CHAPTER 2
Riddhima was listening reluctantly to nikki and muskaan talk about nikki's date last night with abhi.
"And do you know what he said at the end of the date?" nikki gushed.
"He must have said 'Finally! Its over.'" riddhima dramatized.
"Shut up!!" both muskaan and nikki exclaimed in unison.
"Don't be a spoilt sport!" muskaan remarked.
"Don't torture me with your sicko stories then!"
"You know what, go do some work or something?" muskaan finally said, familiar with riddhima's attitude.
"Thank goodness! I thought you'll never kick me out." she said and exited from muskaan's cabin.
Muttering profanities to herself she didn't see where she was going and tripped. But before she could fall a pair of strong arms caught her. And once again she was greeted by the same pair of striking blue eyes.
"I think there's some serious connection between us," armaan said with a lopsided grin.
"If you don't leave me, my fist will make a connection with your face!" she growled.
"Feisty!" he commented and left her and riddhima fell on the floor with a thud! Saying "Sionara!" he went from there.
*********
"Stupid thing!" armaan muttered and kicked his car in frustration.
"Any problem?" riddhima asked, who had just left the office building.
"Uh… car broke down."
"Too bad." she said and headed towards her car. And then added, "You do know that I'm your last chance of getting a lift right?!"
Armaan looked at the already closed doors of the office and then headed towards her car. "Only because I want to get home." he said as soon as he settled in.
"Whatever you say." riddhima replied nonchalantly, reversing from the parking lot.
"Uh…that's it. You are not gonna do anything or say anything more?!" armaan asked.
"Itni bhi kya jaldi hai," riddhima replied with a smirk.
"Oh god!"
The rest of the ride passed in silence. After 1 and a half hour of sitting in the car armaan finally spoke up, "I think we are lost."
"No. What makes you think so?" riddhima asked clearly not bothering.
"Uh… I don't know maybe the fact that we have been on the road for nearly 2 hours!"
Riddhima looked at him with a bored expression and continued driving.
After another hour of pointless driving which landed them in a jungle, riddhima finally 'announced', "We are lost."
"Oh really?! I wouldn't have guessed!" armaan said with his voice dripping in sarcasm.
"Sarcasm sounds a lot better on me."
"Oh for heavens sake!! We are lost, care to do something about it?"
"See its dark and I cant really make out the roads so I suggest we have a night out here, in my car, and we'll leave tomorrow morning."
"I'd rather sleep outside than with you in here." said armaan and got out of the car.
"Suit yourself. I have no idea what kinds of creatures live out there by the way." riddhima said nonchalantly and laid down at the back where she had put the seats down to make place for sleeping.
After about a minute or so armaan opened the door of the car and laid down beside riddhima.
"What happened? I thought you liked it better out there." riddhima asked with a smirk.
"I did." To which she raised an eyebrow in question.
"But it maybe a tad bit safer in here," no guarantee he added under his breath and closed his eyes to try and fall asleep. Just as he was going to fall into a nice deep sleep… "YAHOOO!!"
He woke up with a startle. Again riddhima shouted, "YAHOOO! Chaahe koyi mujhe junglee kahe, kehne do jee kehta rahe, hum pyaar ke toofaanon mein gire hai, hum kya kare…"
"Are you seriously nuts?" asked a completely bafled armaan.
"No, why?"
"Why the hell are you screaming cum singing?"
"I couldn't fall asleep."
So confused and very irritated he asked, "Do your parents know about your mental disorder?"
"I don't know. They never really answer back." she replied.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused.
"They are dead."
"Oh! I'm so sorry." he said apologetically.
"Why are you sorry? Its not like YOU killed them. Wait, did you?"
"Ofcourse not!" he said in complete shock.
"Yeah, thought so. Goodnight."
************
THUD THUD THUD!!
A weird sound seemed to be disturbing armaan's slumber.
THUD THUD THUD!!
"What the-" armaan grumbled in his sleep and got up to find riddhima banging on the window which was later justified as a means of waking him up.
"Goodmorning!" she greeted him as he came out of the car still groggy from the sleep.
"Morning…" he answered skeptically, examining if she actually was human!!
"Ready to leave?" she asked with excitement.
"Yes, please!"
Before entering the car armaan looked at the skies and asked, "Bhagwan apne pee rakhi thi kya jab isse bana rahe the?"
And with a silent prayer he sat on the passenger seat and they left the jungle.
"You know, you shouldn't talk like that to bhagwanji." riddhima said without a glance towards him.
"Talk like what?" armaan asked shocked.
"You know, pee rakhi and all. He wont like it. I said something like that once and I tripped down the stairs that very day." she said matter-of-factly.
Armaan gulped and thought to himself that if he ever tripped it wouldn't be 'bhagwanji' but a certain mad someone sitting beside him.
*********
God knows when but armaan dozed off on the way home. When they reached armaan's house, riddhima nudged him to wake him up. "Your house." riddhima informed.
Armaan got up and seeing his house left the car and started jumping with joy.
"You are so happy to be home?" riddhima asked half laughing.
"No actually I'm happy I'm still alive after spending a whole night in your company!"
"Oh how delightful!" riddhima remarked with sarcasm and drove away.
With a final 'hurray' armaan entered his house.
55