his bag as he ran after her, both forgetting about the previous basketball session and the pending assignment...
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'Here you go....two teabags, half teaspoon sugar and almost no milk,' Armaan smiled as Riddhima took the cup of tea from his hands and took a gulp of it. Raising his brow at how she was drinking the scalding hot tea so quickly, he took a seat before her and made himself as comfortable as he could on the plastic hospital seats.
Taking a look at her watch, Riddhima sighed and looked around at the cafeteria that was beginning to fill up. 'Where the hell is Nikki? Why is it taking them so long?,' She looked up at Armaan who shrugged his shoulders and then flashed her a cheesy grin.
'Oh stop already! It was just a bout of nausea..I can't stand the sight of vomit or blood and so...,' She stopped speaking when Armaan started laughing loudly. His whoops of laughter drew attention from a couple of onlookers and Riddhima blushed with embarrassment.
'Armaan! Stop, seriously! People are looking and its NOT FUNNY!,' she glared at him and Armaan did stop, clutching his stomach and panting loudly.
'Okay, um sorry...um sorry! It's just...the whole morning has been SUCH an entertainer...you guys are a riot!,' He justified himself and Riddhima grinned despite herself. No doubt, today had been one hell of a morning, what with her waking up to a moaning Nikki who could just utter the words 'need Abhi' in between her painful moans. After an hour of consoling and plenty of fluids still, Nikki was determined to meet her husband and so Riddhima had driven to Armaan's place at 7 in the morning. Armaan had opened the door to a flustered Riddhima who had fainted in his arms within seconds as she looked back at Nikki, who was vomiting all over the place. After a few moments of black out, Riddhima had woken up to an argument going on between Armaan and Abhi about Nikki being pregnant or not, and the hilarious conversation had come to an end when Nikki had burst out of the bathroom, sweating, confirming that her doctor instincts told her 'there was something very wrong with her', and she needed to go to the hospital'. They had all hurriedly rushed her to the car, which failed to start up for some reason and thus Armaan's car had become their sole means of transport. And thus, they had landed in the hospital two hours ago and while Nikki and Abhi were busy getting her tests done, Armaan had tagged Riddhima along forcefully to grab a bite of something.
Now, she looked at Armaan who smiled at her and took a sip of his black American coffee. Knowing that some conversation had to be initiated, she spoke up, 'So, how long have you known Abhi?,''. Making a mutual friend the topic of discussion was a safe idea, she mused as he put down his cup.
'Well, to be exact, I have been friends with him for some 13 odd years...otherwise, I've known him all my life,' At her questioning eyes, he elaborated, 'Well, we used to go to the same school since we were kids...then we went to the same college, that's when we developed a good friendship...and then when we both got into Amity, I went to live with him in Delhi and we have been best friends since...,'
'Wow!! That's a long time! How come I never saw you at his wedding?,' she questioned with a developing interest and she saw his smile falter. Not knowing why, she felt she had overstepped a line somewhere and the feeling was confirmed by the grim expression on his face.
'Errm...something crucial came up back then. I couldn't make it!,' A silence of a few seconds marked what could be the close of a conversation there, but after a sigh, Armaan looked up at her and continued, his fingers playing with the tip of the coffee cup, 'You know, I think Abhi has not forgiven me the grudge yet...not being there at his wedding...he won't ever, I guess. I know he understood my situation and everything, but its something he will hold against me in his heart forever!,' Riddhima nodded distractedly as he spoke, then looked at him with an expression in her eyes he couldnt distinguish, an he continued, 'He was the best man at my wedding...,'
He left it there, not completing what he might have been meaning to say but Riddhima could understand what he must be feeling. She had come close to not attending Nikki's wedding as well, for circumstances had not allowed her to make a trip back home then. But she had managed a week long trip to see her best friend getting married, for it was a dream they both must have talked about for hours in their teenage years. She sighed and nodded at Armaan, a simple gesture to show that she understood what he meant. She wondered what could have happened so bad that he would have had to miss his best friend's wedding? She looked at Armaan who was now swirling the contents of his cup with one hand with his eyes settled somewhere deep inside the cup. Wanting to ward off the sudden gloom that had settled upon her at the mention of the wedding three years ago, Riddhima put on a cheerful face and spoke in an intentionally chirpy voice,
'So...your wedding! How old WERE you when you got married? I hope it wasn't some forced child marriage or anything!,' Riddhima giggled and Armaan smiled despite himself, then sighed and replied,
'Well...I was 23...had just started with my last semester of postgraduate degree...Damini was in her last year of undergrad architecture...,' He stopped for a second and Riddhima questioned again, 'How did you guys meet?,'
Armaan scoffed and looked up at her, 'What is with the sudden interrogation, Riddhima?'
