It should have been you(ArSH/AR/DMG3 FF) Updtpg148 - Page 70

The last three weeks had probably been the best weeks of Shilpa's life. There were no tense moments, there were no tears, there was no intense emotional pain or any of that other stuff that had become second nature to her. It was strange, and often empty, but good nonetheless. She knew that this feeling had as much to do with her as it did with Armaan. And even with Armaan she knew that most of that was also just her and her mind. When all you've ever wanted in life was to be somebody for someone, even the slightest hint of appreciation is like magic. Every single day in the last 21 days, Shilpa felt that when Armaan saw her he was happier, happier than the moment before and knowing that made her light up. A large part of becoming a doctor was actually this, she just needed someone else to need her, someone else to depend on her. It wasn't selfish, nor was it impractical, it was just Shilpa. Having been alone all her life, it was really amazing to get a text from someone, and someone like Armaan of all people, saying "Ghar theek pauhanch gayi?". It meant that he was thinking of her, not once, not twice, but almost every single day in the last three weeks. All she would send in reply was a happy face, that's really all that was needed. They weren't too big on words, words for Shilpa seemed to take away from the genuineness of the text. She sighed and smiled at the thought of this new and improved Armaan.

She knew that this change in Armaan, was an abrupt one, from being tied down, frustrated, angry, emotional he was now probably the sweetest and she had to admit the flirtiest man she had ever met. Her feelings for him often took the backseat when they were chatting and laughing in the cafeteria. Whatever it was, it was far more beautiful than what it had been before. Now she wasn't the Shilpa Malhotra that Armaan used to cry with, it was Shilpa Malhotra, Armaan's partner in crime. Silliest of things, laughing at other doctors, laughing at each other, fighting (the physical fighting) in almost every nook and cranny of Sanjeevani, basically your normal best friends. At that thought, Shilpa took a seat on her bed and sighed.

Normal best friends...yeah right. Was she content with this? Even though this made her smile, was that enough? How long could she hide the sheer pining that she felt every time he touched her? Oh no, she said to herself, of course Shilpa Malhotra would be the one girl to ruin such an amazing time for herself with these thoughts. She crashed on her bed now, lying there and wondering, whether the new Armaan was just her best friend? In theses thoughts, before she knew it she dozed off, maybe in her dreams he would more than Best Friend Armaan.

He sat there in his bedroom, with a pile of paperwork around him. All this senior doctor business was so much harder than it looked. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this busy with work, or the last time he had been this happy about being busy with work. It helped him keep his mind of the things that he had grown tired about thinking. If not for work he would succumb to those feelings much more often, he was sure of it. But then a thought came through his mind, so what if he did? Shilpa would be there. He was actually looking at her file, her cases, her patients, all of her work basically. He couldn't help but smile, she couldn't be anything but superwoman, he said to himself. All of this work was one thing and on top of all that she was somehow always there whenever he needed her or now a days whenever he missed her. Truly the best friend he could have ever asked for.

He remembered their silly laughter in the cafeteria and chuckled to himself. How rude it was to make fun of others, but also how amazingly fun it was. And the fighting, oh lord the fighting. She was becoming so much better now, he was quite impressed. A few more lessons and she'll be almost as good as him, he thought to himself. Even though she knew how to fight now, it still didn't hurt to check if everything was alright and if she made it home safely. He leaned over to his table and picked up his phone, went to Shilpa's number and like he had been doing for some time now sent the same old text, "Ghar theek pauhanch gayi?"

He put the phone down, she usually took five minutes to reply, with that happy face. It actually suits her well, her smile is probably what's best about her. He liked that she never said too much, it made everything so much more genuine. Anyways, why waste these five minutes, he picked up another file and got to work on that. Five minutes later he looked at his phone and realized that she hadn't replied. She was probably just busy with something else, no big deal he said to himself and put the phone down one more time. Ruffling through papers and signing some documents, looking at patient files, all of that was now useless, why on earth had this girl not replied? He looked at his watch and looked at the time that he had sent the text, 17 minutes. Was he just overreacting? Of course he was, she's probably just doing a night shift today and is still at the hospital, right that's what it was, it had to be that. He was just making a big deal out of nothing, and besides, who was he to go and pry on about her whereabouts, he knew her well enough to know that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But then again, she did look extra good today in that blue churidaar, and looking good at this time of night was never a good thing.

