Hmm ,yummy ! WOW Armaan after all those fiasco's with your cooking ,mujhe nahi laga tha ki that am ever going to eat anything edible made by you ,ye chamatkar kaha se ho gaya ,this is 'suprisingly' really tasty and even more surprisingly edible too." Riddhima teased Armaan through her mouth full of the egg sandwiches he had prepared for her, while Armaan had his oats (all that he ever fed on ) .Armaan looked up smiling sarcastically "Waah Basket ,ek he baar mai tareef aur insult sirf tum hee kar sakti ho,AND basket instead of being nice you're being mean ,tumhari jagah mai hota ,toh I would have given you a reward," " Tumhare reward kya hote hai mujhe sab patah hai ,that's all you can ever think of is it ?" "Ofcourse sweetheart ,ab tum din bhar din itni hot hoti ja rahi ho ,aur subah subah tumheri baatein itni besharam ,toh what do you expect ? " " Keep your mouth shut Armaan aur chup chap breakfast khao ," "How can I shut my mouth and eat both at the same time ," He just loved teasing her ,anything to see that scowl on her face ,and just like he wanted ,she scowled "URGHH ,fine tum apni bakwaas continue karo mai jaa rahi hun," words just left her mouth without she could comprehend what she had said ,she just bent forward to get up and slipped hard making her fall .
Armaan who was doing this just to make her argue back and get her out of the gloomy mood she was in every morning didn't get the time to realize what happened in a matter of seconds. He rushed to her immediately ,she was just sitting there in a daze ,her eyes bloodshot ,for not realizing what she said, how she could forget the truth and just be so impulsive and because she was hurt ,embarrassed ,shattered and dependent once again."Sweetheart ,tum theek ho ? I am sorry ,I should have shut up when you told me to, I am really sorry ,I am so stupid mai bas jab dekho unnecessary bakwaas karta rehta hun ,I trouble you so much haina ? I am sorry really " He ranted all his fear and guilt ,fussing around her ,to see if she was hurt.He looked up at her getting no answer ,and saw her yet in a daze and this time with a stream of tears flowing from her eyes. He didn't find the need to ask her anything further ,he didn't need to ,he knew what she was feeling and without saying anything further he picked her in his arms and took her to the room .He made her sit comfortably and got up to get a balm to apply on her foot , he knew she had hurt herself.Armaan sat next to her and put his arms around her shoulders and rubbed them trying to calm her down ,he knew words wouldn't help ,she didn't need his sympathy ,she needed his love ,care and strength. When she didn't respond and just lowered her eyes with tears just flowing down ,his eyes welled up too .At times like these he just didn't know what to do ,he saw her break everyday and then gather her broken self all over again for him ,for his belief in her ,but he knew she did this for him not for herself. He knew she had given up completely, she didn't think there was any hope of her becoming fine ever again.
"Sssh bas rote nahi hai , mai abhi ye balm lagata hun hmm ? then you get ready hum aaj movie dekhne jayenge and then for a lovely lunch hmm ! Chalo first I shall apply this ," he kissed her on her temple ,wiping hear tears and all this while Riddhima didn't look up in his eyes. Armaan sighed and got up to apply the balm ." Armaan rehne do am ok, tum jayo you didn't even eat your breakfast properly, mai theek hun ." She said her voice cracking ,he sighed " Nahi am full and just let me put this ,it wont pain then ,it will be soothing ." "But maine kaha na am ok ,mujhe koi dard nahi hai ,you don't need to do this please tum ja ke khao ," "Basket really am not hungry aur please tum zid mat karo please ye laga lene do ," he knew she was hurting and it wasn't good if the bruise got worse ,but she was at the edge of a breakdown anyways " Why don't you just get it Armaan ? Mujhe kuch nahi hua stop fussing over me so much ,why do you think ki mai apna khayal khud nahi rakh sakti ,agar dard hoga toh I can apply that balm myself too ,I know its difficult , lekin abhi tak poori tarah se apahij nahi hui ,so I can manage ,don't make me so dependent on you ki mai khud ko useless samajh ne lagun ," Armaan was shocked at her outburst ,but he knew where she was coming from so he calmly replied back " Acha theek hai nahi lagata khush , atleast tayyar toh ho jao ,we'll go out ok ? " "Nahi I don't want to go anywhere tum please jao ,leave me alone for sometime , jab mann hoga I'll get ready," Armaan knew what that meant, he would leave her alone and she would cry, about what just happened and all that happened everyday ,he wouldn't let that happen at any cost ,he knew she felt dependant on him but he that was his mistake maybe, he wouldn't let her feel that "Riddhima please chalo na , it'll be fun, there are so many new movies this week and I know you love them ,probably love them more then me too " he