It should have been you(ArSH/AR/DMG3 FF) Updtpg148 - Page 80

As if he had been hit by a lightning bolt. He instantly opened his eyes and it was all clear. So bloody clear. He didn't need her. He...He...

Armaan looked up at the sky, let out a deep breath, smiled the biggest smile he had ever smiled and spoke straight to the sky...

"I love her...I really really love her"

Still with his head looking up to the clouds he let this inexplicable thrill take over him. As each second passed by, his heart beat grew faster and his breathing got deeper. It was as if he was letting the wind and the sun charge him up for something. Of course, he loved her. And at this point in life, he loved the fact that he was in love with her. What Armaan felt like was like a balloon that was full of air and pressure and had now literally been let go. He was all over the place. "Holy Crap", he said to himself as the magnitude of what he had just accepted was beginning to sink. "I love her", "Oh my I love her", he kept repeating these two phrases in his mind, hoping that with each repetition his heart would be able to calm down. What happened was the exact opposite. He seemed to be overtaken by this strange excitement filled with a certain of nervousness. The feeling you get just before getting on to a roller coaster.

Feeling as if he would soon be struck by a sudden stroke of insanity, he pulled his head and looked on to the parking lot below. All he wanted to do was run down as fast as he could and just scream to everyone. Tell the nurses that Armaan loved Shilpa, tell the security guards at the door that Armaan loves Shilpa, he wanted to tell each and every single person he could spot that Armaan loves Shilpa. Only then could the world understand the significance of what was going on inside of him. As these thoughts grew more intense so did the rumbling at the pit of his stomach. He would now with full confidence, hold her by the hand, look her in the eye and just say, "ab tum mera sahara hi nahin...meri zindagi ho". At that thought, Armaan lost control of himself. For the first, in probably the first time in his life, he was forced into pacing back and forth out of sheer excitement. He put both his hands and put them behind his head, and just shook his head. You idiot, how did you not see this before? As he asked himself this question again, he was reminded of the feeling that he had when he ran after her. That feeling of losing something, but what he hadn't realized then was that in fact he wasn't scared of losing her, he was actually trying desperately to get her. It made sense now, he understood why the sight of her leaving in that taxi tore him up on the inside, he was losing the love of his life. AHHH...

This was all just way too much too handle. He took a deep breath and forced his heart to calm down and just bear with him. He had thought enough about the past , what he needed to now think about was what of the future? His future...her future...THIER future. He had taken far too long to realize what she was to him, he had waster too much time away from her, not any more, he said to himself. He feared that if he didn't act now there would be something, anything that could take her away from him. What if he missed his chance? What if something happened to him? What if she found someone else? Anything. He wasn't ready to take that risk, not with Shilpa. Every single moment he spent up her was a moment missed with her. Should he go to her? Should he go to her now? Should he wait? What would he say to her? What would she say to him? These millions of questions were building up so much pressure in his mind that the thought of having to deal with them for another second was impossible.

So he listened to his heart and sprinted off from the roof - he remembered the sensation of holding her in his arms when he had taught her how to fight and just couldn't wait to feel that sensation again- he pushed the door of the stairs as hard as he could and once in the hallway looked left and right hoping to see her, when he didn't his heart beat and his level of excitement grew ten fold. He looked at his watch and realized that the time of the party was almost, she couldn't have gone home to get ready just yet. There was just no way. Relying on luck, he ran to the front doors of Sanjeevani, hoping to catch her there - he remembered the soothing yet unforgettable scent of her perfume and he couldn't wait to be immersed in it again - he picked up pace and with the doors in sight, he felt as if on the edge of a cliff - he remembered the intensity in her eyes and he couldn't wait to get lost in them again.

Now literally a step away from the doors, he prayed a silent prayer, please be here, his heart said just before he literally pushed the doors wide open. It was as if a billion tonnes of bricks were now lifted. He felt as if liberated from some suffocating cage. He felt like a thirsty man who had found an ocean. Like a drifter who had just seen the shore. Like a lone soul who had just walked into company. Like a man who had just grasped onto his dream. There she was. Walking away. The mere sight of her was enough to set off a strange sense of serenity for having seen her but at the same an undeniable fire for the very same reason. Without wasting another second he yelled.

"SHILPA"

She stopped and turned around to see Armaan literally sprinting towards her. The intensity with which he was running almost frightened her. Was everything alright? As Armaan was running towards Shilpa and saw her getting closer and closer and he could feel his heart literally pounding against his chest. Even though he must have ran for a combined 45 seconds and just a mere few meters, the excitement and the passion that arose within those seconds was out of this world.