He didn't quite understand why he was panicking, it had only been 25 minutes since he had text her, this was normal, right? But there was no harm in making sure. After all, the only thing that would come from this would be his own peace of mind. So he picked up his phone and called her. Maybe the text didn't go through and he was freaking out for no reason. No reply. Oh lord. He tried again, just to be perfectly sure, no reply. This was it, he was done pretending he didn't care. Because the truth was that for the last 35 minutes he had no clue where she was and that scared him beyond words. He took a deep breath and called the hospital.

Ar: Hello, sister ... main Dr. Armaan bol raha hoon

S: jee Sir?

Ar: Dr. Shilpa ko please page karengi ...

[Armaan was hoping to hear what he wanted to hear, that she was busy with something. Please, please let that be it.]

S: sorry Dr. Armaan ... Dr. Shilpa toh doh ghante pehle chali gayi thi

Oh no, what was he supposed to do now? He had never been so clueless about anything before. Should he call the police? Should he go to her house? But wait, where is her house? He'd been there before but he had no idea how to get there on his own. Should he call her again?

Almost instantly the worst possible thought came to his mind.Oh lord, what if she's in some major trouble and really needs him? What if all this thinking is just a means of wasting time? Okay he had to do something, anything, he would go to Sanjeevani and see if she's still around there somewhere, better than sitting her. In a fit of panic he quickly grabbed his wallet and was about to head out the door when his phone rang. He took a deep breath and looked at the caller ID, it was Shilpa. It was like someone had let go of a full balloon and it quickly deflated. He was actually panting, like actually out of breath.

Shilpa hadn't realized when she had fallen asleep and she had forgotten that Armaan hadn't text her just yet. When she finally awoke to get change and get to bed properly she saw her phone and nearly had a heart attack. Seven missed calls from Armaan? What if she had missed something really important? What if he seriously needed some help and she slept through it? Though there was a sense of panic, she could also feel a strange happiness at the pit of her stomach, seven times he called her, wow! She quickly snapped out of it and as sleepy as she was she called him, preparing for the worst.

Ar: yaad aa gayi?

He was obviously very angry. But why, she wondered. Despite this confusion, there it was again that strange feeling of happiness. He was angry because she hadn't picked up. "yaad aa gayi" meant that he was missing her. Moments like this always made it super difficult for Shilpa to keep her feelings in control. But alas, that is what she had to do.

Sh: sorry ... woh ... I feel asleep

He had basically imagined every single bad scenario possible in the last half an hour or so and she was asleep? He was about to go call the freaking police and she was sleeping. He nearly had a heart attack when he talked to the nurse and she was sleeping. He felt that she desperately needed his help and she was sleeping. He hadn't felt this angry in so long. Sleeping, really?

Ar: sleeping? matlab jab police pooch ti, ki ladki mil gayi toh main kehta ki jee haan actually woh so rahi thi?

Sh: police?

[Okay wait, now she was confused. What on earth was he going on about?]

Ar: tum soh rahin thi?

He was angry. All he wanted from her was a reasonable explanation for why she had almost scared the living daylights out of him. Lets be honest, here he was freaking out and there she was dozing off, he was suppose to be angry, right? Shilpa on the other had absolutely no idea about what was going on. She could sense that he was angry but she didn't quite understand why? She took a chance and apologized, hoping that would put sense into this rather strange situation.

Sh: Armaan ... I'm so sorry, actually main... [He didn't let her finish, he just had too much to say.]

Ar: tumhe pata hai ki maine kya kya soch liya tha?

[Oh lord, he was upset. Shilpa couldn't help but let out a sigh, not of relief but of shock. He was so moved and upset by her half an hour of disappearance. Why oh why must you do this to me, she said to herself.]

Ar: exactly no words. pehle phone mat uthao aur ab baat mat karo...tumhe mere itne saare phone calls nahin sunai diye?

[For the first time since she had known him, he needed no help expressing himself, he was literally spewing out what he felt. She felt like she was being scolded by a school teacher, and she was loving it.]

Ar: ...main yahaan darwaaze pe khada hoon, pura sheher tumhe dhoondne ke liye nikal raha tha ... aur tum so rahi ho? seriously Shilpa? text aur phone, tumhe pata hai ki main text karta hoon ... aur...aur ...

No, no, please don't stop. Shilpa really didn't want him to stop. This was such a surreal experience. No one had ever yelled at her like this. He was obviously out of breath though, of course he would be, after having screamed liked that. Even though she had tried to control it, a chuckle escaped. This couldn't end too well.