said nudging her trying to make her laugh or atleast snatch a smile ,but getting no response from her ,he went and sat next to her and hugged her tightly sideways and keeping his head on hers kissed her there and said " Please Riddhima ,mere liye hee sahi , chalo na , acha movie nahi toh tell me where you would like to go waha chalte hai ,what about shopping ,isn't that your favourite hobby ," he smirked "Tume mai toh din bhar shopping karne ki capacity hai …I think shopping it is then ,I know you wouldn't re… " "Armaan tumhe ek hi baat kitni baar kehni padegi, please leave me alone ,and you think I don't know what you are doing , mai bachi nahi hun Armaan jo jab rote hai toh unke saamne toffee rakhne se chup ho jaye ,I can see through what you are doing ,but please don't cajole me like a baby its annoying more then pleasing ,leave me please ,kuch kar sakte ho toh please do this, go from here, " she said with a finality to her tone ,Armaan knew saying anything more to it would lead to the matter getting out of hand ,so a bit hurt , Armaan got up to leave the room ,but not before he kept ,her water ,her books and her phone next to her, he just patted her hair once and left the room ,Leaving behind a very guilty and tearful Riddhima .
Sitting outside on the cold floor of the balcony ,Armaan thought over all that had happened ,he knew Riddhima felt that she was imposing herself on him ,that she wasn't perfect enough for The Armaan Mallik anymore ,he knew her physical imparity made her feel insecure and she felt inferior and embaressed ,and he knew it was normal ,anyone in her state would feel that way ,she was even then much more stronger than the many others he had come across in his career . She had always been an independent and strong girl ,liked to have a control on her life and this sudden change and the need to be dependant for the smallest of things made her feel like she was being a trouble to everyone around her. He was clueless as to how to explain to her ,that he did everything for her not because she was his responsibility but because she was a part of him ,she was his life ,how could his own life be a burden on him .He knew she loved his concern for her,she loved when he took care of her but at the same time she didn't like how he would have to do everything for her ,things she didn't imagine she would have to be dependent on anyone for .But this was unavoidable ,even if they both didn't like this ordeal they had been put through , he would have to do those things for her ,and he did them all with sheer happiness and the feeling of belonging .His whole life had been spent without any love ,anyone to love him ,without anyone he could love and care about. With her He felt he belonged somewhere and then this was his Riddhima , they both were one soul ,all he did for her wasn't for her ,it was for himself ,he never ever thought of them as two different people ,they weren't .
He didn't know how to tell her that she was all the same for him , he had fallen for her heart and not her physical appearance ,her physical imparity didn't make her a different person and didnt change his love for her .He wanted her to be stronger ,to believe in his belief ,that she would be ok ,even if the reports didn't assure of it entirely ,but nothing in this world was impossible if we really had the courage to overcome and achieve what we wished for .
Sitting there he thought over all that had happened over the last few months ,so much had changed , a lot was lost and lot was earnt .The worst day of his life ..21st September 2009 ,when a series of events ,confusions and the result of the doings of a few heartless people they both had ended up being severely injured ,she had taken a bullet for him ,to save his life ,she had tried to give up on her own ,it was the same for him though, he would die in any case . That day he had realized how much she loved him ,not that he didn't know it before ,but he saw the extent of the love she had for him .He realized how much he valued her when he saw her bleeding in front of him ,he went numb ,he realized how it felt when someone died ,because life got sucked out of him that very moment ,even before his head collided with the glass table . Everything was devastated then ,their dreams ,their future ,their life.
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I had woken up from my unconsciousness after a few days ,it seemed I had woken up from a nightmare ,I remembered having been shattered that Riddhima didn't want to marry me ,she thought I had let her down .I had been heartbroken that if I couldn't keep my Basket happy , if I had let her down I had no right to be around her and had left for Kasauli. Stormed by all the memories and tears in my eyes ,I hadn't seen the truck coming towards the car and before I could control it ,my car had collided with it ,after which everything had blanked out .I didn't remember a thing that had happened after that.
