Taming The Wild- All parts till now - Page 2

Taming The Wild

Part-40

Before The Storm

Recap : The baby arrives home ,fight over name for the baby which Armaan wins... In the party he flirts with Pam and gets scolding from Rahul...

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The party got over and he returned back to the room... He was at the door when he saw that she was talking to someone on the phone happily...

" yes that would be perfect... Isme to kuch bhi jhut nahi hai... Yes okay.. I'll see you soon "

" kahan jaana hai ? " her smiled vanished as she heard his voice ,she kept the receiver down and stood up ,facing him...

" tumse matlab ? Kya ab main apni marzi se kahin jaa bhi nahi sakti ? " standing before the mirror she started taking off her ear rings, Armaan gave a small smile shaking his head ,loosening his tie...he stood by her side arms folded leaning on the wall... She looked at him questionably...

" Waise dekha jaaye to it's a nice plan... quiet high success rate... To ab aage kya socha hai ? " she stopped undoing her earring " yahi ki yeh bata kar ki tumhara husband ek 'unfaithful flirt' hai tum mujhse chutkara pa logi...? " He smiled at her shocked face he came close to her almost whispering " I'm not going to divorce you Ridhhima... itni aasani se chutkara nahi milega tumhe.. waise yeh idea tumhara tha ya... Mr.Prajapat ka...?? " Ridhhima was utterly shocked to hear the lawyer's name... She cursed him for betraying her trust and Sapna for recommending him ,she wondered if Armaan knew him too...

" Princess us bechare lawyer ko gaali mat do..." he said smiling ,this habit of his irritated her it was as if he could read her mind, he continued " usne mujhe kuch nahi bataya but you see... your husband is a very resourceful person... Waise tumhari jaankari ke liye bata dun ki 'Pam' was flirting with 'me' naa ki main uske saath... To agli baar agar meri daant padwaani ho to koi aur jyada achha bahana dhundna okay..." grinning he moved towards the other room leaving her puzzled " Aur haan apne 'visiting cards' zara dhyaan se rakha karo " he winked and left her standing there shocked... She could see his outline from the glass door ,shaking.. Obviously he enjoyed his 'victory'...

" you are so going to regret it Armaan " she thought over it and came to the conclusion that he probably had seen the card when she forgot it outside but didn't let her know that he had seen it... " aarrgghh stupid ! idiot ! " cursing herself for carelessness she dropped on the bed... " lekin agar wo jaanta tha ki main lawyer ke paas jaa rahi hun ,aur yeh bhi ki kisliye ja rahi hun.. Phir bhi usne mujhe roka nahi... Kyun ?? Aakhir kyun karta hai Armaan aisa... Rokta bhi nahi aur jaane bhi nahi deta " thinking about all this she didn't knew when she fell asleep...

Having a baby in the house brought about a change in everyone and a surprising change that came was not in Rahul or Muskaan but in Armaan... it was almost 15-20 days since the baby came home and since then he didn't held the baby... Not even once... He was little distant with her... And almost panicking looked for excuses when someone offered him to hold her... He was avoiding Angel... But sometimes acted so protective that he didn't let any outsider hold her... So much so that Muskaan and Rahul didn't gave the baby to anyone while he was around... At first Muskaan shook it off thinking she is just overreacting but when she observed she found that she was indeed right... Especially after that day...

He was climbing the stairs ,looking tired probably from a hectic day " Hey baby look chachu..." Maria smiled seeing Armaan coming, she rocked Angel in the corridor...

" Hiii Angel...hellooo mera baby kaisa hai ?! " standing at some distance he waved at baby happily

" Look she knows you..." Armaan smiled at the smiling baby... " Want to hold her ? "

" Umm no.." his smile vanished " Keep her away from me.." Maria was taken aback with this sudden change.. " I.. I mean.. I'm busy... Mujhe kuch kaam hai... Tum khila lo..." Saying so he rushed to his room ..

He didn't knew that Muskaan also witnessed the scene... she was surprised at his behaviour... ' Kya yeh wohi Armaan hai jo baby ke liye itna excited tha.. Ab to uski taraf dekhta bhi nahi hai... Why ?? ' she watched him entering his room but didn't said anything...

She saw that he enjoyed being around Angel but always found excuses not to hold the baby... On the other hand he realized that others were getting bit suspicious but didn't wish to talk to anyone about it, he started staying away from Angel... He looked at the baby longingly, rushed to call someone whenever he heard her cry but never once himself try to pacify her... And fiercely opposed to giving the baby to any outsider.. So much that no outsider held her except Maria or Martin...

Rahul and Muskaan were both quiet surprised at his behaviour but remained quiet... Even when once Rahul heard him complaining..

" kya yaar main itne saare boys toys le aaya... Sab waste ! "

Rahul raised his eyebrows ' so he was hoping for a boy... And that's why stays away from Angel..?! Nahi nahi.. aisa kaise ho sakta hai wo to itna khush tha Angel ke aane par... Magar... ' he tried to shrug the thought away...

But the situation seem to go from bad to worse, once he was passing through Rahul Muskaan's room he heard a loud wail and went inside... Angel was on the bed crying... He was totally confused what to do..

" Ohh shh shh quiet baby quiet oh God yeh ro kyun rahi hai ? Anngel babbbyy " he tried shaking some toys before her but no result... She wailed even louder... " Oh god ab kya karu ? Muskiii ! Maria ! Ridhhimaaa !! God kahan chale gaye sab ?!, Lagta hai uthana hi padega..." He bent down a bit resting his knee on the bed " umm aise ?? Shit..! " he tried picking her by putting hands under her head but she turned and he quickly dropped the idea.. " Nahi aise nahi.. aise theek rahega " he thought of picking her up by.. you know... like little grown up kids... Hands under her arms

He was still deciding when Maria came running... " Ohh no no baby why my sweet baby is crying ? "

" Oh thank god Maria you came ! "

" Armaan baba why didn't you pick her up " Angel's wails instantly subsided as Maria picked her up rocking gently...

" Pick her up ! I was trying .. But she won't let me.. She was crying so much making me nervous, and it was getting on my nerves..." Just then Muskaan came in...

" Oh really Armaan ! to tu jaa aur araam kar Angel ko main sambhaal lungi she will NOT get on to your NERVES..." probably she heard him, she took Angel from Maria obviously not very happy...

" Muski... Main ..mera matlab tha ki..." he tried to explain

" Koi baat nahi Armaan you go and rest..." Saying so she went to Angel's room leaving him there... He looked at Maria and then slowly picking up his coat went out... As he turned he saw Muski rocking Angel in her arms smiling playfully talking in babyish language... He gave a longing look and went on his way...

The things with Ridhhima were no better but at least he was mentally prepared for them... At dinner came another surprise for him...

" papa main soch rahi thi ki hamein apne charitable organizations jaa kar Angel ke ghar aane ki khushi share karni chahiye... I'm sure sab log hamari angel ko bahut duayein denge "

" haan beta khayal to bahut achha hai magar abhi to main rahul aur aapke BP kaam ke silsile main thoda busy hain hamara jaana to ho nahi paayega and i don't think ki muskaan can go out either... Aur aap to wahaan kisi ko theek se jaante bhi nahi "

" uski to koi problem nahi honi chahiye papa I'm sure Armaan mere sath jarur chalenge..."

" Armaan ?! I'm not sure beta if he will go "

" main puchti hun papa I'm sure wo is baat ke liye kabhi mana nahi karega "

" theek hai puch lo agar wo jaata hai to.. "

" kya puchhna hai ? " he said while settling down for dinner

" wo main papa se keh rahi thi ki angel ke aane ki khushi hamein baaki sabse bhi share karni chahiye to main hamare charitable trusts jaana chahti thi..."

" haan to theek hai yeh to achhi baat hai after all ab yeh sab tumne hi sambhalna hai Muski to abhi busy hai "

" wohi to.. Papa keh rahe the ki baaki sab busy hain to main soch rahi thi agar tum mere saath chalo to..."

" charitable trusts ? Yeah why not.. sure main chalta hun no problem " Ridhhima smiled at him broadly

" oh thank you Armaan " he was pleased to see her so happy, whereas Virendra looked bit doubtful

" are you sure beta... Will you be comfortable ? I mean Kaafi time ho gaya hai tumhe gaye hue..."

" yeah papa no problem I'm sure... Aur thodi daer ki to baat hai... Why are you so worried.."

" nahi bas aise hi pucch raha tha " he felt bit relieved ,probably things are changing... Hopefully for better, he smiled at both his son and daughter-in-law...

They both got ready for the visit to their charitable organizations...

" hey to tayar ho tum dono.."

" haan ji bhaiyya, muskaan bhabhi ne wahan ke incharge se baat kar li hai, they will be waiting for us "

" chalo theek hai main chacha ji ke sath aaj dupahar ko South Africa ke liye nikal jaunga.. Armaan tum aur papa yahaan manage kar lena ok "

" no prob. Bhai "

They both sat in the car, Ridhhima just hoped that he doesn't notice.. And probably time was on her side he opened his laptop and got busy with some work... Sometime his workaholic ways were boon..

" Ridhhima i hope you won't mind mujhe kuch presentations check karni thi.. Just let me know jab hum pahunch jaayein.." saying so he went back to his work with his i pod earplugs stuffed in his ears... She couldn't have asked for anything better...

" sundar.."

" yes ma'am " the driver turned, she quickly told him something and sat back with a small smile... She looked at him to which he raised his eyebrows asking if there was something ,she just nodded and he went back to his work...

About half an hour later the car entered a beautiful building... It wasn't too big just four storied but looked spacious and unlike other buildings had a calm look... The path was surrounded with trees and a circular garden with a beautiful fountain in the center...

The car came to halt ,she could see some people standing with garlands to welcome them...

" Armaan.. Armaan " she shook him a bit " hum pahuch gaye "

He took off the earplugs and closed the laptop, then... He looked around...Bit confused...

" Ridhhima... Yeh.. Where are we ? This is not our old age home... Or orphanage..."

" i know, yeh hamara charitable hospital hai... Aayush " his eyes opened wide with horror... " ab chalo sab wait kar rahe hain "

" Ridhhima magar.. Magar " but she was already out and the administrator came forward to welcome them... He gulped and slowly came out, he was not left with any choice...

" welcome sir.. We are delighted to have you here... Aap itne saalon main pehli baar aaye hain..." Armaan shook hands with him... His heart beat racing and suddenly the weather felt very hot... A drop of sweat rolled down the collar... Ridhhima on the other hand was all nice and polite... Totally unaffected ,she saw through the corner of her eye ,he looked at her... his eyes as if pleading her to go back... But she remained adamant

" sir yahaan par hai hamara general ward aur wahaan us taraf OPD... Hamare paas best facilities hain aur as per our ruled garib logon ka free ilaaj kiya jaata hai.." the incharge there kept on speaking but Armaan's mind was somewhere else... He forced a smile on his face... Flashes came before his eyes... People were running.. A bloody hand... Masked men... He closed his eyes shaking his head... He needed some fresh air, outside...

He took her aside " Ridhhima.. Plz. Yahaan se chalo.. Mera dam ghut raha hai yahaan... I.. I'm not comfortable here plz chalo yahaan se.."

" Armaan plz. Hum abhi to aaye haon itni jaldi kaise jaa sakte hain abhi to maine theek se hospital dekha bhi nahi hai.."

" magar tumne pehle kyun nahi bataya ki hum yahaan aa rahe hain, Muski ne tumhe bataya nahi ki i dont come here..." he felt frustrated and helpless

" to kya hua agar yahaan aa gaye to koi tumhe yahaan kha nahi jayega.. So stop acting so weirdly.. Mujhe yahaan aana tha isliye main aa gayi "

" theek hai phir tum ruko main jaa raha hun " he said firmly

" Armaan plz yahaan scene create mat karo.. Log kya sochenge ?! " he rubbed his forehead in frustration " achha ek kaam karo tum childrens ward to jaa sakte ho naa..." he still looked doubtful " tum bas wahaan ka inspection kar lo..phir hum chalte hain... Main bas abhi aati hun " leaving him standing there she went to the administrator

" excuse me..." he saw her talking to him ,the man directing her to two corridors prabably children's ward... Children he could handle but what about those screams that now echoed in his mind... Those flashes... They were scary... He loosened his tie... Now panting lightly...

She came to him.." wo left waala corridor children ward waala hai... Main burns ward main jaa rahi hun.. Maine bola hai ki we will be leaving bit early, cheque de diya hai.. Ab to khush... Jao ab main yahin milungi " he nodded and walked away a man along with him guiding him earnestly... Eager to please... Ridhhima saw him walking away and a sly smile came to her lips... She too then walked away with other peole chatting animatedly...

" yahaan yeh sab log dhake hue kyun hain " he walked by a ward where people lay with a kind of wooden semi circle covering over them... Revealing only their faces..

" sir wo.. " the man's explaination was cut short when a loud scream was head... Armaan froze there... He saw some nurses and ward boys rushing towards them with a streacher...

A woman lay on it she screamed with agony... Her skin as if was peeling off... The nerves visible and a blood soaked hand dangling loosely... They rushed past them... And as they were passing the lady's hand slightly touched the mans suit and she yelled out in agony...

Armaan staggered on his spot his breath as if just stopped there... Someone was throttling him... He could not breathe... And suddenly loud screams erupted from every corner... His legs felt rubbery ,they could not support him...

" sir.. Sir are you okay..?? "

" ye.. Ye kya..? " he could not even speak more

" sir it's a burns ward... Wo aurat shayad bahut jyada jal gayi hai isliye.. "

" burns ward.?! lekin.. lekin mujhe to children's ward "

" sir maam ne kaha ki aap yahaan ka round lenge aur maan children ward ka isliye.."

Armaan could stay there no more the smell, the screams, the blood.. it was killing him... He could not bear it a second longer... He rushed out

' Ridhhima ne.. Ridhhima ne jaan kar mujhe yahaan bheja ! ' the words of that man kept echoing in his mind.. ' nahi Ridhhima aisa nahi kar sakti ' he rushed to the other side and saw her chatting smilingly to some people probably kids parents...

" Ridhhima chalo yahaan se.. " he grabbed her arm and pulled her away

" Armaaann.. Magar.. Armaan kya kar rahe ho ?! "

" we need to leave right now " he ordered and holding her firmly rushed back to the car

" sir.. Maam is everything okay ? " a frightened administrator rushed to them

" yes Mr. Kapur.. Everything is fine.. We just... We just need to leave urgently..." with that quick explaination he made her sit in the car and ordered to be out of that place as soon as possible... He hid his face in his palms... Panting... Sweating... The screams, the flashes now erupted before his eyes ,he had no control over them... He was helpless... Ridhhima just watched him...

" anything wrong Armaan ? " she asked in a cool calm voice, he looked at her, her eyes said everything.. she didn't felt anything for him, she didn't felt sorry ,she was mocking him... He played a complete fool in front of her , freaking out like this

After that visit he couldn't sleep for three nights in a row everytime he tried to sleep that face came before his eyes that scream that could freeze the blood of the listener, haunted him.. He could not eat.. nor liked to talk to anyone... loud voices irritated him and he was reluctant to meet anyone... Almost shutting himself... The trouble was that even being all by himself didn't brought any peace... Ridhhima saw the changes in him and was curious too but was too proud and least bothered to ask... Until that night...

She was sleeping, when bright light from other room fell on her eyes disturbing her sleep... Opening sleepy eyes she saw him pacing up and down in the room...

" Armaan tumhe sona nahi hai kya lights off karo mujhe neend aa rahi hai..."

" Neend ! of course.. You are the lucky one here... You can sleep..." he shouted out coming towards her.. Ridhhhima was taken aback and was bit scared too.. Sleep suddenly vanished

" Armaan kya ho gaya hai tumhe...? "

" Kyun Ridhhima kyun kiya tumne aisa tumne jaan bujh kar mujhe wahaan bheja... jaan kar wo sab kiya jisse mujhe takleef ho hai naa ?! " he now grabbed her by her shoulders...

" Armaan chhodo mujhe... You are hurting me..." She shrug away his hands " haan maine jaan kar kiya ab tumhe pata laga ki takleef kya hoti hai... Dard kya hota hai... unse duur hone ka jinhe aap sabse jyada chahte hain..." He looked at him with fire in her eyes...

" Takleef..! Dard..!?. Tumne dard kabhi jhela hai Ridhhima... Kabhi asli takleef dekhi hai...?? Nahi.. bilkul nahi.. Jise tum takleef samajhti ho wo to kuch bhi nahi hai... Aur tum mujhe apno se duur hone ka dard mat batao... Tum iss layak nahi ho ki abhi kisi ka gam ya dard samjh pao.."

" Agar tum apni baat kar rahe ho Armaan to main naa hi tumhara dard jaanna chahti hun aur naa hi gam... Mujhe bas tumse chutkara chahiye... Samjhe "

" To tum bhi yeh jaan lo ki mujhse chutkara paana itna aasan nahi hai.. This is not going to get over here Ridhhima... It has just begun... Lagta hai mujhe duusra hi tarika apnana padega tumhe samjhane kaa... Now just be prepared Mrs.Ridhhima Armaan Malik..." he walked away to the other room slamming the sliding door shut

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Taming The Wild

Part-41

The Lesson

Recap: Armaan finds out about Prajapat... He gets extremely conscious about holding the baby... Rahul and Muskaan were very surprised at his behaviour and unhappy too... Ridhhima tricks Armaan to visit their charitable hospital and he faces worse time for days after it...

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Two days passed since the outburst he was mostly quiet with serious expressions on his face as if pondering over some grave matter all the time... inspite of all this he kept up the show of being a happy husband in front of others... and others... As usual they had no clue of what went behind the closed doors between two of them... On the other hand Armaan's behaviour towards Angira created some distance between him and Rahul and Muskaan... Moreover, they were too busy with their new happiness to devote any time to anything else...

" oh it's okay yaar trust me... It's okay I'll handle everything " she spoke smilingly while talking on phone, Armaan who was nearby listening her conversation, sniggered... She saw it.. " Sapna main tujhse thodi daer main baat karti hun " she cut the call " ab kya problem hai tumhe ?? "

" kuch nahi.. Kya tumhari dost ko pata hai ki tum kitni vishwaas layak ho ? "

She looked at him with narrowed eyes she knew immediately what he meant " oh plz. " she threw her hands in air sarcastically " at least I'm more trustworthy than you tum to kisi ke bhi vishwaas layak nahi ho "

He snapped his file close and stood up, it was time for confrontation " Main vishwaas layak nahi hun... ? Aur jo tumne kiya kya uske baad tum par main vishwaas kar paunga ?? tum aur wo tumhara Vivek..." he walked up to her and held her hand angrily..

" Armaan leave my hand..." Small tears started forming in her eyes... He saw them and realised that his hold must be hurting her,he relaxed it a bit but didn't let it go... " Tum aur tumhara Vivek ek jaise hi ho... Jhute aur dhokebaaz.."

" What !? Vivek ? Kya kehna chahte ho tum...?? " She looked at him confused, questions swarming in her eyes ,he let go of her hand with a jerk...

" Armaan... Tumne Vivek ke sath kuch...? " He could see anger replaced with fear in her eyes.. It irritated him further

" Mujhe is baat ka zara bhi andaza nahi tha Ridhhima ki tumhara dimaag itni planning bhi kar sakta hai... Kya tumne uske saath reh kar sirf dhoka dena hi seekha hai ?? "

" Armaan ! Vivek ke baare main kuch mat kaho... Wo kabhi kisi ko dhoka nahi de sakta.. Wo tumhari tarah nahi hai, aur wo mujhse bahut pyaar karta hai..."

" Achha ! Agar itna hi pyaar karta hai to ek baar bhi aaya yahaan ?? Kya tumhari baat hui kabhi usse shaadi ke baad ? " She was speechless " main batata hun what he is... he is a spineless worm... Agar itna hi pyaar karta itni hi himmat hoti to shaadi ke din wahaan hota aur meri aankon main aankhen daal kar kehta ki wo tumse pyaar karta hai..." Ridhhima was speechless he touched a most hurting part of her heart tears formed in her eyes... Armaan on the other hand was all pent up fuming with anger he would have continued but seeing her tears he just stopped midway... " Kash tumhe insaan ki pahchaan aati Ridhhima magar yeh mat sochna ki it's over here what you did was really mean... aur tumhe is baat ka ehsaas main karwa ke rahunga ki asli dard ka ehsaas kya hota hai..." with a sharp look he went away... Leaving her ,tears flowing freely from her eyes now...

" Nahi Vivek mujhe kabhi dhoka nahi de sakta... Kabhi nahi... Wo.. Wo mujhse pyaar karta hai... Usi ke liye to main sabse.. Apne aapse lad rahi hun..." He heard her and clutching the door knob hesitated for a moment but then with a sudden firmness on his face moved out...

The next day as Armaan went to the office she excused herself saying that it was her friend's birthday and she has to attend a small get together but will be back soon, instead she went to meet Prajapat...

He sipped his coffee slowly thinking about something gravely ,Ridhhima on the other hand watched a spot on the table ,somewhat lost ,she was startled when he suddenly spoke up

" Can you plz elaborate on his reaction at the time you went to the hospital till after coming back back from there..." she sighed but told him everything that happened there and a bit after coming back.. He thought for a while and then giving a small smile spoke up " i think we can have a firm second excuse in case our infidelity reason doesn't works..." She looked at him bit surprised and confused...

back at home Virendra entered the house rather grumpily... He looked annoyed and angry over something, Muskaan saw him and was surprised because he was back quiet early from the party he went to...

" arre chacha ji aap itni jaldi aa gaye ? Aapki to grandpa party thi naa...? " Muskaan asked

He huffed " bas puchho mat beta, saara mood kharaab ho gaya, sab us kamine Chaddha ki wajah se.."

" Chaddha ? Wohi aapka sabse pyaara dushman " she chuckled a little remembering the person but hid her smile

" haan wahi, party dene wale ko to koi problem nahi thi magar use aur uske chamcho ko yeh pareshaani ho rahi thi ki main wahaan kaise... Pata hai usne kya kaha ' ki technically you are not a grandpa yet and borrowed grandchildren are not done...! ' I tell you i felt like strangling him... What does he mean by ' borrowed ' grandchild !? Kya mere bhai ki poti meri poti nahi hai ? Kya main kisi aur ka bachha utha kar laaya hun ?! "

" ohh i see.. Koi baat nahi chacha ji aapko us Chadda ki baat ka bura maanne ki koi zarurat nahi hai Angira aapki bhi poti hai aur is baat ko koi jhutla nahi sakta..." She smiled at him assuringly

" jaanta hun beta magar fir bhi gussa aa jaata hai actually wo tabse jyada irritated hai jabse maine uski beti ka rishta manaa kiya hai Armaan ke liye tabse wo aur jyada jalne laga hai "

" achaa yeh kab hua ? " she asked surprised at the information

" tabhi jab Armaan hospital main tha accident ki wajah se... Wahan hamne Ridhhima ko pehle hi pasand kar liya tha aur main kehta hun Muskaan beta ki hamari kismat achhi thi ki hamein Ridhhima mil gayi uski beti to uff pucho mat " he shook his head probably remembering that girl

" sach kaha aapne chacha ji Ridhhima bahut achhi hai warna ladkiyan ghar baad main aati hain aur jhagde pehle shuru ho jaate hain " little they were aware that Ridhhima was listening to their conversation they didn't notice that she was there... Ridhhima felt heartfelt affection for both of them, she just stood there lost in her thoughts and their conversation... " achha ab aap mood mat kharab kariye us chadda ke peeche wo to ek number ka jalokda hai huh " Muskaan made a face in her patented Muski style cursing Chaddha

" Absolutely true..." Armaan came there but Muskaan's smile faltered seeing him he came there and extended a hand to caress Angel's head but Muskaan took her from Maria's arms.. He drew back his hand...

" Main isko le jaati hun bhuk lag rahi hogi..." ignoring Armaan she went away with Maria... Armaan backed off ,he knew she was upset with him... But this was not the time for explanation.. He turned back to Virendra who still looked bit angry..

" Ohho kya papa aap bhi naa us Chadhha ki baat ka bura maan rahe ho aap jaante ho na wo aapse kabse jalta hai.. Shayad college time se.."

When Virendra still looked unconvinced " mujhe to tab tak chain nahi milega jab tak main 'apna' poti pota use nahi dikha deta phir main use achha sabak sikhaunga "

he smiled... " Daad.. Aapko apne pota poti chahiye naa to wo bhi aa jayenge... I promise you papa you will get what you want... ab to muskurayiye..." he tried to calm him down

" Really... Do you promise me ? " he asked apprehensively

" Of course dad aap bhi naa " he chuckled at his fathers childishness

" Oh thank you beta i will be waiting eagerly for that day..." He gave a big smile and would have said more but his secretary called him for an important call.. Ridhhima witnessed the scene, she stood there pondering on his promise to his father... just how he was planning to fulfill it ?? Is he... No no it's almost three months to their marriage and till now he had never crossed his limits except few mild incidents which she had shrugged off as his way of annoying her... But what if he...??

She was just wondering about this when " Oh to madam aa gayee.." Her thoughts were broken by a familiar voice she turned and saw Armaan sitting on the couch with Virendra..

" Ridhhima beta aa gaye.. Kahan chali gayi thi ? "

" Wo papa main... Apni ek friend se milne gayi thi.. Uska birthday tha aaj " She lied, her eyes met Armaan's who was looking at her intently, Ridhhima felt uncomfertable at his gaze there was something in those eyes, she always felt as if they had some kind of x-ray in them which can see right into her heart and mind he somehow always came to know what she was thinking and feeling it was so annoying at times..

" Ridhhima ja kar fresh ho jao aaj shaam ko ek party main jaana hai.."

" Party ? Magar.."

" Haan beta hamare ek bahot imp. Client hain unhone party throw ki hai main to jaa nahi paunga Muskaan keh rahi thi ki use apni massi se milne jaana hai Angira ko le kar to soch raha tha main unke sath hi chala jaun ,Rahul aur bhaisaab bhi nahi hain isliye tum Armaan ke sath chali jaana... Okay " He got up and patting her head lovingly went to his room...

Ridhhima watched him go... " Yeh papa bhi kis musibat main daal gaye ab iske sath party jao..."

" Kya hua ?? " She was startled to hear his voice so close, as she tried to move back ,lost her balance and was about to fall when two strong arms held her by her waist tightly.. her eyes shut expecting the fall.. Which never came... She felt a strong muscular smell hit her nostrils her heartbeat raced for no apparant reason her thoughts were broken by equally strong voice " tum aanken khol sakti ho.." She opened her eyes slowly and to her surprise his face was just inches away from her an amused smile playing on his lips for a moment Ridhhima forgot everything.. " Tumhe kya laga main tumhe aise hi chot pahuchne dunga ? " she kept looking at those mesmerising grey eyes he always used them to his advantage.., shaking herself mentally breaking his hypnotic gaze, she tried to move but could not get free of his strong grip instead it became even stronger.. to her horror he came even closer she turned her face away and closed her eyes a kind of current ran through her body as he nuzzled her hair...

" Kahan gayi thi Ridhhima ?, main tumhe kitna miss kar raha tha.."

" Armaan leave me.. I said just leave me.." His being so close to her created havoc she was scared of his advances especially after hearing his talk with Virendra, Armaan on the other hand remained unperturbed ,his smile widened in a sarcastic way as he moved away from her.. As soon as she freed herself she ran to the room ,away from him ,his piercing gaze, his hold, his touch... His... everything...

He met her in the room she again was talking on phone... And he could easily make it that it was that lawyer Prajapat, he boiled with anger and shouted out...

" Ridhhima.. Ridhhima "

" Kya hai ? " she replied back in same tone

" Mujhe tumse baat karni hai "

" par mujhe tumhari koi baat nahi sunni.." keeping the phone down she moved towards the closet..

" Sunni padegi.. Bas bahut ho chuka bahut seh liya maine tumhara natak... Mere kuch naa kehne ka bahut fayeda utha liya tumne... Ab samay aa gaya hai ki kuch baatein bilkul saaf ho jaayein..."

She jerked off his hand... " Haan ek baat to bilkul saaf hai ki main tumhare saath bilkul nahi rehna chahti.." She turned to go but he held her arm and pulled her to face him

" Achha... Kyun Ridhhima aisa kya kiya hai maine ?.. Huh... Kya nahi kiya tumhari khushi ke liye jo tumne chaha wo diya hai... Kya kabhi ek pati hone ka adhikaar jamaya hai tum par ?? "

" leave me Armaan... Aur yeh tum bhi jaante ho ki yeh adhikaar tumne zabardasti haasil kiya hai meri marzi se nahi..."

He let go off her arm with a jerk and came very close to her face " maine tumhe pehle bhi kaha tha Ridhhima ki tum mujhe chahe jitna bhi dard do mere parivaar ko kisi tarah ki sharmindagi nahi honi chahiye aur agar tumne Prajapat ki baaton main aa kar koi aisa waisa kadam uthaya to yaad rakhna mujhe apne pati hone ka adhikaar jamana aata hai..."

" Tum mujhe dhamki de rahe ho..? "

" Samjha raha hun.. Ise lightly mat lena abhi tumne Armaan Malik ka sirf achha waala roop dekha hai... Mere liye mere apno ki khushi sabse badhkar hai samjhi..." He left the room with a warning look at her..

Ridhhima glared back and slumped into the bed after he was gone... Though she tried to be brave ,she was scared of him... His anger... What if he really did what he said..??... No he can't do that... He was just threatning...

But then the words echoed in her mind... " don't worry papa you will get what you want " she gulped... It was not the time to rub Armaan on the wrong side but she had to be watchful he had already threatend her after that hospital visit that he will teach her a lesson what if he...

She shuddered at the thought... But nonetheless got ready to go for the party...

They both entered the party hall Armaan saw her sullen face and whispered " yahaan aise muh latka kar mat raho.. smile... Aur haan tumhe kuch batana bhul gaya aaj raat tayar rehna aaj tumhe..."

" Hii Ridhhima.. Hey Armaan " he was cut short by an enthusiastic greeting from Aditi

" Hey Aditi.." He hugged her lightly " tum yahan ?! mujhe nahi pata tha ki tum aa rahi ho..."

" Wo actually mera kuch fix nahi tha mujhe nahi pata tha tum aa rahe ho ki nahi main akeli bore ho jaati magar fir wo.."

" Hey Ridhhima what a surprise.." Chirag came there smiling... " Hey Armaan how are you guys ? " he shook hands with Armaan smiling warmly...

" ab pata chala ki tum bore naa hone kaa samaan sath laayi ho " Aditi blushed and hit his arm lightly ,Chirag unaware of this small talk continued

" Aur tum... Maana ki ab tum 'pati waali' ho gayi ho magar kya hamari yaad nahi aati ? ,hospital aana kya chhod diya tum to hamein bhuul hi gayi hmm.."

Ridhhima forced a smile but Armaan replied before her " bhai wo to hai aisa tall ,handsome , dashing husband jiska ho usko dusro ke liye fursat hi kahan hogi... Hai naa Ridhhima ?! " He looked at her and winked ,Aditi and Chirag gigled... Ridhhima though was angry yet tried to smile controlling her temper...

As the party continued Ridhhima felt terribly bore there thankfully she had Aditi and Chirag to give her company but when Aditi left to look for Chirag who went with Armaan, as she felt hungry ,she asked Ridhhima to look for Armaan to have dinner together...

She started looking and found him standing at the bar with another man, she didn't recognise him, his face partly visible... probably his friend ,his back was towards her , she was about to call him when a young girl came up to him giving a big smile she couldn't hear what she said but they both got up and left... She instinctively follwed them... She was bit caught up with few guests but quickly excusing herself she found them in a secluded corner... She hid herself behind a decorative tree

" I'm not a s**t Armaan Malik !! I liked you... And i thought you had some respect for others feelings " the lady was obviously angry, throwing a dirty look at him she went away.. Ridhhima was stunned to hear it...

Then another man whom she could not see properly came to him there " so what happened ?? " a hint of curious amusement in his voice

But this time she was disturbed by her viberating cell she saw that it was Aditi probably looking for her she decided to let the phone ring..

" You see jab ghar main biwi hai to bahar kyun jaana..." he said with a shameless grin... " After all i'm married yaar..."

" of course and you said that you have a surprise planned for someone tonight.." his tone had a hint of naughtiness...

" Yes... A big one..." Even when she could not see his face she could sense the bitterness in his tone they both went back to bar... She followed them... But she had to take care that she was hidden they were again enjoying themselves when she heard Armaan talking

" ...of course shaadi karlo phir to aish hi aish hai... Bahar jaane ka mann naa ho to biwi aur agar jao bhi to kisi ko koi shak nahi... Phir bas ek bachha wachha in budhe logon ke liye.. jinka to shauk hota hai bachhe khilane ka... Ghar waale bhi khush.. Hai naa " the other man definitely agreed and they toasted their glasses...

Ridhhima was furious and for a moment was surprised at what she had heard... They continued further but it was really hard to hear them properly with loud music around... But what she heard next infuriated her even more...

" Oh yes i have slept with many but none were good enough to keep me tied... Or to give my father a grandchild..." the man laughed again... Toasting their glasses...

" Aur jab ghar par ek biwi ho to fikar Aur bachhe wachhe ho jayein to ghar waalon ka bhi muh band, phir kya hai biwi bachho main mast and you are a free man..." the other man gave a small laugh..

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned abruptly " arre Ridhhima tum ?! Armaan ko dhund rahi thi kya ? "

" Oh.. Ridhhima tum...?! " Armaan turned slowly keeping his glass on the table... " Tum kab aayi..?? " she saw that he was alone the other man was nowhere in sight but she was too furious right now to bother about anyone else

" Tabhi jab tum kuch khaas baat kar rahe the apne 'dost' se..."

" hey Ridhhima... Sweetheart i was missing you..." smiling and ignoring her tone and comment he tried to hug her but she backed off.." ohh cmmon yaar don't be shy " he leaned forward and whispered in her ear " you are going to be verry happy tonight " he winked and Ridhhima went red with anger... embarresment... She turned and walked away from him... Armaan went after her...

" Hey Ridhhima kahan jaa rahi ho ?? " He grabbed her wrist... " Running away from me huh ?? " He looked at her ,she was scared of him now..

" Leave my hand Armaan " ,they both glared at each other... Neither of them blinking... " maine tumhari saari baatein sun li hain... aur mujhe tumhare ghatiya plan ke baare main bhi pata chal gaya hai "

" plan ?! What plan ?? " then suddenly it striked him what she must be talking about " Ridhhima tum galat samajh rahi ho, wo... "

" Main bilkul theek samajh rahi hun Armaan hairaani hoti hai soch kar ki tum itna ghatiya bhi soch sakte ho..."

" Bas that's enough tum har baar apne aap bina kuch jaane sune kaise faisle le sakti ho ? Khair ,chalo yahaan se..." he gritted his teeth ,anger again burning inside him.. Why she had to be so stubborn, why can't she listen...

" Kyun sachhai bardasht nahi hui ? Ab tumhari ghatiya soch sabke saamne na aajaaye " she said sarcastically

" Ghatiya wo hota hai jo tumne us din mere sath kiya... Aur Ghatiya kya hota hai ye main aaj tumhe bata kar rahunga bas bahut ho chuka bahut seh liya maine..." his anger resurfaced remembering that day all politeness and niceties forgotton, he was about to leave with her when Aditi came there

" hey you guys ! Tum yahaan ho main kabse tum dono ko dhumd rahi hun.. Bechara Chiraag tumhe har jagah dhund raha hai... Ab chalo bhi mere paet main chuhe kuud rahe hain..."

" Aditi wo.."

" offoh saari baatein ab table par karna bhuke paet to mujse kuch suna nahi jaata " she grabbed both of them by arms and walked towards dining area...

They were very quiet during dinner both controlling themselves as they were not alone, but none forgot the others behaviour and words it was just the people around them calmed them down a bit... Just a bit... They were joined at dinner by the son of the host Soham , a handsome and very well behaved young man and Ridhhima could not help but compare Armaan and him...

Seeing the silence on the table Aditi decided to initiate some conversation ,she targetted Chirag " waise Chiraag mauka achha hai why don't you choose someone for yourself... Hmm... Maine suna hai you are single " she secretly winked at him... Chirag blushed at her comment

" haha it looks like Chirag is bit shy kyun Chirag ? " Aditi smiled at soham, but somehow she could feel that Chirag didn't like him, probably jealous cauae Soham was paying special attention to her... " bhai maine to apne liye ladki pasand kar li hai... And she is just amazing " he sipped his wine smiling

" of course Soham ko girls department main kabhi problem hui hi nahi... Kyun Soham ? " said Armaan

" well it's good then warna log ladkiyon ko paane ke liye, unke saath sone ke liye kya kya nahi karte" suddenly everybody looked at her somewhat confused that where the conversation was heading " achha banne ka naatak unke aas paas ke logon ko impress karna... Maksad sirf ek... ladki ko pana..." She said delibrately looking at Armaan " Armaan ko hi dekh lo bas ladki dikhni chahiye he can get along with anyone... kuch ladkiyan Armaan par flat aur kuch par Armaan.. Right Armaan "

Aditi seeing the situation getting tense she didn't knew why but tried to divert it

" actually Ridhhima..."

but Ridhhima didn't stop " afterall what men want, only one thing..." She looked at Armaan with hatred in her eyes she was disgusted with what she heard " Do pegs ke baad sabki sachhai baahar aa jati hai... Aur Armaan apna record kyun kharaab karega, who can resist the charm of great Armaan Malik.." She mocked at him recalling his words

Armaan burned with anger she was humiliating him in front of their friends she was portraying him as some sex starved phycho... He tightened his jaw and stood up abruptly throwing his napkin on the table

" excuse me but hum yahaan nahi ruk sakte.. Chalo Ridhhima.."

" I'm not going.."

" oh yes you are we are leaving " he grabbed her by her upper arm and made her stand others stood up too but before they could say anythimg he just pulled her gripping her arm firmly he dragged her to the car Ridhhima tried to free herself but in vain , she was sullen throughout the ride back gripping the seat tightly as he drove like maniacs fuming in anger... as they got home he pulled her out roughly...

" Leave me you psycho !! " he dragged her to their room... No one was at home... Rahul was in South Africa with BP ,Muskaan and Angira were at Muskaan's massi with Virendra and servants were probably asleep...

" Tumhe lagta hai ki all i want is sex.. Main jo bhi karta hun uska maksad sirf ladkiyon.. Taumhare sath sona hai ?! Then let me show you what it is " he slammed the door of the room shut and locked it.. he turned to her and holding her roughly pinned her to the wall... He did took some alcohol but she didn't knew he was so high... " Tum sochti ho ki main sirf tumhare sath sone ke liye yeh sab kar raha hun... tumne Sapna se yeh kaha tha na ki maine tumhare sath zabardasti karne ki koshish ki... To Ridhhima aaj main tumhe batata hun ki zabardasti kya hoti hai..." he Grabed her by arms Ridhhima cried out shouting

" Armaan ! Armaan ! leave me..." Armaan in high temper snapped away her saree... tore away her blouse Ridhhima cried out bitterly... But was helpless before his strength his nails scratched her arm... He grabbed her face and brought it close to his to kiss rather crush them and then... for the first time saw her terrified tearful face closely... she was quivering... He stopped abruptly... Ridhhime was still crying his hand held by hers in order to get herself free she stared back bit surprised at his sudden stillness... Still terrified tear stricken but a defiant fire in her eyes.. His hold loosened around her face he turned back taking few steps away from her...

" kyun kya hua ? Ruk kyun gaye ??Main hamesha se tumhare baare main sahi thi Armaan tum sirf ek matlabi aur khudgarz insaan ho jise apni khushi ke aage kuch nahi dikhta... You are a monster who has no respect of anyone feelings ,tum sirf dikhate ho ki tumhe fikar hai magar asliyat main main sirf tumhari jeeti hui ek trophy hun ,tum yahi chahte ho naa to ruk kyun gaye... Aao aur pure kar lo apne armaan... Lo noch lo mujhe... Mera mann to tum pehle hi maar chuke ho, mera pyaar cheen chuke ho... Ab is sharir ka main kya karungi lo aao aur kar lo apni ichha puri..."

Armaan's jaw tightened and he came towards her with strong determined steps... coming very close to her he held her by her shoulders tightly and brought her even closer to him with a jerk.. she didn't flinch just closed her eyes, tears streaming down expecting him to pounce upon her...To drag her to bed anytime... Armaan then bent down... she closed her eyes expecting her terrifing thoughts to turn into reality, Expecting the worse to happen... she inhaled deeply his strong muscular fragrance again hitting her nostrils, she felt his tight hold on her hand...

Armaan just stood there holding her looking at her tear sricken fear stricken pale face... His own face quiet expressionless... Then he pulled her saari pallu ... Ridhhima inhaled deeply... she felt something soft rubbing against her skin...

Expeting the worse to happen she opened her eyes and to her surprise saw Armaan covering her with the saree he just pulled away... she could not believe it... Armaan didn't look at her face covering her shoulders draping the saree around he went to the adjoining room and slowly closed the door...

Surprised yet broken and emotionally drained... She fell down on the floor and cried her eyes out... She didn't know whether she fell asleep crying or fainted...

She slept fitfully... Turning from side to side terrifying ,confusing dreams haunted her... She saw Vivek but more closer she went farther he moved she ran even faster and held his shoulder but when he turned it was not Vivek but Armaan... Her surprise broke her dream eyes still close she felt some light and with lot of effort opened them... They were bit swollen her head throbbed painfully and as she tried to move it started to spin badly... She at first could not make out why was it so... But then slowly the nights events came back to her and she opened her eyes wide and sat up... She wondered how she came to sleep on bed coz last thing she remembered was she was lying on the floor after that major... Thing... She felt too weak and rested her head on the back of the bed... Thinking what should she do now... Where life would take her now... And she seriously was considering telling the truth to both her parents and Virendra pa as well... But... There was a major but...