Ar: tumhe hassi aa rahi hai?

[She was laughing? How dare she laugh at him when he was this serious? And obviously when someone asks whose laughing why they are laughing, there is always one reaction, more laughter. That is exactly what happened.]

Ar: Shilpa...Shilpa... [It was of no help. He had lost her.]

Shilpa didn't know what to do to stop herself from making a fool of herself on the phone, her laughter was now almost uncontrollable. Every time she even thought about doing something to stop the laughter, it would only get worse. She had pictured Armaan running over the police station to report a missing person who was peacefully sleeping in her own bed, obviously the thought was rather humorous. Also, maybe, just maybe she was overwhelmed by this concern by someone else for her that she didn't know how else to react. Even then it was more likely to be the first explanation.

As he listened to her pretty much lose it on the other line a slight smile escaped his own face. Maybe, he had been pretty ridiculous. He didn't quite understand why he reacted the way he had. In a mere 35 minutes he had imagined the worst and if he was to be honest to himself than he had imagined a few dramatic moments in his head. The smile soon turned into a chuckle, there he was standing at the door ready to do God knows what for the missing person who was now laughing her guts out on the phone.

She heard his chuckle, like she heard every single thing of his and was relived. Thank the lord he wasn't angry anymore. She could sense a bit of mischievousness build up inside of her and boy did she love this feeling. If there was ever a time to tease Armaan, this was it.

Sh: Armaan ...

[As soon as she said his name he sensed the tone, he totally knew what was coming. He too put a lid on a laugh riot that was threatening to emerge and mustered a mere "yes".]

Sh: tum police station jaane waale the?

[Oh crap. She had him. There was no escaping this one. When she said it out loud and especially in the tone that she was talking he realized how crazy his behavior had been. He wanted to say something but all that came out was another chuckle.]

Sh: [now imitating his serious voice] pura sheher ghoom ne waale the ...

At that, both Armaan and Shilpa laughed in sync. He finally shut his door and made his way to his bed, where he lay aside all of the papers and got into bed. She too loosened up a bit and was back in her blankets. Both still laughing a bit, but not saying too much. He was so glad that she could take all his emotional outbursts and make them into laughter and she was so frustrated that he could just make one simple gesture and her emotions would run wild. Even though she was in the process of making fun of him, it had taken every single bone her body to stop her from saying Thank You to him on the phone. Thank him for being so considerate, thank him for making her feel so very special in such a short amount of time. For him, it had taken every single nerve of restraint to stop himself for telling her that he may be laughing but on the inside he was still recovering from the shock of possibly seeing her hurt or in trouble. But lucky for both of them, the other always brought out the laughter instead of the tension.

Ar: ho gaya?

Sh: ho gaya.

Ar: ab jaa kar aaraam se soh jao... [This he said with a slight giggle at the end.]

Sh: tum bhi...good night...

[Oh what the heck, he just had to say it.]

Ar: please aise phir mat dara na...good night

And with that he put down the phone. After that insanely unnecessary panic he was ready to get to bed. The first thing he would do tomorrow is take her phone and make sure its on the highest ringtone possible. There was no way he could this again. Thinking about her crazy laughter he chuckled again and turned off his light.

If only things were that simple on the other end. Everything she could have handled, she would have moved past everything that happened tonight had it not been for his last words. "Please aise phir mat dara na", he didn't only care, he was genuinely worried about her. How on earth was that possible? Shilpa Malhotra doesn't have people worrying about her then where did this one come from? Armaan was actually scared because she didn't reply, until now she had taken this rather lightly and laughed but to think that this man was terrified by her lack of response for a mere half an hour had to mean something, right? She could feel her heartbeat reach the levels that she had feared. Was this a friendly reaction? Was it more? Would she ever know? Was she over thinking a simple phone conversation? Was she setting herself up for even more disappointment. This best friends thing was working out pretty well for her, why did he have to go and do something like this. Something that made it almost impossible for her not to want more. All she could hope for, before dozing off was that tomorrow she would have greater strength to resist all these feelings and greater resilience to his gestures. After all, being in love with Armaan wasn't really the easiest task on the planet.

The next morning came rather quickly. It had seemed like just an hour ago she had gone to bed and now here she was at the steps of Sanjeevani. For the first time in the last three weeks she felt a tingly feeling as she was about to step inside, not quite the typical butterflies in the stomach or even a nervous heartbeat, just an odd tingly feeling. Maybe it was because, the front she had put up for herself when she made herself believe that she was quite satisfied with being Armaan's best friend had been broken quite easily last night. Or maybe she was just nervous to see him and somewhere worried that he would bring up his phone call and she would invariably do something silly. Alas, as the time approached for the shift to start she had no choice but to valiantly get moving and hope for the best.

