Pablo's Muse#2 - AR Part 35(Completed) Sept.1 Pg 51 - Page 18

hope you update soon!! cant wait!

Originally posted by: chahat_j

good one :)

Recap of Part 29:

Armaan gets out of danger, re-union with his mom. Riddhima recevies flowers with a cryptic message. She decides to go and meet Armaan taking with her his sketchbook that she intends to gift back to him.

Part XXX

The corridors had never felt as narrow, the walk excruciatingly prolonged, and when the door was visible and came closer after every step they took, a strange fear gripped her insides. All of a sudden her mind tried to stall the inevitable, by words, by actions and by denial. Anjali had been privy to all of that, the restless nervous energy as she clung on to the sketchbook, her sweaty palms as she halted their steps momentarily and the final confirmation as she voiced all of that with a simple, wait di.

"What's wrong Ridz?"

"Give me a minute di..."

There were lots of things going on inside that head of hers, and as if that wasn't enough to deal with, some higher power decided to send another curve ball her way. What do you do, when that nagging thought at the back of the head morphs into a very tangible reality? Anything that has to go wrong does, and it did.

Just as they reached the door after Riddhima's moment of hesitation, the door flung open and they came face to face with the Dean.

"Papa!?" Out came a surprised reaction in common unison from the Gupta sisters. Even though their faces were shielded by Dr.Shashank's huge frame, Armaan could very well imagine the look of astonishment in both their faces.

"What..." Shashank paused momentarily, and not wanting to create a scene out in the public, was quick to regain composure from this little shock of sorts, "what are you doing here Riddhima? You shouldn't be moving around like this..." and when all he got was a Riddhima who looked like a deer caught in the car lights, he turned to Anjali, "I expected one of you to act sensibly here" admonishing Anjali.

"It was my call Dad, I asked Di to bring me here" Riddhima took the blame effectively quieting her father. He didn't have much choice, so he silently backtracked and held the door open for them to pass. There is always a defining moment in life, a decisive moment that tells people much more than actions ever will. Not as if a lot was said, but Shashank noticed a fiery acceptance in his daughter's eyes ... that told him a lot more than she had thus far. He knew he had lost something but this was not the time or the place to reflect on that yet. From where he stood, it dawned upon him that his little kid was walking away from him. It had yet to sink in.

"I'll see you guys later" and with that he walked out and shut the door. Shashank paused outside the door with a forlorn desperation settling in his heart; and a resignation to the inevitable that perhaps the decision had probably been taken out of his hands. The worst was not over, it was just the start. That which he had been dreading, and wishing away in a hopeful denial had finally reared its ugly head, and he couldn't help but feel drained as he stood there. But he wasn't ready to accept defeat yet!

He didn't realize when Anjali had walked out, and placed her hand in his, "Are you okay dad?"

He turned around to look at her and smiled, "Do I have a choice?"

"I had to bring her to see him...I hope you...I didn't mean to hurt you Dad"

"We'll talk about this later...at home"

She watched her father walk away with hunched shoulders, and for the first time, she realized he looked defeated. And for the first time, she felt like she was stuck in the middle.

"Don't worry, you did the right thing" It was Atul who had been quietly observing their brief interaction from a safe distance, she was relieved to see him there. "I'm worried for Dad, Atul"

"He'll be fine Anjlie. Give him some space for now...he needs it"

