Armaan held her and brought her to the balcony.
Bharti:Armaan what's the matter?Why have you brought me here?
Armaan:Bharti, what did Preity tell you?
Bharti:What?Erm..nothing!!
Armaan:Mahi told me that Preity shouted at you in front of everyone...
Bharti:Yeh Mahi bhi na...It's nothing Armaan...
Armaan:What is nothing Bharti?She told you to stay away from me?
Bharti:if you knew about it then why are you asking Armaan?
Armaan:Bharti...
Bharti:Kya??Look Armaan, she's your girlfriend, isn't she? She wants all your attention and what's wrong in that..Think about it coolly yaar..She deserves your attention..Why the heavens are you giving me the attention that she deserves?How many times have I told you that you need not worry so much about me...She must have felt so awful when you left Paris and that too in the middle of the photo-shoot just to attend to my problems?
Armaan:Bharti, you're a close friend of mine..Just because Preity says so, I can't avoid or neglect my friendship with you..
Bharti:Is that all Armaan??For I don't think that I deserve all these attention if I'm just a friend..It seems to me that there is something else to this..Main tumhari kya lagti hoon,huh??
Armaan looked intently into Bharti's eyes and Bharti too followed the movement of his eyes. Involuntarily, she just gazed into his eyes, and forgot everything that she had said. She felt a mystery hidden in his eyes ehich she was eager to know.
Armaan:Tum meri sabse kareebi dost ho Bharti...I can't afford to lose you and that's why perhaps I am more emtionally attached to you...I've suffered enough by losing our friendship but not anymore...
Bharti:But what about Preity??Doesn't losing her mean anything to you?When her heart breaks, don't you feel horrible??When she's upset, don't you wish to go and make it up to her? Isn't she close to your heart?
Armaan:(held Bharti's hand and brought it in between them) PErhaps not as close as you are to me...
Bharti didn't know what to say. She looked away from Armaan's eyes and took her hand from his grip and stood at a distance from him. Bharti was feeling pretty awkward for it might just be the first time she's got nothing to say.
Bharti:Main chalti hoon..Bohat dher ho gayi hain...Bye...
Armaan:Bharti, no matter what, we're always friends...Friends for life!!
Bharti managed to bring a smile on her face and left form there, feeling so confused as ever. While having seated in the auto, she thought of why Armaan had said what he did. She was still so confused. She let her thoughts drift apart while she closed her eyes.
Meanwhile Sudha just stood beside Armaan at the balcony.
Armaan:Maa aap?Ab tak soye nahin?
Sudha:Tum bhi toh yaha khade ho..Is everything ok?
Armaan:I don't know Maa(hugged Sudha from behind)..Main kya karoo?
Sudha:Pehle yeh toh batao ki tumse kabse kisi aur ladki se pyaar hone laga hain?
Armaan:Maa..yeh aap kya keh rahe ho?
Sudha:Bharti was quite tensed and she told me about her friend's girlfriend who told her to stay away from her friend..it almost slipped from her mouth that her friend whom she was talking about was none other than you but before that itself..I figured it on my own, so tell me who's this girl??
Armaan:You know her..
Sudha:Armaan,who is it?
Armaan:Preity Sabbharwal..
Sudha:Naam toh suna suna sa lag rahi hain..
Armaan:Maa, the girl who stole Raj's and Jiya's international project offer...
Sudha:The girl who had left for Mauritus, na?Woh yaha kya kar rahi hai?
Armaan:She's back in MU for work, obviously...
Sudha:Tu usse pyaar karta hai??
Armaan:Uffo Maa..in an attempt to divert my attention from Bharti, I just said Yes to her in front of everyone at her birthday party..
Sudha:Wah..kya khopob Armu...You literally got yourself in a super duper mess...Does she even know that you're married...??
Armaan:Nope..she doesn't....
Sudha:How very interesting..And Bharti thinks she's your girlfriend..You're in love with Bharti..And Bharti tolerates this Preity for your sake for she doesn't even like her...
Armaan:(surprised) Bharti said that?
Sudha:Yeah she said that and she feels that you're happy with Preity..I seriously don't understand you Armu..What the heavens are you waiting for?
Armaan:The right moment...
Sudha:Oh God when will your right moment come?Waise I do think she's caught Lovaria..
Armaan:What?
Sudha:The first few symptoms of getting bitten by the Love Bug...
Armaan:How can you be so sure?
Sudha:She's losing her sleep in the remembrance of someone special and thinking more and more about the special someone and his compliments repeatedly and blushing and smiling for no apparent reason..Classic signs of being vulnerable to love..But ek problem hai..
Armaan:Kya Maa?
Sudha:I don't know who the guy is..It can't be you..I guess...Looks like waiting for the right moment isn't a very good option after all...
Armaan:Maa aap itni negatively kyun soch rahe ho?You know it's not so easy to confess..
Sudha:Yeah right..Teen shabd hi to hai bolne ko...
Armaan:Maa....I'm going to sleep..Good night..