Of course the first person she would see in the locker room would be Armaan. She felt like she needed more time to prepare for this but then again she had now grown so used to feelings such as this that it was almost second nature. She smiled at him and he smiled back, but there was something different in that smile. It wasn't the usual Armaan Malik smile, what on earth was he thinking?

He looked at Shilpa and he knew that she had caught on. This is why she was so great, she could sense these things. This morning while playing basketball he had lost to the kids and for some reason that was beyond him instead of hiding that humiliation he actually wanted to share it with her. Awkward, no? He actually wanted to tell somebody else that this self proclaimed basketball superstar had been defeated by 12 year olds. Now that he thought about it all he could do was smile awkwardly and obviously she picked up on that. The problem though was not that he had lost but rather that he wanted to share this as well! He worried that he may be sharing too much? Was he just being way too into Shilpa? Especially after last night, would she think that he was addicted to her? The result of all these feelings and questions manifested itself into the strangest and by extension, the stupidest facial expression. He could tell by the look on Shilpa's face that whatever confusion she had was now turned into utter disbelief at his craziness. You know what, it would be best to just ignore it all and move on. Right, don't say anything, just give her breathing space. So he did, he gave her a final smile and turned to face his locker to carry on. Until of course, he could no longer.

Sh: Armaan?

[She would never just let him be this frazzled and confused. She obviously had to know.]

Ar: oh hi! good morning!

Sh: tum dheek toh ho na?

[He was right, she knew. Even then, he tried his best to play it off.]

Ar: kyon kya hua?

Sh: Armaan! [The tone in which she said made it clear to Armaan that with Shilpa there was no point in pretending, she knew him too well.]

Ar: actually...aaj subah...

[Now that the moment was here, he was dumbfounded. What a silly thing to share! She was probably standing there thinking that he had some big life secret to share and he was about to tell her the silliest basketball story.]

Sh: haan?

[Oh what the heck, he just had to tell her.]

Ar: aaj subah basketball mein ... main bachon se haar gaya! There I said it.

For about a minute she just looked at him. How on earth could someone be so adorable, yet so handsome and manly. His boyish charm was just too much for her to handle. Who is this kid? she thought to herself. How did he land up in her life. So sincere and so cute. He was a full grown man telling her about his game of basketball with little kids, while at the same time being so nervous about it. This was all just too unfair. Just at that moment something struck her. Oh lord what had this come to?

She had had feelings for Armaan for such a long time now but recently especially in the last few hours these feelings were being exaggerated. Why? What was so different now then before? Was she really the person he would come to and talk about basketball now? Wasn't she more than that? Wasn't it about time that instead of telling all these things, he made her a part of them? Why was it, that such honesty and innocence from Armaan became a piercing menace? Why was it that standing here and talking to him was almost more unbearable than having to see him pine for someone else? What on earth was wrong with her?

Hmmm, he had expected her to laugh or giggle or say something at least, but all he got was an uninterrupted stare. Had he said too much? Was his prediction turning out to be right? Was she scared by the amount of information that he was sharing? But he couldn't help it, recently he could not keep anything from Shilpa. He found it difficult to imagine her not knowing something that had happened in his life, no matter how insignificant it was. Oh crap, that was it. She was scared by how open and almost pathetic he had become, he just knew it. What now? He couldn't take back that silly story, nor could he apologize and make all of this blatantly obvious. As always, it was his pager to the rescue. Rescue, truly was the right word.

Ar: Sorry...pager...baad mein baat karte hain?

He smiled, she nodded and he was off. Shilpa you idiot! He was just sharing his morning and you went and ruined the moment by over thinking it and probably made that obvious to him. She let out a frustrated sigh, sat down on the beck and put her head in her hands. She was seriously bad at handling happy thoughts and happy emotions. That was the only thing that could explain what had just happened. She couldn't just let him be. She just had to over complicate it all.

"Ab kya hua?"

Oh lord! No, no, no. Armaan was so not allowed to see her like this. He couldn't, he would then ask questions and she wouldn't know how to answer. Crap. She took a deep breath and while her mind was working on overdrive to come up with a million answers. Headache, still sleepy, just plain sad. When she turned around she was so very relieved to see that it wasn't Armaan.

