Do I have to say the words...(AR) #1 - Page 22

Part 7:

It was a silent and lazy Saturday afternoon in the Gupta Mansion with everyone relaxing in their own rooms. Shashank and Padma were back from their trip and preferred to wash off their travel fatigue by sleeping, while the domestic helps were also on a day off. Amongst all this, the corner most room on the first floor was also very silent for a change. There was no music blaring, no sound of anyone chatting on the phone and not even a hint of any movement. On peeping into the room, one would have seen a figure lying face down in bed, lost in a world of her own.

Since last evening, Riddhima's heart was nothing but a flutter of emotions. She was happy, confused, elated, scared and what not. With all these emotions collectively cornering her, she couldn't get even a wink of sleep last night. But surprisingly, she wasn't feeling tired or listless at all. The hug she got from Armaan had managed to wash away all her tiredness and ill humour of the past one week. With a soft sigh Riddhima got hold of her iPod and switched it on. As if the device had an inkling of her inner state, it played a song that truly summed up her varying emotions.

Iktara from Wake up Sid

Orey manva tu to bavra hai

Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai

Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai bavre

Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

(Nainon ko moond moond)

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon

Anjaane raastein

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Dheeme bole koi iktara iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Sun rahi hoon sudh budh khoke koi main kahani

Poori kahani hai kya kise hai pata

Main to kisiki hoke yeh bhi na jaani

Ruth hai ye do pal ki ya rehgi sada

(kise hai pata' kise hai pata)

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

(Nainon ko moond moond)

Jo barse sapne boond boond

Nainon ko moond moond

Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon

Anjaane raastein

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

Dheeme bole koi iktara iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara

Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara

With Riddhima lost in her thoughts and the senior Guptas napping away, no one heard the front door of the house being opened. It was only when the door of Riddhima's room burst open and she was enveloped in a huge hug that she realized someone else's presence in the house.

"Ridzy, I am back" screeched Muskaan as she gave her a bear hug. "I missed you so much dear"

"Muski!!!" it was Riddhima's turn to screech now.

"Kaisi hai yaar? Tu kab aayi? By the way who opened the door for you?"

"I have a key to the front door, don't you remember?"

"Oh, how did I forget that? Anyway, ab yeh bata ki mere liye kya laayi hai?"

"Lots of stuff" said Muskaan in a sing song voice as she revealed a huge bag of goodies.

Soon the two friends were excitedly looking at the gifts and briefing each other on what happened in the last few days. Muskaan told Riddhima about the fun she had with her cousins during the trip to her dad's hometown, while Riddhima told her about the dinner she had with Rahul followed by the trip to the airport.

"Oho, kya baat hai! Tu us khadoos ko airport se receive karne gayi thi......."

"Shut up Muski.......mujhe Rahul le ke gaya tha. Moreover, Armaan is not that bad. In fact, he is a very nice person who is easily misunderstood."

Muskaan was playing with her hair when she suddenly stopped on hearing these words from Riddhima's mouth.

"Hey Ridzy, look at me........are you telling me that you have grown fond of him?"

"Muskaan, give me a break! Just because I am saying he is a nice person, it doesn't mean that I am in love with him!" Riddhima stopped short on realizing what her last few words were, but luckily Muskaan was busy fiddling with the iPod and didn't hear her clearly.

"Ok yaar, thand rakh.........main uske baare me kuch nahi kahungi. Let's talk about something else."

As Riddhima's closest friend since childhood, Muskaan had been privy to all her secrets. Right now she was seeing a change in her best friend, but as she was not sure about it, she decided to keep quiet for the time being.

***************************************************

Wham!!!!!

Armaan didn't see this head on collision coming and now that he got a taste of it, he just stood glaring at the culprit, namely the bathroom door.

"Man watch where you are going!" he told himself. "Don't make a fool of yourself in front of the entire household."

Hoping that the sound didn't alert anyone, he rubbed his hurting forehead and proceeded to enter the bathroom for a shower, this time making sure that the door was open first. However, it wasn't this poor guy's fault as there was someone else or to be very precise, it was someone's smile that kept torturing him all throughout the night. The way she hugged him and the manner in which her eyes looked at him, everything was contributing to the lost look he had been wearing since morning.

Mentally scolding himself for his thoughts, Armaan made another attempt to enter the bathroom. But to his ill-luck, Niki's over sensitive ears caught the sound of the crash and here she was in his room now, with Rahul and Smriti in tow.

"What's up dude?" asked Nikita in her usual manner. "Tried walking through the door? Let me tell you that it can be a little painful. You should try opening it first, as it will make life much easier."