Thinking about it all made her head spin even morw badly... A sound made her open her eyes yet again... It was a lady with a smiling face ...

' Kaun hai yeh... ?? Yahan kya kar rahi hai ? pehle to kabhi nahi dekha...??? ' She asked her...

" Aap?? "

" Well Mrs.Malik i'm Dr.Vinita aapke husband ne bataya ki aapki tabiyat theek nahi hai..."

She could not make out what to speak... " My husband...?! "

" Yeah wo neeche hain dusre doctors ke sath... He must love you a lot... He called a whole team of doctors.." Ridhhima thought ' love my foot !! ' The doctor kept examining her... " Well it's just fever.. Nothing major but you are too weak... Little rest with diet and medicines and of course lots of love from your husband would get you going in no time..."

' Exactly doc. even i want to go... Away from here...' She thought...

" Maine medicines likh di hain take them on time..."

" I will take that..." The sound made both of them look who it was... Armaan stood right behind the doctor...

" Here you go Mr.Malik don't worry she will be just fine... You know Mrs.Malik aap ki haalat dekh kar to aapke husband aise dare hue the jaise koi bahut badi baat ho gayi ho "

" Aapke liye naa sahi doctor mere liye thi..." He spoke up with utmost sincerity doctor smiled hearing this " main chalti hun...take care "

' Huh... What a brilliant actor he is... Ab pyaar ka natak kar raha hai...' Armaan looked at Ridhhima and was about to say something when she turned her face away and closed her eyes " i don't want to see your face Armaan Malik..."

" magar Ridhhima... "

" just go away Mr.Malik " seeing fresh tears rolling from the corner of her eyes he just sighed and went out quietly...

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Taming The Wild

Part-43

The Dawn

Recap : Armaan apologises to Ridhhima for his behaviour, the misunderstanding about the lady clears and Ridhhima feels guilty, he gifts her a puppy as a token of their friendship and is asked to resume her duties at Sanjeevani...

___________________________________________________

Finally the eventful day passed and they came back... She was still wondering whether it all happened or was it a dream which she saw with open eyes... She sighed and looked at Armaan who was driving sitting along with Virendra, Muskaan was sitting next to her gently patting Angira to sleep except for the soft murmurs from Armaan and Virendra ,discussing work, there was complete silence in the car... She could see that his face was much relaxed... The worried look was gone now... She kept on stroking Leo in her lap who slept as peacefully there as Angira in Muskaan's... She sighed again only time will tell whether this 'friendship' will last or not...

And what about Vivek ? the question still hung there he never said a word about him ,maybe she should bring the topic up soon. He was right at some points, there were still many questions which needed to be answered... But she was sure of one thing... Vivek loved her... He said so... He wouldn't have left her like this without a valid reason... And of course the main reason was her 'marriage' with Armaan...

Finally they were back home wishing goodnight to each other everyone retired to their rooms...

She lay on the bed half sitting Leo by her side trying to chew a ball ,then suddenly he lost interest and came up to her trying to climb to her lap... She smiled at his cuteness and gently placed him on her stomach stroking him, he made a cooing sound and closed his eyes making himself comfortable... Her eyes went to the adjoining room whose door was half open ,she could make out from the faint glow that he must be working on his laptop... He worked too much... There were days when she wondered if he ever slept at all... Then her mind went to the night it all happened ,his care ,concern ,worry... No matter how much she tried she could point out no reason that it was fake... And now his efforts to be nice and friendly... To renew their friendship.. She sighed, they hadn't talk much after coming back, both didn't knew what to say and he went to the other room wishing her goodnight, her mind was flooded with various thoughts, she kept stroking Leo ,it was 2 in the morning when she finally fell asleep, in the meanwhile she decided she would clear out few things with him ,now that the time is more favorable, as soon as possible...

She woke up in the morning with the same beautiful smell of her favourite flowers and some soft noises, she stretched herself with a smile on her face, suddenly something struck her mind and her eyes open wide.. The door of the other room was open and he wasn't there, she looked at the watch it was 9:30, she groaned, she overslept, he must have already left for work... Sighing she got off the bed with her new follower right behind her... She would talk when he returns...

" hey Ridhhi " Muskaan came in cradling Angel in her arms

" ji bhabhi..Hey Angel ! How's my princess today ? Come to chachi beta " she almost ran to Muskaan seeing her, the baby always brought a smile on her face, the now two month old baby waved her hands enthusiastically seeing the lovely familiar face and shouted loudly...

" waah ! Yeh shayad duniya ka pehla bachha hoga jo chachi ko dekh kar maa ko bhul jaata hai " she chuckled seeing contented smiling Angel in Ridhhima's arms, as if she knew what her mom was saying...

She chuckled too " bhai wo to hai ,coz she knows that chachi loves Angel vveerryy much, just like mumma... Everybody loves our Angel.. Isn't it.. Hai naa " she tickled the baby lightly who made loud happy noise, but Muskaan's smile faded a little...

" sab nahi..." she looked at the baby bit lost,Ridhhima jerked her head up, confused, trying to understand what she meant but Muskaan was immediately back to her Muskaan mode..." tum dono ke chakkar main mein asli baat to bhul hi gayi.. Chal jaldi mandir jaana hai " Ridhhima forgot all about her momentary confusion

" mandir ?! "

" haan Angira aur tere liye ek chooti si puja rakhwayi hai "

" magar bhabhi..."

" arre kya agar magar ?! Panditji se kehkar teri nazar utarwaungi,kitni bimaar ho gayi thi meri phool si devrani, ab sab to yahi kahenge naa ki main badi khaduus hun apni behen jaisi devrani ka khayal nahi rakhti " Ridhhima chuckled again at her expressions and hugged her lovingly,she truly loved her " aur " Muskaan broke the hug with a naughty sparkle in her eyes " panditji se kahungi ki tujhe aashirwaad dein taaki jaldi se Angira ke saath khelne waala koi bhai-behen aa jaaye "

" bhhaabhii " she went red with embarrassment and groaned inwardly ,not her too ! poor Muskaan had no idea what went between her and Armaan... This wish was next to impossible !

" haahaa ab chal bhi ya yahin khadi sharmaati rahegi... Dekh kaise tamatar ki tarah laal ho gayi hai " saying so she pulled her out with her

The journey to the temple was a short one,Muskaan was a good entertainer she was always full of loads of information about everyone and everything. The way she went on with the things time just flew away with the most chirpy talkative Malik... Ridhhima now found it more easy to pay attention to her talks ,enjoy them as well ,now that her head was clear of the most of the tension,the day seemed bright and promising...

" Ridhhi tu chal main jara puja ka kuch samaan le kar aati hun " she nodded and went to panditji with Angira in her arms

" aao beta aao " panditji welcome her, he recognised her

" namaste panditji " she touched the old man's feet and he blessed her

" aur yeh Angira hai naa ? " he asked smilingly

" ji " now she remembered why the man looked familiar, he was the same pandit who came on the day when Angira was brought home and for her naamkaran ceremony too...

tumhare pati bhi aaye hain ? "

" nahi wo office gaye hain "

" haan haan.. Magar sach hai bachhe ke aane ki khushi to sabko hoti hai magar maine itna khush shayad hi pehle kisi ko dekha ho.. Wo to bas ! Haha " he laughed remembering something " takriban roz mujhe yaad dilaya jaata tha ki ghar par nayee khushi aane waali hai... Aur bola tha ki main bhagwaan se keh dun ki use kisi bhi buri nazar se bacha kar rakhe " he laughed again " kya shandar tayari ki thi bachhe ke swagat ki aur kya naam dhundha hai waah ! " the pandit was all praise for Armaan, but Ridhhima was surprised hearing it

" to pandit ji aapke paas Armaan aaye the ? Papa nahi ? " all this while she was under the impression that, that day the arrangements were done by Virendra...

" nahi beta tumhare parivaar ko to main barso se jaanta hun, Armaan ne hi sab tayyariyan karwayi thi wohi to aaya tha mere paas aur main wahin tha jab wo sab logon ko daant raha tha haha, bahut pyaar karta hai wo apni bhatiji se " he caressed Angel's head ,Ridhhima was again taken by surprise, he has again surprised her today but then she was really touched by his love and concern for little Angel, he really loved her very much... Soon she was joined by Muskaan and they sat down for the puja...

It was evening now and Muskaan left her to feed Angel and put her to sleep ,she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice when he came and stood next to her...

" kya soch rahi ho ? " he asked softly

She was startled " A.Armaan.. Tum kab aaye ? " she stood up straight

" bas abhi jab tum apne khayalo main khoyi hui thi.. " he smiled softly " kya soch rahi thi itni gehrayi se ? "

She sighed " hamare baare main "

His smile faded he became more serious now " hamare baare main? kya ? "

" yahi ki ek pyaar hai jo mujhe mil nahi raha aur ek shaadi hai jise main nibha nahi sakti... Kya karu main Armaan ? kya karu main ? kya pehchaan hai meri ? kis disha main ja rahi hai meri zindagi... Kya saari zindagi hum aise hi rahenge...?! Is tarah ek jhoote dikhawe waale rishte main..." she never raised her voice just spoke gently looking at him

" Armaan.." she tried again

" excuse me sir " they both turned

" yes Martin ? "

" sir Malik has called you to his room immediately "

" fine tell him I'm coming " he looked at her for a fleeting moment " main.. Papa se mil kar aata hun " and left, there discussion left in between ,fruitless... She sighed of course there will be a time...she wanted to bring the topic of Vivek but something or the other kept coming in between... he seemed to know what she wanted to talk about but it looked as if the time was not right.. yet...

The time passed by with usual nothings... they had small talk with each other but still there was a kind of an unseen wall between the two that neither of them knew how to scale... She wanted to talk again but he looked so tired that she dismissed the idea putting it for later maybe tomorrow,when he would be in a better mood to understand... Thinking of it she went to sleep after all from tomorrow she was going to resume her duties at Sanjeevani...

She woke up with a start, someone was shouting faintly... She switched on the bedside lamp and saw that the voice was coming from the other room, she quickly got up, little scared... She could hear faint words

"... No...plz... Mat karo.. leave her "

She went to the other room and switched on the light and saw Armaan twisting his head side to side it seemed he was having a nightmare... She quickly went near him called out...

" Armaan..." He didn't listen... She was bit hesitant at first but seeing his state she decided to wake him up she bent down next to him and shook him calling out his name..

" Armaan... Armaaann utho... Armaan.. Armaan dekho main hun Ridhhima.." She now shook him little more to wake him up, finally, opening his eyes he sat up straight panting as if he had run a long distance... he looked around bit surprised to see himself there, then he looked at Ridhhima...

" Armaan tum theek ho ?? " She couldn't help asking, feeling something that surprised herself... She felt an urge to calm him down even hug him and say everything is fine... She shook her head ' are you mad Ridhhima ?! yeh kya soch rahi hai..'

" H.haan main theek hun ..bas... Bas ek bura sapna tha..." His throat felt dry... He gulped covering his face with his palms sighing deeply trying to control his erratic heartbeat... It was the same terrorising dream again.. But ' damn !! Mujhe yaad kyun nahi maine kya dekha...' It irritated him like hell... Seeing the same dream again and again but remembering nothing but the same tit-bits

Ridhhima quickly brought a glass of water... " Armaan lo paani pi lo..."

" Armaan are.. are you okay...??? " She felt concerned even she didn't knew why but today it really worried her to see him like this...

" Magar Armaan..." she hesitated

" Ridhhima maine kaha naa ja kar so jao... Tumhe pareshan hone ki koi jarurat nahi hai..." He said it in a loud voice almost shouting at her crossly... This was quite surprising for Ridhhima it was the first time he had shouted on her... Except that day... normally it was her who did all the shouting...

" Hmm koi baat nahi..." Then her eyes fell upon the bottle one look at it and she knew that those were sleeping pills... " Armaan tum sleeping pills lete ho ?? "

" No.. not regularly... Just when it gets pretty tough..." His voice trailed off and he turned... his back facing her again... " Tum so jao bahut raat ho rahi hai..."

" Hmm..." She switched off the lights and turned to go back to bed

There was so much she didn't knew about him... She wondered what could it be that disturbs him so much... Almost everyday...she was a doctor herself and haven't seen anyone with so frequent nightmare problem... ' Armaan should consult someone... Stop it Riddhima ! ' came another voice.. ' Agar use bure sapne aate hain to tu kyun pareshan ho rahi hai...? wo koi chhota bachha to hai nahi aur Tere liye to wo hi ek bura sapna hai jise tu roz khuli aankhon se dekhti hai...' ' Magar itne frequent nightmares aam baat nahi hai... Kuch gadbad jaroor hai... And we are friends now hai naa ' said the other voice contradicting the first one.. She shook her head... ' Stop it Ridhhima warna tu pagal ho jayegi.. So jaa...' She rested her head on the pillow.. Then her eyes fell on the wall where she saw his shadow pacing up and down... again her mind started wandering... Thinking about him she fell asleep ... when... she had no idea..

She woke up earlier than usual, she was going to rejoin Sanjeevani, the thought brought a smile on her face. The idea had worked perfectly ,now she would have time to devote to both her home and work... She looked at Armaan's room it was still dark ,probably he was still sleeping, the night came before her eyes his terrified face... But she shook her head and moved towards the bathroom to freshen up...

After about quarter of an hour when she again stepped into yhe room fully dressed, she found Armaan standing there talking to Martin ,a towel still around his neck and droplets of water still falling from his head as if he forgot to dry his hair... Seeing her Martin excused himself and went away

" hey Ridhhima.. Good morning " he smiled his million dollar smile

" umm.. Wo tumhari coffee tumhara wait kar rahi hai " he pointed at a steaming cup on the table, there was a brief pause neither knew what to say " main.. Ehem.. Main change karke aata hun " he went to the wardrobe and she exhaled ,picking up the cup she inhaled the beautiful aroma

" aaahhh wonderful ! " and she sipped her coffee leisurly mentally making a note to thank and compliment Martin for making such a wonderful coffee

Later they all sat at the breakfast table...

" so partner.. Starting again huh " BP who was now back from the business trip said enthusiastically

" yes BP i'm so excited, itne din baad fir se..." she smiled, their chit chat continued thoughout the breakfast

" Ridhhima.. Chalo nahi to tum late ho jaogi " she looked up and saw him ready to leave with his coat over his arm, she sighed ,the old routine was back ,not that she despised him that much now but she wasn't really comfortable... But then she thought it would be a good oppertunity to talk about Vivek with him... Not wishing to dampen her happy mood she decided just to go along ,what harm could 30-40 minute journey do anyway...

Bidding goodbyes she came out and stood where he was, he opened the car door like a gentleman for her, she shifted to the other side making space for him,the door closed... But what was that ?! He was still standing outside !

" Armaan tum.. ? " she asked

He bent over to the window " haan mujhe laga ki it would be better, waise bhi mera jaane ka koi fixed time to hai nahi..." she felt that this was not exctly true " waise bhi driver hai, guards hain you will be fine ,here.. You forgot your cell phone and.. Have a good day " he stood up giving some instructions to the guards... The guards ! How cpuld she forget them... The ever present shadows...,guess somethings never change ,the car moved out of the driveway, she was bit disappointed as she was hoping to resume the conversation left in between... But... Maybe later

She stepped out and moved inside without bothering about anything else much... Everyone was happy to see her back again... Sapna and Chiraag were ecstatic... And no wonder here... Chiraag asked for Armaan ,how was he and all... Much to the dislike of Sapna but she tried to control herself... Though she did ask how she manged to make him agree to let her join again... She just smiled at it...

" it wasn't so bad actually... We had a kind of... Truce now " Sapna's mouth fell open hearing this

" truce ! you have lot of explaination to do gal... You better meet me first thing in the lunch break okay " she nodded almost laughing at her surprised face.. Sapna gave her a quick hug and moved on for her rounds, sighing she smiled to herself, she was lucky to have such considrate friends

" by the way Ridhhima " she stopped " where are your guards ? "

" guards ? Huh " she looked around and saw that they were not there with her, following as usual... Then her eyes fell on one of them who stood at the far end almost invisible

" why are you hiding there ? "

" we are not hiding madam " the guard looked indignant at the idea " we are there on orders "

" orders ? What orders ? Whose orders ?? "

" sir's orders madam... Armaan sir's ,he said not to follow you all around and disturb you so we will keep a distant watch from now on we will be right here just invisible " he explained as if she was a small child...

" oh.. Okay.. Thanks " another surprise... Why was he being so nice and considerate... But then she thought it's a good sign maybe he meant when he said he will be a true friend... For now she thanked him inwardly for getting this embarressing guard thing off her back...

The time just seemed to fly by today... Shashank was specially in a good mood today, when she asked why he was beaming he said he had a very good news for her.. But he said probably her mother or Anjali would like to tell her... If she hadn't been busy with an emergency case she would have coaxed out the information out of her father... She hated suspense... But her work made her forget everything

" hey Ridhhima " she turned and saw Chiraag coming towards her a polite smile on his face

" hey Chiraag "

" kahan jaa rahi ho ? "

" bas cafeteria tak... Socha coffee pi lun.. Aur tum ? "

" main bhi wahin jaa raha tha come let's have a cup together "

They sat in the not so crowded cafeteria sipping coffee, Chiraag looked lost but not in a disappointing way it was as if he was at peace with something..

" kya soch rahe ho Chiraag ? "

" kuch nahi bas... Ridhhima.. you are really lucky ki tumhe Armaan jaisa jeevan saathi mila hai " she was totally surprised, she had no clue where Armaan came in from suddenly, her surprised look would have explained her confusion

" huuh tumhe nahi pata ? "

" about what ? "

" i owe my love to him Ridhhima "

" Aditi ?! " she asked surprised, and he nodded ,Ridhhima knew it was love at first sight for Chiraag and Aditi and it was definitely some soul mate thing between the two.. " kya hua ? Is everything all right "

" well now it is..." she waited for him to elaborate " well you know us din jab hum us party main mile the.. Soham ki paty main " he said the name as if he had something bitter in his mouth

" haan to ? " how could she forget that day... Night

" well... " he inhaled deeply " Aditi ke parents ne... Ya yeh kahein Soham ke parents ne Aditi ko pasand kar liya tha apni bahu ke liye " Ridhhima remembered the time when Soham said he had selected a girl

" but she loves you Chiraag and you love her "

" but Soham is way well off than me Ridhhima " he said as matter of fact

" oh cmmon Chiraag this isn't all about money "

" no it isn't but i thought so and i was an idiot... Thank god Armaan made me realise what was i losing and to whom "

" Armaan ?! Chirag can you speak in a language that i understand ! " he chuckled at her impatience

" well baat yeh thi ki maine Aditi ke parents ko Soham ke parents se baat karte hue suna and Soham se to tum mili ho.. He is such a 'handsome educated' boy that too from a 'well to do' family... Har beti ke maa baap ke sapno ka damaad, he smirked Ridhhima too recalled Soham from that day ,she too found him a smart and lovable boy " huuuh hua yeh ki maine dekha ki Soham har tarah mujhse better hai aur... Aur wo Aditi ko pasand bhi karta hai wo bhi kaafi pehle se.. maine tabhi soch liya tha ki i will forget all about her.. "

" no way ! "

" just listen... Armaan then found me all broken ,he gave me a shoulder to lean on and i told him everything "

" anndd ?? "

" it so happened ki hamare pyaare Soham ji itne seedhe hain nahi jitne dikhte hain " she was again confused " basically he is the worst i have ever seen ,rotten... He wanted to get married just for his parents sake, Soham is a kind of man who uses woman and throw them away he was looking for a girl jo biwi bankar uski zaruratein puri karti rahe aur uske maa baap ko pota poti de de taaki wo baahar bina kisi rok tok ke ayyashi kar saake... yeh uski life ki philosophy hai aur yahi uska aim... Armaan ne mujhe Soham ke baare main bataya ki wo kaisa hai magar main maanne ke liye tayar hi nahi tha guess i suffered from complex phir usne khud Soham ke muh se saari baatein nikalwaayi... Usne khudko uski so called philosophy ka follower bataya bas phir kya tha usne saari baatein ugal di... Yaad hai jab tum mujhe mili thi bar ke paas main tab chup kar unki hi baatein sun raha tha "

Ridhhima was stunned, that was Soham that day ! Not Armaan... all the words of Armaan that day came before her... She felt terribly guilty of thinking soo wrong about him, it was not Armaan who thought that way it was Soham ! And he was helping Chiraag to see though him and she blamed him for thinking that way... Tears of remorse formed in her eyes... But she hid them from Chiraag

" agar Armaan nahi hota to shayad main kabhi dekh hi nahi paata ki main kitna galat tha aur apna pyaar kho baithta... Agar Aditi ke saath aisa kuch bhi hota to.." he shuddered " main zindagi bhar Armaan ka shukraguzaar rahunga ki usne mujhe meri zindagi ki sabse badi bhul karne se bacha liya.. apna pyaar khona duniya main jeete ji mar jaane ke barabar hai Ridhhima..."

Ridhhima was now lost... She felt so tiny , so petty now... She had always thought that she was right but she misjudged him... Ofcourse uske baad jo hua wo kaafi kuch uski hi galti thi, she wronged him... She felt terrible... Criaag left her after some time as there was an announcement for him... she moved absentmindedly in the corridors

" Ridhhhimaa " she stopped and saw her mother coming towards her enthusiastically, a smile came on her face and she hugged her tightly

" ohh Riddhii i'm soo happy.." Padma was bubbling with energy and happiness... Just like Shashank in the morning

" mom kya baat hai ? Aap itma khush dikh rahe ho ? " she smiled with her mother swept away with her enthusiasm

" baat hi kuch aisi hai.. Chalo tumhare papa ke cabin main chalte hain "

" moom kuch bolo bhi "

" what ???! " she jumped up with surprise " mom.. W..What should i say.. It's..It's wonderful news.. But..but mom isn't it too... Late "

" late ?! Oh cmmon Ridhhima what are you talking about ! i was dying to hear this news "

" mom i mean... Of course i would love my brother or sister but..." she was little embarressed thinking about her mother getting pregnent at this age...

" wait a minute... Brother or sister ! " she looked at her horrified " Ridhhima you silly ! I was talking about Anjali and Atul... THEY are going to have a baby... Weren't you listening when i said baby in the family ! " Ridhhima was mortified now... She thought...

" huuhh thank god ! Its not you it would have been highly embarressing... You are sure about this naa "

" Rriiidhhhiimaaa " her mother ran in that room threatning to beat her highly embarressed at what she had thought... She ran around laughing and then they both crashed on the sofa laughing so hard that their eyes started watering... That was a wonderful news indeed... She called Anjali immidiately and chatted for long...

Padma went away and the day dragged on the happiness of the Anjali's news seem to wear off and more she went around in the hospital more she remembered about Vivek... It was after months that she was near to his memories again it was as if he was fading away and she was terrified at the thought.. That she might forget him and never see him again... What is she going to say to him when he comes back... That she didnt fought for him... The thoughts made her gloomy and depressed the day which seemed promising now seemed bleak and dark she gathered her things and walked out to her car... Tears threatened to fall from her eyes any time now... She chatted with Sapna and that refreshed the past memories even more...

Chiraag's words echoed in her mind 'apna pyaar khona duniya mein jeete ji mar jaane ke barabar hai Ridhhima'

she could contain herself no more and sobbed remembering Vivek... Where she had come... What is she going to do... She walked quickly to the parking lot thankfully it was dark and noone would notice her crying, she wanted to hug someone and cry her eyes out, she felt terribly lonely and lost

she kept walking absent mindedly when someone grabbed her wrist, she gasped and looked at the person.to her great surprise she saw that it was Armaan ,he must be waiting there to pick her up... She didn't knew what came into her unknowingly she rushed to him and hugged him crying... he was totally surprised at her reaction and was worried too...

he stood there speechless for a moment then wrapped his arms around her and spoke softly " Ridhhima... Ridhhima kya hua ? Are you okay ? Kuch to bolo Ridhhima " But she kept sobbing

" kisi ne tumse kuch kaha ? " she shook her head " koi ladayi ya baat hui ? " she shook her head again...he fell silent then and waited till she calmed down a bit... It was then she realised that she was engulfed in a pair of strong arms she almost forgot why she was crying at the first place his embrace was so assuring... so comferting and warm it sheltered her from the cold outside and pain inside... Suddenly realising where she was she freed herself quickly, mortified, she was acting real jerk today.. first Padma now him...

" i..i'm sorry " she didn't met his gaze, she knew his x-ray eyes must be searching her face,but he said nothing

" it's okay... Chalo ghar chalte hain " she quietly sat in his car, the journey back home was made in complete silence

She stood outside in the balcony gazing at the dusky sky ,he brought her a cup of her favourite coffee and a glass of juice for himself...

" huuh.. Kya soch rahi ho ? " he gave her the cup

" kuch nahi... "

" to aaj kya hua tha ? " Fresh tears welled up in her eyes, he sighed again " it's okay tumhe kuch bolne ki jarurat nahi hai... Chalo mere saath "

" kahan ? " she looked at him abruptly

" trust me " holding her hand he took her inside making her sit on the bed.. He brought the phone in front of her.. He quickly dialled a number and turned on the speaker

" hello John Hopkins Hospital " a heavy voice spoke out

" Yes i want to talk to Dr. Vivek i'm calling from India " her eyes opened wide at the name

" Sir he had left the hospital long back " the lady must have known him

" But how can he leave his internship in between.." Ridhhima spoke up surprised

" Probably you don't know but his internship completed about three-four months ago and he was now a doctor... But suddenly he resigned and went away "

" Do you have any idea where ?? "

" Sorry sir we don't know... Even his friends here have no idea where he has gone... He didn't left any numbers or address to contact at..."

Ridhhima was so shocked and surprised, Armaan kept a hand over hers

" Thank you " he cut the call

" teen mahine pehle ?? Yaani jab hamari shaadi hui tab vivek ki internship khatam ho chuki thi..?? Usne mujhse jhoot kyun bola?? Armaan kya tum yeh baat jaante the "

" nahi.. Jab meri usse baat hui tab mujhe nahi pata tha ki uski internship khatam hone waali hai.. Ya ho chuki hai mere sources.. Ne yahi bataya ki he's an intern... Aur shaadi ke baad jaisa maine tumne waada kiya tha maine kisi ko bhi use pareshan karne se mana kar diya... Uske baad aaj tak meri usse koi baat nahi hui aur naa hi mulakat... Kya tumhari... "

She shook her head she was totally shocked... If had resigned why hadn't he come back... Why hadn't he contacted... Probably he's still scared of Armaan

" Don't worry Ridhhima , i think he is scared of me " as if he heard her thoughts " but hey i promise you.. As a friend.. I will find him for you..." she looked at him in total disbelief...

" trust me... ek baar wo mil jaayega to sab baatein clear ho jayengi.."

A bright ray of hope touched her ,she was still unable to think any wrong about him, something must have happened " Magar Armaan ab hum Vivek ko kaise dhundenge..?? "

" Don't worry Ridhhima i have my sources... i promise main usko dhund kar rahunga aur tumhe usse jarur milwaunga..." He smiled at her assuringly... " Magar usse pehle tumhe mujhse ek waada karna hoga.."

" Waada ?! "

" Haan waada..." he bent down before her ,now she sat on the bed and he by her side on folded knees " Tum ab kabhi rougi nahi... Chahe kuch bhi ho and you will be happy... Promise ? "

She smiled tearfully and nodded... " That's like a good girl ab chalo chal kar ice cream khaate hain... A new flavour cocoa butter berry..."

" Armaan ice-cream ab ? "

" dekho plz mana mat karna... Agar tum chalogi to shayad Martin mujhe kitchen main aane de please, and you promised you will be happy now "

She wiped her tears and nodded he smiled and grabbing her hand took her downstairs to the kitchen... From the corner of his eyes he kept watching her... She was lost in the thoughts thinking deeply about what she came to know just now... He sighed inwardly... It's going to be hard ... Very hard... For both...

The next few days passed and she kind of became more normal... Somehow she trusted that Armaan was not lying to her and she will see Vivek again... She was dying to know where he was, and why he didn't came back to her ? And why he never contacted her... Sometimes it filled her with rage and sometime with disappointment... But Armaan was always by her side assuring her that he had set his men all over to look for him but she has to be patient he could be anywhere in this big world... She understood and tried to keep her promise by not crying and be cheerful as much as she can... Though there were times when awkward silence surrounded them... Armaan still hesitated to call Vivek by name and called 'work abroad still in progress' whenever she asked from him, now she had stopped asking about him on his request that day...

" Ridhhima please don't doubt me for a moment... As soon as i find anything about him i will inform you first " she could see the sincerity in his words and trusting him she stopped asking him though he himself kept her updated... Time to time...

She woke up as usual in the morning and saw him coming in from balcony outside, scratching his head yawning broadly..

" goood morning "

" good morning...aaj tum jaldi uth gaye ? " she smiled a little, he stood there eyes half shut, nose little red, hair ruffled... He looked like a big baby just out of bed

" haan wo aaj thoda jaldi jaana hai..magar aaj to tumhe hospital nahi jaana naa tum jaldi kyun uth gayi ? "

" aise hi i like getting up early...Armaan " he stopped on his way to the room and turned

" hmm "

" Armaan tum ab subah subah chhenkte nahi ? " a smile came up to his lips

" Nahi.. actually i do.. it's something I can't control " he said smiling sheepishly

" Magar maine tumhe itne dino se chhekte suna nahi "

" Wo actually mujhe pata hai tumhari neend kharab hoti hai mere zor zor se cheekne se isliye main bahar chhekta hun ya fir bathroom main jahan tumhe awaaz naa aaye aur tumhari neend kharab naa ho..."

He sat in the office thinking about her... Though things seemed to have improved yet he could sense the hesitation in her behaviour but then he thought about what she had been through and decided that he must be patient... He was at his best behaviour and as casual as possible but still there was that unseen wall between them, she still felt uneasy and cautious whenever they were alone together.This behaviour thoigh unconscious hurt him he wanted to see her real smile, real laughter ... Real her... He remembered when they used to fight earlier there used to be a sparkle in her eyes whenever he cracked those silly jokes and she found it hard to control her laughter no matter how she tried he knew when she was laughing but now when they are 'friends' there is peace but no sparkle...

then suddenly an idea clicked his mind.. Yes he will do that... It had always worked.. It will bring his real Ridhhima back... He quickly opened a drawer and took out a book grinning to himself...

" be ready for the assault Mrs.Malik, i'm coming "

He came back from office early that day but found the room empty ,Maria was putting on the new bed sheets...

" Maria.. Where's Ridhhima ? "

" she's in the garden baba... Should i tell her that you are back "

" no it's okay i will see her myself " quickly changing into more comfertable clothes he reached the garden and found her sitting under his favourite tree in the grass with Leo playing by her side, she was engrossed in a book absentmindedly stroking him...

" good evening princess " his voice startled her, she sat up abruptly

A flash of fear passed her face, he was disturbed to see it

" i'm sorry.. I surprised you "

" n..no it's okay... Tum kab aaye ? " he could see her body getting tense ,she sat up more alertly setting her dupatta well which was already in it's place but still... He felt a pang of guilt in his heart... He was right the memory of that night was clear in her mind still ... He sighed...

" Ridhhima.." She turned to face his soft voice " kya tumhe ab bhi mujhse darr lagta hai..? "

" To phir tumhare chehre par yeh pareshaani si kyun rehti hai..? Yeh tanaav kyun aa jaata hai...? Maine tumhe dekha hai kaapte hue... Kyun Ridhhima..?? Kya ab bhi tumhare mann main mere us din ki harkat.. "

" Nahi Armaan.. A..aisi koi baat.. " but he cut her in mid sentence

" then don't ever be afraid of me Ridhhima... I'm your friend,trust me.." He smiled at her reassuringly ,she sighed looking in those mesmerising grey eyes... a battle started again heart said 'trust him' and mind said 'be careful still...' shaking her head she smiled a little..

" Of course... And mujhe tumse darr nahi lagta..."

" Really oh i see... Well mujhe to tumse bahut darr lagta hai.. Pata nahi kab Ridhhima se Ri-dim-ba ban jao.. Aur mujhe kachha kha jao..."

Ittook her a moment to grasp what he had said and then her mouth opened in surprise.. He was comparing her to a mythological lady demon Hidimba !

" Armaan ! Tum.. Tumne mujhe HIDIMBA kaha ?! "

" Oh no yaar it's actually RI-DIM-BA not silly HI-DIM-BA..." he laughed out loudly seeing her even more surprised angry face... She picked up a stick nearby and ran behind him...

" Armaan you silly.. idiot.. Main tumhe rakshasni lagti hun... You just wait ,main tumhe sach main kha jaungi..." he ran for his life

" hey ! Ridimba.. Oh no ! no ! i mean Ridhhima... Cool down.. Oh man ! Ab to sach main rakshasni lag rahi ho "

" really you just wait...i'll show you.. now why are you running " she yelled behind him " ab main tumhe sach main Ridimba ban kar dikhati hun "

What a scene it was Armaan ran ahead yelling bachao bachao with Ridhhima behind holding a stick and little Leo behind her holding his chew stick, clearly on her side... That day the cracks were visible in the icy glass wall which seperated the two... A real laughter was heard after days... Months... Everything was actually turning normal... ____________________________________________________

Taming The Wild

Part-45

I Love You My Angel

Recap:- Ridhhima finds out about the 'real' coffee maker... Both go for a trip to Manali, Armaan spends some quality time with her... Get stuck due to landslide and finally Ridhhima notice that something's wrong between Armaan and Muskaan...

___________________________________________________

Mumbling to herself angrily , embarrassed.. mortified she walked into the wardrobe

" samajhta kya hai apne aap ko ? zara bhi sharam nahi hai.. Aise karte hain kya kisi ladki ke sath !? Idiot , bevkoof ! " she kept mumbling ,stuffing her 'thing' away with other 'things'... As she turned to go she saw his coat lying on the floor under his massive coat line

" mujhe to itna kaha aur apne kapde dekhe hain ? Theek se rakhe bhi nahi jaate " she walked up there but another worry now engulfed her how is she going to face him now... She noticed that she now-a-days has become an expert on how to create most embarrassing moments, sighing she decided that there was no way out he won't leave such an opportunity to laugh at her...

As she drew out the hanger her eyes fell on something... It was the same locker she found that day.. But today it was 'with' key...

' Armaan ke paas jewellery box ?! Jaroor koi keemti cheez hogi..'

She didn't take it out, she found a CD with proposal written on it , thinking it must be about business she kept that back, then she saw that at the far back a photo frame was kept- face down, little away from other things... But before she could see it another thing caught her eyes... It was a diary, infact two, She picked up one ,she knew it was his diary as she had seen it in his hands many times...hesitating for a moment she picked it... Her all-so-proper brain warning her that it's not good to read others diary without their permission... But curiosity got better of her...

' To all the shitheads who are currently reading this now it means that you have been successful in obtaining the key to my locker. But before you f**k my privacy take a moment and think, what will you get from it ? What are you trying to do ? Is it something worth risking my friendship and trust for ? ' Ridhhima suddenly felt very conscious and bad she was about to shut it and keep it back when she saw the next line

' Now that you have it in your hands I don't think you will think on these points, but if you do then it will be a very nice thing to do and after reading if you put my diary back to where it was, I would be very thankful to you...' She giggled and the decision of keeping it back was just forgotten

' I started writing for myself because there are things that I can't talk to anyone about.. And even if I do ,I know I would not be true to myself in doing so...' She read on ' the reason I don't want anyone to read it is simple ' because I don't want anyone to read it ' . This is exclusively for me I don't want anyone to read my private thoughts and poke fun at them...' She read on debating whether to read on or not...

' However, if you are still going to read it, then take into account the following points and proceed on your own risk...'

" Well I think I'll take the risk..." She giggled and continued

1. Don't get caught while reading it, that may be the last moment of your life.

2. If you try to disclose the details to anyone else, you'll be listening to your voice the last time because then your tongue will be ripped and rolled around your throat

3. If you try to poke fun at me with indirect jibes, you'll be hit at a special place that would hamper your right to be a parent in this lifetime..'

she rolled her eyes " Armaan tumse aisi hi umeed ki ja sakti hai..." She continued

4. If you don't get caught and are smart enough to save your ass. Take note that you will die in the pool of your vomit and your stinky soul will burn in hell till eternity

Her mouth opened with shock, disgust, surprise amusement all mixed..." eww disgusting ! "

That's all I have to say and DON'T TAKE IT AS A JOKE because everything written here is true...

She covered her mouth to stop from laughing out aloud... The beginning was really something so Armaan like... Shaking from laughter she turned the page

' if you are still alive then you must be really lucky... and if you are wondering about the warning then let me tell you that it is necessary this 'David the peeking diary Tom' never leaves the opportunity to read my diary.. Maine isko hindi sikha kar bahut badi musibat mol le li ' she chuckled... This David must be his friend , the date confirmed her thoughts, it was dated way back when he wasn't in India...

She went ahead few pages and started reading again...

" Teen din ho gaye aaj hospital main ab jaa kar kuch likhne ki haalat ban paayi hai... Lekin isse achha to shayad kuch ho hi nahi sakta tha main to bekar hi darr raha tha... Ab main sach main believe karne laga hun... It's all for the best.. Hehe... It's heaven... Har jagah itni khoobsurti bikhri hui hai ki basss... sab ek se badkar ek..."

She raised her eyebrows reading it, she remembered how he used to flirt with every beautiful girl in the hospital... She continued

" magar un sabse alag ek... Ridhhima... Koi itna simple ho kar bhi sabse jyada sundar kaise ho sakta hai..." this really took her by surprise " Magar hai puri Hitler... Jab dekho daanti rehti hai... Itne saalo main kisi ki himmat nahi hui mujhse unchi aawaaz main baat karne ki aur yeh madam itne saalo ki saari kasar puri kar rahi hain...'

" you deserved it " she said to herself and continued reading

" Roz daanti hai... Roz kadwi kadwi dawai de deti hai khane ke liye aur main jab tak kha naa lun sar par hi khadi rehti hai ki main kahin unhe feik na dun... (Which was my initial plan does she has a sixth sense or what...) Kaam nahi karne deti... kuch dhang ka khana khane ke liye to main taras gaya hun...Pata nahi kaun se janam ka badla le rahi hai mujhse... Aur jab gusse main ungli utha kar warning deti hai to puri gabbar lagti hai..." Ridhhima looked up with slight anger...

" Main hitler hun... Gabbar lagti hun... Mr. Malik you are so dead today... Huh..." She then opened up the diary again and saw that leaving few lines there was something written ,as if an afterthought...

' The cutest gabbar there can ever be...' And this brought a smile on her face all anger forgotton ...

" ohh Armaan , ab tumse koi gussa bhi nahi ho sakta..."

" really ! you are not angry with me ? "

She startled at the sudden voice and the diary fell down from her hands.. Armaan saw what fell down and his smile vanished, he came there quickly and picked up the diary before she could

" Ridhhima ! This is my diary ! tum meri diary padh rahi thi ?! " she fumbled for words " kya tumhe kisi ne sikhaya nahi ki kisi aur ki cheezein unki permission ke bina nahi leni chahiye !? " he was really angry. Ridhhima felt really bad ,she knew she did wrong but why he has to yell like that " kya padha tumne ? " he roared " main kuch puch raha hun Ridhhima "

She trembled a little " k..kuch nahi bas jab tum hospital main the tab.. Mujhe gabbar keh rahe the "

" aur ?! " he inquired angrily

" aur bas tumhari warning.. Bas aur kuch nahi.. Phir tum aa gaye " tears started welling up in her eyes " I.. I'm sorry Armaan, mujhe tumse puche bina locker nahi kholna chahiye tha " He looked at her again and ran his fingers in his hair , trying to calm himself " main jaanti hun mujhe koi haq nahi banta aise bina puchhe..."

He looked at her again and knew that his harshness has hurt her, he held her by her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes

" No Ridhhima ! Listen to me, haq banta hai, yeh tumhara bhi ghar hai, yahan ki har cheez par tumhara adhikar hai samjhi. kabhi bhi aisa mat sochna ki tumhara haq nahi hai agar tumhara haq nahi hai to kisi ka bhi nahi hai " he stressed his words trying to convey that he meant it ,he loosened his grip realising what he was doing ,sighing looking in those scared confused eyes he spoke again, more softly

" look.. I'm sorry... magar kuch baatein hain Ridhhima jo main kisi se share nahi karta aur shayad kar bhi nahi paunga... Tumse bhi nahi... Please, I hope you can understand... I'm sorry... but that's personal... Very personal "

She could see that he was really feeling bad for shouting at her " of course Armaan, I can understand but I'm still sorry "

" me too " and he gave a small smile, with that the tensed atmosphere cooled a bit " thanks for understanding " he breathed in, keeping the diary back he locked the locker and went away with the key apologizing again for his crazy behaviour... Leaving her surprised and confused

She too let it go ,this was one of the 'mysterious Armaan days' though she wondered what was written in those diaries that scared him so much' that was soo personal... The day passed and the topic was never brought up again ,the good thing that happened because of this was ' the lacy thing ' was not brought up either... But that didn't spare her from his PJ's !!