Sh: tum...thank god...Sid!

Sid just looked at her and smiled. She did the same. That was the best thing about friends, they somehow managed to find you at the right. And boy was now the right time. She hadn't been this frazzled in such a long time. Sid walked to his locker, put his things away and came to sit right beside her. All he did initially was look at her and hope that she would speak on her own, she just couldn't muster the strength. He looked at her and smiled a little.

Si: toh, ab kya hua?

[Shilpa sighed and put her head on his shoulder. This was all so messed up.]

Sh: Sid...its too hard.

Si: I know [He too leant his head on hers, a heart to heart was much in need] ...ab batao, kya hua?

[Finally, she could let it all out.]

Sh: pata nahin kyun...I can't be normal...jab bhi woh kuch karta hai main itna kuch soch leti hoon ki...ki...

Si: ki sab kuch acha...bura ho jata hai, right?

[Shilpa looked up at him and gave him a depressed nod.]

Si: tumhe pata hai tumhari problem kya hai?

Sh: kya?

Si: tumhe khush rehena nahi aata

[At that Shilpa couldn't help but chuckle. What a sad problem to have.]

Si: seriously ... maine Armaan ko aaj kal dekha hai...tumhare illawa woh kuch nahin soch ta...har baat tumhe batana chahata hai...aur tum ho ki yahaan bheth kar pareshan ho rahi ho...

Shilpa had stopped listening after he said "tumhare illawa woh kuch nahin soch ta". When she thought about it, Sid was right. Something like this should make her over joyous yet all it did was add to her frustration. This right here was the problem, yes Armaan did think about her all the time and yes she mattered to him, but not in the way that she had wanted. And with that thought she realized what was wrong. She understood why Armaan's caring nature and his affection for her was driving Shilpa insane. The difference between now and before became super clear.

Sh: Sid...Armaan mujhse pyaar nahin karta na?

[She looked at Sid with the most genuine concern in her eyes. She really needed the answer and if there was anyone who would be honest with her, it was Sid.]

Si: abhi nahin karta lekin...

Sh: koi lekin nahin...woh nahin karta

[Her heart sank even deeper than before.]

Si: lekin tum iss baat ko lekar ab kyun itni dishearten ho? yeh toh tumhe pehle se pata tha na?

[It was as if he knew what she needed to say. What she had feared to admit to herself, she would have to admit to Sid.]

Sh: pehle woh mujhse pyaar kar hi nahin sakta tha...woh sirf aur sirf Riddhima ke baare mein soch ta tha...lekin ab...

Si: ab woh kar sakta hai...lekin phir bhi nahin karta

That was it. The truth that she had hoped she could avoid was right here in front of her. This was the problem, this is why everything was now so much more exaggerated. Before, Armaan didn't love her because he simply couldn't. But now, he was free, he was happy, and yet he still didn't feel for her what she felt for him. Before, she could pacify herself by telling her heart that Armaan was an impossibility. But now, when the prospect of Armaan was so very possible, still nothing was happening. Before he didn't love her out of compulsion and now it seemed as if he didn't love her out of choice. There were no shackles to bind him, there were no chains, there was nothing to stop him, yet he had barely moved in the direction she had so desperately hoped for. And this is why being Armaan's friend became a near impossibility. Earlier, being friends was the only plausible and she sincerely felt that the best thing for the both of them but now being friends to her began to look a settlement. It felt she would be his best friend because she was nothing more. Was she being unreasonable? Maybe, but that didn't really matter, because all she could see right now was that Armaan didn't love her...it was his choice not to love her.

Si: Shilpa? Shilpa!

[She was startled out of her roller coaster of thoughts.]

Sh: huh.

Si: tum bilkul pagal ho

Sh: main? kyun?

Si: kyunki tumhe yeh nahin dikh raha ki jis ladke se tum pyaar karti ho...[he moved in front of her, so that he was looking at her straight in the eyes hoping that this time his words would stick] ... woh tumhare bina na soh sakta hai, na jaag sakta hai, na roh sakta hai, na hans sakta hai ... tumhare aage aur tumse zaada usse kuch bhi nahin dikh ta...

[She just looked at him, eyes as round as ever and moist with tears of...joy?]

Sh: sach?

