Part 15: Big Decisions
I put down my cup of coffee and looked at Angad. "Okay...so now tell me. What did you want to talk about?"
He took my hands in his and squeezed gently. "Kripa, I hope you don't think I'm moving too fast but I know that it's becoming more difficult for us to spend time together as the days go by. And I'd really like to spend more time with you."
I squeezed his hands back. "I know Angad...So do I...you know that." I searched his face for some hints. I found none.
"I do know that baby." He said making my heart skip a beat. Every time he called me 'baby', my heart did this weird flip in my chest. "That's why I want to suggest something." He went on when I nodded. "Look, you're looking for a new affordable place right now since Riddhima moved out and I'm pretty lonely at the bachelor's apartment since Armaan's gone...so I was thinking...why don't we move in together? Mom has been nagging me to move into the condo they gifted me anyway and it will be closer to school for you and'"he kissed the back of my hand. "'we'll get to see each other more often...you know...Kill several birds with one stone..."
I looked at my hands in his as I thought. He was right. I was looking for a new place. Since Riddhima moved out, I can't take up all the expenses on my own. Before we split the bills and what not. Of course I could ask my parents for money but I hate asking them for things. I like to be independent. Moving in with him would solve that. I would be able to afford it and I won't be taking anyone's favours. Ka-ching. One point for moving in.
And of course he's mentioned countless times how bored and lonely he feels at his apartment now that Armaan is gone. And the bills and rent and such are also too much for him. He's just like me in the sense that he won't ask his parents for money. There we go. Two points for moving in.
It's closer to my school than my current residence. It will save me a lot of time that I can put towards studying, running errands, or relaxing with Angad. Three points for moving in.
And another important point. I'd be living with him. We'd definitely see more of each other. We'd definitely be able to give our relationship the attention it deserves. I can wake up to see his face and I can see him before I sleep. It's almost too good to be true. Four points for moving in.
I took in a deep breath and let it out quickly in one puff. I looked at him square in the face. "I'm in. As long as you promise to let me pick up half the bills."
He chuckled. "Well...there's only the hydro and the electricity bill. And the phone slash internet bill and groceries...I'm sure we can work it out."
"Okay. I'm definitely in." I smiled at him.
He leaned over the table and kissed my lips. It was a short, simple, yet a sweet kiss. "Great...now the biggest challenge...convincing the parents."
--
Riddhima walked into her bedroom and her jaw dropped open.
"Armaan!! What the hell!!" she screamed.
Armaan peeped out of the washroom. He looked at her as if she'd lost her sanity. "What?" he demanded.
"Look at the bed! Oh my goodness! I just made the bed like half an hour ago and you've messed it up already! Your damp towel, your hair brush, your dirty socks from yesterday??" She groaned loudly. Armaan was standing two steps from her now. She went on when he just stared at the bed. "You're just like a kid. You need to grow up Armaan. Seriously. This is unacceptable behaviour. I know you're doing this on purpose to bug me. I know that you know that it makes me angry when the room is messed up so you're messing it up on purpose aren't you? You seriously need to grow up. This is seriously unacceptable."
Armaan grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her up against the closest wall, pressing her between him and the wall. Her breath was caught in her throat. She couldn't seem to find her voice to tell him to get off of her. She couldn't make her muscles move so that she could push him off. She just stared into his face which was inches away from hers.
"First of all. I'm not a kid. If I were a kid, your cold behaviour would have crushed me. Secondly, I'm not doing anything to bug you. You seem to be annoyed with me regardless. I don't think I'm stupid enough to go and bug you anymore. Thirdly...you're the one who needs to grow up. Everything you just said to me could have been said calmly...without the taunts. And the most important of all. You out of all people shouldn't talk about unacceptable behaviour." Armaan stopped saying what he was about to when he saw a tear fall onto her cheek. He eased his grip on her shoulders and slowly let go of her.
Frustrated with her and himself, he turned his back to her and walked a few steps away. Riddhima stood frozen in her spot. She was too shocked to move.
"I've been trying and trying to make sure that you're happy here. In this house. With me. With our marriage. But it seems that I'm doing everything wrong because clearly you're not happy here. You're always angry at me. And I don't think you've even accepted the fact that I'm your husband yet." Armaan turned his face halfway, still not quite looking at her. "And honestly Riddhima. I feel defeated now." He turned around fully to look at her. "I've asked Angad for help...I've asked Kripa for help...I'm trying to do what they tell me and it's still not working."
He walked back to her. He didn't miss it when she stiffened and clenched her fists. He went ahead anyway. He cupped her face as gently as he could manage and made her look at him. He knew that his eyes were slightly tearful but he didn't care that she was going to see him crying. Riddhima's breathing was shaky. She was scared of him.