As soon as he reached just about a meter away from he came to an abrupt stop. She looked at him, gasping for breath and sweating profusely. This had to be something insanely serious, she had never seen him look so out of it before. Even when he tried to say something, the fact that he was breathless stopped him. Each second he waited the more anxious and worried she became. When he stopped, which too required a lot of effort because all he wanted to do was just lunge forward, he had literally used up all of the oxygen inside of him. Completely out of breath from both the run and the fact that Shilpa was now right in front of him, Armaan was left gasping.

S: Armaan...kya hua?

The tone in her voice was more than enough to tell him that she was worried. A little part of him was glad that she was worried, because when he would tell her what he wanted to her, she would literally be blown away. Just the image of her reacting to his words was more than enough to send his heart array and an instant smile appeared on his face. The look of complete confusion on her face was also equally adorable. She really had no idea what was going on. As he foolishly stood there in front of her, grinning to no extent, and silent as ever, she just gazed at him hoping that he would soon explain himself.

Looking at her, just looking back at him a part of him wanted to just say it right here and right now. Just grab a hold of her hand right now and say "Shilpa...I...", he couldn't even complete the thought without being further exhilarated and extending his smile from one ear to the other. But then another part of him remembered something, "banti hai Miss. America lekin hai Miss Bollywood". He remembered how excited she had been when she was reading his diaries, he remembered how fondly she spoke of this aashiq and his actions. While still staring at her, he shook his head, of course she was thrown off even more by this. But he was now sure that as much as he wanted to do otherwise, he would wait a little while. She deserved all that grand stuff that she had wanted. After so long, it was only fair that he give her the grandest and most romantic confession ever. It was just necessary to wait for that one moment and let the fireworks explode.

S: Armaan...tum dheek toh ho na?

No...not at all. He wasn't alright. His heart was working ten times faster than his brain and the result was that he was able to say or do anything, all he could do was look at her and just analyze every single movement and re-live every single memory. And each memory screamed at him, just do it, just tell her. What could be more grand than this? Here, in the parking lot, completely out of the blue, in front of the world, in the heat of the moment and with utmost passion. His breathing instead of getting calmer grew heavier. Armaan Malik bas kehe de. The way she was looking at him made all this so much more compelling. She was so concerned, so curious, so ready to give him all the time he needed. But what he needed right now wasn't her time, it was just her. Oh to hell with the grandeur, he took one final deep breath, smiled and just as he was about to reach out for her hand...

S: CRAP! Dr. Kiriti...

[Huh? What? No...no Dr. Kiriti.]

A: kya?

S: sorry Armaan...tum me aise kho gayi unke teen pager!!

Kho gayi? She was lost in him too. Those words melted his insides even more than they had already melted. Like a cherry on the cake or maybe like the last huff before it all blew away. Hearing her say that made the storm inside him even worse, he just needed to tell and she just needed to go. As he stood there absolutely stunned by the way his moment had been so brutally interrupted, she said sorry and started to run back into the hospital. As he saw her walking away, he felt like just yelling out her name and just saying what he felt. He didn't want her to leave just yet. Even though he was going to see her in just an hour or so at the party, he was still finding it hard to just let her go especially after all that was going on inside.

Ar: Yo...Dhanno!

Instantly she stopped. There was something in the way he called her, something that made her stop dead in her tracks and immediately turn around. She loved it when he called her Dhanno, it meant that she had a special place for him. She wasn't just regular Shilpa, she was Armaan's Dhanno. Whenever he called her by that name she felt that there was a sense of entitlement on his part.

Armaan too simply loved to call her Dhanno, though he hadn't realized it until now, whenever he called her Dhanno he was almost their unique yet special bond. But much more simpler than that, by calling her Dhanno he felt closer to her. She wasn't just Shilpa, she is his Dhanno. When he did finally snap out of his own thoughts he realized that he had called her but he now had nothing to say to her. He didn't know what to say besides what he felt. But he somehow knew that now was not the moment and besides the mood was so clam, so subtle, so romantic. There was no need to say anything at the point, so he simply looked at her, didn't say a word, smiled and turned around and began walking to his bike.

Even though he had turned around he could see that she was still standing there in the corner of his eye. He could see her stand there for at least a few seconds and just look at him. He loved that. Smiling, he put his hands in is pocket and walked to his bike. As he walked off his mind began to plan all the grand and amazing things that he would do. There should be some flowers, there should also some music, oh and there should definitely be lots and lots fireworks. But for now all he needed to do was to contain his own ideas and just wait for that moment because even though he didn't know when it would come, he did know that it would be magical.