Sudha:(chuckled) Good night!!(thought to herself) Jaa bachu..jaa kar so ne ki koshish kar!!Lollz I'm going to irritate you till you finally confess your feelings..I'm pretty sure that Bharti's falling for you..Open your eyes and realize it as soon as possible!!
Meanwhile Bharti reached home and waas typing her articles while sipping her mug of coffee. She kept getting distracted and decided to reflect on what has been happening and Armaan and began typing away.
"Armaan ko achanak kya ho gaya tha...I mean he feels that I'm closer to him than Preity is to him..How is that even possible?I'm glad he's not neglecting our friendship but what about Preity? I feel totally guilty that Preity's relation with him is getting strained because of me...Arre maine kya kiya tha?Is being Armaan's friend such a big crime or something?But what's going on in Armaan's mind...His eyes..I don't know why I keep losing myself in his eyes...His eyes do wish to tell me something but I'm no psychic to comprehend what's going on..Arre..when i don't even understand what's going on with me, how am I even supposed to know what's going on in Armaan's mind..But seriously Preity being his girlfriend, has every right to be angry and why isn't Armaan doing anything about it??To make it up to her..Well that's what I call a totally strange relationship!!"
She closed her blog and finished typing her articles. She thought of calling Armaan but then she didn't know what to say to him and found it totally strange for she had always had something to say to Armaan. She just shut down her laptop and went to sleep.
The next day, Bharti woke up pretty late, pretty much her usual routine and rushed to office. As she ran to the MU building, she bumped into Raj. Bharti said Sorry several times and headed to her cabin and hit her head on her glass cabin door and shook her head to the sides before entering her cabin. She didn't know but for some reason she felt as if her day is going to be awful. Just then Amarjeet called everyone at the foyer. Sonali and Bharti were standing beside each other, wondering what the meeting was about.
Amarjeet waited for Armaan to appear. Eventually he had come after briefing the models on the exclusive outdoor photo-shoot that was scheduled in the evening. He too wondered what the meeting was about. Amarjeet congratulated Armaan and Jiya for their dedication and participation in the Asian Photography Competition and both of them got nominated from MU, representing MU. Both of them were very much excited. Preity hugged Armaan in front of everyone and kissed him on his cheek. Bharti witnessed this from a distance but she looked away, feeling quite weird for she wasn't taking it too well. Jiya saw that and smiled. She walked towards Bharti who hugged and congratulated her. Everyone congratulated Armaan and wished him and Jiya all the best. Sonali and Jiya asked if Bharti wasn't going to congratulate Armaan and she told them that she had an urgent work that she just recalled and went from there. Sonali congratulated Armaan and went from there as well.
Jiya:Looks like someone isn't too fond of Preity..
Armaan:Why didn't she wish me?
Jiya:Dude just go and talk to her..
Armaan:Yeah...excuse me...
Jiya:Sure...(thought to herself) "Finally things seem to be working out..Gotta inform Raj about this.."
Armaan knocked on Bharti's cabin door.
Armaan:Heyy..
Bharti:Hi Armaan..
Armaan:Won't you congratulate me?
Bharti:I thought I gave you a Thumbs Up..Isn't that enough?
Armaan:Bharti, when did you do that? I didn't even see that..
Bharti:Ahh you must have been blinded by Preity's kiss...
Armaan:Bharti, just forget it...I came here to get your wishes but you...I'll talk to you some other time..
Bharti:(held Armaan's hand and stopped him) Heyy I'm sorry if I've offended you..If I've hurt you, I'm really sorry!!
Both Armaan and Bharti gazed into each other's eyes for some time. Without realization, Armaan smiled at Bharti and wiped the hot chocolate from the edge of her lips. Bharti watched Armaan's finger as he wiped the hot chocolate and looked at Armaan.
Armaan:Did you just have hot chocolate?
Bharti:Yeah...(smiled at him)..Kyun?
Armaan:Nothing..(smiled back at her)
Just then Preity walked across her cabin and stopped upon seeing Bharti and Armaan stainding in close proximity to one another, smiling at each other. Bharti hugged Armaan and wished Armaan all the best and as she broke off from their hug and turned to go, her pendant got stuck with Armaan's chain and she had to go closer to Armaan and take it off. As she tried to do so, her eyes naturally looked up at Armaan. She briefly smiled and focussed back at separating her pendant from Armaan's chain and she turned away from Armaan. She heaved a deep sigh of relief while Preity was fuming from within. Armaan couldn't help but smile and stood in front of Bharti.
Bharti:You haven't left?
Armaan:Nope..I'm gonna leave for the outdoor fashion shoot soon but i was thinking...
Bharti:Yeah?
Armaan:Will you like to hvae dinner with me tonight?
Bharti:Me?Tonight?
Armaan:Yeah..erm do you other plans for tonight?
Bharti:Achanak dinner and all?
Armaan:I'm very happy today and that's the reason for inviting you for dinner...So will you like to come?
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
41