"Even after all this, I won't give up Riddhima. I'll keep trying to make you happy. I won't let our marriage go down the drain without putting up a fight with fate. But please." His head suddenly felt heavy on his shoulders. He gently rested his forehead against hers. "Please try to understand me. Please try to give us a chance. Please Riddhima, please." He whispered. He moved his head back an inch so that he could look at her entire face. "Please...I beg you." And then he couldn't help that one traitor teardrop that fell out of his eye.
The sight of that teardrop on his cheek tore something inside Riddhima. She looked at him walking away, wanting to desperately stop him. But she still couldn't find her voice.
--
Kripa let out a nervous breath as she got out of the car. Angad casually wrapped his arm around her waist as if they were going to meet their friends. She removed his hand from her waist and intertwined her fingers with his, gripping so hard that her knuckles were turning white.
"You need to relax. You've met them before." Angad said.
"Yeah well...I wasn't your girlfriend then." Kripa was getting a panic attack.
He kissed her temple at the same time he knocked on the door. Kripa counted seven frantic heartbeats and then the door opened. At the same instant, Angad and Kripa let go of each other's hands.
"Angad!" The middle aged woman exclaimed as she gathered her son in a hug. Kripa looked up nervously but relaxed a little when Naina also gave her a hug. She impatiently invited the two inside. Once they sat down, Naina shouted for Dilip, Angad's father.
Angad had brought Kripa home to meet his parents officially. He also wanted to ask his mother for permission for moving in with Kripa. They had spent a good week discussing the idea from when Angad first asked. And now they were here, sure that they wanted to move in.
Without wasting any time, Angad started speaking. "Mom...I have something important to tell you."
Naina smiled knowingly. "I know what you want to say."
Angad heard Kripa stop breathing. He'd expected his mother to know what was going on. He'd been dropping hints for a long time. He looked at his mother sheepishly. "You do?" he asked.
"Of course I do. I'm your mother, Angad...I know you better than you think. I know you want to tell me about you and Kripa." She smiled.
Now Kripa's breaths were coming out in quick little gasps. Angad nudged his knee to hers.
"Are you happy Angad?" Naina asked even though Kripa was sitting right next to him.
"Never been happier mom." Angad said without a pause or hesitation.
"And what about you, Kripa? Are you happy with this idiot of mine?" Naina looked warmly at Kripa. Naina knew very well how nervous Kripa was. She was trying to calm her down.
Kripa gave a shy little nod. Angad was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't seen this shy side of hers. Kripa was usually very comfortable and open with him but at the moment, in front of his mother, she was so shy!
"Well...as long as you two are happy...I'm happy. Do your parents know about you two yet, Kripa?"
Kripa shook her head. "No...Not yet...well...mom knows...dad doesn't."
"We decided to make sure you approved about us being together before we told her parents." Angad completed for Kripa.
"Well Angad...we've let you have your freedom all your life...you make smart decisions for a guy your age. We wouldn't say that you can't do something unless it was absolutely and utterly wrong. And I must say...I think this decision is the best one you've made. I was hoping you two would end up together..."
"You did?" now Angad was shocked.
"Of course...I saw you two at Armaan's wedding...I could almost see the sparks flying there." Naina raised her eyebrows. At him
"Mom...you know I love you, right?"
Naina rolled her eyes. "Stop buttering me and go upstairs and meet your dad. I think he might be busy...he was in the study a few minutes ago."
Angad knew she was telling him to get out of there so that she could have alone time with Kripa. And Angad knew his mother enough to trust her alone with Kripa. He knew better than to question his mother's requests.
Kripa wanted to tell him to stay with her, but he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulled her in and gave her a quick side hug before leaving. Naina stood from her seat and took a seat next to Kripa.
"You know...I've never seen him so happy." Naina smiled at Kripa. "And you, my dear, don't need to be nervous. We're pretty forward..."
Kripa breathed out and tried to relax. She looked up at Naina and smiled.
"he's told me about girls he's dated before but he has never brought anyone home to meet us...you're the first...I can see that you're very special to him." Naina touched Kripa's arm affectionately.
"He's too nice...but yes...I'll give him that...he treats me like a princess. And I do feel special..." Kripa blushed and Naina smiled wider.
They continued talking about Angad's childhood and habits and likes and dislikes. Kripa wasn't nervous anymore. She was talking to Naina as if she were talking to one of her girlfriends. When Angad came back down again, he merged himself into the conversation.
"Mom...there was something I wanted to ask you as well." Angad said.
"I know that too...and I know that you've been stalling it because you're scared of asking. So ask away."
"I won't beat around the bush, mom. I wanted to ask you for permission for moving in with Kripa." he said in one breath.
Naina was suddenly serious. She looked at Angad, then at Kripa, and then back at Angad.