'Let's say um just bored and want to relive the happy magical moments of your life!,' she batted her eyelashes at him coyly and he laughed. Shaking his head at her antics, he continued.
''We were in the same university...we met at...,' before he could continue, a hand slapped him on his shoulder and he turned to look at a distraught Abhi. Both Armaan and Riddhima looked at his distraught face and both spoke at the same time, 'What happened? Is she okay?,'
'Yeah yeah...she's okay!,' he sighed and took the seat next to Armaan. Grabbing his cup of coffee, he drained it in one go and then looked at Riddhima, 'She's not pregnant, though'.
Riddhima's face fell for a second, then she looked at Abhi and held his hand reassuringly, 'So...is that a good thing or a bad thing?,'
'I dont know what thing it is. I just know she's got food poisoning and they are washing up her stomach now!,' he mumbled, looking into the cup to make sure it was empty. Armaan shook his head at him and got up from his seat, only to be tugged back in his seat by Abhi. 'Get back in your seat, Mallik, I dont need your food therapy right now!,'
'Of course you do. You can never handle even the tiniest bit of stress on an empty stomach!,' he said in a matter-of-fact way and was startled when Riddhima burst out laughing. Looking at her sharply, he found her pull her hair back with a hand as she snickered.
At the question in both pair of eyes that stared at her now, she replied, 'Oh! It's just...my mom used to say the EXACT same thing to all of us...!'
'Yeah, Armaan has always been the mommy figure in my life all through our college years!,' Abhi joined in and they both laughed while Armaan narrowed his eyes and made a face.
'I pity you guys your sense of humor...seriously? I'd think a handful of thirty year olds could have a little more productive conversation?,'
'Heyyy! Don't count me in that 'handful'...I'm just twenty seven!,' Riddhima grimaced and Armaan stared at her for a second, at how the little creases of frown disappeared from her forehead as her lips tilted into a smile, at how her bangs fell over her eyes and she pushed them off one more time with the back of her hand. He smiled.
'As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, I think I should leave...Nikki must be done with her tests...you guys coming?,' Abhi stood up and looked at them, and they both nodded back. As Armaan and Abhi strolled out of the cafeteria, Riddhima's cell phone rang and she rummaged for it in her filled-with-all-the-crap-in-the-world bag. Finally retrieving it, she frowned at the caller ID and picked up the phone.
Turning to see whether she was coming along or not, Armaan stopped in his tracks at the door of the cafeteria as he saw Riddhima put her mobile to her ear and the color of her face drain suddenly. Instinct, they say, can be a strong alarm at times, of a news that could be worse than you could have imagined. Armaan's intuition said just that as Riddhima put the mobile in her bag slowly and their eyes clicked.
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'Damn...damn...damn...damn!,' Her supposedly silent mutterings under her breath did not escape his ears as he turned the car in accordance to the order of the navigation system. Shooting a glance at her, he saw her biting her nails with an urgency he could sense from the sound of her shallow breathing and the pale color of her face. Even though he barely knew her since a few days, he offered a quick prayer in his heart for her, for everything to be okay. Her face had been a give away as soon as he had laid eyes on it in the cafeteria, and having told Abhi to carry on without him, he had walked back to her and gently shaken her shoulder to get her out of a reverie she had been lost to. Her eyes had settled at him and then taken in her atmosphere, and as soon as she realized where she was, she had croaked in a panicky voice, 'I need to get home...Maa...Home...I need to...,'
Surprisingly, she had managed to relax herself within a few seconds of the sudden news, yet he was sure the shock still hadn't settled in. She had been scanty with details, and he had concluded for himself that something had happened to her mother and she needed to get home. Lacking sense for a moment, she had absurdly muttered something about 'taking the tube to get home'. He had ditched the idea instantly and had thus made her come in his car. Even though under extreme stress, she had taken to be courteous and had refused as it would be too much of a trouble, but he had refused to listen to anything and just hauled her along to his car after informing Abhi.