It was a lovely evening Rahul and Armaan were strolling in the garden with Angel in her pram... She enjoyed the new surroundings while both men discussed business, it was then Rahul's cell started ringing... The shrill voice must have scared the little angel coz she started rolling in her pram

" Armaan Angel ko dekh zara, it's an important call " Rahul went little away to talk, while Armaan sat before Angel trying to pacify her

" hey Angel, what happened beta ?? Meri princess darr gayi.." but the child was in no mood for the babyish talk, she started crying.. " heyy kya hua baby.. Why are you crying ?? " Armaan now panicked what to do " bhai , bhai !! " he called Rahul " she's crying , yahan aao "

Rahul on the other hand was on an important call ,he covered the phone with his hand " Armaan this is important.. Pick her up ,she just need some patting "

Now he was scared even more, he looked at his hands and rubbed them quickly on his trousers " god ! Ab kya karun... Aise.. Nahi aise " he debated with himself on how to hold the baby " god maine to kabhi baby uthaya bhi nahi aur..." then he looked at the baby " shh shh chup baby look here " he tried to divert her to some squeky toys but to no avail the wailing grew louder " ohh baby why you have to be so delicate " he looked at Rahul again for help but he just signalled him to pick her up... Scowling... He nodded scared and with beating heart picked her up but then was again lost..

" ab kya karun ?! " the baby was held in mid air in his hands at an arms distance !! The baby added to his trouble by wailing in the loudest pitch ever !

Seeing this Rahul could wait no longer he quickly end his call and rushed there..

He took Angel from him " it's okay baby papa is here... Don't cry baby.. Mera bachha.." he pacified the baby who went bit quiet after being in familiar arms, he then turned to Armaan who seemed too relieved " Armaan aise uthate hai kya bachhe ko...?? " He patted the baby gently, but was visibly angry

" Bhai I was trying but she won't stop aur.. and she's a girl not a boy ki.."

" she's a baby Armaan.. And so what if it's a girl ! mujhe nahi pata tha ki you were so stuck up ! I love my baby aur agar tumhe ladkiyon se itni hi problem hai to fine, just stay away from her, Muskaan theek hee keh rahi thi you have changed.. have your own kid probably then you will understand.."

" Bhai.. bhai aap galat samajh rahe ho bhai main.." but Rahul was gone ,he never felt so helpless... What should he do to make them understand...

He came back to the room ,Ridhhima was sitting there on the couch feet resting on the table busy reading a case file.. She looked at his sad and troubled face..

" Ridhhima.."

" Haan... Kya hua ? "

" Ridhhima... Ridhhima I love Angel you know naa.." She looked at him confused " phir wo bhai..."

" Rahul bhaiyya ?! Kya Rahul bhaiyya Armaan..? " He opened his mouth to say something then looked at the door, no words came out of his mouth Ridhhima kept watching him expecting him to say something thousand emotions crossed his face but no words came out of his mouth ,he just looked at her and sighed heavily..

" Kuch nahi.." Ridhhima was surprised at his behaviour she knew something was wrong... But what ??... He turned to go to the other room

" Armaan wait " she came upto him " Armaan sach sach batao kya hua ? " she waited for him to speak

" Ridhhima actually wo..." he met her expectant gaze.. He sighed she could see that he was debating whether to tell her or not... What was it that was troubling him so much and that has created a kind of rift between one of the most loving relationship she had seen... " Wo aaj.."

" Maam.. Muskaan madam is calling you for tea.." Martin announced

" Okay Martin I'm coming " for once she was truly irritated with Martin for interrupting, he was about to say something " haan to tum kya keh rahe the ? " Trying to resume where they left..

" Kuch nahi... Koi baat nahi hai Ridhhima tum bas aise hi pareshan hoti rehti ho..." Suddenly he was his usual self but she could swear that just a moment ago, before they were interrupted by Martin, he was seriously trying to say something

She knew it was useless now the moment was gone... He won't budge now.. He gave a small smile which she knew was fake and went to the room

She just stood there trying to understand what happened just now " Magar main jaan kar rahungi Mr.Malik ki aakhir baat kya hai..." with this resolve to herself she went down to meet Muskaan... She couldn't bring up the topic then as Virendra and BP were there too.. She decided that she will ask her later privately

That night she again woke up with his groaning sound, this time it didn't scared her ,she knew he was having nightmare again... She went to the room and woke him up gently... He was startled to see himself in the room again...

" No Armaan ! " She took away the bottle from his hand

" Lekin Ridhhima main sounga kaise ? Aise mujhe neend nahi aayegi.. I need them please " He pleaded

" Nahi Armaan no pills.. Yeh solution nahi hai, aur sirf isliye ki you had a nightmare you can't have these all the time "

" I told you before ,don't take them all the time except when required.. Like now " He tried to reason

" Nahi Armaan.. " she was still not willing " here.. take your pillow and lie down " she gave him his favourite long pillow which was lying down on the floor.. probably it fell off .He wasn't much convinced but couldn't argue either, taking the pillow he snuggled upto it " better ? " she asked

" No " he said flatly, not happy for not giving him the pills

She sighed and sat by his bedside on the floor " Armaan trust me ,i'm a doctor and your friend ,you don't need these.. Just apni aankehin band karo aur sone ki koshish karo ,trust me neend aa jayegi... Apni dost ki itni baat to maan sakte ho naa " She said softly trying to calm him

He couldn't say no to that " Aur agar nahi aayi to ?? What if I see nightmare again ?? Main aise akele nahi so sakta..."

" Kuch nahi hoga Armaan just close your eyes, achha theek hai ,jab tak tumhe neend nahi aa jaati main yahin hun.. Ab to koi problem nahi hogi naa..." He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it and shook his head " good ab aankehin band karo "

He was reluctant to close them coz he wanted to see her more and was unsure about the nightmares too but the assurance that she was there with him was enough to bring all peace he wanted... Finally the tiredness ,both mental and physical, took over and he slept again clutching his pillow...

She checked if he was sleeping well and found that he was soundly asleep, she looked at the bottle in her hand it was a new one, that meant that he had already consumed the first... With the frequency of his nightmates it was no surprise.. But she decided that she must not let him make it a habit.. He could get addicted to it, if he's not already

' Fine Armaan from now on i'll regulate your pill dose.. And these nightmares... They have to be taken care of as well..' she looked at him now sleeping peacefully, covering him with blanket properly she came back to bed...

' so that means if I just check on his mood his nightmares can be controlled.. Great ! You are brilliant Ridhhima ' she smiled and closed her eyes relieved at finding the answer...

The next day was Sapna's wedding and as usual he was bowled over by her beauty...

" ehem.. Ridhhima "

" haan " she looked at him in the mirror busy brushing her hair

" tum kyun bechari Sapna ki shaadi barbaad karna chahti ho "

" what ?! " she turned to face him " main sapna ki shaadi !? "

" well of course.. Agar tum itna saara makeup laga kar sundar ban kar jaogi to us bechari ko koi dekhega hi nahi.. Aur Amit agar usne Sapna se shaadi ke liye mana kar diya to... No ! no !... Aow " a hair brush hit him straight on his stomach

" got your answer.. Tumhe to theek se compliment dena bhi nahi aata, pata nahi tumhari girlfriends kaise jhelti thi tumhe " she got up picking her purse mumbling, when suddenly he held her arm and pulled her... She crashed on his chest... He held her by her waist... She was totally surprised... He looked directly into her eyes and spoke in his husky sensuous voice

" aapko suraj kahun magar usme aag hai, aapko chaand kahun magar usme daag hai," he bent forward " aapko geet kahun par uska to raag hai.. " his cheek brushed her's and lips milimeters away from her ear, her heartneat rose as his masculine scent reached her and unknowingly her hold tightened on his shoulder ,he moved back looking into her eyes again there was a momentary pause their eyes locked... then... he smiled, his naughty smile " aapko bandariya kahun par kambakht usme bhi dimaag hai " and he burst into laughter... It took a moment for Ridhhima first to control her erratic heartbeat and then not to kill him

" Armaaannn , main tumhe chhodungi nahi..." she ran behind him her purse raised ,ready to hit him and with other she held her saree... They ran into the corridor

" arree arre Ridhhi araam se kya kar rahi hai " Muskaan stopped her

" bhabhi dekh lo Armaan ko mujhe bandariya keh raha hai.. Kya main bandariya lag rahi hun ? "

Muskaan looked at Armaan " tu bhi naa Ridhhi kiski baaton main aa rahi hai.. Iski to aadat ho gayi hai dusro ka dil dukhane ki " she still looked at him, Ridhhima looked at Muskaan then at Armaan his smile gone now ,something was wrong,

" Ridhhima main neeche car main wait kar raha hun.. Jaldi aana.." with a glance at Muskaan he went away

" bhabhi.. "

" kuch nahi, wo bas bolta rehta hai.. You are looking verryy beautiful today " and she put a small kajal mark " kahinn nazar na lag jaaye "

" ohhh bhabhi, love you " she hugged her lovingly " achha main chalti hun warna phir koi nayee baat le kar mera mazaak udayega "

In the car he was quiet ,not even doing his favourite work of teasing her " Armaan are you okay ? "

" h..haan kyun ? Mujhe kya hua ? "

" nahi abhi to ghar par itna bol rahe the aur ab itne chup ho "

" nahi bas kuch soch raha tha "

" kya ? "

" aise hi kuch office ka matter tha "

" magar.."

" lo I think we're there " he pointed ahead to the big wedding place, she knew he wasn't telling the truth ,he wasn't thinking about some office work it was definitely about Muskaan... But what...

She got out of the car ,he came to her side and gave her his arm to hold... She took it smilingly not wishing to dampen his mood further, she knew patience was the key...

" Ridhhima " she looked at him " I wasn't lying when I said you will look better then Sapna... Tum sach main bahut sundar lag rahi ho "

Suddenly she felt conscious of his gaze, his husky voice raised her heartbeat ,an involuntary blush rose to her cheeks

" th..thanks " she looked away and he smiled this was all she could manage, soon she was surrounded by her other friends and even Sapna waved at her from the stage.. She was really loved by all...

It was time to meet bride and groom, they sat together at the big dining table . Sapna met Ridhhima warmly and Armaan formally.. He could see that she hadn't forgotton what he'd said to her before their marriage...

" Sapna.. Tum abhi tak naraaz ho mujhse.. Look i'm sorry what I said to you earlier, kya tum mujhe maaf nahi kar sakti.. Kya main Ridhhima jaise tumhara dost nahi ban sakta "

" look Mr. Armaan Malik mujhe aapse dosti karne ka koi shauq nahi hai.. The only reason i'm tolerating you is Ridhhima... For some wierd reason she looks happy.. And as long as she is happy i'm fine... Don't think ki uska saath dene ke liye koi nahi hai samjhe " Amit held her hand to calm her down and looked apologetically at him

To her surprise instead of gettimg angry or annoyed he smiled " it's okay Amit ,and Sapna i'm really happy to see that Ridhhima has such good friend as you, aur rahi saath ki baat to main bhi Ridhhima ka saath hi dena chahta hun... Zindagi bhar ke liye... Tumhari tarah mere liye bhi uski khushi hi sabse zyada mayne rakhti hai, tumhari soch se kahin zyada..."

She was now at loss of words " well.. Fine... I'll see , magar agar tumne kabhi bhi use pareshan kiya to..."

" to tum apna belan le kar kabhi bhi mujhe marne aa sakti ho "

Amit burst into laughter hearing this " don't underestimate her man, she can hit really hard " and even Sapna could not stop her smile and glare at him..

" Armaan tumne khana khaya ? " Ridhhima came there with a baby in her hand

" nahi.. Arre yeh kiska bachha utha laayi ? ab tum shaadi main bachhe bhi churane lagi Ridhhima " she glared at him and Amit almost choked on the glass of water

" Armaan !! Yeh Sapna ki bhabhi ka beta hai, wo zara change karne gayi hain isliye ise mujhe pakda gayi... Ek kaam karo tum do minute ise lo main tumhare liye khana le kar aati hun "

" what ?! Main ?? Baby ko ?? No no ! Ise tum hi pakdo khana main khud le lunga "

" Armaan don't worry he won't spoil your clothes usne diaper pehna hai " Sapna chuckled seeing him scared of holding a baby

" no Ridhhima wo baat nahi hai mujhe.. Mujhe baby lena nahi aata "

" god Armaan ,you are just impossible ! Kya tumne kabhi Angira ko nahi liya " he was stumped ,but looked at her with puppy eyes pleading " theek hai, mat lo, main abhi aati hun " she went away again and came back with a plate of food minus baby

Sapna just looked at her as she sat beside her giving him the plate... And instructions...

" Ridhhima ? "

" haan kya hua ?? Kuch chahiye ? "

" nahi, magar.. Tu theek to hai naa ? Tu aur Armaan.. What about Vivek ?? "

" don't worry Sapna , main kuch nahi bhuli bas ab fark yeh hai ki ab main aur Armaan dost ban gaye hain "

" dost ?! Haan wo to dikh raha hai, jaise tu apni dosti nibha rahi hai "

" Sapnaa tu bhi naa... Bahut kuch badal gaya hai Sapna sab bataungi... Armaan itna bhi bura nahi hai " she looked at him busy talking to Amit, doubtful " trust me main khush hun... And thanks to you too mera saath dene ke liye "

She hugged her lovingly " hey that's what friends are for... As long as you are happy " she again looked at her and then at Armaan, Ridhhima could see doubts and questions in her eyes she kept her hand in hers

" trust me, I am.." she turned and her eyes widened seeing Armaan " Armaan ! Leave that ice cream right now ! Abhi zukaam theek hua hai naa , phir tabiyat kharaab karni hai kya ?!!" he pouted but kept the cup back... Amit laughed

" zyada hasne ki zarurat nahi hai, teri bhi yahi haalat hone waali hai " Sapna blushed smilingly at his comment , and again looked at both Ridhhima and Armaan... Rest of the night just flew away and they started for home tired but happy...

She chatted happily about everything wedding, Sapna, Amit , friends ,the cute baby she met " Ridhhima... Anjy ka baby kab aayega ? "

" well in about 7 months , i'm dying to hold the baby in my arms " she said longingly

" Ridhhima how can you hold babies so easily... They are so.. so.. Delicate and breakable and catch everything so easily "

" yeh tumse kisne kaha ? "

" wo.. office main maine suna tha kisi ko baat karte hue ki usne apne baby ko thoda sa zor se pakad liya aur baby ka hath fracture ho gaya " he shivered a little at the thought

" to phir usne baby lo theek se nahi liya hoga ,mana ki babies delicate hote hain magar agar theek se liya jaaye to it's no harm... Babies love attention.. Jaise tumhe pasand hai " she chuckled

He smiled " magar... Phir babies kab tak itne.. Strong ho jaate hain ki unhe.. You know, lage nahi "

She, mildly surprised and amused at his question answered " well.. babies to delicate hote hi hain, magar I think about 1 saal ka bachha physically aur internally itna strong ho jaata hai ki wo chhote mote jhatke jhel sake... Kyun ? tum kyun puch rahe ho ? "

" n..nahi bas aise hi " and he looked ahead ' god 9 months more ! ' he thought and diverted the conversation... Soon it was forgotton...

Muskaan was in the kitchen when Armaan entered

" Martin i'm hungry " he rummaged the fridge

" Martin tell him that dinner will be ready in 10 minutes so he should stop raiding the fridge " she didn't look at him ,Martin surprised looked at her then at him, Armaan said nothing he got the message and without another word he went out, Martin went back to his work, unexpected behaviour was Malik trademark... But this was witnessed by Ridhhima who was surprised that now thay have stopped talking to each other directly too... She came up to Muskaan, who was unaware of her presence...

" bhabhi "

" haan Ridhhi "

" Bhabhi aakhir baat kya hai ? Kya aapko kuch problem hai Armaan se ?? batayiye naa akhir baat kya hui hai aap dono ab pehle jaise nahi hain " Muskaan stopped stirring and ordered Martin to look after the dish now she faced her

" Problem mujhe nahi Ridhhi Armaan ko hai " she went to kitchen counter at other end

" Armaan ko ?! " she followed her

" Haan aur mujhse nahi, Angira se " both sat down on the chairs

" Angira se ? Armaan ko ?! Aap kya baat kar rahe ho bhabhi mujhe samajh nahi aa raha Armaan loves Angel "

" Ha loves Angel ! He doesn't even like her I suppose... Aur kaun si maa yeh dekh kar khush hogi ki koi uske bachhe ko dekh kar khush nahi hai "

" Aap kya keh raho bhabhi " she was shocked hearing it

" Main theek keh rahi hun Ridhhi, Armaan dislike Angel "

" Nahi bhabhi bilkul nahi ! " the one thing she was absolutely sure was this " aapko koi galatfehmi hui hai "

" Achha ! galatfehmi ? mujhe ?!theek hai, to bata last time tune kab uski goud main Angel ko dekha ?... " Ridhhima went quiet " Nahi yaad ? wo isliye Ridhhi kyun ki usne aaj tak Angel ko kabhi goud main uthaya hi nahi... Wo usse aise duur bhagta hai jaise wo koi virus ho.." Ridhhima was lost in her thoughts, Muskaan was indeed right she had really never seen him holding Angel...

" Mujhe to yakeen hi nahi hota ki yeh wohi Armaan hai jise baby ke aane ki itni excitement thi, jisne uske aane par itna kuch kiya tha..." She trailed off sadly " Armaan badal gaya hai Ridhhi he's not same... Aur mujhe is baat ko le kar aur bhi jyada gussa hai ki wo kuch bolta bhi to nahi ki aakhir use Angira se pareshani kya hai ?? Itna ulta seedha bol deti hun magar ek baar bhi nahi bolta ki Muski aisa kyun bol rahi hai mujhe ?? bas chup chap sunta rahega... Aise main kya kahun main usse ?? " Muski had tears in her eyes now.. Ridhhima knew that it hurt mukaan too to say such things to him, but she knew he wasn't the one who could share his feelings with anyone so easily... Her mind was working frantically and after a few moments of silence her face relaxed with a knowing determined look... But right now it will ne useless to make her understand she has to 'show' her

The next day she went to Muskaan

" bhabhi.. Bhabhi chalo naa zara mere sath , mujhe samajh hi nahi aa raha main Sapna ki reception par kya pehnu... Plz zara chalo naa help me plzzz.."

" Ridhhiii tu bhi naa... Chal " she asked Maria who was changing Angels clothes, to bring her along, both the ladies went to the wardrobe room

Armaan came back from office and immediately went for a quick shower in the mean time Maria too came with Angel and placed her securely in the center of the bed,unaware that armaan is back both the ladies remained busy in their selection... Armaan came out of the shower and saw Maria

" oh thank god baba you are here, keep an eye on Angel i've to rush to kitchen.. Okay Muskaan madam will be here shortly " leaving him there with Angel she went out quickly

Armaan looked at Angel who was busy chewing her toes and then his worried face broke into a happy smile... he settled down beside her... Angel too looked at him and gave a big smile which multiplied his joy thousand times... he gave his finger to her which she held immediately squeaking with delight... Ridhhima and Muski came out hearing her squeals, Muskaan was about to say something when Ridhhima stopped her.. Armaan does'nt come to know that they were watching...

" Heyyy baby how are you sweetheart ?? U know me na main aapka chachu... Aap yahan akele kya kar rahe ho baby.." Tickling her tummy lightly the baby smiled feeling ticklish

" Waise aapko pata hai main kabse aapka wait kar raha tha lekin koi aapko akele chhodta hi nahi ,itne din ho gaye aapko aaye hue aur hamari kabhi theek se baat hi nahi ho paayi..." baby gurgled as if agreeing... " You know jab aap aise smile karte ho naa to bahut sweet se Angel lagte ho... Now it's just between you and me " he came closer to her face " we are a team now ok give me hi five "

He gives his finger and baby holds it quickly... " Yeeeyy now partner if you have any problem just come to me, chachu ke paas sab baaton ka solution hai... Agar mumma ganda sa baby food khilaye, papa besuri awaz mein aapke liye gaana gaye then just give a shout chachu will be there in no time..." He snapped his fingers smiling at her Angel gave a big smile in return waving her arms and kicking her legs as if she understood everything...

" Hey Angu aap jaldi se bade ho jao fir hum dono basketball khelenge aur cricket bhi aur haan agar koi ladka aapko pareshaan kare naa just tell me I will break his legs..."a smile came to Muskis face hearing it ,Angel turned her head away and the smile disappeared from his face... " Angel beta aap bhi chachu se naraz hain... Papa mumma jaise...?? "

Muski's smile faltered, sadness swept across her face " Beta you know naa chachu loves you a lot.. But.. But chachu is a fool ! Aapke chachu ko babies ko handle karna nahi aata..." Muski was surprised to hear it... " Baby I know it's silly isliye maine kisi ko kaha nahi and mumma papa think that chachu badal gaye " he said as if saying more to himself rather than Angel he again looked at her " but you know naa baby aisa nahi hai... Aap itne delicate ho baby agar.. Agar chachu ne aapko gira diya... Aapko lag gayi to... Kahin chachu se aapko koi infection lag gaya to... Bahar kitne germs hote hai naa..." He looked horrified at the idea.. " Sorry baby but your chachu is one big scared fool he don't want his Angel to get hurt in anyway... Aur agar chachu ki wajah se aapko kuch ho gaya to chachu apne aapko kabhi maaf nahi kar paayenge beta.." He said very seriously...

Muski swallowed a lump that formed in her throat and her eyes got moist hearing it... Armaan now smiled and said " Aap jab thode bade ho jaoge naa to chachu aapko goud main utha kar khoob ghumenge... Just 9 more months " Muski had tears in her eyes now... All her anger melted away she cursed herself for misunderstanding him... And Ridhhima too was surprised yet happy to see this side of him, she knew that he was just scared that he might hurt Angel and that's why acted so silly and never held her... " Baby you know naa chachu loves his Angel very much... Chachu baby ke liye kabse wait kar rahe the... Aap to iss ghar main itni badi khushi ban kar aaye ho... And you know hum aapke liye itne saare toys laaye hain aur hum dono mil kar khelenge hai naa... Aur papa ko nahi bulayenge papa ko games nahi aate wo hamesha haar jaate hain aur mumma.. agar wo haar gayi to wo meri hi pitayi kar dengi... Waise chachi ko bula lete magar wo busy hongi naa.." Angel now smiled and gurgled, a teary laugh escaped from Muski lips Ridhhima too smiled and kept a hand over her shoulder hugging her...

" Aur dono daadu to office jayenge... To bacha kaun hum dono i tell you beta we will make the best uncle neice team hai naa, hai naa " he shook his head smiling broadly seeing that he got all the attention from baby kuhu smiled " yeah give me another hi five.." He gave her his finger and kuhu waving her little hands held it immediately " yeaaahhh " he then slightly kiss her little hand... " Chachu Love u a lot baby but you know main jyada girly tous nahi laaya mujhe pata hi nahi tha ki aapko kya pasand aayega..to aap mere saath chalna aur jo pasand aaye na aap wo le lena okay.. Aur ek mumma papa hain jo sochte hain ki i'm not happy coz it's a girl how silly ! " he hit his forehead " Me ?! hate girls ?! never ! I swear I loved all my girlfriend's very much, but plz apni chachi ko yeh mat batana.. this is our secret " Muski elbowed Ridhhima who narrowed her eyebrows " but 'you' stay away from boys ... Okay.." Muski and Ridhhima chuckled... He then kissed first on his finger then placed that finger on her forehead... Seeing this tears now flowed freely from Muski's eyes Ridhhima squeezed her shoulder telling her not to Suddenly his cell started to ring...

" opps chachu ka phone aaya hai baby.. Magar aap kahin jaana mat okay.. Ha like you can " he gigled then keeping pillows on both the sides to stop her from rolling over he got up

" main abhi aaya baby... Don't run away okay " And he went to take his cell ringing in the other room... After a while when he came out he saw Muski and Ridhhima sitting and chatting while Angel played on the bed... He was bit disappointed as he wanted to play some more with Angel...

" Hey Muski.. hi Ridhhima..."

" Aa gaya khotte... Kuch piyega ? " He was surprised to hear the same old Muski...

" Main.. Wo..." he was really surprised

" Ab bol bhi.. juice mangwa du...? "

" H..haan " Ridhhima picked up the phone and asked Martin to bring a glass of juice and some fruits for him... He was glad that Muski was again talking to him nicely in the same old manner ,how or what had brought the change that was a mystery to him..he wondered..

Suddenly she looked at the watch and got up " Rahul bhi aane waala hoga, ridhhima tu thodi daer Angel ko dekh main abhi aati hun mujhe kuch kaam hai " eyeing meaningfully she went away

As soon as she was out Ridhhima too stood up

" hey tum kahan ja rahi ho ? "

" main Angel ka diaper lene ja rahi hun abhi aayi, lo tum zara pakdo ise " before he could say anything she placed Angel in his arms and went away

" magar.. Magar " he panicked, frightened

As soon as Ridhhima comes oit she gives thumbs up to Muski who was already waiting for her.. Muski hugged her...

" thanks Ridhhi.. Agar aaj tu nahi hoti to shayad main Armaan ko galat hi samjhti rehti.. Kitni galat thi main, kitni buri hun main, mere mann main aisa khayal aaya bhi kaise ??.." tears flowed down her eyes again..

" bhabhi.. It's okay ab to sab theek hai naa.. Cmmon ab royiye nahi " she hugged her..

" agar tu nahi hoti Ridhhi to main apne stupid reasons ki wajah se usko galat hi samjhti rehti, aur Rahul... mujhe use bhi batana hoga.. Meri bevkoofi dono bhaiyo main daraar paida kar deti Ridhhi " she shivered at the horrible thought

" aisa kabhi hoga hi nahi bhabhi, main jaanti hun Rahul bhaiyya aur aap Armaan ko apne bachhe jaise hi pyaar karte ho " she wiped her tears " ab bas haimein Armaan ka yeh darr kam karna hoga... Usko roz thoda time Angel ke saath spend karne ko dena hoga.. Taaki uske mann se yeh darr nikal jaaye ki uski wajah se Angel ko koi nuksaan ho sakta hai " Muskaan now nodded wiping her tears and smiling a little ,giving a thumbs up

on the other hand in the room baby started moving her arms and legs... and already scared Armaan panicked

" oh my god ! oh my god ! baby Angel don't move baby ,chachu is clumsy baby... Hey bhagwaan... Muskaaan... Ridhhhiiimmaa " he shouted but hearing the loud voice the baby stopped moving immediately, her lip curled signalling a loud wail on it's way, he saw it

" oh god .. Don't cry baby my Angel.. Plz plz okay baby chachu won't shout okay... Quiet... Shhh shhh my baby... " he brought her close to his chest and rocked her gently the baby enjoyed the gentle rocking and was quiet again, he kept looking at the baby too terrified that he might cause some harm to the her, breath held ,heart pounding...he dare not move from his place lest it would disturb the baby who now gave a big yawn and closed her eyes... A fairy ready to visit fairies in her dreamland...

Armaan saw the little fairy in his arms, who surely found his lap a very comfertable place and slept soundly, all fears left him... He was mesmerised seeing the little angel and rocked her slowly.. He smiled seeing her as the baby smiled in her sleep

" sweet dreams, my Angel " and hesitating for a moment he bent down and gently kissed her forehead

later muskaan told everything to Rahul who was surprised too, and felt utterly foolish and guilty to think so wrong about his brother.. He too felt grateful to Ridhhima for clearing the doubts and agrred that his fears should be wiped out...slowly everything starts coming back to normal everyday his fear decreased ,he was given time to spend with Angel.. First with one pretext or other but then his fear all vanished away...

Now as soon as he used to come Angel would spread her arms to him and he smiling broadly would jump up to her... So much so that sometimes there was a fight between Rahul and him that who will hold her first... and Ridhhima.. Well.. She was happy too... Immensely.. seeing him happy...smiling... Sleeping without nightmares again...

_____________________________________________________

Recap :- Ridhhima finds Armaan's diary but get caught... Armaan apologizes to Sapna on her wedding day and Armaan - Angel problem gets solved

___________________________________________________

He came back from office and slumped into the couch tired...

" Hey Armaan, tired huh ? " she asked smilingly

" Very... Yeh kuch log bhi naa.." He frowned

" kyun kya hua ? Troublesome day ? "

" Haan wo.." He stopped wondering for a moment whether to tell her or not.. She sensed it

" Hey agar business secret hai to koi baat nahi... I can understand.." She knew it was quiet difficult for him to share his feelings, the way he yelled when she found his diary ! She smiled and turned to go

" Nahi ,aisi baat nahi hai ,actually wo..." She stopped and turned.. " it's not a secret, it's just some boring stuff " he smiled lightly, she waited for him to speak further " Wo aaj ek company ke representatives aaye the, unka material inferior quality ka tha aur phir bhi wo hamare upar pressure daal rahe the ki hum unse hi material lein kyunki hamein jo ek govt. Contract mila hai na 'usme to sab chalta hai ' huh.." He frowned... " Wo bevkoof itna bhi nahi samjhte ki naam to hamari company ka kharab hoga naa.." She nodded understandingly " phir mujhe unhe dusri bhasha main samjhana pada... Saara dimaag khaali kar gaye.. Huuuhhh " he sighed but now there was a smile on his face " pehle bada gussa aa raha tha un par magar ab sochta hun to funny lagta hai jis tarah se wo zid pakad kar baithe the " he gigled ,with her joining him...

" Great ! Chalo sab theek hai na.. Warna jis tarah se muh bana kar aa rahe the mujhe laga pata nahi kya ho gaya, even I hate such cheaters magar Kabhi kabhi hota hai... aise log mil jaate hain, mere kuch patients ke baare main sunoge to hans hans kar paet pakad loge aur kuch ke sath to baal nochne ke haalaat ho jaate hain " she rolled her eyes chuckling

" Achha ! Batao naa kya hua ? " he turned to her excitedly

" Really ! You want to hear that ?? " unsure

" Of course ! Tum believe nahi karogi magar office main bhi bahut kuch hota rehta hai, but first you..."

And they started... On and on and on, laughing, nodding, giving hi 5's, understanding... Wondering about each others work and world... that was the beginning of their new understanding... Ridhhima was left surprised at the amount of information he shared with her, she began to look at him with a newer perspective , new understanding...

Then it started off he would come everyday and all she had to do was ask ' how was your day Armaan ? ' and he would pour everything out as if just waiting for her to ask.. They would laugh ,discuss, argue and of course fight over various matters.. But she was glad that he trusted her enough now to share his feelings with her and she did the same... Poured everything out to him from work to... Vivek.. Though the latter was done occasionally, neither had forgotton him... But he was still unreachable... Lost... He made sure that the topic didn't leave her sad or depressed and she was thankful to him for that... It was an unspoken understanding between the two ,he would not hide anything (except something) about him and she won't be sad about it...

One evening both the ladies were watching T.V ,laughing enjoying themselves when Armaan jumped in...

" Hey kya dekh rahe ho ? "

" Hasya kavi sammelan. it's so funny " she passed the bucket of popcorn to him gigling

He too watched the show and after a moment declared loudly " ha ! isme kaun si badi baat hai, isse achhi shayeri to main kar sakta hun "

" Shayeri aur tum !? " Ridhhima asked surprised

" Of course ! Tumhe yakin nahi aata to namuna dikhaun ? " both the ladies looked at each other doubtfully, he cleared his throat ready to prove himself

" dekho abhi dikhata hun Arz kiya hai...

Yun ghuur ghuur ke kya dekhti ho

Yun ghhur ghuur ke kya dekhti ho

Maar he dalogi kya... "

both raised their eyebrows at unusual beginning but listened nevertheless

" yun ghuur ghuur kar kya dekhti ho maar he daalogi kya...

Dil dena hai to do...

Dil dena hai to do

Warna...

uska achaar dalogi kya ??

" Oh god Armaan " clutching her stomach Muskaan asked him " yeh kahan se seekha ?? "

He gigled " actually main aate hue FM sun raha tha to usme suna tha " he confessed... They all rolled laughing

" ohh god Armaan tum... tumhare yahaan cheed (hole) tha kya ? " Ridhhima pointed at his head

" Haan tha magar ab bhar gaya par andar jo tha naa wo sab baech diya after all paapi paet ka sawaal tha " he patted his tummy making a pitiful face

She asked again trying hard to make a serious face " ohh I see Kuch chhoda bhi ya sab baech diya ? "

" Nahi kidney wagerah nahi bechi kyunki daaru waaru peeni hoti hai naa.." he replied in a mock serious tone

" Haha stupid peene ke liye kidney nahi liver chahiye...itna to mujhe bhi pata hai " Muski hit his head lightly

" Ohho Muski dimaag to bech diya naa ab kaise pata chalega ki kidney chahiye ya liver..." his innocent reply made them roll in laughter even more...

They came back in their room still laughing ,gigling, Armaan as per his mood he cracked another joke and they hi 5ed

" ouch ! " he became conscious immediately

" what happened ?? " checking her hand...

" Arre kuch nahi aaj kitchen main kaam karte hue thoda jal gaya bas..." He saw a spot which was now reddish brown

" Ridhhiimaa ! tum... tum ise thoda sa burn kehti ho ! yeh baaki sab kahan mar gaye the ? Yeh naukar kisliye rakhe hain ?? tumhe kaam karne ki kya zarurat thi...? Tumne is par kuch lagaya kyun nahi...?? " He showered her with thousand of questions... " Martin.. Martttiiinnn " he yelled ,the butler came quickly calm as usual

" yes sir..."

" Martin what were you doing ? See she has burnt her hand where were you all...?? " Martin looked at Ridhhima who sat with a hand on her forehead shaking it she looked up at Martin signaling him to be patient rolling a finger near her head smiling...

Martin raised his eyebrows and said solemnly... " I'm sorry about that madam and I fully agree with you.." Armaan looked at Martin then turned to look at Ridhhima who quickly put her hand down.. " In case you have finished your session, then can I leave sir... my kitchen awaits me "

" Yes Martin thank you... You know how cranky he gets when noone laughs at his jokes..."

" Of course madam I have been subjected to this torture for quiet some time now..." saying so he left ,Armaan looked at her with open mouth..

" I get cranky!! I'm crazy!! Huh.." He pouted

" arre baba main to mazaak kar rahi thi ab isme bechare Martin ki kya galti hai jo tum use dant rahe the..."

" Hai, galti hai.. Usne tumhe kitchen main ghusne hi kyun diya.."

" What do u mean ? main kitchen main nahi ja sakti..?! " She narrowed her eyes..

" I mean.. ja sakti ho magar apne hath paer jalane ke liye nahi.." he gulped

" Armaan galti meri thi main hi phone par baat karne main busy thi aur " he got up and left without a word.. " Armaan... Arm.. Hey bhagwaan ek number ka nautanki hai yeh bhi..." Then came a voice from outside

" wahin rehna jab tak main naa aaun.. Hilna mat " she chuckled... He came back with the first aid box, sitting down beside her started applying ointment on her burn.. blowing on it in between.. she just kept looking at him remembering how she once burned her hand... more than this ,while she was in the lab with Vivek...

" Aaahh ! oh ouch ouch ! aaah... oh god... Vivekkk " she jumped clutching her hand

" Ridz ! Ridz dikhao kya hua..? " He looked at her hand

" ohhh Vivek jal gaya.." she winced as it stung ,crying

He took her to the water tap and turned it on keeping her hand under it " Ridhhima tum bahut laparwah ho kya dekh kar kaam nahi kar sakti thi... burner band kar dena chahiye tha naa.. Aur " he closed the tap and looked at her hand " aur yeh kya bas itne se burn ke liye tum itna kuud rahi thi... Ridhhima bachhe tumse jyada brave hote hain.."

" magar.. Magar it's burning " she whined

" Ohh Ridz stop being a sissy... Just put an ointment on it and chalo rounds par bhi jaana hai we're already late..." he looked at the watch and walked away telling her to hurry... She just stood there holding her burned hand with other... That day his words hurt her a lot...

" Agar pyaar se keh deta to kya ho jaata ointment khud bhi to laga sakta tha naa.." she wiped a tear and came out... But soon everything was forgotton by evening when he came with his lovely smile, cute band aid and apologised with a hug and love u... But still at that moment his inconsideration pinched her...

" Dard ho raha hai kya..?? " Armaan asked

" huh ?? " coming back to present

" maine puchha dard to nahi ho raha ??? " She shook her head smiling

" good aur ab jab tak yeh theek nahi ho jaata tum kuch kaam nahi karogi hospital se leave le lo aur agar tum nahi logi to Shashank dad se main baat kar lunga.."

She just laughed at this... Just then his cell started ringing ,he stood up to pick it up... Ridhhima on the other hand remained seated there looking at him... Talking on the phone ,checking something on the laptop... suddenly he looked up, their eyes met and he winked at her with a naughty smile.. That smile was infectious she too found herself smiling back... shaking her head, chuckling a little.. she looked at her burned hand ,it didn't hurt her anymore.. Not the slightest..she looked at him who was so much more worried for her than herself.. her heart felt something... nice... Very nice...

But if she thought that this was it then she was Wrong... Very wrong... Later at the dining table he kept asking about her hand. whether she is able to eat properly or not much to her embarressment as Muski and others smiled at her, to which he was oblivious... Finally it was Rahul who assured him that they will call an 'ambulance' as soon as she tells them to do so as she is a 'doctor' herself... That quietend him for the evening... But later when she thought about it she could not help but smile at his innocent fear and worries...

There was no relief for her the next day when she got ready to go to hospital... It really took some efforts on her part to make him understand that it was really not that big an injury... Still he tried his level best to make her stop and not let her go to hospital but... In vain... He sccumbed to her threatning glare...

That day he called her hundred times till she was ready to beat him black and blue...

" Armaaan agar tumne mujhe ek baar aur phone kiya naa to main tumse kabhi baat nahi karungi samjhe ! " she threatened

" magar.." he gulped " main to bas tumhare hath ke baare main puuch raha tha "

" to pichhli 50 calls kya tumne apna haal batane ke liye kari thi ? " she asked angrily

" nahi wo bas.. Wo..."

" fine ! I'm fine it's nothing, samjhe. Bas ab no more calls okay..."

" ek shart par " he smiled

" ab kya hai ?! " she sighed

" tum aaj shaam ko mere saath movie dekhne chalogi "

" movie ?! Armaan magar... "

" koi agar magar nahi agar tum nahi chali to main tumhe aise hi pareshaan karta rahunga ,ab jaldi bolo haan ya haan " She chuckled lightly shaking her head it was really impossible to say no to him...

" theek hai baba chalungi.. Ab khush ? Magar ab shaam se pehle no more calls "

" aye aye madam... See you at 5 bye "she was about to disconnect when he spoke again " aur haan ek baat to kehna bhuul hi gaya "

" kya ? "

" apna khyaal rakhna... Bye " he disconnected shouting yahoo to himself, on the other hand she was left speechless ,she just looked at the phone, her eyes fell on the small burn on her hand and she smiled at it...

Time seemed to fly away, before she knew it was five... She found him standing outside the Sanjeevani gates as usual, leaning by his car arms folded across his chest... Tie little loose ,air blowing his hair spraying them on his forehead... He looked relaxed and nothing short of a greek god... He gave a big smile seeing her... Which she returned with equal enthusiasm

" hey Ridimba, how's your hand ? Kitne logon ki shamat aayi aaj ?? "

" Armaaann " she gave a good punch on his arm

" aaooww.. God ! Kya khati ho tum ? Agar tuut gaya to drive kaun karega huh " rubbing his arm

" hah ! no problem mujhe drive karna aata hai " she sat down in the car smiling, he followed chuckling

Then there was another small fight as they discussed which movie to watch...

" Armaan Sherlock Holmes ! "

" mera naam Armaan Malik hai naa ki ' Armaan Sherlock Holmes... Kahin tumhari memory defective to nahi ho gayi ? " this got him another hit on the arm

" main movie ki baat kar rahi thi "

" no way ! No detective thing for you, you already are nosy enough " this followed another punch on his arm " aaj kya hath todne ka irada hai Ridimba !? "

" Armmmaaann aarrggghh " she was ready to strangle him for calling her that in public ,it went on for half an hour and finally it was neutral choice- Avatar...

The fighter didn't relax in the hall too he kept on teasing her, eating from her bucket of popcorn, finishing his cold drink and then snatching away hers... And sometimes covering her eyes with his hand just before a nice scene... Other people must have thanked their stars as they were in the private lounge section and were only one there... Finally the movie ended and they came out..

" hey movie achhi thi naa " he chuckled

" haan shayad magar tumne dekhne di ho tab naa.. Main to abse tumhare saath kabhi movie dekhne nahi aaungi " she pouted

" haha.. we'll see Ridimba " he mocked, she opened her mouth to say something angrily but then dropped the idea, it was useless " achha tum ruko main car le kar aata hun " he left her at the enterance of the underground parking...

It was almost 10 minutes since he'd gone ,she felt restless,, why was he taking so long... Feeling silly to stand there like idiots she decided to go in and check herself...

She walked in the huge parking lot but did not knew where to look for him or where has he parked the car...

" hello madam, koi help kar dein hum aapki " one said cheaply

" no thanks ,I can manage " she turned away from there walking awy from them quickly... But they seem to sense that she was alone " Armaan where are you " she prayed frantically that he would come but he was nowhere in sight in the huge lot...

She was wondering, scared when one of the man came and tapped on her shoulder... She jumped and took quick steps back but the man held her wrist tightly...

" aapne bataya nahi madam, kya sewa karein aapki " he looked at her from head to toe scanning her, his lust overflowing from his eyes, she felt naked even in her clothes..

" mera haath chhodo ! " she roared ,trying to free her hand.. By this time other man had joined him...