It was amongst these thoughts that Armaan didn't even realize how fast the time had gone from him leaving Sanjeevani to him now entering the party hall. Those were probably the fastest three hours of his life. He came fully dressed in a black suit and it was no surprise that almost all of the girls there couldn't stop staring at him. As soon as he entered the hall his first instinct was to walk around and look for Shilpa, unfortunately she had not yet arrived. So obviously no matter what he did, it was all hopeless because there was just no way he could keep his eyes from the door, after all no one should see her before he did. And plus he was actually desperate for her to arrive because even though he wasn't sure he when he would tell her, he was sure that he wanted her around just so that he could take it all in. Finally and thankfully, he spotted her entering. Wearing a beautiful blue lengha she walked in and his heart fell to his feet. He had never seen her look this way and boy was she beautiful. Her hair was tied, and on her ears there dangled gorgeous pearl earrings. How had he never taken this in before ... she was stunning. Her eyes, that were darkened with the kajjal were just mesmerizing, how could anyone let alone him have missed this. While he was busy staring at her, she saw him and began to wall towards him. His heart rate increased and his will to not say anything until that one moment seemed to dwindle. How would he resist? When she came up to him and smiled, he did the same. Lucky for him, she spoke first because if it were him then he wasn't so sure that he even had the ability to conjure up words anymore.

S: oh ho...kya baat hai Dr. Malik...suit, very nice!

[The playfulness in her voice was just adding to his agony of waiting. But look who was talking, did she even realize what she looked like right now?]

A: agar tum jaisi khoobsurat ladki ke saath khade hona hai...toh kuch toh karna pade ga

Oh my god. "Khoobsurat". He thought she was khoobsurat, her heart skipped a beat and face a turned a shade redder. Why must he have all this power of her and why must she have none to resist it. But lucky for her the potential fool that she could have made herself at this moment was avoided by the waiter who came around with drinks and treats. Though what she still found a bit strange was that though the waiter had come and snapped her out her mind, Armaan was still intently staring at her. Which was both exhilarating and uncomfortable at the same time. Though what she didn't know was what was going on in his mind. Looking at her look this stunning, Armaan's imaginations was running wild. He imagined himself in some grand field with his arms wide open and her running to him. What a thought. He smiled to himself, without realizing that she too could see it.

S: tumhe kya hua?

[Of course it would be Shilpa who would pull him out of this thoughts about Shilpa.]

A: nahin woh kissi patient be baare mein soch raha tha...

S: patient?

A: haan...hai ek...ladka...

[For some reason, the playfulness in her voice had now found its place in his.]

S: tumhara patient?

A: nahin...tumhara hai..

[It was like this mischievous nature that had been put back for so long was now urging to come out but he didn't mind, the look of confusion on her face was just too cute.]

S: mera patient? [He gave her a nod.] ...ladka?

A: haan woh hain na...heart patient

S: mera heart pateint? ... nahin toh.

A: arrey hai na...

[She was actually starting to believe him, who was this heart patient of hers? But that didn't matter for much longer, because just then they were interrupted, by someone that Shilpa couldn't wrap her head around.]

Dr.S: Doctors...

Both Armaan and Shilpa were startled and turned around. It was Dr. Shashank. Shilpa's heart rate sky rocketed and her eyes began to wander from here to there, hoping to find someone else that he may have been talking to, because she just wasn't ready. Not so out of the blue like this.

A: Sir..aap

Dr. S: Sanjeevani ki anniversary pe aap dono ko bhi congratulations

A: oh thank you sir...

[Shilpa looked at Armaan and was so amazed that he talk so calmly with Dr. Shashank. So casually and so normally. Even just looking at Dr. Shashank sent her into a frenzy of childhood grief and present pain. Unfortunately, as soon as Dr. Shashank stopped talking to Armaan , he focussed his attention on Shilpa.]

Dr.S: Shilpa...aap ko bhi bahut bhadhai...

[All she could muster up was a smile. But what Dr. Shashank was about to say would make even that impossible.]

Dr.S: aapke baare mein bahut suna hai...I'm proud of you.

With that he not only smiled at Shilpa, but actually reached forward and gave her a hug. At that moment, her entire inner being was set on fire. This was the very first that he had hugged her. This was the very first that Shilpa had been in her father's arms. Oh lord, not this again she thought. She knew what these feelings and these inner thoughts did to her. She was just left looking at him, when he finally let her go and walked off to greet other Doctors. All those feelings and emotions that she had kept locked inside for the last few months came rushing back in an instant, and for the first time, Armaan noticed.

A: kya hua?

[Oh no. Don't ask me that, she said to herself. Please don't ask me that.]