Now, as they stood at a traffic signal waiting for the blessed green signal to give way, he again looked at her and saw the same sight again. Pale face, rapid muttering, biting her nails. Instinctively, he put a hand to hers and pulled it down from her mouth. She turned to look at him questionably at the sudden tug, and shrugging, he said, 'Just something that irks me real bad...!,'
Nodding distractedly, she looked out of the window and after a few seconds, Armaan saw her at the same act again. Sighing, he paid attention to driving fast and within a matter of few minutes, they were at her house. He had barely stopped the car when Riddhima jumped out and hurried up to the house while he parked it.
A few minutes later, he entered the house, looking around aimlessly. He had speculated after parking the car whether going in would be a better option than staying out, waiting for her. Even though he knew there was nothing to 'wait' for, she wouldn't be coming back of course. And she might be needing some help inside. Maybe. As the latter made a little more sense than driving back to the hospital where, Abhi had confirmed it, they would take a couple more hours, he decided to follow her inside thus.
The hall was empty, as was the lounge that was connected to the hall. Looking around tentatively, he heard voices from upstairs, and took a step towards the stairs, then halted. If he went upstairs, he'd feel like he was snooping around, intruding in on a family scene. But then again, Riddhima had seemed pretty stressed, maybe her mother was seriously ill? What if she needed help? He'd just go upstairs, check once whether any help was required, and then go back to his car. Yes, that is what he would do.
Standing on the last step of the stairs, he turned towards the door where, most probably, Riddhima was. The door was slightly ajar, but he couldn't see anything as there was someone standing directly in front of the door. A guy, it was, a tall, lanky one. Armaan realized he must be intruding into their privacy if he entered now, and thus decided to rush back to his car just then. Turning around, he was just about to go down the stairs when his eyes landed on the pictures lining the corridor next to the room. Suddenly curious, he walked to the biggest frame there was, a family portrait. It was slightly old, he concluded, for Riddhima looked younger in this one. Probably in her teens still, sitting on the ledge of the chair next to her mother. He instantly figured she was her mother, for the resemblance in their looks was so visible. His eyes moved to Riddhima, who was grinning madly in the picture. There was a twinkle in her eye that was no longer present in the living picture of hers, and there was a radiance in the picture that she lacked now. His eyes moved from her to who he concluded to be her father, a tall, graceful man he was indeed. And her brothers...
He felt a movement beside him and thats when he realized he was no longer alone. Standing next to him was Riddhima, her hands pulling her light pullover closer to herself, her face holding an expression of relaxation. As their eyes met, she passed him a slight smile and that's when he realized he had been holding his breath. The smile was enough indication for him to know her mother was alright, and he smiled back at her, with a reassurance he himself had felt unsure about. She looked at him again and then slowly mumbled,
'She's fine. Her blood pressure dropped so she fainted...she's fine,' she repeated, as if to assure herself this time and Armaan wondered how ironic it was that they could read each other's minds and the questions in the other's eyes so vividly. He nodded at her, and without any more questions, turned to look at the picture again, as did Riddhima.
After a few second's silence, the door of the room opened again and Rohaan walked out, then stopped at seeing both of them in the corridor. However, without any questions or inquiry, he just took in Armaan's appearance from head to toe and walked down the stairs, picking up the basketball that had been lying on the last step on his way. Armaan looked at Riddhima and asked, 'He's not the one, right?,'
Riddhima turned to look at him and he saw the color in her cheeks had returned, this time a light crimson. He realized she was embarrassed at her brother's crude behavior, but he knew enough to not question her. Putting a hand to her hair, she pulled it up into a pony tail and mumbled, 'No, he's not the one.....' Leaving her sentence incomplete, they both turned to the picture again and that's when Armaan realized who was....