Anjali ,Atul ,Nikki all had come upto me and had told me all that occurred last few months ,from my memory loss ,to my engagement and then our accident . My world had almost come to an end when they had told me that Riddhima wasn't conscious yet ,the doctors had told them that she was out of danger but due to the bullet hitting her spine ,she would no longer be able to walk . I was shocked ,numb , my tears had dried up ,I thought everything was over but then I soon held onto myself ,My Riddhima needed me the most that time. I would have to suppress my own emotions to give her strength to fight all the tough times ahead , she wasn't alone , she wouldn't be ever ,I would make her ok ,she would be fine .
The worst was when I had to go break the news to her , since no one else had the courage to face her .She had asked for him the first thing after she had gained consciousness .I had been numb ,cluless and totally broken myself to go and break this news to her ,but surprisingly for me she already knew everything .She was sitting on the bed staring into space when I had gone and settled next to her ,she had looked up at me with a watery smile,I was surprised when she put up a hand to my face feeling it ,trying to believe I was ok ...with her. Just when I was about to try and talk to her ,I felt her fall in my arms ,her arms around my neck and her head buried in my shoulder.I felt her shaking ,I couldn't hear her sobs hut her tears wetting my shirt and her shaking frame was proof enough for me ,that she knew everything .She didn't let me say anything further ,my thoughts just getting reconfirmed with her words "Its all over Armaan ."
She cried and I cried with her ,holding onto her ,trying to tell her nothing had changed ,nothing was over ,for us it was never an end .It was a new beginning and I would make sure I get all the happiness back in her life... our life.
Dr Keerti had told us that Riddhima wouldn't be able to make it ,she wouldn't be able to walk ever again .I didn't like hearing that from her .She was a doctor afterall ,how could she lose hope even before the patient did. I knew at that moment that, that's the only response I would get from everyone in Sanjeevani , surprisingly even Dr Shashank, Padma mom and the others had given up .Anjali was the only one who believed that it wasn't worth giving up without a fight. I had decided just then that I wouldn't stay there ,not where everyone would just sympathize with my Riddhima ,feel sorry for her ,but never do anything. I took a decision for her, for us without caring what anyone thought or what anyones say was in it. I had decided I would take her to U.S , I have a friend Dr Tyler Stephans in U.S ,a very well known Orthopedic surgeon . He had cured many and I was sure that he was the right person to cure her . I knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince Dr Shashank who was back to being his old self with me ever since the accident, he obviously blamed me for it but this time I didn't care what he said ,or what he wanted ,it was about Riddhima and as much as I respected him just like a father ,I couldn't compromise when it came to her ,she was the most important ,my first and my only priority . Thankfully at the end moment Padma aunty and Anjie didn't let him have his say in it and both of us came here ,Anjali wanted to come long but her duties didn't allow her to . I didn't want any of the rest to accompany anyways. As much as I knew having people around would help Riddhima more ,I knew they would always express sympathy more then give her the strength or hope. Well I didn't really need anyone when it came to Riddhima ,I would take good care of her ,I would make sure she doesn't miss out anything she had back home.I wouldn't only be her lover or her boyfriend but also her friend who would share all her insecurities and fears , take care of her just like her parents would. They both had been here since the last 6 months , going through all the treatment needed , physiotherapy and medicines .The doctors said there was hope ,but nothing much could be done if the patient didn't co-operate ,if the patient would have the will power ,anything could be possible. The last few months hadn't been easy , Riddhima had taken in the truth but for her living with it each day was an ordeal that he couldnt express in words and it would be for anyone. We both had gone through all that life had to offer us , without any complains because what we needed was with us ,we had each other and that's all we needed.
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Armaan's eyes had welled up ,he just hoped he could free Riddhima off her insecurities and fears and make her see what he could .Wiping his tears he moved towards the room ,he slowly opened the door hoping he wouldn't have to witness Riddhima crying ,but he sighed as he saw her asleep in the sitting position he had left her in. He went and sat next to her ,slowly put her down on the bed ,tucked her in ,pulled her hair off her face and bent to kiss her forehead. He let his lips linger there for a while ,just trying to convey to her how she meant more then the world for him , he understood what she felt ,through her words and through her silence , he wanted her to know that her being with him and them being together was all he needed . She wasn't a burden on him , she could never be ,rather life would be a burden without her. He moved back but just sat there bent over her looking at her face strained with tears , wiping them and lied down next to her and just kept looking at her angelic face till sleep took over him .
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Thats the end of this update,I know its sad and depressing ,but like I said thats unavoidable in this story .Well Armaan and Riddhima know how to find their happiness in every pain too ,so its not going to be always sad LOL .
Please do read and comment !!
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
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