" pehle thodi madad to karne dijiye ,achha apni nahi to hamari kar jaayiye " she dug her nails into man's hand and he let go off her hand..." haye yeh to jangli billi hai "

She stepped back trying to look for an escape.. And then she heard a honking sound right behind her... The goons covered their eyes from the lights of the car...

The engine died out and he came out... Life came back to her,it felt as if she was breathing air after being hours under water... She could not thank god enough... Thank him enough for being there... She ran up to him, hugging him... He wrapped his arms around her securely...

" it's okay... Someone parked wrongly " he whispered, and hid her behind him... she didn't uttered a word ,the goons just watched him.. eyeing him narrowly... Measuring their competition. He took her to the car ,the goons stepped forward ,she clutched his hand but he immediately raised his hand signalling them to stop, glaring at them... They stopped... waiting...

" lock the door " saying so he walked back to them

" Armaan tum.." she was worried but he was gone, standing there right infront of them ,both looked as if they were ready to pounce on each other any moment... But to their surprise he broke into a smile !

" bhai saab dekho maarna mat.." the goons looked smug that he was scared of them " nahi nahi, isliye nahi isliye nahi ki main darr gaya ," they frowned their arrogant smile faltering " main aapse nahi wo jo gaadi main baithi hai naa usse darta hun " they looked confused " dekhiye main batata hun.. Ab agar aap log aage aaye to main aapko rokunga ,ab aap log itne hatte katte ho to aise thodi na manoge to mujhe aapki pitayi karni padegi " the goons looked at each other ,thinking that he's all crazy.. Whereas Armaan continued...

" ab aap log to do ho aur main akela ,ho sakta hai mujhe bhi thodi bahut lag jaaye.. Halaki aisa hoga nahi " he added quickly

she on the other hand was worried sick " yeh Armaan pagal ho gaya hai kya ? kya baat karne main laga hua unke saath.. Oh god plz help him " she took out her cell phone " damn !! Zara sa basement main aate hi signal gayab ho jaate hain satyanash ho in cell phone companies ka " she was annoyed and cursed heartily

" aur bhai saab in case mujhe lag gayi to andar jo baithi hai naa wo puri jallad hai ,aadha mujhe lecture suna kar maar dalegi aur aadha injection aur zehar jaisi dawaiyan de kar aur mujhe dono se bahut dar lagta hai... Isliye plz aap bhi jaayiye, Aur hamein bhi jaane dijiye.. Yahi mere liye aur aapki taango ke liye achha hoga "

" hamari taangon ke liye ?? " one of them asked

" haan kyunki agar tumme se koi bhi aage badha to main unhe tod dunga naa " he said innocently

This infuriated the second goon and he moved forward ready to punch him " hamein dhamki deta hai saale " even before he could reach him Armaan punched him so hard that he fell on the ground groaning... the other one was not far behind

" Arrmaaannn " she shouted horrified as the goon took out a sharp knife ready to hit him, but he turned immediately and held his wrist with apparently no effort at all... He looked at the man with fire in his eyes... She held out her head out of the window worried and then their was a clear sound of a crack.. the man lay on the ground shouting with pain clutching his hand...

Ridhhima watched with breath held ,heart pounding, he looked at the other man whose courage seemed to desert him completely ,his legs were jammed unable to move... Armaan moved to him with murderous look in his eyes...

" plz. Plz.. Mujhe maaf kar do , maine kuch nahi kiya.. Wo.. Wo to meri behen jaisi hain.. Bhagwaan ke liye hamein jaane do " he fell on his knees before him

" utha isko aur dafa ho jao yahan se " he said through his gritted teeth.. The man with broken wrist stood up somehow ,his friend supported him and both ran away without even daring to look back.. He kept on watching them running away and when was sure that they were gone turned to look at her...her face drained.. ashen ,he walked back to the car ,coolly taking his seat, fastening the seat belt...

She kept looking at him unbeliveingly " Armaan what was that ?! Tum kya karne ki koshish kar rahe the ?? Tum apne aapko hero samajhte ho ?? Agar tumhe kuch ho jaata to ?! Wo gunde the Armaan ! " she blurted worried

" cmmon Ridhhima ,kuch hua to nahi.. Himmat to dekho unki mana karne ke baad bhi aage aaye ja rahe the, how dare they touch you.. How dare they challenge me ! " he was still angry

" Armaan tum security ko call nahi kar sakte the ? "

" nahi Ridhhima unhe sabak sekhana zaruri tha, tumhe kya lagta hai wo aise hi maanne waale the ? "

" magar... "

" nahi Ridhhima ,tum meri zimmedari ho, tumhari hifazat meri zimmedari hai.. Maine tumhare papa se.. Padma mom se waada kiya tha ki tumhe ek kharonch bhi nahi aane dunga.. Aur main yeh kabhi bardasht nahi karunga ki tumhe koi takleef pahuchane ki koshish kare.. Phir chahe wo koi bhi ho " he looked into her eyes.. Ridhhima was speechless seeing the fire in his eyes, at that moment his face betrayed his emotions... ' What got into him...'

He saw that she was scared and worried... He sighed and brought a little smile on his face

" tumhe mazak sujh raha hai.. Meri to jaan hi nikal gayi thi " she exaled " Armaan tum bhi naa bas "

" Armaan tum bhi naa nahi Ridhhima.. Armaan he." suddenly he was all serious again that intensity that always put her off balance was back again, she was dumbfounded at his sudden wave of possessiveness in his eyes " mere hote hue koi takleef tumhe chhu jaaye, aisa main kabhi hone nahi dunga "

She was blank ,totally lost.. What could she say to that.. but one thing she came to know today... She was safest with him in the whole world... It already felt like it...

" heyy " he broke her trance " are you okay ? " she nodded with a small smile and a glad heart " perfect... Forget everything, sab theek hai okay... Chalo ek ice-cream ho jaaye phir dinner par chalte hain " he suggested and she accepted smiling broadly... Rest of the evening was quiet enjoyable as he was back to his antics he brought 5 different ice-creams and gave her none

" oh tumhe bhi khani thi ?? " he asked looking up from his plate to her surprised face

" nahi, i'll watch you eating, it's such a lovely thing to do " she said sarcastically

" ohh plz. Aise mat dekho mujhe... Mujhe sharam aati hai " he looked down pretending to be all shy fluttering his eyes

" Armaann " throwing a napkin on his face, she was about to get up when a waiter brought a plateful of her favourite... Which surprised her even more...

" tumhe kya laga main bhuul gaya.. It will be always you first " he spoke softly, smiling.. Leaving her touched ,confused ,happy ,surprised all together...

They came back home laughing ,teasing, pulling each others leg... leaving the troublesome event behind forgetting everything about it...

The incident was not discussed again... But was not not forgotton either... Later she retired for the night bidding goodnight he went to the other room when Muskaan barged in...

" Ridhhi.. Oo Ridhhi " she came in calling

She sat up " bhabhi, main yahin hun "

" oh thank god ,mujhe laga kahin tum so naa gaye ho , yeh file Rahul ne kaha tha Armaan ko dene ke liye ,main to bhuul hi gayi agar dekh leta to meri to shamat hi aa jaati " she grinned " Armaan kahan hai ? Bathroom main ? " Ridhhima was stumpped she didn't thought about this.. What will she say if she see him sleeping seperately in another room !

" bhabhi wo.. Wo bhabhi..." she fumbled, muski's eyes fell on the door of the other room which was partly open and saw Armaan sitting on the bed going through a file... She looked at Ridhhima confused and she understood immediately " bhabhi maine hi Armaan ko kaha hai alag sone ke liye "

" tune ?? Kyun ? " she became serious and shouted " Armaaan.. Armaan ! " he immediately came out confused at the noise " tum dono ne jhagda kia hai kya ? " she eyed both of them, he looked at her stumpped

Ridhhima tried to handle the situation " nahi bhabhi koi jhagda nahi hua ,wo actually.. Yeh naa mujhe bahut pareshan karta hai ,baar baar chidata rehta hai isliye maine isko bed se ban kar diya " he sighed relieved but only for a nano second as a tight slap landed on his arm..

" aaoow , yeh kya Muski yaar ?! "

" khotte ! Kyun pareshan kar rakha hai use ? "

" achha ! aur wo jo mujhe pareshan karti hai wo kuch nahi ?! "

" huh ! Maine ?! Maine kab pareshan kiya tumhe ?? Roz to cheenkh cheenkh (sneeze) kar meri neend kharaab kar dete ho, ajeeb ajeeb se naam rakhte ho aur mere upar hi ilzaam laga rahe ho.. Wah wah ! "

" Ridimba, ek to.. "

" dekha bhabhi dekha ,phir Ridimba kaha mujhe " muski ,who was sidelined now ,just looked from him to her making useless effoerts to restore peace..

" aaarrgghh CHUPP..BILKUL CHUP !! " they both fell silent and stood like cute babies about to be scolded " Armaan tu kyun pareshan karta rehta hai usko huh ? "

" aise hi.. Mazaa aata hai " he grinned shamelessly ,winking at her

Muski narrowed her eyes ,frowning " oh to mazaa aata hai to ab maze lo.. Ab ja kar akela so phir pata chal jayega ,you deserve it.." she turned to Ridhhima " aur Ridhhi yeh kuch bhi kare tu pighalna mat, ek din akela soyega na to saari akal theekane aa jayegi "

He opened his mouth in surprise " huh ! Dekh lunga tum dono ko " he turned with attitude and walked back to the room, but then stopped midway and came back,,taking the file from Muski's hand he walked back but was about to trip on his own feet, the ladies gigled but he quickly went to the room and closed the door..

Muski went away gigling and he came out... both of them breathed in

" huh ! Thank god tumne sambhal liya, warna aaj to.."

" hmm magar aage se dhyan rakhna hoga " he nodded

that day it was somehow managed... But it was easier said than done... Muskaan seemed to be very gifted when it came to make an entry at most inappropriate, unsuspecting time...

Two three days later she again came there.. At night...

" Armaan.. Ridhhi... " she came in calling with Angel in her arms

" oho ! Muski bhabhi ! " she almost jumped out of her skin, cursing herself for not closing the door " ab kya karun ?? Kya kahun ?? Armaan ko aaj hi jaldi sona tha.. Shit ! "

" hey Ridhhi.. kya kar rahi hai ? "

" kuch nahi bhabhi bas ek case file padh rahi thi... Aap yahan..? " she prayed that she doesn't notice Armaan's absence...but... She did..

" Ridhhi... Tum abhi tak alag alag so rahe ho ?? " she asked seriously surprised

" n..nahi bhabhi.. Wo actually mujhe kaam tha aur.. Aur Armaan ko neend aa rahi thi ,usko light se problem hoti isliye maine kaha ki wo wahan so jaaye.. Aaj "she looked at her checking if she fell for it or not...

Muski kept looking at her face as if scanning her.. Ridhhima felt that today they will be busted...

" hmm magar isse pehle to Armaan ko kabhi light se problem nahi hui " Apparently she was not that much convinced..

" ohho bhabhi ! Aap bhi na bas.. Aise hi aaj mood nahi hoga.. Aap bhi bekar pareshan hote rehte ho " she took Angel from her arms, but Muskaan kept looking at her trying to see if that was true.. She could find no signs to point out but her heart was not convinced

That small pebble started the avalanche... Muski now became sure that something was wrong with them... She started her 3rd degree to get everything out.. She kept keen eye on their behaviour and even cornered her asking her directly if there was something wrong... And even embarressing things like were they 'together'... Everything she did ,everywhere she went- With Armaan- Muski's eyes kept glued on them... No matter how much she tried she was ever present...

After one such session she came back.. Muski stopped her... Again.. Trying to be casual but she knew she was trying to find a loophole and she didn't knew if she would be able to hold on for long... it was getting difficult everyday... She almost slipped once..

Tossing the mail on the table after coming from hospital she went to take a quick shower and change.. The cold water helped her to calm down... coming back she rested her head on the couch closing her eyes

She was just getting comfertable when the phone rang up , unwilling to pick it up she turned on the speaker.. Eyes still close " hello "

" hello, Dr.Ridhhima " the voice said

" yes "

" this is Suresh Prajapat here, your lawyer " her eyes flashed open ,suddenly she remembered something... A chill went through her ,she could not even bring herself to pick up the receiver... She wondered why she felt so strange.. So scared... " what happened ? Aap aayi nahi itne dino se.. I left messages on your cell " she remembered that she just didn't bothered with them...

" h..haan wo main thoda busy thi " she quickly gathered herself..

" well Ridhhima ji agar aap agar apne divorce ko le kar wakai serious hain to aapko itna linient nahi hona chahiye... Matters like these otherwise can take years " he explained " anyway I have found an excellent ground for your divorce yeh hamara raasta bahut aasaan kar dega "

" um.. Mr.Prajapat mujhe aapse isi baare main kuch baat karne thi " she remembered something ,a thought which she was pondering upon ,seriously for a long time...

" well yes ,main jaanta hun.. dekhiye hum simple court main yeh to nahi keh sakte naa ki he married you because your boyfriend couldn't make it on time.. Upar se you want it to ba a hush hush affair " she felt her anger surfacing

" haan magar.."

" dekhiye this is the best valid reason I've come up with, aapne bataya tha naa that he suffers from nightmare problem ,aur jitni frequency main aapne bataya ki aapke husband ko aate hain that's uncommon... I consulted a pshycatrist who can prove that something is wrong with him ,he's mentally unstable and it would be risky for you to stay with him " she was silent feeling angry on how he had twisted her simple words..

The lawyer didn't stop here " mental instability is very strong reason " she could feel the hint of victory in his voice, the cunningness, it infuriated her

Another thing she was unaware of was that Armaan was in the other room the whole time... He came in earlier than his usual time and went to the room to freshen up while she was still changing...

She felt terrible and wanted the lawyer to shut up " i've already sent you the papers ,aapko ab tak mil gaye honge " her eyes fell on the mail ,she could make out a brown manila envelope addressed to her... She quickly opened it and saw that it was indeed those papers " haha i tell you Dr. Ridhhima the case is in our hands and i'll make sure that you get ' good ' alimony... That malik can do nothing we can prove it that how it tortures you mentally.. Frightens you " she had had enough ,more the lawyer spoke more her resolve got stronger... The bloody money sucker leech just went on and on gloating about his skills in court...

" that's enough Mr.Prajapat ! " she shouted out " mujhe aapse isi baare main baat larni thi " she crushed the papers in her hand " aap aisa kuch nahi karenge... I don't want you to make that excuse " Armaan who was silently listening to the conversation was pained to know that she thought that way about him, but he jerked up when he heard her stopping the lawyer " agar main divorce lungi to wo Armaan ki marzi se hoga " there was finality in her voice, the lawyer went quiet and Armaan he was dumbstruck, too stunned to even react...

" magar aap jaanti hain isse kya hoga ? Wo iske liye kabhi tayar nahi hoga "

" 'honge' Mr.Prajapat, honge zara tameez se naam lijiye ,aur agar wo is baat ke liye tayyar nahi honge to main divorce nahi lungi , I hope this makes everything clear.. Aur haan ab hum tabhi milenge jab mujhe aapki legal services ki zarurat hogi.. Thank you very much and goodbye "

A stunned Prajapat went quiet for a moment hearing her " goodbye... Mrs.Malik " Ridhhima disconnected the phone rather angrily, Armaan was just wondering to come out or not when she got up and angrily tore away the papers throwing them in the dustbin " huh " huffing angrily she went out...

She was rather quiet the whole time ,Armaan knew the reason but decided not to say anything till she is ready to speak so... In his heart he was really happy for what she said... His heart saw a ray of hope . His eyes then fell on Muski who was eying him rather curiously

" Armaan tune phir Ridhhi ko pareshaan kiya hai kya ?? "

" huh , maine ? " Ridhhima groaned in side ,'there she goes again'

" nahi bhabhi Armaan ne kuch nahi kiya "

" Ridhhi tu ise bachane ki koshish mat kar "

" nahi bhabhi Armaan ne sach main kuch nahi kiya, main bas wo hospital ki koi baat soch rahi thi " she defended him ,lying partly.. Rahul elbowed Armaan coaxing him to answer ,he just looked from Ridhhima to Muski to Rahul helplessly

" bhai sach main maine kuch nahi kiya maine to Ridimba bhi nahi kaha " he explained quickly

For the moment everything went quiet and normal, and they both escaped back to their room...

" oh god ,yeh Muski ko kya hua hai ? Aur yeh bhai ?! " he shook his head cocking his brows, confused, he saw that she was again bit serious " Ridhhima kya hua ? "

She waited for a moment and looked into his eyes sighing " Armaan mujhe tumse kuch baat karni thi " he waited for her to speak " wo actually I want you to do something "

" haan bolo "

" I want you to sleep with me " she blurted it out

" whatt ??! "

" haan ,I can't bear it anymore...ab ek yahi tarika hai ,bolo is it fine by you ?? "

" main.. Wo.. Magar.." he fumbled for words never in his dreams he thought she would say something like this " are you sure Ridhhima ?! Yeh.. Ab main kya kahun ? " he scratched his forehead

" of course i'm sure ,i can't bear Muski's third degree anymore "

" what 'Muski's 3rd degree ?!' but isme Muski kahan se aa gayi.?? Abhi to main aur tum.. Tum aur main.. Ek saath..." he was confused

" what are you saying Armaan what tum aur main ?? " then it dawned on her what he thouht of her words " noo ! Not that way you pervert !! But just sleep on same bed ! Samjhe " hitting him on his arm

" aoow ! heyyy it was your idea ! " he rubbed his arm

" Armaan I can't handle Muski's 3rd degree interrogation anymore wo roz mujhse aise sawaal puchti hain jaise main koi terrorist hun and Mister you are next, i'm sure Rahul bhaiyya ab tumhe pakdenge... So iska ek hi tarika hai that we 'share one bed' samjhe " clarifying what she meant

" oh I see.. Thanks Muski " he chuckled while she glared " okay fine ,but on a serious note Ridhhima ,you don't have to do this .Agar tumhara dil is baat ke liye tayaar nahi hai to koi baat nahi i'm sure we can find a way " he said keeping a hand on her shoulder, she looked at him and knew that he meant it, she wavered for a moment but then Muski's questioning look came before her eyes and it was all decided..

" nahi Armaan maine bahut socha hai iss baare main.. Aur mujhe lagta hai ki yahi theek rahega ,muski bhabhi ko chain nahi milega jab tak wo hamein saath naa dekh lein "

" Ridhhima " " haan "

" kahin yeh sab Prajapat ki wajah se to nahi hai " he asked seriously,she jerked her head

" what ?? "

" haan wo.. Actually aaj maine tumhari aur Prajapat ki baat sun li thi.. Main room main hi tha " she was shocked looking into his eyes ,she could see the pain in them

" nahi Armaan ! " she said immediately keeping a hand over his " itna vishwaas hai tumpar ,aur Prajapat.. He won't bother us anymore yeh hamara faisla hai Armaan ise hum dono saath apni marzi se lenge.. Ek dusre par kichad uchhal kar nahi balki apni samajhdaari se " she assured him " Moreover, I.. I think I trust you that much now..." she said with a smile

his heart summersaulted with happiness ,yet he said " Dekh lo Ridhhima.. Tum mere sath ek bed par... Darr to nahi lagega " he asked with a faint smile

" Nahi.. I think i can manage... tum par itna vishwaas to kar sakti hun... You have earned it aur mujhe apne sabse achhe dost ke sath ek bed share karne main koi problem nahi hogi " he felt so glad, so happy as if he had acheived something big... He nodded flashing his dimples... " thank you .. Thank you Armaan " in that state of great relief she hugged him ,knocking off his breath, but even before he could wrap his arms around her she broke apart " tumhe pata nahi ,tumne mujhe kitni badi pareshani se bacha liya " and he swept away in her happiness...

Later that night he stood there next to the bed when she was busy with a case file, clutching his favourite long pillow under his arm

" ehem.. Ehem " she looked up confused and then remembered why he was there..

" oh haan " she picked up the files lying by " lo aa jao " but he still stood there, she looked questioningly " kya hua ? Sona nahi hai kya ? Muski bahbhi aa gayi to unhe samjhana mushkil ho jayega "

" haan par wo actually.. I sleep on the right side " he expalined sheepishly

" what ?! " he nodded cutely " agar main aise nahi sou naa to mujhe theek se neend nahi aati " she shook her head mumbling ' what a baby ! ' and shifted to the other side ,he jumped in happily giving a broad smile...

" aur yeh pillow to yahan bhi hain phor wahan se kyun le aaye ? "

" nahi this is my favourite pillow.. I need to hug something nahi to mujhe neend nahi aati " he explained lying down pulling the covers, facing her... She raised her eyebrows in surprise but shaking her head went back to her file... " good night Ridimba " he chuckled closing his eyes... Ridhhima was about to say something but then seeing his cute smile abandoned the idea.. She will fight tomorrow

As expected Muski came in to check upon them and was happy to see them together again.. She sat down by her side on an easy chair for some chat... That moment Ridhhima felt glad for her decision.. Muski's doubts were cleared...

" hey Ridhhi, kya kar rahi hai ? " Muski's booming voice broke the quietness of the room

" ssshhh.. Araam se bhabhi.. Abhi soya hai " pointing at Armaan

" ohhh i see " she gigled, but the noise disturbed him and he stirred frowning.. Muski saw this and signalled her to pat him gently...

" he loves that.. Thoda sar par aise hi halke se hath ferte rehna, aaraam milega usko " she then Muski started her gossip session which Ridhhima enjoyed equally... After a while when Muski left she turned and saw that her hand was still there, caressing his soft silky hair... She pulled it back immediately ,he frowned a little in his sleep, she thought of patting him but he turned side and was quiet again... Saving her from further self embarressment...

She was conscious of sharing a bed with a man for the first time... Not any man but Armaan.. Her husband, she saw him sleeping clutching a corner of his pillow his blanket slipping halfway down on the floor...

She chuckled seeing the big baby and covered him properly again.. She knew... Her heart told her.. That her fears about him were baseless, she could not help but admire his cuteness, angelic smile and of course his concern for her... Smiling to herself she went off to sleep... Another problem they had solved... Together...

Part-47

Memories

Recap:- Ridhhima burns her hand and Armaan takes care of her... They go for movie where Armaan fight goons... Ridhhima waves goodbye to lawyer Prajapat and finally thanks to Muski they start sleeping together... Sharing bed you perverts..!!

___________________________________________________

He stood before the mirror scrunching his nose, forehead wrinkled... After a while he gave up...

" Martin !! Maarttiinn ! " he yelled

" kya hua Armaan ? kyun chilla rahe ho ? " she came there running

" mch ! Yeh Martin kahan reh gaya main kabse bula raha hun, yeh dekho kaisi tie bandhi hai... Ab main office ke liye late ho gaya to " he was irritated

She smiled " bass itni si baat ke liye itna chilla rahe the ! Tum bhi na bas, lao main bandh deti hun " she stepped ahead

" tumhe aati hai ? " she stared at him

" theek hai to khud hi bandh lo " she turned to go, but it was a mere threat she knew he can't tie the knot and smiled to herself secretly...

" arree ruko, main to mazaak kar raha tha " she turned and looked at him head tilted and arms crossed across her chest

" ohh to tum mazaak kar rahe the " he nodded " par main to nahi kar rahi thi " she teased

" Ridhhiimmaa pleeaasee " he begged, she laughed seeing him so

" theek hai baba ,aati hun " she came up to him " mch ! Yeh kya kiya Armaan aadhi tie collar ke bahar aadhi andar " she straightened his collar and her fingers brushed through his neck... Goosebumps erupted on every part of his body... Her arms were around him slightly bent over him as if hugging... He had no idea what she was saying.. he was lost in her sweet fragrance... her soft touch... He longed to wrap her in his arms ,hug her tightly... Kiss her senseless...

She on the other hand was engrossed in tying the knot unaware what havoc she was creating... And mammoth efforts it was taking on his part to control himself... it was only when she moved a little away he gained some control... " Yeh dekho kya kiya hai tumne tie ka ,aise koi kheenchta hai kya.." she looked at him as he was absolutely mum... Just looking at her... Their eyes met and for a moment everything just stopped... He broke the trance first

" ehem ,mujhe nahi aati tie bandhni... Maine seekhi thi magar.. Wo main bhuul gaya " she rolled her eyes and corrected his collar ,coming near again on her toes looking behind his neck to correct the collar... he held back his breath...

She smiled making him face the mirror " lo ho gaya.. Happy " looking at himself he smiled broadly... " perfect.. Thanks "

" you're welcome Mr.Malik " she laughed lightly shaking her head ,he kept watching her as she went away...

In the office he kept on looking at his tie touching it, running his hand over it to feel her touch.. Everytime he thought of her touch a big smile came over his face... His staff could see that today he was unusually happy.. And found it strange when they saw him smiling to himself caressing his tie...

" hey handsome ! " he came to present with a cheery voice, looking up and saw Mrs.George standing there.." someone is lost huh, main kabse knock kar rahi thi "

He looked apologetic " oh wo main I'm sorry Mrs.George.. Main thoda busy tha.. Maine suna nahi " she looked at his table it was clean...

" yeah I can see... Kitna kaam hai naa " Armaan looked around to find something to support his excuse but found none... " hahaha it's okay ,I can see my position is lost " he looked at her, puzzled " the moment you called me 'Mrs.George' instead of 'beautiful' ,I guess I really have become old "

" yes... no... I mean you are still beautiful " he protested but his thoughts were muddled and his tongue slipped..

" really ,to tum usko ko kya kahoge jiske baare main tum abhi soch soch kar itna khush ho rahe the " he opened his mouth like a fish and seeing his dilemma she could not help but laugh " it's okay sonny... I'm really glad to see you soo happy... Didn't I told you everything will be fine " he smiled ,at least something was fine if not everything " well, I gotta go, just came to see you " she got up and moved to the door but stopped and looked at him " by the way... I like your tie " giving a wink ,she went away leaving him happy and confused ,he looked at his tie ,then at the door... Unable to understand what she liked about it today. He shrugged and went back to dreaming about Ridhhima and his lovely morning...

It was Sunday and they all sat out enjoying the lovely afternoon near the pool

" yaar mera to swimming ka mann kar raha hai... Oye Muskaan chal "

Muskaan looked up from her drink " Rahul ke bachhe agar tujhe lagta hai ki main tere saath swimming karungi to.."

" too " he stood before her hands on his side as if threatening her

" to bhuul jaa " she was not the least affected

" cmmon yaar Muskaan chal naa " Armaan laughed seeing him turning from threatening to begging mode " tu itna kyun hans raha hai ?! "

" bhai agar aapko swimming karni hai to karo naa Muski ko kyun pareshaan kar rahe ho " Rahul threw a magazine at him which he dodged laughing... Ridhhima looked at them confused, as in why were they laughing... Muski saw her and explained...

" mchh.. Ridhhi wo kya hai naa ki is khotte ko akele paani main jaane se darr lagta hai... Swimming aati hai tab bhi " she giggled, Rahul stared at her frowning for leaking out his secret, Ridhhima hid her smile with her hand..

" ohh I see... But bhabhi this is not fair, aapko bhaiyya ka dil aise nahi todna chahiye, agar wo aapke saath swimming jaana chahte hain to jayiye naa " making a serious face

" hey thanks Ridhhi " they hi 5ed " chalo koi to hai meri side, yeh to kisi kaam ka nahi hai.. Ab agar mere paas aaya naa ki 'bhai yeh kar do' ya 'wo kar do' tab bataunga saale "

" hey no prob. Muski main tere saath hun " they hi-fived too apparently forming a team ,Rahul frowned and looked at Muskaan... She could read in his eyes what he wanted but was unsure before Armaan and Ridhhima... Rahul pleaded through his eyes... And she gave up... He was pioneer at making her do whatever he wanted... Just by making that cute angry face !

" fine... Actually Armaan main bhi soch rahi thi ki idea itna bura bhi nahi hai... Mazaa aayega..."

" yaayy " Rahul jumped ,Ridhhima shook her head smiling she had seen them talking through eyes " Magar... Main tumhare saath nahi jaungi "

" to phir ? " all excitement vanished

" main Ridhhima ke saath jaungi " she declared

" what !? " " what ?! " " what ?! " there were three 'what's', Rahul bit disappointed, Armaan surprised and Ridhhima... Shocked

" haan isme itna hairaani waali baat kya hai... Riddhi tujhe swimming aati hai naa " she turned to her

" haan bhabhi.. magar itne achhe se nahi bas thodi si.." she was bit scared... What was going on in her mind now...

" no problem Armaan sambhal lega use aati hai... Chal let's change " she grabbed her hand and got up...

" par bhabhi..." but Muski just dragged her turning a deaf ear to her protests ,pleas ,excuses... She was too surprised with the sudden turn that she didn't knew what to say... Muskaan on the other hand gave her a costume... Seeing which she was horrified... " bhabhi main yeh..?? "

" usi ka to darr hai " she mumbled.. Totally lost what to do ,but when it comes to Muski there is no escape, trembling she wore the swimsuit..Muski was already out before her...waiting..

" woohhoo.. Gawd Ridhhi you look sexyyy ! " Muski whistled and Ridhhima turned red " cmmon Ridhhi yahan yeh haal hai to bahar kya hoga " laughing Muski pulled her out before she could run back..

Both the men were already in the pool playing with the ball when Armaan saw Muski and Ridhhima coming... The way his mouth fell open it must have surely touched the pool floor...

Rahul came next to him ,Armaan was still looking at her like a fool ,Rahul saw what he was looking at " Bhai muh to band kar le ,teri hi biwi hai " Armaan closed his mouth immediately, Rahul grinned and swam towards Muski giving a thumbs up to Ridhhima. He gave her his hand to help her inside the pool which she gladly accepted as there were no steps...

Ridhhima stood there unsure what to do she was extremely conscious standing there before him in a swimsuit, the way he looked at her... left her even more conscious and she felt hugely shy... Armaan smiled seeing her and with a smooth flow swam up to her...

Getting near her he extended his hand to her.. She stood there hesitating... shy... red... He smiled and kept looking at her... " cmmon Ridhhima ,kya tumhe mujhse sharam aa rahi hai ? " he asked naughtily " trust me I won't eat you " he winked grinning ,hand still extended... She saw Rahul and Muskaan who were already lost in their own world...

Not knowing what else to do she hesitatingly gave him her hand... Shivering a little as she stepped inside the pool ,the water at the first touch felt cold but after a moment it felt ok.. it was a warm April afternoon and water felt nice... Armaan held her by her waist securely, she came inside the pool but... The pool was deeper than she thought her feet couldn't find the floor... She got scared and held him tightly by his shoulders... Armaan wrapped his arms around her waist holding her tightly...

" don't worry maine tumhe pakda hua hai " she was scared of both... Deep water and... Him... The way he held her ,his arms around her waist holding tightly and the way he looked at her... She tried to move away from him but again the fear of water gripped her and she held him wrapping her arms around his neck... Faces inches away, bodies clinging to each other...

" Armaan please mujhe chhodna mat.. Mujhe darr lag raha hai " then she realised that she was clinging on to him, she immediately let go of him but as she was no expert in swimming, she went down in water but he held her ,she wrapped her arms again around his neck tightly...

He chuckled " tumhe paani se darr lag raha hai Ridhhima ya mujhse ? " She jerked her head up to look at him something she was avoiding.. She opened her mouth without a clue what to say they were neck deep in water and she was clinging on to him for her dear life.. " don't worry i will never leave you.." she kept looking at him unsure what he meant " yahan paani gehra hai thoda us taraf chalte hain " saying so he swept her away with him... Literally.. Smiling, to the shallow side... She didn't knew when her feet touched the floor... She was busy looking at him " yahan paani jyada gehra nahi hai.. Tum aaram se khadi ho sakti ho " putting her down making sure she stood on her feet...

She came out of her thoughts quickly drawing back her hands ...freeing herself from his grip... She felt shy even to look at him she knew he was eying her with his amused dimple grin... Armaan on the other hand was enjoying this thoroughly... She looked damn sexy... Her wet hair and those tiny droplets of water which flowed down from her face to the deep valley below her neck... He wanted to suck them away... To touch her skin ,feel it's smoothness in his fingers but he somehow controlled himself... Looking away... otherwise he would definitely had done something with the potential of jeopardizing whatever he had gained...

Things were not much different the other side but at different level... It was the first time she saw him shirtless so close almost naked ! she had seen him in his vest but never this way... her fingers touched his firmly built muscular body and she was all wonder... That broad chest ,those angelic features ,those muscles... No wonder girls are ready to do anything for him.. He was every girls dream man... loving.. caring... handsome... funny... Understanding... Intelligent... rich... everything anyone would die for... Kill for...

Their trance was broken by Muski's voice " oye Romeo Juliet ! Ab aise hi khade reh kar ek dusre ko ghurte rahoge kya ?! " it was then she realised that she was staring at him she immediately looked away to Muski..

" n..nahi bhabhi wo udhar paani gehra tha to wo Armaan mujhe yahan le aaye " she explained

" theek hai, theek hai maine kuch kaha kya " she gigled seeing them Rahul was not far behind...

" Muskii stop pulling her leg.. Chal let's play ball " Muski agreed and went to pair up with Rahul ,he came and stood next to her " hey don't be embarrassed... Remember we are friends " she looked at him.. He blinked smiling.. assuring her and all her shyness vanished.. she felt more comfortable and how 2 hours flew by she had no idea..

They splashed water at each other ,pulled legs under water.. Played ball ... Girls vs boys... Pair vs pair... And cheated as much as they could.. She never imagined it would be so much fun...

It was Angel who called Muski out and Ridhhima followed... A reluctant Armaan watched her go... His heart almost stopped beating when he saw her in that sexy swimsuit " damn !! what a sexy figure she has ! "...

He shook his head, he would be having lot of trouble sleeping today... With her thoughts in his mind and she sleeping right next to her... Yet so far away...

" man, it would be tough ! " he mumbled and splashed in the pool again... Ladies came out after changing all fresh and dry and saw that both men were still in the pool...

" Rahul ,Armaan bahaar aao... Bimaar hona hai kya ? " Muski yelled ,she again stared at him in wonder as he came out of the pool wearing his swimming shorts.. Water dripping from his body... She inhaled seeing the Greek god reincarnation before her eyes !.. He looked at her and found her checking him out.. He winked.. She was caught ,feeling embarressed she immediately looked away.. He chuckled... Shaking his head he wrapped a towel around his waist, she breathed in.. mentally scolding herself for ogling at him like that...

" sir your call from Mr.Walia " Martin presented him the phone

" hello Mr.Walia.." he got busy with his business talk whereas on the other hand Rahul was busy with Angel and Muskaan dried his hair lovingly.. The family was lost in their own world, she smiled seeing the beautiful scene before her eyes

A sound of loud sneeze brought her to present ,it was Armaan who sniffed but was still talking on phone " Ridhhi..Ridhhi kahan kho gayi thi ? Yeh le " she threw a towel at her " isse Armaan ka sar ponch de nahi to yeh aaj zarur bimar pad jayega... Isko to kisi bhi mausam main zukhaam ho sakta hai " she signalled Armaan who was still on the phone ,to come to her and again got busy with Rahul he looked at her and found her in a dilemma... Muski left her in another situation... She stood there with the towel in her hand...

He took the towel from her and covered the phone with his palm " don't worry main kar lunga " he smiled and placed the towel around his neck going back to his call... She stood there waiting for him enjoying the evening sun and breeze... When there was another Sneeze.. and another... And another ! She saw that he was still busy with his call shivering in the wind, hair still wet... She sighed, he was so careless no wonder he was sneezing... She went up to him and stood before him... He looked up raising his eyebrows... She didn't said anything but just took the towel which he hung around his neck and started drying his hair...

He was stunned... He didn't knew what Mr.Walia was saying all he could hear was the beep of the disconnected call but he didn't put the phone down.. He closed his eyes... He was in heaven... he really won't be able to sleep tonight... He wanted to wrap his hands around her waist and pull her closer but instead he just gripped the phone harder in oreder to control himself.

The day went by but everytime she came before him he could not help but think about her in that sexy swimsuit... She often caught him staring at her and she became conscious, she was no fool that she could not make out what might be going on in his mind... He was a man after all... she felt bit conscious after today how will she manage to share the same bed with him.. What if... But then her logical mind worked in his favour...

" cmmon Ridhhima you think too much you have seen him, he won't break your trust give him some credit.. And tu bhi to use ghuur ghuur kar dekh rahi thi..." said brain on Armaan's side

" Main... Nahi nahi main kahan dekh rahi thi..." said the other side

" Yes you were..."

" no wasn't..."

" yes ,you were ! "

Her mind kept on arguing with herself, when she finally got frustrated she got up from the table and looked at him... Armaan was busy playing with Angel, she could have sworn that just a moment before he was looking at her... But shrugging it as her overreacting brain working overtime she went to the bedroom... Armaan followed soon after..

" what a day ! " he stretched himself ,she could see his flexing bisceps... " waise Ridhhima ek baat kahun " she looked at him,he came toward her closer.. Closer ... So close that there was hardly an arm's distance between them " Tum doctor kaise ban gayi, tumhe to model hona chahiye tha... mujhe nahi pata tha ki swimsuit tumhe itna 'suit' karta hai.. " he whispered softly... Seeing her shocked face he gave a big smile and winking went to change...

Ridhhima gulped he was indeed thinking about that swimsuit.. No ' her ' in suimsuit... She groaned ,her heart raced.. She tried to control herself " it's okay Ridhhima it was just a compliment tujhe to pata hai naa how he is... " said mind one " to itni paas aa kar dena zaruri tha ?! " mind two contradicted " ohhh " she groaned helplessly

she quickly went to bed and pretended to sleep before he came out ,he came out after a short while and saw her sleeping ... Rather pretending to be asleep ,he chuckled softly and quietly went to his side... Her back was towards him.. Though she lay with her eyes close she knew exactly what he was doing... He switched off the light and for few moments there was absolute silence... Just as she was about to relax a bit...

" Ridhhima " he spoke softly she realised that he was bent over her his lips quiet near her ear.. she trembled a little clutching a corner of her pillow " Good night..." and with that he moved back again... She was surprised and waited for a moment for him to say something more... Do something more... but there was complete silence...

" Armaan..." She called to check whether he actually wished her good night or she imagined it

" Haan.." the answer came from some distance

" Kuch nahi.. Goodnight " none turned ,sighing deeply he smiled to himself hugging his pillow tightly he closed his eyes... To dream about her... If he could manage to sleep at all that is...

The next day he sent Martin away saying, to the utter shock of butler, that he doesn't know how to tie the knot properly . She tried to control the situation,she knew that Martin is extremely conscious and impeccable when it comes to his work.

" it's okay Martin, he's not the best judge of it but you still make the world's best brownies i have ever tasted " he looked smug at the statement

" thank you madam, atleast you are sensitive enough towards others feelings " he looked at him meaningfully " i'll bake some brownies for you madam, special cinnamon one " holding his head up with an attitude he went out...

" huh ! Ab yeh bhi tumhari party main ?! " he said amused as he watched him go " mere liye to kabhi 'spl' brownies nahi banayi " he complained faking anger

" that's because you don't deserve it " she turned to him and did the favourite activity of the day- tied his tie...

As he went away to office, she decided to go to Muskaan and see if she required any help . She and Rahul along with Angira were foing on a business cum vacation trip to Holland...

" bhabhi kya kar rahe ho ? Tayari ho gayi ? "

" haan wo to ho gayi magar main Angira ki baby book dhund rahi hun pata nahi kahan rakh di..." she said looking around and Ridhhima too joined in the search company, after few minuted Muskaan jumped up " arre haan yaad aaya jab main suitcases nikalnwane gayi thi tab shayd store room main hi bhuul aayi.. Abhi laati hun " she looked relived now that she remembered it but then came a loud wail " lo baj gaya siren "

Ridhhima gigled " koi baat nahi bhabhi aap usko dekho book main le aati hun "

she went to the storeroom but for a storeroom it was quiet clean and systematic ,though there were places where fine layer of dust was clear ,at one corner lay some old newspapers neatly piled... Some discarded furniture and many boxes probably full of many other unused things... She looked around to see where the book was and then found it on a pile of books...

She picked it up ,then she saw that it was not pile of books but a pile of 3-4 albums .dusting it off she picked up one and turned it's pages smiling at what she saw .she found something else too and out of curiosity she opened a big box over which the albums were kept she found it full of framed pictures

A curious smile crept on her lips and it got even wider as she picked one photo after another ,getting glimpses of Armaan's childhood, right from where he is in his mom, Naina's, lap as few days old baby to the one which she found cutest . He stood before a big cake mouth covered with cake cream ,Naina and Virendra kissing him either side while rest of the family, some she knew some she didn't, standing in a semi circle clapping... A wonderful moment captured forever... She wondered why all these pictures were kept in the storeroom . It was then when she saw little Rahul she recalled why she was there ,quickly picking up the baby book few albums and that picture she came out ... Gigling to herself imagineing his face when he'll these pics..

As she waved Rahul and Muskaan goodbye ,she waited for him to return planning to go through the albums together ,there were many people she didn't knew in them... She looked at the clock it showed 6 o'clock ,he'll be back any minute now...

She was out in the balcony when he came in smiling broadly " Ridhhima pata hai aaj kya hua... wo aaj Mrs. George..aayi...thi.." He stopped midway seeing the picture on the bedside table...

She came from behind smiling " hey Armaan ! aa gaye tum..." She saw him starimg at the picture... " Tumhari birthday ki photograph.. Pata hai kahan thi yeh storeroom main, achhi hai naa kitne cute lag rahe ho ,yeh.."