S: nahin woh...bas... [She just had to go talk to him again, say anything at all but just go talk to him again. She looked at Armaan who was still staring at her and knew that he had sensed that something was definitely the matter.] ... Armaan bas ek minute...

Quickly she left from in front of Armaan and started to walk towards Dr. Shashank. Now instead of being confused about what had happened she was happy about her. His "I'm proud of you" rang through her mind again. She just wanted to go up to him and say hello or something, just so that he may say something else nicer about him. When she was a few steps away from something happened. Something that she didn't see coming. Out of no where, Riddhima and Padma Aunty came out of no where and started to talk to Dr. Shashank instead. Shilpa stopped dead in her tracks. She watched them start talking and then within moments start laughing about something. Dr. Shashank put his arms around his daughter and said something that made her smile even more. All the while Shilpa stood there looking at the one thing she had been desperate for all her life. Someone to make her smile like that, someone she could just walk up and hold. As she continued to stand there, her eyes started to tear up and her heart began to feel heavier. In the last little while her thoughts and her feelings about Armaan had side tracked her from the real tragedy of her life. She looked at this family and realized that she really had no place there. Her place was here, standing alone and watching, with tears in her eyes. She took a few steps back and realized that no matter what happened in her life, somehow she would find her way here, where she was alone and heartbroken. All she could do was look and watch other people take pleasure in having someone they can their own. While she yearned for a simple, I'm proud of you. She turned around and saw that Armaan was now talking to JP. And even then she understood that maybe, maybe even he couldn't fill the void in her life. And then came the crushing realization that maybe he didn't even want to. So there she was in the middle of both the tragedies of her life. The family she never had and the man she never could. Not knowing what else to do, or where else to turn she ran outside.

As soon as she was hit by the fresh air, the fact that she was alone someone became even more apparent. Life would never let her be happy, life would never let her smile. She had come to this party in the hopes of being around happy people, being around the people that she cared for. But just like that, in a heartbeat she found herself running out and looking for a place to sit and cry. Weep at the fact that she sandwiched before two extreme kinds of pain.

While Shilpa was outside, Armaan was sitting inside waiting for her to come back. She had said ek minute but it had been a while now. He had her eye on her until JP came and started to talk and within a few minutes she was gone. He got up and started to actually look for her. He looked here and there for her but she was no where to be seen. Where did she go? He hoped that everything was alright, it wasn't like her to just leave without telling him. He asked around and no one seem to know where she was. He pulled out his phone and no answer. Maybe she stepped out for some fresh air. So, with a bit of a rumbling inside of him he walked out just to make sure. He looked to his left and to his right and nothing, but what scared him was not what he saw but rather what he heard. Sniffling? Was someone crying? He again looked around and still saw someone, so he did all he could, he followed the sound. Curious and worried at the same time, he turned a corner and there sitting on a bench and crying was Shilpa. Instantly Armaan's heart dropped and his nerves stood on end. He just looked at her, sitting there with tears in her eyes and a sense of deep pain on her face.

As disturbed as he was by seeing his pillar of strength in one of her weak moments he began to walk towards her. His natural instinct was to run to her and ask what was happening, but he had learned from that sometime a silent subtle companion was the best remedy for an upset heart. He kept a slow pace so as to not disturb the silence of the moment, or the intensity of her emotions. But what he really wanted to do was drop down on his knees in front of her and just let her cry on his shoulder. But if he knew Shilpa then he also knew that right now she probably doesn't need a shoulder to cry on, she needed a hand to hold. When he was close enough to actually see the tears drip down from her eyes, he understood how hard this was actually going to be. Though he had no idea what it was that wrong with her, he just knew that he would be its only remedy. When she noticed that he too was here, she quickly wiped her tears and sat upright. She didn't need to, he said to himself, she never needed to do hide something in front of him. He quietly sat down beside her, he wasn't look at her just yet, he kept his gaze firmly to the ground. Giving her the time she needed to open up to him.

He could have asked what was wrong? Why is she crying? Can he do anything to help her? But he knew that none of the would help her, it never helps anyone. Putting her on the spot now wasn't what he should be doing, what he needed to do was to let her know that if ever she wanted to tell someone what was wrong, it would be him. If ever she needed a shoulder to cry on, it would be only his. If ever she needed some help, it would always be Armaan would be the first one there. The longer he sat stood there the softer her sniffles got. And the calmer she slowly became. Still neither of them was looking at the other.