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here comes part 3 guys!! after a long delay, much more happenings in my life than what i would have wanted and still, i put up a part here! :D not one that i like much myself, and there are parts i have written and erased and then rewritten for this one...worst writers block ever it was, i cudnt get hru to wiritng at all...anyways! i hope u guys like it...a new character introduced, and many more to come!! read, comment, criticize and review pleasssee! what's with the sudden lull on the forum, btw? :D
take care everyone! lovya all...reply to comments come later!
p.s. ignore any mistakes in this one, i havent even read it once! :D
Kiran
Riddhima: A friend in need is a friend indeed. A quote much heard of, and even more abused. Yet, a truer one i haven't heard before. But what defines a friend, exactly? I have always wondered and thought about it, but never been able to define it. Someone who helps you out in need, becomes a friend? Or someone who is a friend is supposed to help you out in need? It's a confusing phenomenon...I just tend to believe whoever is there at the right moment is a connection formed forever, friend or not...He or she remains connected to the memory of an incident in your life forever....stronger than a memory, a connection remains.
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'You know, apples are more efficient at waking you up in the morning than caffeine is'
The voice interrupted the continuous sound of dribbling which had prevailed the atmosphere around him since the past half an hour. Rohaan looked up at the source of intrusion and saw her sitting there, munching at her apple with a cheesy grin on her face. At the questioning look he gave her, she simply shrugged and said, 'It's just something I know!'
Being well aware of the fact that her presence meant the end of any practicing session, he took the ball in his hands and slowly started walking towards the bench on which she had seated herself comfortably. The grin on her face remained persistent as he stood before her with an annoyed look on his face.
'You don't have to look so annoyed already, okay? I just walked 2 miles and woke up at freaking dawn only to catch you here!' She winked at him as he dropped himself down on the grass and rested his back against the bench. Taking hold of his bag from the bench, he pulled out the water bottle and drew a few swigs, while she watched him quietly.
A few seconds later, he looked up at her and questioned, 'Why are you here?,'
The grin on her face grew wider and making a spooky face, she said, 'Maybe I am a stalker whose finding the perfect time to find you alone and rape you!,' she cackled in a loud voice and Rohaan gave her an exasperated look.
'I would not doubt that for a second, if you weren't dressed like a three year old school-girl!,' he scoffed, looking at the two pigtails she had braided her hair into and the discolored blue ribbons around them. Smiling, she moved down the bench to the grass next to him and hit her shoulder against his playfully.
'Heyyyy, no making fun of the pigtails! I was a deprived kid with a neglected childhood...let's say I'm making up for lost childhood fantasies!,' she sighed melodramatically and despite himself, Rohaan broke out laughing. Looking at her in an intrigued manner as she laughed along, he said, 'So, what ARE you doing here at the break of dawn?,'
'Aah! Couldn't sleep, had an assignment to do...so I thought, what better place to do it than here?,' she looked around the park and smiled, then taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and sighed. 'It's so beautiful and peaceful out here...so much better than the din they create back at the hostel!,'
Rohaan looked at the serene expression face for a few seconds, then spoke soflty, 'I have told you so many times...I can help you with getting a new place for yourself. Anything is better than that skanky hostel you live in!,'
Zaara looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes that was hard to miss, and said, 'How would you know? You have never lived in a low-cost, cheap, skanky girls hostel ever, huh?,' Rohaan looked down for a second and she pressed his hand reassuringly, 'Rohaan, we have talked about this enough. I know I can get a better place to live, but I never want to be under anyone's 'ehssaaaan', like they call it! Someday when I'm able to get a place of my own myself, trust me I will!,' she grinned at her own lame joke and then sobered up at his not-humored expression. 'Come on, it's too early to have this kind of conversation....come, let's go!,'
She hoisted herself up with the help of the bench and then tugging at his arm, made him stand too.
'Where are we going? It's too early for any place to be open!,' He looked at her, annoyed as she threw away the core of the apple and rubbed her hands.
'Yeah, but it's not too early for a run, is it? Come on, me and you...to that oak tree...whoever gets there first gets to treat the other with a coffee and bagggeeeellll!,' she shouted at him as she took off already, and for a fraction of a second, Rohaan stood looking at her retreating back with a surprised look on his face.
'You and your cheap thrills...wait uppp!!',' he shouted, throwing down his bag as he ran after her, both forgetting about the previous basketball session and the pending assignment...
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'Here you go....two teabags, half teaspoon sugar and almost no milk,' Armaan smiled as Riddhima took the cup of tea from his hands and took a gulp of it. Raising his brow at how she was drinking the scalding hot tea so quickly, he took a seat before her and made himself as comfortable as he could on the plastic hospital seats.