" Kaun laaya ise yahan ? " He cut her mid sentence angrily

" Armaan yeh " this was not what she expected

" Ridhhima main tumse kuch puuch raha hun. kaun laaya ise yahaan ? " She was surprised at his sudden outburst gettting no reply from her he went to the door " Martiinn.. Martiinnn come her right now...! "

" Armaan kya hua... Yeh photo main laayi hun..."

" Tum ?! "

" Haan yeh aaj mujhe kuch purani albums ke sath mili to main le aayi, Naina mom ki ek bhi photo nahi hai yahaan to maine socha.."

" Kyun ? kyun laayi tum ise yahaan ?! kya jarurat thi ?! kisne kaha tumhe yeh sab karne ko...?? Kya tumse shanti se raha nahi jaata...?? Kya sab cheezein chhedna zaruri hai ? " he kept yelling at her,Martin came in meanwhile

" Martin take this away " he didn't even look at the picture ,his back towards it ,the butler's brows shot up when he saw the picture there composing himself quickly back to his poker face again ,he quickly picked up the picture " i'm sorry sir " he looked at Ridhhima who was wondering what she had done to cause this " it was unintentional " saying so he quickly went out with the picture...

Armaan was totally not himself after that ,he without any word, went to have a bath... She just didn't knew what she had done... The dinner was a quiet affair as well ,as BP was again out on a business trip and Rahul and Muskaan on a vacation... He didn't ate much and was very quiet . It was very unusual for him to act so... No jokes , no teasing, no details about the day... No enquiries... Nothing at all ,he ate half heartedly that too after being forced by her and Virendra... After a while when she came back to the room she found him already asleep... She exaled, she wanted to talk about what happened in the evening but... Maybe tomorrow morning...

Ridhhima woke up with the restless movements. She quickly switched on the lights and saw him groaning.. Twisting his head from side to side.. his blanket and pillow thrown on the floor.. beads of sweat clear on his forehead.. his face was twisted as if he was in great pain..

" Nooo.. Nahi.. plzz.."

She was alarmed and quickly sat up " Armaan.. Armaaann utho.." She shook him gently, he shivered... " Armaaann " she shook him vigorously now

" nooo " he sat up shouting,panting...

" Armaan kya hua ? Armaan ?! "she kept a hand on his shoulder he was breathing shortly... "kuch to bolo kya hua ?? Koi bura sapna dekha ? "

He sat there holding his head ,eyes shut tightly, he didn't uttered a word .she quickly fetched a glass of water... " Armaan yeh lo paani pi lo.."

He gulped the water " Ridhhima.." He was still breathing shortly

" Haan Armaan.. It's okay sab theek hai ,tumne shayad koi bura sapna dekha tha bas..." She tried to calm him down...but his condition was even worse this time.. She could see the tear marks by his eyes... He wiped his face trying to calm down hiding his face in his palms

" Ridhhima.. give me the pills.." She looked at him

" Armaan it's okay it was just a nightmare.. Tum dubara sone ki koshish karo..."

" Nahi.. I want the pills " he was adamant

She looked at him her face determined " No Armaan ,no pills tumhe unki koi zarurat nahi hai.."

" No ! What the bloody hell you know.. I WANT THE PILLS RIGHT NOW " he shouted out holding her firmly by her shoulders...

But she was firm " nahi Armaan, I won't give them.. Sirf ek nightmare ki wajah se to bilkul nahi " He jerked her back and got up he started rummaging the drawers himself ,she looked stunned at what he was doing

" Armaan stop that ! Wapas aao.. Armaan don't be ridiculous ! "

" I'm not ridiculous it's you.." He felt angry when he couldn't find them " it's all because of you..." He ran his fingers in his hair, frustrated, where to look.. he looked at her angrily... She came up to him knowing that he was scared

" Armaan it's okay " she tried to keep a hand on his shoulder but he moved away

" mere paas mat aana..." She was surprised...

" Armaan main.."

" Don't talk to me.. Go away..." He shouted at her.. She was stunned to see him like this... He then himself walked out in the balcony slamming the door... She wanted to go to him but seeing how angry he was, could not muster up the courage... She sat on the bed waiting for him to return after calming down a bit, she could see him pacing up and down... Kicking the chairs angrily... She was herself bit scared ,she had never seen him like this before... He had woken up many times shouting, scared... but never behaved so roughly... Never so angry... She didn't know when she fell asleep waiting for him... It was the bright morning light that woke her up..

As she open her eyes she saw him all ready closing his briefcase ready to go... She looked by her side there was no coffee... She knew immediately that he was still angry

" Armaan tum tayaar bhi ho gaye ? " He didn't said anything " Armaan good morning.." He looked at her and the way he looked told her everything... She was still not forgiven' without another word he walked out sullen

Ridhhima felt very guilty... When she came down Maria informed her that he didn't even had breakfast... She did felt bad for him but knew what she did was the right thing...

She kept wondering what made him soo upset... She wondered if seeing Naina's photo brought all the sad memories back.. But what about Nainait has been such a long time and yet they had hardly ever talked about her.. " Ab kisse puchhun.. Papa se.. Nahi Naina mom ke baare main aise puchhungi to unhe dukh hoga... BP bhi nahi hain... Mchh ! yeh Muski bhabhi ko bhi abhi jaana tha..."

" Ridhhima beta , juice aapke liye.. Maria kept the glass in front of her "

Maria smiled motherly " ofcourse beta..." She sat at the other corner of the steps facing her

" Umm Maria aap yahan Armaan ki dekhbhaal ke liye aayi thi naa...? "

She smiled " haan 11 saal ka tha Armaan jab main aayi... 16 saal ho gaye mujhe is parivaar ke saath.."

" To kuch batayiye naa... Kaisa tha wo bachpan main..." she asked curiously

" Armaan... Huuhh Armaan sabse alag tha, jab main aayi tab Naina ji ko guzre kuch hi time hua tha. Shuru shuru main wo bilkul chup rehta tha, ghar ke logon ke alawa shayad hi kisi se baat karta tha, mere paas to aata hi nahi tha... Lekin phir wo to har ajnabi se darta tha... Lekin dheere dheere sab theek hota gaya... Usne kabhi mujhe is ghar ka naukar nahi samjha balki ek parivaar ke sadasya ki tarah izzat aur pyar diya hai... Raat ko jab wo darta tha to mere paas hi aa kar sota tha... Lekin shaitan bhi kuch kam nahi tha" she chuckled " jaise jaise Naina ji ki maut ka sadma kuch kam hota gaya uska bachpan wapas aata gaya... Ek se badh kar ek shaitani... Racing ka to itna shauk hai ki bas puchho mat... Kabhi Virendra sir bike ke liye manaa kar dete the to car shuru ho jaati thi.. Aur Rahul aur Mukaan hamesha uski side lene ke liye khade rehte the... Kisi ki himmat nahi thi ki koi use kuch keh de "

They chuckled.. " Aur bahane banane main to number one ya to phir wo homework karna ho ya kuch jo pasand nahi... Vibha madam to kabhi kabhi pareshan ho jaati thi..."

Ridhhima kept listening... " Lekin Maria.. Naina mom ki maut kaise hui ?? "

Maria became serious ,sighing heavily she spoke up looking at nothing in front... " Sahi sahi to mujhe bhi nahi pata main unki maut ke kareeb ek saal baad aayi thi.. magar jahaan tak main jaanti hun wo ek bahut bhayak hadsa tha... Us baare main koi baat nahi karta... Magar us haadse ne agar kisi ko sabse jyada takleef di, to wo di Armaan ko... Ek bachhe ke liye apni maa ko khona sabse badi takleef hoti hai... "

" Magar Maria ghar main Naina mom ki ek bhi tasveer kyun nahi hai ? " she now remembered that she indeed had not seen her picture anywhere...

" hamein bola gaya tha unhe hatane ko "

" what ?! Kyun ?! kisne ? "

She looked disturbed... Probably she'd thought about it too " bade saab... Virendra sir, ke order se "

" what ?? Papa ne kaha mom ki photo hataane ko ?? "

" Haan, shayad wo us bhayanak haadse ko yaad nahi karna chahte aur hamein to khaas order diye gaye hain ki unki koi tasveer Armaan ke saamne na laayi jaye, baba ka room bhi hum uski absence main hi saaf karwate hain... Shayad koi bahut buri yaad hai wahan..."

Ridhhima fell quiet she remembered when she went in that room how angry he got and flinched when he got the glimpse of it... How he pleaded not to go there again ' kuch hai wahan... Ek bura saaya... Plz I request you wahan mat jaana ' " Maria Armaan.."

" Maria.. Maria ! " Martin's sharp voice stopped her in between , he appeared a moment later " oh here you are... Madam I need to borrow her there is some work in the kitchen... Armaan sir get quiet restless if lunch is served late.." He looked at Maria " hurry up Maria "

" but I... "

" Now Maria, i'm sure madam can excuse you " Martin glared she could not understand the reason behind Martin acting strangely..

" Beta main zara chal kar khane ki tayyari dekh lun baba ko lunch bhejna hai..." Leaving Ridhhima lost in her thoughts ,even more puzzled Maria went away... She could have asked Martin but she knew it would be useless, the butler was so loyal so secretive that he won't spill a single bean...

" Magar koi beta apni maa ki tasveer dekhne se bhi kaise manaa kar sakta hai ?? " His manners ,his worries, anger and reluctance confused her even more... She decided to wait for Muskaan and got up to move in, she was passing by when he heard angry whispers

" Why were you saying even.."

" God's sake Martin ,she's the daughter of the house she has the right to know..."

" She has the right to know but we don't have the right to tell... What if she goes poking her nose and it disturb Armaan sir again..."

" Nothing will happen "

" How can you say ! I was there, I saw him.. his condition... You don't mess around... If she wants to know let her ask sir if they haven't told her then we don't have the right to say anything... It's their family matter we should not step in between..."

" Okay fine ! now stop yelling and being so grumpy..." Both moved out she quickly hid herself and they never noticed her...

" I have to ask Armaan aakhir baat kya hai..."

She went into the kitchen " Martin i'll take Armaan's lunch today " and went away to get ready... She knew if she wanted some answers she had to get him back to normal again...

He was really surprised seeing her there, unannounced...

" Ridhhima tum ?! "

" haan main, tum bade laparwah ho gaye ho Armaan ,aaj breakfast kyun nahi kiya ? " she tried to be normal, he was still not in a very happy mood but he was still not angry on her for coming there " ab aise hi dekhte rahoge ya aa kar kuch khaoge bhi, mujhe to badi bhuuk lag rahi hai... Maine socha ab aa rahi hun to tumhare saath hi lunch kar lun.. Aao naa " he kept his file down and came for the lunch... Even after a lot of coaxing he ate minimum...

" Armaan bas itna hi "

" haan i'm not particularly hungry..." she sighed, feeling that things will not get normal otherwise...

" Armaan " he looked up from his file " i'm sorry for yesterday... I didn't wanted to hurt you... Trust me Armaan aisi har mamuli baat ke liye tumhe un pills ko lene ki zarurat nahi hai "

" it's okay Ridhhima ,i know you meant well "... She could see that his anger was faltering a bit... She wanted to talk to him ,to ask many things but she could see he was not in a mood... in the meanwhile he got a call that some representatives were here to meet him and he asked to send them after a while ..

" Ridhhima kuch log aaye hain mujhe unse milna hai ,main shaam ko milta hun "

" theek hai " she sighed inwardly, this was difficult he won,t budge... she felt disappointed she was about to leave

" Ridhhima..." She turned " Never do that again... Plz..." She would have said more but he spoke again " dhayan se jaana.." And hid himself behind the file.. That was cue enough for her that he wanted her to leave... sighing again she went out giving him a glance of which he took no notice...

At evening he came back home but was all quiet... He sat in the room with her but spoke nothing... She tried many times to start a conversation but he didn't speak anything but monosyllables... she was fed up now... She was not used to of so quiet Armaan... Moreover she didn't knew what she had done to make him so angry he won't listen to her... one thing she knew, he was angry because she hadn't given him the pills... She exaled and throwing the file by her side got up angrily ...

He raised his eyes to see what she was doing... She went to wardrobe room and came back after a moment... Slamming the bottle of pills on the bedside table she stood there arms folded across her chest

" Lo, le lo apni pills aur kha lo jitni khaani hai... Aur plz ab to yeh muh latka kar mat baitho..." He looked at the pills and then at her angry face... He slowly closed the file and sighed now facing her he took her hand...

" Ridhhima baitho "

She was surprised but was adament too " What ! i'm fine ! "

" Plz Ridhhima..." he pleaded softly

She looked at his pleading face and sat down rather angrily... " Ridhhima I'm sorry..." She still look away, a small smile came on his lips... " Plz Ridhhima, at least look at me... Plz.."

She turned her face... " Main jaanta hun ki I have acted like a jerk but plz try to understand it's very difficult for me... Main nahi jaanta why but those dreams always leave me drained... frustrated... Plz I hope you understand... "

" but Armaan wo tumhari mom ki tasveer thi "

" Ridhhima plz main mom ke baare main koi baat nahi larna chahta " he again became serious

" Kyun Armaan, she was your mom kya tum unhe bhul gaye don't u love her ?! "

" No, no, no ! it's not that...of course I love her ,she was my mom but try to understand she died Ridhhima... she died... it's just everytime I try to recall her I get frightening nightmares... They scare me Ridhhima... Everytime ... Those screams..." he shut his eyes trying to wave away those memories...

" Armaan agar aisa hai why don't we consult someone.." she looked concerned

" No ! I don't want to consult anyone... I'm fine " he sighed and picked up the bottle... Looking at it for a while he placed it in her hand " main jaanta tum mujhse jyada jaanti ho magar plz it would help me sometime... main bhi inka gulam nahi banna chata magar tumse pehle mujhe koi rokne waala nahi tha naa... Isliye shayad jyada gussa aa gaya... Adat nahi hai naa.." He smiled but she could see that he looked tired and emotionally drained...

" it's okay Armaan tum so jao ,kal bhi theek se nahi soye thak gaye honge naa " he nodded smiling after a long time " and trust me I will make sure that there will be no more nightmares " she smiled Taking away his files

A day or two passed and he became almost normal... Ridhhima dropped the idea of probing him any further about the topic of Naina's death... She was taking the albums back one on another when one of them slipped and fell down.. She bent down to pick it up but before she could a hand picked it up.. She raised her head and saw it was Armaan.. She stood up holding the albums...

" Armaan tum.. Wo main bas inhe waapas hi rakhne jaa rahi thi..." She hesitated seeing him.. fearing.. She didn't knew what.. Another outbreak. He looked at the album with expressionless face

" Achha, magar main to soch raha tha ki tumhe apne doston se milwaunga..." He held up the album and to her relief smiled...

He sighed " Ridhhima look..." he sighed " i'm sorry... I have acted like a real jerk... I know you meant well but... I just can't help being so sometimes ,sorry... Pls.." he made a cute puppy face and she forgot to be angry on him... Apology was instantly accepted and anger... Where did it go... His smile was bewitching she made a mental note not to let him make such a cute face and say sorry next time they fight...

She smiled " it's okay, but you better behave yourself next time mister " she warned faking anger

" yes maam " he saluted in marine fashion and they both gigled... He grabbed the albums in one hand her hand with another and took her to the couch... Sitting side by side, he opened first album...

" hey look Martin ! "

" why he look so sullen ? " she asked

" sullen ?! This is his happy face ! " and they laughed out... They moved on from one pic to another... One album to next...

" yeh to jab main college main tha tab ki hai " he picked it running his hand over it feeling nostalgic ,smiling to himself... Probably remembering his days at college...

" Armaan is this Abhimanyu Modi ? " she pointed a small face in the background

" yeah, ise kaise bhul sakta hun... Abhimanyu Modi... Yeh mere saath hi tha college main aur hamesha mere saath shart lagata rehta tha... Always tried to beat me... Kabhi exams, kabhi races... Jab India aaya tab yeh bhi aaya aur hum yahaan mile ,yaad hai jab main hospital main tha " she nodded " wo isi ki wajah se tha kabhi seedhe seedhe to hara nahi paaya to usne wo kiya jo use aata hai... Cheating " he smiled sarcastically

She turned the page " hey Armaan Niki ! " she squeled but his smile vanished " kya hua ? " he said nothing " Armaan Niki kahaan hai ? " she saw how his expressions changed... " wo shaadi par bhi nahi dikhi aur itna waqt ho gaya you never even mentioned her... Where is she Armaan ?? "

" pata nahi "

" pata nahi ? Cmmon Armaan aisa kaise ho sakta hai she was your best friend hai naa "

He stood up looking out of the window " yes we 'were' best friends "

" to.. kahan hai wo ? "

" Apne 'husband' ke saath... Probably too happy to remember any of her old friends... Mrs. Nikita MODI " he looked at the photograph in her lap... Ridhhima's eyebrows shot up hearing what he said...

A sweet bunglow welcomed the first rays of the sun... The kitchen bustled with the morning activity of preparing breakfast...

" kanahiya.. Yeh baahar table par rakh aao saahan abhi aane hi waale honge.. Rani jao maaji ko bula lao bolo ki breakfast tayyar hai " she went around in the kitchen swiftly managing things, orfering servants...

" bulane ki koi zarurat nahi hai main yahi hun " niki turned and saw her mother in law standing there " good morning beta, tumne phir sab akele kar liya ? " she said hugging her lovingly

" good morning mumma... Aur maine kaha hai naa aapse ki aapko is baare main pareshaan hone ki koi zarurat nahi hai " she smiled at her ,she was indeed her mother than a mother in law... Sometimes she felt that she loved her even more than her son... It was no secret that she wanted another child a girl but some complications couldn't let her wish fulfilled.. Untill she came here after marriage... Niki found a mother and she found a daughter...

" wo janab uthe ki nahi ? " she asked smiling

" Abhi ko uthane ki zarurat nahi padti ,wo to subah subah 6 baje hi gym main ghuss jaate hain bas abhi aate hi honge "

They all sat down for breakfast

" good morning mom...dad.." he sat down smiling politely to Niki who smiled back and started serving...

" Abhi "

" yes dad " niki sat opposite him

" beta main kuch soch raha tha.. Infact ek faisla liya hai "

" kis baare main dad ? " he asked putting a spoonful of poha in his mouth

" main chahta hun ki tum.. Humsab.. Waapas Delhi shift ho jaayein "

He stopped eating at once jerking his head up...he looked at her...niki was equally surprisedby the sudden decision..Abhi gathered himself...

" magar dad ,yeh achanak shift hone ka faisla..." he looked at his mother who was not the least surprised which meant she knew about it...

" bas aise hi.. Ab dekho naa hamara main office wahan hai aur hum yahan.. Kitna up down karna padta hai... Time waste hota hai... Bangalore bura nahi hai magar Delhi to apni hi hai "

" aur Niki ka to socho ,wo kitna miss karti hogi apne mom dad ko " Niki felt a surge of affection on her mother in law ,she was so understanding and loving... She kept a hand on hers..

" no mumma aap aisa bilkul mat sochiye, aap hai naa ,i don't miss them that much " Suman ,abhi's mother, smiled and hugged her sideways

" awww thank you beta you are so sweet... Lekin ab dekho naa hamare saare rishtedaar wahin hai business wahin hai aur hum yahan .. Bhai mujhe to bada boring lagta hai... Aur tumhare dost ?.. Don't you miss them huh.." Niki looked at Abhi who looked back but she couldn't make out what he was thinking...

" wo to theek hai papa magar main permanent shift hone ke baare main kuch nahi keh sakta " he again looked at her " pata nahi mujhe wahan suit karega ya nahi "

" that's ridiculous ! Of course tumhe suit karega kya tum wahan pale badhe nahi ho... To phir ?!.. Tum ek kaam karo tum Niki ko le kar Delhi chale jao hum bhi kuch din main wahan aa jayenge... And that's final enough of this place.."

" but dad " he tried to reason

" no but's Abhi, it's decided we are going back.. Apna ghar apne log chhod kar bahar rehna kahan ki samajhdaari hai ,meri Malhotra sahab se baat ho gayi hai aur wo bhi is faisle se bahut khush hain " he declared, his mother shook her head at her adament husband smiling..

Abhi knew his father won't budge.. He looked at Niki who was lost in her thoughts...

" back..back to Delhi.. itne mahino baad...Mom,Dad..kitne dino ke baad unse milna hoga.. Aur... Armaan..."

Recap: Abhimanyu and Niki return ,Ridhhima goes to stay with her parents and it's a total disaster for Armaan who miss her terribly.. Armaan and Abhimanyu meet at a party and tussle starts again...

She quickly got off the car and walked towards the reception desk

" yes ma'am, your guest has been waiting for you " the receptionist smiled and asked a waiter to escort her to the table... She followed the man uncertain what the meeting would result in... But at least it would be a try...

" there ma'am " he showed her the table and she could make out from the figure that the person was already there.." thank you " she came up to the table and stood right in front " Niki.. "

Niki looked up and got up smiling " Ridhhima.. " both ladies hugged each other

" thanks for coming Niki.. Mujhe laga shayad tum nahi aa paogi "

" aisa ho hi nahi sakta Ridhhima ki tum bulao aur main naa aaun... Bas wo kal raat ke baad..." Ridhhima kept a hand over hers

" I'm sorry Niki mujhe is baat ka zara bhi andaza nahi tha ki.. " Niki smiled

" it's okay Ridhhima main Abhi aur Armaan dono ko jaanti hun, it was very much expected... Magar raat gayi baat gayi "

" nahi Niki, it's not over yet " both looked at each other, Niki could make out from her face that she was troubled

" kya hua Ridhhima ? Tumne mujhe yahan achanak kyun bulaya ? "

" Ridhhima..." she was unsure what to say, to the wife of the man she once, so called- loved, Ridhhima kept a hand over hers

" it's okay Niki, tum mujhse keh sakti ho... Yeh mat sochna ki main tumhe kisi baat ke liye zimmedar manungi ya apna dushman samjhungi... We too are friends... Hai naa " Niki understood what she wanted to say, she was scared that Ridhhima might take her that she would be the other women in Armaan's life... She was glad that Ridhhima was understanding enough...

" Ridhhima tumhare jaisi dost paa kar mujhe behad khushi hogi " she said relieved...

" to phir mujhe batao Niki, ki aakhir hua kya ? Tum Armaan Abhimanyu dono se judi ho aur shayad ab hamein hi kuch karna hoga warna yeh dono apni dushmani ko aur badhate rahenge..." Niki nodded

She told her how she misunderstood that she's being engaged to Armaan and how he declared that he's going to marry Ridhhima "...mujhe engagement ke baad pata chala ki Armaan aur Abhimanyu rivals hain... Ek dusre ko dekhna tak pasand nahi karte... Magar tab tak bahut daer ho chuki thi... Main Armaan ko batane ki himmat nahi juta paayi aur phir uss din..." she narrated the incident when they met outside the hotel where she and Abhimanyu dined and Armaan came to know that she's marrying Abhimanyu... How he tried to dissuade her ,but she just could not say that she loved him and he didn't...

" magar yeh to koi wajah nahi hui naa shaadi ki Niki.. "

" Dil to tuut hi chuka tha.. To socha ki mera pyaar na sahi kisi aur ka to pura ho jaaye..."

" Aur isliye tumne Abhi se shaadi ke liye haan keh di..." Niki said nothing ,Ridhhima sighed she could perfectly understand her pain... she kept a hand over hers both ladies didn't had to speak to understand each other

" but mujhe apne faisle par koi afsos nahi hai balki jo hua achha hi hua ,Abhi bahut achhe hain Ridhhima, unke saath reh kar maine kabhi akelapan mehsoos nahi kiya. He has become my best ,most understanding friend ever... Aur Armaan ke liye shayad jo meri feelings thi, ab sochti hun to lagta hai ki kahin main apni hi feelings ko le kar confuse to nahi thi Kyunki mujhe jitna laga ki main Armaan ko miss karunki utna kiya nahi... Of course he's my friend but shayad wo duur reh kar jo tadap honi chahiye thi wo kahi missing thi aur is baat ne mujhe ehsaas dilaya ki main jaisa samajh rahi thi waisa hai nahi... And trust me yeh sach hai sirf tumhe kehne ke liye nahi...

Abhi se ek din duur reh kar mujhe bechaini ho jaati hai jo Armaan ke saath nahi thi hi nahi... I ...I Think I have fallen in love with my husband Ridhhima... 'He's' my first love " a smile crept on her lips.. And it infected Ridhhima too bringing a relief...

" Sameer take down all the points I want to clear everything today itself and move on ahead with other things " Sameer nodded, they walked to the conference room " Sameer.." Armaan stopped " isn't that Abhimanyu Modi's Manager ? " he pointed to a man chatting with someone

" yeah he is " Sameer looked at the man

" what's he doing here ? "

" don't know... Do you want to know ? "

" no.. We've better work to do then spy on Modi's manager " he looked at both the men for a while " but he looks like..." he stopped for a moment eying both narrowly, after a moment he shrugged and turned to Sameer again " Neway, just go and check if the delegates are here.." Sameer went away and with a glance in the direction of Abhimanyu's manager he followed Sameer...

The meeting was successful ,Armaan and Sameer came out after the meeting... Armaan looked here and there as if looking for something...

" yes sir "

" you go and call for the car.. I'll be back in a moment, forgot something.. "

" should I bring it ? What is it ? " Sameer offered

" No, It's okay . I'll get it myself " he rushed back inside from the lobby leaving Sameer

As soon as he was out of sight he turned and walked to a steward who pointed him to a direction...,taking quick steps he went to the suiet area... Coming to halt before a room, he opened the door... Two men stood up ,it was clear that they were scared for a moment...

" relax, it's me.."

" let's make it quick, what do you want from me..? " the man said ,he could see that he was scared but pretended to be brave, a bead of sweat that trailed down from his forehead, that too in an airconditioned room, betrayed his show of bravery. he smiled inwardly ,he had the desired effect...

" same thing you have to offer.." the man looked confused " only for double the price and exclusive services... That way we both'll be happy " he sat down on the couch spreading his Arms on either sides ,his feet on the table one over the other, both men were still standing confused ,gaping at him... He explained them what he wanted...

" that's impossible !... That would be cheating ,It can get me into trouble and even more than that..." he trailed off

He sniggered " you are in no less trouble already.." he eyed both the men narrowly " Ab yeh tumhare haath main hain ki tum kaun sa offer lete ho, warna..."

" tum mujhe blakmail kar rahe ho " first man roared

" abhi tak to nahi... Aur aage karunga bhi nahi ,agar tumne majboor nahi kiya to..." he gave a wicked smile, he knew he had made an impact... The men looked at each other, they were trapped and had no choice, the first man sighed and with that he knew he had won.. " good decision, get to work from tomorrow.." with those words he came out of the room quickly, into the lobby

Sameer came back and found Armaan waiting for him " where were you ? "

" just went to take a call, You took quiet long, did you get what you were looking for ? "

" yes, it was right there..." he waved his pen at him, it was the one which Aditya presented him on his birthday.. " let's go, there's lots to do.." he hurried to the car

He came back home whistling, Ridhhima could see that he was happy today and had a satisfied look on his face...

" kya baat hai Armaan, aaj bade khush lag rahe ho.. " she smiled wondering about his cause of happiness

" yess ,I'm very happy today " he loosened his tie " that Modi will soon learn some lesson.."

Ridhhima's smile vanished " Armaan tum phir..."

" please Ridhhima abhi nahi... Main abhi bahut khush hun, our new deal will floor Modi, don't spoil my mood talking about him.. And tell me one thing why do you always take his side huh... I thought you are 'my' friend..." he stood before her with hand on his waist... she could see he wasn't angry ,just mocking... Before she could give any reply he went to change laughing lightly, shaking his head...

" huuuh... Armaan tumse ziddi insaan maine aaj tak nahi dekha... Ab kya karun ? Pata nahi ab kaun si nayi musibat plan ki hai Abhimanyu ke liye..." she wondered what to do and quickly grabbed her phone " hello Niki... Yeah it's me... Hamein jaldi kuch karna padega, things are getting worse..." after a quick chat she put the phone down... maybe this could help...

He was busy going through a file when his phone rang up

" yes "

" sir there's someone to meet you "

" who ? And I didn't had any meeting lined up today "

" um she's on her way to your room sir "

" she ?? But.." the door opened and with that came a big surprise

" hello Mr. Malik, kya aapke paas mere liye thoda time hai ? " she smiled broadly seeing the surprised look at his face...

" Ridhhima ! "

His happiness knew no bounds, he kept stealing glances at her while she looked out of the car. Ridhhima gave him a big surprise ,coming to see him and then asking to go out for lunch ! With him ! Boy it was turning out to be a really goood day... He wondered whose face he saw first in the morning today... He grinned to himself when he remembered it was Ridhhima... He got up instantly cancelling everything lined up for the day... It would be just him and Ridhhima today... All his efforts seem to pay off now... He was further happily surprised when he came to know that she had already made the reservations and everything... For them...

" Ridhhima tumne sab kuch pehle hi kar rakha tha ? "

" haan, didn't wanted to waste time... feeling very hungry you see " she grinned, they were escorted to their table ,the place was very nice and calm with soft slow music at the back ground and people sitting and chatting in a low hum around... From the window they could see the pool side and lawns of the hotel he appreciated her mentally for her choice it really had a soothing effect... But it was her company that did the real magic to his heart...

" so should we order..? " he scanned the menu, when he didn't got the reply he looked up " Ridhhima ?? Main tumse kuch puuch raha hun... Kahan dekh rahi ho tum ? " he looked around

" um nahi... kuch nahi bas aise hi " she too picked up the menu card

" excuse me ,i think this table is reserved... " he turned hearing the voice only to get stunned... Ridhhima too looked up

" Niki ! What a surprise , tum yahan kaise ? Aao naa " she stood up hugging her lightly ,Niki looked at Armaan who had turned his face away without a word, staring at the menu card as if he didn't knew her... Never heard her...

" n..nahi Ridhhima it's okay wo actually main aaj apni friend ke sath lunch ke liye aayi thi..." she looked at Armaan who still refused to look at her " Mujhe bataya ki this is the table reserved "

" this table is reserved for us, aap jaa kar confirm kariye shayad koi galatfehmi hui hai " came the cold words from him

Before she could reply ,the manager came there " we're extreamely sorry madam kuch confusion ki wajah se aapko already reserved table dubara allot ho gayi "

" this is very careless on your part mister, but i'm sure aap inko " Armaan pointed at Niki " bata sakte hain ki we reserved it first, you can make arrangements for her ,i don't have time to waste in any arguments "

The manager apologised profusely for the mistake but told that the restaurant is full at the moment and she had to wait for at least half an hour... He offered her to wait in their executive lounge till the time but Ridhhima stepped in...

" no it's okay, she'll be joining us " Armaan glared at Ridhhima but she was firm and he mutely agreed... Niki sat down with them ,Armaan still pretended to be very interested in the menu card...

" so Niki " Ridhhima tried to start a conversation as Armaan clearly was in no mood " how's life ?... Tum to pehle se bhi zyada sundar lag rahi ho, saree suits you "

" but it suits you better " Armaan thought

" and how's.." Armaan's eyes shot up ,glaring at Ridhhima " work " she stressed on it ,conveying that she wasn't about to ask about Abhimanyu, he went back to menu. She shook her head... Niki looked at Armaan ,it was really hurting to see your once best friend acting like a total stranger to you...

" everything is fine " she forced a smile,

" umm ek kaam kyun nahi karte tum kuch order karo tab tak main zara fresh ho kar aati hun "

" but.. "

" main bas ladies room tak ja rahi hun Armaan, not running away somewhere.." he just sat back, frowning.. Not happy with the idea of sitting alone with Niki

he watched her go " itne naraaz ho mujhse Armaan ? " He looked at her but said nothing " kaise ho Armaan ? " she asked again softly

" why ? does it matter to you ? Why do you bother ? " he replied curtly

Niki kept a hand over his and said softly " I missed you too Armaan... I missed my best friend..."

He looked at her hand over his and slowly pulled it away " what friend ? Jise tumne itne mahino main ek baar bhi yaad karna jaruri nahi samjha... Aur tum mujhe apna sabse achha dost kehti ho ? "

She could clearly feel that he was still hurt and angry... But her initiative had melted him a bit.. She knew he couldn't remain angry with her for long ,he loved her- as a friend- too much to do so...

" oh Armaan ,I really did missed you " Ridhhima watched them from behind the pillar right next to where they sat " bas main thoda darti thi ki kahin tum aur naraz naa ho jao.."

" Kya tumne kabhi koshish kari yeh dekhne ki ,ki main naraz hota hun ya nahi... Tum sab kuch apne aap hi kyun soch leti ho ? "

" tumne bhi to kabhi koshish nahi ki " he shifted a little " kya tumhari dushmani hamari dosti se badi hai Armaan... Tumne to yeh jaanne ki koshish bhi nahi kari ki main hun kahan... Naraz to mujhe hona chahiye tumse, jab mujhe tumhari sabse jyada jarurat thi tab tum the hi nahi... Shaadi ke din main tumhara intezar karti rahi aur phir Rahul ne bataya ki tum nahi aa rahe to meri saari umeed hi tuut gayi... Mujhe laga ki ab hum kabhi nahi milenge "

He didn't speak for a while and kept staring blankly at the glass of water thinking about something " jaanta hun... pehle nahi keh paaya..." he looked up at her " tum apne wedding dress main bahut sundar lag rahi thi.. Us langoor ne zaroor kuch achhe karm kiye honge jo use tum mil gayi "

Niki was stunned and so was Ridhhima " Armaan.. Tum.. Tum aaye the ? "

" itna bhi bura nahi hun Niki " as their eyes met she saw the same old Armaan looking back at her ,and after what seemed like a long time he gave a small smile " kaisi ho Niki ? " with that simple question she felt her eyes welling up with tears

" heyyy no crying plz. " she chuckled at the panic in his voice, he still couldn't handle tears

" theek hun " she wiped her tears, two friends had made up after all

" Is he.. Are you... Okay ? " he fumbled for words and waited anxiously for her reply. She knew what he meant was that if she was happy ,she smiled at him feeling happy that he still cared enough

" haan Armaan main khush hun Abhi mera bahut khayal rakhte hain " he exaled scowling inwardly at the name, happy that she was happy, unhappy that she was happy with Abhimanyu Modi...

" well that's fine... Relief... But still if he's not taking good care of you i know a perfectly good lawyer " her eyebrows shot up " yeah trust me he's good... Ridhhima consults him all the time " he took a sip of water

Niki looked at him uncertain if he was joking or really serious, but then it's Armaan she was talking of so it must be the first case... Unable to control it any longer she laughed out ,he joined her grinning flashing his dimples and with that the ice was somewhat broken... Two friends were kind of back again together... Laughing... Smiling...

Ridhhima wiped her eyes... Emotions filled her heart seeing their pure friendship... But as she turned her eyes fell on someone and her smile froze... Abhimanyu Modi was marching straight to them... before she could manage to come upto them he was already there...

Armaan saw who was standing next to her and his smile got replaced with a murderous look, he stood up looking directly into his eyes... None blinked... Killing looks were exchanged...

Niki froze she didn't knew what to do " Abhi wo.." but he raised a finger and stopped her turning to Armaan

Ridhhima quickly stepped in for the damage control , Abhi''s visit was totally unexpected " sorry mujhe aane main thodi daer ho gayi.." she slipped her arm in his squeezing it gently, ready to hold him if things got out of control

" keep away from my wife Malik, warna..." he took a step

" Abhi please.." Niki held his hand

" warna kya Modi.."

" Armaan.." Ridhhima held his arm pulling him lightly, he turned and looked at her scared face.. Her eyes fell on Niki looked equally worried " i'll see you Modi..."

Maybe Abhimanyu was thinking on the same lines as he too retreated " any time Malik " with a final look at Armaan he held Niki's hand and walked away . Niki turned and looked at them helplessly..

" it's okay Ridhhima, don't worry " he felt that she was still holding his arm tightly, he gave a small smile trying to comfort her... Everytime they met Ridhhima wondered if they could behave in any more threatning manner... The lunch was no fun then and both came out after light snacks deciding to go home straight...

Niki worried as Abhimanyu didn't said a word for a while... He was definitely angry with her...

" Abhi i'm sorry... Wo galti se same table allot ho gayi thi..."

" agar same table allot ho bhi gayi thi Niki to tumhe Armaan ke saath wahan baithne ki kya jarurat thi " he was definitely very angry..

She shrunk seeing him soo angry " wo.. Ridhhima ne... I'm sorry... " her voice quivered as a lump raised in her throat choaking her words and two fat tears rolled down her cheeks...

Abhimanyu quickly stopped the car by the roadside and turned to her she was surprised ,worried that she has further infuriated him " Niki, aaj main tumhe ek baat saaf saaf keh dena chahta hun " he paused looking at her scared face " main kabhi bhi.. And i mean kabhi bhi..." she held her breath " tumhari aankhon main aansoon nahi dekhna chahta " she wondered if she'd heard him correctly ,he smiled sweetly at her and cupped her face in his palms wiping her tears with his thumbs " i'm sorry Niki, i acted like a jerk.. But plz... try to stay away from him... aur agar maine Armaan ki wajah se kabhi bhi tumhe dukhi dekha to... I'll see to it that he pays for it " his face hardened with those words

" Abhi.. Magar Armaan ne kuch nahi kaha... Wo to bas..." he kept a finger on her lips making her go quiet

" no more Armaan please " she shivered with his touch on her lips and they were lost in each others eyes... Abhimanyu broke the trance first, Seeing that she was okay he gave her a smile, which got broader seeing a blush creeping on her cheeks...

On the other hand Ridhhima was quiet while he drove, Niki's words still echoed in her mind... His words broke her chain of thoughts

" Kya hua Niki ke baare main soch rahi ho ?.. Yeh Niki bhi naa.. Bilkul pagal hai.. Kitna mana kiya tha maine magar phir bhi... Apne pyaar ko bhuul kar us ullu ke pathhe se shaadi kar li... Koi hansi mazaak thodi na hai, shaadi hai ! ,puri zindagi ka sawaal hai ,ek galat kadam aur... Aur dekha aaj " He hit the steering wheel in anger and frustration

" Haan lekin hum usko kaise judge kar sakte hain ki usne theek kiya ki nahi..." She gazed at him meaningfully

He took a moment before speaking " Haan..." He didn't look at her probably he understood what she meant... He didn't do anything different with her.. " waise Ridhhima... agar tum uski jagah hoti to kya karti ? " he looked into her eyes briefly

" Main...?? " she went quiet for a moment " Main bhi shayad wahi karti... Apne dukh ki wajah se dusre ki khushi nahi chhenti.. Kya uske paas aur koi chaara tha ?, us adhure pyaar ko yaad kar kar ke rone se achha to yahi tha ki naye sire se zindagi ki shurat ki jaaye "

" Aur isliye tum ek adhure mann se ek naye rishte main bandh jaati, sirf apne dukh ko bhulane ke liye.. Yeh to sirf samjhuta hota naa, kya yeh uske saath nainsaafi nahi hai jo tumhe sachhe dil se chahta hai ? " he looked at her briefly, She was quiet stunned... " aur kya tum us rishte ko sach main dil se apna paati...?? "

" Huuuhh... nahi, shayad nahi magar koshish to ki ja sakti hai naa..."

" Magar kuch baatein hamesha dil main reh jaati hain... hai naa "

" Tuute dil ko samjhana bahut mushkil hota hai Armaan, tum kabhi apne pyaar se juda nahi hue.. tum nahi samjhoge..."

" Chahe dusra uss layak ho ya nahi..." She looked at him confused trying to understand what he wanted to say

" Matlab ? "

" Kuch nahi..." ' nahi Ridhhima tum nahi samjhogi apne pyaar ke paas hote hue bhi uske saath naa hone ka dard.. Har pal use kho dene ka darr...' " He thought as he drove in silence both busy in their thoughts.. he stopped before the house

" Ridhhima..."

" hmm "

" Ridhhima... Wo tumse kuch keha tha.." She looked at him waiting, his eyes as if wanted to say thousand things.. When he didn't spoke for a while

" Bolo Armaan.."

" Huuuhhh ,aaj khana tum banogi plz.."

She smiled " bas itni si baat... Tum bhi naa..." She smiled " theek hai sab tumhari favourite cheezein banati hun, theek hai..." He nodded ,she got off the car and went in smiling he saw her going and then rest his head on the steering wheel sighing...

" Kya kahun Ridhhima...? kaise...?? don't want to loose you..."

He was in a meeting with Sameer in the office

" a great deal is coming up government giving out orders to private companies who can finish off the projects before Commenwealth Games... and being quiet profitable bahut saari companies iske liye compete karengi "

" anyone real challenge ? "

" none we can't handle... The biggest of all.. Abhimanyu Modi, will definitely compete for it..."

Armaan gave him a knowing look " but we'll win that isn't it, he isn't a trouble anymore " a wicked smile came to his lips... " Make sure Sameer that we do... Let's prepare heart attacks for Modi..."

Sameer smiled back " sure and after the information we have, we don't have much to do it's all done already " after discussing few more things Sameer left...

Armaan rest back in his chair " huh ! Tum mujhe kya dekhoge Abhimanyu Modi main tumhe dikhata hun ab..." he rolled a paperweight with a satisfied and triumphant feeling...

On the other hand something similar was going on...

" Mr.Khanna this contract is our chance to announce our comeback to everyone- to Maliks, baaki companies main se aisa koi nahi hai jisse hamein challenge ki umeed ho. Is ek contract ke baad baaki ke liye bhi hamare raaste asaan ho jayenge "

" don't worry sir hamare quotes aise honge ki unhe koi challenge hi nahi kar payega, right kapil ," khanna turned to the finance manager

" h..haan, of course " he sat up straight

" everything okay kapil ? You look little lost "

" yeah.. Everything's fine.. Just bit tired that's it... Don't worry we can.. We will get the deal " he shifted his gaze to khanna who gave him an appreciative nod...