No one was suppose to see this. Nobody was suppose to see her in her weak moments, especially not someone like Armaan. What would he think of her? What was he thinking as he sat here right now, that she ran out to sit and cry? But even despite all of that, the worrying about what he would be thinking or if he would judge her or not, his presence brought about this strange soothing to her pain. Even though he was sitting there, not speaking or not even looking at her she could feel a sense of support, as if he was waiting for her to be ready for him to be there for her. Still, while Armaan was sitting right next to her all she could remember the images of the family, her family, one that she had been deprived off. Was this really her fate? Sitting next to the love of her life while he felt nothing for her? Sitting outside a party venue, by herself crying on a bench about her loneliness? Was this was she was destined for? This heart wrenching thought just broke the very last barrier that she had put up, feeling at her lowest low she let out a sigh of pain and began to cry harder. But then something happened, something that wasn't suppose to happen but something that seemed so right and so inevitable, so unwarranted yet the one and only thing that she needed.

The moment she let out that excruciating sigh of pain, he knew. He could feel it. She was at her most vulnerable. If ever in his entire life he would show her that he was there then it was now. So without any hesitation, without any second thoughts, and with utmost conviction at the moment that she began to cry harder he put his hand on hers and held on tightly. Instantly, and he meant instantly he could feel her heart rate calming and her temperature dropping. Now he finally he looked up at her only to find that she too was looking at him with such tearful eyes and such a deep sense of vulnerability that every single particle of his being was connected to hers.

There was no need for words at a moment like this. His hand holding hers was enough to tell her that he wasn't just here to sit with her, he was here to be here for her. His hand holding onto hers meant so much to her, meant so much to that inner desperation for someone helping her for one, it meant the world for that girl that just a moment ago had destined herself for misery. No matter what, she knew, even though he had said nothing, that he wasn't going to let her go through that hell. She could just feel it. And for once she wasn't over thinking or over analyzing anything, no body had ever looked at her so genuinely before. No silence had ever been so loud. And no girl had ever been so love.

A: aaj hi ke din handkerchief bhulna tha mujhe...

Instantly a smile escaped her lips. God bless him for not making this harder. Had he said anything else she wouldn't have known what to do. Did he even realize what he was doing right now? Did he even know that for every single second that he sat here right beside her he was giving her more and more hope for happiness. Did he know that he was the only person in this world who could make all of this much less painful?

As Armaan looked at her, he heart sprung to life when she smiled a little. He was so glad he could have done that for her. Still holding on to her hand he spoke again.

A: jab tumhari aankhon mein aanson hote hain...tab yeh aankhen aur bhi badi lagti hain...

[Again a smile. The more he spoke the lighter her heart felt and the further her misery seemed.]

S: thanks...

A: kis liye?

S: mujhse yeh nahin poochne ke liye ki mein kyun... [She didn't want to finish that sentence and lucky for her, she didn't need to.]

A: tum par poora bharosa hai mujhe ... ek din tum mujhe khud batao gi...aur tab bhi main yaheen tumhara saath hoonga...

[There weren't enough molecules in her being to soak in all that he was saying. All that his words meant to her. She just couldn't believe it. She didn't understand why he was saying what he was and she didn't know that it was ever possible for someone to say all this to her.]

A: ab yeh ansoon uss din ke liye reserve karen... ke abhi aur rona hai?

Once again, a smile. Her smile was so endearing and so heart touching for Armaan. It signified to him that he was reaching through to her. She was somewhere, able to feel what he was feeling. Whether she knew it or not, he was certain that she felt what he wanted to say. The love that he felt for her at this very moment was more than ever before and possible more than ever possible. With her hand in his eyes, and her teary eyes locked into his, he realized that this wasn't something new. She had been feeling this pain, whatever it was for the longest time and he was the one who hadn't seen it. Yet despite all that she literally killed herself every day to hold his hand and lead him now. Every single time he cried and she pulled through, was reason enough for him to stay firm and do what his heart said. Do whatever he could to make this eyes happier. He smiled again and did what he should have done a long time ago. He let go of her hand and instead lifted it up to wipe off the tears from her face. As long as he was there, tears had no room, they had no place.

As soon as his hands touched her face a million explosions took place on the inside. No one, and she meant no one had ever done something like this. His wiping her tears meant so much to her. It was like he wasn't just wiping her tears she couldn't help but believe that he was wiping away the pain, all by himself. All she wanted was to lunge forward and hug him. Let him hold her, but alas she knew that wasn't an option. It had taken every last bit of energy that she had to stop herself. And the intensity of his gaze and the softness of his hands wasn't making it any easier.

S: Armaan...

[He didn't say anything, just smiled and she knew he was ready to listen.]

S: iss ke baad tum mujhse door toh nahin chale jao ge?

[What? What on earth was she saying? Why would he ever do anything like that? Was this how little she trusted him?]