"Are you done with your sugar coated sarcasm?" said Armaan exasperatedly. "I was a little preoccupied with something, so didn't realize that the door was closed."

"Oh really? Would you mind telling me what were you so preoccupied with?" asked Niki with a wicked grin.

"Work, what else?" said Armaan matter-of-factly

"Niki, stop irritating my bro! You know he eats and breathes work, so it's not surprising that something like this happened."

"I know Rahul, but it's kinda strange na? He goes around saving pretty damsels in distress but doesn't know how to save himself from getting hurt. Really selfless I must say."

"Hey, what are you kids talking about?" asked Smriti.

"It's nothing Mom. Riddhima was about to get hit by a loaded trolley at the airport last evening and I pulled her away just in time. That's it!"

"Oh dear, I hope neither of you were hurt!"

"Don't worry Mom" said Armaan. "Can you see any bruises over my body? No, right?"

"Well MJ........there are no outward signs, but you never know coz some bruises do go deep down" said Niki with a smug smile. MJ as Niki fondly called Smriti, was an abbreviation for Mami Ji.

Smriti immediately understood what Niki was hinting at. The very next instant, they started communicating with their eyes, making it clear that they were on the same level of understanding.

"Oh great!" thought Smriti. "Now I have an accomplice to help me as I play Cupid."

On the other hand, Rahul was busy scrutinizing Armaan for any signs of bodily bruises.

"Do you think we should go to the doctor as Niki said there might be internal injuries?" he asked worriedly. "Moreover, I wasn't present at the time of this incident, so I don't know if there was any scope of getting hurt."

"Rahul bro, I guess you have a long way to go" said Niki as Smriti joined her in her laughter.

"Stop it you people, I am getting out of here" said Armaan as he made a safe exit to the bathroom.

***************************************************

"Hey Di" shouted Riddhima on the phone.

"Ridzy! Spare my ears......."

"Ooops sorry Di. But I am getting to talk to you after two days, so I got carried away."

"That's fine kiddo. Now listen, we are hosting a lunch at our place tomorrow. It's not a big affair, but will have some close friends and family. Don't think I need to mention that you have to come early to help me with the chores, right?"

"Sure Di, you don't have to ask. But anyway, who are the people you have invited?"

"Well it's going to be our family, some of Atul friends and of course the Mallik family."

"He will be there too........" thought Riddhima shyly.

"Ridzy, you still there?"

"Yes Di, was just wondering when should I reach your place tomorrow."

"You see tomorrow is a Sunday, so I guess you can come over today evening and get Muski with you too."

"Sure, that will be fun!"

The evening was a lovely affair for Riddhima, Muskaan, Atul and Anjali. They had dinner at a classy restaurant followed by a long drive. When they reached home, they sat chatting for hours before calling it a day.

***************************************************

"Muski, be careful........that bowl is steaming hot" said Atul as he supervised the arrangements for the lunch party.

"Don't worry Jiju, I will manage" said Muskaan.

The guests were due any minute and Riddhima was arranging the sofa cushions when the doorbell went off.

"Ridzy, please go and check" shouted Anjali from the kitchen.

"Aye aye Di" said Riddhima in a manner that always used to irritate Anjali.

Exchanging high fives with Atul and Muskaan, she ran to the door. Once she opened it, she just stood gawking at the person standing in front of her. Dressed in smart khakis and a casual shirt, Armaan was simply looking gorgeous. He was busy on his phone as usual, so Riddhima got a few seconds to take in his attractive appearance without any fear of getting caught.

Armaan casually looked towards the door while he was talking and once he saw the person standing there to welcome him, he almost dropped the phone. Muttering a "I will talk to you later" he disconnected the call and turned towards Riddhima.

"Hi Riddhima, how are you doing today?"

Suddenly the Sunday seemed even more bright and sunny to him.

"Hi Armaan, I am good. Please come in"

Atul was zapped to see Armaan coming in so early and couldn't help saying, "This is really something Armaan, as I have never seen you arrive early for anything apart from business meetings. However, there's always a first, isn't it? By the way, when are the rest coming?"

"They will be here within half an hour or so I guess. I had some work nearby, which explains for my early bird like behaviour today."

Armaan of course couldn't tell the quartet that he literally had to run away from Niki, as she went on teasing him mercilessly over the incident at the airport.

Soon the rest of the party arrived and they had a very good time together. Muskaan and Niki hit it off the very moment they were introduced to each other and soon they were creating a riot with Rahul joining them from time to time. Meanwhile, Armaan and Riddhima kept stealing glances at each other while Smriti looked on with interest.