Ridhhima came in and found him staring at the file blankly ,lost

" Armaan ?.. " he looked up at her " kya hua kis soch main dube ho ? "

" kuch nahi bas ek nayi deal ke baare main... I'm tired Ridhhima ,i want to sleep.. Good night " he kept his file away ,covering his face with the covers her went off to sleep... She found it bit odd, he was little lost since he'd come back from office she thought she'd talk to him after dinner but now he was fast asleep... Probably he is tired... She sighed

" chalo kal bata dungi..." and she too ca,e to her side

The next morning she was tying his tie with a smile...

" someone's very happy today.." he asked

" haan wo to hai, pata hai kyun ? " he shook his head " kyunki Anjali di aur jiju aa rahe hain " she announced happily

" really ! Anjy aa rahi hai ? " she nodded " wow that's great, it has been a long time.."

" haan wo mom dad ki anniversary hai naa isliye aur phir wo baad main travel nahi kar payengi to..."

" what ?! Mom dad ki anniversary ?! Ridimba tum bhi naa.. Pehle kyun nahi bataya ? "

" Armaaann " she glared at him for calling her Ridimba " main kal hi batane waali thi magar tum shayad thake hue the isliye jaldi so nahi gaye the.." she made him recall

" oh haan, but phir bhi.. Okay ek kaam karte hain... Let's throw a big party for them..."

She felt happy at his enthusiasm " it's okay Armaan wo sab ho gaya hai.. Mom dad pehle hi party plan kar rahe the... Subah ek puja hai aur shaam ko party... Di ke aane ki khushi main aur mom dad dono ke liye... Bas puja thodi jaldi hai to hamein subah jaldi jaana hoga.."

" bass.. No problem, Hum jaroor chalenge.." with that he waved her good bye...

Sameer and Armaan were in the middle of a debate... Sameer looked bit unhappy about something

" it's very unlike you.. I never imagined that you'll think of doing it... I just don't understand... Why ?? What's the need ?? we already have the contract in hand then why to do that ? "

" It's important for me Sameer " he said firmly he relaxed his tone a bit " I don't want to take any chances, this goes way beyond you can understand... Moreover, it will be a win win situation for me anyway "

" But how can..."

He raised a hand stopping him from saying anything further... " it's complicated Sameer.. May be you'll understand some day..."

Sameer gave up, it was useless arguing with him, he sometimes acted really strange, he'd always trusted his decision no matter how weird they sounded, but this time he really didn't wanted to act on what he'd asked him to do... May be something can be done, what he was doing was foolish... He sighed giving up

" thanks Sameer " he winked at him, Sameer rolled his eyes and thinking of something he came out of his room...

The few days went by in a jiffy and before she knew Anjali was here with Atul... She was heartily welcomed by her parents Ridhhima and Armaan... Dropping them off he went off to work promising to join them as soon as possible...

The glow of expecting mother was clear on Anjali's face and she narrated how she was allowed after loads of advices instructions and threats ! That if she didn't follow them she will be called back immediately... Atul agreed to it, he now had become even more loving caring and protective about her since he came to know that he'd be a father soon... All of them sat down together for the initial loong chat session discussing everything and before Ridhhima knew it was evening...

Armaan called her to inform that he would be bit late and she should come home with the driver and guards... Ridhhima though wanted to stay with Anjali knew that it won't be possible... she could sense the discomfort in his voice when she merely hinted to stay over... she gave up the idea knowing that if she did it he would spend a sleepless night and if he gets cranky, others would have no peace ! So for his and other's sake she promised to come tomorrow and went back home...

Abhimanyu was sleeping peacefully when the sound of his cellphone ringing woke him up, he woke up sleepily and took the call

" wake up Abhimanyu Modi "

" kaun ? " he sat up a little

" jaan pehchaan ka time nahi hai hamare paas... Ek kaam ki baat suno... Apni deal ki quotes change kar do "

" what ?! Who the hell are you ? " he looked at sleeping Niki beside him and got off the bed, he came out of the room to talk

" main jo koi bhi hun tumhare liye farishte se kam nahi hun ab meri baat dhyan se suno... Tumhari quotes leak ho chuki hain "

" what ? Wh.. kisne kiya yeh kaam ? Aur tumhe yeh kaise pata ? " he was shocked

" maine in sawaalon ka jawaab dene ke liye tumhe phone nahi kiya hai... Agar contract lena chahte ho to Apni quote 10 rs. Kam kar do "

" kya ?! Tum pagal ho gaye ho ? Main tumhari baat par vishwaas kyun karun ? "

" tumhare paas aur koi chaara nahi hai ,tumhare dushman behad chalaak aur taqatwar hain... aur tumhare paas samay bahut kam hai... Jitni jaldi ho sake yeh kaam kar lo aur haan... Ek baat ka dhyaan rakhna is baat ka kisi ko pata na chale tumhare sabse karibi ko bhi nahi.. Yeh kaam tum khud karna " And with these words the call got disconnected...

Abhimanyu was utterly shocked at what happened few minutes ago.. He tried to call back the number only to hear a message that the number didn't existed ,he gave up calling... He debated over the call all night ' what should he do..? should he just do as the caller has directed or not..?' He pondered over it all night and was busy with it even when he reached office...

He paced up and down in his cabin " Main aakhir uski baat par vishwaas kyun karun ? wo mera koi rival bhi ho sakta hai... Armaan ka koi plan..." He was thinking about it when his manager, Mr. Khanna came in...

" sir main aaj contract quotes submit karwane ja raha hun... Aap ek baar inhe check kar lijiye " he gave him the file, Abhimanyu looked at the file the words of caller echoed in his mind... He picked up his pen... His manager looked at him wondering what he's doing...

He looked at the quoted figure and put his signature " Mr. Khanna ,main bhi aapke saath chalta hun " Khanna looked at him, he never went for any submition or pre contract meeting before... But then he's the boss... As he wish...

" theek hai sir chaliye " he came forward to pick up the files..

Abhimanyu stopped him " aur inhe yahin rehne dijiye aap Shivani ( his secretary ) se kahiye ki wo driver ko ready hone ko kahe.." Khanna nodded and went out... he took up the file again...

When Abhimanyu reached the office of the contract head he found Sameer already there... for a moment both men look at each other, he would have loved to have someone like Sameer Purohit in his company. Sameer turned away his gaze and quickly rushed out...

Abhimanyu saw this " Mr. Khanna jaldi se jaa kar dehikye ki yeh Sameer kahan ja raha hai ,quick " khanna rushed out... moments later When he came back

" sir main uske peeche gaya magar wo jaldi se nikal gaya " Abhimanyu went quiet for a while " kya hua sir ? Sab theek to hai naa ? "

" y..yeah.. sab theek hai "

Ridhhima woke up Armaan bit early than his usual time and hurried to get ready.. The puja would start at seven and they had to be there on time and for that she had to manage the task of making him get ready on time...

Somehow after lot of reminding, requesting and finally resorting to threatning she made him got ready and reached her parents house...

" kya yaar Ridhhima itni jaldi to bhagwaan bhi nahi uthte honge ,aur yeh bhi koi puja ka time hai thoda baad main nahi rakhwa sakte the " he made a face at her, irritated at being woken up so early

She hit him on his arm " chup Armaan, sab tumhare jaise lazy nahi hote, ab chup chaap andar chalo sab wait kar rahe honge puja ki tayari bhi karni hai "

He followed her faking anger rubbing his arm where she'd hit him... He met all warmly and after wishing Shashank and Padma teased Padma heartily... And to everyone's surprise Atul joined his company... Ridhhima grinned ,she knew he had this dangerous abiliity to influence anyone...

As the clock striked 6 he sneaked into the kitchen... He'd woken up very early today and now his stomach was demanding something... Moreover those mouthwatering smell coming from various dishes, left him even more hungry...

He looked here and there and picked up a delicious looking laddoo, just as he was about to put it inside his mouth he stopped hearing his name...

" Aarrmaaan " he turned and saw a very surprised Ridhhima standing with her hands on her waist

" ohohh "

She came up to him " Armaan tum yahan kya kar rahe ho ? "

" wo.. main.. yeh dekhne aaya tha ki sab theek se tayar ho gaya hai ki nahi ? " he smiled foolishly

" Armaan don't try to fool me, yeh bhog ka prasad hai aur ise abhi nahi khana hai, samjhe ! Infact puja se pehle kuch nahi khana... Chalo niklo bahar kitchen se... Chalo " he pouted started to walk out

" Armaaann leave the ladoo " he made a face and reluctantly kept the ladoo back which he was trying to sneak out

" waise agar ek kaha lunga to kya ho jayega ,bhagwaan baaki sab main se kha lenge "

" god Armaan you are impossible ! " she knew he won't give up easily on them " dekho tumhe kasam hai agar tumne kuch khaya to, jab tak main naa kahun kuch nahi khana okay " poor him , he was left with no choice but to obey... To his relief puja started on time and all the couples sat down together...

Two hours passed and the puja was about to finish when he got a call

" Sir ,Sameer this side . Deal aaj 10 baje open honi hai ,you better come quick "

" yeah i'll be there in half an hour " he quickly took leave from all and rushed to the office...

He found Abhimanyu Modi already there with his manager, both stared at each other coldly . He sat down at the assigned table and waited for the result to be declared

Abhimanyu was worried... "Did i do the right thing ? Kya mujhe aisa karna chahiye tha ? Kahin maine koi galti to nahi kar di ? " he was too occupied to give any thought to Armaan who was eying him closely. Soon the wait got over as the officials came over

" ladies and gentleman, we thank you all for your interest and response to this contract... As you all know there will be in all, three contracts of which this is the first... The others will be soon open for your consideration as well... Now coming to the first one... the contract goes to.." there was palpable silence in the room " the contract goes to Mr. Armaan Malik of Malik group of companies " the room became alive with applause. Armaan got up to accept the deal and thew a look in Abhimanyu's direction, Who sat there as if paralysed with shock... Armaan smirked at him, what did he thought he had a chance before him.. No way Modi !

Abhimanyu never in his dreams realised that he could loose the contract the rates were perfect... and then the words of that mysterious caller echoed in his mind, he was furious and wanted nothing more than to punch that pompus Armaan Malik ,right on his face... It was all his doing... He knew it...

Armaan saw Abhimanyu staring at him, wearing a sly smile he came to Abhimanyu...

" so Mr.Abhimanyu Modi, better luck next time "

Abhimanyu's anger surged seeing his smile " lucky to tum rahe Armaan ki tumhe wo mil gaya jisne tumhe quotes batayi " Armaan's smile faltered a little but he quickly gathered himself,

" main tumhari tarah ghatiya game nahi khelta Abhimanyu, yeh contract mujhe apni mehnat se mila hai "

Abhimanyu scoffed at it " main tumhari 'imaandaari' achhi tarah se jaan gaya hun Armaan bas wo aadmi ek baar mujhe mil jaaye phir main tumhe batata hun.."

" jitni khushfehmi paalni hai, paal lo tumhare haath kuch nahi aane waala aur shayad tum bhul rahe ho ki tumhe Bangalore project kaise mila tha.. Isliye tum mujhe sahi galat mat batao " both men looked daggers at each other, he had still not forgiven him for cheating him on that.. soon Armaan was called to complete some formalities and he went away with a scornful glance at Abhimanyu and his managers, Mr. Khanna and Kapil

It took them almost all morning to complete the formalities ,Later as they drove back to their office Sameer spoke up...

" this is unusual ,i haven't seen anything like this before... Main pehle iss baat ko maanna nahi chahta tha magar ab... After all it turned out all fine "

Armaan who was very happy with the outcome said " I told you it's a win-win situation for us..." Sameer nodded ,another reason for him to add in his 'why-I-admire-Armaan Mailk' list... " now just one thing is left " Sameer looked at him now he could understand something what he was trying to do...

Armaan reached Shashank and Padma's house, which was beautifully decorated for the occassion, he sighed it had been a long day and he longed to see Ridhhima again ,wanted to share everything with her... The news of his new success... Since the day she'd come in his life he'd tasted nothing but victory, she was his lady luck... He smiled at the thought and walked in...

Padma welcomed him lovingly and told him that Ridhhima was bit busy with the guests, she would send her to him as soon as she finds her till then he should go and freshen up, she directed him to a room where he found his clothes all kept neatly on the bed... He smiled seeing it ,he knew it was only her who did all this... And then there was a rumbling sound from his stomach which made him even more aware of her absence... He quickly washed and changed, ready to go downstairs in the party...

He found her busy with some guests, a relief spread over him as he watched her smiling ,laughing.. She looked absolutely gorgeous in the saree and he felt his heart skipped a beat as she turned and their eyes met... She smiled at him softly and time seemed to freeze there... He could have stayed there watching her till forever but then Atul seemed to have some other, better plans... He caught him gazing at Ridhhima smiling foolishly and with that he found the oppertunity to get back to Armaan for all his teasing... He pulled him away from there and delibrately didn't let let him meet her... Enjoying his impatience thoughly, Armaan cursed every guest in his heart who delayed his meeting with her with their silly talks and enquiries...

" kyun beta jab meri baari thi ,tab to bada chidata tha huh, ab dekho kaise jal bim machhli ki tarah tadap raha hai... Ab pata chala " Atul whispered in his ear ,knowing perfectly well how impatient he was getting with every passing minute...

Armaan gave up ,he folded his hands " gurudev mujhe shama karein, main aage se aapko is baat ke liye to kabhi pareshan nahi karunga.. aap jitna chahein apni patni se romance kar sakte hai, kya ab main 'apni' dharampatni se mil sakta hun ? " he was fed up as one or the other person kept him surrounded leaving him with no time to talk to her privately , to his relief Atul forgave him benevolently... It was nine and he was dying of hunger he came to Ridhhima and took her to a corner...

" Ridhhima "

" arre Armaan tum aa gaye ? Fursat mil gayi tumhe ? "

" Main to kabka aa gaya tha.. aur tumhe fursat ho tab naa upar se yeh Atul aur yeh stupid guests..." he scowled at them and Ridhhima widened her eyes asking him to lower down his volume " Achha main yeh puch raha tha.." he continued but then someone called her

" offoh..., Armaan abhi nahi, abhi main thoda busy hun tum batao tumne khana kha liya ? "

" Thank god ! tumne puchha to sahi..."

" Matlab ?! " she wondered

" matlab main tumse yahi to puchne waala tha ki main ab khana kha lun ?? " Ridhhima was shocked to hear it..

" matlab.. Tumne kuch khaya nahi ?? "

" Lo tumne hi to mana kiya tha ki jab tak main naa kahun kuch khana nahi... Ab mujhse bhuk bardasht nahi ho rahi..."

" Armaaan tum paagal ho.. Tum.. Tumne subah se kuch khaya nahi ?! " he shook his head, She was shocked " tum aao mere saath " she held his hand and took him away from the crowd to a seperate room... " Yahaan betho main abhi aati hun.." She came out quickly and brought plate full of his favourite food..

" Wao finally..." relieved, He started eating immediately... She sat in front of him ,watching him eat... Her heart melted seeing him so...she repriminded herself for keeping him hungry the whole day..

" Armaan.."

" Hmm.."

" Tum aise kyun ho Armaan ?? " He looked up at her mouth still full with spoonful of rice confused he looked down at himself checking himself whether something was wrong.. Then raised his eyebrows asking " kaise??? " She chuckled seeing his innocent confusion... she took a tissue paper and wiped the gravy which was sticking near his mouth...

" Aise... Ek stupid si kasam ki wajah se saare din bhuke rahe..??"

" Ohh.." he smiled but then became serious " Tumhare liye wo chhoti baat hogi... mere liye nahi thi " he looked into her eyes but then quickly became himself again " Aur main to pehle se aisa hi tha tumne mujhe kabhi gaur se dekha nahi kya..? " He said lightheartedly and resumed his eating...

Ridhhima kept looking at him thinking " haan Armaan shayad tum theek keh rahe ho maine tumhe kabhi gaur se dekha hi nahi..."

On the other hand Abhimanyu was still pondering over the day's event... He hadn't told anyone about the caller or the deal... He was lost in his thoughts when the phone rang up...

" why didn't you do as i told you to ? " he knew it was him

" how could I ? I.. I didn't belive you "

The Caller laughed at it " well now do you...? "

" yes..." said Abhi, he had no reason not to..

" Good.. i'll come back when required..." came the reply

" But who are you...?? Aur tum meri madad kyun kar rahe ho..? " There was silence on the other end for a moment...

" Yeh tumhe batana zaruri nahi hai " with that the line went dead...

The party got over and the husbands were shown the door as the daughters and mother sat in their room to start a looong catch up and chat session... Shashank feeling tired retired after a long day took leave from his son-in-laws ,Atul and Armaan too, being tired after a long day bid eachother goodnight... Armaan went to his room but he was too tired .moreover, the place was new to him he could not make himself comfortable... he could not sleep even when he wanted to... After much tossing n turning he stood up irritated.. confused what to do ? his eyes were heavy with sleep but he just could not get comfertable.. Just then Padma passed by and saw him so restless... concerened she came in..

" Armaan, kya hua beta..? "

" huh, Kuch nahi mumma... bas neend nahi aa rahi... Ridhhima kahan hai..? Aap abhi tak soye nahi ?? " he tried to act normal

" Haan wo hum thodi baatein kar rahe the, Anjali itne dino baad aayi hai naa.."

" oh haan theek hai aap jao ,main bhi sone ki koshish karta hun..." Padma nodded and kissed his forehead wishing goodnight.. But as she turned she found him tossing and turning restlessly... Without another word to him she came back to her room and found Ridhhima and Anjali chatting...

" Ridhhi... beta ek baar ja kar Armaan ko dekh aa wo kuch pareshaan sa lag raha hai... Uski tabiyat to theek hai naa...? " Ridhhima was alarmed hearing it..

" Armaan ? kyun kya hua..?? "

" Pata nahi mujhe to kuch kaha nahi... Tu ek baar dekh aa bahut baichain sa lag raha tha.."

Ridhhima immediately got up and went to his room..she found him lying face down twisting his head from side to side...

" Armaan.." He turned and was soo relieved to see her.. " Kya hua ?? Sab theek hai naa..?? "

" Ridhhima agar rukna tha to bata deti naa.. ab dekho yahaan mera pillow bhi nahi hai.. ab main sounga kaise ? " he said irritatedly, Ridhhima knew he was getting cranky as he was feeling sleepy and could not sleep at a new place, she'd decided to stay over and he couldn't say no her sweet request... She sighed smiling a bit, she knew how to calm him down...

" bas itni si baat hai, tumne to dara hi diya tha... Ruko main abhi aati hun " She moved out and came back with three good stuffy, soft pillows. She placed them on the bed in a row... He was bit confused, as in, what she was doing...??

" Chalo leto..."

" Magar..."

" Kuch agar magar nahi chalo..." He did as told " ab karwat lo aur apna paer ( leg ) yahan is pillow par rakho " he turned and clutched a pllow near to his chest ... she smiled seeing him snuggling to the pillow... But then he looked up at her...

" Ridhhima..."

" hmm "

" tum yahaaan thodi daer ruk jaogi plz..." He pleaded " mujhe akele aise neend nahi aayegi..." She smiled again and sat by his side ,he now faced her as she sat down on the bed next to him

" bas ? ab theek hai.. Ab aaraam se aankhein band karo aur so jao..."

" Tum kahin jaogi to nahi naa... " she was surprised at his question sometimes he acted so scared and insecure for no reason

she gave him an assuring smile and said.." Main kahin nahi ja rahi Armaan, main yahin hun, tum aaraam se so jao..." He sighed snuggling to pillow relieved at her assurance and closed his eyes to sleep.. she picked up a magazine near by to read... it was fifteen minutes when she saw him not stirring at all ,he was sleeping peacefully.. She smiled and quietly got up... But as she tried to stand stright to go back to Padma she fell a pull...

She turned to see what it was.. she found her duppatta firmly clutched in his fist, she wondered when he did it... the sudden movement caused some disturbance and he stirred, frowning.. Ridhhima again sat by his side patting his back like a baby's ,he fell quiet again, frown subsiding... She kept patting him for some time... relieved seeing him quiet calm and sleeping peacefully...

Sudden thoughts flooded her mind... She didn't knew why ,but his uncomfort caused her uncomfort ,his pain caused her pain.. She wondered since when she had started finding his pleasures most important...and why she tried to bring comfert to him... She wondered why was she getting so affected by him ? his presence... Why his happiness was getting important to her ?... but she shrugged it off ,her logical mind started giving reasons...

" Cmmon Ridhhima he's just a friend aur duniya ko dikhane ke liye jo ek patni ko karna padta hai tum wahi to kar rahi ho..." but then another question flashed her

" Magar abhi kaun dekh raha hai...?? " There came no reply... as the clock striked 1 her thoughts got interrupted... She found him sleeping peacefully ,she carefully seperated her dupatta from his hand and covered him up properly.. again her thoughts trailed off...

" why did he clutched my dupatta ? the way it was tied around his hand it could not be accident.. was he scared that I will go away ?? But why ?? " She gave him one more look and switching on the night light went back to Padma... There were too many things about him she didn't knew still...

__________________________________________________

Ridhhima woke up and busied herself with household chores but try as she might she could not put away what happened yesterday night. She felt as if that was something which went little beyond the definition of friendship, that had put Ridhhima on her guard... she wondered if 'she' was crossing the line of friendship ?!... The thought scared her.. made her very uncomfortable... Was she giving wrong indications ? Was she doing something that made him think that there could be more...? And what the heck ! Why is she raising these questions at all !? Again the part of her brain which always came to Armaan's rescue intervened... " but Ridhhima you know him that much by now.. He often acts so ,why are you getting hyper about it ?? " She exhaled fed up with this pointless, going nowhere debate with herself...

One thing was clear though ,she could not let her heart raise such questions again... What if Vivek was not here and she's married, she and Armaan, both know the truth of their ' marriage '. Moreover she cannot betray Vivek, He must be waiting for her... She wanted so many answers from him... And had faith in him that he will not betray her... He loved her, she was sure of it ,there must be something preventing him to come back to her, he might be in need of help... The thought again made her restless. She looked at Armaan and found him busy doing his favourite work... Pulling leg of whosoever was available.. well, Shashank was an exception to that, but by the look of it, he too was enjoying this session... Armaan seem to remember nothing of yesterday night and clutching of her dupatta may be it 'was' an accident and she's overreacting...

She couldn't have been more wrong because Armaan clearly remembered every detail of her presence with him in the room... She was engrossed in the magazine when he took hold of her dupatta, he was feeling really restless and uncomfortable fearing that she might go away. He childishly tied her dupatta around his hand, thinking it would prevent her from going away, he never wanted her to leave him ... Her sweet fragrance did wonders to soothe his restlessness and when he fell asleep ,he had no idea... But when he recalled his act in the morning ,he felt that she might not take it so easily... He could see that she had again raised her defenses against him... he found her somewhat distant and knew that she would have found him sleeping holding her dupatta. He knew what to do, the best way to make her comfortable was to feign ignorance about the whole thing... if she feel that it was nothing to worry about ,she would be herself again... And he was right, the way she looked at him it was certain that she was looking for the clues if he had any idea what happened at night and was somewhat relaxed to see that she felt that he didn't knew (didn't show) if anything out of ordinary happened between them...

He found her falling for his act, he breathed in, making a mental note not to act in any foolish manner which could risk what he'd managed to build till now... He didn't wanted to loose her to that jerk... And yes, now that he remembers him, he must check out on him, see what he's doing ?... He hadn't given his weekly call to him but Armaan knew he can't be long after all the date was coming near...

He came out in the garden and Checked if he was alone, glancing at his watch which showed 11:35, He took out his cell phone and dialled a number... The phone rang twice before someone picked it up

" Hello " even with a twelve hour time difference the voice sounded as if the the person was wide awake...

" where are you ? " Armaan asked firmly

" like you don't know " came the sarcastic reply

" jitna pucha hai utna jawaab do "

" wahin jahan pehle tha " the sarcasm in the voice got replaced by a tone with a touch of loathing

" hmm " he was satisfied with the answer

" they're still after me ,I think we had a deal. You promised me something ,I've kept my side of bargain and you haven't fulfilled yours yet " now in even but angry tone

Armaan knew he was getting impatient " have you got what we settled on ? "

There was a pause for a moment " the first, yes. "

" And does anyone know apart from those who already know ? "

Another momentary pause " no "

" then you see I've kept my side till now. Your current status wouldn't have been possible had I decided to do something otherwise "

" but.."

" I'm not finished yet " Armaan said firmly the listener went quiet " just do as you are told to do. Until I say the work is done it's not done. You'll get a call sometime..." he checked his watch " tomorrow, he'll see to it that you get what you require "

He sighed resignedly " fine... Can I ask you something ? "

" make it quick "

" doesn't she ask about me ? I know Ridhhima well enough to be sure that she won't rest until she finds everything... Me "

This time Armaan went quiet " if everything goes well ,then she won't be bothered with anything "

He gave a small laugh " are you really so naive Armaan to believe that she would rest at whatever you've told her..."

" till now she does "

" How long are you planning it to delay ? you can't stop her forever... I know she still believes me, the meeting would be inevitable "

" That won't be necessary I think.."

" Really ? What are you planning to tell her ? I bet you have made me some kind of devil before her "

" to tell her ? not yet, but you are no less devil already and I have some principles ,unlike you "

He ignored the remark " once she comes to know what you did to me I'll be in good light again.." there was again the hint of triumph in the voice

" Are you sure about it ? " It was his turn to smile " I'm sure there are people there who will be interested to know more about you.."

" Why don't you let it be..." the irritation was back again

" Not until I think it's time..."

" but hadn't she asked about me ? "

" how many times will you ask ? " Armaan was not happy with his question, he didn't want to tell him that she hasn't forgotten him and neither let him forget " No, she's never mentioned you.." he lied

" Haha Mr. Armaan Malik you wouldn't have bothered yourself with me if she hadn't been after you. I too happen to know Ridhhima.. are you trying to say that she'd forgotten me.. Vivek, her love..."

" Bloody... Don't you dare take her name otherwise I'll see to it that you never see the light of the day " Armaan roared his patience was being tested

The effect was instant " Chill, chill man, your faithful here never let me forget it... But let me tell you she won't let it go... She's a stubborn girl and doesn't give up easily... Especially when it's about her love she blindly believes in... tumne theek nahi kiya Armaan she was supposed to be with me, here..."

" She was never yours and you were never hers ,otherwise you wouldn't have been in this situation... And don't push your luck I'm at my devilish best when I'm rubbed on the wrong side..." Vivek went quiet " get back to your work " and with that he cut the call...

Ridhhima had no idea what went on in the garden and Armaan had no intention of telling her that the man she was so badly looking for was just a call away from him... Today he would tell her that they'd found a lead but it will hit a dead end... the man he'd employed already know what to say, no matter when she called him... He felt bad for lying to her but he had no choice...

He was in his office, smiling to himself remembering the touch of her soft hand when she wiped the gravy off his face... when she sat by his side when he couldn't sleep... He sighed lying back on the chair, smiling broadly... They have come far ,hopefully if the progress continues then maybe he won't need to trouble that jerk at all... He was just thinking about it when there was a knock on the door ,coming out of his rosy world of thoughts he looked at the clock. He sat up, he had a meeting with some suppliers in an hour...

" come in " he called hurriedly

Sameer came in " I wanted to ask what should we do about the coming projects..? We can get them easily too.." coming to the point

Armaan got up taking off his coat from back of his chair " we'll follow the same course of action which was decided... But for now I've to go for a meeting . You carry on with the things ,just let me know the final stuff " and he left for the meeting

The lunch meeting was bit boring as he tried hard to concentrate but everytime found himself thinking about Ridhhima... Even the lunch didn't tasted good enough, he wanted something cooked by her, he was getting addicted to her cooking as well. The suppliers mistook his smile for a positive sign for a profitable deal... Somehow he gulped down the food and took notice of some important points of the deal but today he just wanted to go back home and be with Ridhhima. Little did he know that there was a surprise waiting for him right there.

Coming out of the restaurant he was bidding goodbye to the representatives when he heard a familiar voice...

" common yaar, you are looking fine ! " said an exasperated Abhimanyu

" no way Abhi ! I'm not going out like this ! Plz sweetheart, just two minutes " the lady said sweetly and Abhimanyu like all the men in the world couldn't say no to a request like that... The lady smiled broadly and giving a quick kiss on his cheek went away, probably to change

Armaan was shocked to see it, Abhimanyu had done exactly what he had expected but he should observe little more and not jump on conclusions... The lady by the look of it seem to belong to a good family, fair , had long black hair and was not unattractive all together... Okay she was on the beautiful side , BUT nowhere near Niki ! .

" Stop it Armaan ! you are again jumping to conclusions... Look first " his brain, which was shaken badly tried to reason out the logic behind Abhimanyu with another woman. He positioned himself so that he was out of Abhimanyu's sight but within earshot

Abhimanyu took out his cell phone " Hello, Niki... Haan actually aaj ek important meeting hai kuch clients ke saath to aaj main thoda late ho jaunga... Yeah okay bye " he smiled to himself

There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see that she was back ,changed now " wow you look gorgeous darling ! "

The girl smiled broadly at the compliment " thanks, waise what about Nikita ? "

" uski fikar mat karo, everything has been taken care of, she thinks I'm in a meeting with some clients " both grinned

" you're wicked "

" thank you, now let's go i can't wait I'm sooo hungry " and they both walked off arm in arm ,unaware that they were being watched

Armaan was disgusted , and was boiling with anger. Abhimanyu was just as he'd thought ,a scoundrel , a cheat... He was cheating on Niki his best friend ! .he won't leave him.

All through his way back the scene and Abhimanyu's words echoed in his mind making his blood boil everytime he thought about him and the girl who was clinging on to him... " bas***d ! "

He stormed into his cabin " Sameer come to my room . Now ! "

Sameer found him pacing up and down in the room " ohohh someone poked the lion... Man , who so ever you are ,you are gone, but may be he want to rush up with things. It's good that I brought the files along " with these thoughts Sameer knocked breaking his chain of thoughts " Sir, here's everything, just as planned... Should we get started with it...? "

Armaan sat down on his chair still fuming " yes.. But there is a slight change now, have a seat we've something to discuss " Sameer could not understand what is it this time but whatever it is ,going by the expressions on his face, was not a good news...

Abhimanyu stormed in the conference room and slammed few files on the table...

" what's the hell is going on Mr. Khanna, problem at site, problem at factory and that too when we have an important contract to bid for ! " he looked at the other managers, who shifted uneasily in their seats thanking god that they were not asked for directly. Abhimanyu slid a file towards him ,it was an emergency board meeting with head of each department . He then eyed Mr. Kapoor

" aur Mr.Kapoor kya aap yeh batayenge ki yeh Gurgaon factory main yeh achanak strike ki naubat kyun aa gayi ? " his even cold voice was even more threatening " and the workers ,how can they demand bonus ?! they were just given that and at present they are not even entitled to it ! "

Mr. Kapoor cleared his throat to speak. He looked at the line of board members sitting opposite him and other managers by his side but nobody intimidated him more than the figure sitting at the top chair of Chairman...

" we know sir and you're absolutely right about it. We have tried to reason it out to their leader but he's a stubborn man and says they were not given the just bonus " Abhimanyu sat down ,he knew that they had done so " the leader has threatened to take the matter to the court if the demand is not met " added Mr.kapoor

" but they don't stand a chance to win in court " An elderly board member interjected

" we know that sir and the thing is 'they' know it too " everybody looked at each other ,there was surprise on everyone's faces except Abhimanyu's who was thinking something . Mr.kapoor continued " when I talked to him ,he clearly said that even when they loose they won't stop... You'll see sir he said 'even when' not 'if'... "

" then what's the logic behind all this ? Can they even afford not coming to work ? " another board member quipped

Abhimanyu looked up at him " yes Mr.Mittal they can ,at least ' the leader ' can " all the eyes were now on Abhimanyu " there's a big reason behind all this, it's all planned... To hold us up for bidding for the next project . If this gets to the deciding committee that we have internal problems which we seem unable to handle and a huge work force ready to go on strike, the authority might not consider us for the bid even when we quote the lowest ,fearing that we might not be able to finish work in the assigned time period and that way we loose even before we bid " everybody seemed convinced of the explanation " and about being able to afford it... Well you just can when you have a billionaire backing you up " there was pin drop silence now " guess who'll be benefiting out of all this the most..."

Mr.Mittal whispered out " Armaan Malik.." all 6 board members and 7 department heads exchanged looks

" bingo ! But unfortunately it can't be traced back on him even when we know " someone shifted lightly on his seat glad that noone can hear his thumping heart or see the sweat trailing down his collar to his back

The meeting was concluded deciding the future course of action ,now only the board members remained in the room " gentlemen One thing i wanted to share only with you people... i think there's a leakage within our company " another ripple of shock passed through everyone

Niki had seen Abhimanyu troubled for quiet many days now, everytime she asked he just said that it's nothing but she knew that he was hiding something from her. He never looked so troubled before something was surely there and he wasn't telling her... He didn't even slept properly these days. She decided to confront him

" Abhi, mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai "

" abhi nahi Niki, abhi main thoda busy hun " he didn't look up from his file

But today Niki wasn't going to listen to any excuse, she snatched away his file and sat before him " Nikiii ,kya kar rahi ho ?! "

" pehle tum meri baat ka jawab do, aakhir baat kya hai ? And plz yeh mat kehna ki kuch nahi hai. Main bevkoof nahi hun jo yeh nahi dekh sakti ki tum aajkal kuch jyada hi pareshaan ho... Kya mera itna bhi haq nahi hai Abhi ki main tumhari pareshaani share kar saku ? "

This was it, Abhi sighed, he was so happy that she was proclaiming his right on him... And anyway he trusted her more than anyone after all she was his love " huuuhh, it's Armaan "

" what ??! " she was shocked " Armaan ?? Matlab ? "

" Armaan has started troubling us, usne ek factory main strike karwa di hai... Site par bhi problems chal rahi hai... Pehla contract hum haar hi gaye the aur ab dusre main bhi yeh mushkil hai ki mil bhi paayega ki nahi even when we bid the lowest quotes... It is as if he want to wipe me out " Niki was stunned to hear it

" main yeh tumhe isliye nahi batana chahta tha kyunki main jaanta hun ki tum dono dost ho aur shayad yeh baat accept karne main tumhe dikkat hogi... Upar se main un logo ka pata nahi laga paa raha hun jo shayad hamari company main rehkar uske liye kaam kar rahe hain... It's chaos all over ! "

Niki was stunned to hear it ,she lnew Armaan and Abhi were rivals but Armaan would go to such an extent was unbelivable " Abhi are you sure it's Armaan... I mean koi uska naam le kar to.."

Abhi smirked " I knew tum yeh baat accept nahi kar paogi, after all wo 'Armaan' hai, he's flawless hai naa " his temper started rising more so because he could not bear her taking his side

Niki felt offended " nahi Abhi, aisa nahi hai main to bas isliye keh rahi thi ki kyunki sab jaante hai ki tum dono ki aapas main itni banti nahi hai aur kahin koi is baat ka fayeda to nahi utha raha "

" haan hamari nahi banti... I hate Armaan Malik " he shouted out and got up from the couch " aur iss baat ka ek hi insaan fayeda utha raha hai aur wo hai Armaan Malik... Tum jaa kar so jao Niki... I'll take care of everything, if he wants to play dirty then he'll get what he want " he said firmly

Whole night Niki couldn't sleep Abhimanyu's words kept on repeating in her mind like a tape set on loop... Now that she thought of it ,she found that Abhi couldn't be wrong Armaan was the only one she could find had the power, guts and resources to challenge Abhimanyu... And after her marriage the business rivalry had got a personal touch too... But what she couldn't understand was what happened to make the situation worse... There was nothing earlier...

She sat up and looked at Abhimanyu, Sleeping next to her, even in sleep she could see how troubled his face looked... She bent down and caressed his hair gently... He didn't stirred probably was deep in slumber... She then resolved that it's time that she put her foot down. She wanted to know why Armaan is doing this and if this is because she married Abhimanyu then it's high time that he knows what she think about it...

As soon as Abhimanyu went off to work she picked up the phone and dialled a number...

" haan main Niki bol rahi hun... Let's meet today... Yes that would be fine... Okay "

It was about ten minutes and none of them spoke. She'd called him to get things sort out... Armaan kept munching small bits of food and Niki watched him ,planning on how to start, but then decided to come straight to the point

" Tum yeh sab kyun kar rahe ho Armaan... Why ?? "

He had the inkling why she'd called him, that bas***d must have run to her to ask for help... Spineless maggot... He cursed Abhimanyu before answering her " It's for you Niki.. I told you to stay away from him, magar nahi... Tum itni ziddi ho ki kisi ki sunti hi kahan ho "

" Armaan seedhe seedhe bologe ki baat kya hai ? And for God's sake stop blaming Abhi for everything ! Main jaanti hun yeh sab gadbad tumhare alawa koi aur karwa hi nahi sakta "

" yes, you are right, yeh sab maine karwaya hai... And I have a very valid reson for it.. " he paused for a moment debating whether to tell her or not and then decided it's time that she should know " he's lying to you Niki, cheating on you.. usko sabak sikhana jaruri hai "

" Kya ? Cheating on me ?! Abhi ?? " she was totally taken by surprise but she knew one thing was for sure ,this was not true " he's not cheating on me..! You don't know him ,tum kuch nahi jaante uske baare main Armaan... Tumhe jarur kuch galatfehmi hui hai "

" ooh so now he's all goody goody angel and i'm a devil huh.. Wo kaisa hai mujhe achhi tarah se pata hai, and has he become more important to you than me. I'm your best friend, I care for you "

" main jaanti hun Armaan " she took a deep breath she had to calm herself down first " but for god's sake he's my husband ! And I trust him ! " she said with finality..he looked at her incredulous

" ohh then let me tell you something about the 'husband' of yours whom you 'trust' . i found that scoundral with a woman in the Park hotel..." Niki was rooted on the spot ,though she didn't believe it but somewhere felt scared that what if it's all true and Abhimanyu is really cheating on her " He lied to you when he said that he was going on a meeting with a client.. He was with that girl and was 'sooo hungry' I hope I don't have to explain what that means " he was now fuming

Niki sat still " yeh kab hua Armaan ? "

" last week.. Friday, I went there for lunch with some suppliers and ta da what do I see ,Abhimanyu Modi walking away arm in arm with this girl after lying to his wife ! " he slammed at the table

" did you say last friday ? "

" yes... Afternoon to be precise... The girl was of medium height black hair medium built, she looked fine and was clinging on to him " he made a face disgusted

Realization dawned on Niki and relief spread over, she smiled "Armaan.. I was right, Abhimanyu is not cheating on me "

" what ?! " he looked incredulous " you think i'm lying ? "

" no you're not , but neither am i or Abhimanyu.. I know that girl "

" you.. You know that girl ! " she nodded " well then it's good, catch them red handed and divorce that bloody liar "

" I'm not going to divorce him Armaan " she said coolly

" are you crazy Niki ! You know naa what you are saying... Your-husband-is -cheating-on-you.. Do you get it ! "

" cool down Armaan, he's not cheating on me..." she explained him then that girl happened to be his favourite of all cousins... And she's older to him and engaged, she came to meet her fiance who was staying in the hotel for just few hours before he flew off for some meeting abroad... She herself called Abhimanyu to pick her up from the hotel and decided to surprise her " and that was when you found them, so now do you understand that he's not cheating on me "

Armaan had no option but to believe her, it was exactly what happened between that girl and Abhimanyu " but still, I don't find him trust worthy enough "

She rolled her eyes ,he was just impossible but she has to make something clear to him ,Abhimanyu had suffered too much " look Armaan jis tarah tum mere sabse achhe dost ho, mere liye important ho waise hi Abhi bhi mere liye khaas hain.. Aur shayad usse bhi jyada, behtar yahi hoga ki tum is baat ko jitni jaldi ho sake accept kar lo.. Warna.."

" Warna..?! Warna kya Niki ? " he narrowed his eyes

" Warna shayad hum dost bhi nahi reh payenge..." she looked straight into his eyes " You will loose me forever..again..." she was tired of making him understand.. but then soften up a bit " Main ab Abhi se alag nahi hun Armaan, agar tum mujhe apna dost maante ho to tumhe Abhi ko bhi accept karna hoga " A muscle tightened in his jaw ,he kept looking at her trying to read if she meant what she'd said

" I don't believe it.. You have changed Niki and that too for that bl.." She glared at him angrily and he stopped himself.

" Armaan ,I love Abhi Armaan... T.." she was about to say 'tum' but stopped " apne so called pehle pyaar se alag hokar hi mujhe ehsaas hua ki main jise pyaar samajh rahi thi wo to pyaar tha hi nahi... Abhi kab mere liye sabse jaruri ban gaye mujhe pata hi nahi chala, ab wo mere liye sab kuch hai Armaan... Aur agar unhe kisi ne bhi koi bhi takleef dene ki koshish kari to use sabse pehle mera saamna karna hoga... Phir chahe wo koi koi bhi ho... Tum bhi Armaan..."

He kept looking at her... " Tum badal gayi ho Niki.. Bahut.."