Taking a look at her watch, Riddhima sighed and looked around at the cafeteria that was beginning to fill up. 'Where the hell is Nikki? Why is it taking them so long?,' She looked up at Armaan who shrugged his shoulders and then flashed her a cheesy grin.
'Oh stop already! It was just a bout of nausea..I can't stand the sight of vomit or blood and so...,' She stopped speaking when Armaan started laughing loudly. His whoops of laughter drew attention from a couple of onlookers and Riddhima blushed with embarrassment.
'Armaan! Stop, seriously! People are looking and its NOT FUNNY!,' she glared at him and Armaan did stop, clutching his stomach and panting loudly.
'Okay, um sorry...um sorry! It's just...the whole morning has been SUCH an entertainer...you guys are a riot!,' He justified himself and Riddhima grinned despite herself. No doubt, today had been one hell of a morning, what with her waking up to a moaning Nikki who could just utter the words 'need Abhi' in between her painful moans. After an hour of consoling and plenty of fluids still, Nikki was determined to meet her husband and so Riddhima had driven to Armaan's place at 7 in the morning. Armaan had opened the door to a flustered Riddhima who had fainted in his arms within seconds as she looked back at Nikki, who was vomiting all over the place. After a few moments of black out, Riddhima had woken up to an argument going on between Armaan and Abhi about Nikki being pregnant or not, and the hilarious conversation had come to an end when Nikki had burst out of the bathroom, sweating, confirming that her doctor instincts told her 'there was something very wrong with her', and she needed to go to the hospital'. They had all hurriedly rushed her to the car, which failed to start up for some reason and thus Armaan's car had become their sole means of transport. And thus, they had landed in the hospital two hours ago and while Nikki and Abhi were busy getting her tests done, Armaan had tagged Riddhima along forcefully to grab a bite of something.
Now, she looked at Armaan who smiled at her and took a sip of his black American coffee. Knowing that some conversation had to be initiated, she spoke up, 'So, how long have you known Abhi?,''. Making a mutual friend the topic of discussion was a safe idea, she mused as he put down his cup.
'Well, to be exact, I have been friends with him for some 13 odd years...otherwise, I've known him all my life,' At her questioning eyes, he elaborated, 'Well, we used to go to the same school since we were kids...then we went to the same college, that's when we developed a good friendship...and then when we both got into Amity, I went to live with him in Delhi and we have been best friends since...,'
'Wow!! That's a long time! How come I never saw you at his wedding?,' she questioned with a developing interest and she saw his smile falter. Not knowing why, she felt she had overstepped a line somewhere and the feeling was confirmed by the grim expression on his face.
'Errm...something crucial came up back then. I couldn't make it!,' A silence of a few seconds marked what could be the close of a conversation there, but after a sigh, Armaan looked up at her and continued, his fingers playing with the tip of the coffee cup, 'You know, I think Abhi has not forgiven me the grudge yet...not being there at his wedding...he won't ever, I guess. I know he understood my situation and everything, but its something he will hold against me in his heart forever!,' Riddhima nodded distractedly as he spoke, then looked at him with an expression in her eyes he couldnt distinguish, an he continued, 'He was the best man at my wedding...,'
He left it there, not completing what he might have been meaning to say but Riddhima could understand what he must be feeling. She had come close to not attending Nikki's wedding as well, for circumstances had not allowed her to make a trip back home then. But she had managed a week long trip to see her best friend getting married, for it was a dream they both must have talked about for hours in their teenage years. She sighed and nodded at Armaan, a simple gesture to show that she understood what he meant. She wondered what could have happened so bad that he would have had to miss his best friend's wedding? She looked at Armaan who was now swirling the contents of his cup with one hand with his eyes settled somewhere deep inside the cup. Wanting to ward off the sudden gloom that had settled upon her at the mention of the wedding three years ago, Riddhima put on a cheerful face and spoke in an intentionally chirpy voice,
'So...your wedding! How old WERE you when you got married? I hope it wasn't some forced child marriage or anything!,' Riddhima giggled and Armaan smiled despite himself, then sighed and replied,
'Well...I was 23...had just started with my last semester of postgraduate degree...Damini was in her last year of undergrad architecture...,' He stopped for a second and Riddhima questioned again, 'How did you guys meet?,'
Armaan scoffed and looked up at her, 'What is with the sudden interrogation, Riddhima?'