A: Shilpa tum yeh kya kehe rahi ho

S: aisi kamzor ladki se dosti rakh pao ge?

No, Shilpa no. She was strong because she knew what pain was. She was his pillar of strength because she knew the power of that one pillar. She was his best friend because she always there. And she thought she was weak? She literally pulled him up from the lowest of lows and she thought she was weak? She single handedly put his heart back together and she thought she was weak? She put herself through hell so he wouldn't have to and she thought she was weak. She was the love of his life because despite all of that she still worried that she should be more.

A: Shilpa...tum...

[He didn't even know what he should say. But his silence was killing her. She feared that seeing her weak and vulnerable like this would mean that he would distance himself. After all who would ever want to be with someone who has so much to cry about?]

A: tumse door? tumne mere liye itna kiya aur mein tumse door jaaon ga? Main abhi yaahan aur aage bhi rahoon ga...

[Wait, so he was here because he wanted to repay her? He was hear so that he could repay her favor?]

S: ehsaan kar rahe ho?

[Shilpa no! Why would she even think like that? But the irony of her words made him chuckle. He, doing her a favor? Was that even possible?]

A: main agar tum par ehsaan kar ne layak hota toh...toh...

[The genuine tone and the intensity of emotions in his eyes and in voice took over her. Maybe she misunderstood. Because whatever this was, it certainly was no favor.]

A: Shilpa tum jaisi ladki maine aaj tak nahin dekhi...tumhari himat, tumhari dosti mere liye sab se badh kar hain...aur tumhe lagta hai ki tum kamzor ho? Itni taqat hai tumhe ki tumhari uss taqat ne mujhe tumse...

S: Armaan bas.

[She couldn't take it anymore. This was just way too much. This was Shilpa Malhotra, people didn't say these kinds of things to her. And here he was the love of her life, saying such amazing and heartfelt things she just didn't have the capacity to take it all in.]

S: mujhe apne baare mein aisi achi baatien sun ne ki aadat nahin hai...

A: ab aadat daal lo...tumhari achai ke aage mujhe kuch nahin dikhta

At that moment he felt the closest he had ever felt towards her. He felt like a genuine and important part of her life and her being. He felt like maybe, it wasn't all about him, maybe this was his chance to show that what she did for him he could do for her. He didn't know what it was that made her believe that she was alone or that hid her own strengths from her, but what he did know now was that for the first time since he had met her he could see it, she felt comfortable enough to show it to him. He remembered that time, from a long while ago when he had seen her dancing. That same raw energy could be felt right now.

Shilpa felt as if he had literally reached inside of her and touched her heart. What she had said, she honestly meant. She wasn't used to hearing good things from people about her. She wasn't used to someone reach so far into her life. She wasn't use to someone comforting her in her solitude. Then where on earth had Armaan come from? And why was he doing all this? Why was he saying all these great things? Somehow almost magically her tears of utter despair were now tears of joy. Joy at having being told by someone else that all he saw in her was her goodness, her strength. Could this really be most attached one person could feel to another? She wanted to ask him so many questions but for now, she only the courage to ask one.

S: sach?

[The innocence and desperation in her voice and in her eyes was by far the most moving sound he had ever hear in his entire life. The most emotional he had ever felt.]

A: tumhari in aannkhon ki kasam

[Again, he managed to release the pain and generate a smile. In all her moments with Armaan, this was the most special and the most pure.]

S: ab please...kuch aur mat kehna warna main..

A: warna kya? phir se roh do gi?

[She smiled as she wiped off her tears and gave him a nod.]

A: aise nahin hone doonga... [He too smiled at her.]

Now, he said to himself. Now was the time to say what he felt. If her heart was so out in the open right now, so susceptible to every single last emotion his should be the same. If he told her now then she would forever associate his love with his place beside her, with his hand in hers, with his eyes looking deep into hers. He should just take a deep breath and say all he wanted to say to her. Every last feeling, and every last emotion. Just as he was preparing himself to finally open, she spoke.

S: Armaan...

[A little startled, he focussed all his attention to her.]

S: mujhe please ghar tak chod do...I want to go home.

Now? Right now? But what about what he needed to say? It really couldn't wait any longer. But then he looked at her even more closely and she was right, she had enough emotional upheaval for the night. She really did need to go home. Besides, he did want to make this grand and unforgettable so he guessed he couldn't wait hurt to wait. He gave her a nod and after the most emotional yet surprisingly joyous moments of her life, she got up. He did the same. He gestured her towards his car and she followed. After all that they had talked about, what more could either of them say? Plus, Armaan's thoughts on what he should do next were so engrossing that it made words seem almost impossible. As for Shilpa, she had experienced so much already and heard so much that there was no more for words right now.