Sid looked at her, smiled that amazing smile of his and gave her a nod. That's all it took. Somehow, Sid managed to give her the strength she had needed to carry on being Armaan's bestest friend. In a moments time, Sid flipped the coin entirely. Maybe what she had wasn't so bad after all. She now looked at Sid and smiled back, she wanted to say thank you but felt that it wouldn't do justice to how much she appreciated him. He truly was more than her good friend...he seemed like family. With those thoughts in mind, something that she kept aside from herself and everyone else was now at the tip of her tongue.

Sh: thank you ... jeejaji!

[Sid's eyes too seemed electrified. Round as ever! But all Shilpa did was smile at him, he was truly and completely family and maybe that's why she didn't mind being so open with him.]

Si: oye! yeh kya bol rahi ho!

[She didn't hesitate, she lunged forward and hugged him. He truly deserved it!]

Sh: thank you!

When she released him, he just winked at her and all seemed to be pretty amazing once again. When he looked at his watch he realized that they had both been talking for half an hour now and had they gotten any later they would most likely be fired. She thanked him once again and all he had to do was smile for Shilpa to know that he understood how much she appreciated. Of course he added in a joke about she should pay him to be his counsellor seeing as he seems to solve all her life problems. Both had a good life and went off to their duties. The rest of the day Shilpa spent hoping that Armaan would come up to her again and tell her something silly like he had this morning and this she would react appropriately. Because now, whether he admitted it or not, whether he said it or not, she was convinced that if he thought that they were just good friends then he was truly kidding himself. All she had to do was wait until all of this became as obvious to him as it had become for her.

Armaan, on the other hand, spent the entire day thinking about how he would apologize to Shilpa for having been so clingy and down right irritating. He had decided that the best course of action would be to wait pateintly until he saw her again, and not go and meet her himself, and just talk to her. After all talking to Shilpa had become his new favorite activity. Pleased with his decision he worked the whole day, pretty much stress free from then on. When the end of the day approached he worried that he may actually not see her until tomorrow. Wouldn't it be unsafe to let this slide to tomorrow? Wouldn't it just ruin things if he gave her the whole night to think this through? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to go and talk to right now, at this moment? But what about his decision to wait patiently? Oh to hell with it. He looked at the clock and made his way to the main doors. He had pretty memorized the times Shilpa left the hospital, this did worry him a little but now was not the time for that. He spotted her at the door and yelled, "SHILPA", she saw him and stopped. Here we go Armaan, he said to himself.

Ar: hi.

[Finally, she would have the chance to mend her mistake from this morning.]

Sh: main woh actually tumhe...

[He couldn't wait, he just had to tell her right now.]

Ar: I'm sorry.

[What? He's sorry? Why is he sorry? Isn't she the one who messed up?]

Ar: kal woh phone...aaj subah basketball...aur...aur

Wait...he was sorry about that? Why would he be sorry about that? Oh no! he couldn't have picked up on what she was feeling. There was just no way. It had taken so long for things to be this relaxed and calm, there was just no way that she could pull him into another emotional disaster. Should she say something or wait for him to finish? He answered that one for her.

Ar: woh kya hai na ki mujhe tumhe sab batane ki itni aadat ho gayi hai ke mujhe pata hi nahin lagta ki main tumhe tang kar rahaan hoon...I am so sorry.

[No, no, this is SO not what she had planned or what she had wanted.]

Sh: tumhe lagta hai ki tum mujhe tang kar rahe ho?

[He looked at her and saw a sense of genuine concern in her eyes. Did he say something wrong? Why did she seem so bewildered?]

Ar: tang nahin kar raha?

[She shook her head, snickered and spoke.]

Sh: of course not!

[Oh lord, thank you. He was so relived to hear that. Because if he had to be honest with himself than he admit that not talking to her would have been so difficult and maybe even entirely impossible.]

Ar: main tumhe ghar chod doon?

Sh: kyun? main akeli nahin jaa sakti?

Ar: jaa sakti ho...lekin agli baar jab tum mera phone nahin uthao gi...mujhe pata toh hona chahiye ki tum ho kahaan

With the he winked, and led the way. Shilpa sighed and followed. Sid was right, she shouldn't be preoccupied by what wasn't there, rather she should enjoy what was. When he turned back and gestured her to walk faster, she smiled at him and did pick up her pace. He was going to drop her home, how could she complain. He pulled up his bike and asked her to take a seat. But before she did sit, he just had to ask her one last time.

Ar: main sach mein tumhe tang toh nahin karta?

Sh: Armaan! kya woh tumhe tang uss insaan se tang ho sakte ho jis se tum pyaar...

Oh crap.