"Look at these two foolish darlings" she said to herself with a sigh. "When will they realize?"

Soon Smriti and Shashank arrived and once the elders got talking, the younger group moved to porch. The three most gregarious people in the group, namely Niki, Muskaan and Rahul continued with their silly banter while the others looked on with amusement. On a request from Niki, Rahul even sang a song. Not everyone knew that he was a fabulous singer. As he sang a famous song by MLTR, the entire group was left entranced.

More than a friend (MLTR)

You got me counting the seconds

It happens every time

I'm waiting for the moment

we can sit down and talk for a while

And every time that you're near me

my heart is running away

How can I tell you when words don't come easy

and there is so much I'm trying to say

I wanna know that love will surround us

and you'll share it with me every day

Tell me you'll care for me now and forever

I'll give anything to hear you say

that I'm more than a friend

I'm gonna try in the future

not to live in the past

I guess that I was a dreamer

if I thought it could ever last

But every time that I see you

you bring me out in the sun

How can I hide it when we are together

I just know that you're the only one

I wanna know that love will surround us

and you'll share it with me every day

Tell me you'll care for me now and forever

I'll give anything to hear you say

that I'm more than a friend

I wanna make you see

everything you are to me

Try to understand

I wonder if you can

The love I have for you

will always be true

Rahul took this request as the perfect opportunity to tell Muskaan what he had in his heart. He prayed that Muskaan got the hint, which she did though she was careful not to show it. All the while Riddhima was lost in a trance as she loved this song to death. Armaan noticed this with great pain as he thought Rahul's song was directed to her, but he swallowed his pain and put up an unaffected front.

Smriti saw this from inside and felt bad for him, but she didn't want to clear the confusion right away as she wanted Armaan to realize the value of love and most importantly what Riddhima meant to him.

"Just wait for some more time son" she thought. "She will soon be yours forever, but this distance and pain is necessary to make you realize her worth."

"Hey" shouted Niki suddenly. "Isn't there a concert happening at the sports stadium today?"

"Yup" said Rahul. "I also received some passes for the event, but who will go to see that singer perform. Don't know what you girls see in him."

"What, you have passes for that show? Why didn't you tell us earlier? Also don't you dare say anything against my favourite singer" shouted Muskaan.

"I have to go and see the concert" wailed Niki. She was ably supported in her hysterics by all the girls, while the boys looked on exasperatedly.

"Ok kids, peace!" said Smriti as she and Padma came out to see what the ruckus was all about.

On hearing the story, Smriti said, "Boys, you will take the girls there and mind you, they are your responsibility for the evening."

"Oooooooohhhhhh I love you MJ!" exclaimed Niki as she hugged Smriti.

Soon the young people left for the venue in two cars. The first one had Atul, Anjali, Rahul and Muskaan while the second one had Armaan, Riddhima and Niki in it.

Riddhima was walking towards Atul's car, when Niki pulled her towards Armaan's car saying the first car was almost full and Riddhima had no choice but to follow her. This time Niki slyly took the front seat, as she felt it would be more convenient for Armaan to admire Riddhima through the rear view mirror, which he unconsciously did all the time as he drove to the sports stadium.

***************************************************

It was a crowded venue, more so because the singer was very popular among girls. Rahul, Armaan and Atul really empathised with the other glum faced guys at the venue who were dragged to that place by their wives/girlfriends/sisters/friends.

As the group stood there, they were suddenly diverted by a husky voice.

"Hey Armaan darling" said a very glamorous girl as she hugged him.

"Hi" said Armaan as he recognized who she was. She was a model whom he had met while shooting for a promotional campaign for their company. Needless to say, she was enamoured by him, even though he never paid any interest. However, she along with her group of girls didn't let go of the chance to hug him right now.

Riddhima's face changed many shades of red as she saw those girls hugging Armaan and whispering in his ear, something Niki noticed wickedly.

"Rahul, can you all go inside? I will come in 2 minutes" said Armaan as he didn't want them, especially Riddhima to see how shamelessly these girls flirted with him.

"Ok bro" said Rahul as he and Atul guided the girls to the entrance gate.

As they were waiting to get in through the crowded entrance gate, Riddhima turned back to see where Armaan was.

"He said he will come in a couple of minutes, but just look at him now. He is shamelessly flirting with them. What about his I-don't-care-about-girls attitude? Where is it gone today?" she thought angrily as Armaan continued talking with the girls. However, the truth was that he was desperately trying to extricate himself from that group, though it was also true that every girl standing there had eyes only for Armaan at that moment.