He opened the door for and helped her in. When he too was in his driver's seat and ready to leave for her house, he looked to her and took in the fact that soon, very soon, in the most grand and unique way possible he would tell her and become a part of her life. He smiled and started the car. She was looking out the window at the party hall, inside the hall were all the things that she thought she needed and all the people she thought were instrumental to her life. Yet, for some reason the sense of security in this car seemed to make all that appear like a lie. Right here, beside was all that she needed. And after tonight she was certain that soon, very soon, he too would realize the same. And because of that confidence, she had somehow found the strength to talk about all the things that she thought would never see the light of day.

S: mujhe bandh jagaon mein ghutan isi liye hoti hai... [Armaan was a little startled when she first started talking, and but immediately after she said her first word, the look of joy in her eyes at being able to share ensured that he was overjoyed to hear he speak to him so openly]...kyunki bandh jagaon par mujhe akele hona ka ehsaas aur hota hai...

He understood that this wasn't just any normal kind of sharing, this was Shilpa opening up to him. More importantly it was her realization that she could open up to him. A thought that only added to his love for her. A love that he couldn't believe he had no idea about only a day ago. She couldn't to speak and he couldn't to listen.

S :mujhe baarish isi liye pasand hai kyunki tab mujhe lagta hai ki bhagwan bhi mere saath roh rahen hai...woh bhi samajh te hain...

At those words, Armaan heart dropped. What was she saying? How could there have been so much main behind that supportive smile of hers. How could there have been so much that he missed? How could he have let her deal with all his pain when she had obviously had so much of her own. How could he have let her feel so alone when she had giver her all to make sure that he didn't? How could he ever believed that he wasn't in love with the most amazing girl? As he swirled in his thoughts and his own guilt, she kept talking. She talked about how she never chose to stay in her own in school, she always wanted to roommate so that she at least there she wouldn't be alone. She told him that she never wanted to be anything other than a doctor because he loved having playing around her. She told him that she loved fairy tales because in them no one was ever alone. All of this hit Armaan like a boulder. He had been the biggest idiot in the world to have missed all of this. He had been the most selfish man in the world to only take from her but never give and most of all he had been the cruelest human being on the planet to tell her that he wasn't ready. To let her believe for so long that he wouldn't be there, right beside her. Every single thing he said made him feel as if he had committed the gravest crime imaginable. And every time he looked at the twinkle in her teary eyes he realized that they were just waiting for him to come to his senses. Amidst all of this time just flew by and before he knew it they were in front of her house.

He didn't quite understand how he had managed to drive here so safely and without a single tear in his eye given what was going on inside. He looked at her again and was assured that in the last hour or so he had grown from being in love to being madly and deeply intertwined with her. Again, he didn't say anything, he couldn't when she stepped out of the car and said goodbye, his heart and mind were still numb from all that he had learned in such a short amount of time. He was so in awe of her that he had pretty much lost the ability to speak. Just before closing the door and leaving for the night, she looked back at him and said something that was the very last straw in his patience and his will to wait.

S: tumahri puri raat kharaab kardi na...I'm sorry

With that she smiled at him, thanked him and shut the door. As he watched her walk away, he was amazed at how well and how perfectly she understood him. How precisely she could read him. It was as if she knew that he just couldn't talk, and so she didn't force it. It was as if she knew that he had something in his mind and gave him the time to think it out. When finally she disappeared out of sight, her words came back to him. Each and every last one. He sat there in the car frozen by the sheer level of love and affection that he felt for this girl. "Mujhe baarish isi liye pasand hai kyunki tab mujhe lagta hai ki bhagwan bhi mere saath roh rahen hai...woh bhi samajh te hain..." How upset must she be, if she felt this way. How alone must she feel is she believed this to be true. That thought came a like a stab in the heart. He looked up at her house, the same house in which she had once healed his wounds. The same house in which despite all his attempts she did everything she could to help him. The same house in which she must have sat heart broken when he didn't reciprocate her love. The same house in which she must have felt all alone. Before he could have realized it, tears were rolling down his eyes. This was like a whole different Shilpa Malhotra. A completely vulnerable and emotional Shilpa Malhotra who wanted nothing more than for someone to love her.