Not like she had much choice either.

~~~~~

A little while ago.

The joy of finally seeing her was instantly lost when he realized she was being wheeled into the room! His face turned pale, and he looked distraught like life had been sucked out of him. Anjali sensed his predicament and eased it straight away, "It will be off in a few weeks..."

This was when he was finally forced to acknowledge her presence as well, "My apologies Anjali" turning towards her, "Good morning...and Thank you for...?"

"Save your words for this idiot" pointing towards he sister.

"Di..." she protested in vain, all of a sudden she felt like she was relegated.

He wasn't quite sure what was going on inside that head of hers, Anjali almost read his mind and clarified his confusion, "Oh..." with a mischievous smile on her lips, "We will talk Armaan...just, not now. Once you are out of here, you'll have to get through me if you intend to get to... her"

"Ouch..." he exaggerated his reaction knowing very well where this friendly banter was coming from.

"Di?"

"No Ridz, both of you owe me an explanation and especially this man here who may have charmed my sister but make no mistake, we'll have our talk soon"

"Wait...and why do you get to grill him? And I don't get to grill Atul?" finally she was heard.

"Because..." and she looked at Riddhima, "I am the elder sister"

He interjected, "I will be eagerly waiting that little talk soon Anjali" with a faint smile on his lips, "And it's good to see you too"

She smiled back and took Riddhima to the edge to the bed, and walked over to Armaan and hugged him, completely taking him by surprise, "Trust me, not more than us... Welcome back Dr..."

Anjali walked out to give them some space but more importantly she wanted to ensure her Dad was okay. They had not intended to hurt him this way but then again, they had not expected to run into him either. Life was strange!

And finally those two were left all alone. They didn't say anything for the longest time though; it was as if, both of them were taking it all in. The realization that the worst was over, and that the other was safe, this was like a balm to their wounded hearts.

She was seated next to his bed on the wheelchair. He looked at the cast on her left leg, "Does that hurt a lot?"

This was the first thing he had said, it sounded more like an apology to her, "Actually... it itches more"

Her face lit up when she saw those dimples and a genuine smile on his face. Relief washed over her, he was safe, and he was with her now. Nothing else mattered, but she couldn't understand why she was having difficulty voicing her thoughts. Her mind was still rankled by his Dad's presence.

"What was Dad doing here?" she asked.

"He came to threaten me..." he replied casually.

"Threaten you?"

"Yes, that if I didn't stop stalking you, he'd chop my..." and that's when he burst out laughing...

"Are you making fun of my father again?" Riddhima relished the sight of Armaan being himself, she knew him enough to realize there was no use prodding about her Dad now, "It's good to know your sense of humor is intact...I missed it terribly the last few days...don't you dare go silent on me again..." he noticed her eye-lids brimming with tears.

He took her hands that was on the edge of his bed and brought it to his lips, "I wouldn't dare..."

She gave in to the familiar feel of his lips, a moment that was truly theirs. There wasn't a lot to it but it felt like new life had been injected into them ...like lifeless bodies had suddenly been brought to life, with that one touch.

Neither said another word for a while.

"So this is how it's going to be when we are old..." he finally spoke up.

"Be like what?"

He indicated the gulf between them by his eyes, and said mischievously, "Silence...and distance...when a man is too old to hold his woman... our only consolation being we'll still be holding hands like this..."

She smiled at his impatience, he hadn't changed and she was secretly glad for it.

"Unless..." Riddhima got up slowly, "what are you doing? Sit down...!" and when she didn't comply, "I'll call for help...Riddhima" he sounded very much like a concerned husband whose wife was not paying heed.

She inched her way to the bed, and plonked herself on it.

"Are you crazy!? What do you think you are doing, you are going to hurt yourself Riddhima!" , he wasn't smiling at all but was rather angry at her carelessness.

"Shhh..." she leaned onto him and silenced him with her fingers, "Stop sounding like a cranky old man and ..."

"And...?" she shuffled closer.

"Kiss me" she whispered leaving him with no choice. His hands automatically wound around her waist, partly to make sure she wouldn't fall down from her precariously balanced position, and partly to comply with her command as well as give in to his heart's wishes, "Yes maam"

Obviously neither of them heard the door open, "Ewww...!!" they jerked apart, "Oh my god, you two...I leave for a minute and..."

They broke apart hastily nearly causing her to slide off the bed, Anjali ran to the side, and glared at them both while Atul chuckled as he closed the door shut.

"What I have I got myself into!?" Anjali looked at them both incredulously.

And when both of them looked too mortified to utter a word in their defense, Atul saved the day, "I think that's enough for a day Anjie...give those two a break, look at their faces...!"

Anjali started to laugh hysterically, "I know...wow...I'd never thought I see this day!"

Atul walked over and picked up the sketchbook that had fallen to the floor, "Is this, what I think it is?"

"Looks like a full house in here", it was Armaan's mom who had walked in to find Armaan surrounded by his friends and one who was seated next to him on his bed.

This was going to be awkward, Armaan thought.

Part 31 - 05/19/12 - Pg 30

yay!!! wonderful update...and me first to read it...*jumping in happiness*

Originally posted by: olive.green

Hi Swetha, yeah I remember Atul was a sweet and a simple guy - he was pals with both Armaan and Ridz closer to her. These guys spoil t all those potential tracks... including RM? well i didn't watch it up that point, but I'm not surprised. Well in that case, I'm glad I included a bit of AA here ;) And I want to give you a hug for saying that pablo's reminds you of the good old days because thats been the whole idea...in many ways. Glad thats come across.

ok i am gonna reply u first read in peace coz i am sort thinking of replying u every time i start reading the update,typical not so patient me😆
@bold,isnt he? u know some times more than wanting some one like armaan in my life(which i am strictly opposing myself now,since i am on ending of my teenage,armaan is no dream man**hiding from chappals😆**,he was once ok coming back to point),i really wanted a friend like atul like he is ridhz,sapna,muskaan,he is just u know friend some times its pretty rare...
i had this avi of ARA(wow its nearer version of ERA😆)

@red,u have no idea,really then i felt atleast sapna/muskaan and riddhima/shilpa exit are a lot more better
🤗here is your hug and thank u soo much for updating it and i am gonna have holidays and i am gonna ride a roller coaster of pablo in order...continuously...

OMG that's simple...and believe me it was the BEST compliment i could give to this part...the apprehension,interaction,satisfaction of finally able to know fo'sho about each other every thing is just superbly simple and amazing,some times simple is the best thing ever...
u know i sort of felt bad for shashank,one more character who is been misunderstood in show...he totally stands right in his position there and here in not accepting the relationship of AR...i also like that didnt stop AR from loving each other...oh i liked the whole kiss and caught scene soo cute
sketch book???where is my lovely sketch book in here,well finally in atul hands,huh?i missed the sketch book soo much
oh armaan's mom with armaan's girl with armaan's sketch book...awkward...lol,i try my share to be funny
thanks for pm
swetha
p.s.betn did u change ur name back??or is it always this one??coz i feel like i saw another name??well just so u know i love this more😳

damn did this just make my day or what!!

you realize that no matter how far apart your updates may be your FF always retains this obsessive component? I seem to always want and crave for more!

i swear there were parts in this update that made my heart jump and beat... nervousness and happiness.

Is the worst over? why do i feel like this may just be the calm before the storm?
but then I think of it and see that if Anji is being supportive and being with them then maybe just maybe they can come out of this. Her dad I didn't FREAK out... but disappointment hurts more...

See the confusion i am in!

You realize you can't just leave us here... with his mom entering, her sitting by his side, their already guilty faces... yeah no way you can't let our imagination run wild!


thanks for the update and the PM, always worth the wait!!!

Originally posted by: bubblysifu

yay!!! wonderful update...and me first to read it...*jumping in happiness*

superb part. Thanks for PM. Update soon