Suddenly there was a shove and Riddhima dropped her phone.

"Oh no" she exclaimed as she tried looking for it in the crowd.

She managed to locate it but as she stood up, she realized that her group was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was surrounded by a group of boys who had started whistling and passing comments on seeing a beautiful girl alone in their midst. Suddenly Riddhima was very scared and was not sure what to do. One of them even attempted to touch her, when a pair of hands landed protectively on her shoulders. Riddhima looked around and was relieved to see Armaan standing behind her, his eyes burning with pure rage. He gave those boys a look that said it all and they got the message and disappeared.

"Come, let's go Riddhima" he said as he positioned himself behind her, thus shielding her from everything and everyone. It was almost like he was hugging her from behind. Riddhima took in his masculine scent, as he stood close to her making sure that no one dared touch her. Not surprisingly, her heart was drumming in her ribs.

Once inside, they again came face to face with a huge mass of humanity, which made Riddhima a little nervous. However, she had no reason to worry as Armaan clasped her hand and guided her through the crowd to the reserved area where their group supposedly was. Riddhima could see the female population giving her envious glances as Armaan held her hand and much as she hated to admit it, she was elated and enjoying every bit of it.

"Hey Riddima, where were you? We were so worried" said Rahul. He had left the group to come in search of Riddhima once they realized she was not with them.

"Worried?" asked Armaan. "How could you be so careless to leave her like that Rahul? You know what she would have gotten herself into had I not reached on time? Let me tell you kiddo............ if you have taken a responsibility, learn to be worthy of it. Riddhima deserves much more than this careless attitude of yours."

"Ok bro" said Rahul meekly as he and Riddhima were left dumbstruck at Armaan's outburst.

"Come on, let's go now" said Armaan as he led the way, never leaving Riddhima's hand.

Riddhima was happy to see Armaan so concerned about her and she had a hard time controlling her expressions. On the other hand, Rahul was seeing a different side of his big bro. Never had he seen Armaan get so protective about anyone besides his mother.

"I will have to find out" he resolved as he followed Armaan and Riddhima.

The concert was simply rocking. Even the boys had to agree that the singer was good as they too had a nice time. Meanwhile, the girls were just swooning over that guy. As they were walking towards the car parking area, Riddhima realized that Armaan wasn't with them. She looked around worriedly, but was pleasantly surprised to find him standing amidst a group of street children. He was busy talking to them as he paid an ice-cream vendor who was handing over ice-creams to these kids. This lovely scene almost brought tears to her eyes.

***************************************************

It was late when Riddhima was dropped home, so she was surprised to see a car parked outside her house. She went in and realized that her parents had guests for dinner.

"Strange, I was never aware of this" she said to herself.

"There she is" said Shashank as soon as he saw her. "Come beta, meet Mrs Khanna, your Mom's friend."

"Hello aunty" said Riddhima with a smile.

"Hello beta" said Mrs Khanna.

"........and beta" continued Shashank, "meet her brilliant son who is the brain behind one of the most successful event management companies in India today"

Riddhima turned to see a very handsome young man stand up and take her hand in a gentle but firm grasp.

"Hi Riddhima, I am Ayush Khanna" he said as she smiled in acknowledgement.

"Gosh, she looks even more beautiful now" Ayush thought dreamily as he remembered the time he first saw her at Anjali's engagement party when his eyes never left her for a single moment.

***************************************************

Riddhima sat in front of the mirror after the guests left. She didn't know why, but she felt like the most beautiful woman on earth today. The way Armaan cared for her, the way he protected her, everything seemed too good to be true.

"Why are you making me feel so Armaan?" she asked, hiding her face in her hands.

"I don't know where we are heading, but I know for sure that I am discovering a new side of you every day."

With this Riddhima went to sleep with a smile on her face. Meanwhile, Armaan stood on the balcony attached to his room as he looked at the moon shining on in its full glory. He found it so beautiful today that he started wondering why he never noticed it before.

"Riddhima......" he said with a soft sigh as he headed off to sleep. Soon he was lost in a world of dreams..........a world that had always been alien to him before.

Hey friends,

Here was part 7 for you. I myself am surprised that I managed to come up with the new part so soon. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

Love,

Richa 😊

hey!!!

that was really a best part...

loved it,,,first liked the way nikki tease him and her MJ who was trying hard to make her son realise the value of ridz,,

and loved the way he protective about her,,

but at last who is this akshu yaar,,,well it will be more intresting so read now...

plz update soon