'Let's say um just bored and want to relive the happy magical moments of your life!,' she batted her eyelashes at him coyly and he laughed. Shaking his head at her antics, he continued.
''We were in the same university...we met at...,' before he could continue, a hand slapped him on his shoulder and he turned to look at a distraught Abhi. Both Armaan and Riddhima looked at his distraught face and both spoke at the same time, 'What happened? Is she okay?,'
'Yeah yeah...she's okay!,' he sighed and took the seat next to Armaan. Grabbing his cup of coffee, he drained it in one go and then looked at Riddhima, 'She's not pregnant, though'.
Riddhima's face fell for a second, then she looked at Abhi and held his hand reassuringly, 'So...is that a good thing or a bad thing?,'
'I dont know what thing it is. I just know she's got food poisoning and they are washing up her stomach now!,' he mumbled, looking into the cup to make sure it was empty. Armaan shook his head at him and got up from his seat, only to be tugged back in his seat by Abhi. 'Get back in your seat, Mallik, I dont need your food therapy right now!,'
'Of course you do. You can never handle even the tiniest bit of stress on an empty stomach!,' he said in a matter-of-fact way and was startled when Riddhima burst out laughing. Looking at her sharply, he found her pull her hair back with a hand as she snickered.
At the question in both pair of eyes that stared at her now, she replied, 'Oh! It's just...my mom used to say the EXACT same thing to all of us...!'
'Yeah, Armaan has always been the mommy figure in my life all through our college years!,' Abhi joined in and they both laughed while Armaan narrowed his eyes and made a face.
'I pity you guys your sense of humor...seriously? I'd think a handful of thirty year olds could have a little more productive conversation?,'
'Heyyy! Don't count me in that 'handful'...I'm just twenty seven!,' Riddhima grimaced and Armaan stared at her for a second, at how the little creases of frown disappeared from her forehead as her lips tilted into a smile, at how her bangs fell over her eyes and she pushed them off one more time with the back of her hand. He smiled.
'As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, I think I should leave...Nikki must be done with her tests...you guys coming?,' Abhi stood up and looked at them, and they both nodded back. As Armaan and Abhi strolled out of the cafeteria, Riddhima's cell phone rang and she rummaged for it in her filled-with-all-the-crap-in-the-world bag. Finally retrieving it, she frowned at the caller ID and picked up the phone.
Turning to see whether she was coming along or not, Armaan stopped in his tracks at the door of the cafeteria as he saw Riddhima put her mobile to her ear and the color of her face drain suddenly. Instinct, they say, can be a strong alarm at times, of a news that could be worse than you could have imagined. Armaan's intuition said just that as Riddhima put the mobile in her bag slowly and their eyes clicked.
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'Damn...damn...damn...damn!,' Her supposedly silent mutterings under her breath did not escape his ears as he turned the car in accordance to the order of the navigation system. Shooting a glance at her, he saw her biting her nails with an urgency he could sense from the sound of her shallow breathing and the pale color of her face. Even though he barely knew her since a few days, he offered a quick prayer in his heart for her, for everything to be okay. Her face had been a give away as soon as he had laid eyes on it in the cafeteria, and having told Abhi to carry on without him, he had walked back to her and gently shaken her shoulder to get her out of a reverie she had been lost to. Her eyes had settled at him and then taken in her atmosphere, and as soon as she realized where she was, she had croaked in a panicky voice, 'I need to get home...Maa...Home...I need to...,'
Surprisingly, she had managed to relax herself within a few seconds of the sudden news, yet he was sure the shock still hadn't settled in. She had been scanty with details, and he had concluded for himself that something had happened to her mother and she needed to get home. Lacking sense for a moment, she had absurdly muttered something about 'taking the tube to get home'. He had ditched the idea instantly and had thus made her come in his car. Even though under extreme stress, she had taken to be courteous and had refused as it would be too much of a trouble, but he had refused to listen to anything and just hauled her along to his car after informing Abhi.