"You see mom...she has her final clinical placement in the hospital...I have classes...it becomes hard to see each other...the only time we get to really see each other is weekends...and that too for a few hours...and she also lives a little further from her hospital...the condo you gifted to me would be the perfect location for me and her...and I'm also a little lonely at the bachelor apartment now that Armaan is gone...and anyway Kripa is looking for a new place because she used to share the current house with Riddhima and now Riddhima is gone and..." Angad ranted on, giving her more than enough excuses.
"Okay okay...no need to explain yourself so much, sweetie. But...for this one...I'd rather you ask her parents for permission first. If her parents are okay with it. I am too. No matter how many years we live in Canada for...at heart we'll still be typical Indian parents...get the girl's parents' permission and I'll agree."
Angad nodded and beamed a big smile at his mother before giving her a hug.
After a pleasant lunch, Angad and Kripa left the Khanna mansion and headed back towards Kripa's house.
"I was thinking of going home for next weekend...you know...to Hamilton...you can come with if you want..." Kripa told Angad.
"The sooner, the better...besides...I think its better that they find out about us from us rather than someone else."
"well...mama already knows about you...I told you before...she's more of a friend than a mother...she knows everything already...I even told her that we plan on moving in together...but she said I'd have to get permission from dad."
"Well great...I'll pack for this weekend then." he looked over at her and smiled.
"That discussion isn't the hard part...the hard part is --" Kripa was interrupted.
"Telling our friends. Especially Riddhima."
Kripa looked straight ahead and nodded. "Well...let's not worry about that until we have the parents backing us up."
On the other hand, it had been a week from Armaan and Riddhima's fight where he'd finally lashed out at her. They'd been keeping distance from each other. Armaan had slept in the living room the first couple of days after their fight but now he'd returned to the couch in his bedroom. Riddhima would often call up Anjali to talk to her about the issues in her marital life. She tried not to call Kripa about it because Kripa always thought that Riddhima was the one who was wrong. Besides, Kripa was busy with her own relationship with Angad.
About a week after the fight, ridhdima decided to treat herself to some alone time. She decided to go shopping. Just as she was walking through the Yorkdale mall, her eyes found Armaan in the crowd. A second later, he was giving someone a hug. It was a woman.
"I knew it!" she thought to herself. "I'm sure that's his girlfriend...or ex-girlfriend. Look at how they're hugging...no wonder he tries to keep me happy. He feels guilty about cheating on me."
She hadn't realized that she was stopped dead in her path. She just stood there, glaring at them. Something tugging at her conscience. Then Armaan and the woman pulled apart. The woman turned to walk in the same direction as Armaan, and Riddhima saw her face. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was Kripa.
Riddhima felt something shatter inside her. She turned around, and headed towards the parking lot. Not wanting to think about it. Not wanting to think about Armaan cheating on her. Not wanting to believe that it was her best friend, Kripa, who was hugging Armaan so intimately.
When Armaan got home, Riddhima was pacing back and forth in the living room like a lioness paces in front of her cave. He just murmured a hello and walked towards the kitchen, when to his surprise, she stopped him.
"Where were you Armaan?"
"I was just out with a friend." He replied without turning around to face her.
"I see. Where did you go?"
Now he turned around. "Riddhima...if you're just concerned...you don't need to be...I'm here and I'm fine. And if you're asking me these questions with a possessiveness tint to it...then I refuse to answer. I've told you this before. I need my space as much as you need yours."
"Yeah? Well I don't go out with my friends and hug them like you were hugging your friend" Riddhima retorted like a child.
Armaan's eyes widened slightly, and then he frowned. "You hug Atul all the time Riddhima."
"That's different...he's a really good friend of mine."
"Why is it that whatever you do is fine and whatever I do is a mistake? Don't you think that is kind of unfair? If you hug your guy friends...I'm sure I should be allowed to hug my girl friends." He retorted with sarcasm dripping from each word. When she didn't reply, he simply shook her head. "I'm so sick and tired of all this. You know what Riddhima. I'll be here. In this same house. In this relationship. In this marriage. You can make your move and join me when you feel like it but until then...just think of me as a stranger since you already act like one."
He turned on his heels and walked back out of the house leaving a stunned Riddhima standing in the middle of the living room.
Part 16: Page 67
Sorry!! I know I disappear too much but I work full time all week and I have to commute far to get to work! takes up most of my day. And up until now I was busy with an online course on the weekends but now that the course is done, the updates should be more frequent. Sorry for the wait guys. I hope yuo guys liked this one. I tried to add more of AR in, but I'll let you guys know that there's something that needs to happen with AK before I can focus more on AR so just please be patient with me. I'll send out the PMs for this update later, I need to get going for now. So I hope you guys liked this part. Love you all!
Edited by love_iqbal_khan - 14 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
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