She added softly " haan.. Shayad, but it's for good ,trust me . plz don't make me choose between the two people I love the most, please I beg you... Stop punishing him just because he married me... He's not a bad guy Armaan " she tried desperately

He didn't look at her just kept staring at the glass in his hand then suddenly said looking up at her... " Let's go Niki... Tumhe daer ho rahi hai..." He quickly called for the bill and got up to go...

" why does it happen to me...? Why all the stubborn blockheads are kept in my share to deal with...? " She sighed wondering, but one thing she was sure of... Abhi is her everything... " More than Armaan ? " Her heart asked... " Yes.. Yes he is..." Came the firm reply... And she was glad there was no hesitation...

" What are you smiling at..?? " He asked

" Kuch nahi, Something got even clearer today..." She got up too... As they were about to go seperately to their cars she stopped... " Armaan plz... I don't want to loose my best friend again..."

" Niki..." He came closer... " No matter how much I dislike your ' husband ' i'll always be your friend... But don't expect anything more ,some things just don't change... I'm glad that he's not cheating on you " Her car came in meanwhile and driver promptly opened the door for her... " Go home Niki ,it's getting late..." She sat inside feeling she's lost him again... And as the car drove by he stood there watching her go..

Abhimanyu frowned when the shrill voice of his phone disturbed his sleep which was already difficult to find these days... He sleepily looked for his phone...

" h..hello "

" it's amazing that you can still sleep "

He jumped up hearing the voice " kaun ? "

" wrong question , ask how ? "

Abhimanyu didn't wasted time " how ? "

" you learn fast Modi... tell the union leader to either go to the court or ask the workers to be back to work by tomorrow max day after "

" what if he goes to court that'll take a long time which we don't have "

" you can survive but they can't there's already discontentment in the team you'll have no problem he won't dare to go to the court he knows they don't stand a chance. Tell the workers that those who return to work, their pay will not be cut and if we win the case then workers on strike will be fired. Don't worry you can do that."

He took note of it " there's problem on site too, is that by Armaan Malik ? "

" i just give solutions not names, make arrangement for a temporary stay for children and one time food service for workers there will be no problem when workers love you and yes fire away the head of security he's difinitely not in your party ,selling off your material in black " Abhimanyu was shocked ,he didn't knew this." and yes coming to next project the quote is fine don't change it..."

" Magar sun...o " But the line went dead, " damn ! " He wanted to ask about the people who were cheating, working for Armaan... But now he'd to wait till he calls next and he didn't knew when that would be

To Abhimanyu's surprise each and every word of the caller turned out to be true. He caught the security head red handed, the workers were delighted by the news of one time food service and that leader well... As said he dare not go against Abhimanyu's wishes when he found that he was busted , as soon as the workers were back he was nowhere to be seen, thrown away from the post as well as the factory... Abhimanyu tasted some peace after a looong time...

when in peace one tend to forget to keep track of time and before he knew he was sitting for the declaration for the next project. Armaan was there too but behaved as if Abhimanyu didn't existed

" welcome ladies and gentlemen... I know you all are eager to know the result so here it is... The second of three projects goes to Mr..." he opened up an envelope and put on the glasses just like an academy award announcer about to announce the best actor award " Mr.Abhimanyu Modi of Modi group "

Though Abhimanyu was surprised because somewhere he was still doubtful.. he didn't let it come to his face, he instead placed it with a smile... to top it all off he saw Armaan glaring at him, he gave him a smile which was returned with a scowl... Abhimanyu went to the head to sign up the papers ,most of the people had left by the time he came back and found Armaan talking to Sameer who looked sullen for some reason..

" so Armaan surprised !? ,as you can see I won..."

" Don't be over confident Abhimanyu, aisi chooti moti jeet se tum agar yeh sochte ho ki Armaan Malik ko challenge kar sakte ho to yeh tumhari galatfehmi hai... Is baar you just got lucky, but let's see ki tumhara luck kab tak tumhara sath deta hai..." Armaan said coolly

Abhimanyu smiled hearing it " oh you'll see Armaan from now on it always will... You know why ? coz I have got a lucky charm with me, I married her..." He smirked and Amaan was almost ready to kill him but Sameer stopped him Armaan knew he was talking about Niki... It was still difficult for him to digest that he married his best friend, who god knows why, loved him ! Yuck ! the thought made him want to puke, who in the right mind can love Abhimanyu- egoistic-loudmouth- jealous- no brain- Modi !!... But he knew one person who did, she happen to be her best friend ! He gave an award winning scowl to Modi who returned it with a triumphant smile.

He drove back home but his mind was still busy with the thoughts of what happened today. Sameer was not happy at the loss of project though it was hardly a matter of great importance but Sameer was not used to of seeing Armaan loose to anyone. Armaan smiled at it, he was indeed most loyal and got upset on his behalf too... He had been trying to make him understand that this is a win win situation if he had won the contract then he would have got another deal and if he looses it then he get to keep a friend. He would have got into detail but Modi inturrupted them making him angry with his stupid remarks but in the end it turned out that it was all well... Sameer's words rang in his ears

" I hope you know that the way you handle business is not the only thing I admire about you " Armaan looked at him " it's also how you deal your relationships " he got off the car and then he bent down again " and don't let that get into your head. Be normal "

" be normal " Armaan chuckled remembering the words ,yes he's trying his best to be...

The time flew by and it was almost a week since that day of contract announcement . Armaan and Sameer were out for a dinner meeting with the director of their branch in Germany . The director had gone leaving the two and it was then Sameer saw some people settle down at a table not far from theirs... Because of the decor it was hard for those people to see them but Armaan and Sameer could see them easily...

" oh my.. Are they with who I think they are ?! " Sameer exclaimed

" you bet, do you know them ? " Armaan looked at the direction and his brows shot up seeing them

" yeah ,tried their luck with someone back in London and.."

" and ?? "

" got lucky... But here with these ?! Don't they get tired ?! " Surprise clear in his voice

" apparently they don't, you'll be surprised that they tried there luck with me too and hadn't it been for some lucky coincidence i would have greatly suffered ,but here, it's completely different..." he looked at the group of four again " well then, best of luck to them.. it's good that we don't have to do anything Abhimanyu Modi will meet his doom himself... let the things be, don't hint anything... Poor Modi he's going to learn in a hard way " he smirked looking back at them...

Sameer was again left surprised.. ' What is with this guy ! One day he goes right other day goes left ' he shook his head, he had long before stopped trying to figure out how his brain works...

Abhi was busy with a file when Niki gave him his phone, thanking her he took it

" yeah ,who's it ? "he asked as he couldn't recognize the number

" how can you forget me Mr.Modi..." after a while when the caller cut the call Abhimanyu was left sweating...

" bloody hell ! " this was all he could manage to whisper out...

Armaan sat down for the breakfast it was almost a fortnight since the declaration of the contract and he decided to move on with the bid for final contract... planning mentally what to do today he flicked the channels on T.V. He stopped at one of the news channel which showed Abhimanyu's face all over the screen...

He read out the 'breaking news' - ek bade fraud ka parda fash !. He stopped eating ,Ridhhima too looked at what had gripped his attention more than his favourite paranthas... She was surprised to see the matter and sat down, intently listening to the reporter

" Mr. Abhimanyu Modi ne khud is baare main filhaal kuch bhi kehne se manaa kar diya hai magar unke spokesperson ke anusaar unke manager Mr. Khanna Par kaafi samay se shak tha ki wo company ke naam par kuch farzi deal kar rahe hain... Aur ab jis international fraud gang ke saath unhe pakda gaya hai uska network London, Singapore,China aur Korea jaise desho main faila hua hai... Wahaan par bhi yeh log kaye businessmen ko bevkoof banaa kar, unki company ka apni company ke saath merger karwane ke naam par dhoka de chuke the...

Modi group of companies ke chairman ko jab is deal main kuch gadbad hone ka andesha hua to unhone iski chhanbeen shuru ki aur paaya ki unka apna business manager unhe dhoka dene ki firaq main tha... Unhone turant police aur secret angencies ko alert kar diya jinhone ek secret mission ke tehat in frauds ko kal raat giraftaar kar liya.."

" is giraftari se naa kewal kayi cases solve ho gaye, kayi desho main wanted dhokebaaz giraftar ho gaye balki Modi group of companies ko karodo ka nuksaan hone se bach gaya "

Armaan switched off the T.V and looked disappointed at the news " Damn ! ab saara kaam mujhe hi karna padega. Main to soch raha tha... iss Abhimanyu ki kismat achhi thi ki iss baar bach gaya... But then ,he still has to face me " saying so he again got busy in his breakfast

Riddhima didn't like what he said about Abhimanyu but decided to keep quiet ,she knew this stubborn bull well enough now... And anyway she was relieved that Abhimanyu and Niki were safe from such a big trouble... She decided to call her later and get to know everything, in the past few days she found that they'd got even closer than they were before,sharing everything.. Well almost everything. Niki had turned out to be a gem of a person and Abhimanyu wasn't so bad either but it would have been a lot better if husbands were not after each others throat.. Wondering about it all she got ready to go for an inspection to their charitable hospital with Muskaan...

Armaan stirred as he felt thirsty ,sleepily he woke up,eyes still close and walked up to the table it was still dark outside. There was a sound of door opening up quietly and he saw Ridhhima coming in...

" Good morning " she said smiling a bit ,surprised to see him awake

He looked at the watch " Ridhhima tum itni subah..!? kahin gayi thi kya ? " Rubbing his eye still feeling sleepy

" Haan wo.. Actually Muski bhabhi ne kaha tha aaj subah jaldi uthne ke liye.."

" Muski ne ? Kyun ?? " Bit confused he poured himself a glass of water

" Wo... Wo aaj karwa chauth hai naa isliye.." she didn't knew what else to say, His eyes opened wide when he heard it.. Slowly he turned keeping the glass down... " Unhone sargi khane ke liye bulaya tha..." She too now felt bit awkward as in how to explain him..

" It's okay Ridhhima main samajh sakta hun.. Achha hua tum chali gayi nahi to unhe bekar hi shak hota..." He turned to go back to go to sleep... " Waise Ridhhima tumhe yeh vrat rakhne ki koi zarurat nahi hai.. Just treat it as any other day..." He gave her a small smile

Ridhhima stood there unable to decide... She herself didn't wanted to keep this fast at first place and now even he'd asked her not to keep the fast... She should feel happy but she wasn't exactly happy, there are people whose excitement made her feel guilty... But how can she keep the fast she and Armaan were not husband and wife in real sense, She was rather confused... She sighed ,angry with her own confused thoughts... She looked at the watch it was just 4:20 she decided to sleep for some more time and went to bed... Armaan was already snoring lightly, she chuckled today she found out another of his secret. She made a mental note to take this up when he teases her next time... The snoring monkey...!

Inspite of the day being karwa chauth, Ridhhima decided to go to hospital... She could not muster courage to face Muskaan's enthusiasm of doing everything special for her first fast, which she decided she won't keep...

But if she thought that she would save herself from the fast thing by going to hospital then she was proved wrong the moment she stepped in... Everywhere there were ladies ,patients and dostors who looked as if they were trying to prove their love for their husbands by dressing up in various shades of red and whatever they thought would be suitable for going to a party rather than to a hospital... But she had to admit ,it did brought some cheer to the place... Ridhhima felt compared to some she was very modestly dressed ,it was hell lot of effort to dress up normal when your dear sister in law want you to dress up in all the expensive kind of stuff from dress to jewellery emotionally blackmailing you, making you look like a model rather than a doctor going for a surgery...

Only the horror of loosing something in the patient's stomach while operating kept Muskaan from overloading her, still she felt she was overly dressed for the place... She sighed ,this was least she could do to keep her happy ,little did Muskaan knew that she hadn't kept the fast... Armaan seemed least affected by it, he had asked her clearly not to punish herself...

She found Sapna gripped in the fever of the fast. It was her first time too and as if this was not enough Aditi gave a surprise visit though Ridhhima felt that she wasn't her chirpy self but didn't had time to find out. Sapna hugged Aditi as soon as she said that she too had kept the fast for Chirag... And chirag ,well he looked as if he's just won a trophy... He had hugged her lovingly ,she smiled at their pure love.. her thoughts again trailed to Vivek, he too would wrap her in a hug like that... She jumped up when she heard Aditi scream

" Aditiii ! Kya hua ? " Ridhhima asked

" Ridhhima tum abhi paani peene waali thi, tumhara fast toot jaata " Sapna looked at Ridhhima, and she understood

" ohho Aditi wo fast se behosh ho na ho teri cheekh sun kar jaroor ho jaati... Aur agar aap logo ka romance khatam ho gaya ho to duty par chalein ? " and with that she drove them away with her... Ridhhima smiled at Sapna, mutely thanking her...

She was alone and her lunch came as usual to her cabin, she was about to take a bite when suddenly Muskaan's excited happy face came before her eyes... BP's smile and Virendra's loving blessings this morning came before her ,even Rahul bhaiyya was advising her... She smiled to herself thinking about everything ,she sat up stirring a spoon absently... and Armaan... her hand stopped immediately again... Is this right ? They all love her so much, they trust her so much, would she be able to look them in their eyes knowing that whatever she's doing is a lie !... It's okay Ridhhima just think of it as a day of dieting...

She pushed the plate back and called for the wardboy to take away the food.. Another thing worried her now, same stupid thoughts. She wondered why she thought of Armaan and stopped and not of Vivek... Her thoughts trailed down to past. She had the oppertunity of keeping the fast before too but she didn't do it for Vivek... Even Aditi had kept it for Chirag and they aren't married...why..? Don't she love vivek?? She shook herself mentally, why was she troubling herself with unnecessary thoughts ? It was just becuase she didn't felt it necessary at that time and now it's a social obligation... A custom she had to go through... and it's was just to show the family anyway... She thanked god when a nurse came calling her for the surgery...

The day went by, due to her busy schedule she didn't realised that she hadn't taken anything since morning and surprisingly she didn't feel the pangs of hunger and thirst like others... She wondered if that was normal... But then shrugged it off ,there was nothing normal when Armaan was concerned... She was heartily welcomed when she went back home. She couldn't recognise the place at all, it was all decorated with flowers ,lights and a beautiful smell hung in the air... Was it flowers or perfume she didn't knew and didn't bothered...

Muskaan took her along and got her ready for the evening, Armaan didn't pick her up from hospital today as he had some work and she came early. As it was her first karwa chauth there was big arrangement done at home and Muskaan was bursting with excitement... Lots of people including her parents were invited.. This was not that worried her but the thing was that she had to go through all the coustoms before everyone and can't hide anything from anyone...

Armaan was bowled over when he saw her all dressed up in the beautiful saree. She looked like a new bride, he fell head over heels in love with her all over again, he just could not take his eyes away from her . Later when he could no longer get successful in talking to her privately since he'd come back from office he secretly pulled her to a corner when she went to kitchen for some work...

" Armaan ! Kya kar rahe ho ?? "

" shhh.." he looked here and there " wahan sab tumse chipke hue the isliye keh nahi paaya..."

" oh bas itni si baat... Bolo kya kehna hai ? Kuch chahiye tha kya ? "

He looked into her eyes... He wanted to say yes.. Yes, he wanted her to love him... To promise she'll be there, forever, by his side... To hug him and never let go... To kiss him and make every pore of his body feel alive.. He ran his fingers in his hair " bolo Armaan " she asked again when she got no reply

" wo.. Haan, actually main keh raha tha ki aaj tum bahut sundar lag rahi ho... Absolutely gorgeous " she was surprised and before she could understand he took out a small box and put a small black spot near her ear..

" Armaan yeh kya kar rahe ho ? "

" arre tumhe nazar se bacha raha hun... Bahar sab tumhe ghuur ghuur kar dekh rahe hain " he made a face, he didn't like it a single bit when other men stared at her, his thoughts were broken by her laugh

" aur tum yeh kaajal kahan se laaye ? "

" Muski ke room se, maine usko Angel ko lagate hue dekha tha to.. Maine socha..."

" oh Armaann you are soo sweet " she pulled his cheeks ,he flashed his dimpled smile, turning red for a change.. She became bit serious and looked at him " thank you Armaan " there eyes met and he wished that the moment would freeze forever, with both of them there together...

She came out of the eye lock when she heard Maria calling for her " Maria bula rahi hai " suddenly she found the closeness very awkward .she standing there with him dressed as a bride and... What the hell ! did he just put a black mark on her neck ! She could still feel his touch . Sirens started blaring and suddenly she was very conscious of the situation when she found him staring at her " main... Main chalti hun "

" Ridhhima " she stopped and turned " tumne vrat to nahi rakha tha naa... You look pale "

How can he know she never told him " n..nahi Armaan ,tumne hi to kaha tha " there was another call "okay gotta go " Armaan watched her walk away. He exhaled and stood resting by a pillar

" hayee i love her..."

Soon the moon was out and all the ladies performed the rituals... Ridhhima felt awkward but had little choice, she did what was expected of her, unaware of the eyes which had all the love of the world for her... and was glad that soon evrything was over... She felt as if someone was watching her but whenever she turned she found noone in particular, Armaan was as usual busy with other men and she just shrugged it off... Now she started to feel the pangs of hunger before she could put something to eat for herself Martin came calling for her

" maam Armaan sir had called you to the room immediately. He said it's an emergency " Ridhhima rushed to the room hearing it, worried if anything had happened. She went inside and found the sitting area empty, she went to the room and there to her surprise the table was set for two and Armaan stood by it's side with a sweet smile

" welcome madame, you table is reserved " he bowed and gave her his arm

" Armaan yeh ?! " she asked surprised

" you can't lie to me Ridhhima... Tumne subah se kuch nahi khaya naa." she bowed her head " kyun ? Maine mana kiya tha naa "

She looked up at him and to her annoyance she didn't remember any reason now, she had no answer to it ,he could see the confusion on her face and didn't press it further " anyway leave that ,mere paet main to chuhe kuud rahe hai... Let's attack " he pulled out a chair for her like a perfect gentleman and sat opposite her

" magar Armaan neeche sab hamara wait kar rahe honge "

" koi kuch nahi kahega, Muski sab sambhal legi. I've already told her aur tum baaki sabki fikar karna chhodo aur khana khao, kahin behosh ho gayi to main to tumhe utha bhi nahi paunga "

Her mouth fell open in surprise and she threw a napkin at him... That waved off all the awkwardness and they ate their dinner happily together... Laughing ,chatting and teasing... They had another fight when she told him that he snores which he vehemently denied... And the fight went on...

Ridhhima woke up sweating, for a change it was she who saw a nightmare. She turned and saw him sleeping on his stomach clutching his pillow . She breathed in running a hand over her face wiping off tiny bead of sweat .she thew off the covers and drank a glass of water... Everything was okay there was no fire... She took a deep breath... The dream was scary

she and Armaan were in a place ,somewhere with lots of grass.. she was laughing and running away from him and he followed her... But suddenly when she turned he wasn't there. She started looking for him and then there was a scream... He was calling her name ,there was fire all around him... She couldn't cross it, but tried anyway. She gave him her hand and then... she woke up... She didn't remembered if he held it or not... She breathed again " cmmon Ridhhima it was just a dream, go back to sleep.." She fell back again but this time had to wait a little before sleep visited her again.

She'd thought that the uneasiness would pass away by morning after all she'd seen the nightmare after a long time, and she was right everything seemed normal. She breathed in and hit her head for troubling herself for no reason at all.

She sat by his side on her way to Sanjeevani. For a weird reason the uneasiness was back. She looked at Armaan ,he was busy with his file...

" kya hua ? Kuch kehna hai kya ? " she was surprised she'd no idea he even noticed that she was looking at him. She shifted ,caught redhanded, she merely shook her head... She remembered what he said when she told him about the nightmare

Armaan laughed out " this is what happens when you remain hungry for silly reason..."

" it wasn't silly Armaan " she'd protested, her fast for a day had made so many people happy. Moreover, she just could not bring herself to lie. So ,for her sake rather than anything or anyone else ,she'd kept the fast and how can he say that it was for a silly reason, he didn't went through that non stop debate over it...

Maybe her feelings came to her face and his tone changed " okay, it wasn't silly. but don't worry. it's just a dream. I see nightmares all the time but do they effect me ? nahi naa.. then don't bother..." with that the talk was over and she too felt that she's streaching it. Though she wanted to say she'd seen him waking up from his nightmares ,twisting in sleep.. Only difference is he remembers nothing by the time he wakes up and she does...

A light jerk brought her back from her thoughts ,she got off the car ,he too got off and stood by the door. She started for her car but then stopped to look at him " Armaan... take care "

" don't worry I will " he gave her a thumbs up

She gave him a smile, she didn't know what made her say that " pata nahi Armaan magar kuch theek sa nahi lag raha " She sighed " may be I'm overreacting..." She thought

Armaan found himself smiling broadly. Her words " Armaan ,take care " rang in his mind. He was sooo happy ,her first words for him as typical words of advice from wifey... He grinned and just could not concentrate in the file anymore...

He was now at the new construction site... Checking out for the new development and to see how's everything was going on...

" sir, blasting shuru kar di hai ,ek hafte ke andar andar saara kaam ho jayega " the head engineer informed him

" good " he shouted back ,the place was noisy with big drills and blasts all happening together.. He consulted the blue prints again.. " blasting kis kis point par ho rahi hai ? "

" i'll just check " he called the other engineer " Raman blasting kis kis point par ho rahi hai ? " he repeated the question thrice ,frowning at the noise

" blast.. 5,27,33,9 aur 60 " he replied

" kyaaa ? last main kya tha ? 7 ? (Saat)" he asked in hindi seven

" haan haan 60 (saath) " he replied sixty in hindi

" okay, " he came back to Armaan and gives the number of sites where blasting was going on

" fine let's go to this last site " he pointed a mark in the site map " I think the blasting is done here , I want to check " and along with the head engineer he went for the inspection

Ridhhima was on her way back to her cabin when a nurse came calling..

" Dr.Ridhhima aapke liye phone hai... It's urgent "

" phone ? mere liye ? " she then remembered that she'd switched off her cell before going for the surgery, she quickly came to the reception " hello "

What she heard next left her stunned. She clutched the phone hard, trying to control herself... Her nightmare turned out to be true...

Seeing her ashen face the nurse asked worried " kya hua Dr.Ridhhima ? Sab theek to hai ?? "

" Armaan..." was all she could manage to utter...

Recap : Armaan calls Vivek, Abhimanyu is seen with a girl, by Armaan, which create some confusion. Armaan starts troubling Abhimanyu. Niki confronts Armaan. Abhimanyu gets call from mystery man again and problems get solved. Abhimanyu's manager gets arrested for fraud and Ridhhima's first karwa chauth... She gets a call later at hospital which leaves her stunned.

__________________________________________________

She jumped into the car asking the driver to get to the hospital as fast as he can, her heart beating frantically. All sort of bad thoughts clouded her mind, she fought to wave them away, kept assuring herself that he would be fine... She was bit angry too ,why didn't she let him stay at home or stop him from going to the site. the nightmare now came true ,she shuddered recalling it, she should've listened to her heart... Her anger again diverted to him, Why he has to be so careless ? Didn't she told him to take care ,but does he listen !? Ever !

Lost in her thoughts, worrying like hell ,every second seemed to pass like an hour and though they reached the hospital in mere 25 minutes it felt like eternity... She tried calling Shashank on the way but was informed that he was in a surgery, she left the message. BP and Virendra were out of town and would not return until evening and Rahul's number was unreachable.worrying Muskaan seemed useless. She decided to call later. Sameer told her on phone that he was unconscious when they brought him to the hospital... Well that explained it, otherwise Armaan would rather wither in pain than step in the hospital. She remembered that he didn't came even when Angel was born and the tough time he gave her while he himself was in the hospital..

As the car turned into the porch of the hospital she jumped out of it even before it could come to complete stop. Sameer was right there, ready to escort her..

" Sameer, Armaan kahan hai ? " he asked hurriedly

" Chaliye maam, ab unhe hosh aa gaya hai " A wave of relief passed through her

" Is he okay now ? Jyada chot to nahi aayi ? " She kept asking as they hurried to his room

" doctors ne kaha hai ki chot jyada to nahi hai.. aur kuch test karne ke liye kaha hai magar..." He paused

" Magar kya ? " She stopped looking at him questioningly

" Maam sir ne koi bhi test karwane se manaa kar diya hai, infact wo kisi bhi doctor ko apne saamne tak nahi aane de rahe.."

" What ?! "

" Yes maam. yahan tak ki simple blood test bhi nahi, jo nurse test karne aayi thi us par chilla pade, Badi mushkil se hamne abhi unhe roka hai yeh keh kar ki aap yahaan aa rahi hain, warna wo to sirf yahan se jaane ki zid karke baithe hue the.."

" Ohh Armaaann " she groaned. She feared something like this would happen. Doctors here hardly knew anything about his fear of the place or needles.

Sameer stopped outside a room " this is the room ,I'm right here if you need anything.."

" Thanks Sameer " she quietly opened the door and went in, heart beating even more loudly now, but was much relieved seeing him. She thanked God closing her eyes momentarily. There he sat on a big reclining examining chair... A temporary bandage on the forehead which was soaked in blood, probably he hadn't seen it otherwise he would have freaked out. It was a miracle itself that he was still here.

He rested there with eyes closed, looking pale and drained out, pain fear, worry clear on his face. She quietly closed the door but the sound of doorknob probably woke him. He opened his eyes, a hopeful smile came to his face seeing her

" Ridhhima ! " He tried to get up " aah ! ouchh ! " He held his wrist, wincing with pain. She rushed to him

" Armaan !! Utho mat. Relax " Keeping a hand on his shoulder she made him lie back in half sitting position, being a doctor she knew that there was something wrong with the wrist. Deciding not to worry him further she took a deep breath and sat by his side.. " Are you okay ? "

He nodded " yeah " the relief of seeing her clearly showed on his face.

She smiled " waise Armaan, is this your site ? " trying to ease him up a bit...

But as she thought ,the situation was not so light " Ridhhima plz. Take me out of here, they're not letting me go " she could see the mad fear in his eyes, the extreme effort he was making not to show it... But she knew...

She kept a hand on his shoulder " hum ghar chalenge Armaan, magar pehle thodi bandage karni padegi, tumhe chot lagi hai naa " her eyes went to his forehead with a soaking bandage... As Sameer had told ,He hadn't let the doctors touch it...

The door opened " Mrs. Mallik..." she turned to look at the man who peeped in " can I have a word with you.. " it was the doctor ,she nodded

" Armaan, main abhi aayi " she got up but stopped as she felt a tug... turning she found her dupatta in Armaan's hand clutched tightly " Armaan ?! "

" don't leave me Ridhhima...plz " his voice was soft ,pleading... But the way he looked at her it felt the words carried more than just this situation... Or was it just her imagining things...

" Armaaann " she sat down beside him again... Kept a hand over his ,smiling reassuringly " cmmon Armaan, tum bhi naa bilkul bachhe ho... Main just doctor se baat karne ja rahi hun, I'm not running away somewhere ! he's nearly sixty by the look of it " she chuckled and it brought a small smile on his lips too...

" Tum aa jaogi naa.. ? What if you like him ? After all, he's a doctor.. And you prefer doctors " He tried to make it light but was really unable to hide his fear, uncertainty in his words and what was that in his last sentence... I prefer doctors !

" Don't worry.. I prefer someone of my age group too.. Bas do minute main aati hun.. Okay.." He nodded still terrified and reluctant to stay... to let her go... And clearly unable to voice out his worries... She squeezed his hand again and moved towards the door...

Closing the door quietly, she turned to the doctor " hello, I'm Dr.Das " he gave a warm smile

" hello doctor " she shook hands " I'm Ridhhima.. Ridhhima Mallik "

" I'm so glad Mrs.Mallik aap aa gayi, aapke husband behoshi main bas aapka hi naam liye jaa rahe the, aur hosh main aate hi sabse pehle unhone aapko hi puchha "

Unable to decide what to say she just nodded politely, she has something else to worry about right now " so, doctor. How's he ? Plz tell me everything, I'm a doctor too "

" that's a relief, you see Mrs.Mallik he's very fortunate that he escaped any kind of major injuries " she let out a sigh of relief " primal checkup main koi serious baat nahi aayi. Left hand ki wrist displace ho gayi thi, we fixed it while he was unconscious and..."

" and..? "

" and that was pretty much what we could manage .yahan se jaane ke alawa agar aapke husband ne kisi aur ka naam liya hai then that's to see you. Jabse hosh aaya hai kisi bhi doctor ko room main ghusne tak nahi diya hai " he wiped his forehead, it was obvious Armaan gave the old man a tough time

She didn't knew how to react, part of her was worried and another wanted to laugh out seeing old man's condition. No wonder he didn't enter the room. However, she controlled herself " actually doctor, he's not at all comfortable at places like this and he's even more uncomfortable with any doctors or nurses around " she explained

" and, you said you're a doctor ? " he raised an eyebrow

She smiled at his surprised face " long story "

" I'm sure it would be interesting as well, but for now, I'm more concerned about his head injury "

" I hope nothing's serious, you just said..." she asked anxiously. Nothing in her medical practice taught her how to deal when someone close to you is on the receiving end. Treating others was different but when it comes to your dear ones...

Doctor raised a hand calming her down " well as I said ,the hand part was already taken care of but still it needs to be put in cast for another 20 days atleast, what concerns me more is the injury on the head by the time we could take care of it he... Well, you can understand. He hasn't let us touch it and it's still bleeding, that might require some attention and here we need your help..." she knew doctor wasn't wrong, even she was worried about the same. She discussed for sometime with the doctor ,deciding what to do next...

" great, I'll get ready then " he left

" maam aap sir ke saath baithiye, I'm right here jab sir tayaar ho aap mujhe call kar lijiyega "

Nodding at Sameer, she turned and took a deep breath preparing herself for the huge task of making him agree to see the doctor. She came in putting a smile to make him more comfortable

" ab chalein ? " he asked, again trying to get up

She quickly came by his side gently pushing him back " Armaan ! kya tumhe koi flight pakadni hai ? " she sat on a chair by his side " abhi mujhe doctor ne bataya ki tumhare left hand ki wrist displace ho gayi hai aur tumne unhe cast bhi lagane nahi diya "

" nahi.. Wo... Main.. Unhone mujhe bataya hi nahi " he lied

She rolled her eyes knowing perfectly well that he was lieing " agar tum kisi ko andar aane do tab naa aur yeh chot kyun nahi dekhne di aur test bhi nahi karne diye..." he had no answer for it and avoided meeting her gaze " anyway maine doctor se keh diya hai wo abhi aa kar haath par plaster laga denge "

" then can we go ? " he asked hopefully

" tab.. Aur tab, agar tum pehle yeh sar waali chot dekhne do to " pointing at his head

" No way !! " he flatly refused

She knew it wasn't going to be easy " Armaan please ,atleast let them just see it " she pleaded

" No ,I don't want anyone. I just want to go from here. Just take me away from here Ridhhima... Main theek hun ,please " he begged

But she could not agree to his demands. He required some medical attention and she must make him ready for it, for nearly 20 minutes she kept requesting him to let the doctors attend him but he kept refusing saying he didn't believe them... He was all right.. After a long debate she was about to give up when something striked her...

" huhh, achha agar main dekhun to chalega ? Please " hoping frantically that he would agree " tab to koi problem nahi hogi naa ? " he looked at her and she knew he was debating over it some of his stubbornness was fading away as he felt weak and drained, every passing minute increased her worries ,she knew head injuries must be taken care of as soon as possible... Then to her relief came a nod of approval " great ! That's like a good boy "

Quickly getting on to her feet before he could change his mind ,she started taking off the bandage keeping it out of his sight lest he freaks out seeing the blood. The nearby area had started to turn blue and swell. He winced when she took off the bandage. A small gasp escaped from her mouth seeing the cut, it definitely required some stitching up... She could feel him getting restless and losing time would be unwise, she cleaned the wound gently but he cried out even at the slightest touch, she has to call Dr. Das. She took a deep breath, she has to do it...

Coming around she sat by his side " feeling okay ? " he gave a weak smile, she knew he was in pain but was trying to hide it

He raised his hand to touch his forehead but she held it in midway " kya hua ? " he asked

" Armaan ek baat ka sach sach jawaab doge " he nodded bit puzzled " do you trust me ? ,tum mujhe apna sabse achha dost kehte ho naa ,to kya apni is dost par itna vishwaas hai ki wo tumhe koi takleef nahi pahunchne degi " he nodded " to please meri 'ek' baat maan jao " he opened his mouth to say something he knew what she's going to say ,but she held his uninjured hand in hers " please Armaan mere liye.. Please manaa mat karna " she pleaded, holding his hand in both of hers and with that all his defenses crumbled. sighing he gave in

" okay "

" oh great !, trust me it will be over in no time tumhe kuch pata bhi nahi chalega I promise " she got up to call the doctor, relieved

" I can always trust you, but I don't trust him "

" don't worry I'm not going anywhere . Main yahin rahungi tumhare saath .I promise " she said softly assuring him.

Getting the clearance the doctor came in with a warm smile as big as Santa Clause's along with two nurses and another doctor " so, Mr.Mallik ,ready ? Don't worry it'll be over in few minutes "

He scowled at him, and turned to Ridhhima " I trust you " she was momentarily speechless, she squeezed his arm gently nodding. The other doctor and a nurse started working on his cast. Meanwhile Ridhhima told the doctor that she would stay with him, he didn't object to it ,he knew that if he wanted a smooth operation she should be near him. It was as if she was his soothing dose.

He spread a disinfected sheet over his forehead which covered his face leaving only the injured area exposed, Armaan gripped the side of the chair panicking for a moment but then he felt her hand on his shoulder and that brought immediate relief. He let out a small cry of pain as the doctor started cleaning the wound, he shut his eyes tightly wincing, holding her hand

" shh ,bas ho gaya Armaan, thodi dust thi wo clean kari hai... Don't crease the forehead.. Relax, forehead ko dheela chhodo " she tried to soothe him but he started turning his face away " Armaan please face this side " she was standing on his right as the cut was the left ,when he didn't turn his face she placed her hand on his face from under the sheet and gently turned it to her direction. He forgot everything for a moment, she didn't remove her hand from his face and cupped it softly ,the other hand was on his head caressing his hair. She was probably too worried to notice what she's doing. Armaan's face was just centimeteres away from her. They were so close that he could smell her sweet fragrance ,he held her hand tightly which cupped his face

He jerked his head lightly feeling a sharp pain. The doctor injected anesthetic to put on some some sticthes, but he could not move his head as it was securely held in her hands " shh.. Shh.. bas ho gaya, ab pakka kuch nahi hoga " she stroked his face under the sheet calming him down. He never felt such contradicting emotions before, he was scared yet he was not. He wanted to run away yet he wanted to stay here like this, he disliked getting injured but right now he was so happy about it. Damn ! These confusing emotions. On the other hand as the medicine started it's effect he beacme more calm ,Ridhhima kept talking to him .making small talk so that his mind gets diverted from what was going on and by the look of it her plan was working but he never for once loosened his hold on her hand...

11 stitches 1 cast 2 injections 2 hrs. And lot of drama later, particularly for injections for which she literally had to hold him, after begging requesting and threats didn't work, he was allowed to go but the doctor advised to let him get up own his own.

His head spin a little as he sat up, she supported him " feeling okay ? Dard to nahi ho raha ? "

He shook his head " paani.."

" paani.. Main abhi laati hun tum uthna mat okay " coming out of the room she waited as Sameer rushed to bring some water

" ah ! Mrs. Mallik, everything okay ? "

" yes Dr. Das, thank you so much. You were so patient with him "

" oh that's nothing it's my duty. That's what we are here for. " he smiled warmly " but... I agree there was another reason here, when you weren't here the way your husband reacted on finding where he was, quiet surprised me. Trust me in my 35 years of medical career I've seen many people who are not comfortable with the place, doctors or needles but the way he reacted was way... Different. My experince tells me that it's nothing ordinary, there might be some other reason ,some deeper cause " he stopped ,his fatherly smile was now replaced with the look that years of experience brought, Ridhhima knew that he was right at a point even she had felt so but never bothered much and now even the wise guy had pointed it out. She wondered if she should tell him about his nightmares..

" maam.. Paani " Sameer gave her a bottle and a glass,

" thanks Sameer " she again turned to the doctor " thank you again doctor ,I think you're right, but right now as you can see making him stay here any longer is quiet impossible ,even for me "

" I can understand, here's my card. I think I can recommend someone who can be of great help to you "

She took the card " thanks doctor ,I'll keep it in mind and give you a call "

In the car on their way back home he dozed off, but due to bumpy road he could not rest his head properly, shifting slightly to her side with eyes closed looking for perfect position he rested his head on her shoulder. Ridhhima was on phone with BP who told her that all of them were on their way too, it was then she felt his head on her shoulder... She knew he would feel drowsy due to medicines but wasn't expecting this. She hesitated for a moment feeling awkward, but a bump on road troubled him again and she immediately put her hand on his cheek supporting him. He seemed unaware of it, too drowsy and content with a soft 'pillow' to rest his head on... For the rest of the way back she sat like that, with her hand on his cheek and his head on her shoulder...

When they reached back home everyone along with Shashank, Padma , Rajat, Aditya were waiting for them. Virendra rushed to him, he was both angry and worried. Shashank stopped him from saying anything to him at that moment. They took him to the room where he immediately fell half- asleep, it was more due to medicines than anythong else. Padma sat by his side caressing his head and by the look on his face he liked it too, Shashank checked upon him again just to be sure

" well, ghabrane waali to koi baat nahi hai. Bas thodaa sa rest aur thodi dekhbhaal and he will be fit and fine again "

" rest !? Aur Armaan ? Uncle yeh word to iski dictionary main agar yeh khud dhundega to bhi nahi milega " Shashank smiled hearing Muskaan's remark

" well to usko tight rakhne ke liye hamare paas bhi ek raasta hai " BP said " kyun Ridhhima ? "

" absolutely BP ,don't worry main dekh lungi . Har baar Armaan ki zid nahi chalegi " she replied and everyone seemed pleased with it

When Shashank decided to take leave, Padma got up from his side... He shifted his head a little, probably irritated at the sudden stop of his head message... Padma saw it and called Ridhhima softly

" Ridhhi.. Ridhhi, yahan aana beta " Ridhhima came by her side " aap yahan Armaan ke saath baitho aur sar par halke haath ferte rahna, usko aaraam mil raha hai aise " Ridhhima could see the frown on his face. Padma planted a soft kiss on his forehead, then hugging Ridhhima lovingly she took leave... Everyone else too left the room leaving both of them alone

He twisted his head again, she found that the weight of plaster was probably digging into his ribs, disturbing him. She quickly picked up a pillow and gently placed it under his hand. He sighed in his sleep more comfortable now. She sat by his side looking at him, he looked pale, nothing like the Armaan she saw in the morning. A light frown was still there. Hesitating for a moment she started stroking his hair gently. The little frown which was left got vanished...

She smiled to herself seeing him at ease, there was definitely some blood loss but he'd flatly refused any transfusion. Well ,she'll take care of that part, she'll see to it that he takes healthy food to make up for the loss. Sitting by his side she remembered how everybody showered her with love and agreed when Muskaan said that he escaped anything fatal all due to fast that she'd kept for him...

She wondered if it was so but then her thought drifted to the nightmare, it was still so vivid, she'd never seen anything like that in her life. Was it some kind of premonition... An indication ? Was it what Muskaan had said ' a bond ' that went beyond any definition.. Something inexplicable between two people who love each other more than self ... Like husband and wife...

She shook her head " nahi ! ,hum to sirf dost hain, sirf bahut achhe dost.. Aur wo to sirf ek sapna tha "

Another voice spoke somewhere in her mind " yes it was just a dream.. Which almost came true " she had no answer to that...

Seeing that he was sound asleep she came out, thinking of freshing up a little with Martin's coffee and Muski's chat session. While passing through Virendra's room ,she thought of checking upon him as well.. He looked ashen seeing Armaan's condition...

" Papa..." she called softly

He turned quickly hiding something behind " Oh Ridhhima beta tum ? Mujhe laga ki..." he breathed in and kept the thing he was holding, back " Aao naar...Armaan ne jyada pareshan to nahi kiya..? Mujhe to umeed hi nahi thi ki wo hospital ke andar paer bhi rakhega ?? " he smiled

" Bas puchhiye mat papa kitni mushkil se maine bandage hone tak roka hai..." Her eyes fell on the frame, It was Naina's picture " papa.. aap naina mom ko yaad kar rahe the ? "

He smiled sadly... " Main bhula hi kab tha use.. Aaj Armaan ke accident ki baat suni to kuch purani baatein yaad aa gayi.." He went quiet " Us hospital ke haadse ke baad mujhe ummed nahi thi ki wo kabhi us jagah par paer bhi rakhega, but I'm so glad ki tum uske saath thi... Thanks beta.."

" Papa isme thanks ki koi baat hi nahi hai, magar papa aap kaun se haadse ki baat kar rahein hain...jo aaj hua wo..." wondering if he was talking of his bike accident months ago, when she met him for the first time

" Nahi.. jo barso pehle hua, jisne usse uski sabse pyaari cheez chhen li aur us jagah ka darr hamesha ke liye uske mann main bitha diya..."

" Hospital se ?? " he nodded, questions flooded her mind again

" Papa ,aapse ek baat puchhun ? "

" Haan beta, kyun nahi ? "

" Papa pure ghar main Naina mom ki ek bhi tasveer nahi hai. Kyun papa ? Aap jab mom ko itna yaad karte hain phir..."

He looked at her ,pausing momentarily " Armaan ki wajah se..." She must have looked puzzled " tumhe Armaan ne Naina ke baare main kuch nahi bataya...? " he suddenly sounded as if he expected to hear something from her

She hesitated whether to say yes or no... If she says no that would definitely raise questions about their relationship and if she says yes she might never know the reason... She decided to take neutral path " Haan kuch kaha to tha magar jyada kuch nahi..."