Now, as they stood at a traffic signal waiting for the blessed green signal to give way, he again looked at her and saw the same sight again. Pale face, rapid muttering, biting her nails. Instinctively, he put a hand to hers and pulled it down from her mouth. She turned to look at him questionably at the sudden tug, and shrugging, he said, 'Just something that irks me real bad...!,'
Nodding distractedly, she looked out of the window and after a few seconds, Armaan saw her at the same act again. Sighing, he paid attention to driving fast and within a matter of few minutes, they were at her house. He had barely stopped the car when Riddhima jumped out and hurried up to the house while he parked it.
A few minutes later, he entered the house, looking around aimlessly. He had speculated after parking the car whether going in would be a better option than staying out, waiting for her. Even though he knew there was nothing to 'wait' for, she wouldn't be coming back of course. And she might be needing some help inside. Maybe. As the latter made a little more sense than driving back to the hospital where, Abhi had confirmed it, they would take a couple more hours, he decided to follow her inside thus.
The hall was empty, as was the lounge that was connected to the hall. Looking around tentatively, he heard voices from upstairs, and took a step towards the stairs, then halted. If he went upstairs, he'd feel like he was snooping around, intruding in on a family scene. But then again, Riddhima had seemed pretty stressed, maybe her mother was seriously ill? What if she needed help? He'd just go upstairs, check once whether any help was required, and then go back to his car. Yes, that is what he would do.
Standing on the last step of the stairs, he turned towards the door where, most probably, Riddhima was. The door was slightly ajar, but he couldn't see anything as there was someone standing directly in front of the door. A guy, it was, a tall, lanky one. Armaan realized he must be intruding into their privacy if he entered now, and thus decided to rush back to his car just then. Turning around, he was just about to go down the stairs when his eyes landed on the pictures lining the corridor next to the room. Suddenly curious, he walked to the biggest frame there was, a family portrait. It was slightly old, he concluded, for Riddhima looked younger in this one. Probably in her teens still, sitting on the ledge of the chair next to her mother. He instantly figured she was her mother, for the resemblance in their looks was so visible. His eyes moved to Riddhima, who was grinning madly in the picture. There was a twinkle in her eye that was no longer present in the living picture of hers, and there was a radiance in the picture that she lacked now. His eyes moved from her to who he concluded to be her father, a tall, graceful man he was indeed. And her brothers...
He felt a movement beside him and thats when he realized he was no longer alone. Standing next to him was Riddhima, her hands pulling her light pullover closer to herself, her face holding an expression of relaxation. As their eyes met, she passed him a slight smile and that's when he realized he had been holding his breath. The smile was enough indication for him to know her mother was alright, and he smiled back at her, with a reassurance he himself had felt unsure about. She looked at him again and then slowly mumbled,
'She's fine. Her blood pressure dropped so she fainted...she's fine,' she repeated, as if to assure herself this time and Armaan wondered how ironic it was that they could read each other's minds and the questions in the other's eyes so vividly. He nodded at her, and without any more questions, turned to look at the picture again, as did Riddhima.
After a few second's silence, the door of the room opened again and Rohaan walked out, then stopped at seeing both of them in the corridor. However, without any questions or inquiry, he just took in Armaan's appearance from head to toe and walked down the stairs, picking up the basketball that had been lying on the last step on his way. Armaan looked at Riddhima and asked, 'He's not the one, right?,'
Riddhima turned to look at him and he saw the color in her cheeks had returned, this time a light crimson. He realized she was embarrassed at her brother's crude behavior, but he knew enough to not question her. Putting a hand to her hair, she pulled it up into a pony tail and mumbled, 'No, he's not the one.....' Leaving her sentence incomplete, they both turned to the picture again and that's when Armaan realized who was....
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here comes part 3 guys!! after a long delay, much more happenings in my life than what i would have wanted and still, i put up a part here! :D not one that i like much myself, and there are parts i have written and erased and then rewritten for this one...worst writers block ever it was, i cudnt get hru to wiritng at all...anyways! i hope u guys like it...a new character introduced, and many more to come!! read, comment, criticize and review pleasssee! what's with the sudden lull on the forum, btw? :D
take care everyone! lovya all...reply to comments come later!
p.s. ignore any mistakes in this one, i havent even read it once! :D
Kiran
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