And just like that a storm of emotions came over him. There was no perfect moment. There was no grand gesture. There was no perfect setting. Every single thing in his world was perfect because she was there, every gesture was grand if it was something done for her, every single setting was perfect as long she was with him. The more he waited, the more her heart ached. The more he stalled this, the more his heart pined for her. What he had wanted was to give her some amazing confession straight out of the movies but what he had just realized was that for her the mere act of loving her was as grand as ever. He realized that for her, just holding her in his arms and never letting go was as romantic as it would ever get. His heart beat grew faster and his tears stronger. In an instant he literally sprung out from his car and ran to her door. As fast and as hard as he had ever run. He needed to tell her, he needed to show, he needed to hold her. In less then a minute he was at her door, pounding instead of knocking. Come on Shilpa open the door, a second longer and he knew that his heart would give up on him. Open the door and let me see you, open the door and let me tell you, open the door and let me change your world. Finally, when he heard the door knob turn his heart reached its peak. It had never beat so fast and it had never held in so much. When the knob fully turned and the door finally opened, he saw standing there in that same white suit that she had been wearing when he was here at her house before, her hair wide open and his eyes still a little red from before. As soon as he locked his eyes with her, he felt his heart give in and his knees fall weak. This was it. This was as perfect as perfect would ever be. The tears in his eyes didn't stop and the love in his heart grew by the heart beat.

A: ab jab baarish ho gi toh bhagwan bhi tumhare saath jhoome gein...kyonki woh bhi samajh gaye ki jitne tumhare armaan ab tak pure nahin hue...woh sab yeh Armaan pure kare ga... I love you!

With that, he lunged forward and pulled her in. Literally swooping her into his arms. His tears grew grew just tears to actual crying. Crying because he finally had her, tears because he was finally here, crying because finally he could her forever and ever, tears because finally her every happiness was now his responsibility. He tightened his grip, he let her heartbeat become one with his, he let the scent of her perfume completely take him over, he the touch of her skin on his mesmerize his being and he let her feel like the she was his everything. He held on like he had never held on to anything before. He moved his hand from her back into her hair and pulled her in close. She was his, and only his.

Shilpa's whole entire world was crashing in around her. Her heart was now out of her control, her emotions were now running wild. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She just couldn't believe it. She was immovable and frozen in his arms, as he tightened his grip, her heart ached for more, as he ran his hands through her hair her heart ached for more, she he pulled her even closer, her heart ached for more. This just had to be a dream, it just had to be. This couldn't be happening to her, it wasn't suppose to happen to her. What he had said had literally changed her world, it had lit up her abyss, it had filled her silence with the sweetest melody. And without being able to help herself she too did was only natural and what she had been pining to do all night long, she took her hands and embraced him as well. Right there at her door, with the wind sooting the intensity, the stars watching the chemistry, and the dark night sky glowing in the energy. Before she realized it she too was crying, even her tears couldn't believe that they were landing on his shoulders. He was here, he was really here. He was hers and only hers. She wouldn't be alone, she wasn't alone. And at that moment there was only one thing left to say, only one emotion left to feel and only one connection between them.

S: I love you too...

S: tumhara patient?

A: nahin...tumhara hai.

God i swear i am seeing them dressed as AR in garba times...armaan told ridz tumhara patient...

Hehehe i can actually see shilpa with that confusion and that frown in her head thinking about her heart patient...

Man i am dreading shilpa;s agony now...i am feeling so low for her...

She looked at this family and realized that she really had no place there. Her place was here, standing alone and watching, with tears in her eyes...I donnt knw why my eyes are brimming...how can u write si simply yet so intensely?someday i wd learn from u..

Ok...i am feeling sad now...u have so vividly put up shilpa's tragedy that my heart goes out to the girl...i mean at times i wonder how does she even manage her spirit, let alone handle armaan...the words u have chosen are so beautifully apt...

In the one paragraph where u talk about armaan;s journey to the terrace in search of shilpa...i felt so much...u have once again so beautifully used ur words...she ddnt need a shoulder, she wanted a hand...i mean i swear today my words have failed me...its only about feelings..i am feeling so much...so myriads of things...

Serioulsy i dont know if i have ever felt someone;s pain the way i could feel shilpa's...all thanks to u...when she broke her last barrier and broke down i myself was feeling so helpless...what can be done?who can cure her?

A: aaj hi ke din handkerchief bhulna tha mujhe...

This man never fails to mesmerise me...he actually knows how t hit the perfect cord..

A: tum par poora bharosa hai mujhe ... ek din tum mujhe khud batao gi...aur tab bhi main yaheen tumhara saath hoonga...

*thud*...only if...only if i could see them play this scene...

He wiped her tears..*sigh*

Okay her vulnerabily was so naked...i actually saw a glimpse of that frightened child in shilpa of whom i talked to u...and the lines...MY MY MY...each and every one of them...i mean they were intensely intense...so much emotions...so much passion...so much affection...