He sighed " Mujhe samajh jaana chahiye tha ki wo iss baare main shayad hi kuch kahega...aur kahega bhi tab jab use khud kuch... Waise Kya kaha usne tumse ? "

She didn't had to think about it much she knew very little, all thanks to Martin for stopping Maria that day, and that was not something to forget " Bas itna hi ki ek hadse main Naina mom..."

" Haan.. aur kya usne tumhe yeh bataya ki tab wo bhi Naina ke saath hi tha ?, wo bahut hi bhayanak samay tha... Naina aur Armaan... Mujhe laga ki main dono ko kho dunga..."

" magar papa Naina mom ko hua kya tha ? "

" Naina aur Armaan, dono hospital main the... Naina was in quiet bad shape..." she could see the pain of past on his face " uss haadse ke baad hamne socha ki bura waqt guzar gaya, magar yeh kya pata tha ki abhi sabse bura waqt aana tha...wahan Naina par hamla hua..."

" what ?! " she didn't knew that

" haan, aur... Aur wo shuruat thi hamare sabse bure sapne ki... Maine Naina ko kho diya, Armaan ne apni maa ko..." he paused " Wo kehta nahi magar mujhe nahi lagta ki wo us sadme se abhi tak ubar paaya hai... Main itne saalon main wo din nahi bhula paaya aur Armaan.. wo to..."

" Wo to ? "

" Wo aur Naina..."

" Veeru !, arre yaar tum yahan ho aur main saare ghar main tumhe dhind aaya..." BP entered with his usual booming voice " Chalo zara ek baat clear karni hai Japan se Hamimoto ka call aaya hai... Sorry beta but it's imporatant "

" It's okay BP..." Virendra went away with Sunil... but looking at Naina's pic. that day she felt.. saw... that for some wounds even time didn't had any remedy... She decided now wasn't thr right time to push them for the past... deciding to give them their time she came out...

Two days passed since that terrible day. He was forbidden to leave the house till Ridhhima's approval ,knowing that there was no appeal against this order he agreed. But this was not just it, he have her tough time, let it be food or medicine, he tried his best to avoid both, most of the time it was Muskaan who stuffed it in his mouth or Ridhhima's stern glare which controlled him a bit. She wondered that if this is the situation in just two days ,it will take just another two to make her completely crazy !. But inspite of everything she tried not to be too hard on him, after coming back from hospital he had tough time sleeping with the nightmares . She had spent the whole first night sitting by his side comforting him ,two days later he was better... A little too better...

She was on phone with Padma when he came and stood by her side " Ridhhima.. Ridhhima " She looked at him asking what is it.. " mujhe ice-cream khani hai, tumhare liye laun kya ? "

She looked at him keeping the phone away " ice-cream ? Ab ? Koi ice-cream nahi khani itni raat ko. Kal phir chhinkoge, kal kha lena " saying so she went back to her call

" nahi, I want it now " he demanded

" no Armaan, kaha na abhi nahi. Ab zid mat karo ,don't be a baby "

Padma heard their argument " Ridhhi, agar uska man kar raha hai to khane de naa "

" nahi mumma aapko nahi pata.." seeing that Padma was on his side he shouted out" thanks beautiful ! "

" chup Armaan, aur mumma aap iski zyada side mat lo, aapko nahi pata saari mushkil meri ho jayegi " she glared at him " no ice cream ,jao ja kar rest karo ya kuch kaam kar lo and don't try to be clever ! main abhi Martin ko keh deti hun , no ice cream for you "

He pouted and made a cutest face ever " plleesshh " it took all her self control not to give in. She knew if she melt now he would wake up either having cold or cough or both and she didn't wanted either. The thought made gave her some resisting power and she turned her face away..

Seeing that it didn't work ,he huffed ,coming to his side of bed he lied down clearly showing that he was angry. Ridhhima tried to hide her grin from him " nautanki ".. By the time she finished her call and came to check upon him, he was already asleep. She checked his forehead to see if he was okay ,finding everything fine she too went to sleep.

In the middle of the night his eyes popped open, he turned his head around to see if she was sleeping. With a naughty grin on his face.. He tip-toed to the door and did a small victory dance when he was out... He ran to the kitchen ready to attack the refrigerator.

Opening the fridge ,he took out every flavour ice-cream kept there and with a table spoon sat down right there on the floor relishing all in the light of the fridge... He couldn't risk switching on the kitchen lights, that ' spy ' Martin could land from anywhere...

He took a big spoonful of ice-cream " hehehe, see Ridimba I'm eating ice-cream, come and stop mee " saying in a sing song manner he quickly gulped it down. After finishing about quarter of all 5 flavour buckets he felt contented. Now another challenge awaited him... Going back to the room just the way he came...

Peeping inside the room he found her still on the bed, he breathed in, again tip toe-ing inside he quietly came to his side. Ridhhima was still asleep. he was about to lie down when

* BURP * owww ! *

The Einstein gave out a big burp and while trying to cover it up forgot that the hand he is using is in solid plaster ! The hand straight away landed on his nose, calling for a bigger reaction..!

He quickly turned to see if she was awake and thanked god on finding her still asleep. Taking no further risks he quickly hid himself under covers and went off to sleep. Mission ice-cream was accomplished...

Ridhhima smiled, her eyes closed. She infact knew that he had sneaked out when she felt rustling of the sheets she saw him sneaking into the kitchen... At first she thought of stopping him but then decided otherwise she knew he won't give up until he had what he wanted, probably he needed a lesson. He is such a stubborn blockhead ! But then seeing him relishing the ice cream with all childlike innocence, she just could not bring herself to dampen his mood. Making a mental note to keep a cough and cold medicine ready for tomorrow she came back feigning sleep, smiling when he gave out that loud burp. Armaan never came to know anything.

As she'd predicted the next day he spent more than his usual time sneezing and developed a sore throat with cough. Coughing loudly he looked at her from the corner of his eye, fearing she might say something and was surprised when she didn't said a word, she was busy folding up some of her dresses. Inspite of trying super hard he could not control his coughing, he glanced at her direction and this time found her standing by his side with arms folded across her chest, glaring at him. He grinned sheepishly.

" hehe.. Wo.. * cough * cough * ehem * ehem * wo thoda gala.. dry sa ho gaya hai " she still didn't said a word just smiled sarcastically ,nodding. Then without a word she went out of the room. He breathed in relieved that she hadn't yelled at him... But if he thought he was safe then he was so... Wrong... Within two minutes she stood before him uncapping a bottle..

" yeh kya hai ?! " he made a face seeing it

" tumhari punishment "

" what !? "

" mch ! Cough syrup hai jo tum abhi bina koi behes (argument) kiye peene waale ho "

" haha.. And you think aisa hoga ? "

" bilkul "

" No way ! " he quickly got up from the couch and ran away from there

" Arrrmaaann " she shouted after him

" No Ridimba main yeh bilkul nahi lene waala "

" oh yes, you are ! Maine nahi kaha tha ki raat ko chhup chhup kar ice cream khao " he stopped on his tracks surprised,

" so she knew, clever ! " he thought

" but still you have to catch me first " he threw a cushion at her which straight away landed on her head. That was it ! With that started the cat mouse chase. She cleverly ran to the door locking it, barring him from running anywhere. Threats, challenges, pillows, cushions.. All landed everywhere in the room and within ten minutes it looked as if a tornado had passed from there.

After a good 15 minute running around the room he slowed down getting bit tired ,grabbing the opportunity she cornered him " bas ho gaya ? You loose. Ab chalo muh kholo "

" Nahi main yeh nahi piyunga yeh bahut kadwi hai.." he slumped on the couch, she sat before him on the table pouring a spoonful, making sure that he doesn't run away again

" Armaan, don't be a baby. Abhi yahi hai aur dawai koi khana nahi hai jo taste ke hisab se bane "

" To banni chahiye naa.. Main apne research scientists se kahunga wo ek meethi cough syrup banayenge "

" wo bachho ke liye hota hai, aur jab banegi tab ki tab dekhenge abhi tum chup chap muh kholo " bringing the spoon forward

" Nahi main yeh nahi piyunga "

" Kyyuun..?? " exasperated

" Kyunki mujhe yeh hak hai ki main decide karun ki main dawai lu ya naa lu..."

" Achha ! woh kaise ? "

" Kyunki cough mujhe hai patient main hun " he gave a wise reply

" To doctor main hun " she'd had enough now

" Achha to kya hua main.. Main pati hun " finding nothing else to present in his favour

" Achha ! Wow ! now look Mr. Armaan Mallik, yahaan doctor main hun aur upar se I'm your wife !, to mujhe double hak hai. Ab chup chap muh kholte ho ya nahi..." she threatened him

Armaan was happily surprised to hear those words, he looked at her frowning face " haan tumhe hak hai Ridhhima, pura hak hai " he thought as she brought the spoon near his mouth

" Kuch kaha tumne ? " He shook his head and opened his mouth quietly without any argument... she was surprised at the sudden surrender

As soon as the medicine went in ,He stuck his tongue out making a face " uuaaghh ,rat poison ! "

She laughed melting a little, the medicine was bitter, then she remembered she had a small chocolate with her which she brought for Angel, taking it out of her pocket she handed it to him

" yeh kya hai..? "

" your reward for being a good boy " looking delighted he took it.. Breaking it in two.. He gave her a peice...

" yeh kisliye...? "

" For being a wonderful doctor and.. best friend..." She smiled, sitting side by side they ate the chocolate cheering it like a toast...

They all sat together having family time..

Virendra kept his tea cup down " well ,yeh to Ridhhima par depend karta hai, agar use lagta hai ki tum office aa sakte ho to theek hai warna.."

Rahul laughed hearing it " welcome to married life bhai.. Ab tu bhi apni biwi ke rehmo karam par hai ,meri tarah "

Muskaan hit on his shoulder " dekha papa ,yeh keh to aise raha hai jaise main Hitler hun " all laughed at their banter

" arre nahi darling, main to use samjha raha tha ki biwi ki baat maanna seekh le wo hamesha sahi hoti hai.. Aur kahan tum, kahan Hitler ! " Muskaan seemed pleased with the answer. Rahul bent towards Ridhhima " bechara Hitler bhi iske saamne kuch nahi hai " Ridhhima hid her laugh in fake cough

" papa main dekh kar batati hun, hopefully ab tak sab theek ho jaana chahiye, plaster to abhi atleast ek week aur lega magar stitches khul jayenge to he can go " he smiled at her ,pleased to know

He rested his head back on the couch a coushion in his arms and to her surprise calm, waiting as she started getting ready to open up his stitches

" bas do minute hmm, pakka bilkul dard nahi hoga " she assured him

" ohho Ridhhima, stop worrying. You look more scared than him " said Rahul

Smiling Armaan turned his head up looking at her " it's okay Ridhhima, I know tum mujhe zara bhi dard nahi hone dogi " she gained her control back with his trusting words

Rahul whistled and got a slap on his arm from Muskaan " helloo, Romeo Juliet, agar vote of confidence pass ho gaya ho to kaam kar lein ? " Ridhhima suddenly felt conscious and tried to focus on the task ahead

It hardly took 15 minutes for her expert hands. She kept her promise ,he never felt a thing. He looked into the mirror, except a thin line no trace of that horrible day remained... Well except the plaster and that too will go away in few days... He was both happy and sad for it... He would miss her feeding him, calling to check upon him, scolding him when he delibrately missed food or medicine. He was getting so used to of her being around that he hated even the thought of being away from her... He enjoyed each and every moment spent with her, this craving never stopped infact it had grown even more...

Armaan's face flustered he was trying to button up his shirt but " damn ! these buttons ! " They were so small that he couldn't put them through the button hole with one hand in plaster...

A pair of hands suddenly took over, he looked up and saw Ridhhima undoing his wrong buttons and then putting them again...

" Sabse sab kaam nahi hote, mujhe bula nahi sakte the ? " not looking at him

" Nahi, wo maine socha..." he trailed off ,how can he explain her that everytime she touched him, no matter how light, he found himself on the verge of loosing himself...

" Haan haan tumne socha ki agar main button band kar dungi to tumhari superman ki image kharab ho jayegi hai naa.." He shook his head in yes and then quickly in no... She laughed " Armaan tum bhi naa.. Bass...lo ho gaya.. Tie kahan hai ? " He pointed to it " dekho don't take much stress okay... I'll bring the lunch and medicine and NO site " she added firmly , he grinned

" Okay governer... Aur kuch ? " She shook her head smiling " bye see you.."

" Bye " she said softly...

She felt relieved after days. It had been quiet a while since she'd worked tension free, especially after Armaan's accident. She decided to have quick cup of coffee with Sapna and Chirag catching up on things before leaving for Armaan's office. She has to keep an eye on him for few more days before she was absolutely sure...

Coming to the cafeteria she sat down at their favourite seat, soon Sapna and Chiraag came there chatting.

" don't worry chirag I'm sure we can do something, aur Armaan hai naa.."

" hey guys " Ridhhima greeted them and their chat session began

" so Ridhhima, ab Armaan kaisa hai ? " Chirag asked

" Armaan, much better.. "

" oh good, mujhe actually tumse kuch baat karni thi.. Itne dino se mauka hi nahi mil paaya "

" haan sach yeh Armaan ke chakkar main naa.. Kya kahun, wo abhi bhi utna hi workaholic hai.." Chirag looked at her quizzically, she continued " bahut laparwah hai, duniya bhar ki baatein yaad rehti hain magar khana khana bhul jaata hai. last time normal logo ki tarah kab soya tha mujhe yaad nahi.. Saara dhyaan mujhe rakhna padta hai.. aur kabhi kabhi to bilkul bachha ban jaata hai ,roz promise karke agle din se phir wohi sab shuru " she chuckled remembering the ice-cream incident but what she missed was Sapna's scanning eyes..

" hey, don't worry, ab to wo theek hai naa . That's more important " Ridhhima nodded " Achha tum kuch keh rahe the naa.." she asked Chirag

But before he could say anything his pager beeped " guys, you carry on, mujhe ek patient ko check karne jaana hai " he said getting up and soon went away

" Sapna.. Is it me ya phir aaj Chiraag kuch chup chup sa.. Pareshan sa lag raha hai "

" ohh ,so you noticed. "

" Kya matlab ?? "

" Matlab yeh ki shayad tum apni baaton main yeh bhul gayi ki wo tumse kuch baat karna chahta tha.."

" Haan maine suna magar beech main uski call aa gayi "

" Yes of course, agar tujhe Armaan ki baaton se fursat milti to shayad tu kuch aur dekhti aur sunti bhi..." Her pager beeped " oh ek baj gaya ! mujhe bhi ek patient ko check karne jaana hai..."

" Ek baj gaya ! God main bhi chalti hun Armaan ko lunch de kar aati hun... Papa aur BP ki to wo sunta hi nahi aur Rahul bhaiyya bhi office main nahi hain " Sapna watched her almost running out, wondering if she realised what was going on...

Armaan came back from office all tired... it had been a hectic week, due to the accident a lot of work piled up... He spent every night of the past week going through uncountable files, presentations, proposals, deals, reports. This was the work he brought home and not to forget the work at office as well. Often he came quiet late, sometimes he would find her waiting for him ,sometimes asleep and then he would sit by her side watching her innocent beauty forgetting all his tiredness. It went on for more than a week until she'd fought with him not to be such a workaholic... But by then the work was back on the track... Almost...

Today he came earlier than his usual late hours, but she could sense his tiredness from his eyes at the dinner too he didn't eat properly and kept shifting in his seat uncomfertably ,these things didn't go unnoticed by her... After dinner Ridhhima got busy in kitchen with Muskaan but when she came back she didn't find Armaan there..

" Arre Armaan kahan gaya main to dessert le kar aayi thi... Uski favourite ice-cream.."

" Beta usne kaha ki uska mann nahi hai shayad bahut thak gaya hai.. Isliye sone chala gaya.." BP said...

Ridhhima felt bit disappointed she wanted him to be around... But then concern took over... ' Is he okay...?' " Papa Main abhi aati hun.." She could not stay there for a minute... As she went to the room she found him lying on the bed on his stomach she called out " Armaan.." No reply... She called again... " Armaaan " .He stirred his head a bit and Ridhhima quickly went up and sat by his side, his face was on other side... " Armaan are you okay ? "

He turned his face to her smiling tiredly... " Hmmm..." She was still not convinced...

" Armaan sach batao kya hua...? "

" Kuch nahi Ridhhima, I'm fine just thoda backache hai... abhi thoda araam karunga to theek ho jayega..." Then he turned and tried to get up but shut his eyes due to pain, his back was really hurting as he could not rest properly for a whole week and then that couch, where he often fell asleep, was not exactly a comfortable bed to sleep...

" Armaan tum kahan ja rahe ho...? "

" Main bas thoda kaam tha socha aaj khatam hi kar duun ,tum so jao main wahaan room main chala jaata hun..." he kept a hand on his neck and rotated it not looking at her...

" Armaan tum yahin leto thodi der main kamar par pain reliever laga deti hun..."

" Nahi pain reliever nahi usse skin main irritation ho jaati hai aur jalta bhi hai..."

" to koi tablet de dun ? "

" No ! No tablet plz. I can't even bear the smell "

Ridhhima thought for a moment... " Achha theek hai main abhi aati hun tum yahaan se hilna mat, kaam itna bhi jaruri nahi hai, wo kal bhi ho sakta hai... Abhi aaram karo.."

He smiled lightly at the order " magar hua kya ? jaa kahaan rahi ho...? "

" Mchh, tum bas aaraam karo main abhi aati hun..."

He watched her go he then took off his t-shirt and threw it away carelessly again falling back, face hidden in the pillow... He was so tired that he kind of fell asleep within minutes... Ridhhima entered the room with a bowl in her hand and saw him lying on the bed.. She quietly went up to him and called softly

" Armaan.." He didn't stirred " Armaan so gaye kya ?? " Again no reply she kept the bowl at the bedside and was in a dilemma for a moment but then made up her mind. Sitting next to him she gently pulled up his vest. His back now bare... he stirred a little but then was silent again a frown was on his face, may be because of backache... She took some hot oil in her palms and rubbing them together started massaging it gently... She poured more oil and continue massaging him...

As she stroked his back his frown subsided and he sighed relieved the massage was doing it's magic..or was it the one who was doing it...

Ridhhima moved her oily hands on his firmly built back, sensations rose in her heart, feelings that were unknown or rather she'd kept hidden even from herself rose in her heart.. Thoughts.. desires... Filled her mind, increasing her heartbeat... She had always admired his muscular body but the touch was so... Sensuous, that she found herself thinking all that she considered forbidden... The day in the pool flashed in her mind ,how dangerously hot he looked and those swimming trunks multiplied his sex appeal thousand times. She had already kicked herself at ogling him like that that day... But she just couldn't resist at times.. Like now...

She jerked her head and tried to divert her mind else where.. He smiled eyes still closed the hands.. those soft fingers and the gentle pressure hmmm... It felt heveanly...

On the other hand seeing him relieved gave her immense satisfaction.. He slowly opened his eyes turning his face towards her... for a moment didn't knew what was going on... He closed his eyes again feeling veerry comfertable but after a moment or two his eyes flashed open... he jumped up..

" Ridhhima tum..?! Tum yeh kya kar rahi ho ?? " Ridhhima felt bit embarresed and shy momentarily

" wo... Main..." but soon overcame it " arre itne hairan kyun ho rahe ho.. Tumhari kamar main dard tha, pain reliever tumne lagwana nahi tha to maine socha goli se achha to yeh hi hai ki main garam tel se thodi si maalish kar dun.. Kyun tumhe aaram nahi mila ?? " Looking at him innocently..

" Nahi.. I mean haan.. Magar.. Tumhe yeh sab karne ki koi jarurat nahi hai Ridhhima.. I'm fine kal tak bilkul theek ho jayega..."

She sighed " Armaan cmmon.. Kya tumhe mujhse sharam aati hai..." Saying in a naughty tone...Armaan was totally surprised hearing it she'd hit him with the same words he used when they were in the pool, he looked at her with mouth open, seeing his expression she burst out laughing.. " Oh cmmon Armaan ek dost hone ke naate main itna to kar hi sakti hun naa.. And don't forget I'm a doctor too.." He still looked at her in wonder.. " Ab aise dekhne ki koi zarurat nahi hai chalo leto main thoda sa tael aur laga deti hun subah tak to tum bhul bhi chuke honge ki kamar dard hota kya hai.." she pushed him back gently...

" Magar Ridhhima.."

" Armaan ,shhh ,chup.. bilkul.. ab aankhein band karo and just relax..." He did as was ordered and as he felt her soft hands on his back again he felt immense relief and comfort under that heveanly touch.

He fought hard with himself to control his desire to grab her, wrap her in his arms and kiss her passionately... And do lot more... her touch was creating havoc in his heart and at the same time it felt so nice... fighting with himself ,groaning inside, he fell into the magic of the wonderful touch and in no time was asleep...

It was more than half an hour before she noticed that he was asleep, smiling she got up from there and went to the other room... she brought his long pillow which she placed under his arm... he immediately snuggled up to it, Ridhhima could not help but think how cute he looked she brought a hand forward to caress his hair, but then hesitating.. pulled it back she stood by his side, eyes still not moving from his face heart reluctant to go from there... But as he stirred a little she came out of her trance.. She then tucked him properly with the blanket. She had some work too, some patients file to go through...

Not wishing to disturb his sleep she switched off the light by his side and went to work on the couch but soon dozed off, Within 20 minutes on that couch she felt restless...

" Hey bhagwaan it's so uncomfortable to sleep here pata nahi Armaan yahan kaise so jaata tha... Tabhi uski kamar main itna dard hai..." she remembered how he would often fall asleep on the couch and she would wake him up at night asking him to sleep on bed... She again felt an unknown tug in her heart ,resting there on the couch she could not sleep a wink not because she was uncomfertable but because she could not take her mind off from Armaan's thoughts... She decided to change the place, seeing that he was sound asleep she went to the other room...

She glanced at the watch... it was 1 o'clock she got up to have a drink of water, she didn't knew why but she just could not concentrate on the file.. Determined to go to sleep after that... pouring herself a glass of water gulping it down she thought

" Zara Armaan ko ek baar dekh aaoun theek se soya hai ya nahi..." She went to the room and saw him all curled up due to cold clutching his pillow and blanket that was suppose to cover him was under him...! She shivered, the room ,it was almost freezing. Another thing she noticed was that he was never satisfied with the auto cooling option in the A.C.. He always fixed it at a temprature ,often to a freezing degree... she wondered what he is... He felt hot at night, almost freezes the room and then in the morning sneezes non stop just by getting on the floor barefoot... She exhaled and picking up the remote adjusted the temprature to a bearable degree.. Thankfully he was deep asleep and didn't even stirred..Ridhhima sighed shaking her head..

" Bhagwaan... yeh ladka bhi naa..dhang se sona bhi nahi aata..." She came up to him and saw that pulling the blanket from underneath him was not possible she went back and brought another blanket... This time tucking it properly so that it does not slips off and lands under him like the other... When she finished tucking she went back thinking to just quickly go through the file ,but this time she kept the door open enough to keep an eye on him...

This was a wise decision, after that she had to get up 10 times to tuck him up... Everytime he turned the blanket slipped off and then he shivered... But even when she had to get up ten times she wasn't irritated, her concern for him was of far greater importance than her comfort... The whole night went by like this, even when she came to sleep by his side she kept an eye on him making sure that he was okay...

Armaan got up with a big smile ,streaching himself.. all cheery and fresh . As he stepped down he was amazed that he didn't had his regular sneezing bout this time ,very happily he looked around to see where Ridhhima was, not finding her there he thought she might have gone for a jog and went to freshen up... Coming out, he still didn't find her, he called her out..

" Ridhhima.. Ridhhima... Rrriiiddhhiimaaa " she came in running

" Armaan ! Kya hua ? Are you okay ? Tum chilla kyun rahe the ?? " worried

" where were you ? Pata hai aaj to kamaal ho kya ! Aaj main ek baar bhi nahi chhinka (sneezed) ! " excited

She huffed " Armaan , tum yeh kehne ke liye itna chilla rahe the " he nodded smiling cutely ,she rolled her eyes trying to fake some anger but was clearly not able to do so. She turned to go away but he held her hand... Surprised, she turned around and saw him looking at her with deep smiling eyes

" hey ,thanks, for yesterday..." slowly he let go of her hand but held her captivated by his eyes... after an awkward moment not knowing what else to say she asked

" waise Armaan tum is couch par thede medhe kaise so jaate the ? Main to 20 minute main hi pareshan ho gayi, it's clearly not meant for sleeping "

" kya ?! Tum yahan soyi thi ? Are you nuts ! Kya tumhe bhi apni kamar main dard karna hai ? kya zarurat thi wahan some ki kya yeh bed chhota hai ?! " he showered her with questions

" Armaan relax. Just kaam karte karte aankh lag gayi thi " she shook her head ,smiling at his silly worry, but somewhere it felt nice that he cared enough

" wo jo kuch bhi ho, magar abse tum couch par nahi sougi okay "

" okay governer " she saluted at his order and both started giggling. Their session got inturrupted when a servant came to tell him that Rahul had called him.

" Armaan tum jao main bhi breakfast banane chalti hun "

He came back humming a song ,glancing at the watch he grabbed his towel and turning on the music to a loud level went in to have a bath...

As soon as he turned to the shower cubicle he freezed, forgetting even to inhale such was the sight before his eyes... She was in the shower... Naked...

His first reaction was to turn around and move out , but this he could only think and not do. His feet refused to obey what mind said... He stood there admiring the marble structure before his eyes... She was humming along the tune of the song, washing her hair... oblivious of his presence, her back towards him... He saw the soap trailing down along her spine to the most perfect backside he'd ever come across... He could feel his heartbeat rising by second.. excitement growing within him... She was still unaware of his presence there ,humming, eyes tightly shut... That explained why she didn't reacted or he was alive... Was he really alive coz this felt like surreal...

He could not stop himself from having another glance at those perfect curves, he ached to caress those mounds, hold them in his hands and... And... Damn ! His mind ran haywire... he turned his face away, heart and mind fought a feirce battle... Heart wanted to reach out to her... make her his, the body shouted out his need and mind fought to be sensible... The feet got jammed and eyes refused to miss even a second of admiring the most beautiful thing ever... He stood there stiff as a board but there was another part of his body which was getting stiff... he knew it was wrong, his fists clentched as he fought for self control... Then the sense started to win... And when she reached out, to take shower handle probably ,he got a glimpse of her milky white ,firm breasts... With that dark puckered skin in the middle contrasting with the milky white...

Damn ! He turned his face away trying to come out of the enchantment... It would be wise to get out now otherwise he feared he would loose all self control .Quietly he started stepping back before she could sense his presence or he did something stupid...

He came out, closing the door again, leaning by the wall he panted as if he'd ran miles, heartbeat erratic... He closed his eyes but that was a bad idea... all he could see was her in the shower, the soap trailing down... Her curves.. The perfection from top to bottom... if she had this effect just by her back then if she'd have turned then he might have really lost all the self control. Banging his head on the wall he repreminded himself... " Armaan, Armaan stop it... Control yourself... Damn... It's soo hard..."

He came out of the room ,probably some fresh air can cool him down... Good idea...

She came out of the shower still in bath robe, thinking no one is there but same time Armaan entered the room ,after gaining back his control, he was stunned to see her fresh from the shower water dripping from her hair and a rosiness on her cheeks and for a moment the shower scene flashed before his eyes. All self control on the verge of going down to drain ,he knew it well.

He looked away from her " sorry wo.. Mujhe pata nahi tha " she too felt bit awkward and conscious but breathed in when he walked out of the room . while getting dressed her thoughts trailed down to him... how he has changed, was this the same Armaan who tried to kiss her the first night and then had almost forced himself later... Look at him now, how understanding he has become a most understanding friend... She smiled at the thought,she was touched by his thoughtfulness and caring nature. Dressing herself in a nice saree she came down for the breakfast..

He breathed deeply blinking softly admiring her... But with Martin clearing of throat came back... That day both were rather quiet on the way to work, both thinking about each other in silence, sitting together yet far away from each other yet together in thoughts ... .

Ridhhima chatted with Sapna after a long day, cathing up on each other. Sapna mostly did the listening part as Ridhhima talked animatedly about Armaan, Rahul... Armaan.. Muskaan, Angel... Armaan... BP, Virendra... Armaan... A faint smile came to her lips she hadn't seen her talking like that about anyone before. She looked more lively, confident... And happy... Armaan really have managed to charm her... But the thing was... Was she aware of it ? And Vivek..?!

" Sapna.. Sapnaa " she shook her lightly

" h..haan "

" kya hua ? Kahan kho gayi ? " Sapna still looked at her " ab aise kya dekh rahi hai ? " she asked

" Badlaav "

" Badlaav ?? matlab ?? "

She exhaled " matlab ki main dekh rahi hun ki kaise Waqt aur haalat insaan ko badal dete hain..." Ridhhima tried to make sense what she was saying " Aur yeh jaruri to nahi ki sab badlaav bure hi ho, shayad insaan ko waqt ke sath badal jaana chahiye, badlaav ko sweekar kar lena chahiye..."

" Sapna tu aakhir kehna kya chahti hai ?? "

" Main yeh keh rahi hun Ridhhima ki kuch baatein hamari aankhon ke saamne hote hue bhi hum dekh nahi paate..." She still looked puzzled " nahi samjhi ? Achha yeh bata teri shaadi ko kitna waqt ho gaya ? "

" chheh (6) mahine hone waale hain "

" aur Vivek ko gaye hue kitna time ho gaya...? " She asked again

" Dus mahine.." Ridhhima said softly after a moment, unable to decide what she wanted to prove

" Hum yahaan do ghante se baithe hain Ridhhima aur tune ek baar bhi Vivek ka naam nahi liya, Armaan ke alawa koi aur baat nahi kari... Uaki har takleef, har shararat bata di magar ek baar bhi yeh nahi kaha ki Vivek kahan hoga ? kaisa hoga...?, yeh batane ke liye ki Vivek ko gaye kitna time ho gaya, tujhe sochna pada.. Ek waqt tha Ridhhima jab tujhe Vivek ki chinta har waqt khaye jaati thi aur ab... Ab tujhe Armaan ke alawa kuch yaad nahi aata. Teri har baat Armaan se shuru ho kar Armaan par khatam ho jaati hai "

" Sapna ! yeh sach nahi hai, aur aakhir in sab baaton ka matlab kya hai ? " She asked bit irritated and angry but somewhere she knew what she meant, snd she was proved right the next moment

" Saaf shabdo kahun to baat yeh hai ki tu Vivek ko bhulti jaa rahi hai..." Ridhhima was shocked no words came out of her mouth.. " Armaan's not a bad guy Ridhhima " Sapna added softly

Horrified at the implication of her words " No way Sapna.." Finally she found her tongue " How can you say that ! I know Armaan's not a bad guy magar wo Vivek nahi hai, aur main.. Main Vivek ko nahi bhuli hun, no I haven't " she added more firmly and got up from the chair bit shaken

Sapna too got up and kept a hand over her shoulder " yes, you haven't. meri baat ka bura mat manna Ridhhi, shayad kabhi tujhe meri baat samajh aa jaye... Aaj nahi to kal "

Sapna started to walk away, " Sapna.." Ridhhima called her, she turned " since when you joined Armaan's camp ? Mujhe lagta tha ki you didn't like him ? "

She smiled a bit... " sirf waqt aur haalat ka farq hai RIdhhima, jaisa maine kaha yeh insaan ko badal dete hain aur yahi dono insaan ki pehchaan bhi karwate hain... Rahi meri baat to I just want to see you happy... Jaise tu ab hai, pehle se kahin jyada..."

Ridhhima stood there puzzled watching Sapna walk away... She was shaken by her words and was confused too.. At one hand she was accusing her of forgetting Vivek and at other she took Armaan's side.. What is it ?? Is she really forgetting Vivek ??

" Kya sach mein main badal gayi hun ?? Kya main Vivek ko dhoka de rahi hun ?? "

She remembered how she was getting more and more carefree around Armaan.. Yes, they have become friends, but then those accidental moments which caused those forbidden thoughts in her mind... And what was that what she felt yesterday while messaging his back ! ' Oh my God I was messaging his back !! ' The thought terrified her ,making her feel immensely guilty.. Probably she was crossing boundaries...even if unknowingly...

She fought to control her tears feeling angry on herself... Sapna was right she was indeed forgetting Vivek... She had hardly taken any pains to look for Vivek herself, how easily she believed Armaan that he will bring him back... had trusted him with everything...

" No Armaan won't lie to me.. And Vivek... I do love him ,I haven't forgotten him..." she walked through the corridor questioning herself... there came no reply which added to her frustration even further. Deep in her thoughts she bumped into someone

" I'm sorry "

" It's okay..." she looked at the person " Aditi !? Tum ? And.. Hey kya hua ? Tumhara chehra itna utra hua kyun hai ? And what's this ? have you been crying ?? " Aditi's eyes were red... She hugged Ridhhima and tears broke out again " hey, hey !it's okay.. cmmon chalo mere cabin main chalte hain... Come " she took her inside her own worries forgotton... " Tum Chirag se milne aayi thi ? " She handed her a glass of water ,Aditi nodded " main use yahin bula leti hun..." She rang the bell and called for the wardboy asking him to call Chirag

" Ab batao kya hua ? " She sat opposite her..

" mere mom dad ne.. Meri shaadi Soham se karne ka faisla kar liya hai " she sobbed

" what ?! "

She nodded " unhone to Chiraag se milne se bhi mana kar diya hai.. Aur bahut jald Soham ke parents ghar aane waale hain sagai ke liye.. Mujhe samajh nahi aa raha main kya karu ? "

She hugged Aditi " magar yeh sab hua kab ? Aur kya tumne uncle aunty ko Soham ke baare main bataya nahi ? "

" bataya ,magar usne apni baaton se mom dad ko pighla liya.. Main jaanti hun wo yeh sab apni zid ke liye kar raha hai ,wo bahut hi jhuta hai... I hate him " she had fire in her eyes " Chiraag mera pehla pyaar hai Ridhhima, usne mere liye kya kya nahi sahaa mere liye.. maa pa ke taane sahe, apne mum dad ko manaya... magar... sab bekaar. Mere mum dad nahi maane... main chaahe jiske saath bhi rahun mera dil to Chiraag ke saath hi rahega "

" Magar Aditi tumhari shaadi hone waali hai.. Ab.. Aur ho sakta hai Soham sahi main badal gaya ho tum " she wanted to say if she could directly talk to Soham about this but Aditi cut her in between thinking she was siding with Soham

" Tum nahi samjhogi Ridhhima tumhe to tumhara pyaar mil gayaa naa, tumhe meri takleef samajh nahi aayegi. Mera pyaari sirf aur sirf Chirag hai, koi aur uski jagah nahi le sakta.. Kabhi nahi ! "

" Nahi Aditi... Meri baat " she tried to explain

" Nahi Ridhhima, tum batao agar tum kisi aur ko chahti aur tumhari shaadi Armaan se zabardasti hui hoti to kya tum apna pehla pyaar bhul jaati.. Kya tum itni jaldi haar maan jaati...?? " Ridhhima was stunned

" Aditi ! " Chiraag's voice spread in the room ,he'd heard everything .Aditi realised that she might have said little too much. She looked at Ridhhima with teary eyes..

" I'm.. I'm sorry Ridhhima.."

She forced a weak smile. In the span of few minutes she was shaken from inside, badly, made to realise that she was indeed changed... And it scared her... Terribly... And now Aditi's words... unknowingly, she had hit her most sore spot... Aditi's situation was so alike her own but at least she had Chirag with her. Her thoughts drifted to Vivek, She had almost forgotton him, not even remembering him for days now... Where was that Ridhhima who was fighting for her love ? now that she think of it she hadn't even mentioned Vivek for past few weeks !... Has she given up...??

She looked at her now crying in Chirag's arms. She got up, no longer able to stand there.. She needed to get out of there, her heart felt heavy

She looked at Chirag consoling Aditi who was crying in his arms... He mouthed sorry, she waved it and gently patting his arm went out of the room... Giving them some time... Taking some time for herself...

She walked through the hospital corridors... wherever she looked she saw Vivek reproaching her for being unfaithful... For forgetting him... She could hear his accusations, she covered her ears to stop them... opening her eyes slowly she saw there was noone around...

Crying unable to hold herself feeling angry, guilty she ran to the car.. Unaware she bumped into someone again. She looked up and found Armaan standing before her ,questioning through his eyes. He must have come to pick her up.

Before he could ask her anything she broke down hugging him, he wrapped his arms around her worried..

" Ridhhima, Raidhhima kya hua ? Kuch bolo ? Tum theek to ho naa ? "

" Mujhe Vivek se milna hai Armaan... I haven't forgotton him... Main use cheat nahi karna chahti... Maine use dhoka nahi diya " still crying in his arms

His face became expressionless, seeing her cry like that wrenched his heart, though her words felt like a big blow but still he controled himself. Gently braking the hug, he wiped off her tears with his thumbs..

" Heyy ,bas itni si baat, pehle ek kaam karo, yeh itne keemti aansoo aise waste karna band karo " he wiped them away gently " aur you remember naa what I promised.. To hum bahut jald usse milenge " She looked up at him with surprise in tear filled eyes " sach ,main keh raha hun naa.. Trust me wo jahaan bhi hoga I will bring him to you... And that too very soon... Happy ?! " he gave a big understanding smile

She nodded with a weak smile and rested her head on his shoulder still sniffing... But was much calmer now..

" aur Ridhhima ek baat kahun kabhi bhi apne mann main yeh khayal mat laana ki tum kisi ko dhoka de rahi ho.. Tumse jyada sachha insaan maine aaj tak nahi dekha, Vivek ne jarur kuch achhe karm kiye honge jo use tum mili.. tumne uske liye jo kiya hai ,jo saha hai wo shayad hi koi aur karta... You are the best thing he could've ever ask for... So never ever blame yourself okay.." Ridhhima's heart lifted up hearing his words and after a while standing there in his arms, feeling secure she thought that he's indeed right. She broke the hug suddenly realising where she was

Armaan gave a friendly smile making sure that she doesn't feel awkward coz of the hug " better now ? Hmm " she nodded " good girl, chalo ghar chalte hain "

They were having dinner in silence unaware that BP and Virendra had their eyes fixed on them... Occasionnaly joined by Rahul and Muskaan all seem to talk secretly to each other...

BP dropped the spoon on the plate " That's it. " all of them looked at him " Armaan, Ridhhima " both looked at BP " mujhe tum dono se saaf saaf ek baat puchhni hai "

" ji BP.. Puchhiye " said Ridhhima, bit surprised hearing BP speaking in such a cold and formal tone for the first time

" kya tum dono ka jhagda hua hai ? " both looked at each other ,BP turned to Ridhhima " Ridhhima, kya Armaan ne phir se tumhari koi baat nahi maani ? " she looked at him then at BP shaking her head unable to understand what he was deriving at. " are you sure ? "

" BP baat kya hai ? " Armaan asked little confused

" main janta hun ki baat kya hai.. Ridhhima kya tum Armaan ko pasand nahi karti ? "

" what !? Nahi, BP wo.." he didn't let him finish

" Armaan kya tumhe Ridhhima pasand nahi ? Aren't you happy with this marriage ? " She was stunned

" BP...?? " Armaan asked shocked

He looked at both of them with penetrating eyes. Ridhhima's throat went dry 'kya BP ko sab pata hai.. Vivek ke baare main...' she looked at Armaan and knew he was thinking on the same line

" yeh sab Armaan ki wajah se hua hai aur ho raha hai, hai naa.. "

" Oh god he definitely know ' she thought " BP wo tab.. Baat yeh hui BP ki..." probably it was time to let everyone know...

BP raised a hand and stopped her from saying anything further " tumhe koi explaination dene ki ya iski side lene ki zarurat nahi hai, main sab jaanta hun "

" nahi BP wo... " she looked at Armaan for some help but he too looked stumpped

" bas bahut ho gaya ab main aur kuch nahi sununga... Tumhe to kuch fikar hai nahi to sab mujhe hi dekhna hoga naa.." She got bit scared she'd never seen BP angry.. She looked at Virendra who looked... Calm !

She was surprised, the usually jovial and fun loving BP was angry today and everyone was calm !... Virendra saw that she was troubled and signalled her to be patient and do as he said... though she was not so convinced as BP being angry meant that it was serious...

" Mujhe ek baat batao, Jab tum dono ek dusre ko itna pasand karte ho... Pyaar karte ho... to how can you be so dull...? " They still were clueless, seeing them clueless he sighed and said aloud " main tumhare honeymoon par jaane ki baat kar raha hun ! " now it dawned on them... Ridhhima breathed in..

" Ohhh " Armaan breathed in with relief " BP aapne to dara hi diya tha..! "

" Armaan tum baat ko taalo mat... Aur Ridhhima iska to main ek baar ko samajh sakta hun, the workaholic idiot..." Armaan opened his mouth but wasn't given a chance to speak " but you ?! log kya kahenge, ki hamne apne bete bahu ko kahin honeymoon par nahi bheja..."

" absolutely papa " Muskaan and Rahul agreed

As soon as they were in the privacy of their room she asked " Armaan yeh sab...?? Honeymoon ?! "

He slowly came and stood before her " Tumhe Vivek se milna tha naa " looking into her eyes, his face unreadable " Pack your bags... it's time..." she looked at him... stunned... totally at loss of words...